Chapter 35 - Absolute Scumbag
Ayako-chan and I walked through the night streets together.
To be honest, I didn't want to know exactly how long I had kept Angelica waiting.
But not knowing was even scarier.
I stole a glance at my smartphone screen.
'19:04'
Returning home two hours later than promised. And with a girl in tow.
It was the worst.
Even though the apartment was right there, my heart felt heavy.
"Sigh..."
"Nakamoto-san, you've been sighing for a while now."
"I have something I have to do now."
As soon as I finished saying that, the system message informed me: [Affection Level of Ayako Otsuki has increased by 9999].
That happened just from that exchange. I had no idea what part of that was likable.
A moment ago, just from our arms touching for a second, it went up by 99999. It finally reached the five-digit mark.
I wanted to ask her, seriously, what is wrong with you?
She was easily putting up numbers that I had earned with Angelica only after going through lovers' quarrels and Wraith exterminations.
"Ah, can you see it? That's my room over there."
"Yes, I've firmly memorized the address. It's okay, I can barge in anytime from now on."
That's not okay.
That's not what I meant.
"Actually, I have a roommate. ...And she's a foreigner."
"Is it that blonde girl?"
"Y-You're sharp."
Well, they've met. I guess it would turn out like this.
"I have to talk to her. Even if I want to let you stay, I don't know what Ange will say."
"Fufu. You're loved, aren't you?"
She said "fufu," but her face was dead serious.
I wondered if I might get stabbed.
I didn't think Ayako-chan's stats could actually wound me or Angelica, though.
...Wait.
The blades in my house had their durability increased with [Strength Enhancement]...
I should make sure to cancel that before going to sleep.
While playing out suspenseful scenes in my head, I climbed the stairs.
Ayako-chan followed behind me in the same way.
With the rhythmic sound of footsteps on the metal stairs, we reached the second floor.
Right in front of the room, I stopped.
"Wait here for a bit."
I unlocked the door and stepped into the entryway alone first.
I had to persuade Angelica no matter what.
I hurriedly took off my shoes and practically crawled toward the living room.
"Sorry Ange, I'm late! ...Ange?"
Strangely, the room was pitch black.
The lights weren't on.
Was Angelica sleeping? I hoped she was sleeping. Please be sleeping.
While repeating pathetic prayers, I pulled the cord of the fluorescent light.
After flickering several times, the light turned on.
"...Nn. Father..."
Something was there.
"Ange?"
There was a creature with a bad look in its eyes on the bed.
A girl with a dangerous light in her emerald green eyes, directing a sullen gaze this way.
It was Angelica herself, lying down while clutching a pile of messy clothes.
She seemed extremely displeased, and there was almost no room for dialogue.
In other words, I was going to die.
As I stood there dazed, Angelica sat up abruptly.
"You're late. ...You are late!"
Smack! She threw the wrinkled clothes at me.
When I picked them up, they were men's sleepwear. Mine.
And they smelled a bit sweaty.
"...This is laundry, right?"
They were the pajamas I had tossed into the washing machine before leaving for work.
I had been in a bit of a rush this morning, so I didn't have time to wash them.
Angelica still didn't really know how to use the washing machine, so she wouldn't wash them for me.
Thanks to that, they had become a cloth densely compressed with a musky male scent.
She had been clutching such an object on the bed, but what was she thinking?
"...It's Father's fault. I was forced to perform a humiliating act unbecoming of a Holy Maiden."
"What were you doing?"
"What do you think I was doing?"
Saying "I'll leave it to your imagination," Angelica lunged at me.
She buried her face in my chest and rubbed her face against me like a cat.
"Hey? What do you think I, who loves Father so much and was so lonely, did with Father's unwashed clothes after you were two hours late? It's all Father's fault."
"...Maybe you were using them to mop the floor?"
"Even though you know."
It was beyond awkward, so I looked away.
"I was lonely."
"I'm sorry."
"I was lonely—!"
Gyuuuuuu. I was treated to a hug of intense pressure.
All sorts of soft things pressed against my stomach.
"I absolutely won't forgive you. Since you made me do such a shameful thing, Father, you're reserved for me tonight."
Angelica looked up at me with an upturned gaze, her cheeks flushed with shame.
This girl really loved me.
In last night's status appraisal, the remarks column had changed from before.
It had gone from "Targeting Keisuke Nakamoto's body" to "Targeting Keisuke Nakamoto's heart and body."
Now, she liked my inside as well.
And here I was, about to break the news to such a devoted girl: "Sorry, sorry, I picked up another woman."
I was an absolute scumbag.
If it ended with a slap, that would be fine, but if she cried, I'd feel like a domestic abuser.
"After we eat, I want to go to a place called a love hotel. That's okay, right?"
"You finally learned the meaning? You already grasp what kind of inn that is, don't you? I can see it in your eyes."
Because I had bought her women's magazines and fashion magazines, she seemed to have gained some strange knowledge.
"...I want Hotel Amariris."
Angelica stared at me with dreamy eyes.
No matter how you looked at it, it was the face of a female in heat, radiating an aura of "I love you so much. I won't forgive cheating."
I predicted that the discussion would be difficult.
"...Father."
"What?"
"I smell... another girl."
"T-T-T-T-That is..."
The side effect of catching Ayako-chan and walking around the station in that position was already showing.
Or had Angelica's sense of smell become abnormally developed?
"...There's hair on your clothes too. Look, a long black one. Two are tangled in the button."
"Well, you see. This is..."
"Geez. You don't have to panic like that, I understand."
It's that 'crowded train' thing, right? Angelica smiled.
"Father commutes on that scary iron snake, after all. With that many people packed in, I'm sure women must lean against you sometimes."
"...That..."
"I guess it can't be helped—"
Saying that, Angelica pinched the hair tangled in the button and dropped it to the floor.
"I believe in Father, after all. There's no way Father, who cherishes me this much, would get along with other girls. I know that much."
I was met with a sparkling gaze from directly in front of me. With the full boost of trust and affection, the moisture and radiance were fifty percent greater than a normal person's.
It was not something I could look at directly.
I now had to confess to this girl, "I brought a girl home."
"Ange... um..."
I have something important to tell you, I whispered in a low voice.
Angelica tilted her head with a puzzled look.
"What's wrong? Getting all formal suddenly."
Angelica wrapped her arms around my waist and made a lewd expression, saying, "Ah, could it be you're in a strange mood?"
"It's okay—! I'm always ready, after all. Father is a man too, right? If we're sticking this close together, I guess you'd eventually feel like doing it."
"Um..."
"Hmm—?"
I said, hanging my head.
"I have a girl waiting outside."
"..."
When I stole a glance to check, Angelica's expression was frozen.
"For certain reasons, she has no place to go. So I thought I'd protect her."
"..."
"No, you see? There's that incident lately where people are splitting, right? She's a victim of that. I thought it would be bad if people's interest turned to that instead of my magic, and I thought I had to solve it. I have various things I want to hear from her, so I need to keep her close. Above all, she's an acquaintance, and in times like this, we should help each other, right?"
"Father, sit seiza."
"Yes."
I thought about how this was the opposite of the time with Rio, but I obeyed.
Angelica crossed her arms and looked down at me haughtily.
"In other words, Father broke the promise to come home at five and have a fancy dinner with me, and on top of that, you brought a girl. That's what you're saying."
What a terrible scoundrel.
Who is that guy? Which Nakamoto is it? It's me.
"Father, you really go all out..."
I was given a cold, sharp look. It was the same gaze she directed toward lint or pests.
"I bet it's a black-haired girl again, isn't it?"
"That can't be helped. Everyone in this country has that color unless they dye it."
"...Should I dye mine black too?"
"No, Ange is fine as she is. Gold definitely suits you better."
Was she angry, about to cry, or exasperated? Angelica remained silent with an expression that could be interpreted as any of those.
"You gave me a very fast explanation, but she's someone involved in the incident where people increase, right?"
"Y-Yeah. That's right. I have to investigate as a Hero, right? It's not at all, not even a little bit, because of ulterior motives."
"...But there's no need to let her stay at our house, is there?"
"Eh?"
"You could just leave her at a hotel nearby."
"Isn't that a bit pitiful? Her clothes are shredded, you know."
"..."
Also, even if the opponent was Ayako-chan, I felt hesitant to treat someone who held affection for me poorly.
A protective instinct, perhaps.
"I probably won't let her stay for long... is it no good?"
Angelica remained silent with a pouting face.
No room for negotiation, the discussion was at a stalemate.
However, I had a trump card.
An forbidden technique that would allow me to manipulate Angelica at will, but at the cost of losing something precious.
But I couldn't think of anything else.
"Please, Ange."
"I don't care anymore!"
Ah, I guess this is the only way.
Forgive me, Angelica.
I didn't want to use this hand either.
A girl who possessed the [Father Complex (Nurtured)] skill and had a strong interest in both being pampered by her father and pampering him.
Because she was that kind of opponent, this desperate negotiation tactic would hit home.
Come to think of it, one of the reasons Angelica volunteered to go to Earth was because she felt sorry for me after I lost Elsa.
She was thick with compassion.
I was about to take advantage of that now.
Utilizing my appearance, which had a reputation for looking worn out and unlucky, I was going to go for a tearful plea...!
"Ange... I'm sorry."
I prostrated myself in a dogeza, letting out a voice that sounded like "my wife just left me."
I thought I was already done for, being able to let out such a voice at will.
I was repulsed by how good I was at exuding patheticness.
It was a trivial skill I had acquired at the end of a fallen life.
"...It was a momentary lapse. I only have you."
"I heard that all men say that. I didn't think it would apply to Father too."
I slowly raised my face, trying to look as pathetic as possible.
When Angelica met my eyes, she looked away with a huff.
"It's all over now. Since even you've come to hate me."
"...Are you trying to get sympathy with that? Your acting is a bit cheesy."
"My wife left me too."
"W-Wife? Do you mean Elsa-san?"
"Heh. Right now, Sanae is probably having a good time with another man."
"Who is Sanae? Shouldn't it be Elsa-san there?"
"Since both Elsa and I have black hair, Angelica wouldn't be born from that. Your biological mother is Sanae. You should know that much."
"Born...? Eh? Am I in the setting of being your biological daughter?"
I didn't miss it. The moment she said "biological daughter," Angelica's eyes sparkled.
If she possessed the father complex attribute, I had predicted this would be the most effective.
"I only have you left... Hey. I'll even quit drinking. Please..."
"Father, you don't usually drink alcohol, do you...?"
To tell the truth, I was a lightweight.
But such facts didn't matter.
"If even you abandon me, what am I supposed to do...?"
"W-What do you mean, what are you supposed to do..."
"I'll have no choice but to hang myself."
"...I can't... I-I can't leave a face that weakened alone. ...I can't...!"
"Angee... don't go anywhere."
I broke down in tears, making a voice like I had gambled away my living expenses at pachinko.
Seriously, why does that voice come out? I even disgusted myself.
"Father... it's okay. I'm with you."
Angelica knelt down and placed my head on her lap.
I wrapped my arms around Angelica's body as if clinging to her.
"You smell good."
"W-What are you saying...?"
"You've completely become a woman."
"Father...? You're acting a bit strange...?"
"Your face too. You've started to look like your mother."
"Well, we're parent and child... it's natural we'd look alike."
"Looking at you reminds me of Sanae when she was young."
"Father...?"
I tried laughing recklessly while looking into Angelica's eyes.
I didn't know how I looked to her.
But judging by Angelica's reaction, I seemed to have a considerably bottom-tier face.
"I guess I've finally fallen as far as I can fall. When I look at you, my body gets confused. It feels like I'm getting along with your mother."
"N-No... We're biological parent and child, you know...? This is definitely wrong...?"
A blonde-haired, blue-eyed foreign girl and a black-haired, black-eyed Japanese middle-aged man.
I couldn't find a blood connection anywhere, but Angelica seemed to have completely entered the mindset of a biological child.
"...Is it okay?"
"N-No. It's no good. Father, you're just lonely."
"...Ange... let me forget this painful reality... You become Sanae...!"
"Ah...! Even though this is wrong...!"
Angelica was breathing heavily, immersed in the world-view.
Her ears had turned red, and she was writhing in the immoral situation.
"...I-I understand. From today, I will take over Mother's work too. I will be Father's wife. So stop saying you'll die, Father...! No, darling...!"
By the way, the system messages were telling me that Angelica's affection level and sexual arousal were rising at a furious pace.
Shortly after starting this little play, [Angelica's sexual arousal has reached 120%] had been displayed.
"Then, it's okay to let Ayako-chan, who's outside, stay, right?"
"...Yeah... it's okay, darling..."
Leaving the still-confused Angelica, I walked to the entryway with heavy footsteps. I opened the door.
"Sorry, it took a little time."
Ayako-chan seemed to have been enduring the cold while rubbing her hands together. She was rubbing them in a prayer-like pose.
"Is it okay to come in? I'm sorry for causing trouble."
"No, I don't mind. After all, I'm the head of the household here. You can act dignified. If I say so, Ange will listen to most things."
"My. Nakamoto-san, you seem like you'd be a domineering husband."
I'm sure you persuaded her with a bossy tone—Ayako-chan laughed.
By the way, what was occupying my mind now was the apology gift I would buy for Angelica.
Tomorrow, I planned to give it to her while begging for forgiveness in an even more pathetic voice.