It wasn’t a long massage, maybe lasting for about 10 or 15 minutes, but it was very effective, as when I got up afterward, my shoulders and other parts of my body felt noticeably lighter.
[Ohh, amazing. My shoulders feel so light and it feels so much better.]
[I think the massage has improved your blood circulation, so you’d probably feel like you can move better than usual. Well, even if that’s so, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard, okay?]
[Yes.]
[Unn, unn, that’s a good answer. Well then, that’s the end of the “physical” care!]
[Thank you ve…… Unn? Physical?]
I wonder why, there was just something odd about the way Dr. Vier spoke. She expressly emphasized “physical” in a peculiar way, as if suggesting there’s another type of care.
And as if to confirm my thoughts, Dr. Vier leisurely spread her hands in front of me.
[Unn, the next step is mental care…… a relaxation for the mind. As for this one, I’ve explained it before, so there’s no need to explain it in detail again, right?]
[Ahh~~ Errr, this……. would be that, right?]
[Unn, it’s hugs. Of course, Miyama-kun’s wishes are the top priority, so if you’re not in the mood, it’s perfectly fine to just chat casually.]
I think putting it that way is very unfair. It’s not that I dislike it or anything, rather, that proposal is just too attractive. To be honest, when she hugged me before, it felt so good that it almost became addictive, and even now, when she made such a suggestion, I recalled how it felt back then and my heart started to anticipate it.
If I could simply ignore the embarrassment, it couldn’t be more appealing, and in fact, it is incredibly relaxing…… N- No, but well, it’s just the two of us anyway, and we’ve already done it once before……
[……T- Then, may I take you up on your offer?]
[Unn! Of course. Errr, considering the time you’d be back at the party…… We should be fine for another 15 minutes, so you can lean on me as much as you want during that time. Ahh, of course, extensions are okay too. I’ll use Barrier Magic to shift our time a bit, so if you let me know about 5 minutes in advance, I think I can extend it quite a bit. Well, we can go with the flow, and decide on stuff based on how you feel at the moment……And so, come on, Miyama-kun.]
Dr. Vier’s magnanimity, or rather, her motherly nature at times like this is so overwhelming that when she softly calls my name, I find myself drawn to her.
Then, Dr. Vier gently holds my head in her arms and slowly strokes my head. It really feels incredibly comforting, like something that could really become a habit…… No, I think this may have already become a slight habit.
No words were spoken, but a pleasant fragrance and a soft, comforting warmth seems to slowly melt away my thoughts. It’s like a slight numbness in the back of my head, not ticklish or unpleasant…… It feels reassuring, and I can feel my mind relaxing.
……I do feel embarrassed…… but more than that, I feel comfortable and happy, making me feel it’s regrettable that we’d have to finish this up in 15 minutes. No, I mean, I’m sure I will ask for an extension.
Perhaps sensing my feelings, Dr. Vier stopped her hand that was stroking my head for a moment, and when I glanced sideways towards her, I saw her lightly waving her finger to manifest a magic circle.
At the same time, at the venue of a ship party. By the wall away from the stage where the performance was taking place, Otherworld God Makina had an indescribably frustrated expression on her face.
[I- I was late……]
[……Huh?]
[Not only taking care of my beloved child’s physical body, but also mental care with a loving embrace…… T- That’s the kind of thing I, his mother, should be doing…… D*mn it, I hadn’t noticed her at all, but Vier huh…… She’s got quite the motherliness in her. I’ll remember her name———-]
[Don’t peek at them.]
[———Ouch!?]
As Makina suddenly started speaking with a serious expression on her face, Alice dropped down her knuckle on Makina’s head and sighed in exasperation. Alice is naturally aware that Kaito and Vier have slipped out of the venue, but to ensure she’s not interrupting their lover time together, she has stationed her guard clones a fair distance away from the break room.
[Uuu, no, I’m not going to peek in any further…… Even still, that was a shame. If I had been there, I could have been the one providing my beloved child mental care……]
[And why do you think you can fit in the same framework as Vier-san? You’re not someone who relaxes Kaito-san’s mind, you’re the one giving the burden, okay?]
[It’s alright, I’m his mother after all. Engulfed by Mother’s love, my beloved child will be relaxed a lot! There’s no mistaking it!!!]
[Yeah, leave the dreaming to when you’re sleeping.]
[———Ouuuuuuch!? Wait, Alice!? You’ve been hitting me too hard since a while ago. Alice said you would never let me participate unless I dropped this terminal’s durability, so you do know that this terminal’s durability had been lowered and what you’re doing normally hurts, right!?]
Yes, in order to participate in this party, Alice has presented Makina with various conditions, among which include the reduction of durability of the current terminal she’s operating and pain being transmitted without blocking it. Of course, this is a measure to stop Makina by hitting her when she gets out of control.
[Of course, I know that. If you still had that durability that was at a ridiculous level where attacks with firepower capable of obliterating regular multidimensional beings wouldn’t even leave a scratch, the world would be in serious trouble before I could even inflict any sort of damage……]
[Fufun, well, I’m very strong aft———– Ouch!?]
Perhaps bothered by Makina looking smug, Alice’s fist struck down Makina’s head for the third time, leaving her clutching her head and momentarily incapacitated.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [G- Ghaak, d- d*mn it, that’s some pretty destructive power….. Also, Makina’s caretaker is doing her job properly huh……]