I warmly watch the soft breathing of the white haired girl while she clutches on my arm. Asagao’s countenance is calm and filled with comfort while sleeping. It’s been an hour now since she fell asleep from her crying fit and because she told me that she is scared, I stayed for her.

I want to stay with her for the whole night yet, I cannot stay here. I must part with her and believe that nightmares won’t attack her again. I want to check on Casablanca and Hibiscus too to see if Apollo and Artemis’ presences have any effect on them. Frankly, I just want to see them too but that would be too much bother for Senya.

I tried tearing Asagao apart from my arm but she won’t budge. I gently tried to lift her fingers and hands off me but as soon as her clutch loosens, she lets out a distressed moan and promptly grabs me again. It’s troublesome but at the same time, it’s cute and adorable that because of her behavior, I keep forgetting that we are almost the same age.

What’s the difference between us I wonder? How can a former guy be this cute or does Asagao’s mind adapt to a little girl’s vulnerabilities?

Ah…I don’t have time to dawdle any further. This time, I gently remove Asagao’s grasping hand on mine while soothing and patting her. Her hand naturally loosens and I was able to break free. To compensate for the lost hugging pillow, I gave her a real pillow.

Making my way towards the glass window door again, I glance over to Asagao one last time.

“Hngghh…”

“A-Asagao?”

“Als…troemeria…”

I froze on the spot when I thought Asagao is going to wake up, however, she just massages the pillow I gave her and blurted out someone else name. The way she fondles it looks weird…

Since there’s no problem, I seize the chance to leave promptly. Seeing how Asagao comfortably fondles that pillow, she must be dreaming of someone. I guess even in a little girl’s body, there are still traits of a man left in her…

This time, I left for good.

.

.

.

I arrive at the lake where the wooden lodge is located or more specifically, my temporary place to stay since males are banned in the mansion. It doesn't bother me now though as I understand that being a male alone scares some of the residences.

From the edge of the lake comes Fang, the enormous white tiger with overflowing magical energy. Among the said three guardians, he is the most sociable and talkative. He slowly made his way towards me and speaks.

“Friend, someone wants to talk to you.”

“What? This late night?”

“Yeah.”

“Haa…I can only guess that it is her since she is the only one I interacted the most inside the mansion.”

“Yeah, talking smack to her like that when you arrived here, you got some backbone friend.”

“Where is she?”

“Inside of the lodge. Better go now friend, she’s been waiting for two hours now.”

“Yeah…Wait, What?! Two hours?!”

Leaving behind Fang, I made my way to my lodge…stealthily. Slowly opening the door without making it creak, I cock my head inside to see what face Senya is making. After witnessing how powerful she can get, I have to tread lightly around her.

Contrary to my expectation, I immediately saw Senya in one corner of the four-sided room in her wheelchair. Wearing her usual nightgown with a transparent red robe on top, Senya dozes off while in her wheelchair as her head lay sideway. In the stillness of the night, her platinum strawberry hair awfully stands out, however, not in a bad way but rather, it is extremely charming as that kind of hair color doesn’t exist in my world.

 Letting myself in, Senya immediately noticed my presence and awakened from her uncomfortable slumber.

“Ah…I…Did I fell asleep…?”

“That’s not good. It’s unhealthy for your condition…”

Senya’s face cramps as she looks down with a gloomy face and darkened atmosphere while tears start forming in the corner of her eyes.

“Hahaha…y-yeah…condition…right…I’m…*sob* an old hag after all…”

“How did condition equates to age!? I didn’t mean your age but how weak your body is!”

“Isn’t that the same…?”

“Don’t be absurd! I’m done playing the straight man!”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“How boring.~”

“Tsk! So why are you here?!”

“Not beating around the bushes aren’t we?”

Senya rolls her wheelchair towards me. Her countenance from earlier changes and the atmosphere she built immediately changes to her own pace. She stops right in front of me and takes my hand.

“Wha--! Hey…!”

“Ichirou…how many times have you imitated Excelsior already?”

“How did you…?!”

“This is important. You already burned your remaining soul, right? At most, you can only imitate Excelsior for one last time but it would be better if you don’t do it again. Excelsior…is a living godly artifact and it knows when someone or something is imitating or replicating it.”

“I already replicated it for…three times already.”

“I see…you already had one foot planted in the grave huh…Good thing I didn’t ask you when Asagao is around.  She never mentioned it to me. The only thing she told me is that your soul weapons are stolen. That’s when I already knew that…there’s something amiss.”

“That’s quite sensitive of you not to blurt it around with Asagao. You have my thanks for that. I don’t want her to know about it after all. I don’t want her worrying about me when she is clearly in a state where her mind is in rubbles.”

“Then, I will request something of you.”

“What is it?”

“I know this may sound stupid and sudden but…”

“……”

“** ****** ******* ** ***, **** *** ****!”

“……”

“So?”

“I don’t believe what you are saying! However, if and if what you are saying is true, when that time comes, it is for me to decide.”

“…Is that so…”

“Are you done? I’ll escort you back to the mansion.”

If what Senya said is true, to be honest, I don’t know what I can do in that situation. Maybe I’ll freeze and ignites in blush if she said that to me. My mind will become a mess and my heart will start pounding really loud. If and if that is true, there is a ninety percent chance that I’ll say yes.

However, I don’t want to put hopes on it and I have to focus my mind on what’s ahead of us.

When I tried to beckons Senya out of the lodge, she wordlessly refused. She stands up from her wheelchair shakily and heads towards my bed…

What the hell is she doing? She looks like a funny penguin walking sideways like that…

I intensely watch her to see if she is going to fall or not. Apparently, she really does have a weak gait as each of her steps feels like her legs will crumble from excessive shaking.

“Ooooff!”

She finally arrives at the bed and sprouted a satisfied smile while sparkling. In a way, even though I kind of hate her, she is still cute.

“Ichirou, I heard from Asagao that there’s a girl you like and her name is Diyu.”

There are times that I really want to give Asagao a light smack on the head for running her mouth like that. Also, Senya really knows how to start a conversation that can give a heart attack. I did say that she didn’t need to fiddle with the sticks but this is too much.

“Where is this coming from? What are you plotting?”

“I’m no villain. I was just curious because…”

“Because…”

“How do you get off?”

“PFFFFTTSSSSS!”

For fuck’s sake!

“Hey! Don’t try to invade my personal space!”

“Because…I am just wondering…but at the same time…amazed that…you never lay your hands on those girls.”

“Of course I won’t! Can’t you see how small they are!?”

“Oh? So if they are well endowed then it is okay? Not because of age?”

“Stop jumbling my words! It’s…”

“I see…the spirits inside you…your morals are also being altered…”

“What?! That’s impossible! The spirits are my allies!”

“I know, however, it is because they are your allies that you are molding yourself after this world’s twisted morals rather than your own world where righteousness is socially established.”

No way…!

Come to think of it, I feel like I am morally degenerating. Some of my memories from my world is becoming a little hazy. I never noticed it…I never knew…

“Don’t blame the spirits. They are just helping you adjust to this world by doing those alterations. Normally, they won’t invade your thoughts and beliefs but…since your soul is incorporated with so many spirits, you’re being molded to survive.”

“And since…I am now nearing death…my instinct is telling me to…”

“Reproduce!~ Satisfy your sexual urges.”

“Don’t say it so nonchalantly…”

“Tsk…isn’t this same as my resolve wavering from temptations…”

“Basically, yes. If you don’t satisfy such appetite, sooner or later, you might just blindly assault the nearest girl near you.”

“Damn…then…I’m really turning into that kind of monster…”

If I don’t get my soul back, then that’s what’s going to happen, huh. Not only I will die but before I even perish, I might cause harm to Asagao and others. If that time comes, then, I will kill myself secretly… or better, use Excelsior one more time to protect them.

“Well, I know a way to lessen your built up lust.”

“Oh? Will that help in staving off my…desire…”

“Yup. It’s a good long shot.”

“What is it?”

“Have sex with me.”

“……”

That came out so random that my face hardened.

Calm down…maybe she just used a wrong word or her tongue slipped. Maybe she is even playing another one of those harmless pranks on me and expects me to play the straight man.

“Tsk…there you go again. If you don’t have anything better to do now, get out!”

“I’m serious!”

“Eh?”

“This is better than you assaulting those young maidens, right?”

“You’re just making fun of me now, really!”

“Are you a virgin? Have you not confessed to your dear love yet?”

“Shut up…you’re running your mouth off as you please!”

“……”

“If I am going to do it, it should be someone I love! I do pursue pure love after all…”

“It’s not good that you live a life like that. Down the road, you have to occasionally do this. Also, I have ample of experience myself even though I don’t know how many decades since I last did it with a man…”

“Wha--?!”

“This is a good experience for you, no? I’ll teach you and all you have to do is be gentle.”

“I don’t want you teaching me about things like that!”

“If your partner is a virgin and at the same time, you are too, you’re just going to hurt her because of your lack of proper knowledge, you know?”

“I won’t heed any instruction from you! Moreover, saying something like that out of the blue, with no atmosphere or even closure with each other, it feels so wrong! And doing this, won’t it just reinforce my desire to do it again?!”

“That’s why you are going to stay the way you are, a virgin!”

“Huh?! I’m sorry ma’am experienced! There’s no way for someone young like me can keep up with you!”

Upon hearing my outburst of insult, Senya stops from her track and hangs her head. Her body flops on the bed tears forms in the corner of her eyes again.

“Ah…that’s right…you wouldn’t want to do it with someone overage as me…”

“That’s not what I meant…”

I walk towards her with a tired sigh. I didn’t know that Senya can be this troublesome. However, as I got closer to her because this time I am really going to send her off, she grabs me and pulled me above her…

“Woah!!”

“……”

“What’s your problem?!”

“I’m…really serious…”

As she lay on the bed and I, on all fours atop her, her face ignited in a blush as she looks into my eyes. Her deep green eyes become visible and it captivated me.

“Is…my weak body really that a bother? Am I…really that unattractive to you? Do you…really hate me that much?”

“No…I don’t…”

Now that I observe her carefully, I notice one thing, from her expression now to her clothes…

……

SHE’S HELLA EROTIC!

I am super dense not noticing it up until now!

In terms of matured beauty, she is almost unparalleled. Her long eyelashes, glossy pink lips, her figure that will make anyone gapes their mouths, her fit body that has some muscles that do look good on her and finally, the sweet fragrance coming from her pink hair!

Before I knew it, my head becomes hazy again and my heart started throbbing.

“Senya…”

“Yes…?”

“You are dead serious, right?”

“I am…”

“Then, please, teach me well…”

“You’re giving in after all…please do be gentle…”

“I am…giving in into my carnal desire…you invited me…after all…”

“Ahh…deep down…maybe I just wanted this myself…”

Right now my son down there is harder than a diamond.

My tongue and my hands, without further ado, started ravishing Senya…

From this night onward...I, Ichirou Nagasaki, will level up from being a lad to a man.