Book 1: Chapter 3: (7)

「What? Did you say something?」

「No, it’s nothing. What did you use as soap?」

「I used this soap for washing your body, but should I not have?」

Body soap, huh? Well, there wasn’t anything wrong with that.

「Actually, there is an artifact for doing laundry. And there’s a soap used particularly for that.」

「W-was that so? I’m sorry! I’m already done with it……」

「Ah, it’s alright.」

As I answered her, Ria pulled out her panties and bra from the bucket and wrung them dry.

「Is there something that I can dry them on?」

「Ah—yes there is. I’ll bring it over.」

I opened up a cardboard box and took out clothes pins and a hanger.

When I returned to the washroom, Ria was still wringing the clothes dry.

「What?」

「Is something wrong?」

Ria was wringing out the water from another set of panties.

But those weren’t the cute type of panties that girls wore. They were the boxer types, for men.

「Are those…… my underwear?!」

「Ah, I found what I believe to be Sir Thor’s underwear in this cargo box, but am I wrong to say that they were meant to be washed?」

Ria washed the underwear even though she knew they were mine. Maybe it was natural for someone from the Medieval Ages.

「No, I did mean to wash them. Thank you.」

「Yes!」

Ria smiled back at me cheerfully.

I wanted to hit myself for buying school swimsuits and bloomers all while she was helping me wash my underwear.

「It’s a bit cold since I don’t have any underwear that I can change into.」

Ria looked down, embarrassed.

「They’ll dry by tomorrow.」

I wanted to punch myself for not being able to bring out the bloomers, telling her that I had something like this.

I could still see my grandmother in my memories smiling at me.

「By the way, do you have olive oil and a piece of unwanted cloth? You don’t, right?」

「What? I do.」

「Really? Could I please have them?」

I definitely had olive oil because I used it for cooking.

I cut up a torn-up T shirt using scissors to get the cloth.

「Is this alright?」

「Thank you. This really helps.」

Ria soaked the cloth in olive oil.

As I wondered what she was going to do with it, she started to wipe her armour.

I see. It was to prevent rusting.

Ria’s expression was the very definition of serious.

She looked cute when she smiled, too, but right now her face looked dignified and beautiful.

Seeing her like this, it really made me think that she really was a knight.

Well then, there was also something I had to do.

I went to the Western-style room that I hadn’t really used since I moved in.

I planned to make this my computer room cum bedroom.

「Well then, let’s get on with building the bed frame.」

The cheap bed frames recently were the types where you had to assemble it yourself. It was the type that included even the tools you needed.

The relatively big and different pieces of the bed frame were spread all around the room.

「They did write that you need to build this with 2 or more people.」

That was why I thought that I would ask Ria to help me with this when she said that she wanted some way to repay me, but she was busy maintaining her armour.

I shouldn’t interrupt her. I’ll try to do this by myself.

I tried to work quietly, but I slowly began to understand the reason why they asked you to do this with 2 people.

「I see. When you need to combine one big part with another big part, it’s a bit hard without another person supporting one of the parts. Damn it.」

If I could somehow make the parts lean on the wall and sandwich the parts between the wall and the computer desk, then I would be able to do it alone.

「Hm? Could you be making furniture?」

In the end, I got Ria to help me. I guess beds obviously aren’t considered artifacts.

But it seemed that she was surprised at the mattress.

「Wow, this is amazing! It’s just the right amount of bouncy and it’s elastic. It looks more comfortable than even feathers! This is a bed artifact, right? 」

When I opened up the flattened mattress that was compressed and packaged in plastic, it immediately turned into a springy mattress.

Once I put on the bed sheets, you could immediately sleep on this.

「There we go. I’m already tired, so shall we sleep soon? Ria, you can sleep on the bed.」

「Whattt? Me? Where will you sleep then, Sir Thor?」

「I’ll probably sleep on the tatami.」

「B-but, I’d feel bad doing something like that.」

「But we only have one bed so.」

「I’ll sleep on the tatami! I love the tatami!」

「Nah, you’re probably more tired so it’d be better for you to sleep on the bed.」

I insisted on letting her sleep on the bed, but her insistence was stronger.

In the end, I ended up on the bed in the western-style room while Ria slept on the tatami in the Japanese-style room.

We both brushed our teeth and prepared to go to sleep.

I had a towelket and a blanket so I gave those to Ria. It was still a pretty warm season so I slept with a bath towel.

I spread the towelket over the bed in the western-style room and placed a pillow and the blanket.

「I’ll turn off the light artifact, alright?」

As I was about to turn off the switch for the nightlight, Ria let out a sound.

「Aa.」

「Hm? What’s wrong?」

Ria appeared a bit anxious.

「No, it’s just……good night.」

「Y-yeah. Good night.」

As I wondered what that was all about, I turned off the light in the Japanese-style room. I then headed towards the western-style room to go sleep in the bed that I just made.

I thought that I would be able to fall asleep immediately once I turned off the lights, but was too excited to sleep.

That was only natural. Ever since I moved into this apartment, I’ve been having great adventures even though it’s only been my first day.

「Man, I can’t fall asleep. Maybe it’s because I gave Ria my pillow and I don’t have one now.」

「Um……would you……like to use the pillow?」

I heard a voice from the pitch black room.

As I turned to look in the direction of the voice in surprise, I saw the silhouette of a girl under the faint streetlights that entered the window.

「Ah, Ria. W-what’s wrong?」

「The pillow……do you want to use it? I don’t need it.」

Ria handed the pillow to me. Without thinking I just accepted it.

In the darkness, I accidentally grabbed onto her hand while I was taking the pillow.

It’s trembling?

「Ah!」

「……」

That was when I realized it.

All this time, I had been looking at the side of her who was the dignified, elegant knight.

But in reality, Ria had been waiting to get attacked by monsters in the dungeon, somewhere pitch-black dark, while she was still conscious.

We had talked about this just now.

「Hey, Ria. This mattress artifact is really comfortable so would you like to sleep on it together? Actually, yeah, let’s do it. Let me show off the artifact I’m really proud of.」

After a few moments of pause, the small silhouette that was Ria nodded slightly.

The bed was a semi-double bed, slightly extravagant in size, so we were able to sleep separately if we tried our best.

But seeing how Ria continued to tremble, I wrapped my arm around her as we slept. Ria jerked a bit at first, but in the end she placed her arm around my neck too.

She stopped trembling.

「It’s so warm……I’m not scared anymore.」

「That’s good.」

Ria placed her forehead on mine.

「Thank you, Sir Thor.」

Even a knight who’s usually so elegant also has her cute moments, I guess.