"Do as you like. Let's sleep early."
This time, Byakuya didn't refuse Rize.
Ever since Rize had confessed to him, the nature of things had changed completely.
And he really could feel how much Rize had changed over this time—she was different from when he'd first met her.
They'd been living together for so long now. If he still couldn't trust Rize, that would be too cold-hearted.
Though there was one thing Byakuya was curious about: sleeping with Rize tonight, would she be unable to resist taking a couple of bites out of him?
If she couldn't control herself on that front, then he figured they'd better not sleep together in the future. He didn't want to be woken up by being bitten every night.
Byakuya lay down on the bed, and Rize immediately slipped under the covers as well.
Since there was only one pillow, and Rize hadn't brought her own, they ended up sharing one.
[Ding! Host shares a bed with Rize Kamishiro. Reward: 40 Fusion Points!]
That this earned Fusion Points wasn't surprising to Byakuya.
He suddenly thought of something: if one day he actually had children with Rize, would he really earn even more Fusion Points than this?
Given this system's behavior, the possibility didn't seem small...
Ahem...
Byakuya then cast these stray thoughts aside. For now, it was better to just sleep.
Just as Byakuya closed his eyes and emptied his mind, preparing to fall asleep quickly, Rize's hands suddenly slid out from under his armpits and wrapped around him, hugging him from behind.
"Rize...?"
Byakuya asked.
"I like holding something when I sleep."
Rize responded.
Come to think of it, that was true—he'd seen a body pillow on Rize's bed before.
"And I like the way you smell."
Rize added.
"...That statement makes me a bit nervous. Don't tell me you'll lose control while I'm sleeping and take a bite."
Byakuya couldn't help but say.
He'd interpreted Rize's "like" as liking him the way one likes food. After all, Rize's appreciation for his body (in the culinary sense) was very real.
"It's not the kind of 'like' you're thinking of. It's a different kind of 'like'—I simply like your scent. Is that not okay?"
Rize corrected him. "Though I do have some urges in that direction, I can control myself on something this small."
"Well then, goodnight, darling~"
Rize whispered softly in Byakuya's ear.
Then she pressed her forehead against his back, holding him as she drifted off to sleep.
"Mm, goodnight..."
...
The night passed uneventfully.
Rize hadn't bitten Byakuya even once throughout the night. However, there was some saliva on his back near his neck...
Rize had left it there in her sleep. He'd noticed at the time, but since it hadn't felt dangerous, he hadn't minded.
One could only say Rize had held back—but not completely.
As Byakuya woke up, Rize, who had been half-asleep, was immediately roused by his movement.
"Morning, Rize."
Byakuya acted as if nothing had happened, having already wiped off the saliva on his back. No need to bring up such a small matter with Rize.
"Good morning, darling."
Rize stretched lazily, and her perfect figure's curves immediately became apparent.
She then got out of bed to wash up.
But the sink in Byakuya's room naturally only had his toiletries. Rize didn't bother going back to her own room—she just used Byakuya's toothbrush, cup, and towel directly.
Seeing Rize pick up his towel and use it without hesitation, Byakuya couldn't help but say, "That's my towel..."
"Are we still talking about this at this point?"
Rize looked completely unbothered. "We're a couple, aren't we? Might as well call us husband and wife. What's the big deal about sharing toiletries?"
"Haha... You're not wrong about that."
Byakuya couldn't refute her.
The two then stood at the sink together to wash up, one brushing teeth while the other washed their face, then switching.
When they stepped out of the room, they ran right into Matsumae and Kanae, who were cleaning the hallway.
"Master, Madam, good morning."
Seeing Madam and Master emerge together from Master's room, a flash of surprise passed through Matsumae's eyes, but she said nothing and asked nothing—only greeted them respectfully.
"Master, Madam, good morning."
Kanae followed suit.
If not for her status as a servant, she would have wanted to ask Byakuya and Rize how far their relationship had progressed.
After all, in her understanding, one was human and one was ghoul. Examples of humans and ghouls falling in love existed, but this was certainly her first time witnessing it personally.
"Morning."
Byakuya acknowledged them.
Rize simply nodded in response.
After the two went downstairs, Kanae, who was still cleaning upstairs, couldn't help but whisper: "So 'Madam' really is 'Madam.' She and 'Master' are already at this stage."
With her simple train of thought, a girl spending the night in a boy's room with him was enough for many embarrassing things to happen.
"It's not strange at all that Master would fall in love with a ghoul. Otherwise, back then, we and the Young Master would probably have died in that underground garage."
Matsumae said evenly.
"Speaking of which, does Head Maid Matsumae have a man she likes?"
Kanae suddenly asked.
"..."
The usually narrow-eyed Matsumae suddenly opened her eyes to glance at Kanae. "You should just focus on your work."
She seemed unwilling to answer such topics.
"Alright..."
Kanae didn't press further.
But Matsumae's refusal to answer only made her more curious.
After all, Matsumae wasn't young anymore—she was something like 24 or 25, definitely not over 25.
Kanae's parents had already been married at that age, so she figured Matsumae should have a man she liked by now too, right?
...
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