Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: My House Was Destroyed. I Cried (5)
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A warm stream of water fell on the crown of my head, trickling down my cheeks to the floor.
The sensation of finely sprayed water, something impossible to replicate with psychokinesis alone.
The warm droplets pattering against my skin felt like a gentle, comforting embrace.
How long had it been since I last felt a hot shower? Was this heaven?
A smile spread across my lips, a sense of liberation washing over my bare, unmasked face.
‘Nngh… I want to stay like this forever….’
Hooray for civilization! The inventor of the shower is a genius!
I shouted inwardly, enjoying the water for a long time as if I were playing. When I was fully satisfied, I turned it off and rubbed my face with both hands.
It would be nice to keep relaxing like this, but this was Alice’s home, after all.
It wouldn’t be right to get too carried away.
What if I suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed on the floor…?
I wouldn’t be able to face Alice, who had asked if I wanted to shower with her earlier.
‘Speaking of which, there’s a mirror here.’
Peeling the hair stuck to my face, I was reaching for the shampoo when I noticed the mirror on the wall.
It was completely fogged up with steam, obscuring anything beyond it.
After a moment of thought, I reached out and wiped away the condensation with a squeak.
In the mirror, the reflection of a fair-skinned girl, a face I was now quite used to, appeared.
‘Hmm… I’ve seen myself in a mirror before, and I’ve been naked before, but this is the first time I’ve seen myself naked in a mirror.’
As always, her face was so beautiful it was almost burdensome.
So much so that I felt truly sorry that a worthless person like me was inside.
But maybe it was because she was so short and her face so young.
Even though my body was completely bare, it didn't feel particularly lewd.
Then again, anyone who felt strange stirrings looking at such an immature body would have to be the weird one.
Those kinds of people are all perverts who need a good bonk on the head.
With that thought, I took a step back from the mirror to get a better view of my whole body.
And then I noticed a slight sense of unease that I had been feeling for a while.
‘Can a body… be this flawless? It’s like a newborn baby’s.’
I moved around, examining my body from different angles in front of the mirror.
But, incredibly, there wasn’t a single scar, blemish, or even a dark mole to be found.
It’s not like I’m made of porcelain, how is this even possible?
I raised one arm, tilting my head in confusion at my perfectly clean underarm.
Then, my gaze belatedly fell on a silver object dangling from my chest.
A cubic ornament, small enough to fit in the palm of my hand.
It was the Tesseract, which I hadn't taken off once since that day.
‘Ah, maybe when my wounds healed, my entire body was renewed, as if it were brand new? Hmm… that’s quite possible.’
The Tesseract’s power was so immense it could instantly restore that old man Drakel to the prime of his life.
So it wasn’t entirely out of the question for moles or other blemishes to disappear along with my injuries during the healing process.
I probably could have even recovered if Drakel had somehow managed to cut off my finger.
Thinking about it that way, I truly began to grasp how incredible the Tesseract’s help had been.
‘But when is this thing ever going to wake up…?’
How long are you going to make me wait?
I want to thank you, so wake up already.
I lifted the Tesseract to eye level and poked it with my finger, checking for a reaction.
But as if in a deep slumber, the Tesseract remained completely still, ignoring my antics.
…I guess there’s no helping it. I’ll just have to keep it with me until it wakes up.
I let the Tesseract rest on my neck again, then squeezed a generous amount of shampoo into my hands and lathered my hair.
‘Psychokinesis is so convenient at times like this. No need to move my arms around.’
Lather, lather.
With the help of psychokinesis, I was quickly covered in foam.
I leisurely rinsed off the suds under the water, then repeated the process with a shower ball and body wash.
Finally, in the most refreshed state I had been in since my reincarnation into this world, I was meticulously drying my soft, moist skin with a fluffy towel.
As if sensing I was done just from the sounds, Alice’s voice came from beyond the door.
“Yuria! I left your clothes in front of the door, you can wear those!”
She left clothes? At her words, I cautiously peeked outside the door.
There, a neatly folded pile of clothes was sitting on the floor.
What is this?
I brought the pile inside and shook it out.
The ridiculous item that unfolded left me utterly speechless.
‘Cat pajamas?’
Yes. The mysterious white pile of clothes was none other than a pair of white cat pajamas.
They were fluffy to keep me warm in this cold winter weather.
There were even large cat paws where my hands would go, so cute I could just die.
‘She told me not to worry about a change of clothes. Did she actually go out and buy these while I was showering?’
Faced with this outcome that was beyond my wildest imagination, I just blinked dumbly. Then, something that had been hidden in the folds of the pajamas fell to the floor with a soft thud.
What’s this now?
I bent down and picked up the piece of fabric.
And for the second time, after the cat pajamas, I froze on the spot.
The texture was reminiscent of a microfiber handkerchief; it was an item I had only recently gotten used to.
I couldn’t believe it, but it was, of course, a pair of panties.
‘Ugh, I-I did need them… but why is there a bear drawn in the middle?!’
I usually preferred plain, simple underwear.
I mean, it’s not like anyone sees it, so what’s the point of wearing something cute and pretty?
But this design was the exact opposite of my usual creed.
It was as soft as silk, with a huge, cute bear drawn right in the center.
Seriously, is this for real, Yuria?
Feeling my face flush with heat, I squeezed my eyes shut.
But I had no other choice.
To wear them, or not to wear them. If I had to choose between the two… of course I had to wear them.
The maid uniform I wear for work is a skirt, so I can’t go around commando.
‘This humiliation… I’ll never forget it….’
I crumpled the bear panties tightly in one hand.
To embarrass me like this, I’ll get you back for this someday.
That tiny seed of vengeance began to sprout.
*
“Oh my, so cute! It suits you perfectly, Yuria. I knew the cat pajamas were the right choice!”
“…”
When I emerged from the shower, dressed in cat pajamas and wearing my fox mask, Alice came out of her room as if she’d been waiting, her eyes sparkling.
Hmph, you can’t even see my face, what’s so cute?
Despite her gushing, I just crossed my arms and gave a sullen response.
She’d made me look like a fool in cat pajamas and bear-print panties.
A compliment now wouldn’t make me happy in the slightest. I’ll make you regret mocking me!
“I’ll go take a quick shower then. Help yourself to the snacks here!”
“…!”
Hmm, maybe I’ll let it slide, just this once.
Not wanting to betray Alice’s goodwill, I trotted over to the snack box she pointed at and grabbed a handful of whatever my hands landed on.
The first thing I pulled out was a butter cookie.
A classic snack that never lets you down, like a reliable older brother.
In this body, I was confident I could eat them all day and not get sick of them.
And that wasn’t all.
Beneath the butter cookies, the box was filled with all sorts of my favorite snacks.
How could she use such an obvious trick!
A sliver of defiance reared its head at the selection, which was so clearly tailored to my tastes.
But how could I possibly resist this temptation?
Feeling drowsy from the shower, I hugged the snack box and munched away, eating whatever my hands found.
“I’m out, Yuria.”
“…!”
How much time had passed? When I came to my senses, I realized Alice, who had finished her shower and changed into pajamas, was standing nearby.
The moment I saw her, I had to whip my head around and desperately stifle my laughter.
The reason was that she was wearing cute pink pig pajamas, a perfect match for my cat ones.
And the adorable little pig tail sticking out from her backside!
With every little wiggle of that tail, I felt the small embers of my anger slowly melting away.
“Alright, that’s enough snacks for now. It’s getting late. Shall we brush our teeth and get ready for bed?”
“…”
“You don’t have a toothbrush? Don’t worry. I bought one when I went out for your clothes!”
She’s so well-prepared.
I obediently took the toothbrush from her and quietly brushed my teeth.
By the time I finished, it was already past midnight.
It made sense that it was so late.
I had arrived at the ruined base late at night, probably sometime after 8 PM.
Then I met Alice and we walked through the city for a while, followed by a leisurely shower and snacks.
It was only natural that the day had turned over.
“You can sleep in my bed, Yuria. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“…”
“You want to sleep on the sofa? No way. You’re sleeping in the bed. I can’t have a guest sleep on the sofa.”
“…”
But despite the late hour, we immediately fell into a heated debate.
We were at odds over who would sleep in the single bed.
As far as I was concerned, there was no room for discussion.
The owner of the house should sleep in the bed. What was she talking about?
But for Alice, the idea of her sleeping in the bed while I slept on the sofa was apparently unacceptable.
For a long while, she argued with me about who would take the bed…
“Haa, fine. I’ll sleep in the bed. Happy now?”
“…!”
In the end, she couldn’t overcome my stubbornness and declared she would sleep in the bed.
Heh heh, I won.
That’s right. It’s her house, so Alice should be the one sleeping in the bed.
How could a guest possibly take the bed… huh?
As I was savoring my victory, I could only stare in bewilderment as Alice suddenly wrapped her arms around me.
“…?!”
“Hee hee. But you’re sleeping in the bed with me, Yuria. No complaints now, right?”
“…”
Wait, that’s how this works?
My eyes darted around at this utterly bewildering turn of events, but I soon relaxed and let Alice lead me along.
I felt bad about taking the bed because it felt like I was kicking her out onto the sofa.
But if we were both using the bed, it was hard to tell who was losing out and who was gaining. Well… let’s just call it a win-win?
Ah, right. If we’re going to sleep, I should probably do that thing.
As Alice half-carried me, a thought occurred to me and I tapped her on the shoulder.
Alice looked at me with a pitiful expression, as if asking, ‘You don’t want to sleep with me?’
But I shook my head to show that wasn’t it and asked her to put me down for a moment.
“…”
And once I was on the floor…
I carefully took off my mask.
Sleeping with a mask on was uncomfortable, no matter how you looked at it, and there was no real reason to desperately hide my face from Alice.
Oh? Then why had I been hiding it all this time?
Well… there was no reason to show it either, was there?
“…Eh.”
Seeing my face for the first time, Alice stood there dumbfounded, blinking her eyes.
She looked like someone who had just come face to face with the unimaginable.
Tick, tock.
In the quiet silence, the sound of the clock’s hands seemed unusually loud.