Chapter 2

While the female knight Seram was taking a bath, I changed out of my wet clothes and was standing in front of the closet, pondering.

"Hmm, what should I bring?"

Mita Jin, a 29-year-old living alone. I live in this house by myself. Since I moved here, I've kept my social interactions to a minimum, so I don't have a girlfriend.

Naturally, there are no women's clothes in the house, only men's clothes that I wear.

I can't just give Seram, who is a guest, any old clothes.

Even if I were to give her new clothes, Seram's body is a bit smaller than mine, so they would be too big.

Is there anything smaller and easy to move in?

Thinking this, I frantically searched the closet and found a red tracksuit. It's the school-issued tracksuit for the local school that goes from elementary to high school.

It's not particularly stylish, but it should be comfortable to move in and should fit Seram well. I'm glad I didn't throw it away.

I then prepared some casual T-shirts and a bath towel and headed to the changing room.

"Hey, Seram. I've brought your change of clothes and a bath towel—"

"Phew, that was a good bath."

Just as I was about to place the clothes and towel on top of the washing machine in the changing room, Seram came out of the bath.

"……"

Our gazes met, and time seemed to stop.

I could see her porcelain-like, smooth white skin, her well-shaped, ample chest, and her rounded, important parts.

"Kyaaaaa!"

Seram turned bright red and screamed, then rushed back into the bath.

"Sorry! I just brought your change of clothes and towel; I wasn't trying to peek!"

I apologized and explained, but there was no response from inside the bath. Instead, I could hear her taking deep breaths.

"I-I'm sorry. I lost my composure. I'm fine now. I understand you had no ill intentions. Let's just forget about this."

Her voice was slightly trembling, but she seemed to have calmed down after taking deep breaths.

"I appreciate that. I'll leave the change of clothes here, and when you're done changing, come to the living room."

"Okay."

I placed the change of clothes on top of the washing machine and quickly left the changing room to head to the living room.

"I-I'm sorry. I kept you waiting."

After a while, Seram, who had finished changing, came to the living room.

For a moment, the image of her naked body flashed through my mind, but since she said we should forget about it, it's not good to dwell on it.

Still, she seemed a bit awkward, as if it was hard for her to completely forget about it.

Seram, who had been covered in mud, was now completely clean.

Her golden hair was smooth and silky. Even the plain red tracksuit looked stylish on her, thanks to her excellent figure.

Oh, I shouldn't be admiring her.

"Does the size of the clothes fit?"

"Yes, the fabric of these clothes feels very good. It doesn't hurt my skin, and it's very comfortable."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that."

The response was different from what I expected, but she didn't seem to have any complaints.

It looked like the size fit her well, which was a relief.

However, I could see a slight bulge around her chest area.

Could it be that she's not wearing any underwear? I guess it's natural since she didn't have any, but there's nothing I can do about it.

"If you're tired, I can prepare a futon for you to sleep. Or would you like to eat something first?"

I decided not to mention the underwear and asked her.

Seram opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, her stomach growled loudly.

"Alright, let's eat first."

"…That would be very helpful."

Seram's face turned bright red as she answered, embarrassed by the sound of her stomach.

I reheated the leftover miso soup from the morning and took out the cold fried summer vegetables from the fridge.

I quickly cracked some eggs into a bowl, mixed them, and poured them into a frying pan.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

Then, the fidgety Seram, who had been sitting still, spoke up.

"You're a guest, so please just sit and wait."

"Okay."

I was happy, but I wasn't making anything particularly difficult.

Once the two servings of tamagoyaki were done, I served the rice from the rice cooker, put some pickles on small plates, and brought everything to the living room table on a tray.

"Can I really have such a lavish meal?"

"No, it's just leftovers and some prepared dishes, so it's not that lavish."

I couldn't help but chuckle at Seram's exaggerated words.

I think I'm rather careless when it comes to meals.

Seram, who had been fidgety before the meal, gradually became more somber.

"What's wrong? Is there something you don't like?"

"No, I don't have many likes or dislikes. Rather, how should I eat this? Surely not with my hands?"

"Hmm? Use the chopsticks there—oh, right. Chopsticks can be difficult for foreigners. I'll bring you a knife and fork."

"Thank you."

She speaks Japanese so fluently that I thought she was familiar with Japanese culture, but apparently not. Seram is truly a mysterious woman.

After preparing a knife, fork, and spoon for Seram, we began the meal.

"Itadakimasu."

"What does that mean?"

"It's a way to express gratitude for the ingredients, like a pre-meal prayer."

"I see. There is such a prayer in this land. Then, I will also say itadakimasu."

Seram nodded in understanding and clasped her hands together, mimicking my gesture.

"What are these white grains?"

"Hmm? It's white rice. They come from the rice plants in the field where you were lying…."

"From there, such things come…."

Seram stared intently at the rice and took a spoonful into her mouth.

"It's sweet and delicious!"

It seems she liked the rice, which was her first time eating it.

"It's delicious on its own, but it's even better when eaten with other dishes."

"Really!?"

Following my advice, Seram ate the rice with the fried eggplant.

She shivered, seemingly expressing the deliciousness.

"You're right! It's even more delicious when eaten with side dishes!"

"Good to hear. I'm glad you like it."

I don't understand her, but she sure seems to enjoy the food.

"This soup dish is also delicious! It's comforting to drink…."

"It's miso soup."

"Miso soup, huh… Miso soup is delicious."

Seram held the miso soup bowl and looked relieved.

It's been years since I've shared a meal with someone.

It feels strange to have someone in front of me while eating.

As I answered Seram's questions and nodded in agreement with her comments, the plates were quickly emptied.

"Phew, that was delicious."

While Seram exhaled contentedly, I collected the empty plates and soaked them in the sink.

"…Though it's very late to ask, may I ask your name?"

"You're really asking now?"

Well, I didn't introduce myself either.

"My name is Mita Jin."

"Mita Jin?"

It sounds strange when called without a pause.

"Mita is my last name, and Jin is my first name."

"Having a last name means you are a noble, right!?"

"No, there are no nobles in Japan. Everyone has a last name."

"No nobles? Everyone has a last name?"

Seram looked at me in disbelief after hearing my response.

"Seram, I understand you value your knight persona, but how long do you plan to keep it up?"

"I told you, it's not a persona! I am a real knight!"

Despite her stern attitude, her dignity was lost with the rice grains around her mouth.

"There are rice grains around your mouth."

"Ah!"

When I pointed it out, Seram hurriedly wiped her mouth and ate the rice grains.

"Then, where did you come from, Seram?"

"Alright, I'll explain properly."

Straightening up, Seram began to tell me how she ended up here.