---This section is written in Ellie's POV---
It had been a while since I felt so alone.
The last time was before this 'summoned to another world' situation happened.
Ellie: "Hmm... Oh, well..."
There was a quiet atmosphere in this so-called Kingdom this morning, despite the snores in the room behind my current home's balcony.
It seemed like all that drinking from yesterday hit the residents hard, and even Miwen, usually one of the first to wake up, hadn't answered my request to join his world.
That thought brought a small smile to my face.
From everything I'd seen so far, Miwen was the type of person who prioritized others even at his own expense.
Even though I'd hate to criticize his way of life when I didn't even know him for that long, I couldn't shake off the thought that such a young man should relax and take it easy.
Sometimes, I found my lips moving on their own, and I'd mumble these thoughts under my breath...
Even when noticing it, he'd usually smile and slowly shake his head.
Ellie: "It's so comforting..."
I was sure everyone appreciated him for it.
Being under his care was an experience like no other. Even my parents might not have pampered me as much.
Before I noticed it, I had grown attached and worried in equal measure.
Ellie: "Ah... Such conflicting feelings... I doubt they'll lead me anywhere..."
I kept sighing into the air, watching the sky's slow transformation from blackish grey to greyish blue.
Beatrice: "I agree... But then again, if you share it with me, I might just have a solution?"
Her voice was sluggish and so low that I almost missed it.
I was so caught in my thoughts that I never noticed when Bea left her bed, much less her approaching me from behind.
It was rare for anything to escape my reflexes, especially something as slow-moving as a morning-tired Beatrice. The surprise made me jolt a little, and I felt my face warming up against the morning's cold breeze.
Still, being at such a low level was taking a toll on me, and living in such a safe place, my instincts were far from sharp.
I decided that this was a lesson. I had to remind myself not to get so distracted that I'd get hit in the back!
Beatrice: "You look so cute when you are this deep in thought... Sometimes I wonder what's going on inside this fluffy head..."
Witches were terrifying.
She got close enough to drill her knuckles from both sides of my head, and I hadn't even noticed!
Ellie: "Ehe... Hmn...! Stop...!"
The weirder the noises coming from my lips were, the more enthusiastic she became.
I had to grab her wrists with both hands before she finally gave me a break.
Ellie: "That reminds me... I've never seen you wake up so early before... Is there a reason?"
Inside the Kingdom, Mia was usually the first up. She and Miwen often competed for the title of earliest bird.
Then it was Anna and me disputing second place.
From what I heard, Beatrice and Claire were the two who enjoyed sleeping the most.
Beatrice: "Fufu... I guess I had a blast yesterday? You are still young, but... One day you'll discover that wine does wonders for a woman's mood. I feel like taking the world today!"
There were so many things wrong with everything she said!
For starters, she was acting like I was younger than her, even though that was definitely not the case.
But most importantly, I knew very well that wine didn't do any of that! Also, she spent the entire night barely making small talk, completely immersed in her book and that bottle of wine she enjoyed!
Where did she find the blast in that!?
Hmph.
The only reason she woke up so early was that she was the first to head back to bed, and I was pretty sure the wine made her sleepy in the first place.
Ellie: "Hehe... If you think about it, this dimension is so small that you definitely could."
Even after Miwen's renovations, only four people lived in the Kingdom, and there were just two houses trapped inside a small field covered by ominous grey smoke.
I could probably take on this world as well if I wanted to.
Beatrice: "Oh, that's certainly true, isn't it? However, aren't you deflecting too much with your jokes? No need to be shy... Won't you tell your big sis everything that's worrying you?"
She leaned her entire weight against my back while wrapping her arms around my chest.
Bea's body was like a huge pillow. It was incredibly soft, and I could almost sink into her. Her smell was also so nice... I wanted a pillow with that exact scent...
However!
That didn't grant her the right to call herself my big sis!
She was only big when it came to... Well, when it came to everything!
But age-wise, I was still the big sis!
Ellie: "U-Um... So, you see..."
Eh?
Wasn't I about to tell her off?
In the end, I lacked the motivation necessary to fight her on it, so I went along with her whims and confessed all of my thoughts.
Beatrice: "I see... That's certainly complicated..."
Big Sis was a witch, not a knight clad in white armor.
It was my fault for expecting help.
Beatrice: "But... Isn't it fine? It's in a man's nature to provide, and... I think he seems happy to do it."
I dwelled on her words for a moment.
They felt right, but not exact.
Ellie: "N-No... You must've noticed, too. The way he treats us... I'm not sure he particularly enjoys it."
It could be his nature, like Bea argued, but beyond that...
Ellie: "He doesn't ask for anything in return... I wonder if I'm overthinking it, but... It feels wrong."
I couldn't properly express my thoughts.
Rather than what Miwen felt like, it was easier to note everything that he didn't feel like.
He wasn't silently screaming for help, or acting out of an interest.
His selflessness was almost... detached.
As if it simply was, and cared not about being.
It was strange to think so negatively about such gentleness. I hated the thought of looking at my benefactor like that.
And he wasn't a bad person, either.
There were just these moments where...
He seemed like a different person.
Beatrice: "Perhaps he just hasn't claimed his reward yet. If you think about it, he has a relationship with every other girl that came before us... I bet a cutie like you is his next target..."
She pinched my cheeks with soft strength, just enough to stretch my lips into a forced, ugly smile.
Once my cheeks had turned red, she started rubbing her cold thumbs on them, as if she regretted going too far.
Ellie: "I thought about it, but... I don't think that's true. He never made any advances on me, even when I left myself open for it..."
He saw us naked and barely reacted until Beatrice started showing off.
Sometimes he'd look at the girls for a second too long, but I often saw him awkwardly correct himself. Rather than a lecherous look, it felt more like he had lost himself in thought and only afterward noticed he'd been staring.
There were times when he did stare with those kinds of eyes, though...
In any case!
Despite how much he seemed to think about everyone around him, I never had the impression he was scheming against us.
Beatrice: "I see... You're more aware than I thought..."
Her breath slowed, and so did the cadence of her words.
For a few seconds, I felt as if the air had become oppressive, almost as if I was unwanted.
I instinctively tried taking a step back, but I just pressed against her chest, and her hand wrapped around my front, trapping me in place.
Beatrice: "I lived in isolation for most of my life, and just like I never tried to understand others, the others never tried to understand me..."
She seemed to have confused me for a teddy bear or a mascot.
Just as I got her hand off my chest, she placed another. She was basically telling me that I had no option but to be hugged.
Lucky for her, it was oddly comfortable...
Beatrice: "This time, I'm set on not repeating the same mistake, so... I might have noticed something interesting..."
After I gave up trying to free myself, I lowered my head and focused on Bea.
Even though she was speaking about her past life and death, her heartbeat remained strangely even.
Ellie: "W-What did you notice...?"
A thin line formed from the corner of her lips, and her eyelids half-closed.
I had never met a witch before Bea.
But in this moment, her face looked exactly like what I had imagined a witch to look like.
It wasn't scary.
It was just unsettling.
Beatrice: "His behavior influenced me... After seeing his dedication, I started to wish he'd take care of himself and that he'd enjoy himself more..."
I thought the same!
Maybe I misjudged her-
Beatrice: "Those thoughts never crossed my mind about anyone else. They were born from the way he treated everyone around him... And when I think about it... They resembled the same care he has for us..."
T-The smile she had... it grew, but...
She didn't look any happier.
Ellie: "W-Well... Isn't it normal to wish that someone who has helped you does well themselves? I-I mean..."
The hand that pressed me gently started to gain strength.
Beatrice: "I wasn't like this before. It's his fault... I'm frustrated... And my frustration... Is turning me into him."
Even her respiration seemed to stop as she paused for a second.
I was the one supposed to be opening my heart, but despite the anxiousness I felt at being trapped between her chest and her hands, I was happy that she was sharing her thoughts with me.
My shyness often got in the way of forming strong bonds with others, and my curiosity always made them recoil, so I valued these rare moments.
Beatrice: "Fufu... I just meant to say that I feel the same way you do about him. Maybe we all do, to some extent... In our own ways..."
I could tell it wasn't a sincere laugh.
But I could also feel she didn't want that fact exposed.
Ellie: "If after everything he does, he also helps us become more kind... Isn't it a little inhumane?"
Miwen was not a God.
It wasn't his mission to make someone else's life perfect. No one should ask that of him.
He should not have to worry about such things...
Ellie: "Y-You said it in a certain way, but... I don't think it's bad that I want him to value himself more, after all. I think that's just what's expected of a human..."
The weight of her chest left my back as she bent forward, letting her head rest against my shoulder.
With her so close, it was impossible to miss how gentle her smile had turned.
Beatrice: "Conquering and leading are quite similar. They are fundamentally about submitting others to your will, changing how they act so that it best suits your goals..."
She kept rubbing her head against mine, especially our cheeks.
I kinda enjoyed it, but she was having way too much fun!
Beatrice: "See... What do you think makes one capable of leading others? Or even conquering them?"
That was such a difficult question to answer in the morning, especially after a night of heavy drinking.
Witches were often said to enjoy pushing the boundaries, and Beatrice was no different. She was teasing me with both her body and her words.
I was determined to give her a satisfying answer!
No!
I'd give her an answer so great, her jaw would drop!
Ellie: "U-Um... M-Maybe might? Not just strength or power, but... You know? Cunning... Charm?"
Rather than her jaw dropping, her lips parted for a chuckle.
That made me a little mad, but other than pouting hard, I didn't let it show on my face.
Beatrice: "Those are certainly valuable tools. However, the most important is the ability to submit others to your will, and... In that regard, I fail to see someone more prideful than him."
I was nodding along right up until the end.
Calling him prideful felt like an immense stretch, or even wrong.
Ellie: "I never saw him act with pride, though... If anything, he's quite-"
I instantly thought about his good points: his gentleness, his attention, and his friendlessness.
Without me noticing, I had a smile on my face that contrasted sharply with Bea's serious look.
Beatrice: "Fufu... See, men are masters in converting sins into virtues. They cannot live sinless lives, so most spend their lives fighting their sins, while others... They transform them into a weapon..."
She always talked about men so confidently; it made my face burn a little.
Other than a few male friends, I had no experience with them. I hardly knew what made men and women different other than...
Well, other than that!
Still, even if most men were like that, I couldn't see how it applied to Miwen...
Beatrice: "If you can't see his pride, ask yourself this... Do you think he sees us as his equals?"
Even though the morning breeze had never been so cold, I started feeling so hot that sweat ran down my neck.
Bea's thick fabric on her sweater... Her face... Even her hands...
Everything about her was uncomfortably warm.
Ellie: "I... I don't know..."
I felt like I was melting, and as she wrapped her arms more tightly around me, my breath grew uneven.
Beatrice: "I believe... His sins have not warped his heart. He might think he stands above us, but as long as that translates into this overwhelming care and responsibility... Isn't it wonderful?"
I took her hand off, and when she tried replacing it with another, I held her wrist.
I'd only managed to get one step away from her, but it was enough for me to breathe again.
Ellie: "...So you think he goes this far because his pride is that great? That he sees us as things that'll break without him?"
Only when I faced Beatrice with my back turned against the balcony did I realize how disadvantageous my position really was.
I'd never been this careless with humans before...
Beatrice: "Yes... I can only understand it if his selflessness draws satisfaction. Otherwise, as you said, he would be inhumane."
I hated every word she said, and I shook my head.
The things she said were compelling, but even though I couldn't refute them, she saw Miwen through lenses too dark for me to accept.
Sometimes, people were good for no deep or secret reason.
Not being able to accept the good received at face value was just as bad as she made Miwen out to be.
Beatrice: "Ah... Ha..."
She had a strange reaction to seeing me deny her words so fervently.
It was like her own heat had gotten to her head, and she licked her lips while holding herself.
Beatrice: "Don't misunderstand... I don't think badly of him at all. I just feel like... His pride must be so immeasurable... I wonder what will happen if he stops holding back..."
Her lips were glistening with saliva.
She was... drooling?
Ellie: "U-Um... Y-You gave me a lot to think about, but maybe you should tone down on the wine a little next time..."
She stretched her arms and approached a step.
I had nowhere to run.
Ellie: "B-Big Sis... Y-You're scaring me a little... Hehe...?"
I turned my face slightly and stared at the ground.
I'd survive the fall, but it wouldn't look pretty...
Beatrice: "Fufu... I wanted to help you, but I ended up giving you way more to think about, huh? Big Sis is so sorry..."
My back hit the wood rail.
I could feel Beatrice's breath.
Ellie: "N-No, it's not like that, really... I'm grateful to you, big Sis..."
I closed my eyes and turned my face.
Beatrice: "E-Eh!? Aren't you just the cutest thing eveeeer?"
She caught me.
Even though she had zero strength and no muscles whatsoever, she lifted me from the ground with a hug so tight, I felt enveloped by her.
The sensation of her massive chest pressing me wasn't even calming anymore. It was like drowning in jelly.
Ellie: "Nghnn..."
Weird noises kept leaving my mouth, and as my body went limp from all of the soft pressure, the scenario changed.
Miwen: "Uh... Did I interrupt something? Sorry?"
We were in the living room, right in front of Miwen...
Ellie: "Nghn...no..."
I felt so embarassed, I ended up burying my face in Bea's chest.
Bea seemed to misunderstand that and squeezed me a few more times before finally letting me go.
To my surprise, Anna was nowhere to be seen.
She had returned home super late yesterday, so she and Miwen must've had a lot of fun together.
This made me feel a little relieved...
---This section is written in Anna's POV---
Ugh...
Thanks to that stupid guy, my body was sore all over, and I couldn't find a comfortable position to sit on the sofa.
I thought he was gentle and caring, but midway through our time together, he turned into a monster.
The worst part was that even after my Gift's second effect triggered and I had no excuse to keep going, he made me beg to continue...
That was so embarrassing, you idiot!
It was my first time! He should've just kept going!
Spreading myself open after everything I said... It felt like I was only doing it for my own pleasure...
The sex was kinda nice, though.
Anna: "God... I suck..."
I told Miwen it was too early to say how I felt about him, but my body felt painfully empty without him inside.
That insatiable thing he carried...
After just one time, I already missed it.
Despite how much I wanted to repay him, it felt like I was the one enjoying it the most. It was like he was doing something to me, rather than I doing it for him, and that was before these complicated feelings...
Miwen: "Can you lift your legs, Anna?"
When I got to Earth, Miwen had already wiped the sofa and the floor clean of any evidence of our crimes.
From what Ellie told me, he had briefly cleaned the living room before accepting anyone's requests to join Earth.
I was thankful for that care, however...
He was acting the same way as before.
Even though it felt like we were closer, he was incredibly nonchalant around me.
If things kept going like this, would I get the chance to do it again?
Anna: "...Like this?"
Lying on my side, I struck a casual, slightly sexy pose. My arms followed my silhouette, and my hand rested on my hips, emphasizing them.
He glanced at me for a brief second before nodding and continuing to mop the floor with no trace of yesterday's ruthlessness.
Anna: "Hah..."
A long sigh escaped me.
How did the others do it?
How did they approach him... to be together...?
Claire: "Hm? Something wrong?"
Sitting next to me, Claire also lifted her legs and sat sideways.
I couldn't help but stare for a second and compare, but I kinda regretted it.
While I had the upper hand in the chest area, past the waist, it was a total blowout in her favor.
Anna: "Yeah, sorry... I was just thinking that you're pretty strong..."
With curves like hers, she probably didn't even need to ask...
Claire: "Well, that's obvious, isn't it? After all, I'm the strongest."
It was also cute how any compliment always got over her head, and she'd raise her chin.
In comparison, I was a little more reserved...
Mia: "...Pft!"
Her chuckle was far from quiet, but even though Claire knew it was a provocation, she fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.
Claire: "What? Got something to say?"
Even in the morning, Mia and Claire were incredibly lively, and their energy quickly spread throughout the house.
I thought other than me, everyone else would be back to their usual selves today, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
Ellie was more assertive today than I had ever seen her.
When Miwen proposed we have breakfast, she demanded to take care of things with Licia, and she wouldn't take no for an answer.
After everything he'd done to me, seeing him lose to Ellie of all people brought a satisfied, vengeful smile to my face.
Even though Miwen still wasn't treating me like the others, I decided to wait and believe in my feminine charms.
Once we had eaten breakfast, he left, saying he had somewhere else he needed to be today.
The girls decided to watch a movie and hang out in the meantime, which I really appreciated, as sitting my butt still felt like a blessing.
Licia: "Oh, yeah. You drank a lot yesterday, right, Anna?"
It was hard to believe Miwen's words about how Licia had worked as an adventurer her entire life.
Her skills were pretty high there, but her friendly, warm smile was nothing like the ones I had seen from other adventurers.
Licia: "I think I found the last can, wanna share?"
I almost accepted by instinct.
But then I realized...
That was the same tactic she used to get her hands on Claire!
Maybe I was looking at her friendliness through dark lenses?
No. I was right.
Even if that meant I was her next target, and... She was trying to steal Miwen's harem?
It wasn't just Miwen I was wrong about, then. Behind her warm, friendly attitude lay a shameless vixen.
Well, if she thought that she could have her way with me, I was about to teach her a lesson.
Anna: "I..."
Wait.
There was something wrong.
Miwen's sex drive was extraordinary. He kept me company almost the entire night.
If Licia was so unsatisfied by him that she'd go after Claire and me as well, wouldn't that mean her sex drive was on another league compared to his?
I...
I didn't stand a chance against her.
Anna: "I'm a devoted girl, so you can have it!"
I turned away and did my best to hide from her.
And to think I believed in the warmth of her smile...
Licia: "Hmm? Alright. How about you, Ellie?"
She changed her targets as if it was nothing.
And she went after Ellie, someone even Miwen hadn't approached...
What a scary woman.
Ellie: "U-Um... If it's just half a can..."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as it wasn't too much, Ellie could resist Licia's playboy scheme.
Licia: "Yeah! Let's drink together, then!"
She casually sat by Ellie's side, striking up small talk.
The two talked a lot about their lives as adventurers while the movie played, and even Mia joined in on their conversation from time to time.
Claire also butted in, especially when the topic of how strong they were in their past lives arrived.
Licia would even include me by asking questions, and suddenly...
It felt like she had everyone caught in her spiderweb.
Anna: "Licia's... The apex predator."
She tilted her head to the side, and even I had to admit that the giggle that escaped her was heart-melting.
If even I could barely resist it...
Miwen had to return home as soon as possible.
Otherwise, everyone in the house could end up in her harem instead.
---This section is written in Beatrice's POV---
Afternoon had come, and Miwen had yet to return home.
After spending a few hours with the others watching a movie, I resigned myself to Miwen's bedroom.
While he had given me permission to enter and explore as I willed, it was the first time I set foot in his chambers.
His bed was made with care, two layers of blankets laid on top of each other, with the thinner one below.
Under his bed, I found a set of dumbbells. Their weights seemed to increase in increments of five kilos, with the last pair reaching fifty each.
Beatrice: "An eighteen-year-old boy at level 1, with no Gift or magic... Could he truly lift these?"
Some of the weights, especially those around the twenty kilos mark, seemed slightly older and more worn down. They had definitely seen some use.
The ones around 40 and fifty kilos were far newer, but still not in pristine condition. They could be just for show, but that would beg the question of who he'd show them off to, as he said he'd been living alone for quite some time...
Regardless of his ability to lift these weights, I, for one, certainly could not without magic, so I rolled them back under his bed.
In his closet, I found quite a few different changes of clothes. He seemed to favor black and white; however, I also found some incredibly silly pieces hidden in a stash. Shirts with doodles drawn in the front and back, pink shirts with flowery patterns...
I was sure about my theories regarding him, yet these choices contradicted them a little.
No man would wear silly clothes like this, unless...
Unless they wanted to appear disarming.
Though those could be lenses too dark to see him through, the thought resonated deep within me in a way I couldn't ignore.
After all, I never had instincts. I only ever had knowledge.
Beatrice: "Fufu... It goes so deep. I wonder where the bottom is, or if it even exists..."
There were many interesting things to explore, but the one I was most interested in was his personal computer.
Back in my world, even the best indexes didn't come close to his phone, and he said his computer was a much, much more powerful machine.
He told me I could find anything I wanted with one of these, but it took me a while to understand what I was doing.
I had to press physical buttons on his keyboard to type, and sometimes, I had to push and pull the mouse to press buttons on the screen with the pointer instead.
He'd given me the basic instructions, but at least initially, I thought his phone had a much more intuitive interface that only used buttons on the screen...
Still, I persevered and opened my first website, a forum that claimed to discuss magic and its mysteries.
The discussions in there were incredibly lackluster.
Even the self-proclaimed witches didn't seem to know much, and there was so much conflicting information...
The worst part was how confidently wrong people were. I had to resist the urge to correct even those correcting others.
Beatrice: "It's a lot of information..."
It was a shame that so much of it was useless or just repeated.
At some point, I found three different videos, all featuring a different man in front of the camera.
They stared at the camera from almost the same angle, and repeated the same thing, almost word for word.
It felt surreal.
Beatrice: "Tch... I don't have time for a vacation... I'm trying to learn..."
The little things that kept popping up were also incredibly distracting.
Miwen was right.
Without already knowing a reliable source, it was almost impossible to do any research on this "video website".
Beatrice: "I wonder... How does he seem to know the quality of the content before even watching it?"
He often showed us videos from this very website, so there should be a pattern somewhere.
I just couldn't see it.
Thankfully, he had given me a small list of popular websites I could use to research, so I still had plenty of options.
As the keyboard noises echoed throughout his room, I familiarized myself with the encyclopedia he recommended for research and the forum he told me was useful for discussions.
Since I had spent almost an hour on the videos, I didn't have much time to do an in-depth reading and decided to focus on the discussion board instead.
It took me a while, but I got deep enough that finally, I found people sharing decent knowledge that, while still close to beginner or intermediate level, was at least correct.
Beatrice: "Maybe I expected too much from a world where the highest level is only around 80..."
The most interesting thing in this world, apart from how it had only discovered magic twenty years ago, was definitely Miwen.
So, why not use him?
Beatrice: "Let's see your history..."
After learning how to look at his search history, I decided to retrace his steps, as if I were taking a shortcut.
Almost immediately, I found a video website he had not included in his list.
Beatrice: "Fufufu... How naughty of you... Keeping secrets from me..."
Judging by how many times he had visited the website in the past, I expected it to contain incredibly insightful material.
But instead, what I found was something else entirely.
Beatrice: "Oh, my..."
I could hardly believe the intensity of what the screen was reflecting, and the shock glued my eyes to the-
Ellie: "Hey, Bea! Miwen came back and asked me to... T-To..."
Her luck was annoyingly bad.
Counting the hug, it was the second time she had the absolute worst possible timing, and now...
She saw something inexcusable.
Beatrice: "I... I told you! Miwen is a sinful man!"
I closed everything and turned off the computer as fast as I could, but it was too late...
Ellie: "Y-You're the sinful one!"
Her words stung deeper than a stake to my heart.
I had just started earning her respect this morning, yet it all crumbled in a second as she slammed the door, cutting off the light that filled the dark bedroom and leaving me to suffer the pain of embarrassment alone.
I could only hope that, since it was already nighttime, she'd forget all about this come tomorrow morning...