Chapter 762: Rachel's Move
Chapter 762: Rachel's Move
And so, with the angel's support, I found myself standing before the door to Rachel's room early in the morning.
...Well, it was just the room next door.
For the record, the angel had left the room with me. We shared one last, light kiss before she returned to her own room.
There was nothing for her to do in my room by herself, after all. And if she tried to rest on the bed, it would still carry Rachel's scent.
Anyway, after parting ways with the angel, I stood before the door to Rachel's room, my thoughts growing tangled as I tried to organize what I was going to say.
Was she already awake?
She had been out cold since last night, so it wouldn't have been strange at all if she had woken up at some point.
If she had, she would have left the room to get her bearings.
Should I call Vanessa and ask if Rachel had woken up, and if she'd been filled in on the situation?
No. Calling Vanessa at this hour to ask about something like that would be suicide.
Of course, it was part of her duties as a butler, but just because Vanessa said she wanted to focus completely on her work when on the clock didn't mean I could actually treat her as a simple employee.
It's definitely not because Vanessa seems far more jealous than she lets on, and I'm hesitating out of fear. Absolutely not.
I guess I have no choice. I'll just have to go in and skillfully read the room... Wait a minute. Now that I think about it, I must reek of Leia right now.
I mean, I washed up thoroughly, but Leia dressed me and even kissed me after that.
I only realized it yesterday, but isn't Rachel the type to be quite particular about scents?
Well, she's particular about them in a very different way than Leia is, but still.
W-will it be okay? She's particular, but it's not like her sense of smell is exceptionally keen, so it should be fine, right?
I was suddenly afraid to go in, but I couldn't just waste this precious opportunity Leia had given me.
I steeled myself and, deciding to just face whatever came, opened the door and stepped inside.
And there, on the bed, was Rachel, sleeping in the exact same position I had left her in.
No, wait. She's in the exact same position?
Of course, it's not like I remember her exact position down to the millimeter.
But even considering that, it was too perfect. The way the blanket was neatly draped over her, for instance.
Could it be? Has Rachel been asleep this entire time without moving?
But that was way too long to be sleeping.
I mean, my technique was incredible enough to make her lose her mind and collapse from exhaustion, but still.
...Are my girls just used to me, and that's why it's okay? Am I actually the type to be rougher on my partners than I thought?
No. The sex techniques I've naturally acquired as my Saint level increased tell me that's not the case.
Besides, I have the invincible Healing Sex skill.
The more pleasure they feel, the more their stamina should recover.
"Mmm... Guwon-ssi...?"
Just as I was thinking that, Rachel regained consciousness, as if on cue.
Well, it was less about timing and more likely that she woke up from the sound of me entering the room. Assuming I was right, she'd been asleep long enough for that to be more than enough to wake her.
"You're awake?"
"Heh?! Ah, hah! Yes, no. Ahh, uh, yeah...?"
Still half-asleep, she heard my informal tone and stared at me blankly for a moment.
Then, her face began to turn beet red, and she started flailing about in a panic that was almost amusing to watch.
After a few attempts, she finally managed a nod and replied vaguely in an informal tone.
What a relief. It seemed she at least remembered that we'd agreed to speak informally.
"Sleep well?"
"Uh, yeah... To be honest, I wasn't expecting much on the way here, but the quality of this bed is surprisingly... Heh? Wh-where is this?!"
Just as I thought. She hadn't woken up once.
She flew into such a spectacular panic that I didn't even need to try and read the room.
Well, this was a situation where anyone, not just Rachel, would have panicked.
You fall asleep after having sex in a motel, only to wake up in a completely different place.
"It's my place."
"Your... Th-then this is Diana's mansion?! When did we get here?!"
"We couldn't stay there forever. I brought you over while you were asleep."
"Th-then these clothes... Guwon-ssi... Gu-Guwon, did you dress me again...?"
"Yes. I mean, yeah."
Guwon. Hearing her call me that so informally sent a tickle through my chest.
In my original world, I'd never had an older woman in my life who called me like that.
Speaking informally like this somehow made her feel even more like a proper noonim... I'd even slipped back into formal speech myself out of reflex.
"And your underwear... well, I had no choice but to put it back on you..."
The semen must have all dried up by now.
...Thinking about it now, I probably should have taken her underwear off before moving her to this room.
No, that would have looked incredibly weird.
Still, won't it be a real struggle for her to take it off now?
"Huh? Underwear...? Ah, w-wait, could you turn around for a second...?"
I obediently turned around at her request, and I could hear the rustling of her movements behind me.
It seemed she was checking the condition of her underwear.
"Aaah... Th-this is..."
Yes. It's my fault for being so shortsighted. I apologize.
"At this rate, the scent will soak into my skin..."
That's the problem?! That's what you're worried about?! And don't you sound a little happy about it?!
The dried semen has probably stuck to your pubic hair, making it incredibly difficult to take off! Aren't you worried about that?!
I had so many retorts I wanted to make, but for now, I decided to just stay quiet.
"I'm done. You can turn around now."
Are you really, though?
"But to think I didn't wake up the entire time you were bringing me here... I guess it's because I haven't been sleeping well lately... Was I really sleeping that soundly?"
When I turned back to face her, she asked, her face flushing slightly.
It seemed Rachel was more embarrassed about that than the whole underwear situation.
No, maybe she was just excited... happy... whatever. Maybe she was just blushing because of the underwear.
Either way, I really don't get her logic.
The instinct to make a retort flared up again, but once more, I suppressed the urge.
This time, she'd said something that caught my attention.
"Yeah. So... about not sleeping well. Was that because of me?"
"Agh... I-I was just a little worried, that's all."
She nodded in affirmation but answered in a tone that tried to downplay how much she'd been worrying.
I mean, come on. Trying to act all cool and composed about our relationship lost all meaning the moment you begged me not to leave you.
But still... she was so worried about our relationship that she couldn't even sleep properly?
No wonder she slept so deeply and for so long.
The tension must have finally broken now that our relationship has moved forward.
"M-more importantly! What time is it...?"
"It's about 6:30."
"......Huh?"
At my answer, she tilted her head again with a look of complete confusion.
"W-wait a minute. We left the Guild in the afternoon... so... all of that happened in just a few hours? Mmm. B-but it felt like we went on for so long... Is-is that also the power of a Saint? Actually..."
"We did go for a long time!"
So stop looking at my crotch with that expression!
You're in such a panic that your thoughts are written all over your face!
It's not a misunderstanding! I really am that incredible!
"Ah, b-but you said it's 6:30..."
"In the morning."
"......Huh?"
At my single word, she froze solid once more.
"It's morning."
The curtains are drawn, so you can't see outside properly, which might be confusing.
"Th-then I was..."
"Sleep well?"
"......Yeah."
When I repeated myself, Rachel finally seemed to grasp the hidden meaning behind my words. She ducked her head and managed to reply in a tiny voice.
Cute.
"Anyway, more importantly, there's something I need to talk to you about. Do you have time?"
"Huh?"
"I just thought, since you seem to go to work quite early."
"That's fine... I already took today off yesterday, anyway... S-so? What did you want to talk to your noona about?"
Hold on a minute. She just said something incredibly concerning.
What on earth was she thinking, taking today off in advance yesterday?
Considering how she dragged me into that motel yesterday, if I had really been planning on rejecting her, was she prepared to try and seduce me?
Once again, a flood of things I wanted to say rose up, but I pushed them down and decided to stick to the original topic.
After all, what I had to say was that important.
"Ah, yeah. It's about what I was going to tell you yesterday."
"Yesterday?"
"You know, right before you were about to 'thoroughly teach me with your body what one must do upon entering a motel'..."
"Aaah! Yes! I remember! Yes! I get it! I get it, so please stop...!"
As I refreshed her memory by quoting her exact words, she covered her face with both hands and writhed in what looked like sheer ecstasy.
Heh. Come on, Rachel. I know you're happy, but isn't that reaction a little over the top?
Well, that's enough joking around. Time to get serious.
"Anyway, during all this time, I've also been thinking constantly about how I could win your heart."
"Ah..."
As I set a serious tone, she got a wistful look on her face and hugged her hands tightly to her chest.
Don't do that, Rachel. It just emphasizes your chest, and I'm trying to have a serious conversation here, but my eyes keep wandering.
Not that it's your fault, of course.
"And I'll apologize in advance. I did it to understand you better, but in the process, I ended up digging into your past a little."
"Huh? My past? I don't really have any particular past to speak of..."
She murmured at my apology, as if she had no idea what I was talking about.
Hearing that, I breathed an inward sigh of relief.
Judging by her reaction, she didn't seem to mind that I'd been digging around behind her back.
I knew it would have been best to hear it directly from her, and I knew that many people despise having others talk about them behind their backs.
In fact, this was the part I'd been most worried about when deciding to bring this up.
Still, seeing how she'd acted yesterday, I knew how much she liked me, so I decided to just be direct and apologize afterward.
I couldn't have been more relieved that she didn't seem to mind at all.
Well, it was too early to relax completely.
I'd cleared the biggest hurdle, but the real conversation hadn't even started.
"You lost a precious pet dog in the dungeon, didn't you?"
"Gasp...!"
At my words, she took a sharp breath, speechless.
Just as I thought. Seeing her reaction, it was clear that the incident still weighed heavily on her heart.
"I've been thinking about it. Your reaction whenever it looks like someone you know might die in the dungeon is... extreme. It's because you lost your dog, isn't it?"
"..."
"And since I'm always going into the dungeon, you thought you might have to go through that same experience all over again."
"I... I..."
"The truth is, saying you wanted to see if I could make you feel loved even among other women was just an excuse. The real reason was that you were afraid, wasn't it? Afraid that if we became lovers, you'd get hurt even more deeply this time..."
"I... I...! It's not! It's not like that...!"
Rachel tried desperately to deny my words, but her voice only grew weaker and weaker.
Just as I thought. So in the end, my guess was completely right.
"It's okay. I'm not blaming you. I completely understand how you feel."
I might have gotten a little carried away by the fact that my hypothesis was spot on, and my words might have come out a bit too forcefully.
To cool myself down, if for no other reason, I patted her on the shoulder as I spoke.