Courage

I woke up. A sharp pain throbbed in my head.

… What happened? I was… Hmm? This is a room at the inn? The suite room, at that.

I was trying to confirm something with Leona, but didn't I get caught in a trap?

Why am I here? Did I lose my memory? Or is this still a dream?

Knock knock. I heard a sound at the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Niku."

It was Niku's voice. I was about to give her permission to enter—but before that, I checked what I was wearing.

I was naked.

And the bedding. For some reason, it was the Divine Comforter. The suite room bed should have a mattress with a down comforter.

And then there was the weight on my body. When I looked, Rokuko was clinging to me in her loli form, still asleep.

Sh-she's wearing pajamas. Safe?

"Wait a moment, Niku. I'd like to confirm the situation, so please answer through the door."

"Yes."

"… How many days ago did Leona leave? The day I had the Dungeon Battle with Ittetsu."

"Yes, that was the day before yesterday, so… two days ago."

… What. There's a one-day gap in my memory.

This is really frightening. If I'd simply been unconscious and just woke up now, that would be one thing, but it's more reasonable to assume Leona did something.

I decided to wake Rokuko. I felt bad since she looked so content, happily drooling on my stomach, but it had to be done.

"… Hey, Rokuko, wake up. Oi."

"Kehmaaaa… slurp, nom nom."

"Woah, stop licking my navel, it tickles! And stop squirming around, please, it's starting to feel weird! Please wake up, I'm begging you."

"Hweh!? Ah, Kehma! … You're back to your senses!?"

Rokuko's first words upon waking only made me more uneasy.

Just what did I do yesterday!?

"Yesterday was rough. You were clearly not in your right mind. But only Niku and I noticed."

"… Um, in what way was I not myself?"

"You suddenly hugged me and whispered sweet nothings. Well, the passionate part made me happy, but it didn't feel like the real you. So I pulled you into the Divine Comforter and put you to sleep."

In other words, she used the Divine Comforter's healing effect… it cures abnormal status conditions too?

… Hmm? Wait wait. This isn't the time to be calm. Wasn't there supposed to be divine punishment if you weren't married when using the Divine Comforter? What happened to the divine punishment? What, did we pass as a married couple? Wait, does God officially recognize Rokuko and me as husband and wife?

"Hey, Rokuko."

"What is it, Kehma?"

"… Are you and I a marri—actually, before that, why am I naked? Um, please let me get dressed."

"Ah, yeah. Good, you're back to normal, Kehma… You're naked because you stripped when we used the Divine Comforter together. Your clothes should be on the floor."

Just as Rokuko said, my clothes were on the floor… I hurriedly put them on.

"…"

Um, please don't stare like that. It's embarrassing to be watched while changing.

And so I finished changing while being watched by Rokuko the whole time.

Now then, should I ask?

"Ah, um, right. Rokuko. There's something I want to ask."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"… Are you and I… married?"

"Eh?"

Rokuko responded blankly… Wait, what does that "Eh?" mean?

"… Huh!?"

"Please, Rokuko. Give me a clear answer."

"… Ah, well, that… Partners?"

"Don't look away, Rokuko."

"… … Then married."

What do you mean "then"?

"… We're not married, are we?"

"We're not… right…"

Rokuko hung her head with a serious expression. Yeah, given this situation, that was bound to happen.

"… Crap. This is the Divine Comforter. I might get hit with that divine punishment that would make even a god pale…! What should I do, Rokuko?"

"Eh!? Ah, th-that? Um, well, if it's that, it's fine. It's set up to be okay when I give permission."

"Eh, really? You can set up exclusive items like that?"

"Uh… yeah, definitely."

Seriously? Tell me sooner if you can make adjustments like that!

"That's a relief… Haah, now that I know it's fine, the sleepiness is hitting me. Can I borrow it?"

"Eh? Ah, um…"

"Oh, right. I left Niku waiting outside. Niku, what did you need?"

"No, I just came to check on you. If you're safe and back to normal, that's good."

With that, Niku left.

Alright, time to go back to sleep.

"Hey, Kehma? … What kind of relationship do we have? We're not… married, right?"

"… Yeah. We're not married. We haven't gone through a wedding or any procedures, after all."

"Then what are we? Kehma, do you… not want to be married to me?"

Rokuko looked at me with an expression like she was about to cry.

… It's not that I don't want to. I don't think badly of Rokuko. Rather, I can't think of anyone else in this world as my partner besides Rokuko. Ah, wait, there's Niku. But Niku is a genuine hug pillow little girl, so… Yeah, it really is only Rokuko.

But if I said we were married here, Haku-san would kill me later. Twice. She'd kill me once while I'm in my [Super Transformation] state, and once more after that extra life is used up. In other words, she wouldn't stop until I'm permanently dead.

"It doesn't feel like we're lovers either, so… isn't it fine to just be partners?"

Calling us lovers at this point would feel kind of late too, and I think Haku-san would kill me even for that. I don't want to die, and I feel like pushing forward with "partners" as our style, without fitting into the usual labels of "lovers" or "married couple," might be the way to go. We've been like that all along, after all.

"Then if you make someone else your lover, I'll, I'll… I'll sulk!"

"You'll sulk? Not oppose it?"

"I don't think you'd make one without a reason, Kehma, so that's fine. But I will absolutely sulk, okay? Enough to make freshly baked melon bread go soggy in three minutes."

"Well, I don't think it'll happen, but if it does, I'll work really hard to make it up to you."

"Then I'll forgive you!"

I gave Rokuko's head a few pats.

… Rokuko smiled with a "nehee." Being in her loli form made it quite heartwarming.

"Ah, um. Should I stop sleeping with Niku?"

"Eh? Niku is a hug pillow, why would you stop?"

I don't always understand what Rokuko worries about. Well, I've gotten used to using Niku as a hug pillow now, so it would be a bit troublesome if she suddenly told me to stop.

"But you know. Niku is your exclusive hug pillow, right? … Can you lend her to me too? I've been wanting to try using her for a while. In exchange, I'll let you use the Divine Comforter."

"Deal."

The negotiation was complete. If there's no divine punishment, there's no reason to hesitate about the Divine Comforter anymore.

Well, there is the concern that I might get used to it and lose my appreciation for it, but that's not a reason to hesitate from enjoying it.

"Then how about all three of us sleep together in the Divine Comforter?"

"Ooh! That sounds great. Let's call Niku back and go back to sleep."

"Wait, Niku's on a work shift. For now, let's keep it to just the two of us. We can add Niku tonight… Also, we're only sleeping until lunch, okay?"

"Roger that."

Somehow, Rokuko and I found a landing point for our ambiguous relationship.

Maybe I should thank Leona for this, since she was probably the main culprit behind Rokuko and me sleeping together in the Divine Comforter. Nah, let's not. It's Leona, after all.

Still, pushing forward with our relationship as "partners"… the old me probably wouldn't have done that.

Rokuko and I were… no, I was probably too fixated on the frameworks of "lovers" and "married couples."

How should I put it?

Like I gained some courage?