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n“Oi, Ichika. This is for you.”

nSaying that Kehma handed Ichika a blue gemstone necklace. The tear-drop, the water-drop-shaped blue stone, is quickly becoming Ichika’s favorite.

n“What? Oh my, it’s a pretty necklace. Is it for me? If it is, I won’t give it back even if you asked me to.”

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n“By the way, that’s a magic tool. When you suck on it, water comes out.”

n“Oh, so this is a magic stone… Hmm.”

nAs soon as Ichika sucked on the stone, water began to seep out. Sure, you can use it to quench your thirst, but it’s much faster to drink water from a cup.

n“Mm-hmm. This is good.”

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n“I chose this because I thought it would look good on Ichika.”

n“Eh, you choose it for me?”

nHowever, what bothered Ichika was the fact that this was a necklace s magic tool. It’s rare to see magic tools necklaces. It must be very expensive.

nIchika looked to see if the name of the maker or the name of the workshop was engraved on it.

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nIf it was made by Kehma or Nerune, it would not have such a thing on it. If not, that would be a good indicator of the price and the fact that he had taken the trouble to buy it.

nIf you look closely, you can see something that looks like “Nayutashishido” engraved in an inconspicuous place. It seemed to be the name of the maker. …Ichika thought, so this is something that he brought for her.

nSo this means–

n“Don’t show it off too much, especially around Dolce.”

n“Hmm? Oh, okay, so that’s what you mean, I got it.”

n“Yeah, I’m grateful that Ichika is smart and can understand it quickly. You saved me a lot of time explaining things.”

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n“But I never thought Master would give me something so fancy…”

n“I’m glad you’re happy with it. Well then.”

nAnd then Kehma left.

nSo. Ichika has made her guess… This is a sign of a mistress proposal!

n“…no, the meaning of giving ornaments to a slave is… That’s it! Finally, I’m going to be touched by Master.”

nIn front of his wife, Rokuko, there’s Dolce – who acts as Haku’s eye – should she found out about this, it would put Kehma in a tight spot. That’s why he didn’t explain much.

n“Oh, I should go to the hot spring and clean myself up.”

nIchika was in a good mood, humming a tune as she headed for the hot springs at the inn.

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nOn the way, she ran into Niku.

n“Hello, Niku-senpai.”

n“Oh. Are you in a good mood, Ichika?”

n“What should I do~ mmmm… I’m not sure if I’m allowed to tell Niku-senpai… ufufufu.”

n“?”

nNiku tilted her head while looking at Ichika, who is smiling from ear to ear.

n“Did something good happen?”

n“Yes. I got a necklace from Master, and I was wondering if that’s what it means.”

n“Oh, everyone gets one of those.”

n“Seriously? Is Master trying to build a harem!? …wait, everyone?”

nShe then heard that not only Rei, Kinue, and Nerune, but also their subordinates, the Silkies, and Eleca, received magical accessories. And this goes without saying, but Rokuko and Soto also received them.

n“……mmm, if it’s being handed out like that…. maybe I’m wrong.”

n“Master gave me this.”

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nOn both of Niku’s arms were ornamental bangles with yellow stones.

nHowever, its construction is simple. It’s different from Ichika’s necklaces since it focuses itself on practicality.

n“It’s a bangle that produces a stone for throwing. When activated, it creates a stone in a position that is easy to grab. When you swing your arm while making it, it will fall in your hand, and you can throw it as it is.”

n“An all-you-can-throw bracelet.”

n“It’s a prototype from Nerune. Nerune received the sand-blinding bracelet, which is the base for my bracelet.”

n“Oh, senpai’s bracelet is Nerune original prototype?”

nThis means that it is homemade, unlike Ichika’s necklace. Was his intention is for ‘that’ purpose after all? {h*rny gurl}

n“So, it’s mean that Nerune received the original ones?”

n“Yeah, beside her, Rei and Kinue also received the magic tools Master had purchased.”

nI heard that Silkies has a set of ear cuffs and rings that Nerune made a prototype of for them.

nLooking at this, it seems that the purchased accessories are being given to the older girls and Nerune’s prototype to the younger group.

n…so, it had ‘that’ meaning after all? Ichika thought.

n“I’ve been told not to say too much, so Ichika shouldn’t tell anyone either.”

n“Is that what you’ve been told?”

n“Yes.”

nMaster also told the same thing to Niku that’s been known as a hug pillow. Why is that? …She wonder, is this really a night call sign?

n“It’s called magic accessory, specialty product from the Holy Kingdom.”

n“Oh. Master went to the trouble of importing it?”

n“That’s what I’ve been told.”

nIchika thought that the transportation cost would be quite expensive, but at the same time, it suddenly occurred to her that Kehma’s has stationed people in the Holy Kingdom, and then she remembers Soto’s transportation ability.

n“Ah, I see now.”

n“That’s right.”

nNiku nodded.

nSoto’s power is what he’s been hiding from Haku. Ichika finally understands why it must not be known by Haku’s subordinate, Dolce.

n“Sigh… and here I thought that he’s talking about making me a mistress.”

n“Mistress, huh? I think that also possible.”

n“Well, which one is the truth, though?”

nIchika was confused when Niku unexpectedly agreed with her.

n“Which one? Isn’t it possible that it’s both?”

n“Ummmm, I’m not sure. I guess I should have asked for more explanation from Master.”

nSince he was wary of Dolce, Ichika couldn’t blame her Master for not giving a clear explanation, but he also couldn’t blame Ichika for just keeping quiet and taking his minimum instructions, which could lead to an accidental leak of info.

nNevertheless, Ichika is confident that she could keep quiet about both. And if this was a sign for mistress invitation, all she had to do is to wait until he called her… but still, she wants to make sure.

n“All right! Then why don’t we crawl into Master’s bed now? Since Niku senpai is working as Master hug pillow, you must have unlimited access to his room, right? Either way, we can confirm it on the spot. If it really a mistress invitation contract, I will just go for it!”

n“I see! you are so clever, Ichika.”

nSo, with Niku’s consent, Ichika went to Kehma’s room.

nThey found out about it later, but as expected, Kehma only wants to keep a secret about Soto’s ability.

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