As I read my books, I would occasionally receive a message from Kyouka. KYOUKA [STUDYING ISN'T FUN!] KYOUKA [STUDYING SUCKS!] I would respond with words of encouragement. As I passed the time like that, the clock ticked past 9pm. “Monika, don’t you need to go home?” “Just a little longer, please.” Are you sure that’s okay? “It’s a little late for me to ask, but is it really all right for an unmarried girl to come to a man’s home this late at night?” “Probably not for a noble, but I'm a commoner, so it should be fine... Besides, I serve you, Tatsuya-sama, so there’s no problem,” Monika explained. Is that how it works? “Would you like to take a bath? You walked quite a bit today, so you must be tired.” Ruri, who was sitting next to Monika, made the suggestion. “A bath…in this world?” Monika asked. “Sure, go ahead. Ruri, show her the way. I’m going to keep studying magic with Miriam for a bit longer.” “Understood. Let's take a short break, Monika-san.” “Okay...” The two of them stood up and left the living room. “Yamada, Yamada. Which one do you prefer, Monika or Kyouka, meow?” Miriam asked with great interest once we were alone. “Hmm? What do you mean? I think they’re both nice girls...” “No, I mean, which one do you prefer as a woman?” Ah, so that’s what she means. “They’re both beautiful girls, and I think they’re both cute. Their figures are great, too.” “Why are you being so formal about it?” “Because it’s none of my business. I’ve already given up on that sort of thing.” When I was in middle school, I thought I’d get a girlfriend as soon as I got into high school. When I was in high school, I thought I’d get a girlfriend as soon as I got into college. When I was in college, I thought I’d get a girlfriend as soon as I got a job. And after I got a job, I thought I’d get a girlfriend sooner or later. And that’s how I ended up here. I gave up when I hit my thirties. “You’re withering away, meow. ...You’re still quite young, you know.” “Well, I guess that’s true. But I’m having fun right now, and I’ve got Ruri and you with me, so it’s all good.” Both of them are cute, after all. “Yamada…pet me,” Miriam said, climbing into my lap. I started stroking her back. Her fur was incredibly soft. I sent Kyouka a message saying, “Petting Miriam is pure bliss.”

Her reply was a single teardrop emoji. “You say you’re not lonely, meow, but having a girlfriend is a different topic, right?” “It’s like the more you struggle, the less you want it. I’ve got other things to do right now, anyway.” “All right, just hypothetically, what would you do if one of them confessed to you?” Monika or Kyouka? “That’ll never happen.” “It’s just a hypothetical question. You know, like when girls talk about their love lives on school trips.” This cat-supreme demon sure likes to gossip. “I don’t know. We’re too far apart in age.” “Kyouka might be, but not Monika, meow.” “Is that so?” “Using the other world as a rule, the age difference isn’t that big, meow.” Huh… Is that why she keeps telling me I’m still young? “I don’t know about that. Either way, they’re both nice girls, and I don’t have any complaints.” I didn’t feel like I was in a position to complain, and if I did, I felt like people would start throwing stones at me. “Is that so…?” “Is there something on your mind?” “No, I’m a cat from that world, remember? Over there, getting married is the norm, meow.” “But in this world, it’s not like that anymore.” The marriage rate had plummeted in recent years. Apparently, in the past, if you weren’t married, people would say all kinds of things and try to set you up with someone, but no one did that anymore. Personally, when I was a section chief, I always made sure not to bring up such topics with my subordinates. I didn’t want to do to them what I hated having done to me from my superiors. “Hmm, I see. Well, I guess things will turn out as they will... Yamada, I'll teach you a magic spell to protect yourself from being decapitated,” Miriam decided. “Isn’t that a weird thing to say in the middle of this conversation?” “Actually, it’s not that strange, meow,” Miriam replied. “Just listen up and remember what I’m about to teach you. Even if you have healing magic, it won’t do any good if your head gets chopped off, meow.” Why the head specifically? It’s not like I’m going to get decapitated by the "Killer Kyouka-chan" or something. I continued to have Miriam teach me defensive spells, and eventually, Ruri came back alone. “Took you long enough.” Did it take her a long time to learn how to use it? “I went back to Monica-san’s house to get a change of clothes for her. Since I was there anyway, I thought I might as well wash some of Monica-san’s things too.” Oh, I see. “Hmm… Once Monica’s done with the bath, you can go in after her. I’m busy right now.” “What are you doing?” “I’m not really sure, but Miriam is teaching me a spell to protect myself from being decapitated.” “Ahh... I think that’s a good idea. She probably wouldn't do something like that, but she does seem like the type of person to pull out a sword at a moment’s notice.”

For some reason, Ruri seemed to be thinking of the same person I had in mind. “A-Are you sure everything is ok?” Feeling a bit uneasy, I decided to send a message to Kyouka. YAMADA: [Kyouka, you’re not actually going to behead anyone, right? You don’t like decapitating people, do you?] KYOUKA: [I’ve told you this a bunch of times already, but my sword can’t cut people.] That was a little reassuring, but I couldn’t help but notice that she hadn’t said anything about whether she liked beheading people or not. As Miriam continued to teach me spells, Monica finished her bath, and Ruri took her turn. Monica immediately went back to sit in front of the computer, staring at the screen. “How was the bath?” “It was really nice. The body soap, shampoo, and conditioner were all great.” “Think they’ll sell?” “They’ll definitely sell. They’ll be a huge hit. However, if we sell them, we’ll might move away from that slow life we are aiming for...” That’s true… “Okay then, let’s not sell them.” “Instead, we should give them as gifts.” “Gifts?” “In a word, bribes. If we present them to some noble ladies, we might be able to gain their backing.” A bribe, huh? That sounds a bit shady, but hey, it’s just shampoo… “Will that work?” “Leave it to me.” After Ruri finished her bath, I took my turn. Around 11 pm, Monica turned off the computer. “I’m sorry for keeping you up so late.” “Not at all. Did you get to understand our world?” “No, not yet. There’s still a lot I don’t understand.” I guess that’s to be expected. There’s no way she could learn everything in such a short amount of time. “Well, feel free to come over anytime.” “Thank you very much. It’s already getting late, so I’m going to turn in for the night. Thank you for everything.” “Mm. Good night. See you tomorrow.” “Yes. Good night.” Monica bowed and left. “All right, time for bed.” “Good night, meow.” Miriam climbed into her cardboard bed. “Good night, Ruri.” “Yes, good night.” Ruri returned to her room, so I did the same and went to bed.