A few days later, just as she had promised, Kotori Itsuka brought the now fully recovered Honjou Nia back to the Spirit Apartment.
And then… a small argument broke out between Kotori, Shidou, and Melusine.
Shidou and Kotori intended to set up a separate room for Nia, but Melusine didn't see the point in going through all that trouble.
"Wouldn't it be simpler to just let her stay in my room? That way I can take care of her up close."
"And where would you sleep?" asked Shidou.
"I won't," Melusine replied with absolute seriousness. "I don't need sleep. I can look after her twenty-four hours a day, no problem."
Which, unsurprisingly, drew collective protest from everyone present.
Especially Shidou, who shouted:
"Don't give me that 'I don't need sleep' crap! Last time, you slept for eight days and nights straight!"
"…"
Melusine's expression turned vaguely troubled.
The incident he was referring to happened not long after she'd moved into the Spirit Apartment. Melusine hadn't slept a single time since arriving, claiming she had no need for it. But Shidou and the others weren't having it.
No living creature can go without sleep, they insisted.
They were only trying to look out for her, and Melusine wasn't particularly good at rejecting the kindness of others—so, eventually, she gave in and tried sleeping.
And then… she slept for eight straight days and nights.
That's why she hated sleeping. The lack of necessity was only part of it. As a Servant, she didn't require sleep at all. As long as her mana reserves were stable, she could remain fully active indefinitely. And when it came to mana, she had no shortage—it was the one thing her heart, the strongest on this planet, produced in abundance.
More importantly, dragons didn't view time the same way humans did.
Eight days? That was short. A true dragon could easily hibernate for centuries at a time.
Well… if she were curled up in Master's arms, then Melusine could sleep as long as she liked.
During that eight-day slumber, Shidou and the others tried everything to wake her—but nothing worked. If it weren't for the fact that she still had vital signs, they'd have thought she was dead.
Shidou even tried physically approaching her to rouse her—and was immediately repelled by the sheer magnitude of spirit energy leaking from her unconscious form.
Disturbing a dragon's sleep? Kid, you've got guts.
With no way to wake her, they were forced to adopt a "wait and see" approach.
And wait they did—for eight full days and nights.
The funny part? When Melusine finally woke up and saw the clock, she thought she'd only slept for thirty minutes. It wasn't until the others told her eight days had passed that she completely froze.
Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?
But the worst part was yet to come.
Because they believed she'd slept that long due to prolonged insomnia and erratic sleeping habits, Shidou and the others insisted she start going to bed on time every night from then on.
Why?!
I had to deal with my parents nagging me to sleep on time back on Earth—and now that I've crossed into another world, I still have to obey a bedtime? What was even the point of reincarnating?!
…Though, of course, going to bed early and waking up early is a healthy habit. Staying up too late is bad for you, kids. Don't follow Melusine's example unless your heart runs on nuclear fusion.
After that infamous nap, Melusine also realized something else: she had an instinctive habit of wanting to hug something—or someone—while she slept. She craved warmth in her slumber.
It was probably the influence of that Melusine—the dragon part of her. Dragons were creatures that clung to body heat, especially at night.
In the end, after much back-and-forth, Nia was assigned to another room.
Melusine didn't even bother continuing the argument. It was too exhausting to explain herself.
Think whatever you want. I don't care anymore. I'm done trying…
With Nia now in the house and needing care, Melusine even cut back on her usual habit of going out to do her daily good deeds—er, her hundred good deeds a day.
Before, she would wander the city aimlessly, helping anyone she happened to come across. But lately, aside from her regular visits to people she already had appointments with—like some familiar patients at the hospital—she hadn't gone out much at all.
Now that the new school term had started, Shidou, Kotori, Tohka, and the Yamai twins were all attending classes. Even Yoshino had gone out for something.
Which meant… the apartment was now occupied by just two people.
A still-unconscious Honjou Nia.
And a very, very idle Melusine.
"Ugh… I'm so bored…"
She groaned like a beached fish.
Nearly swallowed by the sofa, Melusine stared blankly at the TV, watching some magical girl anime while lazily stuffing tomato-flavored chips into her mouth and occasionally sipping from a bottle of soda.
"Ah… life…"
She sighed again, the image of a dead-eyed otaku complete.
I gotta hand it to her… even though she inherited so much of me, she still managed to develop such an intense shut-in aura. Or maybe… maybe I had the talent for being a NEET all along?
When she was alone, Melusine relaxed completely. Maybe a little too much.
She reached into the chip bag for another handful—only to find it empty.
Without missing a beat, she fished around between the sofa cushions and pulled out a fresh, unopened bag.
You never know what's hiding in your couch cushions.
"Being a Servant really has its perks. No matter how much I eat, I'll never gain weight…"
She tore open the new bag and tossed more chips into her mouth. "Best part? I don't even have to go to the bathroom. All the food instantly gets converted into mana—no waste, no fuss."
In other words, she had achieved the ultimate dream of every shut-in:
A beautiful girl who doesn't need to use the toilet.
A true bishoujo doesn't poop. The ancients were right all along!
On-screen, the magical girl triumphed over evil by shouting about love and friendship.
Melusine clicked her tongue.
"Not a single severed head? Are you sure you're a magical girl? Real magical girls are supposed to lose a limb or two, beat the bad guy only to find out he was your childhood friend, and then realize your guiding mentor was a scumbag—or worse, a literal silver beast. Then you snap and try to destroy society out of spite."
Somewhere, Kurumi Tokisaki sneezed: "Who's bad-mouthing us?"
"…Hm?"
Suddenly, Melusine's eyes sharpened.
She tilted her head and glanced toward the second floor.