My Master's Prank

After meeting Eisel, I trudged back to the dormitory as if my soul had been sucked out of me. On my desk, the eyeball containing the crimson iris rested quietly upon a piece of cloth. It was finally time to consume the long-awaited eyeball.

'Did I ever have to eat something this bizarre back in the game?' It was hard to bring myself to put the eyeball in my mouth. I kept picking it up and putting it back down, over and over again.

I steeled my resolve and prepared to swallow the eyeball, but Sierra let out a heavy sigh and began to grumble.

"...What is the matter, Master?" I asked politely, addressing Sierra, who had been completely despondent.

Sierra grumbled, casting a slight glare in my direction. I wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible, too. On my way back, I had even stopped by to see Harold, who was busy making spicy curry, to ask him about cooking eyeballs...

"Haha, well. I haven't the faintest clue about that. Why on earth would you want to eat an eyeball in the first place?"

Having received nothing but that bewildered response, I had returned to my room empty-handed. And so, I was left in deep contemplation. Could I actually swallow this whole? If I couldn't, I would have to chew it. But would it even chew? Meanwhile, Sierra was continuing her dramatic display.

When I didn't answer, Sierra continued to mutter to herself, looking for all the world like a tragic heroine in a play.

"When did I ever grin foolishly?"

...Had I? My head had been spinning so much at the time that I had no idea what kind of expression I had been wearing. It seemed Sierra was quite shocked by Eisel's rather bold 'prank'.

'Ah, whatever.'

In a sudden motion, I pinched the eyeball between my fingers and tossed it into my mouth.

Sierra began fussing over my cheeks, urging me to open my mouth. The moment Sierra started squeezing my cheeks haphazardly, I realized something.

'This... I can't swallow this whole. If I try, it'll definitely get stuck in my throat.'

For now, I opened my mouth to show Sierra, who was still squeezing my face and urging me. To any outsider, it would have been an incredibly bizarre sight. Upon inspecting the inside of my mouth, Sierra's eyes went wide.

Ignoring Sierra's grumbling, I bit down on the eyeball.

'Ah.'

An unidentified liquid burst and spread inside my mouth. I chewed it thoroughly, focusing solely on the skill I was about to acquire.

I gulped the eyeball down so I could answer her.

"I thought it might help my eyes, even if just a little... You never know, right?"

I made up a plausible excuse. I couldn't exactly tell her, 'I ate an eyeball to get a skill.'

At my response, a shadow fell over Sierra's face. Other people often did this too. Assuming I couldn't see their expressions, they would lay their emotions completely bare on their faces. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Soon, my pitch-black vision began to brighten. The room, which didn't have a single light on, became clearly visible.

I had eaten it with half-doubts since my blindfold was covering my eyes, but I wondered if I should call this a compatibility feature...

'It would have been incredibly unfair if I ate an eyeball and the skill didn't even work.'

I rinsed my mouth with the water I had prepared on the desk beforehand, then approached the gloomy-looking Sierra.

"Of course, eating an eyeball wouldn't suddenly restore my sight. To be honest, being able to touch and feel you like this, Master, is more than enough for me. Please just think of it as the foolish lingering hope of a dimwitted disciple."

I took Sierra's hand, offering her a bittersweet smile.

Sierra glanced down at our clasped hands, nodding as she spoke. Judging by her reaction, I seemed to have smoothed things over somehow. But suddenly, Sierra's purple eyes flashed.

Muttering those words, Sierra began to slowly close the distance between us. Feeling an inexplicable sense of unease at the slight curl of her lips, I had no choice but to take a step back.

"...Master?"

I hesitated and backpedaled, only for my foot to catch on the edge of the bed behind me.

*Flump.*

My body naturally fell backward onto the mattress. Yet, Sierra did not stop her advance.

"Master, what are you..."

Cutting me off, Sierra brought up what had transpired with Eisel just moments ago.

"...I did."

"Master, your heart doesn't—"

At that moment, Sierra cut me off once again and climbed on top of me. She grabbed my hand firmly and pressed it against her chest.

It was a gesture remarkably similar to Eisel's prank from earlier. However, Eisel had been wearing her academy uniform, so I hadn't felt the texture of her bare skin. But Sierra's attire... was highly revealing Eastern-style robes that left her chest wide open, covering only the most essential parts. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠To put it plainly, my hand was resting directly against a bare breast so voluptuous it couldn't even be fully grasped in one hand.

My hand trembled slightly from the sheer tension. A warmth even greater than that of her hands radiated from Sierra's breast.

Sierra leaned close to my ear, her sultry voice echoing in my mind.

Contrary to her hopes, however, I couldn't feel any heartbeat from her chest at all. Wondering what she expected, I answered honestly.

"...No, I don't feel anything. It just feels like your skin is exceptionally soft, Master..."

Sierra pouted like a child, then grabbed me as I lay on the bed and pulled me halfway up. Then, she buried my face directly into her chest.

*Smother.*

She held me in a tight embrace, ensuring I couldn't escape.

It felt like I was getting hugged by Sierra's chest quite frequently lately. Her soft breasts pressed squishily against my face. However, since she was a spirit bound to a Demon Blade, there was no sound of a beating heart to be heard.

"...Uh, I still don't hear anything."

Perhaps Sierra was feeling embarrassed as well, as she buried her face over my head, her shy voice echoing in my mind.

How much time passed like that? Sierra seemed determined to stay in this position until she heard the answer she wanted. Her chest was incredibly cozy, so much so that I felt like I could fall asleep right then and there. However, I couldn't move my body at all. Enduring the ticklish sensation spreading throughout my entire body, I finally spoke up first.

"......I think I hear it."

"Yes. Thump, thump..."

Only then did Sierra release me. I took a deep breath and sprawled out on the bed.

Sierra narrowed her eyes, covering her mouth as she giggled. A prank. I wasn't sure if what Eisel did, or what Sierra just did, could really be called a prank.

'At the very least, it was certainly flustering.'

As I remained silent, Sierra's voice echoed again.

Yet, even as she teased me, Sierra's own face was flushed red. At her words, I touched my ears. They felt a bit hot, so they might indeed have turned red. Although I was used to seeing her chest since we were together all day, having my face buried in it was a completely different story.

Sierra stared at me intently before continuing.

"Am I supposed to like either of them...?"

Undeterred by my ambiguous answer, Sierra kept a gentle smile on her face. She seemed to be saying a lot of strange things today.

I turned my head away, intending to fall asleep right then and there. I had reached my limit. My body felt incredibly heavy. It wasn't because of the Labyrinth; it felt as though my life force had been completely drained by the 'pranks' of these two women.

Sierra's voice suddenly rang out, but I decided to treat it as a lullaby and drift off. Soon, Sierra leaned against my lying body, continuously pressing for an answer. Her voice was gentle and pleasant to listen to. Before long, drowsiness washed over me.

'The Labyrinth... is such a pain.'

Having to form a party was annoying enough, but acting clumsy all day made it twice as exhausting.

"Oh, it's Zeto."

On our way out of the Labyrinth, one of my party members mentioned his name.

'Zeto?'

Looking around, my eyes caught sight of him. He was walking leisurely on his way, completely unfazed by the attention he was drawing from the other cadets.

"I heard he defeated the Lycanthrope on the fifth floor all by himself."

"What? I thought Amon Caligus was with him. Did he really solo it?"

"...My head's been hurting a bit lately. Do you think I should ask him to give me acupuncture?"

"Are you crazy?"

I could hear the whispers of the female cadets watching him. Over the past few days, Zeto had become quite the celebrity at the academy.

'That attention should be mine...'

I took a deep breath, trying my best to maintain my composure.

"What's wrong, Kaen?"

The party member next to me asked. She narrowed her eyes, nudging me with her elbow. "Don't tell me... have you taken an interest in Zeto too?"

"...Ahaha! If you mean interest, I've had it for a while now! He's so cool. Hehe..."

I replied with a silly expression. It was a completely different kind of interest than what she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was implying, but it wasn't a lie.

Zeto gaining fame was highly irritating. However, it didn't disrupt my plans. In fact, thanks to his popularity, it would be much easier to draw a crowd when we eventually sparred. If I revealed my hidden strength then and defeated him...

"Haa... Haa..."

...Just imagining it was so thrilling that I got excited without realizing it.

'But considering what happened with Cadet Eisel, and that dizzy mushroom... he's still a dangerous guy.'

He was a womanizer. I didn't think I would lose, but if by some miracle I did... something terrible might happen afterward. Even so, I had absolutely no intention of quietly letting him steal my purity.

'If worst comes to worst, I'll even use Grandfather's swordsmanship.'

I would make sure it never came to that.

Kaen had absolutely no idea.

That Sierra, who was supposed to be by Zeto's side, was standing right in front of her, head tilted, watching her every move.