You are stuck here with a bug!

To be honest, even I had to admit—I was way too shameless.

Normally, throwing snowballs required preparation: shaping the snow, gauging the strength, calculating the trajectory.

But with wind magic assisting me, I no longer had to bother with any of that.

I just let the magic spin snow into shape and fling it without a care.

Because of this, what formed around me was a near impenetrable wall of snowball barrages.

What surprised me, though, was that Milady didn’t falter in the slightest.

Her petite frame slipped through the curtain of white like a phantom.

“…Hmm?”

An ice mirror suddenly formed beside me, intercepting a snowball that had come flying in unexpectedly.

What startled me even more was that she could still mount a counterattack in this kind of overwhelming situation.

Our Milady truly was a prodigious monster of talent.

A strange sense of pride welled up inside me as I increased my magical output.

Milady, you are strong—but unfortunate for you, victory today will be mine!

Snowballs in the air converged together, swelling like an avalanche.

Now let’s see how you escape this!

Yet to my astonishment, Milady simply stood still, making no move to dodge at all.

Had she resigned herself to defeat? But if so, she’d end up completely buried under it…

As I worried, she made her move.

Out of nowhere, she picked up a tree branch, gripped it firmly, and swung it sharply through the air.

A sharp whistle of wind rang out, tearing open a massive gap in the snowy avalanche ahead of her.

…Seriously? That was beyond broken—it was like hacking the game itself!

Before I had time to complain, a relentless counterattack of snowballs came hurtling toward me.

I hastily conjured an ice shield to block them.

However…

What arrived faster than her snowballs was a stone.

“Crack! Crack! Crash!”

The stone slammed into my defense, cracks spreading across the shield before it finally shattered with a sharp report.

…You’ve got to be kidding. This shield could withstand most blades—yet she broke it with a rock?!

I wanted to throw up another spell, but it was too late…

My vision was already engulfed in white.

“Puhah!”

Struck by a barrage of snowballs, I failed to keep balance and fell into the snowdrifts.

When I finally crawled out, my body was laden with white powder.

“…Why does this seem kind of indecent?”

“Hm?”

Milady muttered something under her breath after rushing to my side, but I couldn’t catch it.

“Ahem… nothing.”

Her cheeks were faintly red—it was probably just the after‑effects of exercise.

She extended a hand to me, pulling me up from the snow.

After brushing myself off, I noticed… was she disappointed somehow?

But that expression disappeared in an instant—arms on her hips, she looked unbearably triumphant.

“This snowball fight is my victory!”

“Yes, you were truly impressive, Milady.”

The praise was sincere.

I caught her hands, already chilled crimson, and warmed them in my palms.

Since my side had relied mostly on magic for the fight, my own hands were still warm.

Feeling that cold yet delicate touch, I smiled faintly.

Even in near‑hopeless circumstances, she had turned defeat into victory…

As expected of my Milady.

…Though to be honest, I had still been holding back.

If I had conjured a blazing armor of fire magic to melt snowballs on contact—or raised a wall of stone around myself—I would have been utterly invincible.

But that would be far too shameless, leaving Milady with no fun at all.

Allowing her joy was the true meaning of play.

“Well then… what is your request, Milady?”

I asked with a smile.

Since all “NG” behaviors were banned, surely she wouldn’t demand anything too outrageous.

But Milady’s grin turned sly, like a plot well‑laid.

An uneasy premonition rose in me.

“My request is… for the whole day, Ailena must do whatever I say!”

“…?”

That’s exploiting a bug!

Isn’t this like wishing upon a magic lamp for infinite wishes?!

“Milady, this is a bit…”

“What’s wrong, Ailena? I followed every rule you set! No clothes, no touching!”

“But won’t you just find a way to sneak those things in as part of today’s ‘orders’?”

At my protest, she averted her gaze.

Don’t you dare look away!

“I don’t care! My victory request isn’t one of the banned ones, and the duel’s rules don’t restrict what happens afterward! We already agreed. Ailena wouldn’t take it back… right?”

Ah, now she was being unreasonable.

I could only sigh.

“Just this once, Milady. And no more extending the duration. That’s final.”

Honestly, I felt I was spoiling her too much.

“But the things that shouldn’t be done, still can’t be done. Otherwise, no more good food for you.”

“What!?”

Milady was dealt a heavy blow.

“…Fine.”

In the end, our victory reward was settled through mutual compromise.

As expected, once we were back inside, the first request Milady gave was that I abandon work duties and spend the whole day with her.

The second was… that I change clothes.

Honestly, this might anger the head maid, but rules were rules—I had lost, so I would oblige.

At least Milady hadn’t chosen anything extremely revealing this time.

It was merely a maid uniform with a short skirt, embellished with a lot of heart motifs.

…And, of course, a dog‑ear headband.

Just how much did she love dog ears?

For me personally… I much preferred cat ears.

Cute, lovely cat ears would be perfect on Milady.

Ahem… I digress.

In the end, I put on the maid outfit she provided.

It felt more like the sort of cosplay costume staff might wear in a maid café.

Other than the short hemline, it wasn’t bad at all.

Certainly better than those ones that expose the stomach, shoulders, or cleavage—this outfit, in comparison, was almost tame.

I still wore thigh‑high stockings anyway, so the bottom half wasn’t terribly exposed.

The only downside was the slight chill, but the manor’s heating magic artifacts offset that well enough.

“Super, super perfect on you, Ailena!”

Glitter‑eyed, Milady circled me over and over.

“Mm… Ailena, let your hair down too.”

“Like this?”

I removed the green ribbon, looping it casually around my wrist, and let my silver hair cascade like a waterfall.

“Yes, yes! Just like that!”

“Any other wishes, Milady?”

“Then… then a lap pillow!”

Another lap pillow?

I couldn’t help but laugh softly before indulging her.

“Come, Milady.”

Unlike before, this time she lay on her back instead of her side, her head resting on my thighs.

But she quickly made a small “x” with her mouth, sulking.

“…The pressure’s too much. Not comfortable.”

She muttered this and sat up, clearly dissatisfied.

“…?”

I didn’t quite understand her meaning.

Fixing her gaze on me sternly for a moment, she finally spoke.

This time, however, her request left me utterly dumbstruck.

She extended a hand toward me.

“Ailena… lick my hand.”