You’re Late

It seemed that it was no longer an atmosphere for more enjoyment, just as Her Highness the Princess had said, so I brought my companions home.

…But perhaps it was because we had escaped the tense space of Her Highness the Princess’s Villa?

Somehow, my companions began to melt into puddles.

“Ashaah….”

“Be-Veronica, that tickles!”

“Mmm… a lovely scent comes from Asha-nim….”

“Well, it was a demonstration….”

“Sniff sniff….”

“T-tail!”

It was a complete mess.

Among them, the most vexing was Claudia. While the other two were clinging due to being drunk, she had walked in perfectly fine on her own two feet, only her face flushed, until we entered the house.

Then, her voluminous tail came up onto my hand.

When I shifted my gaze to the source of the tail, I saw Claudia looking at me, her ears twitching on top of her head as if asking for praise.

‘…Is she drunk?’

As a test, I said, ‘Hand,’ and she gently placed her large, calloused hand on my small one. This time, she twitched her free tail and ears, demanding praise, so I stroked her head.

“Hmph….”

Seeing Claudia let out a small, happy moan, I felt a strange sensation.

‘Did she relax because this is a safe place…?’

Thinking that I had become such a place in Claudia’s heart… I felt happy, yet my heart was heavy.

…Just as I was about to get lost in my thoughts, Claudia opened her mouth wide, chuckled fufufu, and began to lick my finger.

Her rough tongue felt a little hotter than usual, perhaps due to the alcohol.

She licked every corner of my finger as if a snake’s tongue were entwining it.

Perhaps because of what had happened with Her Highness the Princess a little while ago, my body reacted to that faint stimulation.

“Ugh….”

…It was hard to tell if this sly, wolf-like Beastfolk was drunk or just playing a prank.

When I pulled my damp hand away, Veronica, who was reeking of alcohol beside me, bit my nape.

“Hap.”

Along with a somewhat cute sound, I felt a soft tongue and neatly arranged teeth on my neck. The gentle biting made me feel a strange sensation.

“S-stop it….”

“Shhh….”

Cecil, who had been staring blankly at the scene, also opened her mouth.

“Hawoong!”

Unlike Veronica, slightly sharp teeth touched my opposite shoulder. My body flinched at the strange sensation.

“W-what are you all doing….”

My voice, exhaled with a hot breath, trembled faintly. It was easier to make my body, which still had lingering sensations, heat up again than to snatch candy from a child’s hand.

With Claudia joining in, it was hard to regain my composure. The various body scents wafting from all directions, and the fragrant perfume sprayed for the special occasion.

And… even the smell of alcohol, which must have been quite expensive, was sweet.

As if wanting to leave their marks all over my body, the three of them frantically left sticky traces on me.

…Of course, the process was… different for each of them.

But the result, that I was thoroughly drenched, remained unchanged.

It was already overwhelming just trying to peel off the clinging people, so I simply gave up on washing them.

…Is this how a wife feels when her husband comes home soaked in alcohol?

It would have been more satisfying if I could have just given them a good smack on the back.

“Hoo….”

After pushing even Claudia, who I couldn’t tell if she was drunk or just playing, into her bed, what I did next was.

…Enter the Bathroom again.

It was an uncountable number of baths, so many that counting them was meaningless.

But I hadn’t drunk any alcohol and was perfectly fine, so I couldn’t just sleep with the traces of the three of them on my body.

I took out the clothes I usually wore, a towel to wipe my body… and the alcohol I had tucked away somewhere in the corner of the Kitchen Preservation Box.

It was probably… the one I bought when Master-nim visited.

‘…Has it aged?’

Well… it wasn’t expensive enough to gain value anyway, nor was it old enough to be called aged, so it was just a joke.

‘What could Master-nim be doing?’

Since it was alcohol bought for Master-nim, I couldn’t help but think of her.

She had seemed a little strange at the Kaltz family’s Villa, and somehow, I felt a distance. Especially… because we hadn’t properly talked even when she left.

…Well, on the surface, she doesn’t seem much different from me, but she’s an elf who has lived for who knows how many years… I thought she’d manage just fine, but still….

The face of Master-nim I had never seen before kept coming to mind, and it worried me.

Feeling somewhat depressed, I filled the bathtub with water. I had already showered more than enough, so I just washed off the sticky traces on my body.

Then, I rummaged through the Bathroom’s tool cabinet and took out a bath bomb.

I had made this bathtub because I loved soaking in a tub so much, but it seemed I hadn’t been able to comfortably get into a bathtub since I became independent.

…At least not in my own house.

It was truly ironic. I was living as if being chased by something, in a house I had built for comfort.

…Thinking that if my body hadn’t changed like this, I might still be living that way, made a corner of my heart uneasy.

To ease my troubled mind, I dissolved the bath bomb in the warm bathtub water. Seeing the transparent water turn a light pink, I felt strange.

‘…Did I make this this color?’

A calming scent rose, so I shook my head and carefully immersed myself.

It must be a coincidence.

Feeling my cheeks go limp, I opened the bottle of alcohol.

I remembered Master-nim gulping it down, saying it tasted good. It wasn’t that I was drinking because I was upset that I was the only one not drunk.

…I just wanted to get drunk.

“…Hmm.”

I poured it into the glass I brought and gulped it down; it was better than I expected.

It was slightly sweet and clung to my palate.

…Though it might look a little pathetic to a third party, I was enjoying it for now.

My body, which had heated up and then calmed down, seemed to be heating up in a different sense.

Somehow, my head felt hot and fuzzy.

While I was leaning limply against the bathtub like melted Slime.

I heard footsteps.

Assuming it was one of my companions who had woken up, I gulped down the alcohol.

But… an unexpected voice was heard.

“…What are you doing alone in the middle of the night?”

“Uh, huh?”

When I turned my head towards the voice, water-colored hair swayed. Her unique refreshing body scent mixed with the cool outside air, providing a crisp freshness.

Emerald eyes, just like mine, were looking at me.

“…Did I drink too much?”

“Judging by your nonsense, it doesn’t seem to be anyone else.”

Master-nim walked over, took the bottle of alcohol from my hand, and gulped it all down her throat.

“M-my alcohol….”

“It’s good, as expected. You seemed already drunk, so I drank it for you.”

Master-nim put the bottle down and reached out her hand to me. I steadied my swaying body and grabbed on, and she pulled me up.

“Your body is hot.”

“…It really is Master-nim, then.”

“Would I be a fake?”

Master-nim carefully supported me and led me outside. She gently and meticulously wiped my body, then dressed me in the clothes I had brought.

As I accepted her gentle touch, I unknowingly opened my mouth.

“…Why did you only come now?”

The hand drying my hair paused for a moment. Soon, Master-nim’s hand moved again, feeling a little rougher.

“…Well. I don’t know either.”

A voice filled with contemplation.

Nevertheless… I was simply happy that Master-nim had returned home, so I smiled broadly. Then, her water-colored eyes filled with surprise.

Master-nim’s touch seemed to become even rougher.

“…Right, that’s how it must have been.”

“Suddenly… what are you talking about…?”

“…Nothing.”

My vision was blurry, as if alcohol was swirling in my head.

“…It would be hard for you to go alone.”

Saying so, Master-nim carried me on her back. Somehow, it felt nostalgic. I chuckled fufufu and wrapped my arms around her neck, and Master-nim’s body seemed to tremble slightly.

Master-nim sighed and headed towards the Bedroom. With each step she took, my body swayed up and down.

Just like… being in a cradle.

A refreshing scent wafted gently, making me feel comfortable and secure.

“…You’ve become more childish, somehow.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

With a creak… familiar scenery came into view.

The Bedroom.

And… I saw Limey squirming on the bed. Master-nim flinched and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Limey.

I urgently opened my mouth and began to explain about Limey. My tongue was a little twisted due to the alcohol, but it was important, so I couldn’t leave anything out.

…Otherwise, Limey would be gone when I woke up the next morning.

After listening to my story, Master-nim sighed and said as she laid me down on the bed.

“You’ve brought in another strange thing.”

“…Another?”

When I puffed out my cheeks in dissatisfaction, Master-nim’s slender finger pressed my cheek, letting out the air.

“…Go to sleep now.”

“Yes….”

My eyes blinked shut. So much had happened… and perhaps because I had drunk alcohol, sleep came easily. Seeing Master-nim’s face also seemed to have released my tension.

Master-nim said she was uneasy anyway and lay down beside me.

I chuckled at her uncharacteristic behavior and snuggled up to Master-nim to sleep.

I thought she would push me away… but Master-nim didn’t.

Instead… she hugged me back.

…I felt like I would have a good dream.

Master-nim seemed to have mumbled something… but I couldn’t hear it clearly.

And so… my consciousness sank into darkness.