37-Episode 36: This is inevitable.

I'm not afraid.

I asked Sui to carry me back to the capital to shorten the time as I had done on the way there, but the incident of Aina clinging to me while saying 'I'm not afraid' and Aleria clinging to me while saying 'I'm afraid' happened again.

There is no decrease in status, but I feel like I've lost a lot of important physical strength.

Some of you may envy me, but if you're going to take on this challenge, you'd better take it seriously.

As soon as I returned to King's Landing, I headed for the guild.

It was late today, and they were just about to close.

'Ah, Yuki-sama and the others were late today~! Well, did you finally have a hard time?''

'No, of course not. There's a lot going on.

I take out my guild card.

In the meantime, the receptionist suddenly caught sight of Aina behind me.

'Aaah! Master Yuki has a new girl! That's why you're late today!'

'No! Don't talk to me like I'm some kind of indiscriminate womanizer!

As for the reason for the delay, I can't say that I'm wrong.

''Yeah, but if you're gathering all these beautiful girls, you'd think that, wouldn't you? Who are you going to bring next?'

'I'm not bringing anyone. ...... There's been a bit of a mix-up, and I'm going to be protecting Aina for a while.''

'Let's just leave it at that for now.'

'...... So, I want Aina to take the adventurer exam, but I want her to pass it as soon as possible. Preferably by the morning of the day after tomorrow. Can you do that?'

'I'm still going to add her to my crew, ...... aside. I'll do my best to prepare if Yuki-sama offers, but you won't pass unless you're good enough, right?'

'That's no problem. If it's as difficult as it was for me, I can pass it normally.''

'That was a bit of a special exam, though. ....... Alright, we'll start the magic test tomorrow at noon. This will be over soon, the practical test. Final exam at night. ...... It's pretty hard, but good luck.'

'Thanks. I'm sure Aina will take it, so you might as well make your guild card while you're at it.

'...... If Yuki-sama says so, then I guess I should make one. But again, no matter how much you like it, it doesn't mean it's good enough. The guild has always been fair and neutral, you know!

''I know . This is pure advice. There's no favoritism or anything. I'll bring Aina back tomorrow around noon.

After all, you can see the numbers in the status, so there's no way to play favorites.

Numbers are cruel.

You can see instantly if you are strong or weak.

◇ 'Why is Yuki attached?

I'm not sure why Yuki is coming with me.

Aleria and I always stay at the royal castle to save money on accommodation.

But today, we were in a room at a certain inn.

Yes, the room where Aina was staying.

'Aleria didn't ask me if Aina was worried about being alone.

'You have an important exam tomorrow, so you need to sleep well!

'I can understand why Arelia is staying here, but why is Yuki coming along too?

I'm a little confused about that myself.

To spend the night under the same roof with a woman you've just met--some royal girl didn't seem to mind, but it's natural to be concerned.

But there was a reason for this.

'Aleria seems to be uncomfortable without me. I have no choice. You can complain to Aleria.

'............'

Aina made a dumbfounded face and clammed up.

'Well, since it was Yuki who rented this room, it's only natural that I should stay here .......'

'That's one way to look at it.'

'Don't start sneaking around with us, right?

'What do you mean, "weird stuff"?'

'Well, that's ............!

For some reason, Aina's face turned bright red and she became embarrassed.

'I'm too embarrassed to tell you!

Aina, for some reason, glared at me.

Well, emotional instability is a bit of a problem when it reaches this extreme.

I hope she calms down soon.

'Well, I'm going to have a quick dinner and go to bed early today. Even though the exam starts at noon, I need to stay awake from morning to give my best performance.

◇ Who sleeps in bed?

There was a little dispute about who would sleep in the bed, but I went to sleep safely.

Incidentally, it turned out that I slept in the bed and the two girls slept close to each other.

I was able to relax in the fluffy bed, and it was morning.

It's only about 6:00 a.m., thanks to the fact that I went to bed early last night.

I thought I'd get some water.

I was about to get up, supporting myself with my right hand.

I was about to get up.

'......'.

I remember that feeling.

d*mn it, Alelia had crawled into my bed again!

How many times do I have to tell her not to enter without permission?

I gently remove my right hand.

If you can't use your right hand, use your left.

It's that simple.

But--

Mmm.

'......'

I didn't remember the feeling this time.

It felt like I'd never touched it before.

But it felt similar to the one I touched with my right hand earlier.

To put it another way, the touch of each person's hand is a little different. It's still the same kind of thing.

--I figured it all out.

Fortunately, they're not awake.

If you force yourself to get up at a time like this, you'll end up in trouble again.

I've gathered my wits and come up with a solution.

Let's go back to sleep. And we'll pretend we never saw it.