Ephemeral Ability Reflects the Heart

Currently, the room smelled terrible.

The smells of sweat, body odor, and other fluid of two people mixed together, and even Chihiro, the person in question, felt like frowning.

Also, even though he had slept for several hours, he felt very tired. The bed too is a messy mess, and he feels as if it needs to be washed.

Maria, who seems beside him yesterday, is nowhere to be found in the room.

Maria's clothes, including her underwear, are still scattered under the bed. But somehow, Chihiro's underwear and uniform are gone.

As Chihiro raised himself from the bed and put his feet down on the floor, he muttered to himself.

「Yesterday, I did it. With Fukami-san」

Now that he had fallen asleep and become calm, the realization came to him.

The act of last night was so intense that when he tried to remember the details, it becomes blurred, but he clearly remembers that it felt good. It was an intense and lascivious, which is very distorted for a high school boy and girl, yet he would never have been able to experience it normally.

「...But...」

Nothing has changed as he expected.

Even after the first time, Chihiro is still Chihiro. He had expected a more dramatic change in his mind when he learned the joy.

But all the anxieties and worries in his heart did not disappear completely.

He also didn't develop a new ability, as Maria had said.

*sigh*

「What time is it?」

There's no clock in the room. His phone is in his uniform pocket too.

Then he had no choice.

Chihiro leaves the room with dried body fluids on his body. But, when he opened the door, the corridor is filled with a delicious smell.

*rumble*

His stomach rumbled as he remembered that he hadn't eaten anything last night.

Naturally, the source of the smell is the kitchen near the living room. He peeked through the entrance and saw Maria preparing breakfast.

But, Maria is almost doesn’t wear any clothes.

She wears only a black apron and different underwear from last night. But her body is clean and fresh, perhaps she has just taken a shower.

She is stirring something in a pot, but when she noticed Chihiro, she turned around and smiled lightly.

「Good morning, Izumi-kun」

Completely natural. Her attitude is the same as it had been last night, before Chihiro had hugged her. And she didn't pay any attention to Chihiro's appearance.

He is both relieved and a little disappointed.

With mixed feelings, Chihiro said "Good morning" a little late.

「You're going to take a bath, aren't you? You can use the shower and soap as you like. Let's have breakfast after you're clean」

「...Yeah. Thanks」

There are many things he wants to say, many things he wants to ask.

But for now, he would do as he was told. So, he went to the bathroom that Maria pointed out and opened the door without taking off his clothes since there was no need to do so.

The interior of the bathroom is also simple.

There are a few soaps that looked like commercials of young actresses, and then a normal-sized bathtub and shower.

All of them are a bit more luxurious than Chihiro's room.

He then took a shower although he felt uncomfortable about using someone else's bathroom, especially a girl's. And as he allowed to use the soap, he used it without hesitation.

This is partly because the fluid and other stains would not come off otherwise.

And as Chihiro applied the soap to his body, the scent of flowers or something spread, and naturally he is wrapped in Maria's scent.

Needless to say, it made him feel even more uncomfortable.

「*...sigh*」

Still, he felt much better after washing his hair and body.

His drowsiness disappeared to some extent, and the scent of the soap had some effect on his mental stability.

By the way, "what should I do to change my clothes?", Chihiro thought.

As he left the bathroom after thought that, he found a set of his clothes folded neatly on the washing machine in the bathroom.

His uniform, shirt, underwear and socks.

The underwear and socks had been washed, and the shirt had been ironed. Maria must have taken the trouble to prepare them, because they had not been there before he took a bath.

Still, he put on his clothes and went to the living room, where breakfast is just being prepared.

「Fuka... Maria. Thank you for washing my clothes」

「Don't worry about it. I'm sure you're more tired than I am, and it's only natural for a slave to take care of the Master, right?」

Maria replied to Chihiro as she poured coffee for the two of them.

「Slave, huh?」

「Oh. Would you have preferred a sow?」

「No, that's not the point」

After a meaningless talk and the food is served, they sit facing each other and say "Itadakimasu" together. Chihiro's bag is on the floor beside him, and his phone in on the edge of the table. The time displayed on the phone is about one hour before the school day. It looks like they can have a leisurely meal.

The meal consisted of toast, ham and eggs, salad, soup, oranges cut into bite-sized pieces, and hot coffee.

Although it was the standard fare, there are plenty of items to choose from, and the hot meal naturally encourages eating.

Moreover, after his body had been drained of energy by training and sexual activity, it seemed to be in need of nourishment.

「You say I'm more tired than you, but isn't Maria in some pain?」

The pain of deflowering is particularly worrisome because there is no way to estimate it. Considering the number of times she had come, her fatigue must have been considerable.

「The membrane has healed, but the pain is still intact. Besides, I'm used to coming several times a day, so I'm fine」

「...I see」

“Maria's ability is very useful”

Chihiro thought so, and buttered a piece of toast and took a bite. Feeling the flavor spread in his mouth, he reaches for the ham and eggs and salad.

It's time to get down to business.

「After what happened last night, I'm stronger now, right?」

He asked fearfully, and Maria's answer is surprising.

「...I don't know」

「Well...」

She nodded her head so easily that Chihiro is confused.

"Was what she had said to me yesterday a lie?", Chihiro's thought. If so, Chihiro doesn't understand why she went to the trouble of being held by him.

Maria, who saw Chihiro was confused, shook her head.

「I'm sorry. Don't get me wrong. Everything I said was true... But I didn't tell you that you could get the ability just by crossing paths with me in the first place, did I?」

「...Oh」

「There's no precedent for it, and I'm not sure how it works. But you know...」

She popped a cherry tomato into her mouth, swallowed, and stared at Chihiro.

Her mind, conveyed by the mind-reading, is filled with lust, even in these morning moments.

「I'm sure you'll become... no, I'm sure you'll become strong. Because I know better than anyone that greedy people can become strong」

「...Yeah」

Chihiro nodded.

Then he remembered last night and shivered.

If that was a normal situation, a "one-time encounter", then it would be a difficult road to follow her desires.

He wonders if he can do it.

「Oh. Do you want to do it again? Your eyes are starting to get hot」

「Eh」

「Would you like me to do it orally after dinner?」

「No, thanks」

「Oh, that's too bad」

When Chihiro shook his head at the teasing voice, he chuckled.

Apparently, it was a joke... But Maria is now in her underwear, even though the apron hid it, so there are all sorts of unfashionable things going on.

And, in order to hide his reddened face, Chihiro resumed eating.

「...I mean, Master and slave doesn't seem to have this kind of relationship」

「Fufu. Please tell me that when you are able to act more like a Master」

「Umm...」

Chihiro couldn't stand it if she said that.

After all, relationships don't change so easily.

If Chihiro himself could change, it would be a different story.

About thirty minutes later, the meal was over.

After eating all the ham and eggs and salad, and three slices of toast, they finally settled down.

Maria cleaned up the mess by herself.

Chihiro tried to help her, but she told him clearly, "You just sit down". And so, while he was taking a break from eating, Maria finished the dishes by herself.

Then Maria changed into her uniform, and the two of them walked out with some time to spare.

「Come to think of it, wouldn't it be a bad idea for us to go to school together?」

Chihiro didn't want anyone to see them and start a rumor.

Although his impression could hardly be lowered any more, but Maria, who had just transferred to a new school, should try to avoid any disturbance.

He thought so, but Maria tilted her head with a curious look on her face.

「You care about weird things, don't you?」

「Is it weird?」

「Because now that we are master and servant, I have no choice but to obey you if you want me to」

She said she didn't care what happened because she is a slave.

She has powerful abilities and appears to be a worldly woman, but her true nature is what she was that night. And in reality, she seems to have a rather strange sensibility.

「But, thank you. I'm sure it's easier to act that way」

Maria agreed to Chihiro's proposal.

They parted ways at the entrance to the apartment building and decided to head to the school separately.

「Oh, yes. Izumi-kun」

「...Hmm?」

「Even if you don't suddenly develop abilities, I think there are things that will change. You're a little more comfortable looking at girls' faces, aren't you?」

Maria said to Chihiro as they parted.

Chihiro stood still and watched as Maria walked gracefully away, her skirt waving faintly. And he spoke...

「...Am I okay now?」

☆　　　☆　　　☆

The distance from the apartment to the school was a little closer than from the dormitory.

Chihiro walked alone in the corridor crowded with students. As usual, there are no students who approached Chihiro.

"Still, I feel heavy", he thought.

He might have caught a cold from the rain. Today is Tuesday. There's still a few days left before the holiday, so he should conserve his strength as much as possible.

And so, he's going to sleep.

He decided to get some rest now, and rushed to the classroom. Without paying much attention to his surroundings, he got to his seat and plopped down on his desk. Fortunately, he did not run into Riko today.

At the morning HR, he woke up and slept again until the class started. Repeating this, the morning class flew by.

Today, he is so sleepy that he could not think about anything else.

However, in his slumber, he could hear the voices of the students close by. Apparently, Maria is surrounded by people again today.

Then lunchtime.

Thanks to the sleep he had taken in small increments, he felt much less sleepy. However, the need for rest and hunger are about 50/50.

He had a good breakfast, so there was no problem if he skipped a meal.

As he pondered what to do, the pocket of his uniform suddenly trembled.

「...Hmm?」

When he picked it up, there is an email notification on his phone.

The sender is--Fukami Maria.

[I'll wait for you on the roof]

「...Why?」

He muttered to himself, but of course there is no reply from anyone. Maria herself is no longer in the classroom. She must have gone to the rooftop.

Should he go?

After a moment of hesitation, Chihiro finally left his seat.

The school's rooftop is supposed to be closed, but when he climbed the stairs to the entrance, he found that the door is somehow slightly open.

「We didn't exchange addresses, did we?」

Maria is waiting for Chihiro on the roof.

There is a leisure seat for two on the concrete floor, and a bag of some kind of convenience store.

「Yeah. I took the liberty of registering with you, did I miss anything?」

「...No problem, but next time lock the door」

「That's probably a good idea for security reasons」

Chihiro wondered if that was something the person who had violated his privacy would say.

「Anyway, shall we have lunch?」

The bag from the convenience store is filled with a variety of wrapped pastries. Maria must have bought them at the convenience store on her way to school.

「Can I have some?」

「Yes. I bought it just in case something like this happened, so feel free to eat it」

「Thank you」

Even if Chihiro refused, Maria wouldn't be able to finish it by herself.

Deciding that, he took off his shoes and climbed onto the leisure seat. Then, he wiped his hands on the wet towel that Maria was shrewdly offering him, and gratefully reached for the pastries.

First of all, be chose curry bread because he wanted to fill my stomach.

When Maria saw this, she nodded her head.

「I see」

「What's wrong?」

「Nothing. I just thought I'd use it as a reference for the future」

So, Maria want to know what Chihiro likes.

He, who saw her like that, found it hard to eat, but he gave up and bit into the bread. The aroma of the fried bread and the spiciness of the curry whetted his appetite, and he took a few bites.

And just as he is thinking, "I need a drink".

「Here you go」

Maria puts a straw in a carton of milk and gently offers it to him. Chihiro then took it and took a sip. The sweetness neutralized the taste of the curry bread just right.

And he exhaled.

After a moment, he stopped and stared at Maria.

「What?」

「...Maria is amazing. You can even think about other people while having such feelings」

Chihiro sensed that Maria's desires and impulses are very intense. Her desires had no fixed direction, and she pursued all kinds of pleasures in an uncontrolled manner.

No wonder Maria said that she would eventually be ruined if she kept it all to herself.

Even at this very moment, Maria is smiling without showing any sign of being attacked by urges.

Chihiro, who feel that, couldn't imitate her.

「It's no big deal」

Maria laughed quietly as she took a small bite of her melon bread and she continued to speak.

「I care about people because I need to live a long and happy life. Besides, you're special」

「Because I made a deal with Maria?」

「Yes」

Maria proceeded to eat the melon bread. Her appearance is somewhat reminiscent of a squirrel, somehow cute.

And holding the bread in both hands, she looked at Chihiro sideways,

「It seems I pushed you too hard last night, so let me do this」

It seems that Maria knows that Chihiro is not feeling well.

Well, it's not surprising, since she was taking a nap right beside him.

As he was about to say thank you, Chihiro thought better of it and said something else.

「It's not that hard. I wanted to do it too」

「Oh」

Maria's eyes twinkled.

「Well, maybe I'll give you an oral after all the bread had been eaten. In here」

「What!?」

「Just kidding」

She giggled and her smile is natural, but she must have been half serious.

That's what Chihiro thought.