Chapter 33: Sometimes, There Are Things You’d Rather Forget

“…I messed up.”

It happened in the newly completed mini-home—specifically, in the pool area on the first floor designated for Fere.

They had drawn in purified, heated water from the nearby lake to create a chic space, half of the room turned into a pool. The master, with his usual strange obsessions, had even gone so far as to recreate a sea cove.

And there I was, sitting in the shallow end, completely naked, cradling my head.

Next to me, Fere was asleep, looking as satisfied as a carnivorous fish that had just gorged itself. That glossy sheen on her skin probably wasn’t just my imagination.

As for what happened… Let’s just say alcohol is terrifying.

---

About two weeks after construction began, we completed a two-story house, and right next to it, a small detached house with a 2LDK layout.

For the record, the smaller house became Kasai-san’s home. It’s not like we were excluding him or anything. It’s just… things are bound to get dangerous in the main house from now on. Since things can get a bit too toxic for him, and with his consent, we built him his own place.

When we brought it up, he actually looked relieved. I guess living here had been stressful for him too. Lately, maybe because he finally had some energy to spare, he’d been stirring late at night or sneaking quietly to the bathroom more often… Poor guy.

Anyway, since the new homes were finally finished, we decided to celebrate that night. We brought out the master’s secret stash of alcohol, and it turned into a full-blown party—drinking, singing, you name it.

Caught up in the excitement, I mistook a certain drink for juice and had a sip. That forbidden beverage…

From there, my mood soared. I sang with Fere, getting completely carried away. At that point, I’d completely lost it—I kissed the master, Yuria, and Lulu in turn, then planted a big one on Fere too, all while yelling “What, you can’t handle my drink!?”

Yeah. That’s textbook alcohol harassment. In today’s world, I could totally get sued for this.

The two of us, now spectacularly drunk, were starting to doze off from all the singing. So, with the master’s permission, I escorted the stumbling Fere back to her brand-new room.

And then… I saw the big, heated pool and, for some unfathomable reason, after laying Fere down in her custom bed, I stripped off my clothes and dove in. Started swimming like it was the most natural thing.

Even now, I can’t explain what I was thinking.

At some point, Fere sobered up a little, joined me in the pool, and we swam together. Our shared drunken energy just kept escalating, and before we knew it—without either of us suggesting it—we grabbed each other's hands and launched into… an all-night karaoke session.

Completely naked.

Drunken energy is terrifying. Even now, I have no idea why it turned out that way. It feels like I’ve crossed some irreversible line.

And that concludes the flashback… Time to stop running from reality and make my escape.

“Mmh…”

Trying not to wake Fere as she stirred in her sleep, I carefully tiptoed out of the shallows, quickly dried off with the provided towels, and got dressed.

My throat burned from singing too much. I was cold, exhausted, and all I wanted was to return to my room and collapse into a second round of sleep.

Just to be safe, I cautiously checked the surroundings and slipped out of the room. Luckily, the hallway was empty. Time to head upstairs to my room—

“Sora.”

The moment I stepped forward, a voice called out from the far end of the hallway. A very familiar voice. Honestly, it was the last voice I wanted to hear right now.

I turned around with the sluggishness of a rusted machine. And there stood the master, wearing a smile at least three times gentler than usual.

The instant I saw him, it was like alarm bells exploded in my head. Sure, he looked kind… but I could see something far darker lurking behind that smile. And now I couldn’t unsee it.

“Hii…”

The only response I could manage was a strangled whimper, not even proper words. The master began walking toward me, slowly. Like a monster in a horror movie, every step loaded with ominous tension, amplifying my fear tenfold.

But I couldn’t run. My legs were frozen, completely unresponsive. Tears blurred my vision. Not that I did anything wrong, really. My throat was so dry I couldn’t even speak properly.

My back touched the wall. The master gently placed a hand against the wall beside me, stroking my hair with a softness that only made the situation more terrifying. There was no escape—that much was clear.

“What were you doing in Fere’s room until morning?”

He went straight for it. No lead-up, just a direct hit. Would he even believe me if I said, “We were singing karaoke… naked”?

And honestly, even if he did believe me, that might be even worse. But if I didn’t say anything, this wasn’t going to end.

“Uh, I… we… na–naked… ka–karaoke…”

“Oh?”

His expression didn’t change, but the pressure intensified. Please, hear me out! I didn’t finish the sentence! My throat’s wrecked from all the singing! Please, let me explain, not sing!

“What exactly were you doing, butt-naked, until your voice gave out?”

“T-That’s… keh—no, I mean… cough—”

The temperature in the air was dropping fast. I didn’t do anything wrong! It was all the fault of that cursed drink! If I didn’t clear this up soon, things were going to spiral into a disaster of hentai proportions!

“Just… cough—s-singing… keff, karaoke… all night, and my throat… gave out…”

“…………”

After forcing my ruined throat to get the words out, the master visibly shifted to a very complicated expression.

“…So you were doing karaoke… naked?”

“Eep!”

I nodded vigorously, and after a pause, he slowly placed his hand on his forehead.

The pressure around us finally faded. D-Did I… survive?

“…Do you know how sirens court each other?”

“…?”

Now that he mentioned it, I didn’t. I’d only ever thought of them as aquatic yokai. Although come to think of it, Fere was weirdly insistent about singing together…

“With songs.”

“?”

I tilted my head, confused, and the master let out a quiet sigh.

“Sirens are a species that use songs to affirm love between each other.”

Ah… So that’s why Fere was so fixated on duets. As expected of a pervert with a fetish for other species—he knows way too much about this stuff. I mean, this is… this is one of those situations, isn’t it? Like, three full circles around to that kind of thing.

“So… you sang naked together all night?”

“…………Tehe?”

I tilted my head cutely. The master gave me a soft smile.

“Hyuppii!?”

Just when I thought I might’ve dodged it, he suddenly leaned in and bit my ear—almost a sneak attack. As I squirmed in his arms, he exhaled gently against my ear.

“I admit, it’s partially my fault for not explaining it. But even then, I didn’t expect that kind of wild behavior.”

“Hh—nngh… i-it’s not… ah…”

I didn’t know! I really didn’t! There were no hidden intentions! I just got carried away and sang my heart out, that’s all! And yet the pressure is increasing—no, it’s multiplying. Master, I swear, this level of pressure is practically killing intent.

How was I supposed to know if you didn’t tell me?! This is completely unfair!

“Time for your punishment.”

“P-Pii!? N-No, wait…”

“I guess I really do need to drill it into you… that you belong to me.”

My whole body started trembling. What is this, mating season?! Just because we haven’t done anything in over a week… Wait, is that the reason!?

Okay, okay, I get it already! But even though it’s not cold, I feel like I’m about to freeze. Please, pull back that bloodthirsty aura! Seriously, provoking Master when he’s in a bad mood is terrifying.

A punishment from an overcharged Master? Just imagining it is enough to give me chills. Normally, he’s kind—but when he decides not to show mercy, he’s brutal. No blood, no tears, nothing. If he says he’ll kill, he kills. If he says he’ll take you, he takes you.

Maybe satisfied by the sight of me trembling obediently without resistance, he finally placed a kiss on my cheek and pulled back. I wanted to protest—but I couldn’t even form the words.

But at least the pressure had lifted. My body, now finally able to move again, was soaked in sweat.

“Well then… see you tonight.”

“P-Piii…”

This is bad. This is really bad. I never thought one little drink taken on a whim could lead to such a terrifying conclusion.

I stayed frozen in place, watching his back until he disappeared from view. Then, leaning back against the wall, I slowly slid down to the floor and let out a deep, deep breath.

Ugh… The price of my mistake turned out to be painfully steep. I wiped the tears gathering at the corners of my eyes and forced myself to my feet, wobbling as I headed for the newly built bath, using the wall for support. First things first—I needed to change out of these soaking wet undergarments.

And then… somehow, before tonight, I had to get Master back in a good mood. For the sake of survival, I had to do it.

---

◇◆ADVENTURE RESULT◆◇

【EXP】
MAX Combo 34 <<New Record!!
BATTLE TOTAL 34 <<New Record!!
―― Bonus EXP added for time elapsed
◆【Sora Lv.75】 +34 +10
◆【Lulu Lv.30】 +12
◆【Yuria Lv.28】 +12
◇―
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Sora Lv.75 [753] → Lv.78 [787] <<Level Up!!
Lulu Lv.30 [300] → Lv.31 [312] <<Level Up!!
Yuria Lv.28 [282] → Lv.29 [294] <<Level Up!!

【RECORD】
[MAX COMBO] >> 34 <<New Record!!
[MAX BATTLE] >> 34 <<New Record!!

【PARTY-1 (Main)】
[Shuya] [Lv.77] HP 1432/1432 MP 2530/2530 [Normal]
[Sora] [Lv.78] HP 3/60 MP 733/733 [Severely Exhausted]
[Lulu] [Lv.30] HP 735/735 MP 36/36 [Normal]
[Yuria] [Lv.29] HP 1540/1540 MP 88/88 [Normal]

【PARTY-2 (Sub)】
[Fere] [Lv.25] HP 252/252 MP 830/830 [Normal]

【PARTY-3 (Sub)】
[Makoto] [Lv.40] HP 1450/1450 MP 128/128 [Normal]
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

【Comment】

“Did the young lady manage to smooth things over with him?”

“Ah… yeah. I just checked, but it looks like it didn’t go so well.”