When I opened my eyes, I found Anima—who was supposed to be sleeping in a completely different room—inside the covers with me. We were wrapped in each other's arms. I couldn't quite wrap my head around how this had happened, but it was the reality of the situation.
Anima felt soft and warm, and holding her was incredibly comforting. I was still half-asleep and tempted to drift back into a second slumber right then and there, but I had to prioritize figuring out exactly what was going on.
I looked at Anima and saw that she was visibly pale.
"Um, Anima... Good morning. So, uh, about this situation..."
"I-It's not what it looks like! This is clearly your room and your bed, Master, and it definitely looks like I snuck in here, but I have absolutely no memory of doing so! I only realized where I was when I woke up! Though... if you told me I'd moved here and crawled under the covers while I was half-asleep, it would be hard to deny. I did feel a bit lonely last night, so I suppose I had a motive..."
Her voice trailed off as she spoke, her confidence wavering at the thought that she might have actually sleepwalked into my room.
Still, the odds of her moving from her room to mine and climbing into my bed while unconscious felt low. Judging by her flustered state, she didn't seem to have any memory of waking up in the middle of the night.
As I pondered the mystery, glowing letters suddenly manifested in the air before my eyes. I recognized this. It was a message made of magic power, identical to the ones Kuro used to leave in my room when I first arrived in this world.
"I've set the stage for you, so please flirt to your hearts' content as lovers. From the Transcendent Beautiful Girl Cupid."
That idiot. She was definitely the one behind this. Then again, moving an attendant like Anima—who possessed the strength of a Count-class—without her noticing would likely require someone of Alice's caliber.
It was just like her. She would turn into a blushing mess and flee if it were her own romantic situation, yet she was always so eager to meddle and play matchmaker for the rest of us.
"...Anima, calm down. I've found the culprit."
"Huh? The culprit...? Oh, this is..."
"Yeah. It looks like Alice carried you into my room while you were asleep."
"S-So that was it. That makes sense. If it was Alice-dono, I can understand why I didn't notice. She must have sensed that I was feeling an inexplicable loneliness about being in a separate room last night and decided to act out of kindness."
"Y-Yeah, I suppose."
It was almost certainly a prank, but since Anima held Alice in such high regard, she naturally interpreted the gesture in the best possible light.
But as she had admitted, Anima really had wanted to sleep beside me. Being as serious as she was, she must have been suppressing those desires.
"By the way, Anima, it’s still dark out, right?"
"Ah, you're right. I can't check the clock right now, but I would guess it's around four or five in the morning."
"I see..."
"U-Um... how long are we going to stay like this...?"
The sun hadn't risen yet, and I was still feeling a bit drowsy. It seemed like a waste not to just drift back into a second nap.
"Hmm, since we're already here, why don't we just go back to sleep? Assuming you don't mind, of course..."
"Ah... You mean, staying close to you like this, Master?"
"Yeah. Is that a problem?"
"No, it's not that. I would actually be quite happy... but it's unbecoming of an attendant..."
"Then let’s say your attendant duties are on break until we wake up. For this next nap, we aren't master and servant—just lovers. How about that?"
I spoke softly and pulled her closer into a light embrace. The sleepiness returned almost instantly. They say the warmth of another person brings peace of mind, and it was true; it felt wonderfully soothing. Since we were both under the blankets, our body heat made the experience even more cozy.
"...Yes."
Anima accepted my proposal with a bashful smile, then hugged me tightly, nuzzling her face against my neck in a rare display of affection. Usually, she was so focused on being a proper attendant that she held herself back, but she clearly had a desire to be pampered like this. I gently stroked Anima’s lovely hair, and together we sank back into a blissful, hazy slumber.
Machina: "Mm-hmm. Lovey-dovey is good... but, hmm. She really did turn into a solid."
???: "As Machina said, half of her body turned into white chocolate... Seriously, what kind of biology do you have, Serious-senpai..."