On a bright, breezy morning, filled with the promise of a beautiful day…
Yes, that’s precisely how it should have been.
“Ah-woo…”
However, someone, completely out of sync with the idyllic scene, yawned listlessly, covering their mouth and sporting prominent dark circles under their eyes.
“Is it morning already? It seems I can finally leave…”
‘Ah… why am I in such a hurry to leave, anyway?’
‘By all accounts, lying next to a loli should be a full-fledged perk, shouldn’t it?’
Indeed, in a certain sense… especially for a wondrous creature known as a ‘lolicom,’ it absolutely is!
Just like this…
“Mmm—Leya, don’t go, don’t go…”
[A tight embrace]
“…”
As her back was once again assaulted by an unknown, indescribable, mysterious protruding object, Leya’s spirit became invigorated… *cough cough*… but not for that reason. No, it was because…
‘My breathing… my breathing is starting to get obstructed! Save me… someone, please save me!’
The entire night had been like this, making Leya even wonder if she was playing some kind of S&M game with Erica. But then again, forcing her to be the ‘M’ all night was perhaps a bit too much!
‘Honestly, this kind of ‘perk’… this isn’t the perk I wanted at all!’
****
This situation persisted for roughly half an hour.
During this time, Leya desperately wanted to resist, but alas, she tragically discovered that in her normal state, she was utterly powerless against Erica!
Erica, after all, looked like nothing more than a half-grown little loli!
Leya could only barely manage to protect her seemingly A-cup chest, ensuring it wouldn’t be wantonly ravaged by Erica.
‘Yes, I mean protecting my ability to breathe freely, of course! There’s no other meaning at all, hmph!’
Finally, this ‘bear-hug’ hell was endured, thanks to Leya’s valiant perseverance.
The cost, however, was that the left side of her body felt as if it had eaten Sichuan peppercorns, losing all sensation.
“Ah… this is truly… I’d rather die than sleep with her again!”
Thinking back, even in life-or-death battles with demon beasts, it had never been this stimulating!
****
[Swish-swish-swish-swish-swish-swish-swish————]
The sound of rushing water echoed through the entire room from the bathroom.
However, that wasn’t the main point. The crucial part was…
[Thump-thump-thump—]
As Leya laboriously dragged her half-paralyzed body to wash up, a knocking sound suddenly resonated from outside the door!
Yes, indeed, it was a knock!
Yet, something seemed amiss.
‘Do I… have friends close enough to just drop by?’
Leya scratched her silver hair, which had become quite disheveled and chaotic due to Erica’s antics, and asked with a touch of curiosity.
“Hmm… could it be the Orc lady from yesterday, coming to collect a debt?”
“…”
‘Honestly, System, can you please stop appearing so abruptly?! It’s quite startling, you know!’
‘And don’t even mention heartless and cruel words like ‘collect a debt’! Doesn’t that just make me sound poor and pathetic?’
“Hmm, isn’t that so? Oh, no, no… speaking of pathetic, hehe… combined with your host’s own conditions, plus a small broken bowl… My heavens! I might just create a business prodigy!”
‘Ugh…’
‘That business prodigy would be far too cheap! And to think of asking me, a deity, to do such a thing… System, you’re no longer the innocent, pure-hearted system I once knew, the one wholly devoted to its master!’
‘But then again, please stop casually reading my thoughts, alright?! Even with my good temper, I can get angry!’
“Hmm, but since we’re talking about your host’s own conditions… I’ve thought about it carefully again, and it seems there are quite a few ways to make money, hehe…”
“Shut up!—”
****
[Thump-thump-thump—]
The knocking continued.
Leya, however, remained restless, glancing left and right.
She worried about what if the person outside the door was a debt collector… oh no, the Orc lady delivering clothes… and how dire her penniless situation would be. While pondering such questions…
“Um… Miss Leya, it’s me… Elina!”
From outside the door, a voice suddenly drifted in… like that of an angel!
Yes! It wasn’t a debt-collecting Orc lady after all…
‘Elina, you truly are an angel!’
‘Though my angel is rather cheap, *cough cough*—’
But then again, to think it was Elina…
“Um…”
“Yes, I heard you. Just a moment, I’m a bit busy right now…”
“Oh, alright… alright!”
Elina’s voice sounded exceptionally tense and uneasy.
On the other side, Leya felt too embarrassed to keep her waiting any longer. After repeatedly performing several ‘Leya’s Muscle Revival Methods’ and confirming that her entire body had finally regained sensation and vitality, she walked towards the door.
However, as she walked, she seemed to remember something, turning back to check her reflection in the mirror, tidying her bangs.
[Creak—]
She reached the door and opened it.
As expected, the person who met her gaze was Elina, head bowed, hands clasped over her abdomen, appearing very nervous and reserved.
“Uh… I just woke up, I’m truly sorry to have kept you waiting so long. So… would you like to come in?”
“Mmm…”
After a soft “Mmm,” Elina, just like her previous visit, stood a short distance from the bedroom door, near the dining table, waiting for Leya to sit first.
This was how the scene *should* have unfolded.
However, this time, to Leya’s surprise, after she closed the door and turned to sit down, Elina showed no reaction for a long while.
“Uh… I apologize, I should have offered tea from the start…”
Yes, Leya naturally assumed this was due to the lack of tea. After all, she wasn’t familiar with the customs of this world. What if guests were offended by an empty table during a visit?
“No… um… Miss Leya, it’s not necessary…”
‘No, no… it *is* necessary. After all, the guest is right here, and there’s nothing on the table. It looks very awkward to me!’
Ignoring Elina’s suggestion, Leya took out the red rum she had used to entertain Maxwell last night.
“Hmm, then… won’t you sit down and have a drink? After all, it’s hard to drink properly while standing, isn’t it?”
“…”
Speechless, Elina couldn’t refuse at this point and reluctantly sat down, her head still lowered.
Her eyes, however, darted back and forth, as if she were making an important decision.
Finally, as she accepted the drink Leya offered, Elina’s expression changed, adopting a resolute look. She began:
“Miss Leya, um… I am truly sorry for leaving so abruptly yesterday!”
“Well… it’s alright. On my part… perhaps I said too much then…”
“No… no, how could you! And someone like me… Miss Leya has no reason to apologize to me at all…”
A flicker of pain crossed her face, and her eyes seemed to hide endless sorrow. Witnessing this scene, it was truly difficult to smile.
“Um… when I went back yesterday, I thought about many things…”
“…”
“Afterwards, I also felt that I had been a bit too thoughtless then… Even my brother said that ever since I was little, I’ve always been too presumptuous in my actions, which always leads to many, many troubles…”
“Including your refusal of my request, Miss Leya… honestly, at first I was very heartbroken and sad, unable to understand why… even though I tried so hard, I still couldn’t succeed…”
Elina spoke, her voice trembling slightly.
Leya, unsure how to comfort her, could only sigh in response.
“Desperate efforts for an unseen goal… Elina, why do you put yourself through this?”
“Desperate efforts… hmm? Even though I was prepared, I didn’t expect Miss Leya to say something so disheartening!”
“Uh…”
“But it’s alright! As long as it’s Miss Leya, I won’t mind anything you say~”
“…”
“So, after that, I thought, since I’ve already failed, why not just tear everything down and start over! I vow, in the name of Elina…”
“I will make you accept me, Miss Leya! I definitely will!”