Kim Deok-Sung didn’t say anything, but Nishizawa could feel it.
Today, her Master had decided to take care of her.
“You really don’t have to. Just being next to you, Master, makes me happy… Just not being abandoned is good enough for me…”
Not abandoned.
Being cared for.
“I can feel your kind and warm heart, Master… It moved me… That’s right, I only have you, Master.”
Nishizawa’s hands trembled.
Thump.
Her heart raced.
“…I love you, Master.”
As she blurted out a confession he would never hear, Nishizawa’s heart raced even more.
Her heart starts pounding wildly.
“I love you. I love you. I love you.”
Nishizawa’s face turned red as she repeated “I love you.”
What if he woke up?
Nishizawa quickly covered her mouth.
Her gaze turned toward Kim Deok-Sung.
Seeing him still deeply asleep, she let out a sigh of relief.
“Master. I can’t help it. I’ll sleep with you in bed like this.”
If he had heard Nishizawa Eri, she would have casually said something to make his neck hurt and gotten up from her spot.
Carefully, she lifted Kim Deok-Sung in a princess carry.
“Master, just a little longer. I’ll take you to a soft, cozy bed.”
Nishizawa muttered in a small voice.
“….”
Kim Deok-Sung fell into sleep without a word.
His breathing reached Nishizawa’s ears.
She could feel her Master’s warmth.
Nishizawa’s face reddened even more.
A memory of the bathroom flashed through her mind.
The memory of lathering his back and feeling their body heat together.
With that embarrassed face, Nishizawa gently laid Kim Deok-Sung down on the bed.
Sitting beside the peacefully sleeping Kim Deok-Sung, she poked his cheek again.
“Master. Are you sleeping?”
No response from Kim Deok-Sung.
“You’re really asleep…?”
Nishizawa muttered in a low voice, bending over to examine his face.
Normally, he looked fierce like a rogue, but in sleep, he looked cute and gentle.
Kim Deok-Sung’s lips came into her view.
Nishizawa placed her hand on her chest.
“A kiss, just a peck… wouldn’t that be okay?”
She swallowed the rest of her words.
Thump, thump.
“Hmm.”
Her heart races.
Nishizawa tightly closes and then opens her eyes.
Kim Deok-Sung is deep asleep.
Nishizawa Eri’s pink lips touch Deok-Sung’s cheek.
Smooch.
The short yet intense sensation of the cheek kiss turns Nishizawa’s face beet red.
Her mind fills with all things pink.
Quickly pulling her lips away, Nishizawa hurriedly lies down next to Deok-Sung.
“…Since lip kisses are unfair, I’ll just be greedy with cheek kisses. I’ll save my real first kiss for you, Master, someday.”
I love you, Master.
Nishizawa swallows her words and burrows into Deok-Sung’s embrace.
With her eyes closed, Nishizawa Eri drifts into sleep, breathing regularly.
It was the moment when the rain pouring from Tokyo’s night sky began to ease.
Is it okay to be a little greedier?
A pleasantly lazy sensation.
It feels like her entire body is wrapped in something fluffy.
“…Master.”
A familiar voice calls from afar.
“Master. Master. Wake up. It’s checkout time.”
Checkout?
What does that mean…?
In a daze, flashes of yesterday’s events strike her mind like lightning.
She was led to a love hotel by Nishizawa’s hand.
But I distinctly remember sleeping on the floor. Why is the floor so soft?
On top of that, there’s an odd weight around my waist.
It feels like someone’s sitting on me.
Slowly, she lifts her eyelids.
“Master! You’re awake!”
Sunlight spills in through the ajar window.
Nishizawa Eri is sitting on my waist while I lie on the bed.
Wait, she’s sitting on me?!
This is driving me crazy, seriously.
“Even your morning face looks good, Master.”
Nishizawa caresses my cheek.
Her soft and warm touch can be felt on my face.
I can’t even curse like usual.
I feel like I’m losing my mind.
“…You’re heavy, so get off.”
“Master. Are you perhaps embarrassed? Your face is all red!”
Nishizawa covers her mouth with one hand and giggles.
She’s still wearing a white robe and a red collar around her neck.
Her snowy thighs wrap around my waist.
“Not like that, so just get down.”
“Okay. Heeheehee.”
What’s so funny, Nishizawa?
As soon as she gets off, I sit up.
“Is all your clothes dry?”
“Yep. Totally dry and fluffy! Must be because it’s warm inside the hotel.”
Dressed in her robe, Nishizawa shakes her dry clothes.
“That’s a relief. But did you move me to the bed?”
“Yep. Eri-ring moved you, Master. It’s uncomfortable to sleep on the floor, so onto the fluffy bed.”
With her face flushed pink, Nishizawa approaches, her orange eyes sparkling.
“Didn’t Eri-ring do well?”
I have no words.
It’s already spilled milk anyway.
Getting angry here would be ridiculous.
“Well, whatever. Good job.”
“Then praise me with a pat!”
Nishizawa leans her head forward.
Does she really love pats that much?
I reach out and stroke her orange hair.
“Hehehe…”
Nishizawa laughs, her face turning red.
I take my hand away from her hair.
“Get dressed. We need to go out now.”
Checking the time on my smartphone, it really is checkout time.
We need to leave.
“Okay! Got it, Master. Eri-ring will get dressed, so you can watch me specially!”
“Got it, Master. I’m going to change out of my clothes, so feel free to take a look!”
“What do you mean ‘look’…?”
I sigh and turn my back.
Rustle, rustle.
I can hear the sound of clothes being changed behind me.
“All done!”
Nishizawa’s voice rings out.
When I turn around, I see her in a dry outfit.
She’s wearing a light and airy dress that clearly shows she’s dressed up.
Seeing her like that makes me feel a twinge of guilt again.
“Let’s go.”
I grab her wrist and lead her.
“Wha?!”
Nishizawa’s face turns bright red.
Without saying a word, we leave the room, check out, and exit the love hotel.
The Tokyo streets are damp, perhaps because it rained the day before.
There’s that distinct earthy scent of rainwater in the air.
Standing by a vending machine near the love hotel, I pull out the coin purse that Rin gifted me.
Zzip.
I unzip it and drop a 500-yen coin into the slot.
The vending machine lights up.
I get two cans of corn soup drink.
“Here, catch.”
Holding one can of corn soup drink in my right hand, I pass the other can to Nishizawa with my left.
“Master, is this for Eri-ling…?”
Nishizawa’s eyes widen.
“Yeah. It’s for you, so take it nicely. You seem fine, but it’s better to have something warm.”
Luckily, I didn’t catch a cold after quickly washing up and changing out of my wet clothes at the love hotel.
Still, I can’t help but worry.
After all, this was entirely my fault.
“Thank you… Master.”
Nishizawa respectfully takes the corn soup drink with both hands.
I look at her and open my own can of corn soup drink.
A popular hot beverage from Japanese vending machines, along with sweet red bean soup drinks.
I’ve seen it in anime, so I’m a bit curious about the taste.
I bring the can to my mouth.
The warm corn soup drink slides down my throat.
‘Not bad at all.’
The savory and sweet-salty flavor, with bits of corn to chew on, is quite nice.
I toss the empty can into the trash.
Next to me, Nishizawa is gently stroking her corn soup can as if it’s a treasured possession.
“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to drink it?”
“It’s a gift from you, Master… I feel bad to drink it…”
Nishizawa blushes and smiles.
Seeing her like that makes her look like a puppy.
A puppy?
‘Have I gone crazy?’
Living in this insane world makes me feel like I’m going a bit crazy myself.
“Is that so? Well… do as you like.”
Maybe it’s because I feel guilty, but I can’t treat Nishizawa as harshly as before.
“Okay.”
Nishizawa nods.
“And, um…”
I divert my gaze from her sparkling eyes.
I need to apologize since I messed up.
But for some reason, my mouth won’t move.
“I’m sorry…”
Just as I finally manage to say those words.
“Shh.”
Nishizawa raises her finger horizontally to hush me.
“You don’t need to apologize, Master.”
She smiles.
“Eri-ling is just happy that you didn’t abandon me yesterday, that you enjoyed the cold lunch, and that we got to sleep together. I don’t want anything more. Even if it wasn’t a date… it was still the happiest day ever, because I was with you, Master!”
“Well, since I was with you, Master!”
Nishizawa pulls her hand away from my lips.
“So, you don’t have to feel sorry, Master. Eri… is really okay.”
Nishizawa smiles softly.
Her face, genuinely happy, is unnecessarily pretty, living up to the title of the world’s greatest beauty.
I found my words slightly stuck.
“… Is that really enough? You don’t want anything else?”
I forcefully open my mouth and ask.
“Want something else?”
Nishizawa laughs while putting her hands behind her back and kicking the ground lightly.
“Master, then can Eri be a little greedier?”
“Yeah… well, I messed up this time.”
I say while avoiding her intense gaze.
It’s not like I can’t fulfill a few more wishes.
After all, the wishes in the minds of light novel characters are all pretty much the same.
Nishizawa giggles.
“Then… you have to take Eri on a proper date later! And…”
Nishizawa fiddles with her dress while speaking.
“In the future, I want you to call Eri ‘Eri’ instead of ‘Nishizawa.’ I want you to treat Eri just like you do with others.”
She looks at me when she says this.
Yobiste…
It’s not a difficult request at all.
“Okay. Got it. Eri.”
“Yay! Master called me Yobiste! Eri is so happy! Master is the best!”
She jumps into my arms.
“Alright, now let’s head to the academy.”
I carefully pry Eri off me.
“… Eri.”
“Yeah! Master! Eri is a good slave, so I’ll listen to you well!”
She nods eagerly and crosses her arms.
We head to the academy with Eri.
Truly, it was a long and sincere day.
*
The next day.
After school, club activity time.
Since the club activity sign was for the cooking club, we were assigned the Home Economics Practice Room along with the cooking room.
Thanks to that, I was now sitting in the Home Economics Practice Room.
A spacious Home Economics Practice Room.
Tables for tasting the dishes and high-end cooking equipment that rival a hotel kitchen come into view.
Along with the combination of Olivia, Rin, Eri, Makoto, and senior Kasumi, who gives me a headache just by looking.
[Sorry, Kim. I’ve got practice today too.]
[Sorry, bro. I promise to participate in the next club activity!]
The protagonist and Ishihara just left behind these messages before bailing on the club activity.
Ah, just looking at them makes me mad.
Am I supposed to handle all of them alone?
[Kurosawa Yuji and Ishihara Daiki. Both of them are perceptive, huh? Good partner. You’ve got some good friends.]
The Black Prince’s voice echoes in my head.
I just received the tuned Durandal from Saori.
According to her, she touched Durandal while tuning it and overall improved the magical efficiency and functions.
‘Perceptive, huh? But is this soundproof sheath actually effective?’
[Of course, it is. But partner, who am I? The Great Black Prince! Hahaha! I’m just figuring out how to efficiently talk while reducing energy consumption!]
My expression crumples.
Dammit. Is perfect soundproofing really impossible?
I let out a sigh.
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