Chapter 39
"Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent, Albert-sama, Yuka-san! This is pure creative fuel!"
"Uh... yeah."
Yui had grilled us relentlessly, leaving me mentally exhausted. As for Lord Albert? His soul might as well have left his body.
"Ah... Yuka."
"Albert-sama?"
In that half-dead state, he suddenly perked up and called my name. Hmm. This can only mean—
"Apologies. It's coming."
"Ah, understood."
Yep. The curse was acting up again.
"Huh? Wait, what's happening?"
Yui tilted her head, completely lost. Normally, hugging Albert in front of her would be embarrassing, but there was no helping it now.
"Pardon me, then."
"Mhm."
I pulled him into a tight embrace. He went limp, leaning his full weight against me.
"GWAHHH?! OUT OF NOWHERE, A PASSIONATE EMBRACE?! HOLD ON—LET ME GRAB MY CAMERA!"
Yui's excitement skyrocketed. From who-knows-where, she whipped out a high-end DSLR.
CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK—
A torrent of shutter sounds. Her eyes were bloodshot, her breathing ragged. This is straight-up degenerate behavior.
"Albert-sama! Look this way! Yuka-san, keep holding him just like that! This’ll be the cover shot!"
"...? Like this?"
Still drowsy, Albert squirmed in my arms, shifting from a front hug to a back hug. Wait, is he... actually obeying her requests? Dude’s either too earnest or just can’t say no.
"AAAAAH!! PERFECT! EYES ON THE CAMERA, PLEASE! GYAAAAH! BLESSED! THIS IS ART!"
And just like that, we transitioned into a full-blown photoshoot.
"Gufu... gufufufu... gufufufufu...!"
Post-shoot, Yui scrolled through the photos with a highly suspicious grin. I barely swallowed the word "pervert."
"Aah! Glorious! I’ll send you copies when they’re done!"
"Uh... sure."
Yui beamed. I gave a tired, half-hearted reply. Albert, still cradled in my arms, was dozing off.
"Nnn~... Yuka..."
"Yes?"
"Sleepy..."
"Go ahead and sleep. I’ll wake you when we’re done."
"M’kay... G’night... Zzz... Zzz..."
He was out instantly. Dude falls asleep faster than a cat in sunlight. And somehow, he looks even more defenseless like this—face softer, more childlike. Well, at least he’s relaxed. Better than his usual scowling.
"This... THIS is the essence of 'babu-mi'...! Not just a word, but a truth felt in the heart...! This is maternal instinct...!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"But doesn’t it feel nice? Having a boy rely on you like this? Right? RIGHT?!"
She was aggressively seeking validation. I mean... Back when I was a guy, my dream was being doted on by an older girl. Now? Having Albert cling to me isn’t... unpleasant. Maybe she’s onto something.
『My, my. You’re becoming quite the woman, aren’t you?』
『Oh dear, at this rate, it’s only a matter of time before she fully embraces femininity~』
Yuka’s and Lumière’s voices echoed in my head.
...Huh? Wait. Seriously?!
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