Dawn.
Inside the convenience store, instead of blankets, I laid out a futon and covers, and Rudika had fallen asleep.
**[Wolf! I’m going to the snowfield for a bit! I need to replenish my snowballs!]**
“Go ahead.”
Saying that, Lilia left for a while, and Patrasche was sleeping outside the building.
So, right now, only Rudika and I are in the convenience store.
If I listen closely, I can hear very steady breathing.
My heart is pounding. Beating like crazy.
But the Imperial bloodline does not allow me to show a shabby appearance.
The reason my heart is pounding like this—it’s because…
How could I not be scared and on edge when that legendary assassin is sleeping in my place!?
“…Mmm…”
Rudika is asleep. Sleeping soundly.
But I’m not fooled.
Rudika Hassan Shadow does not sleep.
In the original work too, you cannot give her the instruction to “sleep in a place other than her own.”
So she only sleeps in places she recognizes as her own home. When she does sleep, it’s due to a sleep status ailment, nothing else.
An assassination machine that doesn’t sleep of its own accord—that is Rudika Hassan Shadow.
It’s frightening. It’s terrifying.
Even at this very moment, if I fall asleep, she could target my neck at any time.
Of course, Rudika won’t kill me—but even knowing that a lion won’t kill you, can you sleep beside it? That’s a completely different issue.
Rudika doesn’t sleep.
Rudika can move at any time.
Look. That quiet breathing sound, the thin blanket rising and falling in rhythm with it.
But that’s assassination breathing.
“…Ugh… Mm.”
That sleep-talk is definitely some kind of assassination prayer!
“…Ugh.”
*Flung!* Rudika kicked off the blanket.
An assassination signal! I thought—but no.
She just purely kicked off the blanket, huh.
If I approach, I might get killed.
But…
“…Cold…”
She kicked it off herself and now she says she’s cold. That’s a bit dizzying.
“Tch. You’ll catch a cold.”
Without thinking, I approached and properly covered her with the blanket.
Before graduating high school, when I assisted the director at the orphanage.
Because of the memories of looking after the younger kids, I can’t help but pay attention when they’re like that.
Well, I don’t actually think she’s asleep, but I can’t help it.
“…Hehe. Wolfram…”
You’re not asleep, right?
Right?
—
…
I’ve done it.
Rudika Hassan Shadow sat up with a dazed head.
Originally, she should have gone to work at dawn. As a Hassan of the Shadow family, such disgrace was unheard of.
“No… There’s no point in worrying about it. Yeah. It can’t be helped.”
Skipping work once or twice happens. The Hassan’s requests were always precise and accurate, and if the Hassan made a mistake, the elders would get angry—but who cares.
If they don’t like it, they can come and fight.
For reference, the previous Hassan knelt before her at age seven. The elders of the Shadow family are no match for her.
No one in the Shadow family can raise an objection to Rudika Hassan Shadow.
But separate from that, the habits ingrained in her as an assassin made her feel ashamed of what disgrace she had committed.
Even if it’s someone she trusts, to have fallen so deeply asleep…
She had never slept that soundly even in her own dormitory room.
“…Ugh.”
She stomped her feet.
In the morning, she’d wake up, come to her senses with Cecil’s assistance, and compose herself as a Hassan—but without that routine, she was more defenseless than she thought. Yet Rudika, rather than such new contemplations about herself, was simply mortified at this very moment.
As she was thinking that, she heard footsteps from the place called the convenience store office.
She knew he was there. She just didn’t want to acknowledge it out of embarrassment.
The world’s greatest assassin—and a Hassan of the current generation, no less—had slept so soundly that she’d lost her mind! The fact that it happened is the problem!
“Did you sleep well?”
“…Ugh. Wolfram. Mm. I—no, Rudika slept well.”
“Is that so. Will you have breakfast?”
Rudika stared blankly at him, then let out a sigh.
His footsteps, his heartbeat, the sound of him inhaling and exhaling—everything was literally “ordinary.” She didn’t know why, but that was both frustrating and infuriating, yet at the same time reassuring.
A person who, though not a “Shadow,” is not afraid to have a Hassan by their side.
Perhaps that’s what Imperial bloodline means.
He has nothing to do with Rudika’s darkness—and that makes it all the more astonishing.
Anyway. He asked if she’d have breakfast.
Hmm.
Well, since it’s come to this, she might as well eat before leaving. Can’t be helped.
Realizing that she was more spontaneous than she thought, Rudika smiled awkwardly.
“I’ll do that.”
“Hm.”
The “natural voice” that came out without her realizing it.
Morning really is defenseless in so many ways.
And today, she was learning quite a lot about herself.
—
A few days later.
Rudika came again, carrying something.
“Wolfram. A gift from Rudika.”
“…?”
“Take it. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what would suit you, but I brought what I thought was the best.”
Saying that, Rudika handed me a carpet.
It had beautiful embroidery with patterns symbolizing the south, and was meant to be hung on the wall rather than laid on the floor.
“Why something like this?”
“It’s payment for staying the other day. Didn’t I say I’d pay?”
“But this is quite expensive, isn’t it?”
Moreover, as far as I know, such decorations cannot be bought or sold.
Because the very way these items are obtained is through housing content…
Wait.
“It’s for an Imperial descendant, isn’t it? Expensive is good.”
“Is that so. I’ll gratefully accept it.”
“Yeah!”
“And Rudika. From now on, it doesn’t have to be something this expensive.”
“…Hm? What do you mean?”
“Between friends, there’s no reason to pay a high price just for staying over one night.”
“…Friends. Yeah. I see. Understood.”
Saying that, Rudika blushed slightly and nodded.
In the original work, when used as the Assassin Professor, she didn’t have such changes in expression.
Well, anyway, Rudika stared at me for a while, muttered things like “No,” “But,” “For Wolfram,” “Hmm,” and then left. I had Patrasche install the carpet Rudika had given me—the wall hanging—on the office wall.
And then… I nodded at the ensuing system message.
**[Decorating with a gift received from an ally!]**
**[Housing effect applied!]**
**[Southern Premium Carpet]**
**[Room Item]**
**[When decorated, surrounding recognition rate increases slightly. Adds a 3% success correction to skills that use Dexterity.]**
As expected.
I knew it.
This is a housing item.
—
Anyone who’s played a few games would go “Ah, that thing” and nod—and customization is something most games that let you dress up characters can’t go without.
But D/Z SAGA’s customization—commonly called “Custom”—naturally doesn’t allow changing character appearance.
However, rooms and costumes can be customized, and the room items in particular are immense. As far as I know, there are thousands of fashion-only items for room customization. Even I haven’t grasped all of them.
And this becomes available after defeating the Act 2 boss and deepening friendship with heroines or allies, starting from the beginning of Act 3 when you begin receiving gifts.
“A 3% success rate… that’s high-grade. A good item.”
From the very first item, the quality is no joke. Usually, 1% is considered low-grade and 3% is high-grade.
Of course, there are top-grade items too, and if you go to epic-grade gifts, the effects shoot up to the heavens—but even so, this carpet is undoubtedly an amazing gift.
“But my office is small. I’ll need to either get a new room or set things up carefully.”
Getting a new room is difficult.
That would mean commuting to and from the convenience store, and no matter how much I use Patrasche, that’s far too much trouble.
On the other hand, emptying the convenience store and using it for customization doesn’t fit my aesthetics.
So, on the premise of setting things up in my office, I need to accept only the truly good items.
And the person who gives the best room customization items, all the way to epic grade, is—
“What are you staring at me for?”
“Oh, I was just thinking you’re ugly.”
“I think I look better than you—do you even look in the mirror?”
We raised our middle fingers at each other, laughing haha-hoho.
It was none other than my household-register-copy-below-line-cheap-knockoff, Eve von Lohengrin.
—
Annoyingly, most of the items Eve gives have good options.
The items favored by an Imperial descendant with a Magic stat of 22—even if they live on a desperate allowance—are on a completely different level from gifts given by other heroines or characters.
Moreover, most of them come with the option 【Increase in Magical Action Success Rate】, which is an incredibly sweet option.
As I’ve said, in D/Z SAGA, the Magic stat operates on a different axis from other stats, so acquiring it is extremely difficult.
“What are you looking at?”
“You look away first.”
“Hmph.”
“Ha.”
Of course, I’d rather die than do affinity grinding with Eve.
The only affection we exchange with each other is middle fingers.
I’d rather have Patrasche shoot me with a Black Flame Bullet and die than hear her call me “Brother.”
So it’s not affection grinding—it’s trade.
I intend to extract gifts from Eve von Lohengrin through pure trade.
“I heard.”
“Heard what.”
“Right after you lifted the restricted area ban, you went to the northern snowfield this time, right? Did you go knowing what kind of place that is?”
Hmph.
Even if you say that, I know all the school’s rules.
“By regulation, everything except the Eastern Forest is a restricted area. Having been to the Sleeping Mountain Range, the Snowfield of Bubbling Shadows is nothing new.”
“The Sleeping Mountain Range was temporarily lifted from the restricted area for the Black Flag subjugation.”
“Was it?”
Well, whatever.
“Among the restricted areas, the northern snowfield boasts a considerable number of missing persons. What on earth did you rely on to go there?”
“None of your business. I came back safely, and the expedition succeeded.”
“…Ugh. You really don’t give an inch, do you!”
“I have no reason to lose to you.”
“Do you have any idea how sour my stomach feels? Of all places, the north—!”
Eve sprang up, staggered, and sat back down.
“What’s wrong. You’re staggering.”
“Whose fault do you… think it is?”
I don’t think it’s my fault, though.
Has she been having bad anemia lately?
“How many hours have you been sleeping lately?”
“…Why are you asking that?”
“Answer.”
“…Hmm. About two hours?”
…
Why are you sleeping that little?
“That’s far too little sleep.”
“Hm. Since I have that snack you gave me before, strangely, I don’t get tired, so I’ve been sleeping a bit less.”
This idiot.
The great-success Fortune Cookie penetrates magic resistance and brings blessings, always providing psychological stability and maintaining a calm state—but it doesn’t overcome the body’s physical limits.
“…Even a blessing becomes a drug when overdone. Sleep a bit more.”
“Ugh. Don’t act like an older brother now.”
“Now or then, I am your older brother.”
“…”
She doesn’t want to admit it, but Eve is merely my household-register-below-line-control-CV-knockoff-copy-bloodline-mate—but even so, her abilities are undeniable.
If she collapses, all of Zefflin comes to a halt.
It’s funny, but as Zefflin’s sole authority figure and in the early stages of her rule, she has a habit of trying to take responsibility for everything, so she’s bound to fall once.
…
Ugh, seriously.
“Wait. Tch.”
“…?”
I brought this because I thought it’d be the most helpful, but I never thought I’d actually use it.
I took out a dessert from the mini Ma Dong-seok ice box.
**[Condensed Milk Sherbet Emitting a Faint Glow]**
**[7T]**
The sherbet that came from a great success with Shining Pâtissier has truly amazing effects.
An effect that never existed before, and one you can only encounter for the first time at 7T high-grade.
**[Helps restore the user’s stamina itself.]**
**[Helps restore the user’s condition.]**
A recovery-type dual option.
It’s on a completely different level from cheap stamina potions.
Those have no effect when used in low condition, but this one has both condition recovery and stamina recovery built in.
Literally, it’s extremely precious.
“…This is.”
“Eat.”
Saying that, I handed over the sherbet and a spoon. Eve alternated her gaze between me and the sherbet, then quietly scooped up a small spoonful and put it in her mouth.
“…Hoooooaaaah…”
“You’re making an unpleasant sound.”
Eve’s eyes sparkled and her cheeks relaxed. She shot me a sharp glance for a moment, then focused back on the sherbet.
Every time she ate, she made unpleasant sounds like “Hoaah,” “Huuu,” “Eeeh”—but even so, it was visible that vitality was returning to Eve’s body.
“Ah…”
Having finished it, Eve looked at the empty bowl with regret, then raised her head and looked up at me.
“There’s no more.”
“…Ugh.”
“You seem to have recovered enough.”
“Yes. I’ll admit it honestly. Even if you became the Imperial Palace’s exclusive dessert chef, you’d never starve to death for life.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“It’s the highest praise.”
My ears must be playing tricks on me—it sounded like “If you can’t graduate from the academy later, don’t be a freeloader at the palace, just make desserts.” Is that just my imagination?
“What is this, anyway? So?”
“It’s a snack, literally. It has magical effects attached.”
“It recovers you even through magic defense, right? It’s not like you made something higher than my magic stat?”
“Food that only carries recovery effects doesn’t get blocked by magic resistance.”
“…There was research like that? I’ve never heard of it…”
“Well, where else would you find cooking with recovery effects?”
This world is inconvenient like that, really.
“…Did you see that in the Imperial Library too?”
“Yes.”
“…Phew. Anyway, it was delicious.”
Eve sighed.
What are you going to do even if I say I saw it in the Imperial Library, huh?
“You’re not thinking it’s free, are you?”
“…Pardon?”
“Where else would you find something like this?”
“…Ugh. Hmm. That’s true. But my budget…”
Oh, come on. She still doesn’t get it.
“Who said anything about money?”
“Th-then, surely…”
“Yes, that ‘surely.’”
“To be the Student Council President…?”
“Keep that for yourself.”
Who would want that garbage position? No thanks!
“Then what is it?”
“The convenience store office looks barren. Don’t you have any useful decorations?”
“…Aha.”
Eve nodded, pondered for a moment, then said she’d be right back and flew off.
And when she returned, in her hand was a book.
Quite a thick book.
And I know this book.
“The complete Zefflin school regulations?”
“Yes. You’re always trying to slip through the rules, so here. Take it and read it.”
No, really.
Why are you giving me the regulations I already have memorized?
“Is that all?”
“What more do you want? Well then.”
Saying that, Eve turned her back, and I sighed as I looked down at the regulations.
Well, still, it’s an item from Eve. It might have some effect attached.
**[Eve von Lohengrin’s School Regulations Compendium]**
**[Room Item]**
**[A room item given to you while resenting and pitying her own blood, yet somewhere in her heart worrying about you—underlining and marking every important part. Slightly increases mana recovery amount.]**
“I see. Worrying about me.”
Hm…?
…Uuuuuh?
