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"You were invisible—why'd you dodge over here?"
Blake couldn't help muttering under his breath.
"Idiot servant." Yamada Elf stood on her tiptoes and lightly bumped her head against his chin. "I'm invisible, not untouchable. It's not like I turned on some divine ability. People can still bump into me, okay?"
Right. He remembered now.
Yamada Elf's invisibility was powerful—she didn't even need to take off her clothes, and she could hide objects along with herself. But it had one flaw: she still had a physical presence.
In gaming terms, she still had collision.
And right now, a bunch of elementary school kids were passing through the hallway. It was already narrow, and if someone ran into her and knocked her off balance, it could easily scare the kids or even cause a chain reaction of accidents.
So yeah… they had to be careful.
As they spoke, two close-looking kids came walking side by side, hand in hand, making the already cramped corridor feel even tighter. To keep Yamada Elf from being bumped into, Blake had no choice but to reach out and pull her into his arms.
"Mm…"
Yamada Elf let out a soft sound, her cheeks turning slightly pink as she gave a shy warning:
"No getting above yourself! If you try anything funny, you're dead, servant!"
A faint, sweet scent drifted into his nose—a mix of milk, honey, and shampoo. It made her feel like she was made of soft, warm things, something pleasant and comforting.
Unfortunately, Blake felt nothing.
"Relax," he said flatly. "I'm not into elementary schoolers."
"You idiot servant! You said it again!"
Yamada Elf puffed up her cheeks in anger, squirming around in his arms.
"D-don't move…"
Blake's expression changed, and he hurriedly tried to stop her.
"Hmph." She snorted, clearly stubborn. "If you tell me to stop and I just listen, wouldn't that be embarrassing?"
At this rate, it's not just your dignity you'll lose…!
Blake tried to stay in control, but human instinct wasn't something willpower alone could suppress. In the end, he could only shut his eyes in despair.
Too late.
This is it… I'm about to lose my right to call myself human.
"Huh…? What's that in your pocket, servant?"
Yamada Elf tilted her head, confused.
Blake's voice dropped, his gaze turning hollow. "Can the world just end already?"
"The world didn't do anything wrong—wait, huh?!"
Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly remembered that horrifying manga she saw on the third floor earlier. Realization hit her all at once.
Her face turned bright red at a visible speed, and she froze completely, like a puppet with its strings cut—too embarrassed to move an inch.
Thankfully, it didn't take long before all the kids finally went upstairs.
"Phew…"
Yamada Elf let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly scrambled out of Blake's arms, covering herself nervously from behind.
"Perverted servant!"
"Disgusting!"
"Hentai!"
"Idiot!"
"Big idiot!"
"…"
You can't even insult properly, and you call yourself a genius light novel author?
You seriously need to go back to school.
Blake looked at her blankly. "I told you not to move."
"Hmph!" Her face was still red as fire, her voice soft with embarrassment. "I don't care! This is all your fault! My purity is gone now—you have to take responsibility!"
Purity doesn't just vanish that easily… and this was clearly your fault!
If you hadn't gone invisible and wandered around, if you hadn't rushed downstairs, if you'd just listened and stayed still, none of that would've happened!
"We're ending this topic here." Blake forced his voice to sound threatening. "Or your 'purity' really will be gone."
Yamada Elf jumped, the little ahoge on her head trembling as she panicked and ran downstairs.
"Perverted servant! How dare you rebel—I'm remembering this!"
"…"
After calming down, Blake went downstairs, paid at the register, and walked out of the bookstore carrying several bags.
Yamada Elf stood not far away, kicking at a pebble. When she saw him come out, she turned her face away with a soft huff, still clearly embarrassed.
"Let's go home."
Blake called out and started walking.
Yamada Elf followed behind him, her face still flushed. Earlier, she had been right next to him, chatting nonstop. Now she kept a noticeable distance, her mouth quiet for once.
Seems like she still had some sense of shame. Good.
They walked in silence.
Before long, they reached home.
"Perverted servant~" Yamada Elf finally broke the silence, the blush on her face mostly gone. "Help me purify my magic."
"Let me put these down first." Blake unlocked the door. "Come in."
She hesitated for two seconds, then stepped inside.
Sagiri wasn't waiting at the entrance today—she was probably upstairs drawing her plant-girl illustrations.
Blake set the bags aside, sat down on the sofa, and extended his right hand.
"Give me your hand."
Yamada Elf blushed as she placed her small hand in his, letting him hold it. Then she whispered, trying to make conversation:
"Hey, perverted servant… did you just… [beep—] earlier?"
You're a girl—stop saying stuff like that so casually!
Blake's face darkened. "I didn't."
"Hmph, you totally did." She lifted her chin proudly. "You always call me an elementary schooler, but now you don't have the right to say that anymore, do you?"
"…"
Time passed quietly.
The magic purification was completed soon enough.
Right then, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it."
Yamada Elf quickly stood up and went to open the door.
Standing outside was none other than an angel.
"Good afternoon, Miss Elf." Mahiru Shiina's voice was gentle. "I just got back from school and was about to head to the convenience store to buy ingredients. I wanted to ask what you'd like to eat."
"Anything's fine! Miss Mahiru's cooking is amazing."
Yamada Elf turned back and made a face at Blake, then quickly grabbed her bag of books. "Perverted Blake, I'm heading back first."
"Huh?" Mahiru blinked, then looked toward Blake. "Mr. Blake… what did Miss Elf just call you?"
"I have a clear conscience," Blake replied calmly. "Ask her about the details."
"Cough, it's nothing…" Yamada Elf quickly slipped out the door. "I'll go read for a bit. I'll come back when it's time to eat!"
Blake looked at the angel. "Want me to help carry the groceries?"
"No need. There's nothing heavy today—I can manage on my own." Mahiru shook her head lightly, her gaze drifting to his forehead. "…Mr. Blake, do you want to change the bandage on your forehead?"
"....."