“18+... Pervert... Employer...” Doggie muttered as he collapsed... Or so it seemed. He fell face-first onto the desk by the wall, and the brush rolled out of his hand with a thud.
“Heh heh heh, ah, wonderful. At last...at last, an offering for the love and peace 18+-exclusive subspace...” Overcome with emotion, I hugged the freshly completed white cloth. This cloth bore the painting that had just been finished moments ago. I’d dried it with magic in an instant, then used magic to clean the desk and the brush that had clattered onto it.
“Oh my, so this is where you were.”
I must have been so focused on the cloth I was hugging that I missed the knock on the door. Turning at the voices behind me, I found my patrons standing there.
“Galfi and Yust!” I exclaimed.
Doggie was less enthusiastic. “S-Sirs...”
On weekends, they sometimes dropped by the studio to check on me like this. But now that Doggie was getting used to illustration work, they mostly seemed to come here for monthly meetings. My novel was on hold for now, waiting for the illustrations, so I didn’t come here unless there was business to attend to, like today.
Oh, yes, the publishing house and Yust’s trading company were separate entities. It was only natural, since their sales channels and industries differed. However, both Doggie and the publishing house were involved with the paper fans and megaphones currently sold by Yust’s trading company.
More importantly, the alluring lady—or rather, the alluring Galfi—turned around and saw us the instant he looked back, and his expression suddenly became suspicious. His dark gray eyes were framed by long, wavy ash-brown bangs with a soft sheen. Those mesmerizing eyes seemed to silently ask what the hell the two of us were doing.
More importantly, why was Doggie sending me that clingy, pleading look? I didn’t get it.
“So, you look like you’re at the end of your rope, boy,” said Yust as he crept closer to Doggie. He was an intimidating-looking man, with short reddish-brown hair, a scar over his left eye, and a powerful build. “Why are your eyes begging for mercy like that? And Lavi’s got an ominous look on her face—cheeks flushed, eyes burning. Hey, boy, you didn’t do anything to my kid, did you?”
Doggie, feeling the pressure, whimpered and whined fearfully. “Why are you blaming me when you know I’m the one who got something done to me?!”
But Yust absolutely adored children, and Doggie was now an illustrator providing hot-selling merchandise. He’s just worried because you look so worn out, Doggie!
“Oh, come on. Do you really think you can stop Lavi? It’s not about punishing you. It’s easier to train your twisted nature to Lavi’s pure masochistic disposition, obviously. Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle-hard.”
“I don’t get what you mean with that rephrasing!” Doggie sputtered. “‘Gentle-hard’ is a contradiction in terms, isn’t it?!”
“It’s fine,” said Yust. “You’re important merchandise—no, a sucker. I’ll make sure Galfi goes easy on you too.”
“That’s why I asked what you meant by rephrasing it! Eek!”
Oh dear, poor Doggie. The moment he stood up, Galfi cornered him against the wall. Followed by a wall slam. Then he twisted his toned, enchanting leg—peeking out from the slit in his skirt—between Doggie’s legs! This was such an artistic scene!
Both of them had great figures. Doggie was broader than Galfi, but their heights and the lengths of their legs were about the same, and that alone made something boil up inside me.
“Well, well, you two certainly are close!” I remarked. “Well then, I’ll be off!”
“H-Hey! You’re leaving me like this?! You’re a monster! Eeek!!!”
My two patrons exchanged a quick glance, so Doggie was ignored. I wanted to embroider this scene onto fabric immediately!
Stepping outside, I saw the sun was already high in the sky. Getting up early had definitely been the right call!
“L-Lady Robur!”
Oh dear, she’d been hiding in the bushes since morning, barely noticeable. Was she really okay? She stood blocking my path and didn’t utter a single word more, so I decided to speak first. Of course, I never let my usual smile fade. “It’s been a while, Lady Faltan.”
“Yes.” Her dark brown hair glistened blue in the sunlight. Her gaze remained fixed downward as ever. Her long bangs hid her sky blue eyes and adorable features—such a waste. Her voice was incredibly soft, and her lack of confidence palpable, which was rather disappointing.
But she reminded me so much of my daughter from my past life, it was nostalgic. Before the twin boys grew up and became rowdy teens, she always used to fidget like this around anyone outside the family. Her speaking voice had been like a whisper. After getting dragged into her brothers’ activities and being forced to help with their mischief more often, though, she started asserting herself more firmly.
Still, Lady Faltan had stopped me to try to speak to me about something, right?
She was silent.
Yeah, yeah. Being unable to speak when it counted was another trait of our fidgety one. Come on, give it your best shot! I cheered her on silently.
She stayed silent.
What should I do? Did she really call me over for something? She was something else, making me feel pained at having to keep the smile on my face.
Her silence continued.
I should probably be heading home soon. If she had something to say, she should call out to me again.
I took a step forward, trying to slip around the obstacle in my way. The obstacle took a step back. Looking at her cautiously, I took another step forward, and she took another step back. I tried two steps forward—she took two steps back.
She stayed silent the whole time.
Right, this was a game! The rule was to advance and retreat in silence, maintaining equal intervals! Next, I tried two steps back. The other party looked up for just an instant, startled, then took two steps forward.
See? I knew it!
But repeating this all the way to the street ahead sounded exhausting. If I’d known, I would’ve ridden back on Latte, the horse I’d ridden here with Doggie. I’d planned to teleport back, so I’d left Latte tied up in the studio’s stable to spare Doggie the trouble.
By the way, this studio Yust owned was located in the suburbs, a few hours’ horseback ride from the capital. Around the time I was born, there’d apparently been a boom in aristocratic villas, and this place was one of the ones built then.
There’d been a noble who got into a dispute with the Lyonoble Trading Company, where Yust served as chairman, and he’d ended up settling it in court. This place had been handed over as part of the settlement, along with a sum of money. The noble himself seemed to have completely forgotten about it, though.
Being a slightly run-down suburb, it took quite a walk to get to the main road. If we were playing games, it’d probably take even longer. Maybe I’d have joined if I had free time? Honestly, though, I’d have rather done things like braid hair or dress her up, like I did with my daughters and granddaughters in my past life.