The day after we enjoyed the bath, I woke up in bed next to Wendy.
Carefully slipping out of bed so as not to wake her, I opened the curtains and let the morning sunlight wash over me.
Nnnn—!
As I stretched, my back gave a few pops, making me feel like maybe I’d overslept a bit.
Well, I finally got to take that long-awaited bath yesterday.
I should be fully recharged now.
「Alright then」
「Fwaah… Good morning, Master」
「Morning. You’re still a little out of it, huh」
「I don’t usually struggle in the mornings, but I slept very deeply last night」
Makes sense.
Sleeping after a bath really helps the body recover.
Rest and refreshment are important, after all.
「Now then, before Shiro wakes up…」
「Before what?」
「Shiro!?」
I was startled to find Shiro in the room as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Just how long had she been there?
「It’s already almost noon… I want breakfast…」
「Ah, sorry, sorry. I overslept a bit」
「That’s fine. More importantly, why is Wendy here too?」
「Well, you see, that’s because…」
「Not fair. Shiro wanted to sleep with Lord too…」
「You fell asleep first, Shiro. First come, first served」
Wendy had a proud, triumphant look on her face.
Honestly, a little immature if you ask me.
「Fine, whatever. Next time, it’s just Lord and Shiro. For two nights in a row」
「That’s not fair! Let’s take turns. A rotation system!」
「No. Absolutely not」
Apparently irritated by Wendy’s smug expression, Shiro shot back with a declaration of her own form of payback.
I calmed the two of them down and headed to the bath.
-0-
While doing laundry, I also started filling the tub to prepare for a morning soak.
Neither of them seemed used to the idea of bathing in the morning, but they eventually chalked it up to me simply loving baths that much.
In my old world, I think a lot of people liked morning baths, or at least showers.
The three of us rinsed off and got into the tub.
This time, even Shiro didn’t swim around—she stuck close by my side.
Wendy, ever since yesterday, had been clinging to me in the bath, and now she hugged my other arm tightly without a hint of embarrassment.
「Ahh… this feels amazing」
「It really does」
「A little too hot for Shiro」
「Don’t push yourself. You can get out first if it’s too much」
「I’m fine. I’m not letting you and Wendy be alone together」
Though she insisted she was fine, Shiro was clearly pushing herself. Her head was swaying unsteadily.
This was getting dangerous, but even so, she stubbornly refused to let go of me.
Left with no other choice, I poured water over my head and got out of the bath.
Since there was no fan in the changing room, I dried myself off and stepped into the alchemy room.
There, I fed some magic power into the cooling magic tool. A refreshing breeze washed over me, gradually cooling down my overheated body. It felt great.
「Ahh… But if I stay here too long, I’ll probably catch a cold. I should make a fan too…」
Honestly, I really wanted plastic.
Glass or metal would be too dangerous.
But I didn’t know a thing about processing petroleum, and I doubted this world had that kind of technology yet.
It sure would be convenient if they did, though.
When you think about it, my old world was full of plastic products.
Even vibrators were usually made of plastic, right?
「Gweh」
While I was stretched out on the sofa enjoying the cool air, Shiro came chasing after me and climbed on top of my stomach.
I didn’t mind her climbing on, but could she not jump onto me like that?
「Lord, dry my hair」
「Hm? Whoa, you’re soaking wet」
Seriously, this girl needs so much looking after.
And now her clothes are all drenched too.
「You’ll catch a cold」
「Never caught one before」
「Really now. Alright, got any itchy spots?」
「Hmm, a little lower」
There, there. Is it here? Does that feel good?
Is it your ears that are itchy?
She’s even clingier than usual today.
「Hey, Shiro. I haven’t finished drying your hair yet」
「It’s fine. Lord’s doing it」
「Hey! What do you think you’re making Master do!?」
「It’s fine, it’s fine. Want me to do yours too, Wendy?」
「I… I’ve already finished drying it myself…」
「Then how about I help tie it up?」
「Do you prefer it tied up, Master?」
Not really, but doesn’t it make you want to play with a girl’s long hair?
The most I can do is a simple braid, though.
And if I mess up and leave creases in it, it’d be a shame to ruin such beautiful hair.
「Not especially… I think it looks better the way it is」
「I see… Uuuu」
Huh, that’s strange.
I meant it as a compliment, but for some reason, she looked disappointed.
「Alright, Shiro’s done. Wendy, it’d be bad if you caught a cold too, so let’s wrap it up」
「Yes. Shall we have breakfast then?」
「Yeah. I’ll help too」
「Thank you. Ufufu. Shiro, you just relax and wait, okay?」
「Muu… Food takes priority…」
Even Shiro had the decency to stay quiet during meals.
-0-
Wendy and I prepared breakfast together, and since we were already at it, we decided to set everything out nicely on the table.
The result was a surprisingly lavish spread for a morning meal.
There were plenty of ingredients I’d never seen before, and in my curiosity, I kept asking Wendy how to cook them.
Before I realized it, we’d ended up with six different dishes.
「Hey, Shiro. Eat your vegetables too」
「Nooo. Meat, meat, bread, meat, meat, meat」
「That’s way too meat-heavy…」
「I eat what I like when I like. Otherwise, I might not get the chance again」
She’d said something similar when she was eating my beef skewer sandwich.
Since Shiro belonged to a warrior race, maybe she lived her life with the assumption she could die at any time.
I did plan to rely on her for protection, but I wasn’t going to make her charge headfirst into battle, nor did I intend to put her in unnecessary danger.
「Shiro. You won’t grow up big and strong if you don’t eat your veggies」
「…… Wendy. I’ll eat some salad」
「Yes, yes. Is this amount okay?」
「Hmm….bitter」
「Really? I think it’s fresh and delicious. Here, say ahh」
「Ahh… Yeah, still bitter」
Maybe her taste buds were just different.
Now that I thought about it, I used to find green peppers unbearably bitter as a kid.
But after growing up, stuffed peppers became one of my favorite dishes.
Especially when you season them with yakitori sauce—those are fantastic.
Riiiin Riiiin Riiiin
「What’s that sound?」
「It seems we have a visitor. I’ll go answer the door」
Ah, right—something like a doorbell.
With a gate out front, people couldn’t exactly knock directly on the door.
Still, I wondered how it worked.
「Lord, vegetables taste bad」
「I’ll make them taste good next time, so do your best for now」
「Ughhh…」
She looked so sad as she chewed.
I couldn’t just sit and watch, so I handed her one of my bone-in meat portions.
「Master, Yasis-sama has come to visit」
「Pardon the intrusion during your meal. I came to congratulate you on your move」
「Oh hey, Yasis. First time since that day, huh? Everything go well with your wife?」
「Of course. The children were looking forward to spending time with me too. I was finally able to repay some of what I owe them」
So he had kids too…
And from the sound of it, not just one.
「You received the goods from my messenger, right?」
「Yes. As expected, you work swiftly. On our end, demand has kept us in a constant state of reservations even after carefully selecting whom to sell to. You’ve been a great help」
「I’ve prepared a few more, so I’ll hand them over today」
「That would be wonderful. Most customers prefer using them for their intended purpose, so could you make more of the larger ones?」
「Got it」
Of course, the larger ones naturally cost more in materials, but I still make a solid profit.
Even though I sell them to Yasis at a low price, as long as I turn a profit and the sales stay steady, that’s good enough for me.
They say persistence pays off. It’s not exactly the same meaning, but it fits here.
「By the way… it seems things are going quite well for you.」
「…What are you talking about?」
「Oh, nothing at all.」
There’s no way it’s nothing.
This guy is not one to let his guard down around.
「Now then, what I’ve brought today is something special. I believe it’s perfect for you.」
With that, Yasis pulled a large bottle from his magical bag.
『-Ultimate Night- Details Unknown The Ultimate Night Awaits You』
…….
Come on.
Why do guys like Reinrich and Yasis keep handing me these mystery items?
Ultimate, seriously…
What is supposed to happen? What does Ultimate Night even mean?
「This is one of the few remaining creations of the legendary Emperor of Vigor. I highly recommend not telling anyone you possess it.」
「Whoa, wait. That makes no sense. Why?」
「There are nobles out there who would kill to get their hands on this.」
That’s way too dangerous…
And seriously, why does Yasis even have this?
And look at it—it’s completely unopened.
「You haven’t tried it yourself, Yasis?」
「No, my wife and I are rather reserved. Our children are growing up now, and as long as we have a normal happy life, that’s enough for us.」
You’re giving me a potion you haven’t even tested yourself…?
It’s not dangerous, right?
Also Yasis, now I’m really curious—what exactly is your idea of a normal happy life?
「Shiro, with this, even if customer-sama doesn’t respond to the smaller ones, you’ll have your turn.」
「Well done, Yasis!」
「I’m glad to see you’re pleased.」
「I’ll accept it, but whether I use it or not is a different matter…」
「Of course. That’s perfectly fine. But please, whatever you do, don’t tell anyone you received it from me, or that you have it at all.」
「Yeah, I got it.」
The fact he’s stressing it this much… this thing must really be dangerous.
I’ll make sure not to take it out of the magic storage.
「Right. Would you like to stay and have breakfast with us?」
「No, thank you. I’ve already had a breakfast full of my wife’s love.」
「I see. Well then, we’re planning to have a housewarming dinner once Aina and the others are back. Interested?」
「If my schedule allows, I’d be delighted to join.」
「Then I’ll count on that. Let’s hope it works out.」
「Yes. I look forward to it.」
After saying just that, Yasis took his leave.
The fact that he went out of his way to bring me a housewarming gift despite being busy means a lot.
Even if it’s something dangerous just to possess, I can’t help but be grateful.
「Lord, it’s okay to use it when it’s with Shiro, got it?」
「No no no. That thing’s seriously too scary to even try…」
「I-I wouldn’t mind if it’s with me either!」
「You don’t need to compete with her, Wendy…」
「Only with Shiro. Wendy’s too old…」
「There’s not that much of an age gap! I’m still young too!」
「Compared to Shiro, you’re kind of—」
「Ah, I see how it is. Well then, no lunch for Shiro today!」
「That’s not fair. But Lord’s the one who controls the wallet. I’ll just ask him for food instead.」
「But master and I will be having the same meal, while Shiro eats street food. It’ll just be me and master matching!」
「Hmm… Wendy has a bad personality.」
「I do not. Certainly not worse than yours, Shiro.」
Sigh.
Anyway, once breakfast is done, I should get started on crafting the vibrator Yasis requested.
After that, maybe I’ll figure out what else to do for the day.
「Master, are you even listening!? Shiro’s being horrible!」
「Lord, Wendy is the root of all evil. It’s all her fault.」
「Where did those two who got along so well at the start go…?」
You both said you were looking forward to this, that you’d be happy together.
Please, just get along already…
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