Chapter 23: Tomodachi no Mama?
[June 18, Morning]
[After ending the three-day honeymoon vacation with Morgan, you returned to the busy life at Chaldea Academy.]
[On the surface, everything seemed to be as usual, but in reality, a few subtle changes had already appeared.]
[First was yourself—having tasted the forbidden fruit, you had become far more sensitive toward women.]
[Next were the Knights of the Round Table...]
In mid-June, the noon sunlight grew ever more intense and dazzling. The heat of midsummer made people so weary that they could barely keep their eyes open, wanting only to hurry back to the dormitory for an afternoon nap.
Britain Class classroom, during the break between periods.
"Gawain, do you know?"
Tristan, sitting in the row behind, suddenly turned around and spoke to his deskmate.
"Know what?"
Gawain asked.
"You and I, although both students of Chaldea Academy, are at the same time Heroic Spirits who have lived through two lifetimes. In other words, both of us are considered grown men who have already had families."
"Ha ha, then I only hope that the next time you strike up a conversation with a married woman, you'll remember this."
"Don't praise me, it's embarrassing. The reason I suddenly brought up this topic is because I want to prove a certain point of view…"
Tristan's gaze became serious, and he spoke in the proper, upright tone of a scholar.
"— When a man is no longer a virgin, his perspective on everything will become completely different!"
"!"
After hearing this, Gawain immediately showed admiration, rubbed his chin, and asked seriously:
"Then what is your opinion?"
"In the thinking of many people, especially those of our era, compared to age, people often use two things to verify whether a man has truly matured: going to the battlefield to kill enemies, and taking a wife and having children. After passing through these two major milestones of life, the way one views everything will completely change."
"After the battlefield, one truly comes to feel the fragility and preciousness of life; after starting a family, one truly understands the responsibilities of a husband and a father. If put in modern terms, someone who is married and burdened with a home loan, and a student who is still in school, are two kinds of people living in completely different worlds. Many things can only be viewed from the same level after experiencing them personally. So, so that is…"
Tristan posed his question in a solemn tone.
"I'm very concerned, I'm truly very concerned… has Sir Eikou already ceased to be a virgin, or is he still one?!"
"Ha ha, I thought you were going to say something momentous,"
Gawain said with a cheerful laugh,
"Does this even need to be said? That rare occasion when he went out to have fun without bringing us along, he was obviously going to enjoy some private space with the girl he likes. A full three days and two nights—if he still didn't cross that line, it wouldn't sound very reasonable."
"Haah, I originally thought the same…"
The gazes of the two Knights of the Round Table shifted at the same time, looking toward not far away, where Eikou was being spoken to by Barghest.
"Ha… ha…"
Facing Barghest—a tall, well-endowed blonde British girl with an extremely alluring figure—especially that exceptionally prominent bust of hers, Eikou couldn't help but swallow his saliva the moment he saw it. Then he blushed and turned his head away, completely not daring to look straight at or speak with such a big-sister type woman with a tall build and such a bust.
"If he really is no longer a virgin, why does it feel like he's even worse at dealing with women?"
Tristan asked.
"Ehm…"
Gawain thought for a moment,
"But I think he's quite at ease when he's with Our King."
"It's not all women,"
Tristan pondered and said,
"After careful observation, I've noticed that recently he's been increasingly liked by younger girls. But conversely, he seems even less adept at handling women with full figures, who are older and give off a maternal feeling. Lately, whenever he's spoken to, his face turns red and he runs off."
"Such keen observation. Is this the outstanding ability to read people that you cultivated by frequently paying attention to married women?"
"I already said it's not time to praise me. What's important is that we find a way to ask about what he actually experienced during those three days. I'm very curious whether he has 'crossed the line' or not, and why he has become like this."
On the other side, the conversation between Barghest and Eikou was still continuing.
"Eikou, the Student Council has assigned a task to me,"
Barghest said,
"recently, the after-school campus patrol mission will be handled by us… Eikou, why are your eyes glued to the floor below like that?"
Barghest, who was one meter ninety tall, leaned down slightly, looking at him with concern. Her full bosom swayed gently before his eyes, outlining extremely eye-catching curves.
Eikou blushed and said:
"Don't use words like 'below' or 'assigned' like that, you have to be more mindful of your wording, Barghest!"
"What are you talking about, Eikou,"
the overwhelmingly imposing chest of Barghest was right in front of him,
"why do you look so strange, your whole body is stiff. Do you need me to help rub your neck to ease it?"
Hearing this, Eikou shook his head and advised her in a very serious tone:
"I already said it, don't use weird words like 'stiff' or 'rub' anymore."
Hey, just what kind of way are his ears interpreting things?!
The two Knights of the Round Table standing nearby couldn't help but complain inwardly, thinking that this had clearly crossed into the level of older people's dirty jokes.
Obviously Eikou still looked very innocent, yet he was paying far more attention to women, and had become extremely sensitive to topics related to that kind of thing!
In just three short days, what on earth had he gone through?!
"Don't mind it. The Queen has instructed us very thoroughly—the Fairy Knights—that while at Chaldea Academy, we must wholeheartedly serve you. When you need it, we help you with work, share your burdens, and resolve your troubles, so it's perfectly fine for you to give us orders."
Barghest said seriously.
"Wholeheartedly serve… share burdens…?"
Eikou opened his eyes wide in horror, then his face flushed bright red as he shook his head repeatedly.
"Even if Morgan really has such strange preferences, I'm still not mentally prepared! Being served by so many people like this is still far too early for me!"
"???" x3
"It's over, Sir Eikou is basically done for."
Gawain shook his head,
"Tristan, although I'm also curious about his situation, letting things take their natural course might be better."
"But I'm really very curious…"
Tristan looked distressed,
"I don't know why, but lately there's always this feeling of a deprived husband about him, that strange signal feels like it's about to mess up my married woman radar. I absolutely have to uncover the truth."
What kind of thing is this so-called feeling of a deprived husband, and what in the world is a married woman radar anyway. The one with the most abnormal mind here was clearly you, Tristan.
Thinking this, Gawain shook his head helplessly.
If he didn't help Tristan clarify this matter, that guy would definitely torment himself again and then lament that his depression had relapsed.
Sigh, better to help Tristan investigate a little after all.
"If you really want to get to the bottom of it, first we have to find out who he dated during those three days. Alright, let's recall the situation back then—among the women we know around us, who just happened to disappear, then returned together with him after three days… umu, let me think…"
Gawain suddenly froze, an image of a woman whose timing completely matched abruptly appearing in his mind.
"Mother-sama…?!"