Chapter 140 - Babysitting Compensation
Upon returning to the mansion, I immediately dove into bed.
I hadn't even changed clothes, but I didn't care.
Anyway, I want to sleep. I want to sleep as soon as possible.
For some reason, I was feeling an intense drowsiness right now.
Though it was brief, I had been in a state of oxygen deprivation, so maybe my brain was demanding rest.
I pulled the blanket over me and rolled onto my back.
Come to think of it, since Angelica and Philia are sleeping together in the room across the way, does that mean I'll be using this bed with Ayako-chan?
That's bad, isn't it... I exercised the consideration expected of an adult male, but my thoughts were already starting to become incoherent.
It's no use. My brain is already trying to sleep.
It can't be helped. I guess I'll sleep with Ayako-chan tonight.
Oh well, just one night of sleeping beside each other won't cause any accidents.
After all, she didn't do anything when I was passed out earlier, I thought, letting my guard down completely as I closed my eyes.
As I surrendered myself to the drowsiness like that, I soon heard the rustling sound of clothes from behind me.
Ayako-chan was probably changing into her pajamas. And probably taking off her bra.
Even though she's an E-cup, she's a member of the No-Bra Faction when sleeping; that's the girl named Ayako Otsuki.
Since she's still seventeen, you could call her a genuine dangerous person.
Well, she's still a dangerous person ideologically even when wearing a bra, but anyway, I wish she'd stop doing things that raise the threat level even further.
It's probably uncomfortable to sleep with it on, so maybe it can't be helped...
"Nakamoto-san."
Just then.
As I was letting my indecent imagination run wild, Ayako-chan herself spoke to me.
A whisper voice that tickled my ear canal. Her breath puffed against me, unbearably ticklish.
"Are you awake?"
"I'm sleeping."
"...I see."
Is it okay if I sleep next to you? she asked in a thin voice.
There was no way I could say, "Go to Ange's place, I'm monopolizing this bed."
With a weak voice, I answered,
"Do as you like."
The reply was a laugh, "Heh heh." Ayako-chan's voice had been strangely cheerful for a while now.
Did our exchange at the park really resonate with her heart that much?
"Excuse me, then."
As I was wondering about it, Ayako-chan smoothly slipped in next to me.
A soft sound as her weight settled onto the bed. A moment later, the girl's gentle fragrance drifted over.
It seemed Ayako-chan had chosen to stick close to me. The tips of her hair were gently grazing my cheek.
Extremely close range.
"Can we talk?"
As she said this, Ayako-chan hugged my right arm.
My elbow was sandwiched between masses of elasticity (and without a bra, no less), and my wrist was caught between what seemed to be her thighs.
...I should just think of her as a large-bodied baby.
Even if her breasts and thighs are well-developed, inside she's still a baby who wants to be spoiled.
I told myself this as I listened carefully.
"...What is it? I'm sleepy, so I might fall asleep midway."
"I won't take up that much of your time. You just need to stay with me until six tomorrow morning."
"You're going to keep talking for nearly six hours...?"
That's long.
But when a woman talks to you in the middle of the night, a long conversation is practically a given.
Everyone's like that. Elsa was like that too.
As for Philia, she would suddenly jump up in the middle of the night, and at least once a month there'd be a day where she'd pester me for hours with, "If I die, you'll put a younger priest in the party, won't you?" (You can guess why it was once a month).
Every time, I had to soothe her by saying, "I have no intention of adding a healer other than Philia-san, I don't care about age, Philia-san is beautiful."
This was the downside of a party full of women, which I'd experienced plenty of in the other world.
If they have that much to complain about, they could just tell it to a wall, but for some reason, they want a man to listen...
And what's more, they don't choose the time to complain...
There probably aren't any creatures more troublesome, but maybe it's a man's foolishness to accept that bother anyway, for better or worse.
I guess women who are completely emotionally stable aren't that attractive. That feels unsatisfying in its own way.
Men and women really are well-made, aren't they.
While pondering the mystery, or perhaps the trap, of gender, I opened my eyes.
Right before my eyes was Ayako-chan's face. Even though it was the middle of the night, her eyes were shining brightly.
Given this, I want to believe it's not complaints...
"Thank you for today."
"Huh?"
"...I was happy."
"Ah, that..."
Don't worry about it, I'm your guardian after all, I answered while rubbing my sleepy eyes.
"...When you drove away the other me, Nakamoto-san, you were cool."
"You think so? I don't really remember what I was saying myself."
"...Very manly... and reliable..."
"It's embarrassing when you praise me that much."
"I thought, no matter what, I have to bear this person's children, I have to cover the earth's surface with descendants..."
"..."
Isn't that the line of an alien type that lays eggs and tries to invade Earth? As I was expanding on that terrifying image, Ayako-chan started sucking on my collarbone with a kissing sound.
...I can't sleep.
There's no way I can sleep.
At this rate, I'll probably have to fight all night in the gap between reason and desire.
The next morning.
When I woke up about twenty minutes later than usual, Ayako-chan wasn't next to me.
Is she making breakfast? I went to peek into the kitchen, and there she was, in the middle of grilling meat, with the scent of ginger and garlic wafting through the air.
"...Morning. That's a breakfast that looks like dinner."
"Ah, good morning. This morning is a special menu just for Nakamoto-san. Ginger-fried pork and garlic toast. For your drink, I bought a mamushi drink from the convenience store."
"...I have work today. Is my breath going to be okay with that?"
"I'm thinking of making soft-shelled turtle hot pot for dinner. Starting today, I'll have you eat lots and lots of stamina-boosting food every day."
She's not listening.
Sometimes conversations with Ayako-chan don't mesh, and this is exactly one of those times.
What does she plan to do, getting me all fired up? Just imagining it is terrifying.
Shivering, I headed to the washroom.
In my previous apartment, the toilet and sink were crammed into one space, so I often ran into the ladies when they were doing their business.
But in this mansion, the toilet is a separate room, so that kind of accident won't happen.
I can wash my face in comfort starting today, I thought, standing in front of the sink in a cheerful mood.
A spacious and sanitary wet area. A definite result obtained with my increased income.
The fact that I feel a sense of fulfillment in places like this probably means my mental structure is truly that of a commoner.
I washed my face and removed the sleep from my eyes.
Then, when I opened the toilet door, I ran into Angelica, who was lifting up Philia's skirt and struggling fiercely.
"Oh. Sorry to interrupt."
I pretended I hadn't seen anything and closed the door. Immediately after, an SOS call began with furious intensity.
"D-Dad! If you're awake, please help! The High Priest refuses to go pee-pee! At this rate, the floor will get all wet!"
"Uyaaaaaaaah!"
Feeling dizzy at the nursing care problem erupting early in the morning, I opened the door again.
That's right. Taking in Philia was originally my responsibility. I can't push it onto Angelica.
"Is Philia fussing that much?"
Angelica bent her golden eyebrows into a worried shape, looking troubled.
"She hasn't done her first one of the morning yet, but she says she doesn't want to go potty unless she's with Dad."
"Wh-what the heck?"
"I feel like she was more obedient before. Hasn't the High Priest gradually become more attached to you, Dad?"
"...Why is that? Is a male parent better?"
"Well, of course, I understand that if you have a male parent, you don't need anything else, but I wish she'd listen to what I say a little."
"You understand that? ...Well, never mind. I'll take over from here, so Ange, go rest in the living room."
"Is that okay? Then I'll take you up on that offer."
I saw Angelica off as she slipped out of the toilet with a swift, light motion, then I closed the door behind me.
Since I didn't know what might happen, I locked it, just in case.
"...Now then."
Slowly, I turned my gaze toward Philia.
A gorgeous white beauty clad in a thin negligee. She was sitting on the toilet, sulking with a childlike expression.
While Angelica's face is a sweet Eastern European type, Philia is a Western European type with sharp features. The kind of type you might see among Hollywood actresses.
She's definitely in the "beautiful" category, not "cute," and childish actions don't suit her at all. Even when she does such things, it just makes me feel sad, thinking, ah, this person's mind has broken...
"You really know how to depress a guy from the morning."
I crouched down and brought my eyes to Philia's level.
As if coaxing a little girl,
"Why don't you want to go to the toilet?"
I asked.
Philia's voice was cheerful, "Father! Father!" With a beaming smile, she patted my cheeks.
In a different way than Ayako-chan, we weren't communicating.
"...Have you come to dislike Ange?"
"You mustn't show your underwear to people who aren't family, you know?"
"Ange is family too, right?"
"That person is a guest."
"Have you forgotten about Ange?"
"Who's Ange?"
"...Alright, never mind."
When I patted her head, Philia narrowed her eyes as if relieved.
Perhaps her tension had eased, or maybe she simply wanted to be spoiled. Just like that, Philia stretched out her arms and pulled me close.
And then, she quietly pressed her lips to mine.
Sitting on the toilet, I kissed a woman who had pulled down her underwear.
I was engaging in such a decadent act from the morning. On top of that, I could hear the faint, wet sound of tongues intertwining, so my ticket to hell was now confirmed.
"...I see. Did relaxing help you go?"
After confirming that Philia had finished her business, I tore off two perforated sections of toilet paper.
Obviously, when a woman urinates, you have to wipe her.
Once I'd finished the series of tasks with an empty mind, I spoke to Philia again.
"I want to pee too, so could you move?"
"Father, you smell like garlic."
"Philia, you have a good nose."
As if trading places with Philia, who stood up sluggishly, I sat down on the toilet seat.
"Sorry, but could you leave? I can't go when someone's watching."
I want to do more than just pee, too. I'd rather not let a woman smell that.
As I struggled to protect my last shred of human dignity, Philia tilted her head and said,
"Father, if I die, will you put a younger priest in the party?"
"...What?"
"Is that girl from earlier the next priest after me?"
She murmured sadly and left the toilet.
"..."
Huh.
Does that statement sound familiar? It does. That was definitely a line Philia said to me back when I was still a teenager.
Back then, Philia was overly concerned about her age, driven by paranoia that I might hire a younger female priest.
Did memories from that period come back?
Philia's mind is definitely broken. But she hasn't forgotten everything; maybe she retains some memories of the past.
She still has goodwill toward me, and she seems to remember that her position is "priest."
Then, does she also possess knowledge of the dungeons in the other world?
Does she know any clues about the coin I got from Kana?
I finished my business and left the toilet.
I headed to the washroom and stood next to Philia, who was fumbling with the faucet.
"Let's wash together."
While sharing the water, I spoke to her.
"Hey Philia, there's something I want to ask."
I shoved my still-wet right hand into my pocket and took out the coin.
"Does this look familiar?"
Philia stared intently at the otherworldly coin. I couldn't discern any emotion in her blue eyes. It was as if a small child was gazing at a dead insect.
"Father, your hand is wet."
Saying that, Philia took my hand. Without hesitation, she pressed my hand against her own voluptuous chest and began rubbing it vigorously.
"...Look, Philia, a woman's chest isn't something you use as a towel."
"It's clean now!"
She gave me a smile that seemed to say, praise me, praise me.
"Thanks, but right now I'm asking about the coin. Philia, don't you know something about it?"
"Ah-oo?"
This time, she grabbed my left hand and tucked it under her armpit. Inside the lukewarm, sealed space, she wiped the moisture away with a scrubbing motion.
Each time my hand was moved back and forth, my palm touched the swaying side of her breast.
"Alright, fine. Your breasts are towels. So please tell me about the coin..."
"..."
With a faint smile on her face, Philia spoke in a vague tone.
"...The royal family's tomb?"
"Royal family? ...Is it related to the royal family?"
"The King! The King!"
Laughing and frolicking, Philia snatched the coin from my hand.
What is she planning to do?
She wouldn't put it in her mouth, would she...? As I watched nervously, Philia, of all things, began to chant an incantation in a sonorous voice.
"I command in the name of High Priest Philia."
"You remember something like that too?"
How much of Philia's mind is preserved, and how much is broken...?
Harboring a feeling that was neither anxiety nor expectation, I continued to stare at the coin.
Before long, it began to emit a dazzling light.
A flash—no, a light intense enough to be called a brilliant radiance.
"Whoa."
I reflexively closed my eyes and braced myself.
But nothing happened.
It didn't seem to be an explosion.
"What is this?"
To check the situation, I gently opened my eyes.
What then jumped into my vision was a list of characters displayed across the entire wall.