Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Pajama Party (1)
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I gave Tiona, still piggybacked on my back, a slight shake.
"Young Lady."
"Muaah?"
"Miss Lea and Miss Diana are asking if they can stay over tonight. Is that alright?"
The lady of this house was Tiona, after all.
"Guuaah...."
"She says it's fine. Please come in."
As we entered the house, it was late, so the two maids were already asleep, as expected.
"Do the two of you have a change of clothes?"
They shook their heads. I figured as much.
"I could lend you some pajamas, but... the design is a bit unusual."
Lea raised an eyebrow.
"How unusual exactly?"
"They're animal pajamas."
"...What the hell is that?"
"You know, full-body, fluffy ones modeled after animals. Specifically, puppy, kitten, bear, and bunny."
"...Why do you even have something like that?"
The reason those things—which seemed both fitting and out of place in a romance fantasy world—were in this house.
Of course, it was because of me.
"An acquaintance forced them on me."
Just like the glow-in-the-dark stickers. I'd mentioned something like that to people around me, and they went ahead and researched it on their own, produced a prototype, and even started mass production.
"So, shall I lend them to you?"
Lea shook her head.
"Nah. Doesn't suit me anyway. I'll just strip down and crash."
"Then, I'll lay the Young Lady down and prepare the guest room for you."
Diana spoke up.
"Hold on, you're just gonna sleep like that?"
"...What else should I do?"
"Don't people usually do something extra after a ball, like hang out separately?"
"What would you like to do, Miss Diana?"
"Uh...."
She'd been so eager to suggest doing something, but when pressed for specifics, she hesitated.
"What do people usually do?"
"...Could it be you don't have any experience staying up late with friends either, Miss Diana?"
"What are you talking about? I do!"
Yeah, right.
"Muah... grrr...."
"Please wait a moment."
I headed upstairs to Tiona's room.
The glow-in-the-dark stickers were sparkling nicely today as well.
To lay down the person on my back, I sat on the bed first, then slowly leaned back, letting Tiona's arms slip off.
"Muaaah...."
I loosened only the tight parts of Tiona's dress as she slept drooling. It wouldn't be a big issue for her to sleep like that for one night.
I tucked her in, closed the door, checked the guest room while I was up, and headed back down.
"The guest room is ready, so you can go sleep whenever."
Diana still seemed reluctant to call it a night.
'For an afterparty... what do people usually do?'
My memories since reincarnating into this world weren't much help.
Once I could walk on my own, I'd spent my life running around to prevent the world's destruction, learning everything I could.
"...Shall we play cards?"
"Sounds good!"
Diana perked up.
"But do we even have cards in this house...?"
"Just give me paper and ink, and I'll make some."
"With alchemy?"
Most alchemists hated making everyday items with alchemy. They said it lowered the art's prestige.
But Diana declared confidently.
"Yes."
She really was a unique one.
"Please wait a moment."
I fetched an empty notebook, pen, and a few alchemy catalysts from my room.
"Use them as you like."
"...Moonflower powder? W-Why do you have something like this?"
"I might have it on hand."
"Arthur, are you an alchemist too?"
"I dabbled a little in the past."
"No, someone who 'dabbled a little' wouldn't have stuff like—"
"Miss Diana, you're from the Levius family, renowned for incantations and elemental magic. Why did you devote yourself to alchemy?"
Diana froze while touching the catalysts.
"...It just happened. Circumstances."
She wouldn't open up until we were closer.
"Understood. I'll prepare some simple snacks and drinks."
Lea, half-reclined on the sofa, reacted.
"Snacks and drinks?"
"Don't get your hopes up."
For card games, salty snacks and soda were the classic combo, but since neither existed here, I improvised.
Crackers topped with ham for snacks, and sparkling water mixed with fruit juice for drinks.
As I brought them over on a tray, Diana was muttering while drawing a transmutation circle.
"Even master alchemists at most workshops couldn't handle catalysts this good so easily, and you're just giving them to me to make cards...?"
Peeking while pouring the pitcher into glasses, her transmutation circle was of a high level. Her magical talent hadn't gone anywhere.
"Cynthia, give one to Miss Lea."
"Yes!"
Diana placed her hand on the stack of paper and closed her eyes.
"Alright, beginning transmutation..."
Lea took the glass from Cynthia and asked.
"So, what's your relationship with Arthur?"
That question triggered two disasters.
"S-S-S-S-Sorry!?"
Cynthia jolted in surprise, splashing some of the glass's contents outside.
And Diana, her concentration broken mid-transmutation—
"Eek!?"
The neatly cut stack of paper began swelling into a bizarre shape.
"Dangerous."
I immediately placed my hand on the stack and infused mana to reverse the transmutation formula.
Regression, rewind.
The paper stack, trying to morph into something grotesque, returned to its original form.
Diana muttered blankly.
"Huh...?"
I lifted my hand and apologized to her.
"My apologies. Reflex."
"Huh? No, why are you—"
Cynthia cried out desperately.
"I-I'm really, really sorry!!"
The drink that had splashed earlier from her flinch had landed on Lea's body—specifically, the rented dress.
Lea shook her head.
"No, I shouldn't have asked something weird out of the blue."
"I-I'm truly sor—"
If I left it like this, it'd never end.
"Cynthia, just wipe the sofa where it splashed. Miss Lea, I'll launder the dress, so please change into pajamas."
"Then—"
Lea's face stiffened.
"Hold on, those pajamas..."
Ten minutes later.
Lea, fully changed, peeked only her head out from behind the wall.
"Um, is this really all you have?"
"Shall I lend you one of my shirts?"
"No!? That might be even worse!?"
"..."
I was a little hurt.
"Not that it's bad or anything... ugh... fine, I'll come out."
Lea stepped out.
Wearing the puppy animal pajamas.
"Ughhh... they really don't suit me...?"
Lea seemed to genuinely think so.
But.
"So cuuute...!"
Diana exclaimed in admiration.
"So cute...!"
Cynthia reacted the same way.
As the two went to Lea's side, squealing and touching the puppy ears on the hood, Lea looked like she wanted to die of embarrassment.
"Teacher, can I try some too!?"
"I'll take the bunny!"
"Of course."
That was when it happened.
"Aaaah... teeeeacher...."
Tiona came stumbling down from upstairs in a half-asleep daze.
"I wanna go to the baaathrooom... take meeeee...."
Rubbing her eyes in her loosened dress as she descended... she locked eyes with the other girls downstairs.
"Hweh...?"
Tiona blinked.
"A dreeeam...? Eek, then right here—"
"Stop!!"
I hurriedly scooped up Tiona before she could bear down in a disastrous way.
"Uweh? Teeeacher?"
"Got it, to the bathroom! Just hold it a bit longer!"
"Yaaawn...."
"Hold it!!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Arthur carried the woken Tiona away.
It was a brief moment, less than a minute, but both Lea and Diana struggled to make sense of what had happened.
"...Do they ask butlers to escort them to the bathroom in your family?"
"Crazy...? Does the Eperios family do that?"
"No...? Of course not...?"
"Right...?"
A grown man and woman going to the bathroom together? Maybe for a child, but...
A moment later.
Arthur came down first, looking exhausted.
"No."
"We haven't even said anything yet."
"I can guess the misunderstanding. No."
"So how should we interpret it properly?"
Tiona appeared behind him.
"Teacher! I'm hungry, make something... why are you all in our house?"
Arthur said.
"We were waiting to play cards with you, Young Lady."
"Gasp...! You all are better people than I thought! But where did Lea's outfit come from?"
"It's Lea, not Ray, and it's animal pajamas. Would you like to try some, Young Lady?"
"If Teacher insists, I'll graciously wear them! Consider it an honor!"
"I'm so grateful my fists are trembling."
"Did you develop tremors?"
Ah.
Lea and Diana thought they finally understood how to interpret it.