Listening to Ruby grumble from inside her room, I was beginning to get a better idea of how to deal with her.
"Yaaawn... I’m tired."
Anyway, it was time to head to my own room.
I grabbed the last of my luggage and went inside. The moment I was finally alone, all the fatigue I’d been ignoring came crashing down at once.
"Maybe I’ll just lie down for a bit."
I hadn’t slept properly last night because I’d been studying the emergency response manual. Then, ever since this morning, the stress of dragging Ruby and Audrey around had been piling up nonstop.
I can unpack tomorrow...
Sluggishly pulling off my outer clothes, I tossed them aside and let myself sink into the soft bed. My eyelids grew heavy almost immediately.
Just as I was starting to drift off...
"Manager, do we have free time now?"
There was a knock, followed by the door opening.
I slowly cracked my eyes open and saw Audrey step inside, quietly clicking the lock shut behind her.
"Mm... Yeah," I mumbled, my voice thick with sleep. "Rehabilitation training doesn’t start until next week."
"......."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"What’s that on your stomach?"
Following Audrey’s gaze, I lazily lifted my head.
The hem of my shirt had ridden up slightly, exposing part of my stomach.
And with it, a large diagonal scar running from my side toward my torso.
"It’s just a scar from when I was actively working as a Hunter."
"Actively?" Audrey asked, tilting her head. "Are you not a Hunter anymore?"
"I still am. I have to work to make a living," I said, my words coming out sluggishly. "I mean back when I used to hunt with my older sister."
Maybe because I was so groggy and desperate to sleep, my voice wasn’t coming out clearly.
Audrey walked over to my bedside and sat down gently.
The mattress dipped slightly beneath her weight, and a cool, refreshing fragrance drifted into my nose.
"You look sad."
"Ruby said the same thing," I murmured, staring up at the ceiling. "Can you two read my expressions or something?"
"Not really..." Audrey replied after a brief pause. "It’s just a familiar expression to me."
"What does that mean...?"
"If you’re tired, go to sleep," she said quietly. "I’ll take care of the tidying."
Her cool hand reached over and gently brushed my bangs back.
My eyelids, already half closed, somehow felt even heavier. Find the original chapter at g.com.
"Sleep well."
Surrounded by that pleasant scent, I felt strangely at ease.
For the first time in a while, I had the feeling I might actually have a good dream.
And before I knew it, I had fallen into a deep sleep.
◆ ◆ ◆
The next morning.
"Mmm... Did you sleep well, Manager?"
For some reason, I woke up in the same bed as Ruby.
Elias. Life is full of absurd things and things you can’t understand.
...Sister.
So accept them. Accept them and grow stronger.
Strangely, my sister, whom I felt like I hadn’t seen in a very long time, was smiling brightly as she held me close.
It was a deeply warm, soft embrace.
Being wrapped in her arms made a corner of my heart ache. Overcome by the sudden rush of emotion, I buried my face deeper against her and hugged her back with all my strength.
"Our Manager is all grown up now, but he’s still such a baby, isn’t he?"
"...Sister?"
"There, there. My baby. I’ll hold you tight, so go back to sleep~"
Something about that sounded strange.
I tried to lift my head, but my sister suddenly grabbed the back of it and pushed me back into her chest.
I can’t breathe...!
"Huhk!"
I woke with a start, gasping loudly.
My mind was still dazed as I stared around at the unfamiliar room.
Envelopes sat on the desk. A coat had been carelessly thrown over a chair. The furniture was empty, untouched, and completely devoid of any sense of life...
It didn’t take long for me to realize where I was.
This was the room I’d moved into yesterday.
"Phew..." I exhaled, rubbing my face. "What on earth was that?"
I couldn’t be sure, but it felt like I’d been having a warm, nostalgic dream that had suddenly turned into a nightmare.
Then a faint scent slipped into my nose.
An incredibly pleasant scent.
Did I have something in my room that smelled like this?
It was sweet and delicate, almost like the scent of a rose. For some reason, it made my heart flutter slightly.
Tilting my head, I was just about to get up without thinking much of it.
"Mmm... Did you sleep well, Manager?"
The moment I heard that voice, a chill ran down my spine.
It was a pleasant voice.
That was exactly the problem.
It was definitely not a voice I should have been hearing right now.
"This way... won’t you look at me?"
I swallowed hard.
My head stubbornly refused to turn, but after a moment of hesitation, I slowly forced myself to look to the side.
On the pure white pillow beside me lay Ruby, her blonde hair beautifully disheveled as she looked back at me with smiling eyes.
She was naked, covered only by the blanket.
"Y-you... Why are you... here like that...?"
"Why am I here?" Ruby asked, blinking innocently before a mischievous smile spread across her face. "Well, there’s only one reason a man and a woman would wake up naked in the same bed together, isn’t there?"
Hearing that, I immediately checked beneath the blanket.
Somehow, I was completely naked too.
My mind filled with countless question marks.
Did I do it?
With that crazy woman?
"Manager..." Ruby said softly, watching the panic spread across my face. "You had a surprisingly wild side, you know. I was really shocked last night~"
My heart began pounding wildly.
I’d only just woken up, and my mind was still a complete mess. My face went pale, then a moment later, burned bright red.
Did I really do it?
No way.
But here we were.
It was morning.
We were in the same bed.
And both of us were undressed...