n

n

n

"Where do I go? To the left, where nothing's right; or to the right, where there's nothing left?

"

n*****1

nThe sun was bright and the sky was clear. As the morning breeze swept into my room, I lay in my bed, slowly opening my eyes. I felt a familiar warmth embracing my right arm, so I looked down to investigate. When I saw the beautiful long red-hair of Mei Gui, I knew exactly what had happened, and quickly pulled my arm away. This sudden force startled her, and the otherworldly beauty rose from her sleep.

n

"Mei Gui...didn't I tell you not to climb into my bed when I am sleeping...?

" I sighed, rubbing my eyes.

nThe beautiful girl stared at me for a couple of moments before bowing her head slightly and replied,

"Apologies, master...it was out of instinct.

"

nYou have an instinct for crawling into my bed at night? I don't even want to think about how many misunderstandings that single sentence is going to cause if anyone else heard it.

nLuckily, no one else was in my dorm, so my dignity was protected for the time being. With this walking time bomb around though, who knew when that would come to an end?

n

"Well, whatever,

" I muttered in response.

"At least you aren't completely naked this time...

"

nThe last time she had done this, she wasn't wearing a thing, meaning I very well could've subconsciously groped her bare skin. Just the thought made me shudder. There was so many things wrong with that, I couldn't even begin to list them all. One of the major ones being how young she looked...close to Qing Yue's appearance, to be honest. I didn't know what her real exact age was, but she was a legal loli...probably. If not, well, my life ends the moment she accidentally spills the news.

nIn any case, I got out of bed and got ready for the day. Brushed my teeth, took a shower, all that stuff. I checked the time using the clock on the wall, and panicked for a moment when it read 9:00, since classes started at 8:30. But then I remembered that today, along with the three days after today, were all class-free. It was our rest period from participating in the Advancement Exams. I sighed in relief and opened the fridge out of habit...only to find nothing.

n

"Uh, sorry, Mei Gui...

" I hollered out to the crimson-haired girl, who was sitting on the couch, relaxing.

"There isn't any food in the refrigerator, ahaha...

"

nLaughing awkwardly, I shut the fridge door. However, Mei Gui didn't seem to mind this at all, but instead shook her head calmly.

"No need to apologize, master. We can simply eat outside, or skip breakfast in general.

"

nDespite not being completely human, she seems quite familiar with human practices and terminology like 'breakfast', huh...but wait, does she even need to eat? She does, right?

nJust to confirm my hypothesis, I decided to ask for clarifaction.

"Hey, Mei Gui...incidentally, do you even need to eat food or drink water?

"

n

"No, I do not, master.

"

n

"Ah, yeah, I knew you needed to as wel- Wait, what?!

"

nI completely expected her to say 'yes', so I didn't even realize what she had responded with until I was already half-way through my sentence.

nSeeing my surprise, Mei Gui began explaining.

"Master, I do not to consume human food or water, since I get my energy and mana from another source.

"

n

"And that source is...?

"

n

"It's you, master.

"

n

"...Hold on, what?

"

nWait, was that why she climbs into my bed at night?! That can't be, right?! If food and water are to energy and mana in her case, then...she needs to sleep with me to be able to live?! What kind of messed up biology is that?!

nI decided to take a step back and regulate my own thinking, since right now my mind was completely jumbled, and no, it wasn't because I just woke up.

"W-Wait, so in other words, you have to climb into my bed every night in order to restore your own energy?

"

n

"That is correct, master,

" Mei Gui answered casually.

"However, if you do not wish for me to do so, I will obey your orders.

"

nI glanced at her skeptically.

"But won't you die then, without any energy?

"

n

"No, master. I can obtain energy from human food and human water as well, though it is just less efficient.

"

n

"...

"

nSay that sooner, dammit! You had me all worried about your health fornothing...

nI wanted to yell that out loud, but decided against it since I knew she would just begin apologizing again and feeling guilty, so I eventually just settled with sighing and letting bygones be bygones. She was just that kind of girl (?), after all.

nFor better or worse, I was able to, in the end, find out the truth about her climbing into my bed for apparently no reason. I knew better now, though. But if she eats food and water in the daytime like humans, then she wouldn't need to sleep with me at night for energy and mana. And so, the first thing on my to-do list in this four-day break from school is to procure some food.

n

"Mei Gui, you just stay here, I'll go get us some breakfast,

" I said, slipping on the usual hoodie I wore.

n

"Understood, master.

"

nHowever, as I was putting on my hoodie...a faint yet pleasant aroma tickled my nose.

nWait a minute...this hoodie...did someone wash it? Mm...yeah, this is the smell of laundry detergent, alright. I've used the school-provided one before, and this has the exact same fragrance.

n

"Hey, Mei Gui, did you wash this, by any chance?

"

nShe nodded.

"Yes, master. Once you had fallen asleep, I used the interesting machine on the balcony to 'wash' it. Was that what they call 'doing the laundry'?

"

nHearing her innocent question, I chuckled.

"Yeah, that's called doing the laundry. Thanks, by the way.

"

n

"No need for gratitude, master. This is within my responsibilities.

"

nActually, you've done more than enough. I got my ass saved by you plenty of times already, you know? Oh well. Least I can do to make it up to her is getting her some delicious food to eat...

n

"Thank you anyway,

" I replied. After putting on the hoodie completely and slipping on my running shoes, I turned to face Mei Gui one last time.

"Alright, I'm heading out.

"

nShe stood up and bowed to me in a maid-like fashion. Hmm...she's been doing that a lot lately. I wonder where or who she learned that from...

n

"Goodbye for now, master. I shall await your return here.

"

nI grinned, seeing her formal attitude accompanied by a completely expressionless face. My smile spread even wider as I remembered how cute she could be when she did let just the tiniest bit of emotions show, as much as she'd tried to hide the fact that she did indeed have human feelings. I didn't know why she wanted to pretend she was like a machine and nothing more, but I figured now wasn't the right time to ask her that. It felt a bit personal, and I haven't known her for all that long yet (despite living together).

nI strode out the door and headed towards the elevators, hearing the clanking of a door shut behind me.

"Now then...I said I would get her something tasty as a gift for all she's done for me so far, but...

"

nI took out my 99% empty wallet from my pocket, and unzipped the part designated to hold coins. Pouring out its contents onto my hand, I grimaced as I shook it violently, desperately trying to get one more coin to come out of it. But alas, no matter how much you wanted to deny it, reality does not change. I zipped my wallet's coin compartment back up and put the entire thing back into my pocket.

nOpening my palm, I glanced down at the three sole pennies lying there.

n

"Great...what am I going to do with this...?

"

n*****

nI soon reached the ground level of the boys' dorms, and planned to head outside, still with no clear destination in mind. However, in the lobby of the building, I found four girls waiting for me. They were my allies during the Advancement Exams, one of them being my (not blood-related) little sister.

nSpotting me, Qing Yue hurriedly ran over and leapt up to me.

"Heya, Big Brother Xuan Kai!

"

nCheerful as always, I see.

n

"...What are you all doing here?

" I asked, catching Qing Yue in my arms.

n

"Oh, um...the four of us talked a bit last night, and decided it was time to get you some stuff,

" Feng Mian replied casually.

n

"Some 'stuff'?

"

n

"Yeah,

" Yu An Yan nodded.

"I mean...you don't even have any food, right? So why don't we go, um...shopping together?

"

nAs her cheeks began to turn pink nearing the end of her sentence, I dubiously looked down at Qing Yue.

"Uh...you were the one to suggest this, weren't you?

"

nMy cute little sister didn't reply, but instead just beamed at me and snuggled deeper in my arms. I sighed, and patted her head.

n

"Well? Do you want to come...?

" Feng Mian asked, waiting anxiously for my answer.

nWhy are you so nervous? Stop fidgeting with your hair...I'm not going to reject you here.

n

"Hm...I would be lying if I said I wasn't completely broke, so...

" I muttered quietly.

n

"Then it's decided!

" Yu An Yan declared, clapping her hands together happily. All sign of nervousness was gone from all the girls.

"We'll go shopping with you today!

"

n

"Right...

" I sighed dejectedly.

nHow pathetic am I? To be letting four girls buy things for me...well, I can't really help it. I guess I could've asked for some money after winning the tournament...actually, isn't there a Hunters' Guild somewhere? From what I know, the Hunters' Guild is an organization that handed out quests for exterminating Monsters and wild Magic Beasts. It was a good source of stable income, as long as you completed quests from time to time. Before, I hadn't even considered joining this organization, since I didn't have magic back then. I would be killed immediately, even if I was somehow accepted into the organization by some miraculous happening. But now...I think I can support myself using this, huh?

n

"Hey, guys...

" I stopped walking and called out to the four girls in front of me.

n

"What is it?

" Feng Mian asked in curiosity.

n

"Have you...ever heard about the Hunters' Guild?

"

n

"...The Hunters' Guild?

" Yu An Yan echoed thoughtfully.

"Yeah, they're that organization that pays money to people who complete specific tasks, right?

"

n

"Ah...wait, Big Brother Xuan Kai, are you planning on joining?

" Qing Yue looked at me with a frown.

n

"Precisely. I can't always have four girls supporting me, y'know?

" I replied in unease. Just saying that line out loud was extremely embarrassing.

n

"Hm...okay, we'll come with you then!

" Feng Mian declared suddenly.

n

"Yeah, sounds fun!

"

n

"Indeed, we can all go together.

"

n

"Mm...agreed.

"

nI blinked at the four girls in confusion.

n

"...Hold up, what?

"

n