Reincarnated as an Instructor in an Adult Game

Chapter 51: ☆I’ll praise you...

Fia turned toward me and sat straddling my lap.

She wrapped both arms around my neck, tilted her head with a face still wet from tears but now smiling beautifully, and said,

"Take care of me and Croana, okay?"

"M-Me too!"

I gently held Fia’s waist with both hands and nodded with a smile.

Leah grabbed my right arm tightly and spoke with a big, tear-free smile on her face.

Fia suddenly seemed to notice something. Still holding onto me, she looked toward the sofa across from us.

I followed her gaze, but no one was sitting there.

"My, we have a rare visitor, don’t we?"

"Yeah. She has a nice, gentle scent, so it’s fine."

"...Can you see her?"

I was slightly startled by Chale’s surprised voice coming from the empty sofa.

To think she was completely invisible even in a bright place...

I let out a sigh with an exasperated expression and spoke toward the seemingly empty sofa.

"Chale, didn’t you say you’d give a signal?"

"No... I was about to, but..."

"Well, it must be hard to call out."

Fia laughed awkwardly, stopped hugging me, and floated down toward Leah, her long, glossy hair swaying.

A fresh forest scent wafted gently — like a misty morning woodland.

Leah tilted her head and asked Chale curiously,

"Why don’t you show yourself?"

"It’s because of my duties. So..."

"I won’t tell anyone."

"Thank you."

Chale’s voice carried clear relief as she thanked her.

...Well, if she’s in covert operations, being seen would be a problem.

I scratched the back of my head with a wry smile and said,

"Um... In times like this, could you keep some distance?"

"...Fufu. Understood."

"I’m surprised. You do laugh."

"I thought I didn’t laugh much either..."

...No, now I’m really curious.

What kind of appearance would make people react like that?

Just then, Erika and the others came back from the bath, still warm and steamy. I told them about Chale.

Erika and the three girls reacted the same way I did — completely surprised.

"I really can’t see her at all..."

"This is scary~"

"Teach me how to do that."

"It’s like she has no physical presence..."

"Um... Could you please not creep closer?"

Satour, driven by curiosity, approached with her hands wiggling as if trying to confirm whether Chale had a physical body.

Chale stopped her with a troubled voice.

The scene was so funny that I burst out laughing.

We chatted for a while. Fia and Leah said they would come again tomorrow and went home.

I was surprised when Leah gave me a kiss on the lips before leaving.

Despite her energetic image, she looked embarrassed as she hurriedly flew away, the hem of her dress fluttering.

After that, everyone returned to their respective rooms.

Chale said she would come immediately if I called her and seemed to move a little farther away.

...Since I couldn’t see her, I had no choice but to trust her words.

In the room I had rented.

After taking a bath and returning, I was in trouble.

"U-um... Erika?"

"What is it?"

"What’s gotten into you all of a sudden..."

I was sitting on the bed when Erika straddled me and sat on my lap, just like Fia had earlier.

Since I had my arms wrapped around her waist, from the side it probably looked like we were in a face-to-face sitting position.

Moreover, she was gently holding my head with both hands and pressing it into her chest.

So my entire field of vision was filled with the valley between Erika’s breasts.

The scent of her fresh-from-the-bath skin and her subtle rose fragrance. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

The slightly damp skin and the soft sensation of her breasts.

I was savoring it with my whole face.

"...Fia-san told me to."

"Hm?"

"She said she wanted me to praise you... and that right now, I’m the only one who can do it."

"Fia did?"

I lifted my face slightly from Erika’s chest and saw her looking at me with faintly flushed cheeks and a gentle, loving smile.

She wasn’t showing her usual embarrassed expression — it was a tender, affectionate smile.

While I was slightly stunned, Erika stroked the back of my head and said,

"I heard from Fia-san. You really are kind, aren’t you?"

"I’m..."

"Aren’t you kind?"

"..."

"Even if you don’t think so yourself, the people you’ve helped think you are kind. Isn’t that enough?"

Erika’s warm acceptance almost made me melt.

Despite our age difference being nearly half, it was hard to tell who was the adult here.

Just yesterday she had been blushing furiously from embarrassment. What had changed?

Erika seemed to read my expression and smiled apologetically.

"I thought... you probably haven’t been praised much."

"I’m not at an age where..."

"I will praise you... You’re always the one giving. Let me return the favor sometimes."

At Erika’s words, I pressed my face into her chest on my own and tightened the arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

The whole time, Erika gently stroked my hair with one hand, and her own hair softly brushed against my arms wrapped around her waist.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I muttered in a small voice,

"Just for a little while... let me stay like this."

"With pleasure."

The next day, when I woke up in the morning, there was a chest right in front of me.

The rose scent tickled my nose. I remembered falling asleep while being held by Erika and gave a wry smile.

I reaffirmed that if Nimi, Felica, Croana, and Erika kept spoiling me like this, I would become a hopeless person.

"Nn..."

I kissed Erika’s chest, carefully got out of bed without waking her, and left the room to wash my face.

While we were all gathered and having breakfast, the innkeeper came to tell us we had a visitor.

When I went to the waiting area, Taylor was there drinking tea.

When he saw me, he gestured for me to sit in front of him.

I sat down and spoke with a wry smile to the somewhat tired-looking Taylor.

"You look exhausted."

"Who do you think is to blame?"

"If you’re going to say that..."

"Don’t say it. I know. I just feel like complaining a bit. Forgive me."

What Taylor wanted to say was that the series of events at the church should have been their job.

If they had noticed earlier, the sisters wouldn’t have been attacked.

He was blaming himself for thinking the church would never get involved in such things.

It was true that I had helped, but because the information I brought was even bigger, he ended up venting.

I listened with a troubled expression and took a sip of the tea prepared for me.

"If I had known you were in Santony, I would have gone to see you first."

"That can’t be helped. After the war ended, the unit scattered. The only one whose whereabouts I knew was the captain."

"...It’s far to go see him."

"Same for me... Traveling with my wife would be too far."

"I bet... Wife?"

I was surprised and asked again, since I had thought Taylor was single.

Apparently he had a good encounter in Santony and recently got married.

He wasn’t wearing a ring because in his line of work, he didn’t want it to get scratched.

I suggested that if he ever came to the royal capital to play, he should visit [Suzuya]. I would let him stay in the inn’s VIP room at a cheap rate.

I told him I felt indebted and wanted to do at least this much. Taylor smiled and replied, "Someday."

Then his expression turned serious. He took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to me.

I accepted it with a puzzled look, opened the seal, and asked,

"What is this?"

"A letter addressed to the men who attacked the church. It’s true they were moneylenders, but there’s more to it..."

"...This noble’s name looks familiar."

"Where from?"

The name written in the letter was that of the man who had embraced Elysia.

Moneylenders... was he the one behind it?

I told Taylor the thought that had crossed my mind for a second.

If it was correct, something very bad would happen.

It would be a far more tragic conflict than the war with another country.

Taylor listened to my thoughts and hurriedly left the inn.