Chapter 20 – The Alchemist’s Worries

Ŕｅa&d; o&n; K̂at‌R̈​ｅaԁi&n;​gＣａ&f;e​

“Umm… disciple… no, Asha.” 

“…Yes.” 

“First of all… I want you to understand that everything was done for therapeutic purposes.” 

“…”

Seeing someone you trusted swaying their hips above you… visually, it might have been excellent, but there’s the situation and feelings to consider, you know? Or should I be grateful that it was my master rather than someone else…?

Either way, my feelings were in disarray.

The climaxes I remember… aren’t that many. From when I regained my senses until my body cooled down… two or three times? Yet seeing how limp my body is, I must have reached climax more times than I can imagine.

Perhaps it’s better that I don’t remember… Well, not that I don’t remember, but the memories are hazy. When I let out a deep sigh, my master flinched.

At that sight, I felt a bitter feeling and at the same time, strangely pleased, so I shook my head. I saw my master carefully opening her mouth.

“Well… Asha, for now… even if we don’t make separate bedrooms, it would be better to use separate beds.” 

“…I don’t have money.” 

“You brat! Even after experiencing such a thing—”

My master saw Cecile smiling and lowered her voice. “Cecile….” 

“Yes, Asha!” 

“Do you remember the potion recipe I wrote for you last time?” 

“Yes! I remember!” 

“Then could you make one for me?” 

“Understood!”

Cecile, who answered energetically, jumped off the chair. Then she ran toward the workshop. After making sure her footsteps had completely disappeared, I turned my gaze to my master.

“…Honestly, I think this time it was more because you hugged me in your sleep. Wait a minute though. Didn’t you clearly tell me you didn’t have anything attached down there!?”

Suddenly, my anger rose in gradation. Recalling the hard rod that had been pressing against my lower abdomen, I felt like that area was aching.

My master’s face turned red. Her appearance, like a woman in front of her beloved, made me shudder.

“…It might sound like an excuse, but I have something to say. That homunculus… Cecile, was it? It seems that if you consume her fluid… something grows.” 

“…What?” 

“You didn’t know? Well, with your personality, you probably wouldn’t have thought to feed it to others. But why did you hide that her fluid has an aph… arousing effect when consumed?” 

“…It’s embarrassing.” 

“…”

Perhaps recalling her hip-swaying, she covered her face. More than that, I never would have imagined that Cecile’s fluid would have such an effect. Is my condition related to what’s attached to Cecile? I’m still not sure.

“Anyway, yesterday… it seems I ended up like that because you hugged me and poked me repeatedly. Until then, sleeping together hadn’t been a problem.” 

“…Yes, that’s probably what happened.”

Muttering that it was hot, she cooled her face with a hand fan. “Still, just to be safe, wouldn’t it be better to buy another bed?” 

“…”

For a moment, I calculated the cost of a bed in my head. Before I could reach a conclusion, I heard a tsk. “I’ll buy it for you—”

At that moment, my calculation was complete. “How many should we buy? Should we make a guest room while we’re at it?” 

“…Just buy one. I can hear the sound of coins rolling in your head from here.”

My master, who flicked my forehead as I was lost in thought about what to buy, spoke in a serious voice. “Let’s stop this conversation and talk more about your body.” 

“Have you discovered something?” 

“How could I? What did I do… rather, I saw a possibility, that’s more accurate.” 

“Is it because of what you grew…” 

“…I said let’s stop this conversation, but since it’s all related, I can’t avoid it.”

I felt the urge to ask if it felt good, but I had enough tact not to. “It seems that researching that child, Cecile’s fluid, might show a breakthrough.” 

“You mean…”

With an embarrassed face, she scratched her cheek. “We need to collect more fluid. As much as possible.” 

“How much?” 

“Well… I’ll have to take it back with me first, so the more, the better.” 

“You’re leaving?” 

“Why? Will you miss me?” 

“Not really…” 

“At least lie and say you will!” 

“This disciple is too sad to part with her master…”

My master looked at me with cold eyes. Now she looked more like the master I knew. With an awkward smile, I opened my mouth.

“That joke went too far. When do you plan to leave?” 

“…Originally, I intended to stay here, but… I think I’ll need my tools. The ones you have…” 

“Are tools focused on efficiency.” 

“…I call them cheap.” 

“I use them just fine.” 

“You keep talking back… perhaps we need more master-disciple dialogue?” 

“We had plenty yesterday…”

In the end, I got a tap on the head from my master. From afar, I heard someone inhaling. It was Cecile.

“Ah, Asha’s master is hitting Asha… W-what should Cecile do?” 

“…”

My master backed away with a surprised face. I was also slightly taken aback, but calmly called Cecile. “Cecile. This isn’t what you’re thinking.”

Cecile, who came running with a mint-colored potion, tilted her head. When I extended my hand, she handed me the potion. “It’s not?” 

“Yes… how should I explain it? Ah.”

After checking the color and concentration of the potion, I stroked Cecile’s head as a compliment. Of course, this time too, it was a perfect potion. “It’s similar to how I stroke Cecile’s head.” 

“Is that so?” 

“Hmm… yes, right?” 

“Then does Asha feel good when her head is hit?” 

“Yes…?” 

“Cecile feels good when Asha strokes her head. Does Asha feel good when her head is hit?”

“Pfft…”

I saw my master’s face contort as she tried to hold back laughter. For now, Cecile was the priority. “N-no, that’s not it… it’s like a light expression of affection.” 

“Expression of affection?” 

“Yes. Like a sign of fondness.”

Leaving Cecile lost in thought, I brought the potion to my lips. The scent of mint rose. I swallowed the potion, which tasted somewhat like mint chocolate, in one go.

“By the way, the fact that you taught her that potion recipe… does it mean there were similar incidents?” 

“…There were circumstances. In the end… it could be seen as beneficial.” 

“…I worry about you. I’m afraid you might be swayed by money and do strange things with some weirdo.” …It was a woman, not a man.

“No matter how much I love money, I wouldn’t do such things. I’ve been thinking about returning to my original form quickly.”

After glaring once at my master, who was still looking at me with suspicious eyes, I placed the completely emptied potion bottle on the table. Cecile, still contemplating something, was visible.

“Cecile, what are you thinking about so hard?” 

“Ah. Asha.” 

“Yes.”

“Well… I also want to express affection to Asha. So I was wondering whether stroking your head or hitting it would be better.” 

“…I’m glad you thought about it first.” 

“Which would be better? Should I hit your head like your master?” 

“Ah, no, I think just expressing it verbally is fine….” 

“But Cecile… wants to do it too.” 

“If I had to choose between the two, it would be stroking, but—”

Before I could finish speaking, Cecile smiled broadly and began stroking my head. Warm fingers tousled my pink hair this way and that. It was a gentle touch. Somehow… It wasn’t bad.

Inwardly shaking my head, I gently grasped Cecile’s hand. I felt like my cheeks might be getting a little hot. “Um… Cecile?” 

“Yes, Asha.” Her bright, innocent eyes looking at me as if asking what the problem was made it awkward to say what I had prepared. 

“…Don’t do this carelessly to other people. Understand?” 

“Of course! Cecile will never do this to anyone except Asha!”

I felt a somewhat subtle feeling. A giggling sound was heard from the side. My master also reached out and began stroking my head. Not to be outdone, Cecile stroked my head too.

“I’ve seen all sorts of things in my life. My disciple was weak to this type, huh?” 

“…” 

“Both Cecile and Asha’s master like Asha!”

The two were getting along perfectly. “That’s right, that’s right. By the way, child, how long are you going to call me ‘Asha’s master’?” 

“Isn’t Asha’s master, Asha’s master?” 

“Come to think of it, I haven’t told you my name. Call me Lady Ariel.” 

“Yes! Lady Ariel! Somehow, it seems similar to Asha!” 

“Now that you mention it, it does.”

I muttered, unable to endure anymore, but it was of no use. “…Both of you, please stop.” 

“Why are you being shy? Come, child. Let’s stroke Asha more.” 

“Is that… okay?” 

“Yesterday… ahem. Didn’t Asha get better because you followed my words? It’s fine.” 

“Indeed, Asha’s master… no, Lady Ariel is right!”

…The stroking from the two continued until a signal came that someone had arrived at the workshop. It happened to be a nobleman’s underling coming to receive an aphrodisiac. He looked slightly familiar. When told that Astarote Asha wasn’t there, he tried to take advantage, but he didn’t stand a chance.

It felt good to charge him to the maximum out of indignation and send him away. Now that I’ve started selling aphrodisiacs, if I also sell breast enlargement pills soon… just imagining it made me smile.

My master looked at me with a contemptuous expression, but. If I like it… what can she do?

By the way, what kind of bed should I buy? Since my master said she’d buy it, the budget is free. A soft one would be good, right?

KatTL