I Have No One But You
"Yuri… Yuri-ah! This is Heul-heul-ie! He's the one who guards the mansion!"
"Kyaaaaak! How dare you treat me like some house-guarding mutt!!!"
"Huh? So he wasn't just a freeloading parasite who rolls around collecting snacks…?"
"Kyaaaaaaaaak! You just keep getting ruder with no end in sight, you oversized brat!!!"
Heul-heul-ie's pathetic shouting rang out first thing in the morning.
Looks like Yuri's new title was officially locked in as "oversized brat."
Whether Heul-heul-ie raged or not, Yuri fearlessly reached out and stroked the top of his head.
"Oversized brat! Now that you live here, you have a duty to hand over half your snacks to me! Skip out and I won't let it slide, so remember that!"
"Something about the smooth texture feels really nice…"
"Kyaaaak! Are you even listening!!!"
He lunged at Yuri as if to teach her a lesson, but she simply caught him by one long arm and left his stubby limbs thrashing uselessly in midair.
The hierarchy had been settled in a single move.
Still, Heul-heul-ie was a Great Spirit in his own right; he ought to have been fairly strong. Yet Yulia crushed him with word-of-power, while Charlotte, Silvia, and now Yuri simply overwhelmed him with absurd physical force. From Heul-heul-ie's perspective, it had to feel unfair.
Wait. Hold on. Yuri isn't wearing her mask…?
I suddenly noticed the odd detail and flinched.
Yuri had always been frantic about keeping her mask on and her voice modulated whenever Charlotte and Yulia were around. Yet here she was, bare-faced and acting completely natural.
Did she finally reveal her identity to Charlotte and Yulia?
I felt strangely moved. From the very first day she put that mask on, my blood pressure had spiked so hard I nearly blacked out. Forcing her to stay at the mansion had been a drastic measure, but it looked like it had finally paid off.
Two whole months. Two months of living under the same roof meant constant run-ins with Yulia indoors and Charlotte outdoors. Could she really keep wearing that stifling mask and casting voice-modulation magic every single day of ordinary life? And even if she gritted her teeth and tried, could she hide her face perfectly for two months without a single slip?
Impossible. Yuri had to know that too. So I had expected a smart girl like her to stop the pointless resistance and take the mask off of her own free will.
But she didn't get caught by some pathetic mistake, right?
Surely she hadn't wanted to keep the disguise flawless for two months only to get exposed by some humiliating slip-up? Nah. It was only the third day. No way. She definitely chose to take it off herself. I decided to believe that.
"Yuri."
"Ah—yes. C-Count…"
When I couldn't hold back and stepped closer, she startled, her whole body giving a little tremor, and then hiccuped.
Worried I'd found out about her connection to the kids? If that was it, she had nothing to fear—I'd known for ages.
"Where'd you sell the mask? You wore it plenty that first day."
"Ah, that… um… Should I keep wearing it…?"
"No. I'm glad that mask hiding your pretty face is gone. You used to say you wore it to cut out unnecessary personal relationships for the mission. I just wanted to thank you for getting along with the kids."
"…"
I brushed the strands of hair that lightly veiled her face and tucked them behind her ear as I spoke. When I'd still believed she was a boy, her hair had looked ridiculously short. Touching it now, though, it was surprisingly long.
…How I ever mistook this one for a guy remains a complete mystery.
"I-I'm the one who should…!"
"…?"
Just as I was about to turn away, Yuri suddenly raised her voice while keeping her head bowed. Her hands trembled; she forced her lips open with visible effort.
"I'm the one who should be thanking you…"
"You mean yesterday's tickets? Don't worry about it. If there's anything else you want to see later, just say so."
"Huh? Th-that would be…"
"Don't refuse. The kids' faces light up so much when we go out together that I'm treating it as an investment."
"Yes, sir… Then I'll gratefully accept your kindness…"
Only then did Yuri obediently follow my words. Everything I was supporting her with was purely for her sake, but if I said that outright she would feel burdened and refuse, so I used Charlotte and Yulia as the excuse.
When I'd offered help as the Dark Mister, she had rejected everything except a modest allowance. Managing to slip aid past her defenses this way filled me with a strange sense of wicked delight, and a satisfied smile rose unbidden.
This is how she gradually gets used to kindness.
Charlotte and Yulia had been the same at first. They'd been so wary of even the food I gave them that I had to put it in dog bowls. In time Yuri, too, would grow accustomed to my goodwill and realize there was no ulterior motive or malice behind it.
…I earnestly hoped so, anyway.
"Ah—!"
"…!?"
It happened while I was walking down the corridor. A maid rounded the corner with a scream and crashed into me. The basket in her arms tipped over and its contents buried me completely.
"…Ugh."
"I-I'm so sorry! I'm truly sorry, Master!"
The maid kept bowing at the waist in frantic apology. I'd wondered why she was rushing so hard; apparently she'd been carrying laundry. Every kind of washed clothing rained down on me until the hallway was pure chaos.
And the thing covering my face was…
"Ah! That's mine…"
Silvia flushed crimson and hastily snatched the brassiere off my face. For a moment I just sat there, speechless.
I knew Silvia was big, but… that big…?
One cup alone completely covered my face and still had room to spare. Its sheer presence was so overwhelming that for a second I couldn't even process that it was underwear.
Maybe I'd simply gotten too used to walking around with Silvia. Lately I hadn't consciously registered just how large she was. Seeing it this blatantly made me feel like I was rediscovering her destructive power all over again.
How terrifying must the real thing look…
I still hadn't actually seen Silvia bare-chested. Imagining what it would be like if I did—or what the weight would feel like if I cupped them—made my heart suddenly plummet with dread.
Or worse, if they were shoved right into my face…?
"Ghhhk!"
"Master! Are you all right?"
"I'm fine… I just had a horrifying thought for a second…"
"…?"
Even being smothered by that enormous brassiere had made it hard to breathe. If I were buried under the real thing, I would genuinely suffocate. Just imagining it made my throat close up and some indescribable terror wash over me. At the same time, a strange respect for Silvia—who had somehow built back muscles impressive enough to support those things—began to grow.
"Is there a hygiene problem, Silvia?"
"Pardon? Nothing of the sort… Why do you ask so suddenly?"
"The sweat smell seemed rather strong. Either you don't change them often enough, or the scent itself is intense… If it's the former, it's a hygiene issue; if the latter, it could be a health warning, so please don't skip your check-ups…"
"Aaaagh! I'll take care of that myself!!!"
"Guhh—!"
Silvia yanked her sword out of my mouth in a panic, cutting me off mid-sentence. This brat…
So there was no hierarchy left, was there?
I was just about to dock her pay for the first time in a while when—
"Master, step back."
"…!"
Silvia raised her blade and planted herself in front of me. The atmosphere shifted in an instant.
I peeked over her shoulder and saw a carriage stopped at the front gate. What emerged from it was a pair of passionate red high heels. The moment those heels entered my field of vision, my crotch went cold and my whole body broke out in goosebumps.
This sensation could only mean one person: my sister.
The instant I became certain, Irene stepped down from the carriage.
"Silvia. I understand being cautious, but calm down first. There's no need to draw a sword. There's no way Sis would be crazy enough to attack us—"
"She's coming, Master."
After the last incident Irene had turned friendly toward me, so it should have been fine.
…Or so I thought.
The moment Silvia warned me in a trembling voice, a sound like air being ripped apart rang out and Irene's figure rocketed toward us.
"…!"
She vanished from sight for a heartbeat. When she reappeared she had already slipped past Silvia and stood right in front of my nose.
I jerked my groin backward in shock, bracing for impact—
"Aslan! Lady Laura's fragment is sick and I have no idea why…! I can't take her to a hospital, and I have nowhere to vent or complain! I have no one but you now—what am I supposed to do…?"
"…"
Irene thrust her palm toward me. Resting on it was a tiny fragment of Laura, lying limp. She certainly looked listless, as if she were unwell.
"Please…"
When I looked up, Irene's face was a complete mess of tears.
So she had come to me because her pet—no, her Evil God—was sick?
For a moment I was so floored that words completely failed me.