Chapter 26
――The next morning.
I woke up because of a strange sensation in my right arm.
I woke up a little earlier than usual.
The source of that strange sensation was MP.
MP had slept beside me before, too, but now MP was gripping my arm tightly.
Something about what happened last night must have changed MP’s feelings.
As I watched MP sleep, listening to the soft sound of their breathing, I realized my own feelings toward MP had changed, too.
Gift Fairies exist to support Gift holders.
Apparently, some people treat them like tools or slaves, but to me, MP is an equal partner.
――And I’m grateful, too.
MP was the one who saved me when being cast out had nearly made me lose faith in people.
MP was the one who taught me how to use the 【Infinite Magic Repository】.
MP was the one who made my revenge against those bastards—the 【Forced Collection】—as effective as possible.
MP was the one who showed me how to start over as an adventurer.
MP was the one who came up with plans for managing my mana and strengthening me efficiently.
And――.
MP was the reason I could wake up to a pleasant morning, wondering what I should do today.
Though we’d only been together a short time, MP had already become someone precious whom I couldn’t do without.
MP’s form was visible only to me, but if possible, I wanted to show MP off to everyone. MP was the partner I was proud of.
Being careful not to wake MP, I gently stroked their silver hair.
Perhaps it tickled, because MP’s iridescent, translucent wings stirred slightly.
MP’s peaceful sleeping face seemed to soften around the mouth.
――That had been my first kiss.
Since MP was a Gift Fairy, I wasn’t sure if it counted, but for me, there was no doubt it had been my first kiss.
Misa, my childhood friend, and I had promised each other a future, but we’d never done anything couples do—in fact, she hadn’t let me.
She’d always brushed me off, saying, “I want to save that kind of thing until after we’re married.”
I was so foolishly earnest that I was taken in by her words, “Thank you for cherishing me,” and mistook doing nothing for love.
I realized my mistake after Misa left me for Guy.
At first, I was consumed by anger and a sense of loss, and found it unbearably painful to feel so rejected.
After a while, once I saw through her intentions, all I could do was marvel at how stupid I’d been.
Now, I think it was for the best.
It was far better than remaining trapped in a false love, deceived for the rest of my life.
I’d only liked her because she said she liked me.
Once I found someone truly precious to me, I understood.
The one who taught me that was――MP.
It might not be romantic love.
It might not be the same as love for another human being.
But when I watched MP’s peaceful sleeping face, my heart was soothed and I felt my energy for the day returning.
――That alone was enough to make me happy.
Without realizing it, I must have started stroking MP a little too firmly.
MP squirmed, then opened sleepy eyes.
“Good morning, Master~”
“Good morning. Sorry, I think I woke you.”
MP shook their head.
“Waking up while Master strokes me is the best way to start the day~”
“Well, that’s good.”
“Yes~.”
“Well, let’s get ready.”
“Okay~!”
After getting ready and having breakfast, we headed to the dungeon.
Yesterday, the first floor had been far too easy.
Today, I was going to try the second floor.
The recommended rank for the second floor was Rank E.
The monsters that appeared were stronger to match, but...
“Still a piece of cake.”
“They’re so weak~.”
Some enemies had started appearing that didn’t die from a single Fireball, but that was no problem for me, since I could fire them off repeatedly.
“Well, let’s try out a few different things on this floor today.”
“Do your best~!”
In the end, I spent the day fighting all kinds of monsters on the second floor.
I focused on combat training rather than killing as many as I could.
Relying on Fireball’s overwhelming power was a perfectly good trump card, but while the enemies were still weak, I wanted to add more ways to attack.
Right now, I could fight with just a dagger, or combine my dagger with Fireball.
I spent the day practicing and managed to make my movements fairly polished.
I had no more reason to stay on this floor.
“Tomorrow, let’s try the third floor.”
“Yes~.”