Chapter 44 The Third Morning ④
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”That is exactly why I am using insect-repelling magic¹ on Kuroki-sama’s room before she enters,” Flora explained with a professional air. “Additionally, the maids enter for cleaning while everyone is at work. There is no way Kuroki-sama will be bitten by insects, and even if she were, she would be healed immediately with healing magic².”
”Is that so? Then I am relieved,” Kuroki Souya-san replied, her expression softening.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Flora-san was laying the ‘magic’ explanation on thick, but as far as I was concerned, she was doing me a favor. I felt grateful for the cover. There was no way I could let Kuroki-san find out that the red marks on Jane’s neck were hickeys I had left there myself.
In the dining hall, several people, including the Class President, were already seated. While Owa Kumi-san looked much like her usual self, the other classmates seemed a bit over-excited. They were making quite a racket with their loud voices.
It would have been fine if it was something unrelated to me, but I kept hearing things like “shoulder rubs” and “shoulder pats,” so it was definitely about me. I really hoped they weren’t saying anything bad. If they were saying stuff like, “Anma-kun stared a hole through me when my nipples got hard,” my future would be officially dead. Please, just stay quiet.
I offered a silent prayer as I received my food and approached the tables. Noticing us, Owa Kumi-san pointed to the seat directly behind her.
”Ah, morning, Anma-kun. I have something I want to talk about, so could you sit in the seat behind me?”
”Morning, Class President. Sure thing, roger that.”
I sat in the seat behind Owa Kumi, back-to-back. As soon as I set down my tray, she poked me from behind. It seemed she had something to discuss before even touching her meal.
”Yes, yes, what is it, Class President?”
”It’s about the massage from yesterday. Since I also slept like a log last night, I think it’s probably thanks to Anma-kun’s massage. I intend to ask Sensei as well, but I think quite a few people will show up. The girls who were just talking here a moment ago said they’re definitely going.”
”Because Kumi said it felt so good getting massaged by a man. Of course people would want to try it. Anma, you’re cool with it, right?” Koshino Sayuki-san chimed in.
”Ah, yeah. I’m okay with it.”
”I wonder exactly what kind of finger-work that technique is, the one that made our Class President fall. Maybe you will end up turning everyone to jelly by tonight,” Amano Kaho-san teased.
I simply nodded as Koshino-san confirmed. I ignored Amano-san, who was just trying to get a rise out of me. There were seven girls here now—including Sensei, that made eight for sure?
Actually, who was the woman sitting next to the Class President? Since she was sitting there with such a natural face, I hadn’t even noticed her until I looked properly.
Noticing my gaze, she stood up and gave a deep bow.
”Nice to meet you! Starting today, I will be Owa-sama’s personal attendant, Ena! I may cause Anma-sama various troubles, but I look forward to working with you!”
”Nice to meet you, I’m Anma. Likewise.”
”Ah, that’s right. Anma-kun asked the Princess for me, didn’t you? Thank you for being so thoughtful,” Owa-san said with a smile.
”No, I only mentioned it to Jane briefly.”
In truth, I hadn’t done much, and being thanked so happily was a bit awkward. Just as I thought that, she tilted her head slightly.
”Jane? When we met yesterday, did you call Jane-san without an honorific?”
”Ah—no. After that, she just requested that I call her that.”
”Hmm. You were requested by Jane-san herself? Ena-san, is the sense of distance with a maid usually like that?”
”Umm, how should I put this…” Ena-san replied with a strained smile.
Not just Ena-san, but Flora-san and Sara-san were giving wry smiles too. Jane had told me that even if she was a noble’s daughter, she was nothing special, so I should just drop the titles. But looking at their faces, it was clearly unusual.
”While we maids are technically servants, many of us are daughters of noble houses, so it is usually better not to drop honorifics so suddenly. However, since it seems Jane has taken a particular liking to Anma-sama, I suppose she specially permitted it,” Flora-san explained.
”Heh~. So you were per-mit-ted spe-cial-ly♪ weren’t you~♪ Kyaa♪” Kitabayashi Aika-san started teasing. Honestly, this girl only looks happy when she’s poking fun at someone’s romantic life.
And the eyes on the other girls were dangerous too. Those were the eyes of predators stalking prey. You could practically see the rom-com vibes radiating from them. They were clearly determined to squeeze the whole story out of me.
But I couldn’t exactly say we got close during a lewd massage. It was time for an exit strategy.
I averted my eyes from the Class President and Ena-san, turning toward Kuroki Souya-san in the front seat. She was watching me with wide, sparkling eyes. The Class President had said the girls here wanted massages, but Kuroki-san hadn’t said anything yet. I had to pivot the conversation to her to escape.
”That’s right, Kuroki-san. To follow up on what we were saying, it seems the Class President slept great after her massage last night. The others behind us are planning to come by, but I was wondering if you were coming too?”
”Yes, of course I’ll go! Jane-san is your personal attendant I saw earlier, right? I’ll probably be able to talk to her if I go for a massage. I’m looking forward to it!”
”Right… yeah… you’ll probably talk…” I muttered. The conversation had just looped right back. Dammit, I had to do something.
Just as I was trying to think of another distraction, a shadow fell over the table. I thought the Class President had stood up, but it wasn’t her.
”Good morning, everyone. I am sorry for being late. Shall we have breakfast?”
”Good morning, Sensei! Yes, let’s! I’m starving!”
Sensei! My goddess of salvation! It seemed everyone was finally gathered. Sensei took the seat next to me.
”? Anma-kun, you seem quite energetic this morning. Is everyone ready? Then, let us eat. Itadakimasu.”
””Itadakimasu!””
I could feel the dissatisfied gazes of Owa Kumi and the others on my back, but I didn’t care! I’d let ‘After-Breakfast Anma’ deal with that. For now, I was eating.
* * *
How short a time of peace is…
I stared at my empty plate and sighed inwardly. Sensei was only half-finished. The chatter would surely continue until she was done. Kuroki-san, who was on her last plate, was looking my way. She had a look that said, “I have things to ask, but I’ll wait until everyone is finished eating.”
I was lucky the only ones at my table were Sensei, Kuroki-san, and Flora-san. If someone like Koshino-san was here, I wouldn’t have had a moment’s peace even while eating. I wondered if I could rest until Kuroki-san was done. No, I could still feel the Class President’s stare. Was I really going to be interrogated about Jane-san?
But I wasn’t finished yet. I hadn’t asked Sensei if she’d slept well, or confirmed if the girls from the subjugation squad³ would be joining. If I brought that up, I could buy some time.
”Sensei. Regarding last night, did you sleep well? I wanted to check the effects of the massage.”
”Munch… gulp. Yes, I slept very well. If Owa-san is also sleeping well, then it is certainly due to the massage.”
”I already checked with the Class President. She slept great.”
”That is good to hear.”
So the efficacy was confirmed. Now for the rest of the girls. Since Owa Kumi was the one organizing them, I had to talk to her.
”Class President, since Sensei slept well too, it really does seem to be my High-Level Massage⁴ ability⁵. I’m going to go check with the subjugation squad, so could you check with everyone else?”
”Ah, I already asked them. They said the Maid-sans are already giving them massages, so they’re fine.”
”Oh, you already asked? Then it’s just this side left?”
”Of course. It’s decided that everyone is participating. But I want to confirm a few things about the massage.”
”Hmm? Like what?” I was planning on doing exactly what I did for her yesterday.
”Can you do waist massages? Kuroki-san was worried about it, and Kanna said she wanted her waist done too.”
”The waist, huh? I mean, I can do it, but is that okay for you guys?” My ability meant even a simple rub had a huge effect, but I wondered if girls were really okay with a guy rubbing their waist.
Owa Kumi answered frankly. “Only the girls who don’t care about that will ask, so don’t worry about it. It’ll be over the clothes, anyway. I just wanted to know if you could. Also, can you do hands?”
”Hands? Sure, but I don’t know how much effect it’ll have. I’ve never tried it.”
”Well, try it and find out.”
”If you’re okay with that, then fine,” I nodded.
”Also, does the effect only last for the day? Can you sleep the next night too?”
”I don’t know. If it doesn’t, does that mean you have to come every day?”
”Exactly. There might be days when we aren’t feeling well, so it would help if the effect lasted.”
When I used Appraise⁶, it didn’t mention duration, and I couldn’t test it on myself. We needed data from people who got a massage on the first day but not yesterday.
”Ena-san. Could you go ask Alisha and the others if the effect is still lasting?”
”Alisha and the others? Ah, understood! I’ll be right back!” Ena-san vanished like a gust of wind. High-speed movement must be a job requirement for maids.
Owa Kumi watched her go. “Alisha-san is the Princess’s maid, right? Does that mean you sent her to ask the Princess too?”
”Well, the only ones who got a massage on the first day were the Princess, Alisha, and Sensei.”
Aside from Sensei, only the Princess and Alisha fit the bill. I couldn’t exactly tell a maid to go interview the Princess, but if they were together, she’d get the info.
”Do you have any other questions?”
”You said you only met yesterday, right? How exactly are you ‘closing the distance’ so fast that you’re already on a first-name basis?” Owa Kumi asked, her eyes narrowing again.”
—
Summary:
Anma attempts to deflect questions about his intimate relationship with Jane during breakfast with his classmates. Flora provides a magical cover story for the hickeys on Jane’s neck to protect Anma’s reputation. The Class President, Owa Kumi, organizes a massage schedule for the girls while growing suspicious of Anma’s sudden closeness with the royal maid.
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Character Insight:
Owa Kumi demonstrates her leadership by organizing the group’s health management but also shows a more personal, possessive curiosity regarding Anma’s social life. Anma remains in a state of high-alert ‘survival mode,’ using his massage skill as a social currency while desperately trying to hide the erotic nature of his interactions from his classmates to avoid social ruin.
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Behind the Scene:
This chapter highlights the contrast between the ‘official’ palace life and the ‘private’ life Anma is building. The ‘dropping of honorifics’ (yobisute) is a massive trope in Japanese light novels used to signal significant romantic progression.
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T/L:
Notes:
• Kuroki – A summoned clothier mentioned as having a lady-in-waiting. A scatterbrained girl.
• Flora – A girl with black hair and a short stature. Granddaughter of a previous generation Hero. She has high stats and large breasts (larger than Alisha).
• Jane – A maid with light blue hair. She has an AA-cup breast size and is desperate for breast enhancement.
• Owa Kumi – The class representative. A responsible student who asks logical questions about the summoning. Like the teacher, she is noted to have a large bust. Ponytail black hair, wear glasses, sharp and determined eyes.
• Koshino – A summoned chef mentioned as having a lady-in-waiting.
• Ena – A handmaiden with a C-cup breast size, medium brown hair, and an earnest expression, often blushing or showing clumsy moments. She has a strong, gutsy build and wears practical handmaiden attire.
• Sara – Responsible for coordinating with the cook. She has C-cup breasts.
• Alisha – A maid serving the Princess. She has red hair and a well-endowed chest. She is highly protective and skilled enough to easily restrain an average man.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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