Unfortunately, there was no event where Ellie in her underwear came to visit at midnight.
But then again, thinking about it, isn’t that pretty obvious? It’s like asking a grown man to knock on the door of a young girl in his underwear.
“…Does that mean she was definitely saying not to come in?”
Still, thanks to that, I was able to sort and test out the new items I had drawn all night.
The belt was sturdy and made in a way that was convenient to hang things on, so I decided to keep using it.
I hung the Low-grade Mana Potion alongside the existing low-grade Recovery Potion on the corner of the belt.
As for the shield… well, I guess I’ll have to sell it. It didn’t suit me, and it’s only a 1-star item, so the performance is just mediocre. No need to suffer through that awkwardness.
The most time-consuming test I had afterward was exploring the usage of the Gluttonous Stomach ability.
The Unicorn Horn was something I didn’t know where to use right away, and the Pathfinding Skill would only show its true value once I went outside.
For that reason, I focused on the Gluttonous Stomach and… it was exactly the kind of ability I had imagined, with performance that exceeded expectations. That’s why it’s not just a 3-star item, right?
First, when I ate the jerky I had saved for snacks, I felt a satisfying fullness that was great compared to the amount I had eaten.
After squeezing mana out with a weak flame, the Mana Herb I consumed restored my mana at an even faster pace.
Plus, after fully recovering, it even slightly increased the total amount of mana I had.
That’s right. I could benefit just by eating the Mana Herb without having to refine it into an Elixir…!
“That’s awesome.”
Now, I could maintain that weak flame for a whole minute. Compared to before, when I would gasp for breath after just 20 seconds, I’ve really grown!
…However, it was a bit troubling that I needed to eat so many Mana Herbs to get to this level. That’s what it means to be a 1-star character!
Well, I think I’ll draw plenty of Mana Herbs moving forward, so I can consider it a blessing that I’ve reduced the costs of refining and selling.
By the way, my condition improved a bit because of the Recovery Herb. Maybe my stamina has increased, but it’s hard to tell for certain since stamina isn’t as easily measured as mana.
Besides that, I’ll have to try various Elixirs, poisons, and potions to see how they manifest.
One peculiar point is that the power of Gluttony only applies to things you can eat, and anything consumed connects to a separate space rather than my stomach.
The fact that it only applies to edible things isn’t too disappointing.
If I could swallow flying magic or devour space for an attack that ignores defenses, then how could it be just a 3-star ability? It would be a 5-star for sure.
Next, the idea that it connects to a separate space rather than my stomach… I guess that just means I can eat more.
Once I reach a certain level of fullness, anything I eat afterward feels like it gets stored not in my stomach, but in the subspace connected to it.
Thanks to that, I’ve become able to eat several times more than usual, and digestion continues in the subspace, making the overall efficiency much better.
It’s like running my stomach with a dual core. In a way, it suits the name Gluttonous Stomach perfectly.
“Ugh.”
Letting out a burp mixed with the smells of Mana Herbs and Recovery Herbs, I stood up.
I had done everything I could in the room. The rest had to be dealt with outside.
*
Knock, knock, knock.
“Ellie. Are you awake?”
It was still early in the morning, so the store probably wasn’t open yet. So, instead of going downstairs, I knocked on Ellie’s room.
And not long after, I heard a flustered voice.
“Uh? Yeah! I’m awake! What’s up?”
“I just woke up, so I wanted to greet you and hear your voice a bit. Can I come in for a moment?”
“No way!”
Ellie’s panicked shout. I could hear her rushing over, and the slightly ajar door swung shut with a thud!
…That’s strange. Usually, she wouldn’t care whether I came in or not. No, she actually seemed to enjoy me coming into her room.
“Ellie? Are you not going to open up today?”
“Uh, well! I’m, uh, getting dressed! I’m naked, you know! Even I would be embarrassed if you saw me naked, Jonah.”
“What? Is that all? I could just take my clothes off too! If I’m not alone, it wouldn’t be so embarrassing!”
“W-What? Together?!”
Her voice shifted slightly. The anticipation was oozing out, but… Ellie gritted her teeth and refused.
“…Still, not right now.”
“Hmm.”
What’s this? There’s a different nuance from usual.
Normally, I’d be really disappointed and want to sneak a touch whenever the opportunity arose, but the moral and realistic issues were holding me back.
Especially since her being a maiden gave her confidence issues that kept her from making any moves…
But now, there was a strong will conveyed that she absolutely could not reveal herself to me.
Early morning… flustered voice… desperately not opening the door…
Could it be?!
“Ellie. Are you cheating on me?”
“Eh?”
“Have you brought another man into your room while I was asleep…?”
“That’s not it! What the hell are you talking about, you clueless Pinkie?!”
“Then why aren’t you opening up!? It must be a situation you can’t show me! If it’s not a guy, then is it a girl…? I suspected that you were close with Lydia! EllieXLydia is a match!”
“I swear, that’s not it! Don’t say weird things!”
“Then there’s no reason to hide it from me! Don’t you know the saying that couples are one mind and body?!”
“First off, we’re not a couple, and just because we’re one mind and body doesn’t mean we have to open up every secret. Lastly, I’ve never heard that saying before!”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, that phrase was from my previous life, so it wouldn’t be strange if it didn’t exist on the Pan Continent.
Moreover, the part about not having to reveal every secret was a bit unsettling. I’ve definitely got things I’m hiding from Ellie too.
After a moment of contemplation, I let out a long sigh.
“Alright. I won’t ask you to open the door. …But could you at least tell me why you’re trying to hide from me?”
“…Okay, but you can’t laugh if you hear it, okay?”
“I have no idea why you’re so worried about this, but fine. I promise.”
“Really?”
“Of course. When have I ever laughed at you, Ellie?”
“Now that I think of it, you haven’t. Jonah, you’ve seen me in some pretty embarrassing situations.”
After a short pause, Ellie carefully opened her mouth.
“Actually, I’m wearing the underwear you gifted me right now.”
“What?”
“Y-You know, I thought it was just proper etiquette to wear it at least once since it was a gift! …And I was also curious about your taste, Jonah.”
“…….”
Oh my. She really wore it?
Honestly, I didn’t expect her to wear it right away. It makes sense because it was sheer and the T-back barely covered anything important!
The top was similar, with the center split to reveal everything, made just to sexily appeal.
So, that meant it had quite a grotesque design by this world’s standards.
I thought she’d wear it eventually, but only after I begged her persistently or if there was a merit worth enduring some shame.
But the very next day. Just because I gave it to her and she wanted to know my taste, she wore it.
This is… true love, right?
“Ellie. I take back what I just said. So, can you just open the door, please?”
“Why?!”
“Because I want to see you.”
“I don’t want to show myself!”
“Then please marry me!”
“Isn’t that an odd choice of options?!”
Ellie was flustered. Seeing how firmly she kept the door locked, she didn’t seem to intend to back down.
I shrugged and offered a compromise.
“Well, if you really don’t want to, then that’s that. Just show me your face. Just your face. This should be okay, right?”
“Just my face?”
“Yeah. Hide your body behind the door and just peek your face out. This much you can do, right?”
“…Just wait a moment.”
I heard a small breath. Then the door slowly opened.
Ellie peeked her face out through the crack in the door, her cheeks flushed as if they were about to burst.
“I-It’s okay now, right?”
She couldn’t even meet my gaze. Her perked wolf ears were twitching nervously.
I took in all of it slowly but surely. Then I stood on my tiptoes towards Ellie’s cheek.
Peck.
“…Huh?”
A dazed sound came from Ellie. It was surreal for me too, but the softness lingering on my lips and her unique scent reminded me it was not an illusion.
A half-impulsive cheek kiss. But I have no regrets…!
“I’ll let you off with this today. Oh, and this is a gift.”
“Huh? Uh, okay…”
Ellie stared blankly at the book I handed her. It wasn’t anything special, just a novel I drew in the lottery yesterday.
It was labeled a masterpiece, so I wondered what it could be, and it turned out to be an adult novel. “For Sale. Fallen Nobility. Never Read.” The title was odd, too.
To be honest, it was amusing, but since it was a reversed gender version, it wasn’t to my taste.
The female lead buys various male slaves and shamelessly has her way with them, including fallen seniors and professors. Even gods, for that matter! How could I immerse myself in that?
If it had been “For Sale. Fallen Nobility. Never Read.”, I would have read it right away and shouted that it was a masterpiece from the rooftops!
However, for Ellie, who grew up in this world, it would definitely be a killer adult novel.
“Since this is a gift too, please enjoy it as if it were from me, okay?”
“W-What? I’ll, uh, do that?”
Still dazed, she nods stupidly as she receives the book.
But to take the book, she had to reach out. I caught her hand peeking out through the gap and pulled it right into my clothes.
Soft.
Her rough fingertips grazed my soft belly, which still hadn’t built up proper muscle yet.
“Grrr?”
I gave a sly smile to Ellie, who was now making animal-like sounds, forgetting human speech.
“Now that’s it for today… but saying the same thing feels a bit cold, doesn’t it? So, here’s some extra service.”
“……!!”
Ellie gaped at me, her mouth falling open. After admiring her quivering tongue for a moment, I let go of her hand and pulled away.
“Anyway, I have some business to attend to, so I’ll be stepping out for a bit! Good luck today, Ellie!”
Waving my hand, I dashed down the stairs.
“#?&!@&#$”
A delayed scream from Ellie echoed loudly behind me.
