On the seventeenth day of the Month of Earth, I returned from Rigforresia just after noon. I gave Lilia-san and the others a brief summary of the situation—specifically, that Sieg-san and I were now a couple.
Everyone was kind enough to offer their heartfelt congratulations, but Lilia-san was clearly more delighted than anyone. Since she and Sieg-san were childhood friends, seeing Sieg-san’s feelings finally reciprocated seemed to bring her as much joy as if it were her own romance.
She looked ready to throw a celebratory party right then and there, but since both Sieg-san and I were likely exhausted, it was decided that we would celebrate another day. We all retired to our respective rooms.
As it turned out, I really was quite tired. The fatigue had clearly built up, and the sleepiness was overwhelming. During the three days I had stayed in Rigforresia, I hadn't slept a wink.
I wasn't sure if it was another effect of Shiro-san's Blessing, but despite staying up for three consecutive nights, my body showed no signs of illness. If anything, I felt physically fine.
But even if my body was healthy, three days' worth of sleep deprivation had definitely caught up with me. Perhaps it was because I had finally let my guard down after returning to the familiar mansion, but it felt as though I would collapse onto the bed and fall into a deep sleep the moment I stepped inside.
With those thoughts in mind, I returned to my room and opened the door—only to realize that, unfortunately, I wouldn't be sleeping quite yet.
"Ah, welcome back!"
"I'm back... wait, Kuro? You were here?"
"I just arrived. I knew you were coming back, Kaito-kun."
"...Eh? How?"
"Well, that’s because I secretly tucked an even more powerful Detection Magic Formula into your neck—just kidding! It was intuition!"
"Wait a minute, that first half..."
She definitely said Detection Magic. She absolutely just admitted to it. Did that mean there was a formula in this necklace to track my location? I’d had a nagging suspicion for a while, but... whatever happened to my privacy?
"...Kuro, do you know the word 'privacy'?"
"Eh? Yeah. It’s that thing people liked by Shiro-san don't have, right, Kaito-kun?"
"...You've got a point."
She was right. Even setting Kuro aside, Shiro-san was always watching me anyway. Privacy had been a lost cause for a long time.
Seeing my shoulders slump at the reminder, Kuro spoke up, looking a bit flustered.
"I-It's okay! I promise I’ll respect your privacy, Kaito-kun!"
"...Detection Magic."
"Ugh... T-That’s just, you know, because it would be a disaster if something happened to you. I make sure I can't hear your conversations or anything like that..."
"Well... I suppose it's better than Shiro-san..."
"Y-Yeah! Rest assured, if anyone tries to do something bad to you, I’ll knock them into oblivion!"
What was that? For a moment, a vision of a nuclear explosion flashed through my mind. It was just my imagination, right? Surely. The scary part was that with her, I couldn't say it was impossible.
"Anyway, putting that aside... Kaito-kun!"
"Huh? What?"
"Come on, lie face down on the bed."
"Eh? W-Why?"
"Just do it, just do it... come on."
"A-Alright."
I didn't understand her goal at all, but Kuro making outlandish demands was nothing new. Despite my confusion, I lay face down on the bed as instructed.
As I wondered what would happen next, I heard Kuro's voice, sounding somewhat playful.
"Heave-ho..."
"Wha—!? W-Wait, K-Kuro!?"
With a small grunt, I felt a weight on my back—or rather, around my waist. I instinctively realized that Kuro had hopped on top of me.
She was so light, and incredibly soft. What kind of situation was this exactly?
"Stay still... I'm going to give you a massage."
"...Eh? A massage?"
"Yeah. You're quite tired, aren't you, Kaito-kun? So, a massage."
"..."
Accompanied by her gentle voice, Kuro's hands touched my shoulders and began to slowly knead them.
"Whoa, they really are stiff."
"I-Is that so?"
"You're the type to bottle things up, after all. Alright then, let's go with the special version!"
"!?"
The moment she mentioned a "special version," a faint, tingling warmth spread across my shoulders. It felt as though every knot was being vibrated away by tiny, rhythmic pulses. It was an indescribable, blissful sensation.
This was incredible. It felt as if a high-end massager was being applied to my entire upper body. It felt seriously good.
"...K-Kuro? What on earth is this...?"
"I'm kneading the muscles while applying a faint Healing Magic. Strong Healing Magic can sometimes cause pain, so I'm slowly working through the tension while I massage you..."
"Wow... this feels... amazing."
"Ehehe, I'm glad. Just relax. I'll make sure to melt all that fatigue away, Kaito-kun."
It was a moment of pure bliss. It seemed I had been far more exhausted than I realized, because Kuro's massage felt like heaven.
More than anything, I felt her affection. With every movement of her hands, the sense that she truly cherished me was transmitted directly to my heart, making me feel uncontrollably happy.
Knowing Kuro, she likely understood how I perceived things through my Sympathy Magic and was consciously altering the emotions she projected to heal not just my body, but my soul.
"...But, Kuro... how did you know I was tired?"
"I can tell... because it’s you, Kaito-kun, and I love you so much."
"...I see."
I could easily get used to this. The physical sensation was incredible, and her gentle voice felt like a warm embrace for my mind.
Wrapped in Kuro's kindness and overflowing affection, I surrendered myself to her massage, experiencing a level of happiness I couldn't put into words.
About thirty minutes must have passed. When Kuro finally finished, my body felt light, as if a great weight had been lifted from my limbs. I felt better than I had in days.
I waited for Kuro to climb off me before sitting up to thank her.
"Thank you, Kuro. I feel incredibly refreshed now."
"Really? I'm glad... but we're not finished yet, you know?"
"...Eh?"
"There!"
"Whoa!?"
Kuro gave me a bright smile, told me it wasn't over, and suddenly pulled on my hand.
As had happened many times before, there was no way I could resist her strength. I was easily pulled down until my head rested on her soft lap.
"I'm going to keep pampering you all day today, Kaito-kun."
"...Kuro, um, well..."
Her words were deeply appreciated, and as always, Kuro's lap pillow was incredibly comfortable.
Though I felt I might drift off at any second if I let my guard down, the lingering embarrassment made me stay awake, lightly scratching my cheek.
Kuro gave a smile so lovely it felt as if I were being drawn into it, and she gently stroked my hair.
"...It's okay, Kaito-kun."
"Eh? What's okay?"
"Right now, I've made it so that not even Shiro or Shaltier can see us. It's truly just the two of us."
"..."
The fact that she could do that wasn't surprising. Kuro was a being on the same level as Shiro-san; it made sense that she could set up a barrier Shiro-san couldn't see through unless she was truly trying to pry.
I assumed that if Kuro set up such a barrier, Shiro-san would realize her intent and wouldn't try to force a look. It really was just the two of us.
I tilted my head, not immediately grasping the deeper meaning of her words, but Kuro continued with that same tender smile.
"I think you're cool for always working so hard, Kaito-kun. But everyone gets tired eventually."
"...Y-Yeah. That's true."
"You're always so considerate of those around you that you don't really let your fatigue show... but right now, while it's just the two of us, you can spoil yourself with me as much as you like, okay?"
"!?"
As she said this, Kuro gently cradled my head and drew me into a hug.
It was warm. Her small but definite curves pressed against my face as she softly enveloped me.
"Whenever you're tired, I'll be here to take it all for you. So, please... lean on me."
"...Um, i-is it really alright?"
"Of course. Ah, but in exchange, I'm going to spoil myself with you to my heart's content, too."
"Ahaha... yeah. Thank you. Then, I think I'll take you up on that..."
Moved by her kind words, I softly reached out and hugged her small body back.
Perhaps I had been bottling things up without even realizing it. Hugging her like this and feeling her presence with every fiber of my being brought a wave of immense happiness. I truly wanted to stay like this forever.
As I shifted my head slightly, my eyes met Kuro's beautiful golden ones. As if drawn by an invisible thread, our lips met.
"...Kaito-kun, I'll stay with you all day today. You can be as needy as you want, okay?"
"...Yeah."
"I'll hug you lots, and we'll kiss lots, too. After all... I belong to you, Kaito-kun."
"...Kuro."
I felt her overflowing affection as she spoke those words—words I had always dreamed of hearing. Surrounded by an abundance of happiness, I pulled her even closer.
Dear Mother, Father—
As I thought, I feel so safe when I'm with Kuro. It's a deep, gentle love—a kindness that envelops me and an affection so sweet it feels like it's melting. Embarrassing as it is to admit, that day, I did exactly what she said.
I spoiled myself with Kuro to my heart's content.