The following afternoon.

Karen had gone out for drama filming and Hibiki had left early in the morning to scout locations for her next project, leaving only Saotome and me behind in the living room of the tower apartment.

Outside the window, the sky was a perfect blue. It was a peaceful afternoon.

But the air inside the apartment felt oddly itchy and unsettled.

“……”

Saotome stood by the window, continuing her external surveillance through a gap in the curtains.

Her posture was perfectly straight, not moving an inch.

But the moment I so much as tried to move, she reacted instantly.

It was when I stood up to go to the bathroom.

“Akutsu-sama, where are you headed?”

Saotome appeared in front of me with the speed of the wind.

“N-no, just to the bathroom…”

“Understood. I will confirm safety.”

She opened the bathroom door ahead of me, visually checked the inside and even inspected the toilet seat lid before courteously inviting me in with a “Please proceed.”

Then, when I tried to return to the living room, she swiftly moved a cushion out of the way at my feet.

“Please watch your step. There is a risk of tripping.”

It was the level of care one would give to a toddler who had just learned to walk, or to a sheltered noble lady.

I could tell there was no hostility.

If anything, I could feel the utmost respect and consideration in how she treated me.

But for me, it was unbearably uncomfortable.

'…I can’t relax.'

I sat back down on the sofa and let out a sigh.

In this world’s common sense, men were beings meant to be protected.

Her actions were probably a perfect score as a bodyguard.

But on the inside, I was a man in my thirties and a former cook.

I could at least wipe my own ass.

“…Hey, Saotome.”

If this kept up, I’d suffocate.

I went to the kitchen and brewed coffee for the two of us.

As the fragrant aroma rose with the steam, I carried two mugs back to the living room and placed one on the low table across from me.

“Sit. I made coffee.”

“…Eh?”

Behind her sunglasses, Saotome’s eyes widened.

“Thank you for your consideration. However…”

She lowered her brows apologetically, still refusing to break her upright posture.

“I am currently on duty. I am not permitted to sit at the same table and take rest with the subject.”

“There’s only you and me here. No enemies.”

“Complacency is the greatest threat.”

She shook her head quietly but stubbornly.

“Men are fragile and delicate creatures. If, due to my negligence, you were to be injured in any way… it would not only disgrace my profession, I would never forgive myself for the rest of my life.”

There was a desperate sincerity in her words.

To her, I was fragile glasswork.

A being that could trip, break bones or be mentally harmed the moment she took her eyes off me.

That was likely the shared perception women in this world held toward men.

'…I see.'

I took a sip of coffee and understood.

As long as she thought of me as a typical man of this world, this overprotective security detail would never end.

I had no intention of living a life where someone rushed ahead of me every time I went to the bathroom.

'I need to make her understand that I’m not just a fragile man, or she’ll never rest.'

I set the mug down and looked straight at Saotome.

“…Saotome. You think of me as someone ‘fragile who must be protected,’ don’t you?”

Saotome faltered for a moment, then lowered her gaze apologetically.

“…If my wording is disrespectful, I apologize. However, as a biological fact, men possess less muscle strength than women and are unsuited for conflict. That is precisely why a ‘shield’ like myself is necessary.”

It was a valid argument.

In this world.

But that very premise was the greatest mismatch between her and me.

“What if that premise itself is wrong?”

“…Yes?”

“I’ll tell you the source of my strength. Sit down and listen.”

Perhaps pressed by the strange force in my voice, Saotome hesitated for a few seconds before quietly saying, “…Excuse me,” and sitting down on the edge of the sofa.

Her posture remained straight, but we were finally at eye level.

“Didn’t you find it strange during yesterday’s interview? Why I didn’t flinch before you? Why I can cook well and keep my composure?”

Saotome gave a slight nod.

Compared to the ‘average man’ in her data, my specs were far too different.

That discrepancy must have remained as an unresolved mystery in her mind.

“The truth is… I have memories of a previous life.”

“…A previous life?”

Saotome’s sunglasses nearly slipped off her face.

She looked like a pigeon that had just been hit by a bean pellet. It was understandable.

“You might not believe it, but it’s the truth. In my previous world, common sense was the complete opposite.”

I spoke quietly.

“In that world, men were physically larger and stronger. Men worked outside, protected women, carried heavy loads and it wasn’t unusual for men to cook. I have memories of living in a world like that.”

Saotome stared at me, dumbfounded.

But I continued regardless.

“I’m in this world while carrying those memories and experiences. That’s why, on the inside, I’m not a ‘fragile man.’ If it comes down to it, I can fight and I can protect myself. I’m a male who can stand on his own.”

Saotome was at a loss for words.

It was an utterly absurd story.

An ordinary person would have suspected I’d lost my mind.

But she was an excellent bodyguard.

The more calmly she analyzed things, the more she realized that the facts in front of her supported my words.

Extraordinary cooking skills.

Unwavering mental fortitude even in front of a professional guard.

And, at times, a sharp gaze unbefitting someone meant to be protected.

All of those ‘abnormalities’ clicked together terrifyingly neatly with a single missing piece: a soul from another world with different laws.

“…I see.”

After a long silence, Saotome let out a deep breath.

“The reason you are ‘extraordinary’… is because the very roots of your soul differ from ours.”

“Yeah. So don’t worry about me excessively.”

I grinned at her.

“I’m not glasswork. I won’t break just from falling over and if anything, I can even watch your back.”

Behind her sunglasses, Saotome stared at me intently.

The tension of ‘handling a fragile object’ that had filled her expression earlier had eased, if only slightly.

Her perception had shifted from an incomprehensible protection target to a reliable ‘single man.’

“…May I ask one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Do Kujō-sama and Tennoji-sama also know about this?”

At Saotome’s question, I shook my head.

“No. I haven’t told them.”

I traced the rim of my coffee cup with my finger.

“Even if I did, they wouldn’t believe it or they’d worry in a weird way, like ‘what if he returns to his original world someday.’ I don’t want to give them unnecessary anxiety.”

“Then…”

“Yeah. You’re the only one in the world who knows.”

I looked her in the eyes.

“I wanted you, the one I trust my back to, to know. I’m counting on you, partner.”

The only one in the world.

Those words pierced deeply into Saotome’s chest.

“…”

Without a word, Saotome reached for the coffee cup in front of her.

Her hand was no longer stiff.

She brought the cup to her lips and took a slow sip.

'…Even that national star actress and that genius director don’t know.'

The warm liquid slid down her throat.

Along with it, a sweet, heavy and dark pleasure welled up from the pit of her stomach.

'The secret that forms the core of the subject. The truth of his soul. The one who knows it is not a lover… but only me, his bodyguard.'

It might have been a twisted sense of superiority.

But more than anything, it was proof of an unbreakable bond.

While Hibiki and Karen were intoxicated by Jō’s surface-level charm and talent, only she shared his abyss.

She alone knew his true strength, not that of someone who merely needed protection.

That fact lit a small but inextinguishable flame called ‘special’ in the heart of a woman who had lived only for her duty.

“…Understood.”

Saotome set the cup down and, for the first time, gently lifted the corners of her lips.

It wasn’t the strained smile from before but a quiet smile that even carried a hint of allure.

“This information will be designated at clearance level ‘Top Secret.’ I will take it with me to the grave.”

“Good. I’m counting on you.”

Unaware of her internal change, I leaned back against the sofa with relief.

This house would probably become a little more comfortable now.

Saotome adjusted her sunglasses and returned to her post by the window.

Her back looked slightly more confident than before and somehow, a little more amused too.