Chapter 39
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: 9. The Loser
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Among the farewell greetings particularly favored by Koreans, there's a famous template: "Let's grab a meal sometime."
It's not really meant to firmly schedule a dinner date no matter what. It's more like a courtesy phrase tacked on because saying a plain "goodbye" feels a bit too curt.
So, if you actually intend to have that meal together, you'd usually pair it with a specific date instead of leaving it so vague.
"You said you'd be right back, and it really took an hour, ten minutes? Twenty? From your place, right?"
"Yes..."
The farewell of "We can do the breast-licking and sucking you promised next time" surely wasn't just some casual service line tossed out carelessly.
Maybe Team Leader would even call tonight.
Even if it took a long time to mentally prepare, it probably wouldn't be more than a week at most.
Lost in such random thoughts, Neria, who'd just opened the door for me, tilted her head.
"What's up? Why do you have such a spaced-out look today?"
"D-Do I?"
"No. You weren't like this earlier when you were with Master."
Come to think of it, my conversation with Lady Erzel had been in front of Neria too.
Unlike us, she had no acquaintance with Team Leader and had just dully eaten her fried rice, as I recalled.
Fortunately, with no way to know what happened at the office, Neria simply stared up at me piercingly.
I closed the front door with what I hoped was the most natural smile possible, meeting her pale blue gaze.
"I went to work, got off, then had to go back—maybe that's it? It's the only thing that comes to mind."
"...Huh? You said you were at the office earlier? Then it's not really getting off work, is it?"
"I had some separate task to finish, so I planned to head home after that."
"Sheesh. You should've said something. If you'd told me you were home, I'd have just hung up and let you rest instead of asking where you were."
"Ahaha... No, it's fine. I like being with you anyway, Lady Neria."
"...Anyway, sorry. You must be tired."
Sorry, huh.
Her occasional bursts of kindness like this were still hard to get used to.
Her usual attitude was like a cat clawing at me, yet over something trivial, she showed this innocent goodwill...
No need to overthink it—a moody type.
A cat, literally.
The image of Neria solidifying in my mind grew clearer as she reached out and grabbed my sleeve.
"Being tired is one thing. You still have stuff to do, right?"
"......"
With that gem of a line from the same witch who'd just apologized to me, she dragged me to her bedroom.
"Um, Lady Neria."
"Yeah?"
"So, does this mean you'll start living like a proper witch again now?"
Late autumn, when the sun sets early. 4 p.m.
Around the time shadows stretched long by the window with curtains drawn open.
I asked Neria a question that suddenly popped into my head.
Still serving as her dedicated chair, her reply came right in front of my nose.
"Probably? I never hated magic to begin with. I just hated doing weird stuff as the price."
"So it turns out it wasn't a big deal after all."
"It is a big deal! My thighs and waist still hurt because of you!"
"...Because of me?"
"Yeah...! Because you were all... thrusting away like that!"
So the groaning and waist-clutching since this morning hadn't been from Lady Erzel's virginity check after all.
But I felt wronged too—it'd seemed like I'd gone in a bit deep, but for her first time, I hadn't been pounding her destructively or anything...
How little exercise does she do for a short session to cause muscle soreness like this?
When I lightly touched her waist with the hand that had been acting as a seatbelt, she immediately thumped my shin with her heel.
It wasn't a serious kick, so it didn't hurt.
"Hey! Nam Dowon!! Hey!! It still hurts!"
"We have to do it a ton more later—if it hurts this much already, what then?"
"W-We don't need to do it a ton, okay?! Your semen is ridiculously effective for no reason!"
"But this was your first time, Lady Neria. You even said your mana tank was pretty empty yourself."
"Mana tank? What mana tank...! Don't make up weird terms on your own!"
"Then what's the official name?"
"Mana capacity! Obviously!"
"Hmm, doesn't roll off the tongue..."
"And stop touching my waist...!"
Mana tank fits better, though.
As we'd grown closer, trading silly jokes like this, I released her stiff waist.
I'd meant it as a massage, but she clearly hated it.
Now she was jabbing me with her elbow while gripping the game controller.
She kept retaliating somehow until she crossed the finish line, then continued.
"Anyway, why'd you ask that? About living like a witch again."
Her eyes, glued to the screen the whole game, finally turned to me.
With her head resting against my chest.
"Just wondered if things might change in various ways."
"Eh? I don't think much will change? Just hunt some monsters here and use magic freely."
"But if that increases your mana consumption, won't you need to refill more often...?"
"...Ugh, fine. Yeah, we'll have tons of sex. Every damn day. I'll die from the soreness, what a disaster. Happy now? Was that what you wanted to hear?"
"No, that's not what I was worried about..."
I swallowed briefly.
Glancing at Neria's expression, I asked.
"...It's because I saw a witch like Lady Erzel."
"...Master?"
Doing it a lot with just me is one way,
but aren't there witches like your master who hunt men around?
I don't know witches' tendencies well yet,
but there can't be just one case like Lady Erzel.
"Ah. Yeah. That'd bug you. Oh, wasn't that the manga you were into last time? Some rom-com?"
In response, Neria nodded and brought up something from a few weeks ago.
Actually, I'd picked it thinking she'd like it, not because I did.
Truth doesn't matter—better just play along.
Just as I was about to, Neria shifted with a creak.
"I reread it after you left, and yeah, it was still cringey. The tickly vibe overall felt kinda off too."
"I see..."
"But I get why you like pure love. The intimate two-person tickly atmosphere makes sense."
"......"
Just like last time, sitting sideways like on a bike's auxiliary seat.
Groaning from the sore, tingling legs as she adjusted, then staring right at my face.
With an inexplicable flush in her expression, she murmured.
"...You want that with me?"
Of course.
There might be women who roll around with any guy, but where in the world is a man who truly loves that kind of woman?
If it's convenient for easy lust relief, maybe—but loving only such women is basically a mutation, heresy in religious terms...
"But won't you have to take on other apprentice witches later besides me?"
"......Uh."
"You seem to like pure love, but suddenly a harem...? You're a real jerk, huh...?"
...That's true too.
Though her assumption about my pure love preference had a bit of misunderstanding, I do have to sleep with other apprentice witches later.
With nothing to say, just averting my eyes, Neria bonked my forehead with something.
The game controller she'd been holding.
"You need a beating."
"...With a game?"
"Yeah. You think I'd hit you with magic?"
"......"
"And honestly, even if you hadn't asked, I might've done it with others anyway—but thinking about it, that pisses me off a bit now."
"P-Pisses you off...?"
"Later it'll be not just me, but 2, 3, 10 apprentice witches piling up, right?"
Even so, would it really go up to 10?
I wanted to retort, but...
...Honestly, 3 seems entirely possible.
No words for that.
"There's a fighting game we can do just the two of us offline? Gonna beat you at that. Relieve some stress too."
"...Same characters as that racing game earlier."
"Yup. Same IP."
In the end, she fired up a game I barely knew, sliding down from my lap, wriggling.
It'd be brutally one-sided, but no helping it.
If this could soothe her mood even a little, better to take the L graciously.
Unlike me fumbling with controls, she picked her character flawlessly, like a pro, then plopped her butt right next to mine.
"Nam Dowon, you never played this?"
"Think I've seen it somewhere, but first time actually playing."
"Really? Then... hmm..."
She pondered briefly.
Soon, poking me, she made a proposal.
"Alright. I'll play with one hand like this. Fair now?"
Moving, attacking—both one-handed.
Definitely not her usual style, so even basic controls looked tricky now.
Yeah, this gives newbie me a real shot.
"Yes... Seems fair. Maybe even advantageous for me."
"Pfft. Even then, I won't lose to you."
"Who knows. I'm not completely hopeless at games. I like a few famous ones."
"But you look like you'd totally suck. You don't have the gamer face."
"There's a face for that...?"
"If I say so, there is."
...But I didn't need a shot to win anyway.
Wouldn't getting thoroughly thrashed by Neria be way better?
So maybe provoke lightly like this, then get wrecked at the end.
Playing along like humoring a kid,
"Okay, here's the deal. If you beat me, Nam Dowon..."
Stung, she tossed another proposal.
"Next mana refill, any naughty talk you want me to say—I'll do it all, perfectly."