"Can I sleep with you?" Hearing those words, I could only stare in stunned silence.

  No, that’s the st thing I should be doing right now…!

  When a man and woman sleep together, it usually carries implications beyond the literal meaning. It’s entirely possible that this could lead straight to a death fg.

  "U-um, no?" "It’s not just a ‘no’—do you even realize what you’re saying?" "Eek! D-don’t tell me you’re pnning to do something lewd!?"

  Lia said that, but… *she’s* the one who brought it up in the first pce.

  "I’m not pnning anything like that, but… when a man and woman sleep together, it usually carries that kind of implication. If anything, *you’re* the one who suggested it, Lia." "Ugh… well…"

  When I pointed it out, Lia seemed to realize it herself, lowering her face in embarrassment. But if I looked closely, her body was trembling ever so slightly.

  Then—*fsh!* The sky lit up for an instant, followed by a deafening *BOOM!* as thunder crashed down upon the earth.

  Whoa, whoa. That was a seriously dangerous sound. If that hit a tree or something, wouldn’t it catch fire and cause trouble?

  "Eek…!!"

  Startled by the noise, Lia clung tightly to me.

  Ah… I see. So *that’s* what she meant by wanting to sleep together—she’s scared of the thunder.

  "Lia. Well… I don’t mind sleeping together. You’re afraid of the thunder, right?" "U-uh… y-yeah, but…" "Before that, I should probably check outside for a bit. That sound just now was way too loud to ignore." "Huh…? You’re leaving?"

  Her eyes clung to me, pleading, and I hesitated… but it really would be better to take a quick look outside.

  "I’ll be right back." "…Okay."

  I stepped out briefly to check the situation. The wind was strong enough that using an umbrel was pointless, so I headed toward where the lightning had struck—only to find a tree split clean in half.

  *That’s* how powerful the lightning was? It must’ve been insanely strong.

  Luckily, though, there didn’t seem to be any fire.

  Relieved, I returned inside to find Ria waiting at the entrance with a towel.

  "Here. You’re soaked, right?" "Thanks." "Mhm."

  I took the towel from her and wiped off the water. For some reason, Ria was watching me intently.

  "Something wrong?" "Eh…!? N-no, nothing…!?"

  Despite her words, her face was slightly flushed.

  …Could she have caught a cold or something?

  "Hold on a sec." "Nngh…!"

  I gently pressed my hand against her forehead. Hmm. Doesn’t seem like she has a fever.

  "What was that for…!?" "Your face was red, so I thought you might have a fever. But you seem fine." "Ugh… w-well, I’m totally fine!"

  After drying myself off properly, I headed back to my room—with Ria following close behind, lightly gripping my sleeve.

  Now then. About sleeping in the bed… if she’s just scared, we don’t *have* to sleep together, right?

  "Lia. I’ll sleep on the floor." "Eh…? No way, that’s too much!" "I’m an adventurer. Sleeping on the floor is nothing new to me." "N-no…"

  Lia tightened her grip on my sleeve, her eyes glistening as she looked up at me.

  "…Let’s sleep together?"

  Guh…! What kind of man could refuse *that*? No—none.

  Besides, it’d be cruel to dismiss her feelings, so we climbed into bed together, lying back-to-back.

  The rain continued to pour heavily outside. But the thunder seemed to be moving away—the gap between the lightning and the sound was growing longer.

  "…Eek!!"

  Though distant, the next thundercp made Lia cling tightly to my back again, trembling. I gently took her hand in mine.

  "It’s okay." "Mhm…"

  Her reaction clearly suggested some deep-seated trauma. I didn’t know what had happened in Lia’s past, but at the very least, I could help her feel safe now.

  "Thank you… for indulging my selfish request." "You’re my employer. It’s not a big deal." "…I see."

  Her voice was quiet, but there was a hint of relief in it.

  Before long, I heard the soft sound of Lia’s breathing. Seems like she managed to fall asleep.

  I should sleep too. Letting drowsiness take over, I closed my eyes.

  ?

  Early morning.

  When I opened my eyes, it was just past five. A little earlier than usual, but if I went back to sleep now, I’d just oversleep.

  With that in mind, I decided to get up.

  "It’s clear out."

  Looking through the window, the rain had stopped. The clouds had cleared, too—looked like it was going to be a sunny day.

  As I got out of bed, I noticed Lia wasn’t there. She must’ve already woken up.

  Thinking she might be making breakfast, I headed to the dining area—only to find two sets of tableware already id out. Sounds came from the kitchen, where Ria stood wearing an apron.

  "Morning." "Ah, good morning, Yuri!"

  Lia greeted me with a bright smile. None of st night’s fear remained.

  She was reheating leftover soup from yesterday and now seemed to be frying eggs.

  "Eggs today?" "Yep. Since you taught me how to cook, I thought I’d try my best. And also…"

  Her face turned red as she slightly averted her gaze.

  "…as thanks for st night…! J-just wait in the dining room, okay…!?"

  She shooed me away, so I obediently went to wait. For some reason, I felt like a parent watching their child.

  Heh. It’s good that she’s trying to do things on her own.

  As I waited, Lia soon returned with the finished meal—leftover soup, toasted bread, and sunny-side-up eggs.

  "Fufu~! I didn’t burn them this time!" "So you *have* been burning them until now?" "Ugh… w-well…"

  Makes sense. With how recklessly she used to cook, she probably thought higher heat was always better.

  "But today, I did it right!" "Then, let’s dig in."

  I decided to try the eggs first. Cutting into them lightly with a fork, I took a bite.

  "G-gulp…"

  Lia watched nervously.

  "Mmm. Tastes good." "Ah… I’m gd!"

  She rexed, shoulders slumping. I get it—having someone else taste your cooking *is* nerve-wracking. Everyone has different preferences, but hearing it’s delicious is always nice.

  "Mhm. It *is* pretty good, if I do say so myself."

  Lia took a bite of her own cooking and seemed satisfied. We spent the morning together like that, eating in comfortable silence.

  "Ah, I should get going soon." "Work?" "Yep. I have duties at the church, and then I need to go to the royal capital." "I see. Leave the dishes. I’ll clean up." "Eh… but…" "We’re living together for a while now. We should help each other out, right?"

  Hearing that, Ria’s eyes widened. Did I say something weird…?

  "Mhm…! Thank you! Okay, I’m off then. I’ll probably be back te, so for locking up—"

  I listened as Lia expined how to secure the house before seeing her off at the door.

  She adjusted her shoes, then ran a hand through her glossy silver hair to smooth it out.

  "How do I look? Okay?"

  After checking her nun’s habit, she turned to me for confirmation. I answered honestly.

  "Yeah. You look beautiful." "Ugh…! O-okay, I’m going now!" "Alright. Take care." "See you ter!"

  As if savoring those words, Lia headed off to work. Being a Saint candidate must come with its own set of complications.

  I only knew the surface-level details about Lia from the original story. Guess there’s more to her than I thought.

  "Alright, time for me to go too."

  After seeing Lia off, I got ready as well.

  My destination, of course—was the dungeon.