"You're really going to walk on my back?"
Seeing Elf suddenly looking eager to try, Izumi Sora couldn't help but be somewhat surprised.
Earlier it was all just verbal promises, but now she was actually going to redeem the reward?
"A word spoken is past recalling. What I promised, I will of course follow through on." Yamada Elf put her hands on her hips, lifting her cute chin, revealing a stretch of snow-white, slender neck, her voice proud.
"I'll give Servant a back walking today."
"The reward is limited to one redemption. Next, you can only redeem other rewards."
"Only when Servant clears the redemption list can the list be refreshed again."
"..."
Elf's little scheme was glaringly obvious.
Only by clearing the rewards on the redemption list could the list continue to refresh. In other words, no matter what, he had to redeem the kiss reward.
The problem was that Elf hadn't even grown all her hair yet. If he actually made a move, he'd definitely lose his qualification to be a human being!
"Let's just forget it." Izumi Sora played a retraction card.
"We'll talk about it next time."
"What's this? You're actually backing out." Hearing this, Yamada Elf puffed out her cheeks and couldn't resist complaining.
"This is exactly where Servant falls short."
Izumi Sora was speechless:
"Don't copy the way Anna talks."
"Anyway, don't even think about escaping. Servant, hurry up and lie down properly." Yamada Elf gave him a push, making Izumi Sora sit on the edge of the bed.
"I've never walked on anyone's back before either. This is a good chance to experience what it feels like."
"My stomach hurts..."
Izumi Sora made an excuse wanting to slip away.
"Hmph, I don't believe you." Yamada Elf put her hands on her hips, seeing through Izumi Sora's true intentions at a glance.
"If Servant runs away, I'll tell Mahiru tonight that Servant made me show you my op—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Izumi Sora swiftly reached out and firmly covered Elf's mouth.
Shut up!
It was clearly just an accident, I definitely didn't force you to show me, alright!
Something others are too ashamed to mention and wish they could immediately forget, how can you have the nerve to say it out loud with your head held high!
"If you want me to keep the secret, then hurry up and let me walk on your back." Yamada Elf crossed her arms over her chest, proudly lifting her chin.
"Servant, you don't want the secret to be known by Mahiru either, right?"
Izumi Sora: "..."
Twisting logic!
To actually turn around and threaten others, this is clearly twisting logic!
"Elf, go take a shower first."
Izumi Sora exhaled softly, knowing he couldn't dodge it today.
"There must be a lot of bacteria in the river, and we walked so far. Your feet definitely aren't clean."
Yamada Elf proudly lifted her chin and raised her right foot. Her cute little foot encased in white stockings:
"Idiot Servant, my feet are food-grade. Even if Servant ate them directly, there would be no problem!"
Feet aren't food at all, no one would want to eat that kind of thing!
"No, you must take a shower."
Izumi Sora's tone left no room for negotiation.
"Tch, so troublesome..."
Under Izumi Sora's strong insistence, Elf ultimately agreed:
"Then I'll go take a shower first... Servant, come downstairs with me."
Thump thump thump.
The two walked downstairs together.
"Servant, go scout ahead." Yamada Elf hid behind Sora, her voice tense.
"Check if there are any Hell Demon Bugs in the bathroom."
Izumi Sora pushed open the bathroom door, turned on the light, and checked carefully:
"No cockroaches, you can shower."
"Idiot Servant, I told you not to say that name."
While complaining, Yamada Elf took her pajamas and entered the bathroom. She turned her head and instructed uneasily:
"Servant, sit on the sofa and wait for me obediently. You are not allowed to leave, otherwise I'll ignore you for a week."
"..."
The living room instantly quieted down.
Izumi Sora walked over, sat on the sofa, and took out his phone.
The time was 6:40 PM. It was still early before their run, so there was no need to rush.
After unlocking the phone, many messages popped up on the screen immediately.
The person who sent the most messages was Yanami.
"I'm already home, getting ready to take a shower."
"Has Sora gotten home yet?"
"How is Elf, she didn't catch a cold, did she?"
"Tomorrow you have to bring a set of uniforms for Komari, absolutely don't forget."
"Just now on the way back, I saw a new sculpture built in the small park. It's a rabbit leaning against the moon, so cute."
"Hey, hey, I'll send a picture for Sora to see."
"Image.jpg."
"Image.jpg."
"Image.jpg."
"..."
Chatting with Yanami, you never had to worry about awkward silences because 'Inmate Eight' always had all sorts of gossip and trivial matters to share with you.
Izumi Sora replied to all of Yanami's messages one by one and continued scrolling down.
Below were messages from Sagiri, saying she wanted snacks and also asking Izumi Sora to help buy a few manga and light novels... Besides occasionally asking Izumi Sora to help buy things, Sagiri never made any other demands, much less drained his wallet. You could say she was super easy to take care of.
Finally, there was a message from Angel-sama:
"Sora-kun, Sagiri and I have already eaten... It's gotten dark outside, come home early tonight."
Looking at Mahiru's message, Izumi Sora inexplicably felt a bit guilty.
He felt like one of those middle-aged husbands in TV dramas, where the wife is working hard managing the household and raising the daughter, while he is out living it up... A crime deserving a thousand deaths!
"After eating, I ran into Komari-san on the way back..."
Izumi Sora didn't hide anything and explained the reason for his late return in detail.
For one thing, Angel-sama was super smart. Any lie would be quickly seen through.
For another, they were all neighbors. When the lights next door suddenly turned on, she definitely knew Elf had returned.
Of course, regarding the matter of his boxer briefs being erased by Elf, Izumi Sora silently ignored it and didn't bring it up.
Shiina Mahiru: "I see. Thank you for your hard work, Sora-kun."
Izumi Sora: "I'll be back very soon, it won't delay our night run."
Shiina Mahiru: "Waiting for Sora-kun to come home."
"..."
After reading all the messages, Izumi Sora was just about to play on his phone for a bit when he suddenly heard Yamada Elf's shout coming from the bathroom:
"Servant, come here quickly."
Izumi Sora stood up and walked outside the bathroom door:
"What's wrong?"
Click.
The bathroom door opened a crack, and Yamada Elf poked half her small face out from inside, completely unafraid of Izumi Sora barging in:
"The towel hasn't been used for several days and has a weird smell. Servant, go get a new towel for me."
Because she had just taken a hot shower, the girl's skin was fair with a rosy tint, shining with a moist luster under the light. Her nose was straight, her eyelashes long, and her small face was only the size of a palm, like an exquisite porcelain doll. It had to be said, she was quite cute.
Izumi Sora stood leisurely outside the door:
"When asking others for help, you should say 'please'."
"Huh?"
"Also, don't call me Servant, call me by my name."
"..."
Hearing this, Yamada Elf widened her eyes, an offended expression appearing on her small face:
"Servant actually wants to overthrow his superior?"
A rare opportunity presented itself, of course I have to properly train you!
"If you want my help getting a towel, then follow my rules."
Izumi Sora had his hands in his pockets, totally composed.
"Hmph~"
Yamada Elf gave a light snort, puffing out her cheeks:
"If Servant doesn't help me get the towel, then I'll just go out and get it myself."
"What?"
Izumi Sora's first reaction was disbelief.
Come out and get it yourself?
Do you really have the nerve?
The next second.
He saw Yamada Elf puffing out her chest, directly pulling open the bathroom door, and striding outward.
A flash of holy light suddenly met his eyes.
Izumi Sora only felt his eyes were blinded. He quickly averted his gaze and couldn't help but complain:
"Hey, you actually dared to come out, don't you feel any shame at all?!"
"Hehehe~"
Yamada Elf put her hands on her hips, her small face slightly warm. Her expression, however, was as proud as ever, her narcissism maxed out:
"Only people with an inferiority complex feel ashamed to show their bodies. I am the number one beautiful girl in the world, why should I feel embarrassed?"
Izumi Sora: "...I have never seen a person so brazen and shameless."
Yanami, Sagiri, Kuroneko, and Angel—none of them could do such a thing. But if it was Elf, it seemed completely natural.
The first time they met, Elf dared to wear her underwear and go out while invisible. Her usual hobby was playing the piano bare-bottomed after a shower. In other words, running around bare-bottomed was Elf's daily routine.
Yamada Elf covered her chest with her arms and openly walked out, her small face slightly flushed red:
"I've already been seen by Servant so many times, seeing it once more doesn't matter..."
"Stop talking, go back quickly." Izumi Sora decisively reached out to stop Elf, admitting defeat.
"I'll go get the towel for you."