That short answer somehow changed the atmosphere around Osakabehime instantly.
Her eyes began to sparkle.
"—I can do that!"
She immediately sat up straighter.
"Seriously, I'm really good at territory creation and support!"
Her enthusiasm surged, sharply contrasting with her earlier panic.
"If there's a proper place, I can set up defenses, barriers, even—"
She paused.
Her expression softened, becoming a bit more cautious.
"…by the way…"
Her gaze scanned the area.
An old building. Cold air. The aura of the temple felt slightly ominous.
She shrugged slightly.
"…is there… a comfortable place to stay here?"
A brief silence followed.
Then, in a quieter voice—
"…and… if possible… with internet too…"
The night wind blew gently again, filling the pause between them.
Kuro watched her for a few moments.
Then he turned.
"…Follow me."
A short answer—but enough.
Osakabehime paused for a moment.
Then she hurriedly stood up, almost tripping over her kimono again.
"E-eh, wait!"
She immediately followed behind, her steps quick yet still awkward.
"…My Master is weird too, huh…" she muttered softly.
Suddenly, Kuro stopped walking. Osakabehime stopped as well.
Kuro turned around, then pulled out a credit card and held it out toward Osakabehime.
Osakabehime stared at him, confused.
"My credit card," Kuro said flatly. "Use it however you want. I've only managed to load about 300 million yen on it… so for now, be frugal."
Osakabehime froze in place.
Her eyes shifted from Kuro's face to the card in his hand, and back again.
"…Eh?"
She took the card with both hands, still hesitant—as if afraid it might vanish suddenly.
"This… is really for me?"
She examined the details on the card, then looked back at Kuro with a mix of confusion and disbelief.
"You even gave me the password…? Seriously…?"
A brief silence followed.
Then her shoulders began to tremble slightly.
"…300 million yen…" she repeated softly.
A few seconds later—
"—Isn't this… way too much?!"
She immediately looked at Kuro with a new kind of panic, though this time in a different direction.
"This isn't just 'be frugal for now' level, this could easily fund a super comfortable base with a full gaming setup, premium futon, months of food stock, even—"
She stopped herself.
Then slowly, she lowered her head, clutching the card a little tighter.
"…My Master… is really weird…" she murmured quietly.
But this time, her tone wasn't entirely complaining.
She stole a quick glance at Kuro.
"…But… not bad, actually."
Kuro just shrugged and continued walking casually—as if what he had just given her was nothing more than pocket money.
"Oh, by the way… my name's Kuro Tokito. You can call me whatever you like, Hime-san," he said calmly.
Osakabehime smiled, quickening her pace slightly to walk alongside him.
"If you call me Hime-san, then I can call you Maa-chan, right?" she said cheerfully. "Please take care of me, Maa-chan~"
Kuro glanced at her briefly and chuckled softly.
"Isn't that backward, Hime-san?" he said. "As your Master, you're the one who's supposed to take care of me."
Osakabehime stared at him for a moment, then let out a small laugh, slightly blushing but still full of energy.
"Eh? Backward…? But it's okay!" she said with a light giggle. "Then, Maa-chan, you have to take care of me too, okay~"
She looked at him with sparkling eyes, a little teasing but still cheerful, as if she enjoyed making Kuro slightly annoyed while still feeling comfortable around him.
Kuro didn't respond right away.
He simply glanced at Osakabehime—who was now walking beside him with much lighter steps, smiling.
"…how about we just protect each other?"
Osakabehime blinked.
"…huh?"
She looked at Kuro, then tilted her head slightly—as if processing his words.
"Protect… each other?" she repeated softly.
A few seconds of silence passed.
"That… actually sounds fair," she said, her tone becoming lighter.
She smiled, this time a bit more genuine.
"In that case, I'll support you from behind the scenes!" she continued enthusiastically. "Barriers, defense, territory—leave it all to me!"
She raised one small hand, as if making a promise.
"But…"
She glanced at Kuro with a slightly mischievous expression.
"…if anything happens outside, Maa-chan will handle it, okay?"
Kuro looked at her, arms crossed as if thinking deeply—though he didn't really need to.
"…so I'm still the one doing the heavy work?"
Osakabehime immediately broke into a wide smile.
"Teamwork!"
A brief silence followed.
Kuro let out a quiet sigh, then formed a faint smile. He raised his hand and, with a casual motion, gently patted Osakabehime's head from behind—softly, without any force.
"In that case," he said lightly, "from now on, watch my back, Hime-san."
Osakabehime fell silent for a moment.
Her eyes widened slightly, then slowly flushed faintly red.
"…eh…"
She clutched the sleeve of her own clothing, a little awkward—though this time not out of panic.
A few seconds passed before she finally gave a small smile.
"…leave it to me, Maa-chan," she replied softly, yet with certainty.
Kuro withdrew his hand and continued walking as usual.
Osakabehime quickly caught up beside him—her steps now much lighter.
For the first time, she didn't feel like she was being forced out of her "room."
Rather… it felt like she had found a new place where she could still be herself.
And without realizing it, her smile was no longer forced.
***
Eventually, they arrived at their destination—a room in the Tokito residence.
Or more precisely… an empty storage room that Kuro had cleaned.
Kuro opened the door and stepped inside first, then stopped in the middle of the room.
"From now on, this is your place," he said casually. "Sorry, there's no windows, air conditioning, computer, or Wi-Fi yet."
He glanced briefly at Osakabehime.
"If you need anything, just install it yourself. That's what I gave you the account for."
Short. No small talk.
"…Anyway, use it however you like. That's it."
Silence.
Osakabehime stood at the doorway.
Her eyes scanned the entire room.
Empty.
Quiet.
Nothing at all.
"…eh."
She stepped inside slowly.
Once again, she looked around.
"…this is… a storage room, right?"
She turned toward Kuro with a blank expression.
A few seconds of silence.
"—THIS IS TOTALLY A STORAGE ROOM!!"
She immediately pointed around in panic.
"There's nothing here! It doesn't even have a single 'cozy indoor' vibe!"
She grabbed her head.
"No AC, no windows, no internet—this is basically a torture chamber for an indoor person!"
Kuro remained calm.
"…That's why I said, set it up yourself."
Osakabehime fell silent.
She looked at Kuro.
Then slowly… at the credit card in her hand.
A few seconds of silence passed.
"…300 million yen…" she murmured softly.
Her expression changed.
From panic… to seriousness.
Very serious.
"…wait."
She straightened her posture.
Her aura shifted drastically.
"If the budget is that much…"
She began walking around the room, her eyes scanning every corner with sharp focus.
"…I can turn this into the ultimate fortress…"
Her voice was quiet—but filled with determination.
"Layered defenses, comfortable interior, isolation systems, stable mana supply…"
She stopped.
Slowly turning back toward Kuro.
Her eyes sparkled.
"…plus a gaming setup."
A brief silence followed.
Then she broke into a wide smile.
"Maa-chan, give me some time."
She raised one hand enthusiastically.
"In a single day… this place will be completely transformed!"
Kuro turned around and lightly patted Osakabehime on the shoulder.
"Have fun," he said casually. "Hime-san."
Without much explanation, he handed her his phone—then walked away, leaving her alone in the room.
The door closed softly.
Silence.
Osakabehime stood still, staring at the phone in her hand.
"…eh."
She tapped the screen.
It opened.
Unlocked.
She blinked slowly, then looked at the screen… then at the credit card in her hand… then back at the screen again.
A few seconds of silence passed.
"…is this… real?" she murmured softly, almost in disbelief.
Her eyes suddenly sparkled.
"—IS THIS HEAVEN?!"
In an instant, she dropped down to the floor and opened a shopping app at an almost absurd speed.
"AC—check! Bed—upgrade! Desk, chair, lighting… ah, lighting is super important for the mood!"
Her fingers danced rapidly across the screen, without the slightest hesitation.
"Router—the fastest one! Wifi extender too! PC—full spec! Dual monitors? …nah, make it triple!"
She paused for a moment.
Staring at the screen with a serious expression.
"…gaming chair…"
The atmosphere around her seemed to shift.
"…this one can't be chosen carelessly."
Seconds turned into minutes.
Osakabehime was completely immersed in her world—comparing specifications, reading reviews, looking at designs, occasionally mumbling to herself as she carefully weighed her options with full dedication.
Scroll.
Tap.
Add to cart.
Scroll again.
Tap again.
Without realizing it, her shopping list kept growing… far beyond her original needs.
And yet, on her face—was the satisfied smile of a hikikomori who had finally been given full control over her own version of "heaven."
___
Author's Note:
How did you like this chapter?
Did you enjoy it? 😌
Hehe~ Don't forget to leave a comment, add it to your favorites, and give a Power Stone.
If possible, I'd also love to see your reviews✨
By the way, sorry for the late update.
I suddenly fell asleep and only just remembered now.