Self-Introduction Time!
After calming Letia down by promising to visit her again next time, I finally managed to return to the dorm. Standing in front of the dorm door, I hesitated for a moment. Is it okay to show this to Lilith? The unidentified book currently sitting in my pocket—the Necronomicon—was the source of my worry. If my suspicions were correct, this book was basically an erotic novel about Outer Gods like Lilith. ...It feels a bit awkward to show her. Even someone without a family like me knew how embarrassing it was to have your family discover your... preferences. I didn't have to look far for an example—Letia had once been caught by her younger brother after forgetting to put away an erotic novel she'd been reading. She said she couldn't even talk to him or look him in the eye for weeks. Even though this book wasn't my taste and I'd only taken it out of pure, impulsive curiosity, the thought of getting caught with it still felt burdensome.
"Hmm, I'll hide it."
What came to mind was Lilith teasing me. The moment her playful expression surfaced in my thoughts, my resolve hardened. Fortunately, I didn't have to worry about where to hide it. The uniform every student received upon entering the academy came with pockets enchanted with spatial magic. Even though the capacity wasn't large, considering the value of spatial magic, it was an incredible benefit. It was also protected by anti-theft magic, so no one but the owner could open it. Of course, whether that worked on an Outer God... honestly, I wasn't confident.
"I'm back."
"Welcome home~"
Lilith stood at the entrance with her arms open wide. When I approached hesitantly, she smiled and pulled me into a tight hug.
"You worked hard today."
"I didn't really do anything worth calling hard work..."
Though I said that out of embarrassment, my heart had been overflowing with happiness ever since I stepped into the room. As if reading my mind, Lilith gave me a warm smile and gently stroked my back.
"What do you want to do? Want to wash up? Eat? Or..."
Lilith narrowed her eyes and gave me a mischievous smile. Her gaze drifted to my lips as her long tongue flicked out like a red snake, licking her lips.
"I-I'm going to wash up first!"
"Oh my, why are you so flustered?"
"Ugh..."
As I tried to slip out of her embrace and head for the bathroom, I heard her voice from behind.
"Want me to wash you?"
"N-no, I can wash myself!"
Leaving Lilith's laughter behind, I hurriedly shut the bathroom door.
"She just keeps teasing me..."
As I stripped off my clothes to shower, something caught. My eyes naturally drifted downward.
"...This is insane. Seriously."
----
After finishing my shower and drying off instantly with the magic dryer, I was about to leave the bathroom when—
"Wah! You scared me!"
Lilith was standing right in front of the door.
"Can I use the bathroom?"
"Do Outer Gods even have... bodily functions?"
"No? I just wanted to go in."
"Uh... right now there's still moisture, so you shouldn't—"
Whirrrrr
At that moment, the ventilation magic installed in the bathroom activated, automatically blowing away the moisture. The timing couldn't have been worse. Unfortunately, the ventilation magic here wasn't very effective against smells. Not that the bathrooms in the Imperial Academy dorms would smell anyway, and the nobles liked to spray fragrances too.
"So, can I go in now?"
"...Ah! Now that I think about it, I didn't wash my hair. Let me go back in—"
As I quickly turned around, Lilith blocked my path.
"Why? Is there a reason I shouldn't go in?"
"That's... not exactly it, but..."
"Then it's fine."
Before I could stop her, Lilith slipped into the bathroom in an instant. Then she took a deep breath.
"Huuup... Pwah..."
She turned to me and said, "Oh my, doesn't it smell a bit fishy?"
...I'm done for.
"Hehe, I wonder what kind of smell this is~?"
Lilith grinned at me like a devil. She was clearly pretending not to know on purpose.
"Arthur. Can I ask you for a favor?"
"...What is it?"
"If possible, instead of flushing it down the toilet, could you wrap it in tissue and throw it in the trash?"
"What?!"
"From my perspective, it's like throwing away food by just dumping it in water. That would be such a waste, wouldn't it?"
"Food? What are you even..."
Lilith was saying incomprehensible things.
"Anyway, can you do as I asked?"
"......Yes."
It was mortifying, but I couldn't refuse Lilith's request.
"Thank you, Arthur. You're so good~ There, there."
I reflexively moved to swat away the hand patting my head, but stopped. It was embarrassing, but... it wasn't like I hated it.
Glancing at the clock, I realized we still had time before dinner. Lilith followed my gaze to check the time, then asked, "We've got time left. What should we do until then?"
"Uh... good question?"
What did ordinary families usually do at this hour? It was a question I'd never once considered, so I had no answer.
"Hmm..."
Lilith seemed to be thinking too. From what I remembered, Lilith had never had a proper family either. She was probably feeling the same way I was.
The silence stretched as we both pondered, filling the room. That heavy silence was broken by Lilith suddenly clapping her hands.
Clap!
"How about we do self-introductions?"
"Huh?"
It was an unexpected answer.
"Now that I think about it, we've only known each other for two days, right? There's still a lot we don't know about each other, and I bet you have a lot of questions about me too. What do you think?"
"Oh, that sounds good?"
I hadn't expected it, but it was a chance to learn more about Lilith. There was no reason to refuse.
"Let's set some rules first."
Following Lilith's gesture, words appeared in the air.
1. We take turns asking one question at a time.
2. No vague answers. Only give definite answers.
3. No lying.
4. If a question is too difficult to answer, grant one wish—as long as it's something that can be done right away.
"How's that?"
"Number four makes me a little nervous, but... it's good."
I was both afraid and somewhat excited about what kind of wish Lilith might make if I refused to answer her question. Feeling thrilled at the prospect of facing an Outer God... Have I gotten bolder?
"Who goes first?"
"You go first, Lilith."
"Alright. Then... when was your first kiss!"
......What?
"Huh? Why would you ask something like that..."
"No digressions! Answer me."
It was an incredibly embarrassing question to answer, but I couldn't already owe her a wish.
"......Yesterday. It was my first time, with you."
Lilith's expression visibly brightened.
"Oh my~ What are you saying? That was just a meal, you know?"
Even as she said that, her face showed she was extremely pleased.
"Then it's my turn. Hmm... what should I ask?"
Lots of things came to mind, but there was one thing I wanted to know most of all.
"Lilith, how old are you—"
Fwoosh!
In that instant, Lilith's eyes blazed and the room was swallowed by black flames.
"Eek!"
The flames that had been surging toward me disappeared in the blink of an eye, just as they'd appeared. When I turned my creaking neck to look, Lilith was glaring at me.
"I'm sorry."
"......A wish."
"What?"
"I'll grant you a wish."
Her tone was sharp. Ah, so that was a sore spot. I'd clearly made a big mistake. Lilith's slightly puffed cheeks as she sulked were incredibly cute, but at this rate, the self-introductions were going to end right here. To fix the atmosphere...
"Hug me."
I immediately threw myself into her arms.
"Huh? What are you— Kyah!"
Lilith caught me in surprise. She was stiff at first, but soon tightened her embrace in response to my movements.
"I'm sorry, Lilith."
"...I'm sorry for startling you too. It wasn't hot, was it?"
"No... well, I was a little surprised, but."
Fortunately, Lilith seemed to have calmed down. There were still so many things I wanted to ask, so I couldn't stop here—
"Arthur, do you have a girlfriend?"
"...Huh?"
For a moment, I just stared blankly at the sudden question.
"Uh, no, I don't!"
"Oh my? Then why is your face so red? Don't tell me you actually do have one?"
"I told you I don't?! This is just from being surprised..."
"Hmmm~ Okay, got it."
Her tone didn't sound convinced at all. No, I really didn't have one... If I did, at least I'd have something to feel wronged about. Driven by that sense of injustice, I swapped out the question I'd originally prepared.
"What about you, Lilith? Do you have someone you're seeing?"
"Not right now, but there is someone I've made a promise with for the future."
"What...... What?!"
A promise for the future. Didn't that mean... an engagement? My heart sank, and a rough voice escaped my lips before I could stop it.
"W-who...?"
"Secret~"
"...What?"
Lilith rested her chin on the table and looked at me.
"Someone with gray hair and gray eyes, someone very close to me. We're planning to live together for the rest of our lives."
Gray hair and gray eyes. That was completely...... Me?
The heart that had sunk now felt like it was leaping up wildly, hitting my throat.
"Uh......"
"Oh my, I didn't say who it was, though?"
"...Yes, I understand."
I couldn't bring myself to argue. Well... just going by the words, it wasn't entirely wrong. Living together for life was something that applied to family too.
"My turn. Have you ever had a girlfriend in the past, not counting now?"
Yet another embarrassing question. My pride, already battered from our conversation, felt like it had been halved again.
"......No, I haven't."
"Oh my, really? That's... what do humans call it... Ah! A lifelong single!"
Lifelong single. That short phrase pierced my heart like a dagger.
"Y-yes... that's right. I'm a lifelong single..."
"Well, that explains why it was your first kiss. I asked such a useless question."
That useless question had only hurt me. From now on, I decided to ask more practical questions. There were so many things I was genuinely curious about, and we didn't have much time. Honestly, asking about her age had been half a joke anyway. The next thing I was curious about was...
"What kind of god are you, Lilith?"
"Hmm... what kind of god I am... That's quite a difficult question."
Lilith tilted her head this way and that for a moment, organizing her thoughts.
"Well, first of all, I'm one of the gods of dreams."
"Dreams? Ah, the place we met was a dream, right?"
"More precisely, it's a place called Dreamland. It's not an ordinary dream. It's closer to another world wearing the mask of a dream."
So it wasn't just a regular dream?
"When you entered, you came down the stairs, right? That's the easiest way for humans to get in. The problem is you never know where you'll end up."
"Then—"
Lilith's finger pressed against my lips, stopping me.
"One question at a time. That was the rule, remember? Continuing on, I'm also a god of the night."
"Ah, that connects to being a god of dreams, doesn't it?"
"That's right. And the most definitive thing is..."
Lilith spread both hands.
"...?"
While I stared at her hands in confusion, she raised one finger on one hand and made a circle with her thumb and index finger on the other. Then she put them together......?!
"Wah! Stop, stop! I get it! I understand, so please stop!!"
"Hehe, I'm that kind of god too. Does that answer your question?"
"...Yes."
Nodding in agreement while covering my burning face with my hands, Lilith continued with her next question.
"What's your ideal type?"
Yet another difficult question to answer. Honestly, I'd never really thought about it, so I had to consider for a moment.
"Um... first of all, someone who's domestic, warm, and considerate."
"You have to mention the physical aspects too. Don't tell me you don't care about looks—that's a lie and we both know it."
Physical aspects, huh. I just blurted out whatever came to mind.
"I like long hair, someone around my height or a bit taller, pretty lips..."
"What about their figure?"
"...A good figure would be nice..."
Wait, if I put all that together, it was completely... I slowly raised my head and met Lilith's eyes.
"Hehe, why? Is there a problem?"
Seeing Lilith smiling playfully, I felt sweat forming on my palms for no reason.
"L-let's stop here."
"Okay~ I'll accept that much. It's about time for dinner. One last question."
Since it was the last one, I chose my question carefully. There was one god that had immediately come to mind when I heard the word "Outer God." In fact, wasn't he the most famous Outer God in this world? Maybe Lilith knew about him too?
"Lilith."
"Yeah?"
"Do you happen to know someone named Nodens—"
The moment the name Nodens left my lips, Lilith's atmosphere turned ice-cold in an instant. I felt a chilling cold pricking at my skin, and my voice gradually trailed off. Lilith's eyes, now completely red, glowed as she asked me,
"...Arthur. What did you just say?"
Ah, I'm screwed, aren't I?