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And that brings us back to the situation I laid out at the beginning.

Weird, I didn’t remember sleeping in the same bed as Arisa.

I brushed her hair aside absently, admiring its sleekness. She smiled adorably, a little bashful.

Sure, she’s got a cute face, but she’s also eleven. I’m not a pedophile.

Arisa giggled a little, prodding my chest with a slim finger.

Still, that finger is kinda sexy, a voice whispered in the back of my mind.

…Sexy?

Suddenly, it was like my personality had split into two: one part that was trying to accept Arisa’s affection and one that found it extremely disconcerting. The former did its best to push the latter back into the dark recesses of my mind, but at the first sign of doubt, the tenacious latter half managed to make a comeback.

This tug-of-war was interrupted, though, when Arisa started planting kisses on my ear, my collarbone, and my chest in turn.

Moving on its own in response to her caresses, my hand brushed the nape of her neck. You want her, that same voice in my head informed me.

But this definitely didn’t seem like the right reaction to a little girl. No matter what the circumstances, that was definitely wrong.

My blurry thoughts started to clear up a bit, and I used my mind to open up the menu and turn on the display of the log.

Aha! There’s something in here!

I sat up slowly as Arisa looked through her lashes at me. Putting my hands on her sides, I pulled her close, so that her face was against my neck.

She seemed a little flustered, but nonetheless happily wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

Leaning close to her ear, I gently but firmly whispered a command.

“Arisa, I forbid you to use any magic or skills. That’s an order!”

Arisa’s hands loosened, and she looked at me with her face contorted in shock.

I used that moment of surprise to add another instruction. “And another order! Cancel the effects of whatever skills or magic you’re already using, right now!”

Within moments, the cancellation of the magic effect showed in my log. The information in the AR screen changed, too.

Just to be sure, I maxed out the skill points of the skill I’d just gotten, “Psychic Resistance.” I had apparently gained the skills “Night Vision” and “Psychic Magic,” too, but I left them alone for now.

“Why…?”

“That’s what I should be asking you! What were you trying to accomplish by manipulating me with Psychic Magic?”

It was true; during the earlier confrontation in front of the inn and just now, Arisa had been using magic.

The first time, outside the inn, was fine. She had used two spells—Calm Field and Weariness Field—most likely to quell the hostility the innkeeper and patrons harbored toward the beastfolk girls.

But just now, she had used three spells on me: Charm Person, Temptation Field, and Lusting Heart Field.

It was clear that she was trying to seduce me and manipulate me according to her will.

I had forgotten about this in the shock that Arisa was able to speak Japanese, but her AR information had said her skills were “Unknown”… Not “None,” but “Unknown.”

“…Psychic Magic? I don’t know what you mean…”

“Don’t try to trick me or play dumb. That’s another order. Now, what were you trying to do?” She wriggled out of my grasp, but I blocked off her escape route, interrogating her.

Perfect timing. I put five points into the new skill and activated it immediately.

“Tell me the truth. What do you want?”

Arisa gave in and responded somewhat sulkily. “…I just wanted to serve you, master.”

Her usual graceful air had evaporated.

“I don’t understand. Explain yourself a bit.”

“Really! Don’t you get what I said? I fell in love with you at first sight, the very first time we met!”

What?! Love at first sight?!

I was so taken aback by this unexpected answer that I forgot to keep interrogating.

“Your soft, sleek black hair! Your innocent expression! Your familiar, babyish features! Your delicate physique! Your smooth, hairless limbs! I had only wished for such a master…! But now that I have the master of my dreams, he has no use for my services?! I can’t accept that! That’s why I had to use magic! So that you could be crazy about me, too!”

As soon as I paused, Arisa fired word after word at me like a machine gun, sounding increasingly desperate.

“So once I ‘fell in love’ with you, were you going to brainwash me?”

“No! That’s not it at all! It’s just like I said when I became your slave. ‘At all times, day or night, I will always serve my master with all my power.’ It’s a slave’s duty to seduce and please her master!”

What kind of logic was that?

What’s worse, it didn’t seem like she was lying.

But a slave couldn’t disobey her master’s orders, right?

“So that’s your story. What did you really want?”

“Well, I tried waiting for you to creep into bed with me, but I was falling asleep…so I figured I’d hop into your bed instead, and when I saw your sleeping face, I just couldn’t help myself!”

She was wearing a “Silly me!” kind of expression. A bit frustrated, I pinched her cheek. This kind of punishment is appropriate, I think.

“Oww! Awwight, awwight, I’m sowwie…”

Wow, her cheeks stretch pretty far. I was sort of beginning to enjoy myself, but Arisa was starting to tear up, so I let go.

“But I was a good girl to wait at first…”

“So you really just came after me because of your…desires?”

“Really!” She nodded.

“Honestly, what in the world are you?”

Her AR information read as follows:

What the hell? I’d never seen any of these skills and things before.

Arisa grinned impishly as she answered my question.

“I’m Arisa Tachibana. I’m Japanese, just like you.”