A Face Contemplating Profit While Observing Profit

My senses returned to my mind, which had gone blank from excessive pleasure, when the Hideout was in sight.

I seemed to be carried on Master’s back. It felt warm yet slightly damp.

As her water-colored hair brushed against my face, it tickled a little.

My body felt colder than I expected, shivering slightly. When I sneezed softly, Master’s voice was heard.

“…Are you awake?”

After hesitating for a moment, I replied.

“…Yes.”

“Shall I put you down…?”

At Master’s words, I checked my body’s condition.

My body itself seemed better than I thought, perhaps because it was held by the vines.

The problem was… internally.

My lower abdomen was still trembling slightly, and perhaps because the vines had been pulled out, my lower body was very stiff.

“…No.”

“Alright.”

After that exchange, an awkward silence fell for a moment. It felt incredibly difficult to say anything else.

…That’s natural, I suppose.

From my perspective, whatever the reason, I had begged Master.

From Master’s perspective, even if I had wanted it, she had… violated me of her own will.

Compared to what happened last time, which was unavoidable, the feeling was naturally a little… no, very different.

Unable to say anything, I just mumbled with my mouth, so Master opened her mouth first.

“…So, are you feeling alright? You must be a little cold. You were in the water until a moment ago.”

“Ah….”

Now that she mentioned it, my sticky body was clean.

“…Thank you. I’m fine, except for being a little cold.”

“Hmm.”

Master shifted me to a more comfortable position.

By the way, her strength… is better than I thought. Or am I just too light?

…It could be both.

My mouth tasted bitter.

Still, I should apologize for what I need to apologize for.

“Um, Master.”

“Disciple.”

Our words overlapped as if we had planned it.

“…You go first.”

“Alright.”

Master, who let out a chuckle, spoke in a serious voice.

“…I’m sorry about this incident. I made you go through something you didn’t have to. I should have anticipated you would follow… It’s my fault.”

…What does she have to be sorry for?

In the first place… the fundamental cause of this situation was my failed transmutation… no, an accident. If you think about it, my fault is the biggest to blame anyone.

“…No. On the contrary, I’m more sorry. It’s practically because of me.”

“…Even so, I, who couldn’t control myself, also bear responsibility.”

Perhaps because we kept going back and forth, each claiming it was their own fault, the conversation kept running parallel. To the point where I wondered if it would have escalated into a fight if we were in a normal relationship.

So, as a disciple, it’s right for me to speak first.

“Let’s just say we were both at fault… and pretend it never happened. Rather than pretending it never happened… let’s just agree not to blame each other anymore.”

“…Let’s do that.”

It seemed to be settled for now.

Now that I was resting my body on Master’s back, which felt safe, I felt a little relieved.

After going through something like this, to hide my distress, I used to try hard to rationalize it with various excuses.

If I stay like this, I thought accepting my changed body for now… might be more comfortable.

No, it’s because I’m having such weak thoughts that I can’t go back. Steel your resolve, Astarote Asha.

Coming from my Workshop to Master’s Hideout, I went through many things.

I met old friends and also people who were a bit difficult to deal with.

Although I only suffered harsh experiences and seemed to gain nothing special, I did learn one thing for sure.

Judging by the actions of Claire or Master’s vines… that is, the spirits, I learned that the essence of my being has not changed.

You could say it was cross-verified.

…Anyway, no matter how my body has changed.

I am, still me.

If so, it means there’s still hope.

It’s not that I gained absolutely nothing.

So, let’s not get depressed.

When I tightly hugged Master’s neck, I felt relieved after all.

Perhaps because the tension had eased, my eyelids felt heavy. Along with Master’s faintly heard voice, I fell into a deep sleep.

When I opened my eyes, it was morning.

As I blinked my slightly stiff eyelids, I saw pure white skin before my eyes. Skin so white that “pale” would be a more fitting description.

I felt a soft sensation on my face.

Unlike the pale skin, it was warm and cozy, so I unconsciously burrowed deeper.

Like a child seeking warmth.

Along with a soft chuckle, I felt a hand stroking my head.

“Our disciple has completely become a child, it seems.”

“…Master?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Why are we… like this…?”

Even as I said that, I kept seeking out the warm embrace. Was it because I wasn’t fully awake yet?

I don’t know. It just felt good.

“You fell asleep just like that yesterday and held onto my body, not letting go.”

“….”

“Hehe, yes, our young disciple-nim, did you sleep well?”

As I slowly woke up and my mind cleared… a sense of defiance arose for no reason.

“…And you, Master, sound like an old person.”

“…What did you say?”

“It’s not “What did you say?”. I’ve wanted to ask you for a while… Why on earth do you use that way of speaking…?”

Master’s hand, which had been stroking my head, stopped. Her hand seemed to be trembling, albeit subtly.

“This way of speaking… does it make me sound old…?”

“…No, then you didn’t know?”

“Th-th-that’s, no, yes.”

Master seemed shocked and began to stutter like a broken machine.

Good heavens, did she really… not know?

Thinking about it carefully… I realized it made sense. Other than interacting with the old folks of the academic society, I knew she didn’t really meet anyone else privately besides me.

So… if I didn’t tell her, of course… she wouldn’t know. And there would have been no one else to tell her.

But is that really something to be so shocked about?

Had I really never told Master even once?

Well… I don’t really remember.

While I, who had become like a baby, and Master, who had become an old person, were blankly hugging on the bed, the sound of a door opening was heard, followed by the thudding sound of running footsteps.

Soon, something warm tightly hugged my back.

“Cecil wants to join too!”

There was no need to ask who it was, though I didn’t know how she knew to come.

“Child, no, Cecil. You’re always welcome… I say.”

“Master is stuttering!”

“No, th-uh, yeah… that’s.”

Master’s flustered appearance made me burst into laughter. When I chuckled, Cecil also giggled. After chuckling for a while, I spoke to Master, who was silently blushing.

“That’s because you’re suddenly trying to change your way of speaking. But do you need to change it? Well… I did think it was a bit unfitting… but I don’t think you necessarily need to change it.”

Master replied in a gloomy voice.

“…Why didn’t you tell me?”

“…*Cough*, well, you’ve been speaking like that since we first met, haven’t you? I just thought that’s how you normally were… you know.”

“Ugh….”

I was stuck for a moment between Master, who was muttering something, and Cecil, who was clinging tightly to me, before finally managing to get out of bed.

After avoiding the crisis of almost falling back asleep, we all had breakfast together, as if nothing had happened last night.

While Claudia went out to stretch, Veronica, Master, Cecil, and I.

The four of us gathered in the Workshop to discuss what to do next.

Since I hadn’t yet revealed to Claudia that I was Asha, there was nothing we could do about it.

While exchanging the results of our research so far, we brainstormed ways to revert my body. I somehow felt like they were looking at me with strange eyes.

Regardless of that feeling, there were no significant results, as expected.

The only thing that could be called a result was… that Master had figured out the formula for the Stamina Reduction Potion?

…But where would one use that?

I wondered if anyone would buy such a thing.

From my memories of a past life, I remembered seeing a rumor that something called ‘Mastah’ contained such ingredients. It was truly a rumor.

The Stamina Reduction Potion was essentially a chicken rib that no one wanted.

“…Disciple. Are you thinking about making money again?”

“Ah, no. Who would buy that…?”

“So you were.”

“….”

Still, thinking it might be useful somehow, I jotted down the formula.

For example, if Cecil suddenly gets an erection, we could control it with that… Couldn’t it be used in such a way?

“By the way, does it have any other side effects?”

“When I experimented on my own body, there weren’t any others besides that, there weren’t.”

Veronica, who was listening, also chimed in with Master’s words.

“There don’t seem to be any ingredients that would cause problems?”

“Right?”

Keeping its use in my mind, I continued the conversation.

Oh, and… there was something I needed to confirm. Something I should have asked yesterday, but forgot due to the chaos.

I needed to confirm if it was Master who had spread Cecil’s essence in the Capital. Just in case it was made elsewhere. 

If that were the case, I would have to go find that place.

Without Cecil noticing, I subtly asked Master.

As Veronica had indeed speculated, it was true that Master had secretly spread it.

Rather than spreading it for free, it was more effective to attach a reasonable price, so she charged for it.

Since the effects were already as good as verified, there were no particular problems, she said.

I couldn’t help but be a little surprised by the story that all the gifts she sent me last time were money from selling that.

…Cecil’s essence can make money, huh.

“Considering the amount distributed, it must be running out soon. We’ve obtained enough data, so it’s fine, but.”

Glancing at Cecil, I swallowed hard, and Master gave me a flick on the forehead.

telling me not to have any foolish thoughts.

While rubbing the spot where Master had flicked me, my eyes met Cecil’s. Cecil immediately smiled brightly at me.

Seeing that face, the face that had promised to help with anything came to mind.

…Wouldn’t it be a little alright?

Until Claudia arrived, that thought kept lingering in my mind.