Compromise -6
The empty house was gradually filling up. The dining table, which had barely been used before Yukiko arrived, had now become a warm space where four of them shared meals.
"Whoa... this looks amazing."
The food was especially lavish today, probably because it was the day Karin arrived.
"There is no need to entrust the meal for Master with an amateur, so please rest assured."
The ingredients Yukiko bought were mostly top-grade, so even with mediocre skills, they were more than enough to taste good. But to her, "more than enough" was the same as failure.
"R-right? I'm here for protection anyway, right? Hehe..."
"Karin. If you hear gunfire nearby while on guard duty, what would you do?"
"Uh... draw my sword as fast as possible and charge toward the sound?"
Yukiko let out a sigh and continued eating without another word.
"H-hey! Why'd you just drop it like that?!"
"I didn't see the need to point out with my own mouth that you lack knowledge about protection."
"W-what? What do I not know?!"
Karin protested in frustration, but Yukiko pressed on firmly with her questions.
"Do you know the effective range of a pistol for causing injury? Do you know how the gait changes for someone concealing a pistol?"
"Uh, well, that..."
Karin trailed off, unable to answer.
"Someone hiding a pistol has shifty eyes or killing intent, so you spot that, and the effective range for injury... uh, you dodge or block it with your sword, right?"
"Draw your sword and deflect the bullet?"
Yukiko blankly mulled over Karin's words. Mikoto and I exchanged bewildered glances, unsure how much of that to believe.
"No, that's absolutely not it! What I mean is, if you've already drawn your sword, you just angle it slightly off..."
Karin tried to demonstrate the principle with her whole body, but there was no way anyone else could understand.
"Does that even work? If it does, couldn't you just dodge bullets too?"
"Dodging's way easier than deflecting. The sword gets damaged... but for protection, sometimes you can't just dodge, right?"
Yukiko's flustered face was surprisingly cute. She shot me a look that said, explain this somehow.
"It's not impossible. I spent all day shooting guns and didn't get hit once..."
"Ah, that was just you sucking at shooting! Your aim was so obvious!"
"If your aim's obvious, does that mean it's crooked?"
She probably meant my gun barrel's direction was plain as day, but spotting it from that distance wasn't normal.
"Ha... we got sidetracked by that bombshell, but anyway, haven't you realized yourself that you lack basic protection knowledge? You wouldn't think that's common sense for bodyguarding, would you?"
"Well... kinda..."
"The basics of protection aren't combat prowess. It's about preemptively eliminating threats and securing safety without harming others."
Come to think of it, not long after meeting Yukiko, she'd slammed that approaching high school girl to the ground.
"T-that's why I was trying to get help from an expert!"
Feeling cornered, Yukiko flushed red and made excuses. Now that I thought about it, that girl who'd gotten my number never called back. Sure, I wouldn't have taken a high schooler seriously if she suggested meeting, but I could've at least bought her a meal.
"That's true. Definitely not something a swordswoman like me could handle confidently."
Karin nodded, chewing on a piece of steak.
"Protection ties directly to the dignity of the protectee. I won't say it's bad that you speak casually to Master or act informally, but it's hardly ideal for a bodyguard."
"I-is that so... Well, can't be helped then. Guess I'll just have to be the slave who serves with her body!"
I had to quickly avert my eyes from Karin thrusting out her tight chest in a blatant sex appeal move. After a moment of silence, Karin quietly sat back down.
"C'mon, at least tsukkomi me or something! I messed up!"
"What did you do wrong? That was the most pleasing thing you've said."
I couldn't tell if Yukiko was teasing her on purpose or meant it sincerely, but she accepted Karin's words with a straight face.
"W-what are you talking about?! Back at the dojo, this would've gotten a proper retort! S-Seongha, you too..."
"Karin's cute."
I nodded with a smile. Karin finally gave up and quietly resumed eating. Yukiko's food, made with all her heart, was delicious as always.
I was in my room browsing the internet when Yukiko's familiar voice came through.
"May I enter, Master?"
"Yeah. Sure!"
She usually came right in after that, but today the door didn't open. Listening closely, Karin was with her.
"When entering Master's room, you must ask politely from outside like this."
Yukiko whispered to Karin. I wouldn't have heard if I still had my headphones on.
"Hmm, just barging in is bad manners? Got it!"
"And don't forget sometimes and burst in, then ask 'You okay?' Master will always say yes."
"R-really?"
"I don't expect you to notice if Master is uncomfortable. Always stay alert. Even if he's angry at you, he won't say it outright."
"Eh, so yellow cards pile up behind the scenes, unnoticed, and suddenly Karin's gone? Is that why there are only two slaves?!"
"Don't say nonsense. Master is generous and merciful. No matter how much you sadden or hurt him, he'll forgive you..."
"Then it's fine as long as I watch myself..."
"No. Master is quite unique, so sometimes we cause him pain in ways we don't understand."
Yukiko's whisper sent a chill down my spine, even though she wasn't saying anything weird—just talking about me. The cold tone amplified it.
"That's the man we serve. He's surely suffering somewhere but won't even say he's suffering. He won't say why."
I didn't think I was that picky, but maybe Yukiko picked up on a lot during our Japan trip.
"If you ask what harm we cause, nothing happens. But our clumsy actions or carelessness alone can tear his tender heart to shreds. Feel the crisis now?"
Listening, it seemed Yukiko saw me as a pure child. Yukiko-mom... hmm. Kinda scary. She'd strictly monitor a kid's schedule and scold harshly for any rudeness or bad behavior. Come to think of it, we weren't using protection, so if Yukiko had a child, I'd need to watch she didn't go too strict. Or maybe for her sake, I should play the bad cop and let her comfort.
"That's kinda scary... Got it, I'll be careful. But is it okay to say we're coming in and then wait outside?"
"Usually you're wearing headphones, listening to music or gaming, so he doesn't mind much. Let's go in now."
I panicked and slapped on my headphones. The door opened, and Yukiko and Karin entered.
"Come on in. Settling in okay?"
"Yeah! Yukiko's shown me around, and Mikoto's, um, a bit weird but nice!"
As people increased one by one, the relationships to consider grew more complex. Bringing Yukiko was just about me, but with Mikoto, I had to think about her dynamic with Yukiko. With Karin, I desperately wanted her, so I ignored it. Luckily she got along with the others, but with two or three more, I worried.
"If anything's uncomfortable or you have questions, tell me anytime. I'll help however I can."
"It's not uncomfortable, but... any places nearby to work out?"
"No idea?"
I'd lived avoiding exercise, so no clue.
"Uh, there's some equipment in the nearby park maybe... Sorry, really don't know. Might've seen gym flyers..."
By the time I moved here, I'd already had the physical enhancement procedure. Unless you were military or into fighting, no need for workouts.
"There's a training room in the basement. I'll show you tomorrow."
"Eh? That exists?"
"Does Master know the house has three floors above ground and three below?"
"Yeah, I know... but I figured storage or unused spaces..."
I only used the bathroom, my room, dining table, and kitchen. My room was overly spacious, but still limited. Except fetching deliveries from the entrance, I never crossed the threshold.
"Not just the training room—game room, PC bang, karaoke, pool, billiards, board games, smoking room... It's like a whole commercial complex crammed in."
"Wait, a smoking room?"
I'd gone to the outdoor one out front for occasional smokes, never knowing it was inside.
"Of course, it wasn't usable until I cleaned. Luckily the equipment was well-stored, no need to buy new."
"Awesome! Thanks, Yukiko! I'll check it tomorrow for sure!"
"Huh? Tomorrow? Why not now?"
Yukiko and Karin exchanged glances and smiled faintly.
"Ah, right now it's, uh, about offering you my virginity! Workout tomorrow!"
I didn't quite follow, but seeing Karin's excited grin made it all good.