Even After the Date, the Scenario Continues

After that, Seron and I decided what to do about our soaking clothes, first things first.

The carriage back to the Academy wasn’t due until later this afternoon.

We couldn’t exactly stay drenched until then, either.

Besides, we hadn’t eaten yet and my stomach was starting to rumble.

So, the decision we reached was simple.

“S-simple is an overstatement!”

Seron cried out beside me.

After coming all this way, what was she on about?

Currently, we were standing in front of the inn room, keys in hand.

Thanks to Seron and me renting a room at a nearby inn for a few hours.

Jerion Academy had a lot of nobles attending it.

So, even a humble inn like this had rooms with private baths.

Here, we could shower, dry our clothes, and take a breather.

Plus, if we asked the inn, they’d even send food up.

It was the perfect solution, killing multiple birds with one stone.

But Seron, standing next to me, had her face flushed a deep crimson.

I figured kissing was about the extent of what she knew when it came to… these things.

Looks like the kid knew more than I gave her credit for.

“T-this, I mean, things like this…”

Seron, face a vibrant red, twisted and fidgeted, at a complete loss for what to do.

I looked at Seron, and our eyes locked.

She promptly bowed her head low.

“…It’s not that I *dislike* it, exactly…”

Hadn’t I just heard something that, as a man, I absolutely couldn’t let slide?

But alas, love is deeply intertwined with carnal desire.

“Seron, I think you’re forgetting one thing.”

And so, I decided to inform Seron of the harsh reality.

“I’m the man who slept in the same bed as Iris-nim and never laid a finger on her.”

Iris, with her innate, decadent beauty, enhanced by the Demon Lord’s charm.

In all our time sharing a bed, had there *ever* been a problem?

Though my face was nearly smothered in Iris’s bosom, brought close to asphyxiation, I hadn’t laid a finger.

I, Hania’s beloved, even approved of by Iris herself.

Could someone like that truly, honestly, feel lust for Seron?

I had to shake my head.

“Don’t worry. There’s absolutely no chance I’ll make a move on you.”

I even gave a thumbs-up, reassuring Seron.

And then Seron’s fist came flying.

Evaded it, of course.

“Ugh, is that something you say to a woman you’ve come to an inn with!”

“…Woman?”

I dodged Seron’s leg.

A beautiful trajectory.

“Touch me! Just try and touch me! I’ll absolutely wreck you if you do!”

“This… it’s not the sort of problem that can be solved like that.”

Mental impotence exists in the real world too.

Like, not being able to perform on the first night because you’re too nervous.

So this was a problem with no remedy.

“Achoo!”

Seron, huffing and puffing, then sneezed.

Her shivers told me she was indeed cold.

“Stop being stubborn and let’s get you washed up.”

Me, I can self-generate heat, thanks to the magic of the Fire Dragon, but Seron can’t.

Any more lost warmth and she’ll catch a cold.

“How did I end up liking such a blockhead.”

Seron grumbled, opening the door for me to enter.

And then went directly toward the bathroom, glancing back at me.

“Don’t you dare peek.”

“I won’t.”

“At least *pretend* like you’re going to!”

What am I supposed to do?

Seron, still fuming, strode right into the room.

I watched her, then followed.

Perhaps it was the autumn weather, but the room was warmly heated.

Each room also came equipped with magical tools for laundering and drying clothes.

I slipped off my uniform jacket and shirt, placing them inside the magical device.

It had been ages since I’d unwound the bandages of the Veil.

Though, by their very nature, the Veil’s bandages offered almost no sensation when worn, being wrapped was still being wrapped.

It was good to remove them when I could.

Even so, it would take time for them to fully absorb the rage and sorrow.

My breathing eased a little.

I carefully rolled up the Veil’s bandages and set them aside.

Fortunately, there was a robe in the room that I could wear.

I dried my rain-soaked body and then fastened the robe securely.

Sitting quietly on the bed, the sounds around me gradually began to resurface.

From beyond the wall, I could hear the rush of water, *shaaa*.

Seron was taking a shower.

Women always seemed to take longer to shower than men.

I would just have to wait.

I leaned my head against the bed frame, my hair only partially dried with a towel.

After running so frantically, this was the first real rest I’d had in a long time.

Feeling the fatigue seep from my body, I thought that coming on this date with Seron had been a good idea.

‘What should we eat?’

Lost in thoughts of food, I was idly smoothing the slightly damp strands of hair falling across my forehead when—

“Ahem, Royal Sweet Potato.”

The bathroom door opened, and Seron emerged in a cloud of white steam.

She was wearing a robe, her hair wrapped in a towel.

“You should also shower…”

Seron, her face slightly flushed, started to say, but then stopped abruptly.

She froze, eyes locked on mine.

Her pupils were trembling violently.

It was then I realized that the reason for her reaction was that Seron wasn’t yet accustomed to this form.

Before I knew it, Seron’s face was gradually transforming into something resembling a ripe tomato.

It was a face that had finally grasped who she had entered this inn room with, just the two of us.

“Seron.”

“Hic, hiccup.”

A voice, unlike her usual tone, escaped her lips.

That alone was enough for Seron to flinch, her shoulders jerking, and she took a step back.

It struck me, anew, how vulnerable Seron was to this face.

Seron couldn’t even bring herself to look at me, her body trembling like a lost puppy.

She didn’t seem to have any intention of coming closer.

I had no choice but to rise from my seat.

As I approached, Seron instinctively recoiled.

But soon, her back collided with the wall, leaving her nowhere else to retreat.

Seron, her hands clasped in front of her, looked up at me with wide, deer-like eyes.

She was no different from a frightened pup gazing upward.

Yet, she couldn’t tear her gaze from my face.

Or rather, her eyes flickered down, a quick glance beneath my neck, causing her to flinch and exhale a shaky breath.

There was a dangerous glint in her eyes, it seemed.

“You’ll catch a cold if you stay like that. Hurry and dry your hair, then get into bed.”

“Ah, y-yes, yessir!”

Seron startled, then practically flew toward the bed.

I could see her burrowing under the blankets, letting out a silent scream.

Truly, every reaction from her was ceaseless, unrelenting.

*Grumble-*

I’m hungry.

Let’s quickly wash up and get something to eat.

＊＊＊

After a thorough wash, I had dinner with Seron.

It was a welcome break after so long.

Perhaps because I was still in Vicammon’s form, Seron nibbled at her food, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Seron, eating with such reticence, felt like a sight seen for the very first time.

After that, things were simple.

We wandered the rain-cleared streets, drifting here and there.

From some point onward, as if possessed by Hanon, Seron had returned to her usual vibrant self.

Seron laughed, appearing genuinely happy throughout the date.

That alone made the date worthwhile.

As afternoon edged closer, we boarded a carriage heading back.

Whether from playing all day, Seron rested her head upon my shoulder.

“Somehow,” she murmured in the rattling carriage, “it feels like an autumn night’s dream.”

An autumn night’s dream.

It had been a rather dynamic autumn, indeed.

Now, winter slowly approached.

Act 4, Scene 6, the Winter Demon Palace finished; already, the numerous events to come had the world on edge.

“Prince Sweet Potato, you bought a ring earlier.”

She noticed, then.

I’d promised Sharin, so I bought a ring while I was out.

Seron’s expression suggested she knew the ring wasn’t for her.

A slight sulkiness clouded her face.

“Never mind. I did more things today, anyway.”

But her expression soon softened.

“Prince Sweet Potato, today I finally understand what it means for you to not know love.”

I do not know love.

In my current state, no matter how much those around me court me, my reaction remains the same.

Seron seemed to have felt that truth to the bone today.

“So, it’ll be a fair and square, head-on fight.”

Seron declared to me with a resolute face.

“Prince Sweet Potato, a battle to see who can stand by your side—who can bring back your love.”

Then, her expression shifted slightly.

“…Nikita-senpai probably knows that too, which is why she backed down so easily today.”

It was the tale of Nikita, whom I’d met that day.

My head tilted, questioning.

Seron, who’d been watching me with a curious gaze, clicked her tongue.

“So many women fawning over you, you must be just dying of happiness, huh? A downright womanizer.”

“It’s a story that makes me want to gloat, just a little bit.”

“Ugh, that expression is so infuriating!”

To see her still get worked up about it, Seron must be rather fond of me.

“Just you wait until I get my love back. You won’t have that same easygoing attitude then, not one bit.”

“I think I’ll still be this relaxed even after I get it back.”

“We’ll just have to see how long that lasts.”

What will happen after I reclaim my love? Even I couldn’t say for sure.

In the meantime, the carriage carrying us arrived safely at Jerion Academy.

Opening the door and stepping out, I saw the Academy building, already cloaked in darkness.

After thanking the coachman for his troubles, I escorted Seron to the girls’ dormitory.

“So, you *can* be chivalrous?”

“No, I just happen to have another appointment at the girls’ dormitory after this.”

“…Say one more word about sleeping with another girl in front of me, just *one* more word.”

This was, alas, unavoidable.

Seron was being unusually possessive tonight.

Just as I’d managed to escape Seron’s attempts to devour my skull and arrive at the girls’ dormitory…

“Hanon.”

A familiar voice called me to a halt.

Turning my head toward the sound, I saw Hania standing there.

Her peach-colored hair, as always, was striking, and she was dressed in casual clothes.

Trouble was written all over her face.

Leaving Seron to continue gnawing on my head, I leaned toward Hania.

“Hania, is something the matter?”

My ex-girlfriend seemed to be in trouble.

As a former boyfriend, I couldn’t resist lending a hand.

“Well, it’s something related to Hanon.”

It concerned me, this business.

Before I could even voice my question, Hania answered.

“The Saintess.”

And my face froze solid.

“The Saintess, having arrived in secret, is currently in private audience with Lady Iris.”

The Saintess, Narea of Holy Acrede.

She had visited Jerion Academy during her period of respite.

Secretly, at that.