Kazeno Kaede’s mornings start early.

She wakes up properly at 5:30 a.m.

She washes her face and brushes her teeth and starts putting on a base layer of makeup so she looks at least a little better.

It might be a little late though.

Moe is the best cook but she’s really weak in the mornings so whenever she’s here I’m always the one on morning duty.

After finishing my daily stretches I prepare meals for four people and when it’s time to wake them up I head to the guest rooms.

“It’s morning!!!”

None of the futons move.

“Can’t be helped...”

First person.

I yank off the blanket covering her with all my strength.

“Moe!!! Good morning!!!”

I shout loudly to wake her up.

Then next.

“Misora good morning!!!”

“Ugh... you’re so noisy....”

Looks like this one woke up.

I leave Misora to Moe and go wake up the last person.

I gently shake her body.

“Karua-chaaaan... good morning....”

A little quieter.

“Isn’t our treatment kinda different?”

Moe says that while still half asleep but there’s no way that’s true.

That aside, no matter how much I shake her she doesn’t wake up.

That’s strange.

She used to wake up from this before.

Did she stay up late?

When I pulled back the blanket covering her face to check her complexion,

Karua-chan’s face was very red and her breathing was ragged.

I hurriedly placed my hand on her forehead.

“So hot!”

She has a high fever.

When I told the other two Moe immediately said “I’ll go buy ice and stuff around here! Misora-chan too!!” and dragged the still-frozen Misora out of the house.

For now I put my jacket on Karua-chan and rode on Guri-chan to fly straight to the infirmary.

“Guri-chan hurry! But slowly!!”

‘You’re asking for too much! There’s no way I can do both at once!!’

“Hmm... I see...”

“Did you figure something out Professor?”

I went to the Professor and showed Karua-chan’s condition.

“Well more or less. It’s not life-threatening.”

Thank goodness.

But his next words caught my attention.

“This is probably the result of a strong rejection reaction that came when she formed a contract. Normally there wouldn’t be any problem if she were over eighteen but.... By the way, how old is she?”

“I don’t know but she’s probably younger than me... and she already made a contract before she met me?”

Does a rejection reaction come with a delay?

When I asked that,

“Hm... then that’s strange… A re-contract? Or... Ah I suppose that could happen too.”

He seemed to realize something and began explaining after saying “This is only a hypothesis.”

“Is it possible that she formed a new contract with another monster? For example, did you see two of them near her?”

A simultaneous contract?

Is that even a thing?

“I’ve never done it myself... There are far too few documents. Without references it would be difficult to reproduce. In the first place monsters only approach in a friendly manner when someone is on the brink of death and having that happen with multiple ones is an astronomically low probability. But it’s not impossible.”

“So is there a problem with that?”

“Didn’t I just say I don’t know? But judging from this situation there’s definitely some kind of influence. Well, I’ll prescribe some medicine so give it to her after meals until she recovers.”

He tossed the bag to me and then went to sleep on the sofa.

It seems Moe and the others still haven’t returned.

I put Karua-chan back on the bed for now.

“.....mm?”

“Ah you woke up?”

Karua-chan stirred.

With such a high fever it must be painful.

“There’s no ice yet, so it’ll be hard but hang in there.”

I said that while holding her hand.

“....mm”

She opened her eyes then closed them again and started breathing softly.

For now I need to make something so she can take her medicine.

So I made some egg porridge with more water than usual.

This should go down at least a little....

When I went to the room Karua-chan made a small sound as if she woke up from the noise.

I quickly went over.

“Sorry.... so you can take your medicine, can you eat a little?”

When I asked she nodded weakly while lying on her back, so I slid my hand behind her back.

“Sorry... I’m going to sit you up a bit...”

I lifted her up in that position.

Her body looked smaller than usual and it felt like if I didn’t keep supporting her she might break at any moment which made my chest ache.

I scooped up a spoonful and before bringing it to her mouth I said, “Here, open wide...”

I think Moe did it like this...

While waiting for her to open her mouth, “Mm...... nha”

She blushed and opened her mouth and looked at me with half-lidded eyes.

That look was something I shouldn’t think of as belonging to a sick person but it was very provocative.

“...gulp”

I swallowed the moisture in my mouth without thinking.

I brought the offered mouth close…

“I’m back!! How’s Karua-chan doing!?”

* * *

Moe’s voice snapped me back to my senses.

This is bad.

My head hurts a lot.

I probably said something about simultaneous contracts while half-conscious so I think that’s probably the cause.

What is going on with this body?

The protagonist contracted with like five of them later on but there was no such description!!!!!

Anyway putting that aside.

It’s midnight again.

Everyone took care of me and somehow my fever went down to just a mild one and the three of them fell asleep from exhaustion.

Right now I can’t move from the bed.

Or rather.

‘......’

Aruka is clinging to me and won’t let go.

She’s holding me tightly with her hands and legs and fins so I really can’t move at all.

Well, I wasn’t in a condition to move anyway.

For now let go..... ah no?

Then Kyuu-chaaaan?

I’m counting on you!!

When I tried to attach the thread to my body Aruka tore it before it could stick and pressed her hand against my face to line our faces up.

Her amber eyes glittered in the moonlight.

So cute!

‘You’re not allowed. You need to rest properly.’

She said that.

But but I don’t like it!

‘No I don’t like it. If you were going to use me like that I wouldn’t have lent myself to you.... honestly...’

Kyuu-chan said that with half exasperation.

Both of you saying things like that....

Then.... let’s try this one thing.

“I feel all floaty... like my body’s floating... it’s scary... I can’t sleep.”

I tried saying that.

Then Aruka-chan moved her hand from my cheek to my head and pulled me to her chest.

W-wait please isn’t this a bit too much service!!!!!!??

While I was panicking,

‘Hey don’t struggle. You’re not well... Here, listen carefully.’

She said that.

So I’ll listen properly!

So soft… no wait.

After focusing my hearing for a while I heard Aruka-chan’s heartbeat going thump thump.

It gradually overlapped with my own heartbeat and my eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

The pressure of her arms and fins that were holding me down felt just right and I relaxed and fell asleep like that.

‘Good night. My Karua.’

* * *

My condition recovered in about two days and then a few days passed.

In terms of the original route it was about time for Season 3 to begin.

“Everyone! Thank you for gathering here!”

Saint-chan called the three of them plus me to the Association headquarters and we came to a place that looked like a meeting room.

“So what is this about?”

“I believe you’ve heard of the Named. Multiple monsters attacked the Eastern Association and yesterday one city was wiped out. We would like to request an investigation from you who are the strongest in that city.”

Oh really, that’s rich.

You’re the mastermind behind it aren’t you?