Prologue

Prologue

 

I WOKE UP to the feeling of someone’s breath upon me. I was still half-asleep, but I could feel a number of things: a soft bed; warm, comfy sheets; and someone’s hand caressing my cheek. I sighed contentedly and pulled the hand closer.

“Ah…” There was a flustered voice, but I ignored it and hugged whoever it was. The body was warm, and smelled sweet, like milk.

I thought for a moment about the silent, docile person beside me. They must have been a girl because I was the only man around. Definitely not Mimi: this person didn’t have her more-than-ample breasts. Probably not Elma, either—she was slender, but certainly not this delicate. Naturally, it wasn’t our Maidroid, Mei, either. So who was in bed with me, then?

When I opened my eyes, I saw a black-haired girl blushing madly. Her eyes, like two glittering pieces of onyx, gazed back passionately.

“Good morning, Chris,” I said.

“…Good morning, Hiro.”

We stayed in bed and gazed at each other for a good while, both of us finding it difficult to avert our eyes.

 

***

 

“Really, dude? Really?!” Elma admonished me, yanking at her beautiful shoulder-length silver hair in irritation. Her jade-colored eyes were narrowed angrily at us both, and her youthful lips were curled into a frown.

“We just slept next to each other!” I explained. “Nothing else!!!”

“Y-yes, that’s right!!!” Chris backed me up.

I didn’t know if it was due to bad luck or my carelessness, but either way, Elma was lecturing me first thing in the morning—not that “morning” really exists as a concept in outer space. She had noticed the very moment Chris and I left my room together.

“If you say so, Chris, I guess it must be true…” Elma looked us both over from head to toe. Her elf ears, poking out from her silver hair like arrows, bobbed up and down as if they were searching for something.

I am not a crook! I’m innocent! Not to brag, but if we did do something, Chris wouldn’t be standing right now. I’m pretty well-endowed, after all.

“You should both be more responsible,” Elma continued, “but Chris, that goes double for you. Each of your actions can affect a whole lot of people. That’s what it means to have your blood, right?”

“Yes, ma’am…” Chris looked down dejectedly.

Elma was referring to the blood of the Count Dalenwald family that ran through Christina Dalenwald’s veins—the blood of a noblewoman.

Chris’ parents had been tragically killed by her uncle, who wanted the title of count for himself. And he’d had murderous intentions toward Chris, as well. We had dealt with some assassins, but it wasn’t time to relax just yet. Serena owed me a favor, so I’d joined her Pirate-Hunting Unit to use them as camouflage. Our current problem was how Chris’ uncle would react now that he was cornered.

“N-now, Elma, I think that’s enough…” Our lovely, tan-haired Mimi covered for us. But she too fell victim to Elma’s murderous glares.

“Excuse me, Mimi? Wasn’t she supposed to be sleeping with you last night?”

“Waaaah! I’m so sorryyy!!!”

Elma pinched Mimi’s plump cheeks and started tugging on them. So then Chris’ staying in my room overnight must have been Mimi’s doing, after all.

“Hey, hey, that’s enough,” I declared. “Nothing happened in the end, so why don’t we let bygones be bygones?”

Elma glared at me as if to demand, Are you in any position to say that? But I cared not! Not one bit! Now let Mimi go! The poor girl’s about to cry.

“Ugh, whatever,” she sighed. “I won’t keep harping on it, but just be careful.”

“Aye aye!” I saluted.

“Yes, ma’am,” Chris meekly assented.

Might as well get tidied up and have some breakfast. What’s for grub today, I wonder?