Rest
Rest
-Prod.
Something cold jabbed against my cheek.
What started as a light poke quickly turned into merciless kneading. It dragged my consciousness straight back up from the depths.
When I opened my eyes to see who the culprit was, there stood Kim Ha-yoon, wearing that same blank, expressionless look she always had.
"...The hell are you doing."
"Bored."
She kept staring at me vacantly while her fingers continued mauling my cheek.
'What's gotten into her now?'
A laugh slipped out before I could stop it. Ha-yoon had this habit of doing random crap like this for no discernible reason.
"Done playing with it?"
"No."
The refusal came back sharp as a blade. So flatly resolute that I was the one left baffled.
I couldn't figure it out. My cheeks don't have much meat on them, so they couldn't have felt that nice to touch. No clue why she was so into it.
Weird girl, either way.
"Haah... fine. Do whatever."
I let out a small sigh and hauled myself upright.
Maybe it was from handling over ten people, but my whole body ached just enough to make moving feel like a chore.
...Well, I did push things pretty far yesterday.
Artificially boosted stamina or not, going nonstop with ten women deep in heat was insane. And I'd already enjoyed myself with Mirkella, Ha Hui-ryeong, and Kim Ha-yoon before that, hadn't I?
Looking back, it hit me all over again — I'm basically no different from a beast.
"More importantly, where is everyone?"
Nobody else was around except Ha-yoon. Only the lingering traces of heavy mating remained; the First Generation who'd spent last night with me were nowhere in sight.
"I woke them up and sent them back to their rooms."
"Huh? Why?"
"Thought it'd be better for them to sleep in beds than on the floor."
Was that consideration on her part...?
Hard to tell. Her expression barely ever changed, so reading her intentions was always a pain.
"Why'd you leave me here, then?"
"You were the first one I woke. But then you said you wanted to sleep a bit more and just lay back down."
...I did?
I scratched my head, feeling awkward. Honestly, I had zero memory of that.
Still, knowing my usual behavior, there was a solid chance I'd done it reflexively in my sleep. Best I could manage was an embarrassed grin.
"Mmnn... anyway, thanks? Looks like only my Ha-yoon takes care of me."
"Then treat me better going forward."
"I treat you pretty well, don't I? I'd even say I kinda favor you."
"I'm asking you to treat me even better."
Making unreasonable demands, as usual. But seeing her crave more affection wasn't exactly a bad thing.
Feeling a little pleased with myself, I reached out to pat her head—
"Not that kind of thing."
She swatted my hand away like a stray cat.
Still the same on that front.
I let out a short chuckle and stretched.
"Nnnggggh...! Fine, if you don't like it, forget it. Gonna hit the bathroom real quick."
No answer. She just withdrew her hand from my cheek — her way of saying go ahead.
'My whole body's stiff as hell.'
The moment I dragged my creaky body toward the bathroom.
"Uwegh."
I grimaced before I could stop myself.
"Uwwuuughh..."
Someone else was already in here. If she'd just gotten here first, that wouldn't be an issue. The problem was, said visitor had claimed the toilet.
"Bwaaaaargh.... kellokh, kellokh... ptoo... haah...."
She was draped over the toilet bowl, vomiting repeatedly.
She'd changed into clothes better suited for moving around, but that distinctive silver hair made her identity easy to place. No point hiding it. Our former Saintess, Miss Mirkella.
"Hey, you okay?"
"Whup! A-ah, ah... I'm f-... buaaaargh... guweeeegh...!"
She clearly had no room to answer properly. Mirkella clung unsteadily to the toilet with trembling hands and started retching again.
Honestly, not the prettiest sight first thing in the morning. "Whoa..." I grimaced, but also felt a twinge of pity.
This girl, back when she was in the Order, had a pretty formidable presence... and now she's just a slightly ditzy young woman.
I patted Mirkella's back gently and spoke.
"Oh boy. This is why you should've drunk in moderation. What, did you just gulp down everything handed to you because it tasted good?"
"Hoo... haah... b-but back then... I was fine... so... clearly, I was fine..."
"Hangovers always hit you later."
"I-is... that so...."
Had this girl seriously never learned her alcohol limit until now? Judging by how she talked, this seemed like her first time ever getting this catastrophically drunk. Just how sheltered had she lived...?
"Hoo... I-I'm fine now. Yes, I think I'm okay."
After I'd patted her back for a good while, Mirkella stopped heaving and seemed to pull herself together, more or less. She caught her breath a few times and staggered to her feet.
"Rinse your mouth. And let's wash your face too. You'll feel way better after."
"Yes... thank you."
I supported her. She was still unsteady, so I helped her with everything from rinsing her mouth to washing her face.
"Hoo.... truly, thank you. I will be sure to repay this kindness later."
She seemed genuinely touched by my help. Her tone back to its usual calm, she offered a bitter smile, her cheeks faintly flushed. Embarrassed by the disgrace she'd shown just moments before, no doubt.
I just smiled lightly back at her.
"I'll look forward to that. Anyway, can you head out now? I need to do my business."
"Ah..."
My bladder was about to burst. So when I pointed downward discreetly, her cheeks flushed an even deeper red.
"Oh, understood. Then I'll be going...!"
And with that, Mirkella sprang up and scurried out of the bathroom.
'Already seen everything there is to see, and she's still shy.'
I found it pretty damn adorable.
*
"Everyone, wake up! Food's ready!"
When I'd finished my business and was lying on the sofa, Kim Ha-yoon, who had finished the meal prep at some point, called out to everyone. She went around opening the doors to the First Generation's rooms and the communal room, shouting loudly.
The First Generation reacted right away, darting out of their rooms and lining up neatly to wait for their food. They were clearly still suffering from the aftermath of last night too; every single one looked heavily fatigued, with a weird wobble in their steps.
"Haaaaahm..."
A few minutes later, Ha Hui-ryeong emerged along with Angelica, Jeong Ji-min, Kang Ha-rin, and the twins.
Ha Hui-ryeong shuffled straight over and plopped herself down beside me like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Have fun last night?"
"I enjoyed myself, yeah."
"Yeah? Ugh, you animal. How the hell do you screw around for that long? Because of you, Jjintta, I fell asleep late too."
"You could hear everything?"
"How could I not? You know damn well there's no soundproofing here."
Grumbling, but she leaned her body against me all the same. Then she shifted her gaze over to Mirkella on the other side.
"Hey, you were even more impressive. Weren't you basically glued to the toilet bowl, refused to come off?"
"Wh-what? I did...?"
"Yeah, you. I tried to use the bathroom for a second last night, walk in, and find some pigeon hogging the toilet. Even when I told you to get out, you kept bawling like 'Bwaaah, what did I do so wrong~!' and I couldn't use it in the end."
"I-I really did that...?"
"That's what I'm telling you. Had to use a different one because of you. Ugh, and I hated that one since it's where that little brat stayed."
That little brat had to be Kang Ha-rin's younger brother, Kang Ha-jun. In context, there's no one else it could be. He's not around anymore, but since it was the place he used to frequent, our Lady Ha found it especially revolting.
"I had the girls clean it. Still bothers you?"
"Just instinctually hate it. And don't pretend you use it either. You think I don't know that?"
...Damn, this chick was too sharp.
I narrowed my eyes. Truth was, just like she said, I hadn't set foot in the bathroom Kang Ha-jun had used either. Even after thorough cleaning, I still felt uneasy about it.
"I-I cried...?"
Mirkella was muttering to herself, seemingly pretty shaken by what Ha Hui-ryeong said. The way she fidgeted with her toes was pretty damn cute.
"Excuse me. Stop chattering and eat your food."
Kim Ha-yoon, who had been distributing meals to the First Generation, shot us a remark. Everyone else was eating in their spots, but we were the only ones still talking, which earned us a few annoyed looks.
"Okay. Let's go, Hui-ryeong. You too, Mirkella, snap out of it."
"Y-yes..."
I practically dragged the dejected Mirkella over and sat her down beside me. Soon after, Kim Ha-yoon placed a bowl in front of me.
The menu was soup. A clear white broth with bits of meat floating up here and there. It looked exactly like thick beef bone soup.
"Oh, how'd you make this?"
"Looted it from the department store last time. It was a retort pouch, so I just had to heat it up. Made things easy."
I see. She usually showed a strong interest in cooking and tried all sorts of things, but it seemed she felt a bit lazy today. Still, it was perfect for hangover relief. The moment I took a spoonful, I felt my insides settle all at once. Not a bad choice.
"Ha-yoon really is good at cooking. Isn't she?"
Just then, Kang Ha-rin, seated across from me, spoke up with a small smile. On either side of her, the twins who resembled their sister were watching me quietly.
"Seems like you'd be pretty good too? You were head of your household, right?"
"Ahaha... well, I can manage the basics, sure. But I don't have the same passion for it that Ha-yoon does."
She meant that if there was no one else to cook, she would, but since there was, she'd rather focus on the driving she was in charge of. That was fine by me. Hers was the only skill set that could navigate rough roads smoothly.
"Oppa, doesn't your head hurt? I felt like I was gonna lose my mind all day."
"Ji-min. I didn't chug it down like you did. I controlled myself and drank in moderation."
"What's the point of that? You certainly didn't screw in moderation."
Jeong Ji-min's condition was relatively rough. Her hangover must still have been severe; even while gulping down hangover soup, her eyes were a little unfocused.
When I made a mildly scolding remark, Ha Hui-ryeong, seated beside me, threw in a jab.
"So that dick just can't be moderated, huh? Yeah?"
"They're the ones who came onto me and begged for it. What was I supposed to do? As a man, I had to see it through to the end."
"I'll throw what you said earlier right back at you. Moderate yourself. Your condition is terrible right now. You actually planning to die in the saddle if you keep that up?"
"Then couldn't you just heal me with your ability?"
"Hey, my trait needs an actual wound to work. Things without external injuries don't apply. So cut the crap and take it easy today."
"...."
She'd spoken with genuine seriousness, which was rare, so my mouth clamped shut.
"Yes, Ha Hui-ryeong is right. You look far too exhausted right now. Even if it delays our schedule, let's rest for today. That way, no mishaps will occur, will they?"
Angelica, who had been eating quietly, backed up Ha Hui-ryeong's words too. They weren't wrong. In fact, my legs were still trembling right now. We had to push back the plans and take a full rest day today.
I put on a sheepish expression and scratched my cheek.
"Fine. Let's do that. We'll call today a rest day."
Since things turned out this way, I figured I might as well do some coin farming. I could delegate the grunt work to the First Generation, so it wouldn't strain my body.