Who Will It Be?
"Uh, um..."
"Is something wrong, Young Master? Didn't you promise to have a drink with me tonight?"
As Frey stammered, Kania smiled faintly and posed her question.
"Has some reason arisen why you must break that promise?"
"N-no, it's not that..."
"Then what troubles you?"
Whispering once more into Frey's ear as his words trailed off, Kania made his heart race wildly.
"...I miss hearing your voice, Young Master."
Until then pressed tightly against him, Kania absorbed the pounding of his heart into her own body.
"I can feel your warmth, of course. Even your thoughts and emotions come through clearly."
Saying this, she pressed her belly and chest even closer.
"So why do you hesitate?"
She tilted her head innocently.
"S-so... where were you planning to drink?"
"I've already prepared everything in my room on the first floor."
Replying calmly to the flustered Frey, she...
"...shall we go?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
It had been ages since she'd pulled away from him. Now she took his hand and led him downstairs.
"Hmm..."
Just holding hands like this brought a contented smile to Kania's lips.
"K-Kania? Earlier..."
"No need to say it. I already know everything."
Sensing the emotions her adored Young Master directed toward her more vividly than anyone, Kania descended the stairs, fingers now fully interlaced.
".....?"
Suddenly, she stopped, frowning.
"Wah... wang! Wang wang!"
"Hah?"
There, at the bottom of the stairs, was a red puppy.
"What the hell are you..."
Kania stared at it in bewilderment, then began glaring as she started to ask in a low voice.
"Kania...? What's with that puppy?"
But Frey, standing beside her with a curious tilt of his head, made her pause and bite her lip.
"Uh... um..."
The puppy averted her gaze slyly and began panting. Kania continued staring silently.
"...It's Irina's pet dog."
"Oh?"
She finally answered softly.
"That's weird. Irina doesn't have any pets."
"She said the mansion felt too empty, so she got it to change the mood."
"Hmm..."
Frey rested his chin on his hand, staring intently at the puppy, while Kania, looking disappointed, released their clasp and approached it.
"...Young Master likes cats."
She whispered low.
"He hates dogs."
The puppy's jaw dropped in shock, then it quickly resumed panting.
"Aw, it's kinda cute."
Frey, watching this, came down and petted it, murmuring to himself.
"Well, it doesn't shed much and isn't aggressive, so no big deal... eek, that tickles."
"Pant... pant..."
The puppy began licking Frey's face wildly.
"...Let's go."
"Ah, okay."
Kania snatched Frey's hand again and pulled him forward.
"Whine..."
".....?"
The puppy suddenly bit Frey's pant leg and held fast.
—Shaaah...
But as Kania glared and waved her hand subtly, the puppy's eyes slowly drooped shut.
"Poor thing. It must be exhausted adjusting to this unfamiliar place."
Muttering sympathetically at the puppy, Kania left it behind and walked on with Frey.
"By the way, where's Irina?"
"Practicing spirit... no, attack magic."
Arriving at her door, Kania answered nonchalantly.
"...Ah, one moment."
"Yeah?"
"On second thought, I'm not quite ready. Please wait here just a bit."
She left Frey outside briefly and slipped into her room.
""..........""
And silence flowed.
"Ha."
In that hush, Kania lifted the corner of her mouth.
"Did you think I'd put up with this forever?"
She muttered at the owl and canary pecking furiously at the window.
"I went out of my way to master advanced black magic. Even high spirits like you can't pierce that barrier and interfere."
"Hoot!!!"
"...Tweet!!"
Kania smirked in victory.
—Thud!
She drew the curtains, blocking the window, and swallowed quietly.
"If you'll excuse me..."
Fiddling with the orb she'd just extracted from Frey, she...
"...I'll dirty you up a little more."
Muttered with resolve.
......
"...You may enter."
"Ah, okay."
Frey, who'd been standing blankly outside, entered slowly at her call.
"What the heck did you prepare so intensely that..."
He closed the door carefully, regaining his composure, and was about to ask when...
"...Ah."
He froze.
"Hello, Young Master."
Kania was wearing a dress.
Kania, who'd never worn anything but suits in past loops or this one.
A beautiful dress fit for a debutante lady, wine glass in one hand, star-gazing flower in the other.
"......."
To Frey, accustomed to her usual businesslike, neat image, it was a fresh shock.
"You like it?"
"Uh... well..."
His chest tickled as he stammered in response.
"Of course you do."
Smiling with her eyes, Kania began softly.
"This dress—wasn't it originally a gift you planned for me?"
"What are you talking about?"
He asked, flustered.
"Do you remember promising a weekend date with me back in the first semester?"
"Ah..."
She continued wistfully.
"Sadly, you collapsed from the debuff stacks, and the promise fizzled out."
"Uh... Kania, I'm really sorry about that..."
"I saw it."
As he looked apologetic, she spoke low.
"Your ten-item bucket list, found in the drawer while nursing you."
"Y-you saw that?"
"...It had a spell on it, so I copied it into my notebook without touching."
Only then did Frey realize.
Why Kania sometimes stared piercingly at her notebook and grinned foolishly.
And why she reacted so fiercely when he tried to peek.
"Bucket list one: Enjoy a private date drinking with Kania in a dress."
Gazing at his reddening face, she murmured softly from her notebook.
"D-did you... see all of it...?"
His face burned hotter.
"Even the brand and style details. Surprisingly mischievous in that regard..."
"Ka-Kania!"
"...My apologies, Young Master."
As she gazed understandingly, he covered his mouth and looked away.
"...Anyway, I've been saving diligently."
"Wait, you don't mean..."
"Yes. I bought this dress with my own money."
She said shyly to him.
"...Shouldn't I fulfill your wish as soon as possible?"
Her expression darkened slightly.
"No, actually, I planned to take it easy after everything ends..."
"Young Master."
Interrupting, Kania...
"Sit down."
Pointed to the chair before her with a gentle smile.
"It's time to make your wish come true."
"........"
As she smiled like a woman she'd never shown anyone, Frey...
—Thud.
...sat down.
"So..."
Rubbing his still-flushed cheeks, he asked casually.
"...What's the trick to getting drunk?"
......
"Ugh? Uuugh..."
"Young Master."
Frey's eyes glazed over.
"Kania... I feel weird..."
"Congratulations. You're drunk."
Suppressing a laugh, she said, and his eyes widened round.
"I'm not drunk!"
"Of course."
"Maybe... just a tiny bit buzzed..."
Grinning goofily at her.
—Vrrr...
With the unconscious intrusion scroll she and Irina had made on his chest.
"The thing I allowed... what was it? Mental attack on drugs? Doesn't count as that?"
"...Something like that."
"Yeah, uh... right. But I'm super strong against alcohol anyway..."
Of course he was. That's why she'd prepared dozens of the strongest bottles.
She couldn't get drunk due to her black mage constitution.
But to satisfy his wish to get thoroughly wasted at least once.
And...
"Young Master, I have a question."
To hear his innermost feelings from his own lips, as one body.
"You..."
"Kania."
Suddenly, he grew serious.
"Drop the formal speech... try casual for once?"
"Pardon?"
Stunned by his words, he whispered low.
"I just... wanna hear it."
"Uh, um..."
His unexpected request shattered her composure for the first time.
She'd thought everything today was in her calculations.
Casual speech? To her Young Master? Unthinkable.
"Come on."
"U-ugh."
"Don't wanna?"
As she looked confused, he teased mischievously.
'I can't lose control now.'
Steeling herself, she breathed deep.
"Fr..."
Gazing at him.
"Frey."
She whispered tiny.
"Hi, Frey."
"Pfft!"
Then he burst into laughter.
"Puhahaha... hahaha..."
"......."
Her face flamed red, heart pounding.
First casual speech: his name. Lord help her.
"...I, I love you."
But she couldn't lose. Squeezing eyes shut.
"Me too."
His reply, so natural.
"You're precious to me."
Staring at her dazed self, he spoke gently.
"If I don't eat the breakfast you make every morning, the whole day feels empty. Same if I go anywhere without you."
"Ah..."
"When you open your notebook and report by my side, I feel secure. With you near, I'm at ease."
"........"
"Honestly, without you early on, I might've killed myself already."
"Fr-Frey."
His sincere confessions poured out, and she...
"I like you, Kania."
"Ugh."
"I love you."
...bowed her head.
"Aaaah..."
Her face burned like fire.
Heart thundered louder.
Breath ragged, uneven.
And her belly tingled again.
"...Ngh."
His earnest gaze and whispers frayed her reason.
'No, can't...'
She only meant to confirm his heart.
Warn the other girls.
Fulfill his wish, make him happy...
But this would break her promise with them.
"Huh?"
".....?"
Flustered by the heat overtaking her, Frey suddenly stared into space.
"Wh-what? Why's the affection system popping up now..."
"Young Master?"
"........Huh?"
He spaced out at nothing for a while.
""...........""
Silence flowed.
—Screech...
In it, she rose slowly.
"Young Master."
Stepping right before him.
—Mwah.
Sat on his lap, kissed him.
"Muh?"
"Mmm..."
His gaze elsewhere sparked inexplicable jealousy, impulsive act.
But it worked out.
The seed in his heart began to sprout.
"Pha."
After long tongue-twining, pulling away with a stringy trail.
—Smooth...
Pressing her still-tingling belly to him.
"You're excited?"
Whispered in his ear.
"...Me too."
And next instant.
—Crash!
"Kyaa!!"
He tackled her.
"Kania..."
Drunken, atop her belly, eyes fully unfocused on her.
"...Muh?"
Rough yet gentle, tongues entwined.
"...♡"
Hands interlocked, for minutes.
'I love you, Young Master...'
His feelings for her flooded in, pleasure too.
In ecstasy.
'But...'
Summoning transcendent will, gathering black magic.
—Shaaah...
"...Ah?"
Infusing the scroll on his chest.
"Ah..."
Subduing him as he delved into her.
—Smooth...
Fixing her disheveled dress, tenderly stroking his face.
—Snap!
Flicked fingers, drew curtains.
"Hoot."
"Tweet."
"...Woof."
Gazing calmly at the glaring animals peering from the window.
"Don't worry. My goal is to make Young Master happy—not let him take me while unconscious."
She proposed to those surely watching live.
"No matter how I think, Serena's rule from before is unfair."
"......."
"From second year, things get several times worse. Horrors will assail him, everything worsens—never improves."
To their grimacing avatars.
"So we resolved to make him as happy as possible in this short break. But..."
She smirked.
"...We can't wait for Serena forever, right?"
Silence fell.
"So, a new proposal."
In the hush.
"If Serena doesn't solve her 'problem' by break's end..."
An irresistible offer.
"...The first to spend a night with Frey goes to whoever made him happiest during the break."
"".......!""
"Last because of the blood oath order? Too much. I hold initiative now—think carefully."
Gazing at their shaken avatars.
"Though talk of first or last..."
She glanced at Frey—no, the one who'd pinned her.
"...I don't want to miss the first either."
......
Meanwhile.
"...Crunch."
Moonlight Mansion basement.
"...Crunched."
"L-Lady Serena?"
"Cruuunch."
"Are you alright?"
Her assassins eyed her worriedly as she suddenly ground her teeth.
"...Increase the intensity."
"Y-yes?!"
But Serena fixed her gaze one place, grinding relentlessly.
"I-I don't know... I just used it, not the subjugation curse's principles..."
"Double it."
"Gaaahhh!!!"
Electrifying the secret auctioneer over Irina's scroll, Serena...
"One coincidence..."
Whispered anxiously.
"I need to find that one coincidence fast..."
The first day of break passed like that.