Let's Establish a Foothold! (1)

Although I wanted to come out and ask Toki why she was screaming like a little girl who saw a ghost, my clothes were still stuck in the washer-dryer for a few more minutes. I waited for ten more minutes before it finished, changed into it after drying myself with a towel, and walked out of the bathroom.

I looked around, searching for her, and found that she was sitting on the sofa with her back facing me. I moved to her side and tapped her shoulders. "The shower's free now."

"Eeep!"

As if surprised, her body jumped upon contact. She moved slightly away, still on the sofa, with her face as red as a boiled octopus.

"...?"

When I just stared at her with a questioning gaze, she opened and closed her mouth like a hungry little bird. After a few more attempts, words finally left her lips.

"You... Why are you so calm even though I saw your... I mean, I saw you naked?" She averted her gaze a little as she asked.

"What? Oh, you mean at the shower earlier?" I finally realized why she was a little awkward at the moment. "Well, you just saw me, and it's not like I lost something. I don't mind the little things."

"It wasn't little—! No, I mean, of course, I mind!" She roared in anger, making me slightly back off from her intensity.

I was used to being seen anyway, as Kaede frequently interrupted me while I was showering. The last was about three weeks ago, I think. Without Mother helping me back then, I think I would have lost something precious...

"Anyway, why are you in my room anyway?" Realizing that the talk was going in a weird direction, I decided to ask with regard to the root of the issue.

"Your room? This is my room! You didn't see the name tag at the front door? Yours is two rooms away!"

Name tag? I remember looking at the entire door closely, and there was no such thing...

"Wait, in the first place, this is the third room? And the staff that led me here said that this is my room?" I still remember that part closely, so I can't be mistaken.

"Staff? What staff? Who?" Toki asked, standing from the sofa and coming closer to me with an intense expression.

"S-She called herself Mary or something... Right, she looks similar to you but has blonde hair."

When she heard my words, her face suddenly turned into an angry one. "That GIRL!!!" She roared as she gritted her teeth hard.

When she saw me staring at her, all weirded out, she took deep breaths and slowly apologized.

"Sorry about that. It seems like my sister played a prank on both you and me." She heaved a deep sigh while holding her temples. "So that's why she [accidentally] threw wine over my dress earlier..."

Hearing her words, I turned to look down over her silver dress, and across her chest down to her navel area, a red stain was visible. That was probably red wine.

"Oh, then you should take a bath first. I'll be moving to my room while you do."

Having me here while she's bathing feels a bit weird, after all. We're not siblings, nor are we intimate enough to reach "that" stage. Before she could say another word, I was already out of the door and walking down the hallway while looking at the doors.

Weirdly, the doors really have a name tag right now. I guess that woman, Mary or something, took them off before. She got me really good.

After a few more doors, I reached the one that had my name on it. I quickly entered and immediately saw an envelope lying on the floor. Without much thinking, I picked it up and opened it.

"..."

After reading it, I quickly crumpled the paper and threw it randomly by the door. It was just a simple "apology" for the prank that she did, with it saying that as an apology, she'll be supporting me and Toki. The two of us weren't like that, though, so I guess her support would be wasted.

After entering my room, which was basically identical to the other one, I went straight for the sofa and leaned against the soft, springy backrest. My body was slowly sinking into the sofa, completely relaxing all my muscles.

A while later, sleepiness attacked me and made me close my eyes.

"... Mahiro?"

"...!"

When I heard someone call my name, I immediately opened my eyes. I was probably out for a short time, seeing that Toki's body was still releasing a little bit of steam as she peeked at my face from behind the sofa.

"I'm awake, I'm awake. So? What is it?" I quickly asked, pretending that I was awake the whole time.

Toki just smiled and moved around before sitting right beside me. Her attire, a mix of a gray tank top and tight black hot pants, left almost nothing hidden from view. Is this her sleepwear? From what I can see, she's not wearing anything underneath her top.

"What are you looking at~?" A teasing smile appeared on her lips as she noticed my gaze.

I coughed lightly, closed my eyes, and looked at the night view outside the transparent glass window before us. "Nothing. So? Your business?"

"Hmmm..." Toki lightly hummed as she gauged my reaction as if finding it not amusing. "Well, it's just a short report. The Blast Wands that you created were given to the mages near the facility. Now, there's nobody waiting outside anymore."

I didn't count their numbers, but I only saw a few dozen of them earlier. The wands should be more than enough to fit their needs. Just as I was about to congratulate Toki for her unexpected revenue, her words made me slightly scratch my head.

"But after that, more mages sent requests for a Blast Wand. Now, there are an additional 50 orders," she explained with a wry smile. "The materials needed for those are already in the workshop, so don't worry."

It was a little bit of a chore, but I guess I could take advantage of this and push my crafting skill to level 10, reaching the next stage. Earlier, it had been stuck at level 9 no matter how many I created, so I guess there's a hidden requirement to reach the next level.

"Same as before, I can have the excess materials, right?" I asked for confirmation, just in case.

Toki smiled and nodded her head. "Yes, of course. If you do create another legendary weapon, then please remember to show it to me first!"

Well, it's not like I can create one as I please. I just chuckled awkwardly, glossing over the topic. "Then I'll spend tomorrow and the day after tomorrow crafting too."

"Tomorrow is fine, but the day after tomorrow isn't." Toki quickly corrected my schedule. "That day is when we're scheduled to meet with Mina, Hailey, and Lily after all."

"Oh, the Beetle Boss Hunting Group!" I quickly recalled.

I remember her saying that they would come this Saturday, but was it moved to Friday now that the entire world was in chaos? I could only guess, but I'm definitely excited for that day to come! After all, it was my first time seeing those guys in person. I wonder what they look like.

"So rather than a flower within reach, you're more concerned about your [bros] that you still haven't seen?" Toki muttered with a frown. "Well, I guess that's what makes you you."

"What do you mean by that?" Just as I asked, Toki's body flashed before I felt my back hitting the sofa hard. I was forced to lie down with Toki on top of me, her eyes glowing a weird hue.

"..."

We stared at each other, not exchanging even a single word. Slowly, her face approached mine, and her eyes started flickering with myriad emotions. At that moment, the door to my room slammed open with a bang.

"GET OFF OF MY HIRO!!!"

A familiar voice echoed before I saw something fly across the room. In panic, I pulled Toki down, exchanging positions with her as we both slammed hard against the carpeted floor. I watched as the object, a table knife, flew right above our heads, piercing through the sofa and hitting the glass window, opening a fist-sized hole in it.

From the hole, as if a pressurized cabin got punctured, a wild wave of winds started rampaging around. As soon as that happened, as if some sensor had been triggered, shutters fell down, sealing the windows completely.

"Kaede?!" I roared as I tried to push myself up.

"Hnnngh~!"

But my hand sank deep into what I was holding, making me turn toward it instinctively. Below me, Toki's face had already turned beet red as her gaze flickered with confusion and another emotion. I slowly lowered my gaze, looking at what my hand was grabbing.

"Oh no!" Kaede shouted, running to our side in the blink of an eye. "Hiro's hands are now tainted! We need to decontaminate them quickly!"

As she came to our side, she forcefully pulled my hand off of the soft mound I was grabbing and placed it over her own. "Wait, what the f*ck are you doing with my hand?!"

I tried pulling it away, but it was futile. She was already using her body-strengthening skill, making her power and speed several levels higher than mine.

"You touched something awful, so you need to purify your hand! Here, touch mine to your heart's content instead!" Kaede said as she pulled my hands stronger, squishing the object below it.

Toki, as if triggered by Kaede's words, sat up while crossing her right arm across her chest. Her face was still blushing madly as she shouted, "What do you mean awful? Mine's larger than yours at least!"

"Size isn't all that matters; there's compatibility too!"

"And mine isn't compatible, you mean?!"

"I'm just saying that mine's more compatible!"

As the two were bickering back and forth, I was already closing my eyes, averting my eyes from the scary figure that was coming closer and closer. The figure, her hand covered in violent and cracking sparks, came down to Kaede's head, electrocuting her. And consequently, I, who was in contact with her, was caught in the aftermath. After that, I don't know what happened.

"M-Mother..."

Kaede's cry was the last thing that I was able to hear before my consciousness faded to black.