Published: March 21, 2026
Night seemed to have somewhere to go; after dinner together we parted ways.
Somewhere to go—does she have someone she knows there?
We returned to the inn and flopped back onto the bed.
Since the room was fit for royalty, the bed was soft and very comfortable.
Having slept on hard floors since diving into the labyrinth, it felt especially good.
Amelia was dozing on the bed beside me.
I should wipe her down before she sleeps.
Come to think of it, when we parted she had given me a thumbs-up at night. Does she still think I’ll assault Amelia…?
Sure, for any man in the world, holding a beautiful girl like her would be a fantasy.
But there’s a huge difference in looks between Amelia and me, and I don’t have that kind of experience anyway.
Back home I was so busy earning a living, working multiple part-time jobs late into the night that I never had time for a girlfriend. Even if I had one, my mother was always at home so we wouldn’t have been able to be intimate.
Well, I wasn’t looking for anyone, either.
Lost in such thoughts, I didn’t notice Amelia sit up and lie down beside me.
“…Akira. Are you thinking about something?”
“Ah, yeah. About that guild master.”
Rubbing sleepy eyes, Amelia peered at my face.
I felt a little startled.
“Skill ‘non-interference’?”
“It’s ‘non-interference’. It’s a very troublesome skill.”
I stroked Amelia’s head as she nuzzled like a cat.
She pressed against me with a face that seemed ready to purr.
“…Akira, don’t I look delicious?”
My thoughts stopped for a moment.
Huh?
“What do you mean?”
I sat up without thinking and asked. Amelia puckered her lips and looked up at me while still lying down.
“Even though I’m this close, you won’t pounce on me. Am I not attractive?”
She looked doleful and sad, and I was dumbfounded.
I didn’t expect words like that to come from Amelia.
I pressed my hand to my forehead and exhaled.
“Not attractive? No way. You’re too attractive—it’s painful being around you.”
The truth slipped out of my mouth.
Amelia quietly opened her eyes wide.
What am I saying? Heat gathered in my face.
“Hehe. That’s fine then.”
She laughed at my flushed face and hugged me from behind.
Then she leaned close and whispered in my ear.
“You can eat me whenever you want, Akira.”
“———”
Ahh, it’s pathetic as a man to be played by a woman.
But there was one thing I couldn’t yield on.
I turned only my neck and kissed Amelia’s cheek.
“Once I finish this business with the demon king, I’ll hold you as much as I want. Be prepared, okay?”
“Yeah!”
I tried to say it as intimidatingly as possible, but Amelia simply blushed and nodded energetically.
“All right, sleep. From tomorrow we’ll go look for a blacksmith to repair the ‘night blade god’.”
I turned my body to face Amelia.
She was already clinging to me and dozing.
Now that I thought about it, she had looked sleepy for a while.
We collapsed onto the bed holding each other.
Half-asleep and foggy-headed, I decided I’d wash up in the morning.
ーーーーーーーー
“Master, I’m home…?”
A few hours later, Yoru returned from wherever she had wanted to go and tilted her head at the sight of Akira’s bed, oddly lumpy, and Amelia’s bed empty.
Lights-out was long past and it was pitch dark, but as a cat, darkness didn’t bother Yoru.
Seeing as clearly as in daylight, she approached the bed and lifted the covers.
“Oh ho, well well. Good for you, Miss Amelia.”
There were Akira and Amelia asleep, holding each other.
From the state of their clothes it was clear they hadn’t crossed any lines, but Yoru, knowing how worried Amelia had been about Akira, smiled gently at Amelia’s happy face.
She smoothed the covers back into place and lay down in the other empty bed.
Her small body didn’t need the whole bed, so she adjusted herself to match its size.
“...Good night, Master, Miss Amelia. It’ll get busy from tomorrow.”
She murmured that and quietly closed her eyes.
Did they get to flirt a little…?