“…”
“…”
I’m walking down an empty hallway, carrying the unmoving Nagartinya in my arms with her eyes closed. This is the result of me knocking her out with a Mongolian Chop into a Choke Sleeper. She’s been out for a while now, so I should say something to her.
“Hey, time to wake up already.”
“…”
I say this to her as she still feigns unconsciousness with closed eyes. There are two main reasons I know she’s just pretending to be passed out. One is the unnaturally high body temperature I feel from where I’m touching her – if she was really unconscious, her temperature wouldn’t be this high. The other is that she’s not moving.
While one would think it’s natural for an unconscious person not to move, there would still be some fidgeting or moaning. She’s exhibiting none of that, so I concluded she’s awake and just pretending to be out cold.
“I’ll count to three, if you don’t wake up by then, I’m dropping you on the floor. One, two, thre―”
“Wah! Wah! Okay, I’m awake, so stop that!”
“…I knew you were awake.”
“Ehh, you saw through it!?”
I had my reasons, but it wasn’t definitive proof. Maybe she just naturally has a high body temperature, and some people don’t fidget or moan at all when passed out.
But given her usual behavior and obsession with me, there’s no way she would miss this chance for one of the delusional scenarios she’s always imagining in her head to play out. That’s why I concluded she must be feigning unconsciousness.
“Walk on your own feet from here.”
“Ehh, after bringing me this far, carry me all the way to the bedroom.”
“One, two, thre―”
“Wahh! Okay, okay, I’ll walk myself, so stop!”
As she starts reluctantly walking on her own, I guide her to the room she’s been staying in.
Ever since coming back to the royal capital, she obstinately refused to stay at an inn, insisting “I’m staying at Rolando-kyun’s manor!” Unable to refuse outright due to owing her for the demon business, she ended up partially strong-arming me into letting her stay here.
I should have just kicked her out, but since she helped with the demons, it felt wrong to tell her to go stay at an inn after all that, so I was sort of coerced into it.
“For now, lie down on the bed.”
“Huh!? Rolando-kyun, it’s still daytime! Don’t suddenly get so bold…”
“…What in the world are you talking about?”
I simply told her to rest on the bed after passing out and being carried to the bedroom. There are absolutely no ulterior motives.
Yet somehow this empty-headed girl has misunderstood something, as she starts blushing and fidgeting bashfully as if embarrassed. It’s extremely disgusting.
Due to her beauty, others would probably find those gestures charming, but for someone who knows her true nature, her movements are so unnatural it makes you want to retort “What kind of joke is this?”
“Never mind, just rest today. You must be tired too… Good work today.”
“Don’t look at me with such pity! I’m starting to feel like a miserable person!”
“To think a lack of self-awareness leads to such cruel results…”
“What is this? What a complicated feeling… to not be convinced even when told the facts…”
With a furrowed brow, Nagartinya makes a conflicted expression in response to my words. As she says, I haven’t told her anything untrue. But whether or not she can accept that is an entirely separate issue.
Suppose you call someone fat to their face, saying “Hey, you fat bastard!” And when asked if it wouldn’t bother them to be called that by someone else, even if they’re aware they’re fat, there would probably still be some reaction, whether hurt, anger, or not being convinced. Her feelings now are probably similar.
“Anyway, I’m heading back to the venue. I’ve kept the guests waiting.”
“Rolando-kyun.”
After seeing her sit on the bed, I turn on my heel to return to the tea party venue, but Nagartinya grabs my clothes to stop me. When I turn around wondering what’s up, she beams innocently and starts talking in an orderly fashion.
“At the tea party today, you might have almost been forced into an engagement with someone, right?”
“I guess so.”
“But by me butting in then, that talk was dropped, right?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Then doesn’t that mean you owe me a reward for that?”
“…”
Just when I wondered what she would say, she started talking about compensation for making that engagement talk come to nothing. Utterly shameless.
You’re supposed to have the other person say that, not say it yourself. Taking the initiative to demand something is going too far. Though in this case, it’s as she says – if I had been handling it alone, I might have ended up engaged to someone.
Loathe as I am to admit it, since I do owe her for the demon business, it might be necessary to treat this as an operating expense and grant her wish.
“What do you want? I’ll listen at least.”
“…A kiss.”
“Hah…?”
As Nagartinya makes another foolish declaration, I feel my brow furrowing. I approach her menacingly with hunched shoulders and raise my right hand. Sensing I’m about to hit her, she tightly shuts her eyes and braces for impact. Not missing that opening, I place my right and left hands on her shoulders, and―
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Nagartinya’s Side ~
I feel Rolando-kyun carrying me in his arms as I regain consciousness. Could this be the legendary princess carry!? I start fantasizing in my head.
His nice scent like the sun in close proximity tickles my nasal cavity. Ah, what a wonderful fragrance, I unconsciously feel my body heating up.
Feeling as if all my senses are focused on touch, Rolando-kyun suddenly calls out to me.
“Hey, time to wake up already.”
“…”
I was determined to pretend to be asleep, but had to give up on that plan when it seemed I would be slammed into the floor. After he puts me down, we arrive at the room I’m borrowing. Seeing me sitting on the bed, Rolando-kyun is about to leave the room, but I grab his clothes to stop him.
Then, as usual, I spout some nonsense to mess with Rolando-kyun. While annoyed, he approaches menacingly with hunched shoulders as usual, making me nervous inside. But suddenly he raises his right hand. Thinking he’s about to hit me, I shut my eyes and brace for impact, when an unexpected sensation assaults me.
(Huh, what is this feeling?)
The first thing I felt were hands placed on both my shoulders. I immediately realized it was Rolando-kyun putting his hands on my shoulders. But the problem was what happened next.
Normally this is when a headbutt or iron claw would explode, but instead of that, I felt a soft sensation on my left cheek. It was warm, and a little wet, but not disgusting at all; it was a very comfortable sensation.
After feeling that for a few seconds, it was suddenly gone. While basking in the lingering feeling, part regret that it didn’t last longer, part wishing I could have felt it more, I slowly opened my eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After quickly pulling my lips from Nagartinya’s cheek, I snort at her standing there stunned, unable to comprehend the situation.
“Hmph, stupid.”
Leaving the still dazed her, I exit the room. The moment I close the door behind me, an ear-splitting yell echoes through the manor.
“Rolando-kyuuuuuuunnnnn!!!”
“What an idiot.”
I immediately return to the room. Inside, she’s singing a song I feel like I’ve heard before.
“My first kiss – a kiss with you―”
“I! Will! Give you! All my love!”
“Hogerababu!”
Finding her silly song annoying, I give her a full-force slap timed to match the next lyrics. Of course, not wanting to break any furniture, I put up a barrier around the room for defense before slapping her.
Inside the barrier, Nagartinya bounces around wildly like a pinball. Once she lost momentum and landed on the bed with her eyes rolled back, literally falling asleep, I finally left the room for good.
“…”
“…”
I’m walking down an empty hallway, carrying the unmoving Nagartinya in my arms with her eyes closed. This is the result of me knocking her out with a Mongolian Chop into a Choke Sleeper. She’s been out for a while now, so I should say something to her.
“Hey, time to wake up already.”
“…”
I say this to her as she still feigns unconsciousness with closed eyes. There are two main reasons I know she’s just pretending to be passed out. One is the unnaturally high body temperature I feel from where I’m touching her – if she was really unconscious, her temperature wouldn’t be this high. The other is that she’s not moving.
While one would think it’s natural for an unconscious person not to move, there would still be some fidgeting or moaning. She’s exhibiting none of that, so I concluded she’s awake and just pretending to be out cold.
“I’ll count to three, if you don’t wake up by then, I’m dropping you on the floor. One, two, thre―”
“Wah! Wah! Okay, I’m awake, so stop that!”
“…I knew you were awake.”
“Ehh, you saw through it!?”
I had my reasons, but it wasn’t definitive proof. Maybe she just naturally has a high body temperature, and some people don’t fidget or moan at all when passed out.
But given her usual behavior and obsession with me, there’s no way she would miss this chance for one of the delusional scenarios she’s always imagining in her head to play out. That’s why I concluded she must be feigning unconsciousness.
“Walk on your own feet from here.”
“Ehh, after bringing me this far, carry me all the way to the bedroom.”
“One, two, thre―”
“Wahh! Okay, okay, I’ll walk myself, so stop!”
As she starts reluctantly walking on her own, I guide her to the room she’s been staying in.
Ever since coming back to the royal capital, she obstinately refused to stay at an inn, insisting “I’m staying at Rolando-kyun’s manor!” Unable to refuse outright due to owing her for the demon business, she ended up partially strong-arming me into letting her stay here.
I should have just kicked her out, but since she helped with the demons, it felt wrong to tell her to go stay at an inn after all that, so I was sort of coerced into it.
“For now, lie down on the bed.”
“Huh!? Rolando-kyun, it’s still daytime! Don’t suddenly get so bold…”
“…What in the world are you talking about?”
I simply told her to rest on the bed after passing out and being carried to the bedroom. There are absolutely no ulterior motives.
Yet somehow this empty-headed girl has misunderstood something, as she starts blushing and fidgeting bashfully as if embarrassed. It’s extremely disgusting.
Due to her beauty, others would probably find those gestures charming, but for someone who knows her true nature, her movements are so unnatural it makes you want to retort “What kind of joke is this?”
“Never mind, just rest today. You must be tired too… Good work today.”
“Don’t look at me with such pity! I’m starting to feel like a miserable person!”
“To think a lack of self-awareness leads to such cruel results…”
“What is this? What a complicated feeling… to not be convinced even when told the facts…”
With a furrowed brow, Nagartinya makes a conflicted expression in response to my words. As she says, I haven’t told her anything untrue. But whether or not she can accept that is an entirely separate issue.
Suppose you call someone fat to their face, saying “Hey, you fat bastard!” And when asked if it wouldn’t bother them to be called that by someone else, even if they’re aware they’re fat, there would probably still be some reaction, whether hurt, anger, or not being convinced. Her feelings now are probably similar.
“Anyway, I’m heading back to the venue. I’ve kept the guests waiting.”
“Rolando-kyun.”
After seeing her sit on the bed, I turn on my heel to return to the tea party venue, but Nagartinya grabs my clothes to stop me. When I turn around wondering what’s up, she beams innocently and starts talking in an orderly fashion.
“At the tea party today, you might have almost been forced into an engagement with someone, right?”
“I guess so.”
“But by me butting in then, that talk was dropped, right?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Then doesn’t that mean you owe me a reward for that?”
“…”
Just when I wondered what she would say, she started talking about compensation for making that engagement talk come to nothing. Utterly shameless.
You’re supposed to have the other person say that, not say it yourself. Taking the initiative to demand something is going too far. Though in this case, it’s as she says – if I had been handling it alone, I might have ended up engaged to someone.
Loathe as I am to admit it, since I do owe her for the demon business, it might be necessary to treat this as an operating expense and grant her wish.
“What do you want? I’ll listen at least.”
“…A kiss.”
“Hah…?”
As Nagartinya makes another foolish declaration, I feel my brow furrowing. I approach her menacingly with hunched shoulders and raise my right hand. Sensing I’m about to hit her, she tightly shuts her eyes and braces for impact. Not missing that opening, I place my right and left hands on her shoulders, and―
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Nagartinya’s Side ~
I feel Rolando-kyun carrying me in his arms as I regain consciousness. Could this be the legendary princess carry!? I start fantasizing in my head.
His nice scent like the sun in close proximity tickles my nasal cavity. Ah, what a wonderful fragrance, I unconsciously feel my body heating up.
Feeling as if all my senses are focused on touch, Rolando-kyun suddenly calls out to me.
“Hey, time to wake up already.”
“…”
I was determined to pretend to be asleep, but had to give up on that plan when it seemed I would be slammed into the floor. After he puts me down, we arrive at the room I’m borrowing. Seeing me sitting on the bed, Rolando-kyun is about to leave the room, but I grab his clothes to stop him.
Then, as usual, I spout some nonsense to mess with Rolando-kyun. While annoyed, he approaches menacingly with hunched shoulders as usual, making me nervous inside. But suddenly he raises his right hand. Thinking he’s about to hit me, I shut my eyes and brace for impact, when an unexpected sensation assaults me.
(Huh, what is this feeling?)
The first thing I felt were hands placed on both my shoulders. I immediately realized it was Rolando-kyun putting his hands on my shoulders. But the problem was what happened next.
Normally this is when a headbutt or iron claw would explode, but instead of that, I felt a soft sensation on my left cheek. It was warm, and a little wet, but not disgusting at all; it was a very comfortable sensation.
After feeling that for a few seconds, it was suddenly gone. While basking in the lingering feeling, part regret that it didn’t last longer, part wishing I could have felt it more, I slowly opened my eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After quickly pulling my lips from Nagartinya’s cheek, I snort at her standing there stunned, unable to comprehend the situation.
“Hmph, stupid.”
Leaving the still dazed her, I exit the room. The moment I close the door behind me, an ear-splitting yell echoes through the manor.
“Rolando-kyuuuuuuunnnnn!!!”
“What an idiot.”
I immediately return to the room. Inside, she’s singing a song I feel like I’ve heard before.
“My first kiss – a kiss with you―”
“I! Will! Give you! All my love!”
“Hogerababu!”
Finding her silly song annoying, I give her a full-force slap timed to match the next lyrics. Of course, not wanting to break any furniture, I put up a barrier around the room for defense before slapping her.
Inside the barrier, Nagartinya bounces around wildly like a pinball. Once she lost momentum and landed on the bed with her eyes rolled back, literally falling asleep, I finally left the room for good.
