When Shichen opened his eyes, he immediately realized that the figure who had "snuck in" at night was no ordinary person.
A pair of horns on her head, a large tail behind her—he didn't even need to see her face to know who it was.
Getting ambushed on the very first night—how was he supposed to handle this in the long run?
He wasn't a saint; it wouldn't take many more nights like this for him to lose control. But he wanted to build a real emotional bond first.
He liked her so much—it wasn't just about that sort of thing.
Sitting up, Shichen was about to lecture Tohru, but the panicked look on her face made him pause. He quickly asked, "Tohru? What's wrong?"
"Shichen-dono…" Tohru dove onto his bed, clinging to him, her body trembling.
Shichen gripped her shoulders. Her skin felt smooth and soft—only then did he notice she wasn't wearing anything. But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
"Don't worry. I'm right here," he said softly, gently stroking her silky hair to calm her down.
He considered why Tohru might be acting like this. It wasn't a lie, and there was no way someone had bullied her.
Only one possibility remained.
"Shichen-dono, can I sleep here with you?" Tohru lifted her head, looking fragile as she asked carefully.
"You're like a scared little kid," Shichen teased gently, then nodded.
"All right, sure—but no funny business."
"Thank you, Shichen-dono!"
Tohru's face instantly brightened. She jumped into the bed and lay right next to him.
She didn't guard herself at all. Lying like that, she was basically letting him see everything—and with his excellent night vision, he really could see everything.
Maybe dragons just didn't mind such things.
Shichen pulled the blanket over her. "Change into some pajamas."
"Eh? But I don't like sleeping in clothes."
"Is that so? Well, if you don't put something on, I won't let you sleep here."
"How can you—"
"Be good."
"…Fine."
Tohru pouted but obediently conjured pajamas similar to Shichen's own—an upper and lower set in pink.
Shichen's were blue, so it felt like they were matching red-and-blue after all.
It was hard for him to tear his gaze away from Tohru's imposing chest, but he lay back down anyway.
He wasn't sure if he was going to get any actual sleep tonight.
"Shichen-dono…" Tohru suddenly hugged his arm again, holding on tight.
Feeling her softness against his arm, Shichen turned to face her, gently touching the side of her face.
She still looked shaken.
"Did you have a nightmare?" he asked.
"How did you know?" Tohru's eyes went wide, her golden pupils gleaming.
"What else would scare you?"
"As expected of Shichen-dono."
"Want to tell me about it?"
"Well… I dreamt about those gods…"
"Gods, huh." Shichen murmured.
He remembered that Tohru had been injured by gods in her world, and she'd escaped to other worlds because she couldn't beat them.
In Tohru's world, "gods" weren't some abstract concept but a higher race of powerful beings.
He wondered if the type of god he was destined to become was anything like those.
"Don't worry about it," Tohru said quickly when she saw him go silent. "Those gods won't come here. Even if they did, I wouldn't drag you into it."
"What are you talking about?" Shichen flicked her forehead, annoyed.
"Huh?" Tohru clutched her forehead, tilting her head in confusion.
"I wasn't worrying about something like that. I was thinking if I have what it takes to beat them."
"Eh?" Tohru froze.
"Heh, they hurt you, right? If they dare hurt my Tohru, I've got to settle that score."
"Shichen-dono…" Tohru gazed at him, tears gathering in her eyes.
"Why are you crying?" He gently wiped the moisture away.
"I-I'm just so happy—to have met you, Shichen-dono!"
"You believe me so easily? What if I'm lying?"
"I trust you, Shichen-dono!" Tohru said, her little face solemn.
"And you believe I'll have the power to help you get revenge someday?"
"Mhm!" Tohru nodded firmly.
[You have successfully gained the target's trust and dependence. Spend one month with her to collect the Divine Fragment.]
The mechanical voice in his head interrupted again, but Shichen ignored it. He wasn't doing this for the quest; he really wanted to avenge Tohru.
She was so kind, so adorable. Those gods had almost killed her. If he didn't seek revenge on her behalf, he didn't deserve to say he cared about her.
But talking big wouldn't help if he didn't have the strength to back it up. Right now, he wasn't strong enough, which meant he needed the abilities he could gain by traveling to other worlds. If he really was hopping through anime worlds, there had to be a chance somewhere to become stronger.
So he couldn't keep that carefree attitude of "whatever."
"All right. So can we sleep now?" Shichen asked. Tohru's fear was gone, replaced by calm.
Strange how she was a lot stronger than him, yet she depended on him so easily. They hadn't even known each other for a day.
Tohru was basically like a kid, after all.
"I'll sleep well as long as you're here," she said, smiling and rubbing her cheek against his shoulder.
"Only for tonight," Shichen warned her.
"Why?"
"I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back."
"That would be perfect!"
"That's not good. You're still a kid."
"I'm fifty thousand years old."
"…I meant mentally."
"Do you… not like me, Shichen-dono?"
"I like you a lot, Tohru."
"Then why won't you have me?"
"What kind of girl comes on so strong?"
"Because I also like you, Shichen-dono!"
"…At least give it some time, okay?"
"How long?"
"At least… let's say a month?"
"Fine. After a month, you'd better make good on your promise, Shichen-dono!"
Shichen: "…"
"Shichen-dono? Don't pretend you're asleep!"
"We have to get up early for the café tomorrow."
"So was that promise real or not?"
"…"
"I'll take your silence as a yes!"
"…"
…
The next morning, when Shichen opened his eyes, he realized Tohru was still holding onto him, yet he somehow felt comfortable instead of stifled.
So that's the difference between being "grabbed" versus being "used as a pillow," he thought.
"Morning, Shichen-dono!" Tohru said cheerfully.
Turning his head, he found her already awake, staring at him with those unblinking golden eyes.
"You've been up?"
"Mm-hmm! About an hour."
Shichen's mouth twitched. "What time is it now?"
"Probably around eight-thirty."
"Then we ought to get up." He made a move to rise, but her grip on his arm somehow got stronger. The sensation was… intense.
It was a miracle he hadn't had any weird dreams.
"Come on, let me go."
"Oh…" Tohru reluctantly released his arm and sat up as well.
"Go wash up, and then we can tidy the shop together."
"Okay~ Oh right, Shichen-dono, shall I help you get dressed?" Tohru asked hopefully.
"No need," Shichen said flatly.
"Eh?" Tohru pouted.
"'Eh' nothing. Go on, off you go."
"Then… can I make breakfast for you instead?"
"You know how to cook?"
"I learned last night, so it should be fine!"
"I'll look forward to it, then."
"Leave it to me!"
Tohru slapped her full chest in a show of confidence, then hopped off the bed. Mid-jump, her pajamas began to glow, and by the time her feet hit the floor, she was already dressed in her maid outfit.
No accidental flashes at all.
"Shichen-dono, just wait a moment." With that, she left his room and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
So full of energy this early in the morning… Shichen couldn't help thinking she was still just a big kid.
But who could complain about her kind of lively charm?
He got out of bed himself, went to the bathroom, and did a quick wash-up before returning to change into his manager's uniform.
Truthfully, he didn't need to wash up; as someone who's "untainted by dust" and "free of impurity," you couldn't get any cleaner. But it was a morning habit, after all.
While changing clothes, Shichen felt like he'd forgotten something. Something important but also unimportant. He couldn't remember, so he gave up and finished changing, then headed downstairs to see how Tohru's breakfast was coming along.
Right on cue, Tohru emerged from the kitchen with a tray. When Shichen saw what was on that tray, his brow twitched violently.
He suddenly realized what he'd forgotten.