Opening his eyes again to the sound of an alarm.
Seeing the silhouette of a blonde girl immediately in his view, Naoki let out a resigned sigh. "Today's the same, huh, Manaka?"
"Yes, good morning, Naoki. It's nice and sunny today too."
Lying in the same bed as Naoki, Manaka smiled and greeted him. "It's eight in the morning now, still early for school. Want to sleep a bit more?"
"No, no need. Besides, how could I sleep with you like this?"
Sitting up from the bed, Naoki pulled back the blanket—
"Wearing a school uniform today."
"Since Naoki doesn't like me being too enthusiastic, I'll hold back a bit from now on."
(If possible, I'd prefer you hold back enough to not sneak into my blanket in the morning.)
A week ago, since her love confession was accepted by Naoki, Manaka's behavior, while outwardly maintaining her childhood friend persona, had become increasingly proactive. Before, though their interactions were close, there was still a slight boundary between man and woman. But now…
Since she had the key to the Natsukawa household, every morning Naoki woke up to find Manaka lying in his arms. Sometimes in pajamas, sometimes in a party dress, sometimes in a maid outfit—each day with a new look, never repeating.
Though waking up to such a sight every morning genuinely made Naoki feel delighted.
"By the way, where's Lia? She should be up by now, right?"
Completely unconcerned about another woman in the room, Naoki asked while changing clothes.
Blushing, Manaka stole glances at Naoki's body and answered, "Probably in the kitchen downstairs? I asked her to keep an eye on it. I started preparing breakfast before coming here."
"Good work. What's for breakfast?"
"Western style, six portions. That's just right for you, isn't it?"
When it came to Naoki's appetite, Manaka might know more than Grey or Merry. Six portions were perfect for breakfast.
Seeing him finish dressing, she got off the bed and handed him his neatly packed school bag. "Alright, all set. Naoki, you look good in anything, even a school uniform."
"Even women's clothing?"
"Hmm, I remember you wore women's clothing once in Paris. You looked a bit like me when I'm grown up."
Manaka as an adult?
Naoki looked at Manaka, who was only waist-high, bent down, hugged her, and lifted her to face him. "Can you still grow taller now?"
"Physical form doesn't matter to me. In this world, since it's a body of consciousness, I can change it. Even in the outside world, it's the same—back then, my body was a puppet."
As she spoke, Manaka's body began to change. Her height, originally around 1.4 meters, quickly grew to about 1.7 meters. Her petite frame also became comparable to Aoko's.
However, unlike her body's transformation, her clothing size didn't change. As a result, her now-larger chest caused a button to pop off, flying and hitting Naoki's head.
Manaka's face instantly flushed, and the impact made Naoki lose his balance momentarily. They both fell backward!
*THUD!*
A loud noise echoed from Naoki's room.
Outside, hearing the sound, Artoria, wearing an apron, opened the door with slight curiosity. "Master, I just heard a noise. Are you okay—"
Her words cut off. As the door opened, Artoria saw Naoki lying on the floor, with a beautiful blonde woman, whose figure rivaled Aoko's, on top of him.
Seeing the two "orbs" almost pressed against him, Artoria's eyebrow twitched repeatedly.
"Huh? Oh, Lia. I'm fine…"
"Hmm, seems fine to me too."
A voice as cold as a December breeze came from the Lady King of Knights. With an icy expression, Artoria, standing at the doorway, stepped back slightly. "Seems I came at a bad time. Master, please continue. It's fine to come down for breakfast after you're done."
*SLAM!*
The door shut hard.
Naoki helped Manaka sit up. "She's mad?"
"Obviously." Manaka laughed. "Compared to that, Naoki, what do you think? Me, like this?"
"Too big a chest doesn't suit you. Maybe I'm just used to your petite form. But no matter your form, you're still adorable."
Naoki spoke his thoughts frankly.
Hearing such straightforward praise, Manaka, whose skin was as thin as an insect's wing in front of her beloved, instantly broke. She shyly lowered her head, tightly gripped Naoki's clothes, and buried her face deep in his chest.
Patting her back, Naoki gave a wry smile. "Manaka, if you keep pulling me like this, I can't get up. The breakfast you worked hard to prepare won't get eaten either."
"Y-you're right."
Raising her head and pointing to her cheek, Manaka, with a flushed face, said, "Here… If you do it, I'll get up."
"Alright, Princess."
As his voice fell, the warm sensation on her cheek made Manaka feel her heart would leap out.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
A few minutes later, in the dining room.
Artoria, already seated at the table, looked at the two coming down the stairs. "Done? Master, Manaka."
"Nothing happened. That was just an accident. Do you really think I'm some beast who doesn't know time or place?"
"According to Merry, nothing Master does would be surprising. Your self-control is quite poor." Artoria said. "But whatever Master wants to do has nothing to do with me. I just hope you'll mind your words and actions."
A complete misunderstanding, and now it was nearly impossible to clear up.
(Manaka, you explain too… No use, she's actually enjoying this misunderstanding.)
Seeing Artoria's misunderstanding and Manaka, still not recovered from the morning kiss, Naoki sighed in resignation. Sitting at the dining table, he habitually turned on the TV for the morning news.
[According to the latest reports, the International Space Station recently discovered a special meteorite…]