"H-hello."

"..."

In front of an apartment at Glass Avenue.

After waiting for about five minutes, Ophelia greeted me cautiously as she exited the apartment.

I could feel the foreign palpitation caused by the tattoo on her chest.

Although I already felt the discomfort from my heart spreading throughout my body, my expression remained unchanged.

"I look forward to your kind cooperation."

"Yes, I'll do my best too."

It was the time we had agreed upon.

Even though it was uncomfortable, in the end, Ophelia had no choice but to accept my offer as she didn't have anyone she loved at the moment.

She also acknowledged it and said that she would try to see me in a good light as well.

To be honest, we could worry about her feelings cooling off later because it wouldn't be too difficult.

"Where are you staying now?"

Given that the place she stayed at was now a crime scene, I naturally assumed that she would be staying at an external lodging facility or at an acquaintance’s house.

"I'm staying at home."

Ophelia replied with a completely oblivious expression. There were several points I wanted to inquire about, but I refrained from voicing them out and started walking.

I made a reservation for lunch at a restaurant recommended by Erica. It was usually difficult to get a reservation at that place, but I managed to secure a table through an acquaintance.

Their reaction was surprisingly calm.

Giving in to the incessant probing of the women, I eventually explained the reason behind my question.

In other words, I told them that I had to court Ophelia.

Initially, they showed some discomfort, but nevertheless, they agreed to cooperate for the sake of Ophelia's deceased lovers and her daughter.

"Come on, let us enter."

Ophelia's eyes opened wide upon seeing the signboard of the restaurant.

"H-Here? Isn’t this the most expensive restaurant in Loberne...."

"It does not matter."

The main chef and other cooks who were already waiting in line greeted me as I escorted her inside.

"It's an honor to be able to serve you for today, Soul Whisperer."

The head chef extended his greetings in an exaggerated manner and offered me a handshake, so I grasped his hand and nodded.

"I look forward to it."

"You'll surely have a satisfying time!"

After that confident declaration, the cooks immediately went straight to the kitchen. Following their guidance, I took a seat in the most secluded spot possible and Ophelia's expression was clearly visible as she sat across from me.

She looked a bit flustered, but her lips were subtly curved up.

From her reaction, it seemed that she was looking forward to today.

Indeed, this seems to be the right approach.

Ophelia was what one might call a hostess. Although she couldn't be called a prostitute, my investigation revealed that she was someone who wouldn’t hesitate to do such things if given extra money.

With her extensive experience with men, it would probably be difficult to court her with eloquence or actions alone.

She would merely sneer at me, as if I were a child trying to play a cute trick.

So, what I could do was provide Ophelia with a luxurious time she had probably never experienced before.

It followed the typical cliché narrative seen in old dramas and movies, where the son of a conglomerate fell for the daughter of a commoner.

Using that as the foundation, I planned to spend this uncomfortable time with her today.

***"..."

Munch. Munch.

Erica chewed vigorously on the slice of steak she had put in her mouth.

For some reason, it seemed like she was exerting more force than usual with her jaw l, and the size of the meat she cut roughly wasn't consistent.

"Holy shit! Is he really cutting and handing over the meat to her right now?"

Findenai, who was sitting on the opposite side, let out a bitter laugh as she watched Deus cut his steak and hand it to Ophelia.

Suddenly, her mouth felt dry and she felt the craving for a cigarette. The restaurant obviously forbade smoking inside the building, and if she did, Deus would catch her immediately.

To vent her anger, Findenai called the waiter.

"Get me some alcohol! Something strong and expensive!"

Pressured by Findenai's threatening demeanor, the waiter turned pale and nodded before hurrying off.

He returned with a rather stubby yet large bottle of liquor shortly and placed it on the table along with wine glasses.

"Ssssp."

Her gaze was still fixed on the two people in the distance, Findenai immediately poured the alcohol into the glass.

"It's overflowing."

At Erica's warning, Findenai extended the filled glass towards her.

"Drink.”

Then she began to drink straight from the bottle. She had long forgotten the words she said to Deus, about being a mutt if she ever drank again.

"No, I'm fine...."

Erica was about to refuse because she didn’t want to drink, yet, upon witnessing Deus wipe the sauce off Ophelia's lips from behind, she unconsciously reached out for the glass of alcohol.

Whoosh.

As Findenai held out the bottle, Erica also held out her glass.

With a loud clinking sound, they simultaneously poured the liquor into their mouths.

***I had clearly told them not to follow me.

As I left the restaurant, I sighed as I glanced at the seats where Erica and Findenai were sitting.

I slipped away quietly, without explicitly saying that I was spending time with Ophelia, so why did they still follow me?

Moreover, looking at the table was filled with bottles, to the extent that a single one falling could trigger a domino effect, it seemed that they had already drunk quite a lot.

"Huff, please, take care of those two."

"Yes, understood."

I deliberately tipped the waiter extra and asked him to take care of the two drunk women.

However, as I walked out with Ophelia, I then abruptly came to a halt. After looking down at her for a moment, I felt a throbbing headache and shook my head.

"I need to attend to something for a moment. You should head to Ohwl and choose something from that place. Just mention my name, and they will give it to you as a gift."

"O-Ohwl?! Are you talking about that luxury boutique?"

"Yes, the owner owes me. If you wait there, I will join you soon."

"Okay!"

I briefly followed Ophelia's back with my eyes as she hurried away, driven by greed.

Things would have been much easier if I could handle the other women like that.

When I returned to the restaurant, Erica was fast asleep with her head on the table, while Findenai was stumbling around and fumbling in Erica’s pocket, trying to pay the bill.

"T-The Soul Whisperer already paid for everything and left just now."

While the waiter was trying to give Findenai an explanation, she seemed engrossed as she rummaged through Erica's pocket, seemingly enjoying herself.

I passed by the waiter, who was unsure how to handle her, and stood in front of the two.

"I apologize for changing my mind. Let me take care of them."

"Uh, sure...."

Perhaps worried that I would ask him to return the tip I gave him, the waiter slowly retreated and left.

Though, I hadn't intended to do anything like that. So, I just sighed as I looked at Erica and Findenai.

"Why did you follow me?"

I scolded them because I didn't want them to witness how I had spent time with Ophelia. Findenai raised her head with a drunken chuckle.

"Whaaat's up. Is the date over?"

"Huff."

"It was very surrrprisingg. I didn’t know that you could even cut the meat and feed herrr."

"..."

Were they watching everything?

I would have never done something like that if I had noticed them from the beginning.

As each of the actions I had just taken flashed through my mind, my heart sank, and my blood ran cold.

"Deus?!"

Erica suddenly raised her head from the table upon hearing my voice. Come to think of it, it was the first time I had seen Erica drunk.

Her cheeks were flushed, as if she was embarrassed. She swiped some sauce from the empty plate in front of her and dabbed it on her lips.

"Wipe minee too~"

"Do not do things you will regret later."

Why did people always do things they would later regret when they were drunk, like Findenai last time?

"Do it~"

"Sigh."

After roughly wiping her lips with a napkin, I carried Erica, who couldn't get up, on my back.

Then, I assisted Findenai, who was at least able to stand by taking support from my shoulders.

It would have been difficult without magic.

While it would have been manageable to carry one woman on my back with some effort, bringing two like this definitely required the help of magic.

After bidding farewell to the restaurant staff, we headed towards the academy.

Fortunately, as it was still vacation time, there weren't many students around. After all, I couldn't let them witness Erica in this state.

"Call someone."

Findenai gestured to the empty air. It was only past lunch time, and I was already getting annoyed watching their drunken behavior.

Clearly, just like Findenai said, if I called someone, this problem would be solved in no time.

I needed to spend time with Ophelia, and there was no need to take Erica and Findenai myself.

However, for some reason, I didn't want to let anyone else take care of them.

"I will just take you myself.”

I felt somewhat uneasy about leaving the drunken pair in someone else's hands.

"...I dare you to act affectionate with her like that."

Erica whispered.

I wasn't sure what made her feel so dissatisfied or unsettled, but she pressed against me, as if trying to strangle me with both hands.

Erica's distinctive fresh perfume mixed with the sweet scent of liquor tickled my nose, and her warm breath brushed against my ear.

"You've never done anything like that for me."

Perhaps she was referring to actions like cutting the meat for her or wiping sauce off her lips— acts of care and consideration towards the other person.

I wondered if there was a need for me to explain the situation to them, but suddenly, I thought that perhaps the emotions I was feeling now might be similar to theirs.

Like how I did not want to entrust this drunken pair to someone else.

"Hey, Deus. I’m telling you! Don’t act up just because we like you!"

"Huff, Findenai. That is enough."

Seeing Erica clinging tightly to me, as if she would never let go, Findenai became upset and also held onto me while shouting softly.

"Call me ‘Ai’!"

"...It has been a long time since the last time I wanted to swear."

What am I supposed to do with this?

I couldn't count how many times I sighed, but the words spilling out from Findenai's lips kept getting on my nerves.

"I told you, don't make us miserableee!"

"..."

That statement was not wrong.

I realized that, somehow, I had been indulging in their affection.

And I began getting mad at myself for making them act like this.

Ultimately, ignorance is just an excuse.

Because I could only feel my emotions faintly.

Because I had never loved anyone.

"I am sorry."

As an explorer of emotions, I continued to navigate through the undergrowth, but I realized that it was no justification for hurting others.

"The reason I could behave like that was..."

So, I honestly revealed what I was feeling at the moment, hoping it would be of some comfort to them.

"It was possible only because it was that woman."

Findenai and Erica flinched and fell silent at my words. Although their breathing got rougher, they made no other sound to interrupt me.

“It was because I harbor no feelings towards that woman that I could act like it was nothing.”

I thought it was a reasonable explanation before I said it out loud, but now that I said it, it felt no different from a little boy bothering the girl he liked.

Because there were no emotions, I was able to act even more nonchalantly.

I didn't bother to speak about the opposite situation.

And perhaps because I had managed to convey my feelings clearly, both of them remained silent until we arrived at the academy.

However, it felt like their hands holding me tightened a little more.