The bedsheets beside me rustled.
A moment later, a sweet scent reached my nostrils.
Licia: "Hmn... if you want to..."
Holding onto my arm, Licia mumbled, whispering temptations into my ear.
Stiff as a rock, I faced the ceiling, careful not to turn her or Claire's way.
Licia: "...You want to... right?"
Already asleep, daydreaming something I dared not imagine, Licia pressed her puppies against my arm.
It was hard, almost impossible to resist the warm, soft sensation on my arm.
Even worse, after sliding a hand down my chest, I felt the texture of her shorts on the back of my hand.
She was pulling my hand, and with every small movement of my legs, I rubbed a dangerous place.
If things were different, and she wasn't sleeping, I'd be overjoyed.
But as things stood, just imagining what would happen if she woke up like this made me break out in a cold sweat.
After quickly registering the satisfied smile she wore when tormenting me, I made the tough decision of turning away.
I thought it'd be fine as long as I kept my distance from Claire, but I underestimated her quite a bit.
From the waist up, she took up less space than Licia, giving me plenty of breathing room. From the waist down, it was a completely different story.
No matter the angle I tried, I couldn't escape the pressure of those hips, and moving too much was a problem in itself.
However, it got worse.
Licia: "I'll help you..."
I had no idea what she was dreaming of, but even that sliver of hope was crushed when she hugged my back.
Instead of helping, her entire body began pushing me toward Claire.
And from the front, Claire pushed back, crushing me up and down between the mountains.
Things had quickly grown more dangerous than when we started, so...
I bit the bullet.
Turning away from that monstrous, evil rear, I once again found myself facing the ceiling.
The girls lay closer than before, squeezing me even tighter between them, so I held my arms close to my sides, using all of my strength to make sure Licia couldn't play with my hands again.
Claire: "...What are you doing?"
Her words were much clearer than Licia's.
She must've realized what was happening behind her back.
Or worse, she could've gotten the wrong idea...
Miwen: "Sorry. I'll move a little."
Claire: "Hmph."
Licia was still hugging my arm, so I had nowhere to go, but...
If I explained it to her, she would understand.
Claire: "Aren't your arms going numb? That must feel awful."
Miwen: "It's fine. It's my fault that we ended up like this, so it's the least I can do."
It was just a small inconvenience for me.
I was much more worried about making them uncomfortable.
Claire: "...Is that so?"
She mumbled a little, sighing to herself.
A second passed, the bed creaking as Claire turned my way.
Claire: "Don't get the wrong idea. It's not that I care about you or anything. It's just that your bed is too small and I needed more space."
She wrapped my arm over her shoulder, her hand going after the other.
After a small struggle, she broke it free from Licia's hold, causing my first companion to pout hard.
Claire: "Hmph. If you're going to take responsibility, do it to the very end. With no compromise."
She guided my arm toward Licia's shoulder, the two now resting against my chest.
Miwen: "I see. Thanks for the tip."
Spreading my arms felt much better.
As thanks, I landed a hand on Claire's head, stroking her hair.
Claire: "W-What are you doing!?"
Miwen: "Taking your advice to heart."
She stared hard at me, but ultimately, she lowered her head.
Claire: "Tch. It's not me you should be worrying about. If you're gonna comfort someone-"
Miwen: "I know."
I began patting Licia's head as well.
Miwen: "Trust me. I'll make sure you're both comfortable."
Claire: "Hmph! I told you not to misunderstand."
She had buried her face so much that I couldn't see her expression any longer.
However, she never tried to take my hand away, and just like that...
I woke up with Licia, and Claire wrapped around my arms.
I tried my best to leave the bed quietly, in order not to wake them up.
From outside the door, I took a look at them, just to see whether or not I had succeeded, and once I confirmed they were still sleeping, I left to start making breakfast.
However, shortly after I had started...
Claire: "Mind if we talk?"
Miwen: "Not at all."
I suddenly hear Claire's voice behind me.
Judging by her tone, she seemed a little serious about it.
Claire: "You're very careless, do you know that?"
That caught me by surprise.
Not that I mind being called careless, but... I didn't think of myself as such.
If anything, I felt I was quite cautious.
This made me wonder about what gave her that impression.
Miwen: "...And why do you think that?"
Claire: "That girl. If she had not suggested we sleep together, you would have to make a sacrifice. Either you or she, one of you would have to be exposed to danger."
...I should've known, there was another reason why she accepted it so easily.
I wasn't the only one thinking about the logistics and dangers of the situation we had at hand.
Still, while I did agree that this was for the best, I only refrained from suggesting it because I didn't want to damage her impression of me.
But I could see how she was right.
I had my priorities switched.
First and foremost, I should've considered Licia's safety. My relations with her could always be mended later.
Miwen: "I guess you're right. Being indecisive could've ended up creating a bad situation for all of us... I'll be more mindful from now on."
Claire: "But this is not all."
...She approached me and used her finger to touch my back.
Claire: "You don't know about my Gift. Aren't you a little too relaxed in front of a stranger? What if I could kill you right now?"
True. Not knowing her Gift was a problem.
In the future, I would be sure to ask the Gifts of all citizens summoned before proceeding with negotiations.
Miwen: "...Well, I'm not that weak either. Especially considering the level of newly summoned citizens. And I can also run away and protect myself inside the Kingdom."
Claire: "Sure. But aren't you forgetting someone? Do you think she could do the same while sleeping?"
She got me there.
Both of them seem used to fighting, so I don't think the level difference would be enough to make up for the surprise attack and chaos of the situation.
Claire: "...Well, I do understand that this is happening because you don't want to risk making us uncomfortable, but... All I'm trying to say is that you should be more cautious. And also, thankful to her. She's covering your back more than you might notice."
Without Licia, or if I didn't care about either of them, the solution would have been very simple.
I could just lock both inside the room, if I were feeling particularly kind, give them a bucket or something.
Yet, towards them, I feel a sense of responsibility that makes me unable to act this way.
But she was right. My desire to make them happy could, in turn, hurt their safety.
I had to plan things better and get my priorities straight.
While it might not be as comfortable at first for everyone, it was better to do it like this than to risk something bad happening.
Miwen: "I understand, I'll be more careful in the future... Thanks for the advice."
In the end, her words were really just that, advice.
However, they weren't meant only to help me.
Claire: "It's not me you should be thanking right now though..."
Miwen: "That's right. Thanks as well, Licia."
Licia: "...Mhm... you're welcome."
She was standing behind Claire, a little far, but still watchful of our exchange.
In case something happened, she would have come to help me again.
In the end, it all circled back.
To make sure they wouldn't get hurt, and to not give them trouble, I had to fix my act too.
Or else, I'd risk the very happiness I'm trying to give them.
Miwen: "This is good though..."
Claire: "Hm? What was that?"
Miwen: "To be honest, I wasn't so sure about you. You got over the situation rather quickly, and I thought you might try something... but... although you had your chance just now, instead of doing something bad, you came to me with good intentions. I appreciate that."
In other words, she chose to help me instead of being hostile, even though she had a good opportunity.
This was a good first step. She seems strong, both mentally and physically, so if I could develop a good relationship with her, as I did with Licia, I'd have another strong ally.
And with the three of us together, we could look after each other's backs.
Claire: "W-well... I have nothing to gain from attacking you; I don't even know the first thing about this world. And above all, I don't even know what would happen to me if you were to die."
She seemed flustered, but her words showed a similar pattern to Licia's.
That fear of what could happen to them if I were to die.
A common factor between a necromancer and their subjects is that they are forever linked. Normally, this gives the necromancer control over the body and, if there's any, the will of the being raised from death.
However, if the necromancer's mana runs out or something happens that cuts his connection, the dead will once again lose their life.
It's understandable that they are worried about this, and as much as I want to think that my Gift is not exactly performing necromancy due to the state of their bodies and the way they seem to behave independently, the truth is that I cannot deny such a possibility either.
If anything, due to them remembering their deaths, it's quite possible that this is the case.
My Gift might be the only thing that fuels their lives.
Knowing this, it was hard to reassure them otherwise.
Miwen: "Whatever the case may be, you chose not to harm us, right? So I'll choose to trust my back to you, at the very least."
If I want to make use of [Gacha Kingdom Building], and the path it seems to be guiding me towards, then there's a lot for me to learn.
And while I'm not the type to trust others so easily, my experience with Licia showed that this was the best relationship to build with the [Citizens] summoned by my Gift.
Claire: "The Ashbrodd family has no cowards that would attack a benefactor's back like this. As long as you're helping me, I'll be sure to repay you in an overwhelming way!."
So energetic. She was brimming with energy so early in the morning...
But I welcomed that attitude.
Miwen: "That's convenient then. There's something I really want you to do for me. It was the reason why I decided to summon someone, to begin with."
Claire: "Go on."
Miwen: "Let's finish breakfast first, we'll go somewhere after, and I can explain it to you on the way."
Claire: "...Sure."
Licia seemed to be happy that my relationship with Claire was progressing. Either that or she was happy we had finally finished our discussion, and she could start eating.
As for Claire, I was looking forward to seeing her reaction to what I had prepared today, since she seems to like battlefields so much.