Jhin glanced at the clock on the wall — barely half past seven. Too early to think about sleeping, any way you looked at it.
Stuck in the living room with two beautiful girls, there was really only one thing to do: introduce them to the finest refreshments his world had to offer.
He flashed a grin, produced a five-hundred-milliliter bottle of cola, and held it out in front of Pecorine and Kokkoro. "Want to try a sparkling drink from my world?"
"A sparkling drink?" Pecorine, ever enthusiastic about anything edible, was no less interested when it came to beverages. She tilted her head left, then right, peering at the dark liquid inside the bottle. Not a single bubble in sight. "Jhin, where are the bubbles?"
"Hold on, let me grab two glasses."
He ducked into the kitchen and came back with a pair of glass cups, then twisted off the cap.
The instant the seal broke, a sharp, crisp pssht rang out — and both Pecorine and Kokkoro flinched.
They caught the smug look on Jhin's face and immediately understood: he'd done it on purpose, not warning them at all just to get a reaction. They shot him a reproachful glare.
Cola poured into the glasses in a rush of dense, fizzing bubbles. Pecorine lifted her cup and caught a distinct sweet scent. Tiny droplets from the bursting bubbles at the surface leapt up and scattered across the back of her hand.
"So the bubbles only come out after you open it. How remarkable."
"Try just a small sip first — some people don't take to it right away," Jhin advised.
Both of them did as he suggested, taking a cautious little sip — and immediately burst into coughing at the same time. Clearly, neither had expected the bite.
"The first sip feels like being stabbed by needles..." Pecorine pressed a hand over her mouth, eyes watering slightly at the corners.
"Based on those reactions, carbonated drinks aren't really your thing. Let's switch to milk instead." Jhin set the remaining cola on the table — he'd finish it himself later.
Committed to the principle of leaving nothing to waste, Pecorine brought her glass to her lips and drained the rest of the cola in one long gulp — then, entirely against her will, let out a carbonation burp. Doing something so undignified in front of a man sent a wave of mortification crashing over her. She could have happily found a crack in the floor and disappeared into it.
Jhin pretended not to notice, and reached over to take the still-hesitating Kokkoro's glass from her hands.
"Oh — M-Master..." Kokkoro watched Jhin grab her cup and knock back her cola in one go. She'd been about to mention that it was the glass she'd already drunk from, and that drinking after her probably wasn't quite appropriate — but then she remembered that Jhin had said he wanted them to be like family. Somehow, that made it feel alright.
Family members didn't need to stand on that kind of ceremony. It was perfectly natural for Master to do something like this.
As for what kind of "family" Jhin had in mind — well, only he knew the specifics.
After all, once lovers exchanged wedding vows, didn't they become family too?
When it came to matters of the heart, he'd always considered himself the proactive type. Once he knew he liked someone, he made his move.
Sure, there was a certain romance in quietly keeping someone company and waiting for them to slowly notice your feelings — but that only worked if you already knew the other person felt something for you too.
Without that assurance, there were too many unknowns. Jhin personally had no taste for a method that relied so heavily on uncertainty and luck.
He filled a fresh glass with milk and handed it to Kokkoro — the same glass as before, though he had washed it. He just didn't mention that part.
Kokkoro held the cup and fixed her eyes on the rim, brow furrowing ever so slightly, looking mildly troubled.
Jhin ran a hand through her silky hair and offered reassurance. "Don't worry — I already washed the glass."
"Master, please stop teasing me on purpose." Kokkoro murmured with a red face, then lifted the cup and drank the milk down in small, quiet sips.
"Miss Pecorine, this one's yours."
"Thank you, Jhin. Oh, and — you don't need to add 'Miss' when you say my name."
"Got it. Pecorine, then."
The two of them finished their milk, leaving faint white mustaches along their upper lips. Jhin pulled out a tissue and pointed at their mouths, making as if to wipe their faces for them — whereupon Pecorine and Kokkoro both snatched tissues of their own and cleaned their lips at top speed.
Jhin shook his head with a quiet laugh. It wasn't like he was actually going to wipe their faces. Why the panic?
"Jhin, what was the deal with that greatsword earlier — the one that looked exactly like mine?"
"That's what you'd call the Hero's ability." Jhin held his right hand toward Pecorine, and a shimmering silver sigil in the shape of a sword appeared on the back of it at once. "I can draw out the weapon that takes form from someone's heart — and use the techniques that go along with it."
"That said, the ability does have its conditions. I can't draw a weapon from just anyone. Once the weapon disappears or is dismissed, I forget how to use the techniques. And on top of that, I don't have the mana you all normally use, so I'm burning through my own physical stamina and body energy as a substitute."
"No wonder you looked so pale after you used Princess Assault," Pecorine said, the pieces clicking into place.
"Master, can you use the Hero's ability on me?" Kokkoro leaned in close to Jhin, took his right hand into both of hers, and slowly guided it toward her own chest.
The scene unfolding before her looked highly incriminating, but Pecorine elected to say nothing. Elves — well, everyone knew how it was with them. Ages that would make your hair stand on end, packed into appearances that didn't match their years at all. A sight like this was practically a fixture on this continent.
The silver light flickering on the back of his hand confirmed that Kokkoro was indeed someone he could draw a Void Weapon from. Reassured, she released his hand and stopped pressing herself against him.
"Now that I've explained my abilities — Kokkoro, could you give me an overview of this world? Even now, I still haven't really learned the basics."
Jhin retrieved his hand and sat up straight. Heaven only knew what his heart rate had spiked to just now.
If Kokkoro hadn't qualified, what I just did would have been straight-up groping.
Thank goodness only the three of them were in the Capsule House, and this world didn't appear to have military police. Otherwise, Jhin genuinely would not have been able to talk his way out of that one.
It wasn't me assaulting a loli — she grabbed my hand and guided it herself. You believe me, right? ...
"Yes, Master!"
Finally her turn to shine in front of Jhin, Kokkoro sat up perfectly straight and began to introduce this world in her gentle, unhurried voice.
This continent was called the Astraea Continent. Like most fantasy worlds, it was home to a great variety of races, and was currently being harassed by a demon army led by a fearsome creature known as the Demon King. Guilds and adventurers existed, but the war had ground into a rough stalemate.
The region they were currently in fell within the territory of the royal capital, Landosol — a place often called the cradle of novice adventurers. Many renowned adventurers and guilds had set out from here on their way to the front lines of the war against the demon army.
To hold the rights of a kingdom citizen, one had to join or establish a guild. Social organizations within the city were built almost entirely around the guild system.
So once Jhin and Kokkoro entered Landosol, they would need to find a way to join or form a guild — otherwise, even the basic rewards from adventure commissions would be reduced.
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