Since Utaha Kasumigaoka had already laid her cards on the table, Arthur naturally had no intention of keeping up their ambiguous act any longer.
He replied directly:
"Tsk, Utaha, you really are just like me. I knew it. Heh, so you had ulterior motives all along."
"But since we're the same, I'll forgive you."
"!!!"
Utaha Kasumigaoka froze when she saw Arthur's reply.
Just like me…
She wanted Arthur's body.
And Arthur… felt the same way about her.
Which meant Arthur wanted her body.
What's more, the way he addressed her had changed—from "Senpai" or "Utaha-senpai" to simply Utaha.
Her eyes widened slowly, shimmering with delight.
A faint blush bloomed across her fair, delicate face.
They had known each other for so long, and their conversations had gradually taken on a teasing, ambiguous tone. Their relationship clearly wasn't that of ordinary friends.
She had long sensed that Arthur harbored feelings for her, but he had always seemed to be holding himself back—never crossing that invisible line.
She'd dropped hints before, several times even, but Arthur had brushed them off each time.
She had thought that even after her bold confession today, he would just dodge it again like before.
But to her surprise—he didn't.
Arthur had shown his hand too!
So her intuition had been right—Arthur liked her as well.
The realization filled her with joy and excitement. Her heart began to race uncontrollably.
Just as she was basking in her happiness, another message came in from Arthur:
Arthur: "How about next Saturday? The eleventh volume of Game of the Gods goes on sale that day."
Seeing the new message, Utaha Kasumigaoka took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Without hesitation, she began typing her reply:
"Sure, no problem."
And just like that, they continued chatting—finalizing the time and place for their date.
About twenty minutes later, the conversation ended.
Arthur was just about to start gaming when—
"Xiao Lin~~~"
A soft, familiar voice called out from behind him—Akashiya Moka.
Arthur: "…"
Alright then. Looks like gaming will have to wait.
Women really do interfere with gaming.
He turned around toward the bed.
Akashiya Moka was sitting there, pressing a blanket to her chest to cover the snowy peaks of her figure.
"Good morning," she said with a cute, slightly dazed smile, her voice soft and syrupy—the perfect tone for someone who had just woken up.
Arthur smiled gently, his voice warm and kind.
"Awake already? Go wash up first. In a bit, I'll introduce you to Tohru."
He stood and walked over to the bed.
"Tohru?" Moka blinked, confusion flickering in her eyes. But soon she seemed to remember something, smiling as she nodded.
"Sure. Where is she?"
"Tohru's in the Mirage Realm. I'll go fetch her now."
"Okay, got it."
Moka nodded obediently.
Arthur reached out to pat her head, then with a thought, summoned the Gate of Mist and stepped through to find Tohru.
Moka got up to wash.
—
Inside the personal Mirage Realm—
Tohru was soaring freely through the skies when she suddenly sensed something and stopped midair, ignoring inertia altogether.
The Gate of Mist shimmered open before her.
When Arthur stepped through, Tohru blinked. A faint red light flashed across her body before she shifted back into her human form.
Seeing this, Arthur smiled. "Let's go. Come outside—I'll introduce you to Moka. We can explore the unknown areas another time."
"Alright," Tohru said brightly, nodding with a smile.
Man and dragon stepped through the Gate of Mist and returned to Arthur's bedroom on Earth.
The moment they appeared, Tohru sniffed the air, her eyes flickering with a strange glint as she caught a certain scent.
Not seeing Moka in the room, Arthur guessed she was still washing up.
"Looks like Moka's in the bathroom. Let's wait for her. I'll start preparing breakfast in the meantime."
"Wait, Arthur," Tohru blinked. "Isn't making breakfast one of a maid's duties? Leave it to me! Don't worry—I promise it'll be a visually explosive meal!"
As she spoke, she struck a confident pose—one hand on her hip, the other patting the two generous curves on her chest.
Truly a dragon in every sense—large in every department.
"Visually explosive…"
Arthur's expression twitched as he imagined the potential chaos that could entail. Maybe an ordinary breakfast would be safer.
He patted her head with a chuckle.
"How about this—we'll cook together. You're not too familiar with this world's tools yet, so I'll teach you. Once you've got the hang of it, breakfast will be your job."
"Yay!" Tohru beamed, her smile radiant. The gentle pat on her head made her feel a strange warmth—an unfamiliar but pleasant happiness.
She wished he wouldn't take his hand away so soon.
—
Before heading downstairs, Arthur called out to Moka from outside the bathroom. Then he and Tohru went to the kitchen.
They took out the ingredients. Arthur started preparing breakfast while Tohru observed, watching intently.
As they cooked, Arthur handed her simple tasks—washing ingredients, for instance—so she could take part.
Being included made Tohru glow with happiness.
Because it meant—Arthur needed her.
Her smile was bright and full of energy, her enthusiasm bubbling over.
About twenty minutes later—
Moka finished her bath, towel-dried her hair, and wrapped herself in a robe before heading back to her room. She changed into a white short-sleeved T-shirt and beige wide-leg pants—a casual, comfy home outfit.
Once dressed, she headed downstairs, curiosity in her eyes.
Through the bond of their King's Retainer contract, she could sense another presence like her own—a fellow familiar of Arthur's.
That had to be the one Arthur had mentioned: his third familiar, Tohru—the genuine dragon.
When Moka arrived at the kitchen doorway, both Arthur and Tohru turned toward her.
Arthur paused his work and smiled. "Moka, this is Tohru."
"Tohru, this is Moka."
At his introduction, Moka smiled warmly and greeted, "Hi, Tohru. I'm Akashiya Moka. Nice to meet you."
"Hello. Likewise."
Tohru's eyes flickered faintly, but her smile was gentle.
Perhaps because they were both Arthur's familiars, there was no sense of hostility—if anything, she felt an instant fondness toward Moka.
After all, she was the first one here.
Once the introductions were over, Arthur smiled again.
"Alright, Moka, go take a seat in the living room. Breakfast will be ready soon."
"Okay."
Moka nodded cheerfully and headed out.
Arthur and Tohru continued working.
About ten minutes later, breakfast was served—enough for ten ordinary adults.
Good thing the dining table was big, or there wouldn't have been enough space for all the dishes.
The sheer quantity was mostly because Arthur had considered Tohru's appetite.
She was a dragon, after all—her capacity was bound to be immense.
Though her body could sustain itself through magic alone, that didn't stop her from enjoying a good meal.
…
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