"That was a really nice bath~"
Snow comes out of the bathroom with a happy face.
"That was a long time though."
"Well, it felt so good!"
Of course, Snow, who had taken the first bath (not that I particularly cared about being the first to bathe), had spent around an hour and a half enjoying the bath.
She was wearing the tracksuit I had prepared for her, but it was obviously too big for her. It's only natural, since there's more than a 10-centimeter difference in height between us.
The cuffs of her pants were rolled up, but her sleeves were left as they were, possibly because it was difficult to fold them with one hand, or maybe she didn't care—either way, they were hanging loosely, making it look like cute "moe sleeves."
The situation of an incredibly beautiful girl wearing my tracksuit and being in my room... Honestly, the fact that she had been in my bath naked in the first place was already enough to make me feel like my brain was going to short-circuit. For someone who had never had any kind of relationship experience, this was all too much of a stimulus.
However, no event occurred afterward to relieve the tension, and soon it was bedtime.
That's when a problem arose.
Since it was a one-room apartment, of course, there was only one bed.
"I'll sleep on the floor. You should take the bed, Snow."
I secretly wished she would suggest that we sleep in the bed together, but she responded with an entirely neutral "Oh, okay. Thanks," which completely crushed my hopes.
Still, since it was something I had suggested, I couldn't do anything about it, and with a sense of regret, I lay down on the floor and tried to sleep.
The next morning, little did I know that an unexpected event was about to unfold.
"My body feels completely stiff…"
Sleeping on the floor left me sore all over.
Today, I'm definitely buying a futon, no question about it.
From the bathroom, I could hear the sound of a hair dryer.
Snow was getting ready.
Today, we were going to the Dungeon Management Bureau.
I had an interview scheduled as well, but I'd need to cancel it at some point...
I never thought I'd end up canceling something on the same day. It feels so rude to do that, but there's nothing I can do.
Still, even though I wasn't exactly excited, I couldn't deny the feeling of anticipation.
No matter what my original motivation had been—I wanted to be an adventurer.
I had been actively training my body and learning various things for that reason.
In the end, I wasn't able to become an adventurer due to a lack of aptitude, but now that the opportunity had unexpectedly opened up again—well, I'm a guy, so I couldn't help but feel excited.
By the way, what I was doing at the moment was making breakfast.
I was toasting bread in the frying pan, but it's tricky. If you don't get the heat just right, it'll burn, so it's a bit tricky.
However, it toasts more evenly than a toaster, so I'd recommend it.
As long as you keep an eye on it, you probably won't fail too badly.
Once the bread was done, I moved it to a plate and started making fried eggs.
After cracking the eggs and waiting for a bit, I added a small amount of water and covered the pan, steaming them until they were just right.
While waiting for the eggs to cook, I took out six frozen sausages to fry them.
In the end, a classic breakfast was ready—toast, fried eggs, and sausages.
Not long after, Snow came back into the room as I was setting the food and coffee on the table.
She glanced at the meal, her eyes sparkling like a young girl's.
"It looks so good. I've always admired breakfasts like this."
I guess when she was floating around, she could see things like this but couldn't eat them.
This kind of breakfast is fairly typical, so she must have seen it many times, but never had the chance to eat it.
"Glad you like it."
"…Um."
Snow, sitting across from me, suddenly spoke up, looking down apologetically.
"I'm sorry for having you do so much for me, like cooking dinner yesterday and breakfast today."
"It's fine. I don't mind cooking," I replied.
Besides, cooking for someone else was a new experience for me, and it felt fresh.
Then, Snow's gaze turned to something on the table. I followed her gaze and saw the iced coffee I had just made. Although, to be honest, it wasn't freshly brewed; it was just instant coffee.
"What's up?"
"I've never had coffee before, but I know it's bitter."
"Ah, I see. I've got some milk though. It'll make it taste a little better if you add some."
"…No, I'll try it as it is. After all, everything is worth trying."
She probably wasn't a fan of bitter things.
With a somewhat nervous expression, Snow picked up the coffee cup.
"…Here I go."
It was a lot more tense than when she went to the golem boss's room yesterday. Snow carefully took a sip of the coffee.
"So? Want to add milk now?"
"…No, I'm actually okay. It's kind of… good, actually?"
"Oh, so you like it?"
"Yeah, I don't mind it. It's not bad at all."
"Great! So, it's not that you dislike it."
We continued eating in peace, and since I finished before Snow, I idly waited for her to finish her meal. But…
"Mm… ha…"
Snow's expression suddenly seemed off.
She looked like she was in pain, or…
Wait, was it… a little seductive?
…No, no, no. What am I thinking? Why am I even having these thoughts right now?
I forced myself to push those thoughts aside, but in the meantime, Snow finished her meal and then drained the last of her coffee, which still had about half left.
"…!"
The coffee cup was placed with a sharp clink, and Snow nearly collapsed onto the table, looking utterly drained.
"Snow!?"
I rushed to support her, feeling the soft, warm sensation of her body and the faintly elevated temperature of her skin…
And her eyes were moist and clear..
"...Snow?"
Her condition wasn't normal.
"Yūma…"
Snow suddenly hugged me.
Snow.
Hugged.
Me.
I was so stunned I completely froze.
She was wearing my tracksuit, but it felt so much softer than usual.
And the soft sensation on my arm… there was no doubt what that was…
Wait, calm down. I have to stay composed. I am a man of steel.
A few dozen minutes later.
"..."
"..."
An excruciating silence hung between Snow and me. I couldn't take it anymore, so I quickly dropped to my knees.
"I'm so sorry!!"
After that, Snow kept sweetly clinging to me like a cat on catnip, calling my name in a soft, intoxicating voice.
If I were a normal guy, I would have lost control by now.
But I held back.
I resisted the urge to push her down.
But… maybe I accidentally groped her breast?
Okay, I definitely did.
So I had to apologize.
With all my heart, I pressed my forehead to the floor.
If there were a "Pro at Apologizing" test, I'm pretty sure I'd get an A+ for that one.
Snow, after a long pause, spoke up again.
"...Raise your head. I... well, I lost control a little too, you know? It's not like I blame you."
Honestly, I was fully prepared to be turned into an ice statue and sent to the museum, but Snow was surprisingly lenient with me.
"...What the heck happened?"
"You can stop with the formal speech. I think… it's probably related to the other method of increasing your magic I mentioned yesterday."
"The other method?"
Right, she did mention something like that.
"There's a strong magical connection between a spirit and their summoner. That connection can become stronger or weaker depending on each other's emotions. It's kind of like muscle training—when the bond grows stronger, your magic will increase along with it."
"Emotions…?"
"Yeah, like when you get closer or… well, when you're affectionate. Especially when you, you know… physically get close to each other."
Affectionate…? Well, considering what just happened, I guess that fits.
Snow blushed and continued, looking embarrassed.
"That's probably what triggered it. Earlier, I just couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly affectionate toward you."
"O-Oh…"
"What's with that reaction?"
"Well… uh, thank you?"
Snow didn't comment on my awkward response, which was a bit harsh, honestly.
"That was just an accident. Don't worry about it too much. The trigger was probably the coffee."
"The coffee?"
"Yeah. After drinking it, your behavior changed. I think that's the trigger—something that makes it easier for spirits and their summoners to be affectionate. It's probably linked to something consumed regularly."
"…I see."
So, just like some people get affectionate when they're drunk, Snow gets clingy after drinking coffee.
That's my guess, anyway.
Well, at least now I know I should always keep some instant coffee around.