The next day, after spending the night with Chris holding my arm.
“…Is it morning?”
She, who had been sound asleep all this time, rubbed her eyes and sat up.
When I glanced outside through the window, it seemed the sun was only just beginning to rise.
Since it was the height of summer and dawn came early, it was probably around six in the morning.
“You’re up early.”
“I always wake up at this time. I have to prepare Neil’s breakfast and lunch.”
Was this that so-called biological clock I’d only heard about? Before my vacation, I used to wake up around this time too, so I could sympathize a little.
“What about you? Did you sleep properly?”
“Honestly, not really. Maybe I was a little nervous.”
When a defenseless woman is sleeping beside you, your heart is bound to keep pounding.
Of course, there was also the fact that she was an executive of the Silver Corps, but the biggest reason was probably that Chris had shown me such a defenseless side of herself.
When she called my name in her sleep partway through, I was so embarrassed I thought I might die.
“I feel somewhat sorry.”
“No. It’s not like I didn’t sleep at all.”
It felt like I’d probably slept for about thirty minutes, but my mind had been so hazy that I couldn’t remember clearly.
In any case, considering this fatigue, I could probably write off today’s workout. Once this experiment was over, I should go back to sleep.
“If I had my way, I’d let you sleep like this…”
“We can’t do that. For now, we’re still in the middle of a serious experiment.”
“Right. Since I can still feel mana, it seems the barrier hasn’t been released.”
Lapis’s order was to spend a day together with Chris.
We had somehow made it past the major hurdle of sleeping together, but unfortunately, the mission was not over yet.
“The Boss said for a day, but does that mean we have to stay together for a full twenty-four hours?”
“It would be fastest to ask her directly. I’ll contact her.”
While Chris took out her smartphone and sent a text, I quietly walked over to the kitchen and checked the cupboard.
Clatter—
Inside was the bag of cereal I usually ate for breakfast.
‘There’s still quite a bit left. This should be enough for two servings.’
When I didn’t have much appetite in the morning, I would often make do with this for a meal.
It wasn’t as filling as cup ramen, but since it was made with whole wheat, it was excellent in terms of nutrition.
Besides, I’d used up all the remaining ingredients yesterday, so there was nothing else to eat anyway.
“Is that… cereal?”
Chris, who had just finished texting, seemed to have approached and spotted me taking out the cereal bag.
“Yes. You’ll have some too, right, Chris?”
“Since I have the chance, I’ll accept. It’s been a while since I last had cereal.”
I evenly divided the cereal into two bowls, took milk out of the refrigerator, and poured in an appropriate amount.
‘Come to think of it, the order of making cereal was once a topic of discussion too.’
Whether you put in the cereal first and poured in the milk, or poured in the milk first and then added the cereal. I definitely remembered seeing that kind of debate online.
If I had to say, I’m the type to put the cereal in first because I want to enjoy the crunchy texture. Someone who prioritizes softness would probably choose the opposite order.
It was a matter of preference, so it shouldn’t even be worth calling a debate, but sometimes, even a trivial difference like this could become a big topic.
“Mm. It’s good.”
“I tried switching things up in all sorts of ways, but this was the most edible for me.”
Once our modest breakfast was over, Chris’s smartphone rang softly.
It was probably the reply to the text she had just sent to Lapis.
“Let’s see…”
When I quietly approached, she tilted her phone so that I could see the letters too.
I stared hard at the screen, and what was written there was—
[ I’ve roughly obtained the data I wanted, so rest quietly until the next order comes. You may disband now. ]
I had naturally braced myself for an order to stick together for twenty-four hours straight, but it was the exact opposite of what I’d imagined.
“…So the experiment is over with this, right?”
“It seems that way. Now that it’s ended like this, it feels rather anticlimactic…”
I completely agreed. I had been so tense that my posture had gone stiff, and I never imagined she would let us off at this level.
‘She got the data in that short time?’
The only incidents that had occurred were eating the food Chris made for me and falling asleep together.
What kind of data could she possibly have extracted from those actions?
‘…Should I ask Citrine later?’
In many ways, it was hard to accept. To begin with, I didn’t even know the purpose of this experiment.
Since it didn’t feel real, I walked to the front door and placed my hand on it, and unlike yesterday, it opened easily.
“It really opens. Even though it was sealed so tightly before.”
“Then I suppose I should start heading back. I’d feel bad staying too long.”
With an expression of relief at finally being able to leave, she took perfume out of her pocket.
‘Was she the type to use something like that?’
It was unexpected, or rather, I’d never seen her use it before.
When I looked at Chris with a slightly puzzled expression, she noticed my gaze and explained the perfume.
“Well… if I leave like this, I’ll smell of sweat. I spray it temporarily before going out.”
“Ah~ So that’s what it’s for?”
I felt a little bad thinking this, but her way of thinking was slightly old-man-like.
The way she prioritized efficiency and used an item in a way slightly different from its original purpose was kind of similar to my dad.
“What is with that reaction! Even you wouldn’t want to stink in front of someone!”
“Stink? There’s no way my sweat and the sweat you shed could be the same, Chris.”
“Aah, honestly! If you’re going to tease me again like that, then why don’t you go ahead and smell as much as you want!”
As if she wouldn’t lose this time, she came closer and pressed her body against me.
“Then please excuse me.”
“Kyaaak! Who actually smells it for real?!”
Even as we bickered like this, when I looked back on the day, I realized it had been quite enjoyable.
Would I be able to spend time with her like this again? I found myself hoping for such a thing, despite knowing it was beyond my station.
***
After seeing Chris off, I had nothing to do, so I decided to take a short nap and then go to the gym.
Of course, exercising while sleep-deprived would be a little dangerous, so I would simply show my face.
Whirr—
As usual, the moment I passed through the automatic door of the VIP room, I saw familiar faces.
“Ah, Senior’s here.”
“Oh my. You’re unusually late today.”
Amber and Sophia, who had been enjoying table tennis together, and even Ruri, who was in the distance putting down the barbell she’d been holding and bowing her head.
Everyone seemed to have become completely used to this place.
“Huh, your dark circles are darker than usual.”
“I didn’t sleep much. I probably can’t do any intense exercise, so I’ll just lift some dumbbells by myself.”
“Understood. Please be careful not to fall asleep during your workout.”
After hearing my words, Ruri offered a word of advice and returned to her own training.
“Then I guess I’ll drink something first.”
I moved toward the jasmine tea set up in the corner of the VIP room.
It had less caffeine than coffee, so it was a flavored tea that was good to drink lightly when fatigue had built up like now.
Just as I poured hot water into the mug with my name engraved on it and added the jasmine tea bag, Sophia had approached at some point and spoke to me.
“Mr. Jade, did you wash up right before coming here?”
“Hm? I just roughly washed my hair.”
I wondered what she was suddenly talking about, only for her to bring up a rather flustering topic.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“No, it’s just that there’s a scent coming from your body that I feel like I’ve smelled somewhere before…”
“Isn’t that just my body odor?”
“That’s not it! Please stay still for a moment.”
She went so far as to grab my body, then indecently brought her nose close and began checking the smell.
“Perfume? But for that, it doesn’t seem like one for men…”
She was muttering something in a small voice, but given the situation, I couldn’t hear properly.
The sight of a magical girl clinging to a man’s body and smelling him. If someone else were to see this, what would they think?
‘Chris too, and now her too. Lately, it feels like the physical distance between me and women has gotten closer.’
If I had to pinpoint it, it seemed to have started after Ravi confessed to me.
In order, maybe Sophia, Diamond, Chris, and Ruri. Amber had known me from the start, so I’d exclude her.
‘At this rate, am I going to end up knowing all the magical girls?’
If I even got to know the last one, then forget being a small fry or whatever—I’d just be a young man with lots of friends. Though I didn’t think things would flow that easily.
…Putting that aside.
“How long are you going to stay stuck to me?”
“Ah! I-I’m sorry!”
After clinging to me for quite a while, she blushed at my comment and backed away.
It seemed she had realized just how embarrassing her actions were.
“So, did you figure out what smell it was?”
“No, I still don’t really know…”
Now that she was acting like this, even I started to care. It wasn’t as though I’d done anything that would leave a smell on me.
If there was anything, maybe it was that I had eaten the food Chris made for me. Other than that, not really—
“Ah.”
For a moment, I let out a stupid sound and smacked my forehead.
Why had I forgotten that? It was the very reason I had spent the whole night awake.
“Mr. Jade?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
The memory of lying in the same bed as Chris, spending time pressed close against her, came back to me.
In other words, right now, her scent was deeply soaked into me.