A White Lie and a Soft Bed
The scent of incense...
"Ugh, mmm..."
"Did you sleep well?"
"...?"
Was it because she had been drowning in exhaustion for so long? Orca, who had slept for nearly an entire day, looked utterly bewildered, not yet grasping her current situation. I figured she had a mountain of sleep debt built up from her chronic insomnia, but... I never expected her to sleep through the entire day. Thanks to that, I ended up staying overnight at the Academy while waiting for her to wake up. It was surprisingly comfortable.
Honestly, it's not like I have anything to do at home anyway. Maybe I should just sell my studio apartment and move in here? As for meals, the Academy provides everything up to dinner, so that's covered. And with the Headmaster's favor, it might not be a bad idea.
But I needed to put those personal thoughts on hold for a moment. For now, it was better to focus on Orca. To rein in my straying thoughts, I took a sip of coffee from my mug and spoke to her.
"Just how long were you planning to sleep, student? I was starting to worry you'd died."
"...I slept? Me?"
"Well, yes. Your throat must be parched after sleeping so much. Here, have some water. Drink slowly."
She seemed bewildered by the fact that she had actually slept. I handed a glass of water to her, who was awake but still visibly confused.
"...Thanks."
"?!"
I had fully expected to be cursed out and told to get lost, so her meekly thanking me caught me completely off guard. Orca accepting someone's goodwill without a fight was practically unheard of. Did a good night's rest make her a bit more docile?
"What? Why are you looking at me like that? Is me saying thanks really that shocking?"
"Ah, no... It's not that..."
"Hmph. Whatever. Give it here."
Orca snatched the water from my hand, popped the cap, and drank it down greedily.
I shouldn't have reacted. That was a rare, precious glimpse of a gentle Orca.
I wanted to kick myself in regret, but with Orca right in front of me, I had to settle for crying tears of regret on the inside.
"...Did nothing happen?"
"Pardon?"
"I asked if nothing happened."
Having finished the water, did her anxiety finally catch up to her? Orca asked me, her struggle to hide her unease painfully obvious. She looked exactly like someone who had blacked out from drinking the night before, desperately anxious about what kind of trouble they might have caused.
Seeing her like that made me want to tease her a little... but I decided to hold back. If she got genuinely angry, she might refuse to ever see me again. Besides, even if I were completely honest and told her that the devil inside her wouldn't be able to do anything anymore, she wouldn't believe me. So, I decided to tell a white lie.
"Nothing happened."
"That's... impossible."
"Oh, come on, you really just slept like a log. I guess that expensive item I bought was worth every penny."
"...An expensive item?"
Hook, line, and sinker. I knew she'd be intrigued by a sudden mention of a mysterious item. Beaming brightly like someone dying to show off a pricey purchase, I spoke.
"Yes! This incense—would you like to take a sniff?"
"Ah, no. I don't really need to..."
"Now, now, don't be like that! Go on!"
In moments like this, you have to push forward with sheer momentum. With that single-minded determination, I leaned in so close it could be considered invasive. Flustered, Orca stammered.
"W-Wait, hold on! You're too close! Get off me!"
"Oh, don't be like that...! You really have to see this!"
"I get it, I get it, so back off! Your boobs are touching me! It's hot!"
"...Ah?"
Boobs? Caught completely off guard by the word, I blankly looked down at my body. Sure enough, just as Orca said, my chest was pressing against her lap.
"Ah, sorry. I guess I got a bit too excited."
Ugh, what a pain. This is honestly the most annoying part of becoming a woman. My chest is unnecessarily large. It was hard enough getting used to it at first, but even now, it occasionally causes headaches. Since I still act the same way I did in my past life, I occasionally run into awkward situations like this where they just get in the way. Orca wasn't particularly fond of physical contact, if I recalled correctly. ...Is she mad?
Sensing the sudden awkwardness in the air, I cautiously read her expression. Orca let out a sigh and spoke.
"...So? What is this incense that you're making such a fuss about?"
Thank goodness. She wasn't mad. Was it because she was in a good mood after a deep sleep? Orca didn't seem to mind much.
"Ahem! As for what this incense is...! It is the absolute finest of the fine! An incredibly expensive item whose price tag alone would blow your mind!"
"...What is it? Some kind of relic?"
"Fufu, exactly...!"
That was a lie. There was no way I could afford a real relic. This was just top-grade incense by ordinary standards. It was incomparably cheaper than a real relic, which would be imbued with magical effects and literally cost more than a house. If it were a real relic, I wouldn't even be able to afford it if I pawned all the jewels the Headmaster gave me. Besides, in the game's lore, most relics are confiscated by the Imperial Family, making them extremely difficult to obtain in the first place. ...Or so the setting goes.
"This is a relic that brings peace to the mind and body!"
Relics were essentially like in-game items. You know, like a +12 Blood-Stained Demonic Sword or something. In the game's system, even a tree branch was treated as an item. But among those items, things with lore indicating they were exceptionally powerful or unique were classified as relics. Most of them were end-game gear. Of course, it wasn't just weapons and armor; even items that existed purely for the lore to progress the main story were usually classified as relics.
Naturally, relics were incredibly powerful... but they didn't just have advantages. True to the name "relic," they were established as being made in the distant past, meaning they required appraisal by an expert to determine their use. And of course, there was no guarantee that every relic you found was genuine. ...In other words, they were unappraised items. A gacha. Since it was a single-player game, there was no feeling of being left behind, but grinding for relics over and over just to get the item I wanted wasn't exactly fun. So, why was I suddenly thinking about this?
"Peace of mind and body...?"
"Yes. What did they call it? They say that being near this incense stabilizes your mana, calming even curses. I haven't tested it myself, but they said it works on devils too."
"...!"
As I mentioned, relics required an expert—an appraisal NPC. Ordinary people had no way of knowing whether something was a relic or not. I was sure of this because there was a sub-story quest where you caught a swindler running a scam using exactly that loophole. And Orca couldn't interact with appraisal NPCs. ...Which meant she had no choice but to believe me if I told her it was a relic. A slightly expensive incense could easily be passed off as a relic.
Of course, if there were no effects, she'd know it was a lie... but she had already experienced the effects firsthand, hadn't she? The effect of sleeping through an entire day without a single incident. The Haze she knew was a devil who would never miss an opportunity. The mere fact that she didn't wake up to a scene of absolute carnage or find herself locked in a dungeon was proof enough of its efficacy. It was impossible for her not to believe it.
"I see. So that's why..."
"How is it? Do you like it? This is actually the first time I've let someone else smell it."
"The first time?"
"Well... since its use is so specific, I don't really get to experience its effects. Normally, it's just an item that smells incredibly nice."
Now, how would she react? I watched Orca's response, trying to quiet my racing heart. After a brief silence, Orca finally gave a slow nod.
"...It's good. I like it."
"I'm glad!"
"So that's why you weren't afraid of me."
Wait, she connected the dots like that? I hesitated for a moment, caught off guard by her drawing her own conclusion, before offering a casual reply.
"You could say that."
Well, all's well that ends well. Since she convinced herself, it saved me the trouble of making up excuses. Nice.
"Fine. Sorry, but I'm taking—"
"Uh-uh. No way. Do you have any idea how much this costs?"
At my words, Orca's hand froze mid-air. Even if she was reckless, she wasn't completely devoid of common sense. She must have realized that if it really was a relic as I claimed, there was no way I'd just hand it over. Relics weren't cheap. And she knew that extorting an Academy teacher would bring down a massive storm of consequences.
"...What do you want?"
"Pardon?"
"I don't have money, but I'll do whatever you want. Just give me that."
Moving on to negotiations, are we? Offering to do "whatever I want" is a bit dangerous, though. She really seemed to want this incense. Well, the relic part was a lie! But even to keep that from being exposed, I couldn't just give it to her.
"You just said 'whatever,' right?"
"..."
Orca swallowed hard. She looked adorable, completely tense as she wondered what kind of favor I was about to ask.
"Then, from now on, you have to attend all your classes, okay?"
"...What?"
"And stop using foul language. Deal?"
Orca, who had been bracing herself for some outrageous demand, stared at me in disbelief.
"You're giving me a relic... for just that?"
"No? I'm not giving it to you."
"What the hell is—!"
"Those are the only things I want from you, Orca. But it'd be a bit much to hand over a whole relic for just that, don't you think?"
I gently waved the incense in front of her eyes so she could get a good look at it. Watching her eyes follow it like a puppy waiting for a treat, I gave her a bright smile.
"So, if you keep your promise, I'll let you sleep peacefully in the Counseling Room. How about it?"
Fortunately, the Counseling Room had two beds. Letting Orca sleep here wouldn't be difficult at all. In fact, it was even better since it would make keeping the devil in check much easier. After agonizing over it for a long moment, Orca finally nodded.