Ch.158Ghost Mansion (7)

The next day, we woke up early in the morning.

Having passed out after making love the night before, we were all naked.

“Well… I should take care of this before Madoka wakes up.”

We all hastily put on our clothes. It was too provocative a scene for a child to witness.

“Ahh… my back hurts…”

Umi said while rubbing her back. Well, it’s understandable after sleeping on the bare floor.

“You could have just gone to the bed. Or the sofa.”

I clearly warned you, Umi!

“No way. Shota was being so needy… how could I wait?”

Umi said with a coquettish tone. Really… this adorable girl.

“Shota… did you sleep well?”

Eri asked, rubbing her eyes as she got up.

“Yeah, thanks to you.”

I gave Eri a light kiss.

“Hehehe. So, what are we doing today?”

Eri asked.

“Well… after breakfast, I should go to the kendo dojo. Then come back and do some writing.”

That’s what I said.

“Shota is so diligent.”

Taiga stretched as she stood up.

“Well… if I want to make girlfriends like you happy, I need to work hard. What else can I do?”

I said with a smile.

“Hehehe. He’s surprisingly responsible.”

Taiga laughed and gulped down some water.

Just then, Madoka came out rubbing her eyes.

“Big brother. Did you sleep well?”

Madoka asked.

“Yeah. It’s nice. The AC is working great too.”

I replied with a smile.

“Hmph. Right? Much better than your shabby place, isn’t it?”

Madoka said with a grin.

“Shabby place? Say bad things like that and I’ll have to spank you.”

I raised my palm.

Madoka’s face immediately turned red at the sight of my palm. Hmm… I guess it no longer functions as punishment. Madoka enjoyed getting spanked too much.

“Then I’ll deduct points instead.”

Finally, I took drastic measures.

“Big brother!!! I’m sorry!!! I won’t say bad things again!!”

Madoka immediately burst into tears and clung to me. Hehehe. That’s more like it.

“Then shall we make breakfast?”

Umi seemed determined to seize the opportunity. Yes, Umi was eyeing the position of official wife.

“Mmm…..”

Tina finally opened her eyes.

“Tina. Time to get up.”

I said as I approached her.

“I’m… cursed to only wake up with a hero’s kiss.”

Tina said.

“Can’t be helped then.”

I immediately kissed Tina.

After a sincere kiss, Tina finally opened her eyes.

“Revived!!”

Tina exclaimed energetically.

“Oh, but we can’t make food here. There are… no ingredients.”

Tina said.

“Really? There must be something in the refrigerator.”

I said as I opened the fridge.

But there really was nothing in the refrigerator. There were some snacks like pudding that Madoka ate in the front.

And deeper inside… there were only training foods including protein supplements. The only solid food was protein bars. They claimed to be meal replacements.

“Hey, this is a bit…..”

Must be Tina’s training food.

“Well… I only have training food…”

Tina smiled and scratched her head.

“Can’t be helped. I’ll go buy something.”

That’s what I said.

“……….”

However, no one responded. Umi, Eri, and Taiga’s gazes were fixed on Tina’s superior physique. She had volume, but also perfect 11-line abs on her stomach. Her beautifully toned leg lines and slender yet muscular arms were a bonus.

Yes, she definitely had that women’s wannabe feel. But… Umi, Eri, and Taiga all had beautiful figures too.

“Maybe… we should eat diet food too?”

Umi suggested.

These girls… they were inspired by Tina.

“It’s not diet food!! It’s training food!! They’re different!!”

Tina, as an athlete, couldn’t help but object.

“Y-yes, let’s do that. I’ve been eating too much lately and gaining weight.”

Eri immediately agreed with Umi.

“I-I’m not eating it for dieting! I’m just curious because I’ve never tried it before!”

Taiga immediately got angry. Isn’t it obviously for dieting? I wanted to point that out, but I held back. Good job restraining myself.

“Sure. But it won’t feel like you’ve eaten anything…”

I warned them before opening my laptop. I planned to write a bit before going to the kendo dojo.

“But nowadays, training foods are made with taste in mind too.”

Tina immediately brought protein bars and mixed protein shakes.

“Do I have to eat it too?”

Madoka looked upset.

“Protein is good for women. It helps your breasts grow too.”

Tina immediately hit on what Madoka wanted.

“I’ll eat it!”

Madoka responded right away.

“Thank you for the meal.”

I said before biting into a nutrition bar.

“……….”

Silence fell for a moment.

“…..It doesn’t feel like I’m eating anything.”

Umi commented. Everyone agreed as they chewed on the dry, crumbly nutrition bars. It felt like human animal feed.

“Ah. I agree.”

Eri also sipped her protein shake as if her throat was parched.

While eating what felt like fodder, I wrote a chapter. I planned to continue my routine of writing three chapters today.

———-

Afterward, Umi and I headed straight to the kendo dojo.

“That’s it!! Use your waist strength!!”

I trained with Gonzaemon as usual.

Perhaps because my skills had improved lately, Gonzaemon continued free sparring with me relentlessly. It felt like an endless loop of free sparring. I definitely felt my practical experience and skills improving rapidly, but the fatigue was much greater.

The mental fatigue was greater than when practicing basics. Gonzaemon was such a formidable opponent that it broke my spirit… just kidding, I was actually desperate to score even one point against him.

“Uryaaaah!!!!”

I immediately activated the Blazing Stance and moved to Gonzaemon’s side.

This was my chance. Gonzaemon’s waist was quite vulnerable now.

“Oh!! Not bad!!! That’s it!”

Gonzaemon grinned.

“Master!!!! Stop being so slippery and let me score once!!”

I shouted as I swung my shinai.

However, Gonzaemon was not one to be taken lightly.

Swish-!

Gonzaemon’s legs were also enveloped in heat.

“Ha!!!!”

Gonzaemon leaped high into the air.

Pat-!!!

I could tell from the sound that Gonzaemon had kicked off the ceiling.

But I couldn’t see anything else. Only a red flash filled my vision.

“Shit…!”

I cursed involuntarily.

“Head!!!”

Utilizing the jumping power from kicking off the ceiling, Gonzaemon struck my head.

And so, I was cleanly defeated. The upset I was hoping for didn’t happen.

“Ah, that was close! My disciple!!”

Gonzaemon said with a smile.

“But you’ve definitely improved!! You can now use Kiryu Second skillfully!! It’s quite difficult to use it on just parts of your body!”

Gonzaemon said.

“I practiced hard. Ahaha.”

I laughed.

“Hmm… but you don’t seem to be training anywhere outside this dojo…”

Gonzaemon seemed slightly suspicious about that point.

This guy… he’s sharp in the strangest ways. I couldn’t tell him about the shadow world or the dream dungeons.

“Argh! Anyway, it’s frustrating!!”

I quickly changed the subject.

But I really was frustrated. The goal seemed within reach.

“Shota. Wipe your sweat.”

Just then, Umi carefully wiped my face with a handkerchief. Ah… my anger subsided.

“Hehehe. Shota’s sweat from June 15th…”

Umi put the sweat-soaked handkerchief in a sealed bag and wrote the date with a marker. Our cute Umi no longer even tried to hide her creepiness.

Ding-!

But there was progress. My overall swordsmanship proficiency had increased slightly. Sparring with Gonzaemon was indeed efficient.

“Let’s take a break now.”

Just then, Umi spoke.

“Eh? More training…”

Gonzaemon seemed quite disappointed.

“Honey.”

Ms. Asuna immediately dragged away the training-obsessed Gonzaemon.

I spent a happy time fooling around with Umi while taking a shower. Afterward, we returned straight to our hideout.

It was a normal day… but something felt off.

“Feels like I’m forgetting something…”

I muttered.

“What did you forget?”

Umi looked at me and tilted her head.

“Ah. Men tend to forget things when they see beautiful women. Must be because I’m looking at you.”

I said, looking at Umi.

“Shota!!! I love you!!”

Umi immediately threw herself at me.

“Me too.”

I smiled and stroked Umi’s hair.

Well, it probably wasn’t important. That’s what I convinced myself.

——

At that time. In a studio apartment near Emoshita.

“Seriously… being left on read for over 12 hours… that’s ridiculous.”

Mika angrily threw her phone. Of course, she didn’t slam it on the floor. It was the latest model after all.

Mika had gathered her courage and sent a message to Shota.

She had thought about it carefully.

‘Without showing too much interest… start with work talk. Yes.’

That was her strategy.

Shota had said she could contact him anytime about novel-related matters.

‘Hey. Is your writing going well?’

She sent such a casual message, but there was no reply.

“But it shows he read it!! Argh!! So annoying!!”

Mika stomped her feet.

Just then, she received a message from another guy.

‘Mika. You looked upset today. Is something wrong?’

It was a boy from her class who had a crush on her. He seemed to be under the illusion that they had gotten close because they hung out in the same group.

“I don’t need messages from these nobodies!!”

Mika immediately closed her phone. If you know I’m in a bad mood, you should leave me alone. It was too pathetic to try flirting when he saw an opportunity.

She received plenty of messages from guys, but they no longer meant anything to Mika.

‘Well… after experiencing something like that, all other men seem like children…’

Mika muttered.

Mika had experienced something straight out of a manga. Just as she was about to be attacked by monsters, Shota appeared heroically and saved her. Now, every time she closed her eyes, that scene flashed before her.

‘Sh-should I send one more message?’

Soon, Mika was consumed by a forbidden temptation.

‘Hey’

‘Hey. It’s not cool to leave me on read.’

‘Is something urgent?’

‘Is it a woman?’

‘You said you’d be my texting buddy…’

Mika’s messages became increasingly desperate.

“Shota!! I really hate you!!!”

Finally, as her emotions exploded, Mika lay down and covered herself with a blanket.

“Maybe… I should just barge into Shota’s place.”

She could ask the platform’s editorial department for his address anyway.

To suppress this frustrating feeling, Mika immediately took action.

——

At that time, from Shota’s perspective.

“Ah! I remembered what I forgot!!”

I finally realized it while writing my novel.

Mika contacted me yesterday… I read it, but forgot to reply.

But… what’s the big deal? I decided to just continue writing my novel.

Anyway, time passed and night fell.

The long-awaited dungeon exploration began again.