Despite the most refreshing sleep since I can remember, I woke up with my entire body feeling numb and sluggish.
Still, as the sunlight touched Licia and me, I stroked her hair, giving a small kiss on her forehead before carefully leaving the sofa.
Since we had been enjoying each other's warmth, I wanted to get her a blanket so she wouldn't feel the breeze in the living room.
However, on my way to the bedroom, I found Claire with one already over her shoulder.
Claire: "Someone had a good night yesterday."
She looked at me with the corner of her eye, curling her lips into a slight smile.
I stepped closer until we were face to face and slowly reached for her chin.
Claire: "W-What?"
Miwen: "I caught someone peeking~"
Her face flushed red, and she lowered her gaze, staring at the ground.
Claire: "I... Don't get the wrong idea. I was just worried because you weren't like yourself, and... I only watched a little and-"
Miwen: "Oh, you were worried about me?"
Even though she had let me caress her as much as I wanted, she held the blanket in front of her, using it to push me away.
Claire: "Hmph! Just a little, and only because our lives are connected!"
Despite her resistance, I closed the distance between us again.
Miwen: "Thank you, Claire."
I took the blanket from her before patting her head with my free hand.
As I turned my back, I felt her grab my shirt.
Claire: "Did she tell you about... our agreement...?"
Her voice was just above a whisper, and the hand holding me had barely any strength behind it.
Miwen: "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it."
Claire: "Hmph! As you should..."
The sound of her heels stepping hard on the floor echoed.
Claire: "Ah. But don't misunderstand. It's not that I like you or anything! It's just that... I never experienced this in my previous life, so... I'm curious... That's all... But it's not like I'd do it with just anyone, so-"
She was so dishonest that I almost failed to hold back a laugh.
Still, I couldn't help myself when she was like this.
Miwen: "You're just curious, huh? That explains why I heard you touching-"
Claire: "Ah! Shut up! Shut up! That's not true! I was only watching, and then I went to sleep!"
I laughed all the way to the sofa as she desperately pushed me to the living room.
Unfortunately, just as I was about to cover Licia, she woke up.
Licia: "Hngh... You two are too loud..."
She stretched one arm, seemingly as sluggish as I was.
Claire: "Hmph! You two are the loud ones."
Licia: "Eh? But you were noisy too-"
I quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late.
Sitting on the sofa next to her, Claire clenched her fists, squeezing them between her legs as she narrowed her eyes.
Claire: "It's already late! Don't you have things to do!?"
She burst from the sofa, walking towards the kitchen to avoid looking at us.
For a brief moment, Licia and I stared at each other, chuckling.
Licia: "You said there's already a next event coming up, right?"
She rested her head on my shoulder.
Between every glass of water Claire swiftly gulped down, she peeked at us.
Every time our eyes met, she turned away and filled another glass.
Miwen: "Yeah. Something to do with a merchant or something. It seems like trouble, but... I didn't get a say this time."
Licia: "We should prepare then..."
Miwen: "Right."
I patted the sofa, but Claire didn't seem interested in joining us.
After a while, I got up and started working on breakfast.
Even though I was looking forward to eating with the girls, I had to bring Mia her share as well.
With a plate in hand and a "good luck" from the girls, I entered the Kingdom, finding myself in front of Mia's room.
I briefly checked downstairs, but she wasn't there either.
Still, seeing the empty plate on the table brought a relieved smile to my face.
I brought her empty plate back home to wash it, leaving breakfast on the table for her.
Then, when I returned to her home, I knocked on her door.
She didn't answer, but I insisted.
After a few attempts, she finally opened it.
Mia: "...What do you want?"
Her voice sounded meek; there was no trace of the teasing and attitude she'd always show me.
She had heavy bags under her eyes and could barely bring herself to look me in the eye.
Miwen: "...I brought you breakfast."
Mia: "...I'll get it later. Thanks."
She reached for the door handle, but I stopped her from closing it with my feet.
Miwen: "I want to talk, Mia."
Her lips curled downward, her eyes narrowing.
She tried closing the door again, but I didn't move my feet.
I saw her clenching her fists, and even her fangs briefly appeared.
But I didn't move.
Until I heard her stomach growl.
Miwen: "C'mon. I'll keep you company."
She was stubborn until the very end, but...
We sat together and enjoyed a small moment.
Miwen: "I should bring you bigger portions..."
Despite how slim she was, she ate incredibly fast.
Mia: "...What do you mean by that?"
Seeing the annoyed look in her eyes reminded me of how she used to greet me.
It felt much better than how she'd meekly respond now.
Miwen: "Nothing. I just thought you were very cute-"
Mia: "Tch. Just get on with it already."
She clicked her tongue, staring hard at me.
Miwen: "...I'm planning on summoning more people. I thought you could help me?"
The chances of summoning Melissa back to life were incredibly low, but...
It was a necessary excuse to distract her.
Mia: "Hah... You want me to watch your harem expand? Fine..."
She looked away, staring into nothing while holding her chin.
Mia: "But... Can I ask something in return?"
She still refused to meet my eye.
Miwen: "Sure. As long as I can get it done."
Mia: "Bring me to a Dungeon, please."
I was already planning on doing that, but...
I had to be careful.
Mia didn't know Earth's Dungeons weren't connected to other worlds, and I could tell exactly what her plan was.
Miwen: "That's fine."
After I finished breakfast, I called the girls to the Kingdom, and we all left Mia's home together.
I caught glimpses of Licia quietly approaching Mia, while Claire pretended not to care, giving her space.
They made comments about how scary the fog was and how strange the Kingdom looked, but Mia just silently shook her head.
Thanks to Mia's high level, I claimed eighty-eight [Kingdom Points].
It was a bit of a waste to claim them before using the [Companions Banner] since I'd get extra points with each [Citizen], but this was necessary for what I had in mind.
First, I used the [Kingdom Points] to build a new house in front of Mia's.
I used the same style as hers, so they looked identical.
Since Mia wanted to be left alone, I expanded the house just enough for the bedroom to comfortably fit three beds and a decent-sized closet.
In the new house's bedroom, I collected all of the [Gacha Tickets] I could and used four of them on the [Skills Banner].
Checking my [Current Skills], I noticed that [Reading Speed Up] had gained a new level, but more importantly, I had three new skills.
[Better Crafting
Increases the final quality of any object the user may craft.
This skill has no mana cost and can be deactivated at any time.]
While not useful in combat, the first skill was already interesting.
It was just a shame that I couldn't test its effects at the moment.
[Focused Breathing
By focusing their breathing, the user receives a minor increase in their physical abilities.
This skill has an upfront cost of 1 mana point.
This skill has an upkeep cost of 1 mana point for every 10 seconds active]
Miwen: "Oh..."
Seeing my reaction, Licia leaned closer, while Claire let out a sigh and Mia narrowed her eyes.
The results this time were already nice, but the last one drew my attention the most.
[Wicked Attack
This skill grants the user the 'Wicked' attribute upon activation, increasing their power when facing good-natured opponents or authorities.
The boost is further increased against highly religious opponents and devotees.
This skill has an upfront cost of 5 mana points.
This skill has no upkeep cost.]
It was hard to imagine I'd be facing a monster with a good nature inside a Dungeon, or even at all.
However, maybe something like a fallen angel would count?
It was interesting, but having this skill seemed like more trouble than worth. Anyone using [Appraisal] on me would undoubtedly question it, and while there was no upkeep cost, keeping it activated meant having 'Wicked' appear on my stat, which didn't sound fun.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much I could do besides hope I'd get another skill to hide it in the future.
Miwen: "Hah... Well, it's fine."
I felt Licia and Claire patting me on the back.
Meanwhile, Mia stepped away, as if looking at three weirdos.
However, I asked her to stay beside me for the next part, as I used the three remaining tickets on the [Companions Banner].