Pounce on Me, Escort Knight! - Fin (Epilogue)
As always, the doorbell rang and Lucia stepped inside.
What set today apart, though, was the complete absence of any furniture in the bar.
The reason was simple: today's concept was that we were closing for good.
Well, it was a setting I would never use again anyway, and it felt necessary if we were going to say a natural goodbye.
"Hello."
"Oh, perfect timing. I've been waiting for you."
Lucia took her usual seat, but she kept glancing around far more than normal.
"The surroundings seem to be bothering you."
"Ah, yes. Are you relocating the shop?"
"I've been given the chance to work somewhere a little larger. It's a place I've grown fond of, so it's a pity."
"Congratulations. Then today's meeting really is the last one."
At my words she smiled and clapped for me, so I offered my thanks in return.
"Still, we have plenty of time today. I can listen to all sorts of stories at a leisurely pace."
"That's a relief. I was just in the mood to be congratulated on how my relationship has progressed."
"Relationship progress, you say?"
"Hehe. During the full moon, I finally succeeded in becoming intimate with Paul."
As always, I already knew, but I still offered congratulations and applause.
"Thank you. Being celebrated really does feel nice."
"So your seduction worked. Once again, congratulations."
"Ah, I just spoke honestly to Paul. He was always dodging with 'ask that of a lover,' so I turned it around on him.
I only found this out myself, but once I caught Paul's scent, my heated body gradually cooled down.
…Though Paul's caressing did make it flare up hard once."
Aha. So that was why she had been glued to Paul all through lunch.
She used Paul to keep her reason intact—yet Paul himself was still a powerful stimulus just by touch. Something like that.
"So I held out desperately until night, then I was the one who seduced Paul and…"
"You became intimate. Is that it?"
Lucia's voice grew smaller and smaller as she finished the story, so I completed the sentence for her.
"If it's not too forward of me, might I hear… your impressions, at least?"
"That's rude.
…Well, I do owe you a debt. I'll make a special exception and tell you."
"Thank you."
Lucia took a short breath, then began speaking while looking away.
"I-I didn't start right away from the beginning. First I used my mouth to…"
"Hold on a moment. Impressions alone are more than enough for me.
Don't you think the detailed descriptions are more romantic if only the guest and her lover know them?"
"Th-that's true…"
She had only turned her gaze a little, but at my words she spun her head completely away.
"I… have a bit of a masochistic streak, so I was expecting something rough, but the gentle way was incredibly good too…
A-and… Paul likes it when I use my mouth, so I'm going to practice…"
Once the story ended, Lucia covered her mouth with her sleeve. She seemed to be smiling.
Embarrassed, no doubt. Well, confiding a first experience to someone else is never easy.
"That level of explanation is plenty. Thank you for sharing."
"Ah, yes…"
While a brief silence settled, I found myself thinking I should also ask about the following morning.
"I have a question of my own, if I may. Nox, is there a woman you like… no, a person of the opposite sex?"
She had started to say "a woman you like," then switched to "person of the opposite sex." After all, whether "Nox" was male or female was still unknown.
I decided to dodge it appropriately.
"Hmm… Up until now I have never harbored romantic feelings for any particular someone.
Perhaps that's why I enjoy listening to love stories so much."
"What? And yet you helped with my relationship counseling?"
"Even so, I've learned a great deal. In this line of work you often have to listen to a customer's complaints."
"Ahaha, fair enough. Knowing the theory is enough to help. And I did receive some splendid assistance."
"If I may say one thing, I did not help all that much.
I merely assisted with a little deduction and a bit of planning of my own. The result belongs entirely to the guest."
"Well, I still received help. Without you, Nox, I might have given up on my feelings first."
"In that case, I won't refuse the gratitude."
When I finished speaking, Lucia bowed her head once more in thanks, and I bowed mine in turn, thanking her for the conversation.
"Today's meeting is the last, and it feels like we're running out of things to talk about."
"The quieter it gets, the more final it feels."
"It would be nice if there were something to commemorate the occasion. What a shame."
"I would like to give you a leftover bottle of wine and a single wine glass as gifts, though I wonder whether you can take them with you."
"Oh? May I really accept them?"
"This wine is the sort of awkwardly expensive bottle that never sold.
And I can't very well bring my own glasses to the new workplace, so I was about to throw them all out anyway.
So if you would take both the wine and the glass, I would be the grateful one."
"Do people usually sell the wine itself…? Well, I'll gratefully accept."
When Lucia gave an affirmative look, I bent down, drew out one bottle of wine and one wine glass, and set them before her. A small sound of admiration reached my ears.
"Ooh, it looks high-class."
"This wine comes from the human realm, so tastes for it vary quite a bit."
"I'll give Paul a rough explanation. Thank you."
"Not at all."
Once the conversation ended, silence settled again.
I was thinking that I truly had nothing left to say when Lucia cleared her throat and spoke.
"I think we've talked everything over, so I'll be heading out. Just sitting here quietly is getting a little awkward."
"Ah, yes. Understood. Take care, guest."
"I hope I can bring this wine along.
See you again someday, Nox. Our meetings until now were fun."
"Take care. I hope we meet again somewhere."
I waved as I saw Lucia off, but with both hands full she could only bid farewell with a smiling crinkle of her eyes.
I dispelled the Dream Magic and returned to reality.
Then I took out the wine and two glasses I had prepared beforehand and set them carefully around the sleeping Lucia.
After arranging them so nothing would break, I quietly left their house.
I had layered every concealment spell I needed, and I departed with Spatial Distortion magic, so there was absolutely no chance of being discovered.
Well. I hoped we would remain the sort of relationship that simply brightened the day whenever we passed each other on the street. That was what I thought.