”Hmph~~~”
”I said I was sorry, didn’t I?”
Noel was pouting in front of me. She was my sexual slave. Also my girlfriend. She’d been sulking ever since I couldn’t have lunch with her because I had to deal with those idiots earlier.
”But Master, you didn’t even message me.”
”I know, I really am sorry.”
”Hmph… I understand, okay? I know you were the victim here… But still, I wanted you to contact me.”
”I’m sorry.”
”Hmph. Pet me more.”
I patted her head to cheer her up. After a while, she finally seemed to feel better.
”Master? Can I stay over tonight?”
”Huh? What about your place?”
”I already told the maids.”
”Ah, well, if that’s fine with them…”
”Yay♪”
Alright. If we went home like this, I had a feeling it was going straight to the bedroom track. Not that I’d complain—being able to do whatever I wanted with a busty beauty like Noel wasn’t exactly a hardship. But… was that really all there was to it? She was supposed to be my girlfriend, after all.
”Hey, Noel.”
”Yes?”
”Let’s go on a date.”
”Ehh!?”
”What, is that such a surprise?”
”B-but… sniffle…”
”Huh? Was that something to cry about…?”
Wait, did she actually hate me? Did she not want to go on a date?
”N-no, that’s not it!” she said, her voice breaking with emotion. “I mean… I’m really happy…//// It’s just… I’m your girlfriend in public, but in reality I’m your sexual slave… and my job is to handle Master’s needs, so…////”
”Look, I’m not forcing you into any of that, you know. Anyway!” I set my jaw. “You’re my girlfriend. Going on dates is normal.”
”!!” Her eyes went wide. “Ehehe♡ I’m so happy. I want to go on a date. I really want to.”
”Then let’s go.”
”Yes♡”
To be honest, I’d never had great luck with women—in this world or the last. Maybe this was just what I needed to move past all that. This one probably wouldn’t betray me… I thought.
There was plenty to do around the station, so that’s where we headed. I noticed a few other students around too.
”So, where to?” I asked.
”Um, actually…” Noel fidgeted with her hands. “There’s this place I’ve been wanting to go.”
”Somewhere you want to go?”
Turned out she wanted to go to an arcade. Apparently Noel, being a proper young lady, had never been to one before. She was apparently really curious about it.
”That’s your first reaction?” I said with a grin.
”Oh! Is that a claw machine?” she practically squealed.
At school she was all ladylike—well, except when she was around me—but faced with all these new experiences, Noel was practically bouncing with excitement. I wondered what the other students would think if they saw her like this.
”Wanna try?” I asked.
”Huh? Is that okay?”
”Of course. We came to an arcade. No point just looking, right?”
”Y-yes! I’ll try!” She clasped her hands together, beaming.
So Noel took on her first claw machine challenge. There was an unexpected downside, though.
”Hmph, mmm…” She bit her lip in concentration. “This isn’t working…”
”Yeah, I can see that…” I muttered.
I kept shifting my position to block the view. From what, you ask? From the guys staring. Noel was so focused on the claw machine that she’d pressed her way-too-generous chest right up against the glass case. Of course a beautiful girl with huge breasts pressing up against glass is going to attract attention. But I wasn’t about to put my girlfriend on display for other guys, so I kept myself between them and her.
”Tch, that guy’s in the way,” one of them grumbled.
”Man… look at that busty beauty with him,” another whined.
The peanut gallery was getting annoying. I shot them a glare, and they scurried off. Something I’d figured out recently—I could naturally project some kind of pressure. Or maybe killer intent, like you see in manga3. Whatever it was, it instinctively made people scared of me.
”Oh!” Noel threw her hands up in frustration. “Awww, I couldn’t do it…”
”Can’t get it?” I asked.
”No… sniffle…” She pointed at the glass case. “I wanted this seal plushie so bad…”
”Seal… a seal, huh. Wait, a seal?” I blinked, then grinned. “Alright, fine. Leave it to me.”
I traded places with Noel, dropped in a 100-yen coin2, and worked the joystick. I used [Appraisal] to figure out the right timing and target point. And—
”Here. Got it,” I said, pulling the plushie from the prize chute.
”Whoa! Thank you!” Noel clutched the seal to her chest. “H-Hayato-kun!”
She almost called me “Master” again. Seriously, don’t do that here. Also, Noel was hugging the seal plushie and saying how cute it was, but personally, I had no idea what was cute about a seal with such a hilariously ugly face.
”Hayato-kun,” she said, her voice suddenly soft.
”Hm? What?” I replied.
”Um…” She looked down, her cheeks flushing. “I was wondering if… //// C-could we try that purikura1 thing?”
”Ah… right. That’s what couples do, isn’t it.”
I’d heard guys couldn’t use them alone these days. Not that I’d ever cared—I was a middle-aged dude in my past life, so purikura was never on my radar.
”W-would that be bad?” she asked, peeking up at me nervously.
”No, it’s fine. Let’s do it,” I said with a shrug.
”O-okay♡” She beamed, practically vibrating with excitement.
After that, we fumbled our way through some photo booth pictures, played a few more games, and headed home. Honestly, that ridiculously huge seal with the weird face was still bothering me…
Trivia:
- The protagonist’s self-identification as having “bad luck with women” in both lives establishes a pattern of betrayal trauma that informs his hesitation throughout the chapter.
- Noel’s insistence on calling herself a sexual slave rather than accepting genuine affection reveals deep-seated insecurity about her worth beyond physical utility.
- The protagonist’s ability to project “killer intent” is framed as instinctual and unexplained, suggesting deeper supernatural mechanics yet to be explored.
- The ugly seal plushie serves as a symbolic object representing Noel’s innocent joy and the protagonist’s willingness to participate in her happiness despite not understanding it.
- The photo booth scene represents a significant milestone—Noel wants to create tangible evidence of their relationship, moving beyond secret arrangement to public couple activities.
- The protagonist’s threat glare at the arcade spectators uses a non-verbal ability that bypasses normal social confrontation, hinting at his reincarnated nature.
- Noel’s school persona versus her private demeanor demonstrates the theme of hidden identities central to the narrative.
- The maid reference establishes that Noel has her own household and staff, confirming her “proper young lady” background despite her current role.
- The 100-yen coin detail grounds the fantasy setting in mundane economic reality, contrasting with the magical elements.
- The author’s direct appeal for ratings at the end breaks the fourth wall, establishing this as a web novel with serialized publication.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ A Japanese photo booth experience where users take stickers and digitally decorate the images with filters, text, and illustrations. Common among couples and friend groups in Japan.
2 ↩ Japanese currency roughly equivalent to one US dollar. Used for arcade machines and vending machines.
3 ↩ A concept from manga and anime where a character projects an aura of dangerous presence that instinctively frightens others.