Chapter 77

#

Consciousness, as if sinking into the depths, rose to the surface, and heavy eyelids slowly… and heavily opened.

And as usual, the eyes that opened habitually turned toward the windowsill.

No matter how heavy the body felt, if dawn had broken, it was time to rise, so it was an action taken to check the time.

Compared to the back-alley days when I could eat when I wanted, drink when I wanted, and wake up as I pleased, this life was full of restrictions, and a bitter smile briefly crossed my face.

Fortunately, the windowsill indicated that it was still early dawn, with no trace of the morning sun, so there was no need to force myself to get up. I could simply close my eyes again.

But for some reason, my body was too exhausted to keep my eyes open, yet my mind refused to sink back into sleep, leaving me in an ambiguous state of wakefulness.

The fatigue made it hard to even move a finger, and my body was practically demanding rest.

Of course, it was natural that my tired body needed rest, but I had no intention of simply resting without understanding why I felt so heavy.

I tried to recall. Since learning to create hostility through breathing and store it within my body, had there ever been a moment when my eyes felt this heavy to open?

The answer came easily. Of course not. Even on the battlefield, where blood washed away blood, my body had never felt this heavy at the start of the day. Why was it so heavy today?

Even as I woke up and tried to think clearly, no answer came, and the situation felt frustrating.

But as time passed, the question naturally resolved itself.

As my mind gradually awakened, my senses returned, and I realized I was lying naked.

Just as I was about to gasp in surprise—

Sigh— Sigh—

I exhaled a steady breath and noticed that Asulin, sleeping beside me, was also naked.

The memories of last night came flooding back, as clear as if I had just faced cold water.

The memory of accepting Asulin, who had seduced me with sweet whispers of love, and spending a passionate night together, pouring everything out until we fell asleep, gazing into each other’s eyes.

All those memories resurfaced.

Though my foggy mind had awakened in an instant.

“…”

The awakened mind brought a heat to my face that felt like it could rise even further.

I covered my face with both hands and lightly swept them downward.

It was an attempt to cool my flushed face with slightly cold hands, but even as I repeated the motion, my face didn’t cool. Instead, the heat transferred to my hands.

“…Ha.”

Realizing it was futile, a deep sigh escaped my lips, releasing the heat that had built up in my chest.

Just recalling last night’s actions made me realize how many points on my body could emit heat.

It was hot. Just thinking about what happened last night made my whole body burn. The heat that enveloped me felt similar to yesterday, but I soon realized it was a different kind of heat.

Not the kind of heat that comes from being swept up in impulse, but the kind that arises from embarrassment.

The heat showed no signs of cooling. It felt like I needed to plunge into cold water, fitting for this winter, to calm down.

I couldn’t sleep like this. I had to make it seem like nothing happened yesterday, so I needed to tidy up a bit before going back to sleep.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I struggled to lift my body, which felt too heavy to even move a finger.

Even after grueling training, I had never experienced my body feeling this heavy.

“Hoo…”

Taking a deep breath, I slowly circulated the stored hostility throughout my body, activating my physical abilities. Thanks to the reduced fatigue, it became easier to move.

…Even though circulating hostility should return the body to normal unless injured or ill, the fact that it wasn’t perfect confirmed just how much last night’s events had drained me.

“Ahem.”

I brushed off that embarrassing fact with a cough.

Then, I began to tidy up the bedroom, which still bore the traces of intense passion.

Well, “tidying up” mostly involved barely managing to open the window to let out the strange, overwhelming scent that filled the room.

Just that ventilation alone softened the bedroom’s atmosphere, which had been oddly erotic, and I was satisfied with that.

Now, I just needed to dress myself and help Asulin, who was still sleeping naked, get dressed before going back to sleep…

…

…

My gaze stopped when it met Asulin’s naked body, and my thoughts halted as well.

The breathtakingly beautiful sight spread across the bed was almost mesmerizing.

Yes, I spent last night so intimately with Asulin, didn’t I?

Gulp—

Without realizing it, I swallowed hard.

The suppressed desires, held back by my lack of energy, threatened to ignite.

Slap—!!

I lightly slapped my cheeks with both hands and regained my composure.

No matter how beastly I had acted last night, I couldn’t act like a beast toward a sleeping Asulin.

Forcing myself to think rationally, I managed to suppress the raging desires relatively easily.

But the thought that followed paralyzed my mind once more.

A simple, very simple thought.

…How do I put on women’s underwear?

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, a thunderous noise echoed in my head.

“…”

I gave up on the remaining tasks after ventilation and, wearing only underwear and pants, lay back down on the bed to sleep.

The thought that Asulin was also naked, so I couldn’t be the only one dressed, decided everything.

After all, we had already bared everything to each other, and adding more awkwardness because of me would only make things harder for Asulin.

Thinking that, I closed my eyes.

By the time I woke up in the morning, thoughts of how Asulin would look at me when she woke up had already crossed my mind.

It might seem trivial, but it was quite an important matter.

Even though we had shared an intense moment, laughed together, and fallen asleep exhausted.

That was something that happened at night, closing the day.

Facing Asulin again in the morning, starting a new day, it wouldn’t be strange if her attitude changed. So, I calmly thought about how Asulin would face me.

Would she greet me with her usual bright smile, or would she be embarrassed, her face flushed red like mine earlier, trying to avoid eye contact?

…Or would she be angry, saying it was too much, avoiding my gaze, or acting indifferent as if nothing had happened?

Whatever it was, I couldn’t predict, and I had to be prepared to take responsibility when the moment came.

But if possible… I hoped Asulin wouldn’t show an awkward expression when she opened her eyes and faced me.

We had just started to bridge the gap, and I didn’t want awkwardness to push us back to where we started.

“Hoo…”

I exhaled a sigh, feeling slightly lighter, and slowly closed my eyes.

·

·

·

And when the morning finally came after a good night’s sleep.

“Did you sleep well…?”

The slightly unfamiliar polite tone from a familiar voice woke me up.

I opened my eyes and turned my head toward the voice.

“Good… morning…”

I faced Asulin, who, like last night, spoke to me politely, her face flushed.

During her sleep, perhaps to avoid an awkward situation, she had changed into her usual pajamas, covering her body tightly, unlike the revealing lingerie she wore when seducing me last night.

It almost felt like I was the only one who had experienced last night’s events.

“Thank you… for staying by my side…”

Asulin, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far, slowly opened her mouth, her face fully flushed.

“Andy… how was… last night… for you?”

Breaking the awkward atmosphere, Asulin asked about my thoughts on last night in an unusually polite tone.

“It was wonderful.”

I answered briefly and reached out to stroke Asulin’s head.

It was my way of expressing gratitude to Asulin, who had eased the awkwardness with just a few short words.

As I reached out, I thought it might be awkward for her to have her head stroked so casually, even by someone she liked.

“Hehe…”

Seeing Asulin happily laugh as she leaned into my touch.

The worries I had felt at dawn disappeared like a mirage.

“Good morning…”

I finally responded to Asulin’s morning greeting, feeling like we had truly become a couple, facing our first morning together.

It was a truly warm day.

#

Quite some time had passed since dawn, but Asulin and I still hadn’t left the bed.

It was a leisurely start to the day, something unimaginable under normal circumstances, but there were reasons.

I hadn’t realized it in my daze, but today was a holiday, which was the first reason for this relaxed morning.

“Maybe because it was so intense… my body feels a bit sore…”

Unlike me, who felt intense fatigue, Asulin didn’t feel tired but did feel slight pain, so she wanted to rest in bed, which was the second reason.

It was so bad that when Asulin tried to get up and change clothes as usual, her body swayed unsteadily, and I had to quickly catch her before she fell.

“Let’s have breakfast here. It’ll be hard to make it to the dining room.”

Unable to bear it, I suggested we have breakfast here.

“I thought it was nothing… but it seems to have had a bigger impact on my body than I expected.”

Asulin, now in my arms, understood my intention and accepted it.

Even Asulin, who had always been strong, maintaining a strict schedule despite the constant attacks from demons, became a woman in the face of last night’s events.

Even though there are natural differences between male and female bodies.

Asulin, who was born with the ability to strengthen her body with hostility even more than me, saying such things showed just how intense last night had been. I felt so embarrassed I wanted to find a hole to hide in.

“But it was good…”

Returning to her usual tone, Asulin’s bright smile helped me overcome the near-death experience of shame early in the morning.

We continued the conversation we had before falling asleep, deepening our affection for each other.

Talking revealed many things.

“Andy… you look exhausted…”

Though it was only once, I could indirectly see how much energy I had drained from myself yesterday.

While Asulin’s body was sore, her face glowed, and I could see where all the energy I had lost had gone…

“Ahem.”

“…? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just suddenly felt a tickle in my throat.”

Asulin, accepting my weak excuse, chuckled and lightly shook the bell by the bedside.

“I told the servants beforehand. Not to enter the room until I rang the bell.”

Asulin’s words, subtly revealing that she had planned last night’s events, were followed by the sound of the bedroom door opening.

“Did you call?”

Katarina entered, carrying a tray with the prepared breakfast menu.

Her expression showed she had much to say, but she held it back.

“Just leave it.”

Asulin, with a calm demeanor, spoke to Katarina, her childhood friend and personal maid, sending only a meaningful glance.

I wondered if that was enough for communication.

But for Katarina, Asulin’s glance was more than enough.

“Congratulations on a wonderful time.”

Katarina bowed politely with those words and skillfully backed out of the room, leaving the tray.

Creak—

With the bedroom door closed, leaving just the two of us again.

“I prepared things that are good for soothing the body… Let’s eat… together.”

Asulin, perhaps feeling a bit shy, spoke in a slightly changed tone.

I handed the food on the tray to Asulin, responding with actions rather than words, and began the second part of our holiday.

I didn’t know what ingredients were used, but the soup with its deep aroma was impressive.

Just seeing Asulin smile brightly as I took a couple of spoonfuls was enough to fill me up.