I had a dream.

-Hey, I heard you messed up another blind date.
-Not messed up, I got dumped.
-Nonsense, with your face you could cross the Pacific.
-If that were possible, would I still be here?

The all-too-common neighborhood tavern.

In the dream, I saw my past self vaguely, drinking away, with fish cake soup for snacks.

Same face and same tall figure as now. My past self, who’d had long, jet-black hair unlike the red hair I have now, was drinking at the bar with a friend from the orphanage.

‘That guy’s also been a while. Lee x-woo, that jerk who ran off with my money.’

I thought I’d be pleased to see him after such a long time, but far from it, I wanted to punch him dead.

‘Bastard.’

In the dream, I, with a glass in hand, struck up a conversation with my buddy. Chatting with a playful smile on my face, I caught the ladies at the next table stealing glances and admiring me.

My buddy slapped me on the shoulder and said.

-Look at yourself, you idiot.
-Cut it out.

I didn’t have a girlfriend in my last life.

Maybe it was my peculiar taste.
Or perhaps my standards were too high.
Or maybe it was my not-so-great personality. But, I had lived the life of a perennial single past the age of 23.

I, whose only hobby was reading novels, even thought of myself as a dull person.

My buddy leaned in and whispered so that the ladies at the next table couldn’t hear.

-That’s why you need to stop staring at those strange novels and get a girl. Who tells a blind date that his dream is a harem?

-I didn’t say it like that. She asked first what I would do if all the people here liked me. I jokingly said I would take them all in my arms.

-That’s just the same, you fool. You should’ve singled out the one girl you liked the most.
-A man should have a broad heart.
-You’re full of it.

I lightly laughed off my friend’s words.

My past self loved novels.

I liked seeing guys who grew up in unfortunate circumstances like me succeed in other worlds.

Working myself ragged in life, I enjoyed a long hobby of watching glamorous protagonists live marvelously in other worlds.

Being adored by beautiful heroines.
And envied the protagonist who was even loved by elves.

Harem.

It was a ludicrous story, but perhaps drawing such fantasies once in a while wasn’t so bad. Daydreaming is free, after all.

Ridiculous…

I flicked my buddy’s head as I said.

-But it’s still a man’s dream, right?
-Idiot

Now, I softly spoke while looking at my past self.

‘Even one was too much to handle.’

Far too much.

*

A loud noise came through.

“Hyeeek… Air raid siren…!!!”

The loud noises filled the mansion from early morning.

The young lady’s spirited kiai greeted the refreshing morning, her voice echoing powerfully from the second floor.

Her booming voice had me rubbing my eyes and facing the vibrant morning.

“Yaaaaaaaaawn… huh?”

Stretching and clumsily getting to my feet, I suddenly became dizzy and stumbled.

-Beeeeep─────

‘Damn…’

[‘The Touch of Rehabilitation’ has been used on ‘an object tainted by black magic,’ consuming ‘1%’ of your vitality.]

As a splitting headache came on, along with tinnitus, I flopped back onto the bed.

Last night. The aftermath of overexerting myself.

The pain in my head gradually started to spread to my chest.

Pain as if my heart was going to burst.

“Haah… Haah…”

I couldn’t breathe properly.
It felt as if my whole body was being poked with needles, and a chilling pain like my heart was going to explode covered me.

I grasped at my chest that felt like it was going to burst and took a deep breath.

“Tssss…haah…”

I knew there would be side effects to a power that consumed health, but the pain was much more intense than I had anticipated and I shut up.

I bit down hard and focused so no sound would leak out.

‘Let’s pull myself together.’

This was nothing compared to the pain of black magic rotting away my hand.

I regulated my rapid breathing while lying prostrate on the bed, waiting for the pain to subside.

Ten minutes or so might have passed, and the chilling pain running down my spine gradually subsided.

I took a deep breath and tried moving my body.

I rotated my shoulders.
Letting out a burst of aura to check if there was something wrong with my body, but thankfully, there seemed to be no direct effect.

I’m not sure if it was because I used such a small percentage as 1%, but it didn’t seem to have an impact on my power.

But if there was one thing that was irksome,

“Achoo…!”

Was the feeling that my health had deteriorated somewhat. I touched my scratchy throat and thought to myself.

“Sniffle…”

It felt like I had caught a cold.

The loss of vitality must have had an internal impact, not external.

I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled at my handsome face today as well.

“Good.”

I silently walked towards the young lady’s room as her boisterous voice resounded.

“Here I go!”

*

“Uuugh… Ricardo. The sun’s too bright.”

Today too, the young lady was wrapped up in her blanket, battling her soul against the formidable sun.

Though she had woken up, it was clear she was regretting not remaining in dreamland. Engaged in an intense battle with the sunlight streaming through the windows, the young lady peeped her face out of the blankets at me.

She pointed to the fluttering curtains and ordered,

“That malicious sunlight. Get rid of it.”

It was a ridiculous request.

I grabbed the end of the blanket and yanked it fiercely.

As the tightly wrapped blanket flapped open, the young lady, curling into herself, frowned and shouted, ‘Aaaaaaghh! I’m dying… I’m dead!’ as though she had turned into a vampire struck down by the sun’s glare.

An Act Filled with Sincerity

Although the young lady typically had no talent for acting, she could become an actress of the finest caliber when it came to performing with sleep.

She rubbed her eyes and looked towards me.

Apparently, she seemed resentful of me for waking her from her deep slumber.

“Ricardo has destroyed the chocolate kingdom.”
“What’s the chocolate kingdom?”
“The dream I had today.”

With a pleasant smile, the young lady went on to tell the story of the dream she had.

She spread her hands wide and bragged about an immensely large chocolate palace, boasting that she had eaten it all by herself.

I watched the young lady’s smiling face and voiced a small doubt.

“But wasn’t it you who destroyed the chocolate kingdom?”
“No, it was Ricardo who destroyed it. I had intended to eat it bit by bit.”

This would have been a back-breaking revelation for the citizens of the chocolate kingdom if they were listening.

After finishing her story about the dream, the young lady collapsed onto the bed, wilting like an unwatered plant.

It appeared the hangover from last night’s drinking hadn’t worn off yet.

Her hands trembling, she requested some honey water, and kindly I handed her a mug of warmed honey water.

The young lady gave me a thumbs-up.

“Truly Ricardo, always so prepared.”
“I know. The most handsome and perfect butler in the world.”
“There seems to be rather a lot added on there.”
“Just drink your honey water.”

I blocked the lady’s realistic complaints with the honey water.

“Hoo… Hoo…”

Clasping the mug of honey water tightly, the young lady was earnestly blowing on it to cool it down, as though frantically maintaining her survival.

She had been scorched by the hangover, previously taken too lightly.

Although the young lady tightly embraced the mug like it was her lifeline, she was startled by the arrival of an uninvited guest.

-Gommmmm…!

With bright eyes, the young lady gave a ferocious look to Gomtang.

Gomtang wagged its tail manically, lured by the sweet scent of the honey water.

It was a strange one, preferring honey over meat.

Gomtang energetically wagged its tiny tail as if to declare its intentions.

-Goom.

‘I am your lowly owner. Give it to me too,’ thought Gomtang, the humble pet craving its master’s honey water.

However, the young lady ignored Gomtang, concentrating on the honey water. Yet, as Gomtang made big, bouncing movements, she felt her life threatened and barked an order.

“Scram!”

-Goomoom!

“I said scram! It’s mine!”

-Gooong!

“Eeek! I feel like I’m going to die if I don’t drink this… Urp…”
“Please, don’t vomit here.”
“Urp… My stomach feels upset.”

The young lady was tormented by the hangover.

The bed rocked slightly from Gomtang’s grand gestures. As the bed bounced, the lady’s teacup began to rock, creating waves.

Thud. A strong impact hit the bed.

“Ah hot!”

The young lady had spilled honey water on her leg.

I hurried towards the young lady’s leg doused in honey water. Though it wasn’t scalding, I worried about whether her delicate leg could withstand it.

I quickly stripped the blanket off the young lady’s leg.

She looked dazedly at her own leg.

“Huh?”

To the motionless young lady, I yelled.

“Why are you just sitting there! Quickly…”

Our gazes awkwardly met.

The young lady, watching her leg with malfunctioning eyes, and I, who had peeled back the blanket, stopped all movement upon seeing her white leg exposed.

My face turned red.

And the young lady blushed for a different reason.

I murmured quietly.

“Bear panties?”

“Eeeek…! It’s not!”

She was someone who usually wore plain underwear.

***

After the tumult.

The young lady, pointing at her leg, said.

“It was hot.”

Responding to the young lady’s now flustered complexion, I clenched my fist and inquired.

“It was hot?”
“Yes.”

She nodded emphatically without taking her eyes off her gaunt leg.

I asked her again.

“Really…? It wasn’t just the feeling of pouring it on your hand?”

I tried hiding my excited emotions, but I couldn’t conceal my trembling voice filled with a sliver of hope.

The young lady had not felt any sensation in her leg because the nerves were damaged; she had lost the feeling in her lower body and couldn’t sense either heat or tingling.

I dropped the washcloth from my hand as I watched the young lady’s animated eyes.

“Is that true?”
“Yeah… It felt suddenly hot.”

As if to demonstrate, the young lady pinched her leg and cringed, exclaiming ‘Ouch,’ and her eyes sparkled brightly.

A sensation she hadn’t felt for two whole years.

Still seemingly awkward with it, she continued pinching her leg to feel the pain.

In my eagerness, I didn’t stop peppering the young lady with questions about whether her leg might move out of hope.

“Is moving… Could it move!”

The young lady showed a tense face and started to exert some effort in her brow.

“Just a moment, I’ll try.”

Concentrated young lady.

“Eeeek!!!”

Accompanied by a loud kiai as she exerted effort, I unknowingly clenched my fist, rooting for her.

“…Ricardo.”

The young lady then looked at me with a crestfallen expression.

“I need to go to the bathroom.”

It seemed like moving was still not possible.

“Is it a big one?”
“It’s rude to ask a lady such a question.”
“…A lady who wears bear panties.”

The young lady shouted at Gomtang.

“Bite!”

-Goooom!

“Eek! Not me, bite him!”

Clearly, Gomtang was obedient to its master.

Watching this, I clenched my fist tight.

‘Thank goodness.’

It seemed I might be able to solve an unanswered question.