CH 47

“…”

“Suu… Suu…”

It was the morning of the day after Lisa got kidnapped. With the help of Mira, who had followed him here without him knowing it, the case was successfully resolved.

Although he was tired from last night, he remembered spending a little bit of time chatting with Maria in her room.

“… I fell asleep just like that?”

When he woke up, he was surprised by the overwhelmingly sweet smell tickling his nostrils, but it turned out to be the scent emanating from Maria.

It is a big problem to sleep in the same bed as a princess, but fortunately, there was no disorder in their clothes, so it was natural, and he felt relieved that they did not do the one thing they should not have done.

“Ah, you’re awake, Kanata-sama.”

“… Mira, huh? I didn’t do anything, did I?”

“Yes, you have done nothing, Kanata-sama. And Maria-sama has done nothing to you either.”

He knew Mira might’ve watched him all night but decided not to ask about her words of choice.

“Un… fumyu.”

Whilst letting out a cute voice, Maria turned her body towards Kanta.

It was still early in the morning and a little cold, so Maria curled up her body, but her clothes were slightly disheveled, and her cleavage was in a state of ‘good morning’.

[EN: I know what this means. I don’t know how it relates to what I know it means.]

“… Uhh, thank you for yesterday, Mira,” Kanta tried to play it off.

Mira, not paying it much mind, smiled beautifully and nodded as if pleased to be thanked.

“By the way, Kanata-sama went to sleep first yesterday, so Maria-sama was worried, wondering if it was okay for them to sleep in the same bed together.”

“… I’m sorry for doing something so thoughtless.”

“No, it was the direction that she was struggling with… Well. If she were to go in that direction, I would have stopped her.”

“What do you mean by direction?”

Mira did not tell Kanata in the end.

“Here’s the report.”

And she briefly told him about what happened afterwards.

Lisa was safe, Athena had returned, and it seemed the matter from the day before had been settled in secret.

“Well, that’s good.”

“It is only natural since Kanata-sama was involved.”

“I didn’t have to be involved. I’m not that all-powerful person. Mira was there, and Maria and Athena were also there for me.”

“That’s…”

Kanata continued to speak to Mira, who was still unconvinced.

It was something he had been thinking about a lot recently, and he had thought about putting it into words during the live stream if he had the chance.

“I’ve made quite a name for myself as Haishin, but fundamentally, I am no different from anyone else, just a human… who’s surrounded by all kinds of people.”

“…”

“So, it’s not that I have to be the one to be involved or that what I say is absolute. Mira, don’t expect too much from me, okay?”

“… got it.”

Mira nodded, and Kanta gestured to her, gently stroking her head.

Even though they were the same age, she always felt like a younger sister or a junior because of her small stature.

“… ehehe ♪.”

It is hard to understand this world because the person who smiled happily like this was a legendary assassin whose fame remains to this day.

As he stroked Mira’s head like that, he felt an intense gaze behind me.

When he turned around wondering, Maria, who was lying down sideways, was staring at Kanta and Mira with wide-open eyes.

“…”

“…”

Kanata and Maria stared at each other, and Kanata was the first to speak.

“Good morning…”

When Kanata said this, Maria got up.

Despite the fact that her clothes were as disheveled as ever, she stretched her arms toward the ceiling as if to unclench her stiff body.

“Un~! Ahh ♪”

The chest wobbled as she lowered her arm, and Kanata quickly looked away.

He looked at Mira to find her staring at him with her usual poker face. 

He could hear sounds from behind and the bed creaking as Maria approached.

“Good morning, Kanata-kun.”

“… Yeah.”

He assumed she was probably behind him. 

But before he knew it, he heard a satisfied sigh and felt Maria pull him back onto the bed. 

And there they lay, side by side again.

“Let’s take it easy in the morning, Kanata-kun.”

“… Umm”

“An ♪”

While it was true one would like to relax in the morning, the current position was not the best for Kanata.

He thought he merely got pulled by Maria, but what actually happened was that Kanata’s face moved to Maria’s chest.

In other words, even the slightest breath sent a trembling vibration from his nose to Maria’s chest.

“I feel like I’ve been losing to Alphana lately. I have to work harder too.”

Maria murmured.

Kanata had accidentally felt a woman’s chest before, but this was the first time he did it with his face, which made him turn bright red.

“Hey, Kanata-kun.”

“… Ou.”

“It’s not good in terms of public image, but the only ones who know about this are us here.”

“So… it is.”

“So don’t worry about it. It’s natural for people to sleep alone as they get older, but it’s nice to feel someone’s warmth again after a long time and feel reassured.”

“… indeed.”

Kanata agreed with what Maria said. He was certainly surprised to see her sleeping face next to him as soon as he woke up, but it was still comforting to have someone else’s warmth in the same bed.

“It wasn’t bad… It kind of reminds me of when I used to sleep with my mom.”

“Really? So, am I like your mom?”

“Of course not.”

“Oh, why not?”

Maria laughed and let Kanata go. After getting up, Kanata quickly returned to his room and was asked where he had gone, but he managed to make excuses.

Then, it was time for breakfast, and Kanata couldn’t stop thinking about her.

“…”

Lisa.

She hadn’t touched her breakfast and was in a daze as if staring into the void.

Even though it made him a bit uneasy, Athena just smiled, enjoying it.

“She said that Haishin-sama hugged him and has been in a dreamlike state ever since. So, let’s let her soak in her dream for a while.”

“… I see.”

By the way, it was only uncomfortable for Athena to speak in honorifics, so he asked her to do so normally.

Kanata thought as he took his gaze away from Lisa and sipped his soup.

(… I’m not sure I’m thinking straight now that you mention it. If something happens, she’ll notice it right away.)

Nevertheless, Kanata was also a little too concerned.

In the first place, it’s not like he can avoid being found out, except during the encounter with Cid.

The way he talks and the quality of his magic, or the fact that someone might infiltrate during his livestream. It’s these things that can be seen through by an incredibly observant eye… Even if he’s careful, there are some things that can’t be helped.

“Hey, Kanata, you got a finger in your soup.”

“Huh?”

Pointed out by the student sitting beside him, Kanata realized he fully submerged his finger in his soup.

Fortunately, only that student saw his clumsy act, and Kanata breathed a sigh of relief.

“… Well, I shouldn’t worry too much about it.”

For now, he decided to concentrate on the breakfast before him.

Later, after finishing breakfast, Kanata visited Maria’s room again.

“What’s up?”

“Kanata-sama?”

“Yeah.”

Since it was a rare opportunity, he gave the two earphones.

It was only natural that it was the first time they had seen it, but they didn’t even understand the principle of putting them in their ears.

“I found this yesterday in the artisan district. I thought it might be a pretty good item.”

No. 

Kanata was convinced it would be the best item.

He told them the item was named ‘earphones,’ how to use them, and to put it into use immediately.

The girls and Kanata have their own terminals, so they decided to get started.

“… Haah.”

“What?”

“Ah!”

He tried exhaling as an experiment, but it made the girls shudder greatly.

Afterwards, contrary to the satisfied Kanata, the two were red in the face but somehow managed to keep their sanity.

“… I can’t describe this feeling. My ears are the happiest they’ve ever been, and my nose is too hot.”

“Ah, Maria-sama, your nose is bleeding!”

“Eh? Yours, too!”

Because of the two of their nosebleeds, it almost became a light murder scene.

However, was it safe to say the earphones’ destructive power was proven?

“Now all we need is a dedicated microphone. I’m counting on you, Cid.”

When he gets the microphone, the perfect environment would be complete.

And it was not long before the effects of these earphones were conveyed to Athena through Maria, and from there, Cid received full support.

[Postscript]

As for ASMR, it won’t happen for a while.

I think the next time it comes out will be when the setup is complete.