Chapter 91

After finishing the gacha, everyone returned to their rooms, saying they were already tired today.

And I, since I got the Sentitabra by chance, started practicing right away.

This crystal can be attached to any place you like, so I’m thinking of putting it around the shoulder of my armor.

Right now, I can only control one object, and the speed at which it flies is just a bit faster than walking.

It’s far from being usable in actual combat.

However, since I can freely change its shape, it can be used for both attack and defense, like a needle or a wall.

Whether it will be useful depends on my efforts from now on.

“Phew, it’s quite tiring…”

After practicing for a while, I decided to take a break.

Imagining and moving it in my head is more tiring than I thought.

Plus, I’m starting to feel a bit hungry.

I want something light to eat, so I chose a snack from my phone and materialized it.

I haven’t eaten many sweets before, so I want to have something sweet once in a while.

The item that appeared was a long, brown rectangular bread.

It was already cut into ten pieces, so I took one and tried it.

“Whoa!?”

It looks plain, but when you eat it, it’s sweet and moist, and it has a wine-like taste.

When I smelled it, it had a sweet and good aroma.

…Is this a brandy cake?

I’m not a big fan of alcohol, but it’s quite delicious.

But for me, it would be better if it had a bit less of an alcoholic taste.

“Well, let’s practice a bit more… huh?”

I was about to start practicing again after eating one piece, but I heard a knock on my room door.

Who is it? Estelle often comes to my room, but she seems to be tired and already asleep today…

“The door’s open.”

The door isn’t locked, so I said it’s okay to come in.

The door opened, and the person who knocked appeared.

“Excuse me.”

“It’s you, Nole.”

The person who came in was Nole, wearing an eye mask and pajamas.

She has only come to my room a few times before.

“It’s rare for you to come to my room. Why don’t you sit here?”

“Thank you.”

There’s only one chair, so I let Nole sit and I sat on the bed.

“So, what’s up?”

“Um… well…”

Nole put her index fingers together and fidgeted, looking embarrassed.

Why did she come all of a sudden, and why is she acting so embarrassed?

…Ah, could it be that?

“Is it about the wish you wanted to make during the gacha? Do you want to eat some food?”

“N-no! That’s rude to say! I didn’t come for that!”

It seems she didn’t come for that.

I thought she might say she wanted to eat as much food as she wanted from the gacha because she was hungry.

Come to think of it, no one has come to make that wish yet.

I don’t think they’ve forgotten, but I’m a bit nervous about when they will come.

“Then what is it?”

“W-well… thank you for today!”

She must have made up her mind, stopped fidgeting, and faced me.

Then, she bowed deeply and thanked me.

Huh? What for? Did I do something that deserves thanks?

“…What for?”

“Ookura-sama, you saved me when I was captured by Ligasmanus today, right? I just wanted to say thank you…”

Nole fidgeted again and looked away.

So, she’s still thinking about what happened today.

Honestly, it’s either considerate or something… If I get thanked like this, I wonder how many times I’ll have to thank Nole.

“You were still thinking about it. You didn’t have to come all the way here to say thank you.”

“But… I was really happy that you protected me from Smither’s attack when I fell down… even though you were crushed afterward.”

She fidgeted her index fingers and blushed, looking embarrassed.

I’ve never protected Nole before.

She’s usually the one who protects others, so today’s incident must have left a strong impression on her.

…Well, I think it was ruined when I was thrown and crushed her.

“I’ve always been helped by Nole. I would have felt bad if I didn’t help you when you needed it.”

“…Ookura-sama, you’ve really changed.”

I’ve always been helped by Nole.

So, I want to be able to help each other, not just be protected.

There’s still a big gap between us, so I need to work harder.

“I’m glad to see Ookura-sama grow, but I feel a bit lonely as I’m becoming less relied on…”

Nole whispered, looking a bit sad.

Hmm, that’s not like her. I’m used to the energetic Nole, and it feels off.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Do you want to be relied on? Then, let’s go collect magic stones—”

“Aah! That’s not it! When someone is trying to have a serious talk, don’t joke around!”

“Ha ha, sorry, sorry. But don’t be so serious. I still rely on you, and I will continue to rely on you.”

When I started to say we should go collect magic stones, she stood up and shouted.

The serious atmosphere was gone, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Ah, that’s more like Nole.

I don’t think I don’t rely on her at all.

Thanks to her, I can fight with peace of mind.

“Here, since you came all the way here, why don’t you have some of this?”

“What is this…?”

“It’s a brandy cake. It might not be as satisfying as a parfait, but it’s delicious.”

Since she seemed to be back to her usual self, I offered her the brandy cake I was eating.

It might be a bit strong in alcohol, but a few pieces shouldn’t make her drunk.

“Oh, it feels strange, but it’s delicious! It’s different from the usual sweets!”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Nole took a piece and put it in her mouth.

It seems she liked it, as she quickly finished it.

Hmm, she’s eating with her usual enthusiasm.

Nole took another piece and finished it in no time.

Then, she ate two more pieces and three more pieces, swallowing them one after another.

“Hey, hey? Isn’t that too much? Are you okay?”

“Hehe, what’s wrong?”

I was stunned by her eating speed, but when I saw her continue to eat silently, I called out to her.

She had already finished four pieces and was on her fifth.

Even if it’s a snack, eating so much at once might make her drunk.

When I worried about that, Nole’s voice was high and relaxed.

Ah, it might be too late.

“It feels fluffy and good…”

“Just stop eating for now!”

“Aah! Why did you take it away?”

“Hey, hey, don’t push!”

I took away the cake she was eating, saying she should stop.

Then, Nole stood up and jumped on me to get the cake.

I held it up so she couldn’t reach it, but she pushed her body against mine and tried to grab it.

As a result, we both fell backward onto the bed.

“Haa, it feels good…”

“Hey! Hey, get off!”

Nole buried her face in my stomach and clung to me.

It’s like what happened with the Cyclops before.

She must be drunk, as she has already lost interest in the cake and is making relaxed sounds on top of me with her mouth half-open.

I tried to pull her off with my free hand, but she didn’t budge.

“Mmm, why are you so mean? Do you dislike me?”

“I didn’t say I dislike you! Look, you’re dropping the cake, and you can’t move like this, right?”

She puffed her cheeks, apparently dissatisfied, and now she’s pouting.

Damn, how did it come to this? I shouldn’t have been so lenient, thinking she wouldn’t get drunk… I underestimated Nole’s appetite.

I didn’t expect her to eat so many pieces so quickly.

“Ookura-sama is always mean to me. I want to be treated nicely too…”

“I don’t… think so…”

While saying things she usually wouldn’t, Nole tightened her grip, showing no intention of letting go.

I didn’t know she felt that way.

It’s true that I sometimes treat her badly… Yeah, I do.

I treat Nole like a guy, so I end up doing it.

“Is it because you can’t see my face? Is that it? Then, I’ll take it off for you!”

“I didn’t say anything!”

Nole got excited on her own with my vague response.

She rambled on without giving me a chance to interrupt and took off her eye mask.

“Is this okay? How about it, Ookura-sama?”

Then, the real Nole, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, appeared in front of me.

With her moist eyes and flushed red face, she looked at me, and I was taken aback.

“Hey, how about it?”

“Huh? Who are you?”

“It’s Nole!”

When I turned away and didn’t respond, she pulled at my clothes as if asking for attention.

…Wait, isn’t this strange? Does Nole usually talk like this when she’s not wearing her eye mask?

I remember her speaking more politely, like Cisaha… Could this be the real Nole?

I’ve only seen her face three times, but maybe this is how she talks with Estelle and the others when she’s not wearing her eye mask?

When I asked who she was, she gradually moved up my body, looking deflated.

“Hey, don’t climb up!”

“But you’re turning away. I won’t be happy if you don’t look at me properly.”

I pushed her shoulder to stop her from climbing up, but she didn’t stop.

Since my stats are lower in my true form, I can’t win against Nole in a physical match.

In the end, Nole reached my chest.

“Hehe, I caught you! How about it, Ookura-sama?”

“Guh, get… off…”

She grabbed my face with both hands and pulled it toward her.

As a result, I had to look directly at Nole’s face, and my heart raced.

Damn… Am I really getting nervous around Nole?

I won’t admit it, I won’t! I admit she’s cute, though!

“Mmm, say something… huh? Everything’s… blurry…”

Nole, who was smiling and waiting for my response, suddenly swayed her head and fell to the side, letting go of me.

It seems the alcohol has fully kicked in.

“…Phew, that was a relief.”

Phew, that was close.

I didn’t intend to get into that, but it would have been bad for my heart to keep looking at her like that.

“Ugh, ugh… yeah…”

“Really… sleeping so soundly…”

I poked Nole’s cheek, who was sleeping soundly, and she frowned, looking uncomfortable.

I didn’t expect this to happen just because I let her eat the cake.

And to fall asleep at the end… Well, at least it saved me.

I put her eye mask back on and decided to carry her to her room.

I can’t let her sleep in my bed, and if Cisaha or someone finds out, they’ll tease me.

I walked out of the white corridor to get to the part of the house where Nole’s room is.

“Hey, big brother.”

“Whoa!? E-Estelle, what’s up?”

“Nothing much, I just needed to talk to you. But… what happened to Nole?”

Estelle was standing in front of my room, smiling.

My heart raced for a different reason from before.

Estelle… wasn’t she supposed to be sleeping?

“Oh, well, I let her eat some snacks, and she got drunk from the alcohol in it. She fell asleep, so I’m taking her to her room.”

“Hmm, I see. She does look sound asleep.”

She looked at Nole and seemed to understand.

It’s scary to be carrying a drunk, sleeping girl and be suspected of doing something.

“So, what did you need to talk about?”

“It’s not important, so it’s fine. But shouldn’t you take Nole to her room quickly?”

“Yeah, you’re right… but…”

I was nervous about what she might say, but Estelle stepped aside and told me to take Nole to her room quickly.

I’m curious about what she needed, but if it’s not important, I don’t need to worry.

I started walking down the white corridor to get to the part of the house where Nole’s room is.

“Estelle, did you come to my room by chance?”

“…Of course. It was a real coincidence.”

But I was a bit suspicious, so I asked Estelle.

After a brief silence, she said it was a coincidence.

“Yeah, it’s a coincidence, right? Hahaha.”

“Yeah, it’s a coincidence. It’s definitely a coincidence, hehehe.”

Phew, it’s a good thing it was a coincidence.

I was worried about what would happen if she said something like, “I don’t like perceptive big brothers.”

“Estelle, you’re not feeling well, so go to bed.”

“I’ll go to bed after this. Good night, big brother.”

When I told Estelle to go to bed, she replied with a gentle voice.

I left the corridor, feeling her gaze on my back, and only my footsteps echoed.