Whipped Cream (2)

Three paper cups were placed on a large table.

“I don’t want to drink this cheap coffee.”

With the lack of manpower, the coffee taste seems lacking too.

“Just drink it.”

“Feed it to me directly.”

“Are you a baby?”

I pondered for a moment.

In front of Erica, I feel like anything would be fine.

“I’m Aureli.”

Erica sighed and turned her head.

At the end of her gaze were crimson eyes.

“Sorry for calling you in from the morning.”

“You know it well!”

Erica glared at me.

I ignored it.

I’m not even part of the Association anyway.

The feeling of going to work at the Association with a tired mind from the morning was really awful.

“The gate progression rate has rapidly increased. It’s a Lander grade.”

The director gestured with his eyes as if telling us to look at the report placed in front. It was the same report I had received discreetly before. A top-tier gate.

“It seemed like it would open around afternoon, but strangely the level suddenly spiked.”

“Has this happened often before?”

The director shook his head.

I sipped the coffee. I’m not particularly interested. Erica will take care of everything anyway.

I thought it was cheap, but it’s more drinkable than I expected.

“Everyone’s out on business trips so we can’t send reinforcements. Will you be alright?”

“I’ll be fine.”

Erica put down her paper cup.

“As long as Aureli doesn’t interfere.”

“Me?”

That’s unfair.

“I have no intention of doing that.”

I faced Erica. During a moment of silence, her eyes shone elegantly.

“Why would I interfere with you fighting evil monsters?”

Erica made a sour expression.

“How thoughtful of you…”

“More importantly, can’t you do it one more time?”

“What?”

“Calling my name.”

There have been few times my name has come out of Erica’s mouth so far. Only when trying to get my attention during hostage situations.

“I’m happy to be called by name after always being addressed as ‘you, you’!”

“I don’t want to.”

That’s too much.

I slumped my body to show I was sad.

“We’ve even mixed our bodies.”

Silence fell.

“What?”

“Don’t you remember? With our bodies pressed tightly together, the teeth marks on your skin…”

My mouth was covered and for a moment I couldn’t breathe.

“Hehe.”

“It’s not like that! It’s not, Director!”

Erica made excuses and hurriedly shuddered. Her eyes trembled severely.

“Mmph!”

I can’t breathe. I wish she’d release this.

“It’s a misunderstanding! It’s not really that kind of act…”

“Puha! No need to be embarrassed. It’s a natural instinct of the species. The act of mixing bodies…”

“Stop! Stop!”

The director let out a weak laugh and put the paper cup to his lips.

Erica looked at me with a dumbfounded face. Her reddened cheeks were a bonus.

It was cute. I wanted to tease her more.

“Please understand, Director. She seems to be still shy about it. About saying it out loud.”

“It’s alright. I’m old enough to know everything. More importantly, we’re working now, so I’d like you to focus.”

“I’m sorry. It’s because of our Erica.”

Erica’s arms drooped. That’s the expression of someone whose world has ended.

“Ugh…! You, you really…!”

A shallow pain arose in my cheek as it was pinched. I stayed still until it was stretched out long.

“Anyway, I’m glad you two are alright with it. Still, it’s a top-tier gate, so I’d like you to be careful.”

“…Yes.”

Erica answered with her head bowed deeply.

A top-tier gate was an easy opportunity to obtain Dracul’s reinforced skin fragments. Because it’s a monster at the top of the food chain, this gate subjugation was a good opportunity.

According to the report, the estimated opening time was noon. So we had to kill time until then.

Placing my head on the office desk due to pressing fatigue, I could see Erica’s side profile.

I just kept looking at her.

“……”

Sensing my gaze, our eyes met before she turned her head again, and suddenly I felt mischievous.

With my head lowered, I whispered.

“Tired Erica.”

“……”

I closed my eyes.

“Sleeping Erica.”

“…What are you doing now.”

I raised my upper body and covered my face with both hands.

“Erica who’s too embarrassed at the thought of being caught committing shameless acts with Aureli twice!”

“Ha.”

When I removed my hands, Erica was holding her forehead with her hand.

“Are you tired by any chance?”

“…Why suddenly?”

I pondered for a moment.

“You look especially so today.”

Erica was silent. It seemed to have hit the mark.

“…I’m fine.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

If she says so, I guess that’s how it is.

“I’m just wondering if a gate can evolve like that without going through the necessary stages.”

Her voice was subdued. It seemed like words she uttered without realizing, as if worried.

To the extent that it didn’t matter even if it was in front of me, who has a different stance from her.

“It’s because of the delegation.”

Erica silently looked at me.

I suddenly stopped thinking and spat out words too.

Perhaps because of that, the sentence wasn’t properly formed.

“It’s probably because of the spirit realm delegation.”

What connects the spirit realm and human realm is also a rift. The current situation is the aftermath of Seran frequently causing rifts with the same origin as gates while sending delegations of three knights to the human realm.

“Every time they come, they tear through space.”

Erica seemed to understand roughly and nodded. She didn’t get angry, nor did she sink into deeper worry.

It was beyond the scope of what a mere ranker of the Association could do.

She seemed to dislike thinking about anything more due to the fatigue pressing on her head. Perhaps that’s why I, who had fallen to the floor, dared to think I wanted to comfort her.

Paradoxically, while lying under her feet.

But that didn’t lead to the self-loathing I usually experienced. If it had, I would have already been pulling my hair and wailing.

It might be the aftermath of achieving goals one by one under the pretext of making her stronger.

If only there wasn’t a chain between her and me, who are in a relationship with a wall between us, I suddenly wanted to place my hand on her head and stroke it. That was my clumsy but best action I could do for her.

But Erica would hate it. It was a bit sad that I couldn’t do that in this situation.

I had no choice but to smile slightly.

Strangely, she didn’t say much.

When it was time and I followed Erica out, the place we arrived at was different from the usual bustling area. In a vast plain without people, the gate was swelling and expanding in size.

“Fighting!”

I sat in the field and spread both arms. She’ll do well, of course.

Monsters howled and popped out. Unlike normal gates where they pour out in droves, they appeared one or two at a time.

Among them were golems and beast-type monsters, but Draculs were also visible.

Magical power surged and the ground split from the beam emitted by a Dracul. Erica immediately took her stance, leaped, and thrust her sword into the monsters’ hearts one after another.

She was visibly stronger. Perhaps due to being a swordsman with high regeneration stats, the results of accepting the magical power accumulated in her body without rejection were apparent.

I couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

Sword strikes rippled and monsters were torn apart and disintegrated. The area was dyed blood-red and the air became murky. In the rising air currents, Erica was easily smashing the monsters charging at her while scattering magical power.

“Well done! Cool! Erica!”

As I watched Erica dealing with the Draculs pouring out while catching her breath, I suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.

It was a roughness different from usual. Her eyes seemed to contain killing intent. At the sight that might momentarily appear merciless, I unknowingly stopped cheering.

So she has this side too.

After several battles that passed in an instant, she seemed to be gradually running out of strength. Well, that’s understandable. She’s facing a top-tier gate alone.

Just in time, Draculs are pouring out, so it’s a good opportunity.

After watching the continuous attack and defense, I kicked off the ground and leaped. I unfurled my wings and glided while taking out my knife. Blood-colored magical power filled the blade and I swung it down at the monsters.

The air tore and a huge rift appeared. The mouth of a monster, as if the blade had become teeth, sucked in the air currents and charged forward, chewing up monsters.

I gathered the blood filling the space and condensed it into the form of a small demon. Letting out a fishy laugh, it swung its scythe and strode through the air, tearing apart monsters.

Controlling more than two monster-type builds is quite burdensome, but it seems to be easy now, perhaps because there’s a lot of blood I can use.

Erica, who had landed on the ground, looked at me dejectedly.

“How is it! Cool, right!”

I went beyond the promise of not interfering to even helping. This deserves praise.

“Why didn’t you help earlier!”

Tired-looking eyes glared at me.

For a moment, a pleasant feeling tickled the inside of my heart.

Even in the chaotic surroundings with blood spurting and roars echoing, I was purely happy that she was focusing on me.

Like a beast that sulks and resents its owner when not fed, but wags its tail at the owner the moment meat is put in its mouth.

When I first met Erica, I couldn’t easily get her attention, but I was so happy that it was gradually increasing as we shared time together.

Is this also progress in the emotion of love?

I smiled slightly and turned my head again. The Draculs that had filled the air were all annihilated, and skin fragments were floating.

Focusing only on the reinforced skin in my gaze, I condensed them into a small cube.

Perhaps because it’s monster skin fragments, the cube was black.

When I stretched my hand above my head and removed the caught crown, the cube decomposed into dust and seeped into the crown.

The color became a bit redder.

After placing it back on my head, I came down to the ground after watching the gate close.

“Good work.”

At my words, Erica closed her eyes as if tired and lay down in the field.