Ryoka-san, who had leveled up to 30, lay down on the bed after taking a shower, not even bothering to dry her hair. She simply muttered, “I’m going to sleep,” and dozed off immediately. She must have been completely exhausted.
I understood that she was tired, but I really wanted her to at least dry her hair. I didn’t want it to grow mold or anything.
“Ryoka-san, Ryoka-san. Could you dry your hair, please?”
“…Hmm, you’re noisy. I’m sleepy.”
“Then, should I dry it for you?”
“Mm…”
Apparently, she falls asleep pretty easily.
With no other choice, I fetched a hairdryer from the bathroom and carefully dried her hair, making sure not to touch her scalp. It seemed that touching her hair didn’t trigger any transfer of experience points, as she continued sleeping peacefully.
“…”
Somehow, I started to feel a little annoyed.
Here I was, giving her experience points, letting her stay as a freeloader, and now even drying her hair like a servant. Meanwhile, she was sleeping so soundly, completely satisfied. And me? I’m left here frustrated with unresolved needs.
“Come to think of it, she said I could mess with her, didn’t she?”
Yes, I had her permission. Whatever I did should be forgiven. Yes, whatever I did!!
“Well, I wouldn’t actually do anything to someone who’s asleep, though.”
Still, at least let me fulfill a small desire.
After finishing drying her hair, I turned off the lights and lay down next to Ryoka-san. Without directly touching her, I gently wrapped my arms around her slender waist over her clothes. Her delicate body felt like it could snap at any moment. With such a frail frame, she was trying to take on dungeons. The least I could do was help her in any way I could.
“Do your best, Ryoka-san. For now, sleep well.”
I whispered softly and closed my eyes.
“Mm…”
Just then, Ryoka-san turned over in her sleep, facing me.
Before I could react, something soft brushed against my lips.
“Ah.”
“MMMMMMMMM!! ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡”
Her body jolted slightly before she flopped back down limply.
“Wait, no way… I-is she okay?”
“Mm… hmm… ssshh… ssshh…”
“Thank goodness…”
Seeing her resume her soft snores after a while, it seemed like there was no problem.
“G-goodnight, Ryoka-san.”
To avoid any further accidents, I decided to sleep on the floor instead.
Man, I’m the homeowner here…
◇
“Hey, wake up already!”
“…Is that how a freeloader should treat the homeowner?”
When I woke up, Ryoka-san was sitting on the bed, grinding her foot into my side.
Ignoring my question, she turned her blushing face away.
“…What did you do while I was sleeping?”
“Huh? Nothing much? I just dried your hair. Make sure you dry it properly next time. I don’t want mold on the pillow.”
“Y-you’re lying! My level! It’s gone up!”
It seemed that her level had increased because of last night’s incident. Of course, she noticed.
“I didn’t do anything. Maybe I touched your head a bit while drying your hair?”
“That alone wouldn’t make it go up this much!”
“How much did it go up?”
“S-seven! Seven whole levels! You definitely did something weird!”
Seven levels from that one moment? That’s on a different scale from simply touching.
“Isn’t it a good thing your level went up? Besides, you said I could do whatever I wanted while you were asleep.”
“W-well, yeah, I did say that, but still…”
Ryoka-san started fidgeting, shifting her weight from one leg to the other.
“…If you’re going to do something, at least do it while I’m awake, you idiot Tatsuya.”
She mumbled something in an incredibly small voice.
“Huh? What was that?”
“N-nothing! Idiot! Stupid Tatsuya!”
“If I do it while you’re awake, you’ll just faint again.”
“AAAAHHH!! Stop pretending you didn’t hear me!”
With a completely red face, Ryoka-san hurled a pillow at me. She’s surprisingly fun to tease.
It was just before 8 AM when I glanced at the clock. Looks like I had slept pretty soundly.
“Ryoka-san, what’s your plan for today? I’ll be out late.”
“Today’s Saturday, right? What do you have? Make-up classes?”
Do I look that dumb?
“I’ve got a part-time job.”
“Oh, you’re working? What kind of job?”
“Waitstaff at a wedding venue. Just carrying food and pouring drinks.”
“With your height, I bet you look the part.”
“Nobody really pays attention to the staff, though. Anyway, here’s a spare key. I’ll leave it with you.”
“Thanks.”
Ryoka-san placed the key on the desk and reached for a manga on my shelf. It seemed like she was planning to use my room as a substitute for a net café today.
She didn’t even glance my way as she waved me off. I waved back and headed out to my part-time job.
