Chapter 9

In the dim light before dawn, two figures moved.

"Mu, it's impossible~. Karin, I can't do such a thing."

"Alicia, it's just about waking up Kaoru-sama, right? Why are you so scared?"

She pleaded with tears in her eyes.

But it didn't seem to affect Karin.

"Because... you know I like Kaoru-sama, and you're teasing me, right..."

"I'm doing this because I want Alicia to be happy. Otherwise, I wouldn't say such things. Besides, men will be interested whether there's romantic feelings or not, once they start paying attention."

Karin was speaking for Alicia's happiness.

But half of it was because she found Alicia's reactions amusing.

Alicia's expressions, which showed up immediately when teased, were endearing to her.

"Then, Alicia, please go wake up Kaoru-sama a little later."

"Yes... I understand."

"You can even sneak into his bed. It's okay to steal a kiss while he's sleeping."

She raised her thumb and thrust it at Alicia.

Alicia's face turned bright red as she looked down.

Alicia was muttering something, but Karin couldn't hear it.

"I'm just going to wake him up."

"Yes. Please do your best."

As Alicia was about to stand up, the door opened.

"Oh my, you two seem to be having fun."

"Ge, Lady Sara... What are you talking about?"

Alicia, unable to speak, her mouth opening and closing, turned bright red.

Karin, wiping cold sweat, looked around nervously.

"Karin, you shouldn't tease Alicia too much."

"I'm not teasing! I'm being completely serious."

Karin looked at Sara with eyes that said she would do anything for Alicia.

Seeing this, Sara said,

"Then it's fine. Hehehe."

"Eh? But... Lady Sara, aren't you going to stop it?"

"Why should I stop it?"

Sara, with a puzzled look, said to Karin.

Karin thought that relationships between nobles and commoners were forbidden.

That's why she was trying to secretly bring Alicia and Kaoru together without Caine and Sara finding out.

Of course, Kaoru's feelings weren't considered.

"Because Caine and I had such barriers. So, if Alicia wants to, she should go for it. Ah! But it will be easier than when I did it, since no one will stop her."

"Eh? Did Mother also have such a situation?"

"Oh, I didn't tell Alicia and Karin, did I? I was originally a noble, and Caine was just a trader. Everyone was against us. Hehehe."

Alicia and Karin were surprised by these words.

They wondered how Caine and Sara managed to get married.

"How did Mother get permission to marry Father?"

"It was easy. I just made everyone shut up."

"Fe? What did you do, Mother?"

"Caine said he would do something big, and that shut them up."

"Would they really be silenced so easily?"

To Alicia's slightly worried face, Sara said,

"Well, I was going to marry him anyway. Besides, what others say doesn't matter. Alicia, would you back down if someone said it was impossible?"

"No, I wouldn't."

With a red face, Alicia said this, and Sara, laughing, patted her head.

"Once you fall in love, there's no helping it. I don't know about Kaoru-sama, but expressing your feelings is a good thing. If you don't say it, he won't know. Go for it, Alicia."

"That's right. Lady Sara is supporting you. Expressing your feelings is free, so go for it."

"I'll do my best. I'll try to spend as much time with Kaoru-sama as possible."

With determination, Alicia left the room.

The two of them watched her go, smiling.

"I hope it goes well."

"It depends on Alicia. Hehehe, it reminds me of the old days. But if it goes well, Alicia will have a much happier life. She's never thought about love before. It's fun to watch."

"By the way, when did you notice, Lady?"

"I heard you two whispering during meals. Hehehe."

"J, you have super hearing... I thought you were just smiling."

"Oh? I want you to say you observe well."

Sara smiled at Karin.

The two of them, slightly excited, looked forward to Alicia's report as they passed the time.

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Alicia arrived at Kaoru's room.

She took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob.

Her heartbeat echoed in her ears.

It felt both pleasant and unsettling.

She turned the doorknob and opened the door, entering the room.

"Excuse me, Kaoru-sama, it's morning~"

Alicia spoke in a small, thin voice, but it wasn't loud enough to wake Kaoru, who remained still.

She approached Kaoru's bed quietly.

The morning sun, filtering through the curtains, faintly illuminated Kaoru's face.

"Kaoru-sama, you look better with your hair down. What am I saying!"

Alicia scolded herself.

She couldn't get tired of looking at him.

She wondered if this was what it meant to fall in love.

She touched Kaoru's face with her hand.

"My heart is racing. It feels like I'm doing something wrong..."

Alicia, almost forgetting her original purpose, thought it was wrong and tried to wake Kaoru up.

"Let's try shaking him. Kaoru-sama, it's morning. Please wake up."

"..."

She shook Kaoru gently with her small hands, calling out to him.

But he showed no signs of waking up.

Alicia became slightly worried.

Thinking she should try a bit harder, she climbed onto the bed, knelt, and grabbed Kaoru's shoulders with both hands, shaking him.

"Morning! Kaoru-sama, please wake up~"

"..."

She shook him multiple times, but it didn't work.

She looked dejected, her eyes slightly teary, and fidgeted.

Kaoru showed no signs of waking up.

"If you don't wake up... I'll do something terrible!"

Alicia, saying this to Kaoru's ear, blushed and fidgeted.

From the outside, it looked quite amusing.

At that moment, Kaoru rolled over.

Alicia was caught in the movement and ended up in a position where she was hugging Kaoru like a pillow.

"Awn@ds^3dakhg!"

A faint, almost inaudible scream escaped her lips.

She couldn't move at all.

Hugging Kaoru like a pillow, Alicia's mind boiled with confusion.

Kaoru's face was right in front of her.

Her heartbeat was louder than ever, filled with joy.

Held in his embrace, Alicia's brain melted with happiness.

In the midst of this, she noticed something was wrong with Kaoru.

"Ah, is Kaoru-sama overusing his magic...?"

Alicia, seeing the magic aura and Kaoru's complexion, felt a bit worried, thinking it resembled the symptoms of magic depletion she had experienced before.

When a large amount of magic is used, the body initiates a defense mechanism to recover magic.

Depending on the person, it can vary, but generally, it involves resting and recovering MP through sleep.

"I'll report to Kaoru-sama when he wakes up. For now... I'll stay like this a bit longer... just a little more."

Saying this, Alicia buried her face in Kaoru's chest and rubbed her cheek against it.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

She reacted with a start.

Panicking again, she watched as the door slowly opened and a voice was heard.

"Alicia, did you wake up Kaoru-sama... Oh, sorry. Take your time."

Seeing Alicia hugging Kaoru like a pillow, the person said, "Sorry to interrupt," and closed the door.

Alicia, trying to explain, "It's a misunderstanding," but only heard, "You're quite bold," in return.

With a red face, she tried to move but couldn't because she was being held by Kaoru. She could only stay still.

Until Kaoru woke up, she was trapped, feeling both happy and embarrassed.

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The sunlight felt pleasant and slightly warm.

In his arms was a pillow that fit just right.

It was soft and would press against him when he applied a little force.

It smelled good, and he felt like hugging it forever.

Occasionally, a soft, alluring voice could be heard.

Kaoru's brain gradually woke up.

"Eh?"

He understood that the situation in front of him was not good.

The problem was that he was hugging Alicia like a pillow.

"What are you doing... trying to sneak in at night?"

"..."

Alicia reacted to Kaoru's voice.

She buried her face in Kaoru's chest, her ears red, and didn't move or respond.

"You won't know if you don't say."

"Good morning."

"Morning. So?"

Kaoru, smiling, asked why Alicia was in his bed, hugging him like a pillow.

Alicia, trying to say she wasn't at fault, replied.

"I came to wake you up. When I tried to shake you awake, I got caught in your roll and ended up like this..."

"! ? Wait, it's my fault then?"

"I couldn't move, and calling out didn't wake you up."

Really! Her desperate tone conveyed to Kaoru, who could only scratch his head and laugh.

"Sorry, I didn't know it would end up like this."

"It's okay..."

"By the way, what time is it?"

"10:00 AM."

"Something's off... I've never slept this long before."

For the past few days, Kaoru had been in a state of constant fatigue.

He thought he was just tired, but sleeping 12 hours a day was unprecedented.

In his original world, he had even moved around with only 30 minutes of sleep.

Since coming here, he thought it might be mental fatigue, but it didn't seem to be the case.

Kaoru thought there must be some other reason.

"By the way, Kaoru-sama, did you notice while sleeping? Did you use a lot of MP yesterday?"

"Hmm? No, I don't remember doing that. Why do you ask?"

"Your symptoms while sleeping were similar to when I used a lot of MP in the past."

"Is that possible? Using a lot of MP... Ah! I know."

Kaoru immediately realized the cause was the interdimensional operating room.

It consumed 1,000,000 MP per use and 100 MP per minute to maintain.

It was a high-cost unique skill.

Thinking he had infinite MP, he didn't consider the drawbacks, but this was a pitfall.

He needed to check how long the fatigue and forced sleep would last, as it would affect future usability.

Kaoru thought he wouldn't be able to use it easily from now on.

"By the way, could you let me go... I'm starting to feel embarrassed."

Throughout their conversation, Kaoru had been hugging Alicia like a pillow.

He had forgotten because it felt so good.

"Sorry, sorry. I forgot because it fit so well."

"Then, can I stay like this a bit longer... Ah!"

Kaoru gently stroked her head and helped her sit up.

"I have a lot to do today."

"Is it work?"

"Something like that."

"Please do your best. I'll be waiting for you to come back."

Alicia smiled gently.

For a moment, Kaoru was captivated by her expression.

"Showing that smile occasionally is unfair."

"Feh?"

"Never mind."

Kaoru replied in a small voice, his face slightly red.

When in work mode, he saw Alicia as a patient and didn't think about romance.

But when not in work mode, his thoughts would wander.

Understanding Alicia's feelings, Kaoru also became aware.

He wanted to be insensitive, but since he had noticed, he felt it would be disrespectful not to face it.

"Alicia, go back to your room. You haven't eaten breakfast, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"Want me to walk you?"

"N-No, it's okay."

"See you later, then."

Alicia left, and Kaoru got dressed and prepared to go to Reis's clinic.

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Arriving at Reis's clinic, he greeted and entered.

"Is Reis here?"

"You, why do you come and go as you please?"

Sighing, Reis looked at Kaoru.

Kaoru, smiling, said, "Sorry, sorry. I have some interesting news," and they both sat on the sofa.

"So, what is it? I'm busy."

"Ah, it's related to that. Why don't you listen?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Are you being harassed?"

"!? How did you know?"

Reis's face changed, and she glared at Kaoru.

Kaoru, calmly, tried to soothe her.

"Anyway, if we can teach a lesson to the one harassing you, would you want to do it?"

"Even if I could, it's impossible."

Reis answered, looking down with a dark expression.

She understood that, as a noble, she couldn't do anything.

Kaoru, with a slightly mischievous look, said,

"Teaching a lesson might be too mild. How about making the noble fall from grace?"

"Huh?"

Reis looked at Kaoru, puzzled.

To punish a noble, one needed to commit a serious crime and prove it.

Otherwise, it would be as if nothing happened, as everything would be crushed by money and power.

She also wondered why Kaoru would go to such lengths for her.

"Why are you doing this for me?"

"Hmm? It's simple. When a girl is in trouble, you want to help, right?"

"Is that the reason?"

"What else could it be? Besides, you've taught me a lot, so this is also a way to repay you."

Kaoru said, smiling.

Reis, muttering while looking down, was happy to know there was a way to change her current situation.

It was due to the noble's harassment.

"So, how will you make the noble fall from grace?"

"That's a secret."

Kaoru, grinning, explained his plan to Reis.

Hearing it, Reis exclaimed, "Are you crazy!" and the clinic echoed with her loud voice.

"You can't just make a special medicine easily! I was the fool for listening to you."

"Everyone says that, but I have a good idea of the disease."

"Where does your confidence come from?"

"I'm a specialist on that side."

Reis, exasperated, but Kaoru was serious.

Looking into Kaoru's eyes, it didn't seem like he was lying.

Sighing, she continued talking with Kaoru.

As they discussed, it became clear that Kaoru's new magic could solve the problem, and they planned the next steps.

"First, you need to make the medicine. Without that, we can't do anything. I'll prepare on my end, so do your part."

"That's right. I'll do my best. Count on me."

Kaoru left the clinic, heading to the place where the patients with labyrinth fever were.

I managed to get some time.

The next update will also be irregular.

I'll try to update as soon as possible if I have time.