Chapter 470: Tonight I Won’t Let You Sleep
Chapter 470: Tonight I Won’t Let You Sleep
Before they left, the Receptionist told them that there was a pretty good summer festival happening in Aomori that evening and asked if they were interested.
Himekoji immediately asked for the festival’s exact location.
It was really close, no taxi needed. Just walk down two streets.
The Receptionist even gave them the Yukata they’d tried on earlier, saying they absolutely should wear them for the festival visit.
Free of charge again.
It made Himekoji feel embarrassed enough that he tried to pay for both Yukata, but the Receptionist firmly refused. They pushed the money back and forth for a while before he finally gave up.
…
The evening festival trip was fun, smooth, and lucky, way beyond anything they’d imagined.
Every food stall had free samples.
Playing the festival games with the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye – whether goldfish scooping, water balloon fishing, or stuffed toy shooting – every try was a win.
They ended up carrying big and small bags full of prizes for a good chunk of their time afterward.
Exactly at eight o’clock, fireworks bloomed overhead. Amid the deafening noise and excitement, they both made wishes at the shrine. The fortunes they drew said “great luck”.
They ate, strolled, and played non-stop until the festival ended. Tired but happy, they finally headed back.
On their way, they passed a convenience store. Himekoji went in and bought coffee, snacks, and cup noodles, getting ready for the long night ahead.
…
“Tonight, I won’t let you sleep, okay?”
This was the first thing Himekoji said after dropping the bags in the Hotel room.
No surprise, it got an extreme reaction from the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye –
“Huh!? No sleeping?! Wha-what are you going to do? What are you planning to do to me, Mr. Himekoji!?”
She scooted backward, “tap-tap-tap”, putting distance between them. Hands clasped over her chest, she retreated all the way until her back hit the wall corner.
Himekoji glanced at where her hands were covering and suddenly laughed.
What? What’s that laugh for? Is he looking down on her?!
But…
Honestly, there really wasn’t much down there to appreciate.
She knew her own flatness.
The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eagle’s face flushed bright red. Awkwardly, she let her hands drop. Instead, she shyly and nervously moved them to cover her butt instead.
“Wait, why are you covering a different place now?”
Himekoji, of course, saw this obvious movement. He asked teasingly.
“You… you! Asking when you already know! Bully! You totally know!”
“No, I really don’t.”
Himekoji pretended to look confused and curious, pressing her. Or maybe threatening.
“If you don’t tell me, I might just have to find out myself.”
He lifted a hand and did a little grabbing motion in the air to show off his claws.
The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye looked like she was about to cry. Forced to confess –
“B-because… because! Without stuffing… t-there’s nothing down there worth touching! But my bottom… Mr. Himekoji sneaked several looks at it today! Even I picked up on that much!”
She blurted it out, red-faced, as if throwing caution to the wind.
Himekoji almost cried too – from laughing.
“Pfft… I can’t believe you just admitted that, Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye, hahaha…”
That was way cuter than that other flat-chested individual.
If it were that girl, she’d immediately get huffy and argue –
Saying bust size doesn’t determine life’s success, that a person’s value isn’t measured by the outside, that she doesn’t care anyway… stuff like that.
Thinking of that girl –
He didn’t know if she could really manage what he’d asked.
Sigh.
Himekoji sighed inwardly.
Honestly, he really didn’t want to drag anyone else into this danger.
But aren’t there things one person just can’t do alone?
Sure, it felt weird coming from him, the guy who always mocked teamwork and helping others.
But desperate times, you know? What did weird even matter?
The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye mattered more.
More than his pointless, self-satisfied pride.
Maybe growing up meant finally being able to say it clearly to the people you trust, the ones you need – without holding back.
“Help me.”
Yukinoshita would help him.
…
“Mr. Himekoji? Mister Himekoji?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you even trying to touch?”
Himekoji snapped back to attention. “Trying to touch?” he echoed without thinking.
Then he saw the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eagle visibly pat her chest in relief, letting out a long breath.
Putting two and two together, Himekoji immediately came to his senses. “I do want to! I totally want to!” he yelled quickly.
“It’s too late now!”
“Already… done?”
Hearing that, despair washed over Himekoji. He grabbed his head.
“That means! That means I could have earlier?!”
“……”
The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye didn’t deny it; her face stayed crimson.
Dang it! Regret washed over him! He felt like he’d just missed out on a billion dollars!
Why’d he space out then, of all times!?
“Anyway, Mr. Himekoji,” the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye flopped her whole body onto the soft Hotel bed, squinting in lazy contentment, “what did you mean earlier about not letting me sleep? What are we doing?”
“Oh, right! Almost forgot! Here, let’s play games!”
Finally remembering the original plan, Himekoji perked right up. Full of energy, he pulled out his phone.
“Huh!?”
Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye, who was already lying on the bed, opened her eyes wide in surprise.
“Wh- what? I didn’t quite hear you, Mr. Himekoji, could, could you please repeat that?”
“Oh, play games! Let’s play games!”
Mr. Himekoji sat cross-legged on the bed, made a ready pose, and urged Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye.
“Hurry up, take out your phone too. ‘Wicked Lord vs Brave’—do you have this game downloaded? No? Forget it, you probably don’t. Give me your phone, I’ll download it for you. Tonight, we won’t sleep until we beat it!”
Mr. Himekoji made a bold vow with high fighting spirit.
This was an online game with sixteen levels. The Wicked Lord sealed in the depths of the dungeon and her retainer had to escape from the chase of the Brave and his companions to survive.
Mr. Himekoji had searched through the game library for a long time before finally finding such a fitting one.
“Wait, you’re serious?”
Seeing the other person excitedly snatch her phone away, Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye then confirmed—
Mr. Himekoji wasn’t joking at all!
She had thought that after “marriage,” they would naturally become adults that night.
Of course, in a way that wouldn’t trouble “Rikka”.
And when the body was returned to “Rikka,” it would be like new again. This was a special power of the Evil Eye of the Wicked Lord.
Speaking of which, how many powers did she really have?
Actually, she herself didn’t know, because she had never used them before, not even in a fight.
“Here, it’s downloaded! Hurry, hurry, start! Start!”
“Okay, okay, I got it!”
Mr. Himekoji’s eager urging made Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye laugh out loud.
This guy!
He just doesn’t get the mood!
It was the same yesterday when he talked about kissing.
But—maybe that’s exactly why she liked him?
Well, it was fine just like that.
Game over!
Level one, failed!
An avatar controlled by Mr. Himekoji released a backward shockwave in a key group fight.
Friendly fire, spell critical hit— Wicked Lord died.
“Mr. Himekoji?”
“Sorry, sorry, it was a mistake…”
“Haha, it’s okay, it’s okay. This game is actually kinda fun, huh~”
Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye’s eyes lit up—she seemed to find the game fun.
Game over!
This time, the pair made it to level two.
An avatar controlled by Mr. Himekoji accidentally set off a flame explosion trap and made their Wicked Lord fly up into the sky.
“Mr. Himekoji?”
“Wait, it’s not my fault, right? It looked just like a treasure chest when I opened it!”
“…I told you all about it earlier—didn’t that chest have a big red exclamation mark on it?”
After saying this, Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye laughed with a “pfft.”
“But who’d have guessed, Mr. Himekoji? You’re really clumsy at games, even though you asked me to play.”
“C-clumsy!? What? I just haven’t shown my real skill yet!”
Hearing this, Mr. Himekoji got very put out. He rolled up his sleeves and sat down properly.
“It’s time to prove what I can do!”
He declared loudly.
Game over!
Level three.
“Mr. Himekoji?”
“Sorry… it’s my fault…”
None of that confident pride from before was left. Mr. Himekoji hung his head, not daring to breathe hard.
“It’s okay, it’s okay—but be more careful next time, all right?”
Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye was truly a kind and good teammate.
Mr. Himekoji felt touched.
Game over!
Level four.
“Mr. Himekoji?”
“Give me one more chance!”
Game over!
Level five.
“Mr. Himekoji!”
“Please trust me this last time!”
Game over!
Level six.
“Mr. Himekoji!!! How come it’s you again!?”
At last, after it kept happening, even a chill player couldn’t take it. Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye was totally done.
“Why did you have to bother all those wild monsters for no reason? We’re already struggling so hard with the Brave’s group chasing us!”
“N-not really! Don’t you think those monsters are pitiful? In the ruined dungeon, they’ve got nothing to eat.”
“So you give yourself to them as food?”
Mr. Himekoji: “…”
He had no reply.
Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye yawned tiredly, tossed her phone aside, and flopped down on the bed.
“I’m so sleepy, I’m so sleepy. It’s already three o’clock— I’m going to sleep.”
“No way!”
“Huh?”
“We agreed we wouldn’t sleep before finishing the game!”
Himekoji stepped forward, firmly grabbing Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye’s arm to pull her up.
“No more playing. I’m done.”
“Just one more round! Just one, the very last one!”
“Not unless Mr. Himekoji promises he’ll actually try this time!”
Pulled up reluctantly by Himekoji, Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye said this, her eyes fixed intensely on his.
“I am trying…”
Himekoji gave a strained laugh.
But Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye kept staring at him, unblinking, clearly unsatisfied with his answer.
Himekoji surrendered.
He glanced at the time.
“Alright, alright, I get it. I’ll play seriously from now on.”
It was 3:17 AM. If they played one truly serious round, fighting their way from stage one all the way to stage sixteen, wouldn’t dawn be breaking just as they finished?
But just to be safe—
“Before that, how about some late-night snacks? We need full stomachs to be at our best!”
“Huh? But it’s so late already.”
“I bought instant noodles.”
Himekoji pulled them out as if he’d planned this long ago.
Last time, Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye had the Moutahu Pepper and Pork Bone flavor. So this time, Himekoji pulled out a packet of Golden Soup Beef.
“I want that one!”
Yet, Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye pointed at the Old Pickled Vegetable flavor bag meant for Himekoji himself.
There was only one.
“No way.”
Himekoji refused flat out.
“Huh? Why not?”
Earlier in the Chapel, Himekoji had said “Old Pickled Vegetable” several times. Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye had remembered it, which was why she specifically asked for it now.
“Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye is still little. She’s not old enough for this.”
“N-No I’m not! I’m not little!”
Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye always thought of herself as the mature type.
The moment Himekoji finished speaking, she retorted immediately and passionately.
“Anyway, no means no. Unless…”
He drew out the word, making her wait.
“Unless?”
Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye perked up her ears, taking the bait.
“Unless Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye grows one year older.”
“…”
A sudden silence fell.
Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye bit her lip and lowered her head.
“That’s just mean…”
Finally, after a long pause, she spoke in a complex tone, her voice thick.
“I’ll wait.”
Himekoji held out the Golden Soup Beef noodles to her.
“I’ll keep waiting… and waiting…”
Not waiting for her to respond, Himekoji unwrapped the cooked Old Pickled Vegetable noodles himself. A cloud of steam rushed up.
“So delicious!”
He said it loudly, clearly intending her to hear.
…
…