Ah… how nostalgic it is to be home again…
I passed through the gates, walked through the garden, and opened the front door.
「Looks like we’ll need to redo the garden upkeep.」
「Yeah. Though we’ll probably have to wait until tomorrow…」
「Right. First, we should clean the house.」
In hindsight, I probably should’ve asked Dama to look after the place while we were gone, but it’s too late now.
After being away for nearly half a month, a thin layer of dust had inevitably settled in.
「We should probably start with the bedrooms.」
「Agreed. Sleeping quarters are top priority.」
「Master, you can just take it easyssy! We’ll take care of things in no timessu!」
「Yeah, that’s not happening. I’ll at least clean my own room and the alchemy lab.」
「In that case, we’ll clean your room, Master. Please focus on the alchemy lab, after all, that room is the backbone of our livelihoods.」
A comfortable workspace starts with a comfortable space, after all.
There’s no way I want to work in a dusty lab, so I’ll gladly accept their offer.
…Now that we’re back, there’s a mountain of tasks I need to get done…
First, I need to make vibrators to deliver to Yasis, and potions for the Adventurer’s Guild.
Feels like that dread before going back to work after a long holiday…
「Alright. Everyone follow Wendy’s lead for the big cleanup. Once that’s done, we’ll head out for some shopping and dinner. As for greeting the townspeople, we’ll do that tomorrow.」
「Got it」「Alright」「Okay, okay」
「Hmm」「Understood」
Everyone grabbed their cleaning tools and got to work.
-0-
As I descended into the basement, I found myself thinking back to our departure from the royal capital.
We left at dawn.
Despite the early hour, so early the sun had yet to rise, many people came to see us off.
Of course, there was Hayato, but also Freed, the maids, Iris and Ayame, even Teresa and the vice-captain.
Thinking back, I made a lot of connections while I was in the capital.
Hayato said he’d be heading off to tackle a dungeon soon, so it might be a while before we meet again.
Still, both his group and ours are going to need Moonlight Grass, so the sooner he gets some, the better.
After that whole tournament mess, we’ve all become more focused on safety.
I never want to get caught up in something like that again, but it’s not something I can control.
That’s why I want to get enough elixirs for everyone as soon as possible.
But if I stay too on edge, it’ll just make every day tense and hard to move forward, so I’ll keep it moderate.
Iris said I don’t need to worry, after all.
As much as possible, I’ll keep being myself and continue enjoying this world.
Speaking of Iris, it seems she’ll be coming to Einzheil soon.
She even said she’ll visit my house, so I should come up with a new ice cream flavor before then.
As for Teresa and the others, it doesn’t look like I’ll be seeing them unless I head back to the capital.
But I’ve heard they sometimes come to the local church on assignments, so I’ll welcome them warmly when they do.
There were definitely some big problems, but in the end, I did have a good time in the capital.
I made a lot of money, too.
Maybe it’s time I start making serious plans… to ‘not’ work?
Well, I say that, but alchemy is more of a hobby than a job for me, and it’s fun, so I don’t really mind continuing.
Still, I do dream of luxuries like drinking during the day or spending the whole day being lazy.
Not just wasting the day doing nothing, ‘intentionally’ lazing about.
The rest of the world’s working hard, and yet I get to just lounge around.
Ah… how luxurious that sounds…
Shiro would probably get it. I bet she’d laze around with me.
But still, I’m not living alone anymore…
I can’t let anyone go hungry. Making money ‘is’ important.
-0-
The alchemy lab had, as expected, gathered a decent amount of dust, so I started by knocking it down from the high places.
After gathering it up, I followed up with a damp cloth.
Of course, I had already turned on the air purifier before getting started.
Once the cleaning was finished, I sat down in my black-moum leather chair.
It had been a while since I last felt this seat.
The exhaustion from the long trip and the comfort of the chair started pulling me into sleep before I knew it.
No no, this is a bad time to fall asleep.
There’s still dinner shopping and prep to do. If I’m going to sleep, I should at least use the bed so I can rest properly.
Tomorrow, I have to go around greeting people and handing out souvenirs.
But… I can’t fight it…
This sleepiness… it’s the kind that just feels ‘too’ good to resist.
I’ve gone past drowsy, I can’t even muster the energy to open my eyes.
The part of me insisting I ‘shouldn’t’ fall asleep is rapidly losing power.
Nooo… can’t… sleep…
「Zzz… zzz…」
Though I shouldn’t have fallen asleep, my breathing naturally slowed into a calm, steady rhythm.
-0-
In the dim haze of my barely functioning consciousness…
I sensed, just barely, that I wasn’t alone in the room.
「……I just came to check on you, but I see you’re asleep.」
That voice, Sorte?
When did she…?
Wait, was I already asleep?
I ‘thought’ I was awake, but if I didn’t notice her coming in, I must’ve nodded off at some point.
「…You’re asleep, right?」
She brushed my bangs aside.
I could feel her gaze on me.
…Kind of embarrassing, honestly, having someone stare at my sleeping face.
Should I just act like I’m awake now?
No, if I stay “asleep”, I can find out what she does when she thinks I’m not. Might as well watch a little longer.
「Ei.」
「Puh, ah.」
She poked me in the cheek!?
It didn’t hurt, but I let out a weird noise.
Crap, did she notice!?
Not yet. I still have a chance!
「Ei, ei.」
「Mnn… ah…」
「Ufufu. You’re so weird.」
Alright.
That sounded just like a sleep mumble. Nailed it!
Still, calling someone weird when ‘you’re’ the one playing with their face… this mutt’s getting way too cocky thinking I’m asleep.
「He must be tired… Doesn’t look like he’s waking up.」
Yeah, I ‘am’ tired.
It was a long journey, after all.
「…Hey. There’s something important I want to talk about.」
Hmm?
That tone changed in an instant.
「No, that’s not quite right… I want you to listen to something? Or maybe… I want to ask you for something? Or… is it more of a selfish request…?」
She’s muttering again.
What’s this all about?
「Sigh… Just leaving without saying anything feels wrong, and I don’t want another misunderstanding if we cross wires again. I ‘know’ I have to say something, but when it comes down to it, I’m nervous…」
「……」
「…What if he ends up giving up on me…?」
Hmm…
Yeah, I’m gonna keep pretending to sleep here.
I’m good at reading the mood.
Besides, I don’t trust my acting to be convincing if I suddenly wake up now.
「…Gotta get it together.」
「Hmmm…」
「You ‘really’ aren’t waking up, huh…? Don’t tell me you’re actually awake?」
Yup. Wide awake.
「Sorte? What are you doing?」
「!? Oh, it’s just you, Aina. Don’t startle me like that!」
「Is our liege… asleep? What’s going on? Were you playing a prank or something?」
「Yeah. He’s totally not waking up.」
She pokes my cheek again.
Poke, poke.
Seriously, any normal person would’ve woken up by now.
If you get poked that many times in the face, anyone would react.
But after hearing something that sounded pretty serious, I have ‘no idea’ what kind of face I’m supposed to make if I get up now.
「H-Hey now. He’s finally sleeping, don’t wake him up, that’s just cruel.」
「Ehh, but we’ve got to go shopping for dinner. We ‘have’ to wake him up.」
「That’s true, but still…」
「Hey, what if we tried kissing him?」
「Wha!?」
Wha!?
「You know, like in those old fairy tales? Where the sleeping princess is awakened with a kiss.」
「Well, of course I know that one, but our liege isn’t a princess.」
Y-Yeah!
Sure, I might be weaker, more delicate, and frailer than you two, but that doesn’t make me a princess!
「You don’t have to say it. I ‘know’ he’s not. But look, he’s not waking up, it’s just the two of us here, so isn’t this a chance?」
「T-To do something like that while he’s sleeping…」
「If you’re not going to, then fine. I mean, I couldn’t do something so embarrassing if he ‘was’ awake.」
Wait, hold on.
Is this really okay?
Should I just accept it?
Or should I wake up right before it happens…?
No, no, she’ll definitely realize I was faking it if I do that.
「Wait!」
「…What?」
「Well, um… I…」
「Fufu, I’m just kidding. I haven’t even had my first kiss yet. I want my first time to be something ‘he’ initiates.」
「Wha…! You were teasing me, Sorte!」
「That’s payback for always calling me ‘maiden Sorte’ and making fun of me.」
「That was Renge!」
「But look, Aina’s laughing too!」
「Did someone call messu~? Ah, the two of you are slacking off~! Wendy~! These two are flirting around with master instead of workingssu~!!」
We were ‘not’ flirting!!
I was just sleeping here!
…Okay, fine, I was pretending, but still.
「Araara. Then I suppose a little punishment is in order.」
「W-Why!? I already finished my assigned area!」
「Ah, about that. I actually came to get you because there was still dust left in the corners… If Wendy sees that, you’ll definitely be in trouble.」
「Eh…」
「Sorte-tan, no matter how much you wanna hog master to yourself, it’s not cool to half-ass your cleaningssu~」
「I-I didn’t! I just honestly didn’t notice!」
「Alright then. As punishment, Sorte is excluded from the shopping trip. From me, Aina, Renge, and Shiro, we’ll pick two to go with Master. Once that’s decided, we’ll wake him up.」
「W-Wait, let me join too!」
Phew.
They finally left.
Man, pretending to be asleep is way harder than I thought.
You have to keep your breathing and body still just right or it looks unnatural. And I never knew when I was ‘supposed’ to wake up!
「Now then… what to do…」
「Hmm?」
To summarize what just happened:
– Sorte seemed unusually serious
– She left
– There was some kind of misunderstanding
– She said something about needing to “do things properly”…
Hm? Wait, did someone respond just now?
「Lord?」
「Shiro!? Since when have you been here!?」
「Since the beginning. Before Sorte came in.」
…Eh?
Wait, seriously?
「H-How did you…?」
「Just normally? You were sleeping, so I hid under the desk to surprise you.」
Even if I was blocking the view, how did no one notice her…?
「Sorte and the others, are they going somewhere?」
「Yeah… looks like it. But I wonder where.」
「Hmm… probably off to fight some powerful enemy.」
「I figured it was something like that…」
「Yeah. But lord can do whatever you want. You can stop them, or let them go.」
「Hmmm…」
They looked like they’d made up their minds…
That’s exactly why it was so hard to open my eyes.
Of course I want to stop them, but maybe this is something they chose, a challenge they need to face.
There’s got to be some way I can watch over them, make sure they’re safe, and step in only if it really becomes dangerous…
「…Well, at least I’ve got advance notice. I should try to think something up.」
「Yeah. If there’s anything Shiro can do, I’ll help.」
「So even you’re worried, huh?」
「…Those three are yours too. So it’s only natural Shiro protects them.」
Shiro’s cheeks flushed slightly.
Well, fair enough. Let’s leave it at that for now.
Now then, what should I do…
I sank back into my chair and gazed up at the ceiling.
Shiro climbed into my lap like it was the most natural thing in the world, leaning against me.
And so, the two of us quietly waited for Wendy and the others to return, lost in thought.
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