Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Eve of the Storm
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‘Ugh...’
Charlotte, buried under the blanket with her face flushed beet red, wriggled her body restlessly.
Iris didn’t seem to realize it herself, but every time she used the breast pump to express her milk, a faintly lewd note crept into her voice.
Charlotte’s face grew hot and stuffy, so she’d fled under the covers, but that did nothing to make Iris’s voice disappear like some kind of magic.
If anything, the darkness made it stand out even more clearly.
“Mm...”
Charlotte’s heart was a tangled mess as she listened to that voice.
She was thrilled that Iris had specifically chosen her to sleep with.
Because of that, she didn’t want to trouble her. Yet hearing that sultry voice made her anxious that something would happen to make Iris uncomfortable.
Of course, it wasn’t a voice she disliked hearing...
By then, Iris’s voice had quieted, leaving only faint rustling sounds inside the tent.
Only then did Charlotte let out a quiet sigh of relief in her mind.
Suddenly, Iris spoke from fairly close by.
“Ch-Charlotte, thank you. It’s... working well.”
“Y-Yeah...”
It felt good.
Charlotte had been inwardly worried that Iris might be displeased, but now she was so happy she secretly kicked her feet under the blanket.
She basked in that joy for a while, giggling to herself, until she noticed Iris had stopped moving. Cautiously, she lifted the blanket and peeked out.
There was Iris, already asleep, looking exhausted.
Charlotte gazed at her silently.
Her face was still faintly flushed from the lingering aftereffects of expressing her milk.
Iris must have forgotten to zip up her sleeping bag—or maybe she just didn’t care—because the zipper was open.
Thanks to that, as she lay on her side, her soft breasts were pressed against the floor and her own chest, proudly displaying their squishy texture.
The blanket barely covered her stomach, leaving it all in plain view.
“Suu... Hoo...”
Her large breasts jiggled softly with every breath she took in and let out.
Staring blankly at them, Charlotte shook her head inwardly.
Instead, she squirmed closer bit by bit until she was right beside Iris.
It was a rare chance, so she wanted to fall asleep feeling at least the indirect warmth of her body heat.
Asking to be hugged would be... too greedy, right?
...The space wasn’t that big to begin with, so one roll would bring them together anyway.
Whatever the case.
Now positioned close enough to feel Iris’s shallow breaths on her skin, Charlotte stared at her peacefully sleeping face before closing her eyes.
Soon, Charlotte was breathing evenly, looking just as asleep.
But... how long had it been since she’d drifted off?
Charlotte slowly opened her eyes, accompanied by a faint sensation of suffocation.
At first, she thought it was her turn for night watch and sighed inwardly.
But what awaited her wasn’t night watch...
It was a situation that, from her perspective, was a little sweet—the one she’d longed for.
With bleary eyes, Charlotte sensed something dark yet white right in front of her.
She tilted her head to see what it was, and the warm, soft sensation was unmistakable.
A thin breathing sound came from above her head.
‘Huh...?’
In her dazed state, Charlotte couldn’t quite grasp what was happening until the subtly nutty, fragrant scent wafting into her nose made it clear.
...It seemed Iris had pulled her into an embrace.
She’d hoped for it, but never dreamed it would actually happen. Charlotte wondered if she was dreaming.
She tried to pinch her cheek to check, but Iris was holding her so tightly that she couldn’t move.
‘...It’s warm.’
Dream or reality, it didn’t matter... Why not just savor this moment?
Instead of pinching her cheek, Charlotte wriggled until her newly freed arm could hug Iris back.
“Hee...”
Her head felt floaty and light.
The teacher hugged me first, so it’s okay, right...?
Buried in Iris’s soft breasts, Charlotte gently closed her eyes.
In her hazy state, she drifted off to sleep without even realizing what was happening, her face slightly flushed.
Twitch, twitch.
For some reason, the bodies of the two sleeping girls kept twitching.
“Teacher? Time to wake up.”
“Ugh...”
This sensation.
It felt like PTSD was kicking in.
The feeling of someone tapping my sleeping shoulder to wake me up.
At least they weren’t shining a flashlight on me—small mercies?
I wondered if I was having a nightmare, but then I felt something soft and warm in my arms, reminding me this was real.
I hated myself for feeling relieved that no one had barked out my rank and name.
As I opened my eyes amid the irritation, I saw Evelyn’s face, her eyes bleary.
She yawned hugely, looking like she just wanted to crawl back into bed.
“...Can’t we all just sleep together? People like us probably won’t get another chance like this in our lives.”
Was Evelyn a transmigrator too? Her grumbling about night watch felt oddly familiar.
...Probably not.
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle as I tried to move, only to run into a few problems.
One was Charlotte, hugged tightly in my arms.
I had no idea when she’d snuggled in, but since I was holding her too, it was mutual fault, right?
...She’s warm.
Anyway, that wasn’t a big issue. I could just loosen my arms and slip out gently.
The real problem was elsewhere.
For some reason, my lower body—between my thighs—was soaking wet.
It felt like something sticky and damp was smeared all over.
Thanks to everything I’d been through so far, I realized what it was immediately.
But that didn’t explain why it was smeared all over there.
...Did Charlotte have a wet dream or something?
At least ‘that thing’ wasn’t there anymore, so probably not.
...I was conflicted whether to feel relieved that I hadn’t done it or sad that she had.
“Sniff sniff... What’s that sm—”
“...E-Evelyn, you can go back to bed now. I’ll head out soon.”
“Huh? Oh, um... okay. Good luck.”
Evelyn looked exhausted and shuffled off toward the tent where the others were sleeping without a backward glance.
I got it, which made me chuckle again.
But first, I needed to deal with this mess.
I carefully detached Charlotte and looked around. A steamy, humid heat hung in the air.
I didn’t need to check visually to know the state of things.
Swallowing a sigh, I summoned Undine to clean it up.
...The sticky bits clinging everywhere were a worry, but luckily, Undine handled them too.
However.
That wasn’t it—El’s voice rang in my head.
- You didn’t think Undine could do this on her own, did you? It wouldn’t have been possible without my help.
So it wasn’t Undine’s great performance; El had assisted.
- I’ve turned a blind eye so far... so it’s natural you wouldn’t know. For this time’s payment... hmm, yes, that in the bottle there.
Bottle?
After a moment’s thought, I realized what she meant.
...Nothing new there.
I’d already given it to Charlotte and Evelyn, even Irene. Handing it over to this... regrettable spirit now was no reason to be embarrassed.
Forcing myself to think that way, I grabbed the bottle and stepped outside.
Now, nothing had happened in the tent tonight.
“Haa...”
I stepped out with a sigh, watching the mess get handled as I ground my teeth.
And I vowed.
To find the culprit quickly and resolve this.
That way, these horrific incidents wouldn’t happen again.
And if—really if—I had to live here forever.
That option might be slightly better.
I clicked my tongue at the bitter taste and settled by the campfire, where embers still glowed.
Slowly, I added what I assumed were logs Michelle had prepared.
I remembered reading that keeping the embers alive was... fairly important.
...This drowsiness meant Evelyn was zonked out, right?
Why did I relate to her so much?
Crackle, crackle.
Staring blankly at the fire, I smirked. Then ripples formed beside me, and El appeared, her water-colored hair swaying.
“A fine early morning, Contractor.”
“...You said to keep it secret, but is it okay to just pop up like this?”
“You underestimate Sylph too much. I handle that much myself.”
“Ah, yeah...”
Would she get mad if I said I didn’t trust her?
As I eyed her sullenly, she held out her hand like she wanted something.
I stared blankly, and her fine lips parted.
“Do you wish for me to receive it directly from the source?”
“...Ah.”
Did the Spirit Queen not know shame?
How could she so boldly demand breast milk? Was it because it was payment?
Shaking my head inwardly, I handed over the bottle. She sniffed it with great interest.
“The scent... nutty and sweet.”
“Hey.”
“Mm, a pity it’s already cooled.”
“El.”
“What is it, Contractor?”
“Just... drink quietly.”
“Fufu... I forgot how delicate our Contractor is.”
She laughed nonchalantly and vanished like the wind, taking the milk with her.
Her perceptiveness was annoyingly sharp—queenly qualities, I suppose.
But I couldn’t treat her harshly; with her unpredictable personality, if something really went wrong, I wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Especially since I didn’t know if there was a clause like the Three Laws of Robotics preventing harm to contractors.
...Should I ask Philia?
I worried El would demand payment for the info if I asked her directly.
Then, with a whoosh, the fire roared back to life. Watching it, I turned to other thoughts.
For example.
Constructive worries, like how to handle tomorrow night’s fixed event.
As I pondered that.
Time passed quickly.