Chapter 13

1.

Seven days since Dojin and I became a couple. One week. 168 hours, if you put it that way.

I was seized by an intense case of sexual frustration.

"Ah... I want to have sex."

As I muttered to myself on the bed, I heard a crash from the next room.

Was the soundproofing always this bad?

When I checked, the door was slightly open. No wonder the soundproofing was awful.

"Lapis...?”

Peridot knocked on the open door and peeked her head inside. Maybe she’d been getting ready to sleep, too, because she was wearing a negligee.

"Yes?"

"...You’ve changed so much...."

I heard Peridot mutter. I thought so, too. I was happy about the change, at least.

"You’re a little vulgar, maybe..."

"If you put it like that, it sounds like I get horny for anyone, but I’m devoted to Dojin."

"...Couples are the worst..."

I could understand how Peridot felt. Having a couple this lovey-dovey right beside you could make even someone who’d never felt hatred start to. If I weren’t one of the people involved, I’d feel the same way.

But whenever I’m with Dojin, we kiss and hug each other at least three times an hour. I even have to use sanitary products to keep my vaginal fluids in check.

Anyway, this was all because of that damn contract.

"Why are you both still awake?"

Ruby came over, yawning. She said she was comfortable sleeping in her underwear, so that was what she wore to bed. Of course, she had on a wireless bra.

"I was muttering to myself, but the door was open, so Peridot heard me."

"What did you say?"

"I said I wanted to have sex."

"......"

Ruby stared at me in surprise.

What? Didn’t she say that not knowing pleasure as a woman meant missing out on half of life?

"You said I’d miss out on half of life if I didn’t know, so I’m going to find out."

"That’s the real reason."

"I want to have sex with Dojin."

"Are you two horny monkeys?"

Ruby said that as she sat down on the vanity stool. Peridot had nowhere to sit, so when I scooted over a little to make room at the corner of the bed, she perched on it.

"Then just do it."

"What if Dojin thinks I’m cheap?"

"When you were a man, did you dislike women who were only lewd with you?"

"There weren’t any women like that."

I was a virgin who’d never even dated.

Back then, I’d already given up on dating, so it didn’t matter.

"You don’t know the ‘submissive by day, dominant at night’ thing?"

"I’m submissive by day and night, though..."

"......"

Ruby sighed as if she had nothing to say, then crossed her legs. A beautiful woman in her underwear crossing her legs should’ve been incredibly alluring, but all I could think was that it was nice to see a pretty person do it. I guess I really had become a woman.

"Anyway, men don’t inherently dislike sexy women. I was like that, too."

Ruby was speaking in the past tense, too. It felt like she was unconsciously emphasizing that she was already a woman.

Actually, of the three of us, I was the one who’d adapted to being a woman incredibly quickly because I’d gotten a man. But the other two had become women through and through after a month, too.

"In my case, I had tons of girlfriends. How many of them do you think I started dating after checking our sexual compatibility on the first night?"

Ruby cited her past self as proof that men liked sexy women.

So Ruby had been a Casanova—that was why she’d said not knowing a woman’s pleasure was a waste.

Is that so?

"Then even if I pounce on Dojin..."

"If you don’t want to seem cheap, don’t do that—plan an event!"

Ruby must’ve been getting frustrated.

An event? An event, huh. Come to think of it, men often prepared things for a night together, but there were things women could prepare, too.

Cute or sexy underwear.

"But I always wear sexy underwear when I meet Dojin..."

"Not the underwear. Haven’t you heard of a woman who drinks well and lives alone?"

"I don’t even live alone... And rather than do it after drinking, I want to be sober, kissing and whispering words of love to each other—"

"Do whatever you want with that. You’re surprisingly picky, too."

Am I? Am I picky?

But wasn’t it only natural to want my first time to be sex where I was loved, rather than sex while drunk?

"What’s wrong with wanting to be loved?"

I said it with my lips sticking out in a pout.

"You’ve gotten so cute."

"I think so, too."

Ruby and Peridot said that when they saw me.

"By the way, I’m curious... What does kissing feel like?"

"...I tried to hide it from Dojin, but I actually climax when I kiss."

Peridot’s question reminded me of when Ruby had once asked what it felt like to get hit on, so I answered honestly.

A short kiss was manageable, but if it went on for a while, my body trembled, I started getting wet, my heart pounded, and my lower belly quivered.

Like my body was saying, "Ready to receive seed."

"Pervert."

"Slut."

"It’s probably the same for both of us. Thanks to that damn contract."

Ruby sighed.

"Just do it. You want to. Would a man really turn you down?"

"Whether he turns me down isn’t the issue. It’s Dojin thinking I’m easy."

"He probably wouldn’t... It’s not like you go around spreading your legs for every—"

I splashed water in Ruby’s face.

"Gasp."

"Don’t say things like that."

"...I guess I was out of line, too. Sorry."

Ruby admitted she’d let her frustration get the better of her and apologized.

"Anyway, when a woman asks a man first, he’ll grin like an idiot and be thrilled."

Peridot and I just stayed quiet at Ruby’s words.

Apparently neither of us agreed, so Ruby sighed and continued.

"Anyway, your A-rank assessment is tomorrow. Is this what you’re more worried about?"

"I’m pretty sure I’ll pass, anyway."

I wasn’t confident. I was confident I’d fail.

"That’s such a straight-A-student thing to say. Hah, I’m glad I’ve been doing a bit better lately, though."

I hadn’t gone out to hunt with Ruby recently, so I didn’t know. It seemed like Ruby was growing, too.

"And we don’t even know where this ‘Demon King’ is."

"There aren’t even any books about it."

Come to think of it, they’d said we’d go back if we killed the Demon King.

...I don’t want to kill the Demon King.

"...If I said I didn’t want to go back, do you think that guy would listen?"

"...I don’t know. We don’t even know if the Demon King exists in the first place. Even if it does, can A-ranks defeat it?"

"It probably wouldn’t be easy for A-ranks. But the Demon King would normally be a public enemy..."

Then would Heroes like Dojin and the Sword Saint be forced to join the fight? If I held Dojin tight and stopped him from going... would the Demon King not get killed, either?

...I think something went wrong with my train of thought.

Then everyone who went to subjugate the Demon King would die. No, that wouldn’t do. It’d be better to ask that ‘Party A’ bastard to revise the contract.

"Anyway, the test is tomorrow. Ask for a present when you pass, then go to a motel."

"...That’s genius."

"Is something wrong with your head?"

Ruby said something that sounded vaguely contemptuous, but I let it pass.

"What else would he like at a motel?"

"I was always the one giving, not receiving."

As she said that, Ruby mentioned things like a candlelit event or a flower-petal event. They weren’t exactly things a man would be happy to receive.

"I only saw this in a magazine, but... what about ‘Your present is me!’—"

"No, in the first place, Lapis is the one receiving..."

The night wore on as our conversation turned into what felt like girls’ talk.

2.

"Good work, Ms. Lapis Lazuli. Congratulations on passing the A-rank promotion exam."

The A-rank exam really was easy. Just as Peridot had said, it was incredibly simple. All I had to do was show what I could do, and I’d rank up.

"In addition, we’ve determined that the outstanding repair costs for Ms. Lapis Lazuli’s training room were a natural consequence of her A-rank promotion, so we’ll cover the entire amount."

Come to think of it, I’d had a debt hanging over me, too. That got taken care of when I became A-rank. I’d escaped being a debtor!

After hearing that my promotion was complete, even I could feel how excited my steps were as I left the building.

I was still one step behind Dojin, though. But reaching the level of the Three Heroes was probably out of reach. A-rank was already considered the highest rank for humanity’s heroes and guardians, after all.

I felt happy, like I’d become a woman a little more worthy of Dojin.

There probably wasn’t any higher rank for me to reach now, so I should focus on making myself more beautiful and becoming a woman worthy of Dojin.

But improving my combat power was important, too—not just my rank.

My biggest problem right now was mana.

I remembered how little mana I’d had during my fight with Iris.

My record against Iris was zero wins and two losses.

My current win rate against her was zero percent... But according to Iris, the Collector was after me, and Iris was the Collector’s strongest card. Naturally, to escape the Collector’s clutches, I needed the strength to defeat Iris.

If we fought again, Iris wouldn’t go easy on me like she had before.

After sorting out my thoughts later, I realized that even letting me go this time had cost Iris something she could barely bear.

Whatever the reason, whatever it was that made her do it,

I would face Iris once more.

And then, things between us would come to an end.

As I sorted through those thoughts and left the building, I saw Dojin waiting at the bottom of the steps in front of it.

"Looks like you got a good result?"

"Yes."

I nodded and answered Dojin’s question. He was dressed simply in a light blue shirt and slacks, but when the fit was right, even that counted as fashion.

I slowly made my way down the steps, then stopped with just a few left because I wanted to meet Dojin’s eyes.

"Are you going to give me a present?"

"Of course."

As he said that, Dojin moved closer. The eye level I’d gone to such trouble to match was suddenly meaningless.

Now that he’d come closer, I wanted him to hug me again, but I held back.

"Close your eyes."

"...You’re not going to pull some weird prank, are you?"

I said that because I remembered Dojin asking me to close my eyes last time, then tickling my side. Then I shut my eyes.

With a soft rustle, I felt Dojin’s hand brush against the nape of my neck.

With a little clink, I felt something cold touch my neck.

"You can open your eyes now."

I thought back to the sensation at my neck and felt around with my hand. I realized it was a necklace. I wanted to take out a hand mirror and inspect it right away, but I held back.

"Is it a present?"

"I hope you like it."

It sounded like he was giving me permission to look, so I fiddled with the necklace and examined it.

It had an unremarkable design, with a gemstone in the center.

But the kind of gemstone it was caught my interest.

"This..."

"Lapis lazuli. A gemstone with the same name as you. I thought it would suit you."

The lapis lazuli gleamed a clear blue.

I remembered reading online that it was usually opaque, so it was hard to make it clear. But this stone glowed a clear blue in the light.

"It’s been processed with magic to make it more transparent."

"Wow..."

I wondered if that was why I could sense magic from it, but I could feel magic surging through it, too. Could this be some kind of artifact?

"It’s an artifact treated with everyday-use magic, so you don’t have to take it off when you wash. You were concerned about your mana, so it’s that kind."

"I-is this an artifact?"

The magic seemed to writhe and move in the clear blue light.

I still didn’t know how it would help with my mana, but if Dojin said not to worry, I didn’t have to.

At least Dojin didn’t lie to me. Even though I had secrets from him.

That fact pricked at my conscience, so doubting him wasn’t an option.

"Thank you."

I smiled warmly as I thanked Dojin. I’d been the one to bring up a present first, but gratitude was important all the same.

"Then let’s go on a date."

"Yes!"

I hurried over beside Dojin and linked my arm through his.

Come to think of it, Ruby said today was the perfect time.

As I thought about it, tension seemed to stiffen my body all of a sudden.

But I still wanted to do it.

I subtly gestured that I had something to say to get Dojin’s attention. He looked at me as we walked together, wondering what was up.

I motioned for him to lower his head and listen to me.

"Um, I don’t have to go home tonight."