Chapter 487: A Step Forward
Chapter 487: A Step Forward
After that, I tried several other methods, but no matter what I did, Sara would burst into tears the moment she let go of my body.
In the end, evening arrived without us finding any solution at all.
This is getting a little serious.
I had assumed her symptoms were born from the fear of losing me, so I figured she’d get better quickly if I just stayed by her side for a day to reassure her.
That’s why I hadn’t thought it was a big deal.
But seeing her like this, I was slowly starting to recognize just how serious Sara’s condition was.
Besides, at this rate…
I glanced to the side. Diana and Leia were also looking at Sara, their faces a mixture of indescribable, complex emotions.
Normally, they would have been jealous of her sticking to my side, but the situation was too delicate for jealousy now.
Even Sara seemed to feel a little guilty for monopolizing me so much; she couldn't meet our gazes with her usual confidence and instead looked at us with a slightly weakened expression.
“Dinner is ready.”
“…Should we go eat for now?”
I was worried about what to do, but I decided to put that concern aside for the time being.
Though, considering what I usually do after dinner, I was really only postponing the problem by a little bit.
But what could I do? No brilliant ideas were coming to mind.
Following Vanessa’s lead, we went to the dining room, where Silvia and Matilda were properly seated this time.
Well, Silvia was in her usual corner seat.
“Oh, Silvia. Matilda. What were you two up to? You skipped lunch.”
“We didn’t do anything worth reporting to you. Still, I apologize for missing lunch. We were just a bit busy.”
“I see.”
Matilda said it as if it were nothing, but I felt that something was off.
Her hair was damp.
And it wasn’t just Matilda; Silvia’s was, too.
What the hell? They said they were in the bathroom at lunchtime, but surely they haven’t been washing up this whole time.
“Silvia?”
“Ye-Yes?!”
“Tell me honestly. Where were you, what were you…”
“Wa-Wait a minute! Forcing a lady to reveal her secrets is a breach of etiquette!”
Sensing they were hiding something, I tried to get it out of Silvia, who could never defy me, but Matilda quickly intervened to stop my questioning.
So they’re definitely hiding something.
To be honest, getting it out of Matilda wouldn’t be that difficult either.
I just had to get her into her lovey-dovey mode, and she’d spill everything… but for now, I decided to back down.
I figured Matilda had a point when she called it a breach of etiquette.
Still, a secret shared between Silvia and Matilda… I was incredibly curious.
“Hooo. The black tea is delicious.”
“Y-Yeah, it is.”
And then, the time finally came.
After finishing dinner, we lingered at the table, leisurely sipping our tea, unable to leave.
It made sense. After dinner at the mansion, my… special time with whoever’s turn it was would usually begin.
And tonight was Leia’s turn.
On her designated days, Leia usually didn’t use the large bathroom, preferring to wash with me instead. If things were normal, I would have headed straight back to the room with her.
But with Sara in this state…
I glanced at Sara, who was still clutching the hem of my clothes with one hand.
She seemed to know she was putting Leia in a difficult position, as she couldn’t even meet Leia’s eyes, instead focusing her gaze on her teacup and taking small sips.
Normally, I would have just swapped Sara’s and Leia’s turns for the day and moved on.
But today’s circumstances were a bit unique.
It was the day we would be together for the first time in a long while.
No matter how generous and yielding Leia was, she wouldn’t be in the mood to readily give up her turn on a day like this.
In fact, that was likely why she wasn’t saying anything right now.
Though we were supposed to be relaxing with tea, a subtle, tense air dominated the dining room.
…Hey. Diana, do you really need to contribute to that atmosphere? Your turn is still a long way off.
But if things continued like this, the conclusion was obvious: Leia would yield her turn to Sara.
She might not be able to bring herself to say it, but in the end, that’s just the kind of person our kind-hearted angel is.
But that would just mean Leia was making a sacrifice.
Before that could happen, I decided to voice the idea I’d been mulling over during dinner.
“Ah… about, uh, tonight.”
“Eek…! Y-Yes…”
The moment I spoke, Leia’s shoulders flinched.
Her expression was still a gentle smile, but I could read the resignation hidden beneath it.
On top of that, the two ears on her head drooped forward.
She probably thought I was going to ask her to switch turns with Sara.
My angel. As if I would make a one-sided request that would make you sad.
“Let’s all sleep together tonight.”
“Yes. I underst—wait, what?”
Leia, who had been nodding, suddenly looked up, tilting her head cutely as if to ask if she’d heard me correctly.
So beautiful, yet so cute. As expected, my angel is the best.
And no, my angel. You heard me right.
“Pffffft!”
Beside me, Diana spectacularly spat out her tea.
“Whoa! Diana! What are you doing all of a sudden?!”
“Cough! Cough! Th-That is what I should be asking you! I knew you were a pervert, but to use Sara’s condition as an excuse to plot something like this! You man! You man! Have you no shame!”
“You’re insane! Insane! I was wondering what you were going to say with such a serious face!”
With her face bright red, Diana rushed at me and unleashed a merciless flurry of pats on my chest, while a startled Sara began smacking my arm.
Hold on. I thought I just made a pretty good suggestion.
If we just swapped turns, Sara would feel guilty toward Leia, and Leia would feel bitter about having to give me up at a time like this.
So, we all sleep together. It’s a great suggestion, isn’t it?
Then why am I getting this reaction?
And Sara, I’m trying to cover for you here.
“What are you guys talking about? I meant let’s just sleep together like yesterday. Not have sex together. You perverts.”
“Ah, ah, ahhh…”
Diana, who had been patting my chest, froze mid-motion. Her already red face turned an even deeper shade of crimson as she began to tremble.
Judging by how her voice jumped to a soprano, she seemed to be quite embarrassed.
“A p-pervert… I was called a pervert by this pervert…”
Seriously. And Sara, why are you so shocked by that?
You’ve been slyly calling me an idiot or a pervert lately without adding ‘brother’ afterward, you know?
“I-I see…! O-Of course! Yes. I believed in you.”
…My angel. You didn’t also think I was saying something like, ‘Sara’s in this state, so I guess we have no choice! It’s an orgy party tonight! Woohoo!’ did you?
I’ll choose to believe you didn’t.
I was originally planning to say something like, ‘It’s been a while, so just one day wasn’t enough. I want to be with all of you tonight, too.’
It makes me sound like a great guy, doesn’t it? Not making it obvious that I’m doing this because of Sara, while also being considerate of Leia.
But their reactions just made it all feel pointless.
Fine. I’m a pervert.
“Alright. But if you all want it that badly… Woohoo! Tonight, it’s an orgy part—!”
“As if we would!”
…It was a joke, so don’t hit me with mana-infused hands.
It’s starting to get through my defense.
“…With this regressed pervert acting like this, Leia can’t sleep with me anyway. So we’ll postpone her turn by a day and just all sleep together.”
“Ugh… He called me a pervert again.”
Sara looked wounded once more, but this time she couldn’t really argue back, as she knew she didn’t have a leg to stand on.
“You’re perverted enough for thinking ‘sleeping together’ means an orgy. Right, Diana?”
Pressing the attack on Sara, I turned my attention to Diana, who had been the first to react.
“I-I believe that is not necessarily the case!”
As Diana said this, she gently caressed the chest she had just been patting.
It was as if she was asking me to forgive her for her mistake.
…You’re pretty desperate too, Diana.
Is being called a pervert by me really that shocking?
“Well, anyway, does everyone agree?”
“Yes! Hehe. Guwon. I love you.”
Leia, knowing full well I’d brought this up out of consideration for her, smiled brightly and gave me a light kiss.
It was a wonderful kiss, the feeling of her soft, supple lips accompanied by the sweet taste of black tea.
As expected, my angel is the best.
“Yeah. I love you too. Go wash up. I’ll head to the room first.”
With that, I stood up and started toward the room.
Sara, of course, followed along, clutching my clothes.
“Wa-Wait a moment!”
But just as we were about to leave the dining room, Diana called out loudly, stopping us.
“Hm? What is it now?”
“Is Sara not going with you?!”
“Of course she is. Why do you think we’re all sleeping together again today?”
“And you will be washing up, will you not?!”
“Of course. I can’t go to bed without washing.”
“With Sara alone?!”
Ah, right. Now that I think about it, she has a point.
After suggesting we all sleep together, it might be a little unfair for me to have a sweet, private time with just Sara.
But it can’t be helped. Sara can’t be separated from me right now, so we have to wash together.
They might feel it’s unfair, but it’s not like we can all wash toge—huh? Wait a minute. Isn’t this a huge opportunity?
“W-Well, you’re right. That would be unfair. Th-Then… shall we all wash together?”
I tried my best to calm my naturally trembling voice, feigning as much composure as possible as I spoke.
“Th-That is…”
Diana had stopped us out of jealousy, but she clearly hadn’t expected me to come back with this, and she stammered, unable to give a proper answer.
There’s a chance. There’s a real chance! For the utopia I’ve always dreamed of!
The ones who were always against me joining them in the large bathroom were Sara and Diana.
My angel never explicitly agreed, but she never objected either.
In other words, if I could just persuade Sara and Diana, my dream of bathing with everyone in the large bathroom wasn’t impossible.
And the biggest obstacle, Sara, was in a position where she couldn’t protest loudly, since this whole situation was her fault.
Simply put, all I had to do now was convince Diana!
“What’s wrong? It’s unfair for only Sara to wash with me, right? So we should all just wash together.”
“W-Well, that is true, but… still…”
But Diana, with an embarrassed look, wouldn’t give in.
What’s there to be embarrassed about? You all bathe together normally anyway.
All that’s changing is that I’m being added to the mix.
Besides, it’s not like Diana and I have never bathed together. What is she so shy about?
Ah, could she be wary that I might try some funny business in the bathroom?
If I were to pull some lewd prank in front of everyone, it could spell disaster for Diana, who has a slightly dangerous side to her.
Alright. In that case.
“You don’t have to be on guard. I’m suggesting this with a pure heart. I also feel bad about washing with just Sara on a day that was supposed to be Leia’s. I’m just saying we should all wash together. That’s fine, isn’t it?”
I continued to persuade Diana, looking at her with an expression of pure innocence that said I would never, ever pull any pranks.
“A-Are you truly just going to wash?”
As I thought, that was what she was worried about.
“Of course. What else would I do in a bathroom besides wash? And besides, I want to relax and wash in the big bathroom sometimes, too. I’ve only ever gotten to use it that one time. It’s not fair that only you guys get to enjoy such a luxury. To relieve the fatigue from barely surviving the dungeon…”
“A-Alright, I get it! I get it, so stop talking with your face so close!”
“Diana?!”
Faced with my persistence, Diana finally had to yield.
Sara, who clearly hadn’t expected Diana to break, looked flustered.
“Then shall we go? You’re okay with it too, right, Sara? You’re not planning to use your condition to selfishly monopolize me, are you?”
“Uuuugh… W-Well…”
My words left Sara with no choice but to consent.
They might bicker over me every day, but that was only when they could engage in fair play. In the end, Sara wasn’t the type of person to pull such a cunning move.