Arc 2 - Chapter 25: Sweet and Embarrassing Memories at the End of the Day (2/2)

Yurine couldn't take Yu's teasing any longer, and without even waiting for him to finish, she pushed him and forced him out of bed. At that moment Yu stepped on something slippery and his face turned sour.

"Disgusting..." he looked at the floor. "Did I throw up here?"

Brown vomit got on his socks. At least he was lucky that he had vomited on the wooden floor and not on the carpet, because after the time that had passed he might not have been able to get the vomit off the carpet.

"I don't have to clean up your vomit every time. You will clean this place right now."

Even though he did not like the situation, he had no right to oppose Yurine. He moved to clean up his mess.

It was only after he had cleaned up his vomit by candlelight that he thought to draw the curtain. Even though the candle was burning in the room, he opened the curtain to let in the light of the stars and the lanterns outside, and the room became a little brighter.

"I wonder if they'll feed you at this hour."

She hadn't eaten dinner because she had planned to eat it with Yurine. Since they had eaten all their meals together during the time they lived together, even if they were separated for a short time, she did not want to break the order they had established and eat alone.

But because he fainted, it was past the time they normally ate. He did not know if the inn would give them dinner at this time. If they were told it was too late, they would have to pay extra for dinner.

They could not enjoy eating, but their stomachs were rumbling and they still needed to consume food.

"Let's go and see what's going on." He washed his mouth clean and headed for the door, but Yurine wasn't following him. "What's wrong? Aren't you hungry?"

Yurine crossed her arms, puffed out her cheeks, stomped her heel and looked at Yu. Yu must have done something wrong.

"I'm waiting for an explanation," Yurine said.

Yu went through the whole day like a movie in his mind, from beginning to end, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong and made Yurine angry.

"What did I do?"

He had spent the whole day going through her mind, but he couldn't find an answer. What could he have done today to make her angry?

She had just been angry with him for fainting, but he had apologized for it and said he was glad she was there. Or was it because he had arranged a little trip for her without her permission?

"Are you talking about me sending you on a trip with Nerissa?"

Yurine continued to stare at Yu without saying anything, tapping her heel on the floor faster and faster. So the problem must surely be something else.

To rub the answer in Yu's face, she grabbed the thing and showed it to Yu.

"What is this thing?"

"Ohfuc..."

In Yurine's hands was the mannequin magazine Yu had planned to use for the job before he fainted.

"What explanation can I give?"

It was the first time Yu had ever blushed so red with shame. His face was red up to his ears. He could handle this magazine falling into someone else's hands, but how could he handle it falling into his little daughter's hands?

If he didn't handle it successfully, he would lose all credibility with Yurine and become a pervert in her eyes.

He didn't know what to do, his nerves were breaking down as he felt the embarrassment intensely, and that's why he had a smile on his face that he didn't realize he had.

"Why are you grinning so big?"

"Am I grinning?"

It was only when Yurine said that he realized he was smiling. When he realized, he tried to stop his smile, but the more he tried to make it disappear, the more he smiled. His nerves were completely broken.

"So? What do you say?"

"What the hell is that thing?"

He didn't have any answer to give. If the pictures in the magazine had been a little less obscene, maybe he could have made an excuse, but those pictures were not excusable.

"That's what I'm asking."

"Use your head, Yu. This is just a little girl. You're a grown-up, smart, charismatic, cool guy. It shouldn't be too hard to fool her," he tried to motivate himself, but he couldn't find anything to fool Yurine.

"Where did you get that? Let me see what it is." He reached for Yurine to take the magazine, but she dodged away from Yu. "Give me that."

This time his move was faster, but still slow compared to the speed of Yurine's mana-powered body.

"Give me that!" he said pleadingly.

He was running to take the magazine from her, but he couldn't keep up with Yurine's speed. Yurine was much more agile and faster than Yu and no matter what Yu did, she got rid of him.

"Why do you want this? You disgusting pervert! What are you going to do with it?"

"I'm trying to take it because it might be dangerous." Yu said the first thing that came to his mind. "Maybe it's a trap or something, someone is plotting against us. Yes, yes, it must be like that. They are jealous of us."

Yurine paid no attention to Yu's words.

"Why are there pictures of women on every page of this book!?"

She was turning the pages, looking at the pictures inside the magazine. Yu tried to take the magazine from Yurine when she was looking at the magazine and not at him, but she dodged him without even looking up.

"Why don't you give it to me? It's not useful to you. Where did you get it?"

It was a stupid question, it didn't help the situation.

"What's it going to do for you?"

"I-It's none of your business…"

He couldn't tell Yurine what to do with the magazine and he couldn't give her an answer that would satisfy her.

"Huh... You pervert! And where did you get such a thing? The pictures on it are so realistic... Or else! No way!" Yurine looked at Yu with wide eyes as if she realized a terrible truth. "Asshole! Heretic!"

"Heretic?"

He could accept the asshole, and Yurine had already used many words to insult Yu, but this was the first time he had heard of the heretic. What should he make of it?

"You trapped these innocent women in this cursed book for your sick pleasure? What kind of monster are you!?"

"I didn't do anything like that! As if I'm strong enough to do such a thing!"

If Yu was powerful enough to trap people inside books, the parallel world adventure would not be so difficult and painful.

"Then why are these pictures so realistic!? Gods, who did I make a deal with!"

"I told you, I come from another world!"

"What's that got to do with it? In that world you put women in books!?"

"Of course not!"

He jumped on Yurine to catch her. Yurine easily dodged this move too, and after another failed attempt, Yu crashed into the wall.

Yurine jumped on the bed as Yu grabbed her sore spots.

"That's it! These women will suffer no more for your sick pleasures!"

"They're not suffering! They got paid to be in that magazine! I'm sure they're happy with their money!"

Yurine didn't pay any attention, ignoring Yu's explanation.

"Now I will free the poor souls of these women!"

"You will free?" When Yu realized what Yurine was about to do, he rushed over. "Stop! No!"

When Yurine saw Yu running at her, she jumped up, stepped on Yu's head, pushed him away and dropped him on the bed. Yurine landed neatly on the floor as Yu fell.

"No..."

Yu pulled himself together and turned around, but it was too late.

Yurine quickly tore the magazine in half.

"No!"

Yurine continued to tear the magazine apart while Yu fell to his knees.

"No! No! No... Why?"

He tried to pick up the fallen pieces and put them together, but it was futile. Small pieces slipped through his fingers and the magazine was gone forever.

"My treasure that will be passed down for generations... How could you waste it?"

When Yurine finished, all the pieces of the magazine were on the floor.