"Maybe she really did fall back asleep... Whatever, I'll take her back for now. Sigh... Souji is my right-hand woman. If she were still awake, she'd be a huge help."
She heard his disappointed voice, accompanied by several sighs.
Her Master seemed genuinely let down.
A twinge of guilt pricked at Okita's heart.
She was truly sorry—as her Master's Servant, she was slacking off like this.
But it wasn't entirely her fault!
Her Master's methods were also part of the problem!
Let's head back to the Imaginary Space for now.
In the Imaginary Space, the concept of time doesn't exist. Whenever the Master needs her, he can simply retrieve her from it. To her, it would feel like being put in one moment and taken out the next.
By the time she emerges again, the Master probably wouldn't even remember that she had "awakened once."
As Okita thought this, she suddenly felt something was off.
The Master didn't put her back into the Imaginary Space.
With a wave of his hand, a spatial curtain materialized around them, enveloping both of them.
The next moment, the curtain withdrew from their surroundings.
Okita only felt her vision darken, then brighten again, and suddenly, she found herself in a spacious loft.
Beneath her feet were wooden floorboards, and outside the window was the foothills under a pitch-black night sky. Visible energy fluctuations rippled through the air.
Where was this?
The Master's living quarters?
Indeed, this was Roy's residence at Jujutsu High.
The buildings at Jujutsu High were already quite empty. Considering his frequent need for experiments, he had requested Yaga Masamichi to allocate an entire loft as his dormitory, even setting up various barriers around it.
Suddenly, Okita felt the world spin before her eyes.
'W-Wah! The Master is carrying me?!'
And in a princess carry, no less!
This was a bit embarrassing!
But such things were hardly a big deal between them anymore.
Okita kept her face perfectly composed, showing no trace of fluster.
She, Okita Souji, had been through far more awkward situations than this!
But... why was the Master carrying her?
It didn't take long.
Okita saw Roy push open a pair of glass doors and carry her into a certain room.
The walls were fitted with showerheads.
On the floor sat a bathtub large enough to comfortably accommodate a burly, towering man.
Okita: "?"
Wait, was the Master... planning to bathe her?!
After being carried into the bathroom, Okita was placed on a nearby chair by Roy. Immediately after, she saw the Master reach toward her chest, fingers poised to undo the buttons of her top.
Okita's body trembled almost imperceptibly.
A faint pink hue spread rapidly across her cheeks.
He really was going to bathe her!
Honestly, she didn't need the Master to go to such lengths!
Not that she didn't need a bath—after days of travel, especially with all the sweating tonight, she did want to clean up properly.
But did he have to wash her himself?
Couldn't he just give her an order like before and let her do it herself?
Even if he'd still be sharing her vision during the process and taking advantage of the situation, she could accept that.
But why did he have to personally wash her?!
This really wasn't necessary!
Okita suppressed her embarrassment, mentally chanting to herself, I'm a puppet, I'm a puppet.
Distracting herself like this, she watched helplessly as Roy undressed her—not just her outerwear and shorts, but even her undergarments, stripping her completely bare.
These were clothes she had bought under Roy's instructions and put on herself under his watchful eyes, so he had no trouble removing them.
'I-It's fine, it's just nudity... The Master has seen everything already...'
Okita kept giving herself pep talks in her heart, comforting herself not to overthink things.
But she was completely unaware that her face had already turned as red as a boiled crab.
After removing her clothes, she watched as her Master picked her up and gently placed her into the bathtub filled with warm water, then began washing her body.
Master, let's just take a proper bath.
Is it really necessary to use your hands to wash me?
Couldn't you use a towel?
And also, stop rubbing those strange places over and over!
Okita could only watch helplessly as her Master took advantage of her repeatedly. Her face flushed crimson, her skin tinged a deep pink, her eyes glistening with moisture, and the corners of her eyes completely overtaken by a rosy hue.
Roy glanced down at Okita, whose entire body was trembling yet still maintained a deadpan expression, pretending to be lifeless and saying nothing. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Impressive, truly impressive.
She can endure even this!
It seems that using her as part of his playful antics with Miku before has raised her tolerance threshold too high.
Then how about this?
Roy bent down and scooped Okita up in his arms.
Using runes, he instantly dried her entire body, then carried her out of the bathroom and into the adjacent bedroom, placing her naked form directly onto the pristine white bed.
Wh-what are you doing?!
Okita lay on the bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling, not daring to look to the side.
Yet the sound of fabric rustling reached her ears.
Okita's mind was in turmoil.
What does the Master intend to do?
Sleeping together... surely it's just sleeping together, right? It must only be sleeping together!
Even if it's sleeping together naked, she could endure it today!
"Mmm! M-my body... the curse on me is flaring up again!"
A voice filled with suppressed pain reached her ears.
Curse?
What curse?
Okita's brain short-circuited momentarily from overheating.
But soon, she recalled what she had witnessed at the Aozaki residence.
In an instant, she understood!
Ah, right, the Master is afflicted with a curse, one that intermittently flares up over time!
The way to alleviate the curse is—
"There's no other choice now. I'm sorry, Okita, but I have no choice but to use you to ease the curse on me!"
"Wait a minute! Master, doing such things while someone is unconscious is highly questionable!"
Okita's rationality evaporated in an instant. Like a cat with its fur bristling, she sprang up, flailing her arms and pointing accusingly at Roy, her face burning with shame as she scolded him for his inhuman behavior.
Then she met Roy's gaze.
Roy's eyes were clear and composed, showing no signs of the haze that came with the curse's flare-up.
He looked at her, watching as she leaped up with feline agility, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
His expression clearly said, "Stop pretending."
For a long moment, Okita fell into silence.
Three seconds later, she silently collapsed back onto the bed, curling up slowly like an ostrich.
"Guh! I've been tricked!"
Okita's face was a picture of utter humiliation and indignation.
She might as well be dead!
The Master is truly despicable!
To deceive her like this!
"So you were awake all along."
Roy sat on the edge of the bed, feeling both satisfied and exasperated that Okita had finally decided to "wake up."
"Why were you pretending to be unconscious?"
"...Master, are you really asking me that?"
Okita lay on the bed, suddenly realizing she was still completely naked. She hurriedly grabbed a nearby pillow and hugged it to her chest.
Upon hearing Roy's words, her cheeks puffed up like a hamster's, and she shot him a resentful glare.
"Master, don't you remember what you did?"
"What did I do?"
Roy fell into deep reflection at her question.
"I controlled your body, and in the process, I did see you naked..."
"That... is somewhat within the forgivable range..."
Okita buried most of her face in the pillow, only her sparkling eyes peeking out, blinking shyly at Roy, her gaze flitting away now and then.
Actually, that wasn't really within the forgivable range.
But having been seen naked too many times, she had grown accustomed to it and didn't particularly mind anymore.
"Was it using you to get close to others?"
Roy then recalled how he had Okita infiltrate Queenvail Girls' Academy and deceive Sylvia into becoming close friends, during which he had taken quite a few liberties with Sylvia.
He'd probably get a beating when he went back next time, wouldn't he?
"Very close, but not that."
"Then what?"
Roy furrowed his brows, completely at a loss.
"It's about what happened with Miss Miku, of course!"
Seeing his confusion, Okita sat up in disbelief, pointing an accusing finger at Roy with indignation.
"Back then, Master actually treated me like a... a toy! Isn't that going too far? Don't you feel any remorse at all? I was so embarrassed I couldn't show my face for the longest time!"
"Ah, that incident..."
Roy suddenly understood, his expression turning awkward.
Come to think of it, Okita's reaction at the time had been rather strange.
He had thought Okita was already awake, but since she showed no signs of waking up and with the sisters by his side, his mind had been preoccupied, so he'd overlooked it.
Okita had indeed been awake at the time.
But the situation was so awkward that she pretended to still be unconscious.
No, she must have woken up during the night, which was why she didn't speak up at first, and by the time things started, it was too late to reveal she was awake.
"Sorry, sorry, I went too far back then. I thought you were still asleep... Anyway, it's my fault. Don't be angry."
Roy raised his hands in surrender, offering his apology and gently coaxing Okita.
What he'd done was indeed rather improper.
It was understandable that Okita had kept pretending to be asleep.
Putting himself in her shoes, if Roy had been treated like a toy, he would have been mortified to death—it would have been a dark chapter in his life.
"It's good that Master understands!"
Seeing Roy lower his head in apology, Okita's tone softened as she nodded gently, accepting his apology.
"I forgive you. Mm."
Roy couldn't help but smile at how easily she accepted his apology.
"Okita, you really are adorable."
If someone had done that to him, he would have at least beaten them up before letting it go.
"Adorable?"
Okita blinked rapidly.
The fading blush on her cheeks deepened once more, and she fidgeted uncomfortably.
"No one has ever said that to me before. People always just talk about my swordsmanship, my talent, how unfortunate it is that I'm sick... Thank you, Master."
An irrepressible smile spread across her face as she happily thanked Roy.
Roy chuckled softly and reached out to pat Okita's small head.
He climbed onto the bed and gazed directly into Okita's pure, agate-like eyes.
"I need you, Souji."
"...Because of the curse?"
Okita blinked in surprise, her expression gradually darkening.
"No, my curse hasn't flared up yet. I've been consciously limiting my Mystic Eye usage recently. Even if it did flare up, I could endure it on my own."
Roy shook his head, maintaining eye contact as he reached to embrace her shoulders.
"I simply want you. That's why I need you. Is that okay?"
Okita blinked rapidly.
Looking into Roy's eyes, she saw no signs of a curse flare-up—only an intense flame burning straight through her.
His pupils reflected her as a person, not as a tool.
"...I am my Master's sword... and I'll be my Master's scabbard too."
Blushing crimson, Okita whispered her answer in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
"I'll treasure you dearly."
Roy exhaled deeply, almost reverently, before gently laying Okita down on the bed.
Her eyelids fluttered as she obediently closed her eyes.
The room's temperature gradually rose.
A night of passion lasted until dawn.