Chapter 409: The 4th Floor
Chapter 409: The 4th Floor
Of course, I couldn't relax just because the footsteps had faded.
They had just entered the restaurant, after all.
They'd only moved to another table.
Besides, after what Elder Sister Rachel just said, they might take an unnecessary interest in our direction and try to peek.
Damn it. Then how the hell am I supposed to get out of here?
In any case, I was in a position where I couldn't see what was happening outside this tablecloth. A rash move was out of the question.
For now, I decided to wait quietly for Elder Sister Rachel's signal.
If I just waited patiently, she'd let me know when the time was right.
“…”
But no matter how long I waited, Elder Sister Rachel didn't move.
I don't just mean she wasn't sending a signal—she was completely, utterly still.
Don't tell me she fell asleep or fainted?
Should I try to get her attention?
I stared intently at the beautiful legs in front of me, lost in thought.
For the record, I couldn't see her underwear anymore.
She had her legs pressed neatly together and was holding down the center of her skirt with her hand.
Seeing that, it seemed she was still conscious of me being under here.
Trying my best not to be misunderstood, I gently tapped her leg with the back of my hand, as if knocking.
“Kyaa!”
But even that was enough to startle her. She let out a shriek and her legs trembled.
Ugh. Sister. If you make a sound like that again, you'll draw attention.
“G-Guwon?”
S-Sister! How can you say my name like that!
Sara's hearing is way better than you'd think.
They're probably already looking this way again after that scream!
“Oh, r-right... Y-You can come out now.”
But regardless of my anxiety, Elder Sister Rachel spoke to me without even lowering her voice.
C-Come out? What? Did the three of them go to another restaurant? No, that can't be right.
Then is that it? Is she telling me to come out since I've been caught anyway?
Is this the part where I emerge from under the tablecloth to find the three of them glaring at me?
Damn it. If I'd known this would happen, I shouldn't have hidden here.
It would've been better if I'd just acknowledged them first and explained why I was here with Elder Sister Rachel. I would've just gotten an earful and that would've been the end of it.
But it was too late for regrets.
The moment I saw my girls and hid, I had crossed the point of no return.
Right. I'm going to die here today.
Hmph. To die at the hands of my loved ones. If I have to die, that's not a bad way to go.
Fine. Bring it on.
Come on, Sara, Diana, Leia!
Giving up on everything, I came out from under the tablecloth and stood with my arms spread wide.
“G-Guwon?”
But the scene that unfolded before my eyes was a little different from what I'd expected.
There was Elder Sister Rachel, staring at me with a bewildered expression, and the other patrons, who didn't even glance at the man who had suddenly popped out and was standing with his arms open.
And no matter how much I looked around, I couldn't see my girls anywhere.
“I-I put up a magic barrier. Other people can't see us or hear our voices.”
Elder Sister Rachel explained this to my bewildered self.
…How embarrassing.
I hastily lowered my arms and sat down in my seat.
“S-So, Elder Sister Rachel, you can use this kind of magic too.”
If so, you should have told me sooner.
I was cowering under the tablecloth for no reason.
“Ah, no... They have devices like that here.”
As she spoke, Elder Sister Rachel pointed to a corner of the table.
A small device was emitting a faint light.
Oh, I see. So that's what that was. I just thought it was some kind of decoration.
A high-class restaurant, indeed. They really have everything.
But if they had something like this, it would've been nice to use it from the start.
“Wow, they even have these. I'm sorry. I didn't know this existed, so I just kept hiding.”
“I-I see...”
I said this while looking at Elder Sister Rachel with a slightly resentful gaze, but she wouldn't even meet my eyes as she replied.
What's wrong? Ah, I get it. Since she respects Diana so much, she must have suddenly felt guilty when Diana caught her.
“It's okay, Sister. This dinner is just my way of thanking you for helping me find Diana. You have nothing to feel sorry to Diana about.”
“Y-Yes?”
Elder Sister Rachel looked at me as if asking what I was talking about.
You don't have to pretend for my sake. I get it.
“But you were really flustered too, weren't you? I know you were trying to get rid of Diana, but to make an excuse like that... If I'd been caught, that excuse would have put me in even more danger. You're surprisingly bad in a crisis, Sister.”
“W-Whaaat?!”
Elder Sister Rachel, who already looked bewildered, now stared at me with wide eyes, her expression screaming, Are you serious?
“W-What is it?”
Even I couldn't help but be surprised by such a strong reaction.
“Guwon, are you being serious right now...? Just how... Haaaaah...”
Elder Sister Rachel muttered in disbelief, then let out a deep sigh as if all the strength had drained from her shoulders.
“S-Sister?”
“No. It's nothing. Yes. I was just so flustered from running into Diana-nim so suddenly. I just spouted some nonsense I didn't mean to get rid of her.”
She mumbled this with an incredibly weary expression.
I knew it, but still, hearing her state so clearly that she didn't mean it stung a little.
“I'm sorry. This was supposed to be a dinner to thank you, but I ended up startling you for no reason.”
“No. Running into the others was a coincidence. And your choice of restaurant was good. There's no need for you to apologize. More importantly, you should be thinking about how you're going to get out of here alive, shouldn't you? I should mention, this magic barrier only works around the table. They'll see you when you leave.”
“R-Really! W-What should I do...?”
“Haaah... The three of them seem to be sitting at that table over there, with a magic barrier up just like us. If you use this pillar to slip out through their blind spot, you probably won't get caught.”
She pointed to a spot where there was indeed an awkwardly empty space.
I see. So that's what it looks like when a magic barrier is up.
That must be why the staff needs to guide people to their tables.
“Th-Thank you, Sister!”
“Don't mention it. Shall we get going, then?”
“Y-Yes? But the food...”
“I'm quite full. And I doubt you can eat leisurely in a situation like this either.”
“If you're saying that for my sake, it's fine. Today is my treat to thank you, so...”
“I said I'm full.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
I decided to gratefully accept Elder Sister Rachel's kindness.
Normally, the cool thing to do would be for me to pay the bill and leave with her, but the risk of getting caught was too high.
I handed her the money for the meal, asking her to pay, and immediately used my Stealth skill.
My level is low, so it wouldn't make me invisible, but it would at least make it hard to recognize who I was if I moved quickly.
Then, just before Elder Sister Rachel left the magic barrier, I bolted for the restaurant exit at an off-beat.
Success! I did it!
It was only after I was outside the restaurant that I finally felt alive.
“Good. Seeing as there was no reaction, it seems the three of them didn't notice.”
Elder Sister Rachel, who had paid the bill and left the restaurant right after me, confirmed it.
But was it just my imagination? Come to think of it, I felt like Elder Sister Rachel's tone had been subtly cold for a while now.
“Sister. Thank you!”
“Don't mention it. Well then, let's part ways here.”
Yup. Definitely not my imagination.
“Y-Yes?!”
“You've achieved your goal of thanking me for helping you find Diana-nim, haven't you? Besides, it's not like you can be with me any longer than this, right?”
“W-Well, that's true, but...”
No. I agreed with her, so why does she seem even more upset?
“S-Sister? Did I do something wrong?”
“No. You haven't done a single thing wrong, Guwon. If anyone's at fault, it's me.”
“No, I'm telling you, I completely understand what you said earlier. I was flustered enough to hide under the table, so for you to be that flustered...”
Sister. That look in your eyes. It reminds me of when we first met.
You rejected my advances with that same business smile back then, too.
“Oh my. Thank you so much for understanding. Well then, goodbye. Today was quite enjoyable... up to a point.”
“Ah, y-yes, ma'am! Goodbye!”
With that business smile still on her face, Elder Sister Rachel gave an elegant farewell, then turned her back and walked away.
But unlike her graceful movements, her footsteps were heavy with force.
What the hell? Did I say something wrong somewhere in the middle?
Let's think. She suddenly became like that after I came out from under the table... No. Was it a little later than that?
Ugh... I don't know. I can't think of anything.
But she isn't the type to act like that for no reason, is she?
Should I follow her now?
No. I don't even know why she's angry, so following her now won't calm her down.
I'll just meet her later when she's cooled off a bit, apologize then, and ask her for the reason.
With that thought, I trudged back to the mansion.
And as soon as I arrived, the first thing I did was wash up.
Scrubbing my whole body. Over and over.
Now that Elder Sister Rachel had said that, I absolutely could not let them find out it was me who was with her.
The biggest danger was Leia's sense of smell.
My own nose couldn't detect any scent, but I still worked desperately to erase any lingering trace of Elder Sister Rachel's.
About two hours had passed since I started washing, but I still felt anxious.
It should be fine, right? I even summoned water and wind spirits to do all sorts of things to my body while I washed. There's no way her scent could still be on me, right?
The chance to confirm that came much sooner than I thought.
“Guwon!”
Leia suddenly burst through the door and rushed toward me as I was bathing in the tub.
“Whoa! L-Leia!”
I was so surprised I froze up.
But Leia paid no mind to my reaction and pulled my face into a tight embrace against her ample chest.
Then, she buried her nose in my hair and took a deep breath.
Wh-What? Don't tell me I've already been caught?!
“Guwon. Where on earth have you been?”
But it seemed my efforts of washing for over two hours had paid off; Leia didn't seem to have noticed Elder Sister Rachel's scent.
I felt a wave of relief wash over me.
And once the tension eased, I was able to enjoy the situation a little.
For some reason, Leia was currently in a bathrobe.
And she still boasted a figure so voluminous that even the bathrobe seemed revealing.
Thanks to that, when she hugged me, my face was buried right in her exposed cleavage, and the sweet scent of the freshly-washed Leia filled my nostrils.
On top of that, the soft, squishy feeling against my cheeks was pure bliss.
“What's wrong, Leia? Did something happen?”
“Honestly, Guwon. It's not 'Did something happen?'. I thought I wouldn't get to see you today, just like yesterday.”
“H-Huh? Yesterday?”
Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing Leia yesterday except at mealtime.
No. Now that I think about it, it wasn't just Leia. It was Sara and Diana, too.
“Yes. Sara and Diana were being so mean. They held me back, saying I'd definitely be nice to you if I was around you.”
Huh? What does that... Ah, aaaah! Right, I did say that yesterday morning.
That being nice to me was forbidden for the day.
No wonder I didn't see the three of them. So that's what they were doing?
Sorry. I was with Matilda and Silvia all day, so I had no idea.
I see. So that's why Leia was in such a good mood this morning, and why she got so gloomy when I said I was going to meet a friend.
The reason Sara and Diana were comforting Leia at the restaurant was because they felt bad for holding her back all day yesterday.
They must have come to such a high-class restaurant to cheer Leia up.
Leia surprisingly loves to eat, after all.
Though it seems all those nutrients go to a certain area.
Anyway, with that, the mystery is solved!
“But, I can finally be with you like this.”
Leia gave me a warm smile and hugged my face tightly, then began rubbing her cheek against the top of my head, like an animal marking its territory with its scent.
The feeling of her breasts against my entire face and the feeling of her soft cheek on the crown of my head.
Overwhelmed by the blissful sensation of Leia all over my body and the relief of not getting caught having dinner with Elder Sister Rachel, I felt all the strength drain from my body, as if I were melting.
I feel like I could die of happiness from this alone.