Nostramo, the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
Why was there not the slightest trace of sleep tonight? No matter what she did, she simply could not fall asleep.
After tossing and turning for a while, Curze eventually ended up sprawled on the bed in a big X, staring at the ceiling in deep thought. Vaguely, she had the nagging feeling that something was off.
Then she turned her head and looked at the paper cup sitting on the bedside table. According to that round-headed raccoon cat, as long as she called with that thing...
No, no, absolutely not. I can't just contact the new recruit out of nowhere. I am the exalted Lord of the Night. How could I let him see that I'm lonely?
And yet... not making the call somehow didn't feel right either.
Maybe... just try it?
After all, this was exactly how Lion kept pestering the new recruit all the time. And as his Primarch, showing a little concern for him should be perfectly normal, shouldn't it?
With that thought, Curze, still utterly sleepless, reached for the paper cup. Taking a deep breath, she gave it a tap.
Beep beep beep beep.
The connection began, but the other end refused to pick up for quite a while. The expectation on Curze's face immediately curdled into displeasure.
Tch. That brat. He's not even answering my call now?
How infuriating.
"Forget it. Next time..." Just as Curze was about to give up and decide she would thoroughly interrogate Bruce another day—
A voice suddenly came through the cup.
"Hm? Lady Curze? Why are you still awake so late?"
It was Doraemon's voice.
"That round-headed raccoon cat? Why is it you?!" Curze immediately checked the paper cup again. She was sure it had been set to call Bruce directly.
Then why had Doraemon answered?
"Because if Bruce's line doesn't connect for too long, it automatically forwards to me," Doraemon explained.
"Ahem. I was only testing the function. I had no other intention. Since the function works fine, we can both go to sleep now. And don't tell anyone about this tonight, understood?"
"Uh... do I really look like that much of a blabbermouth?" Doraemon asked, sweating a little.
"You stuff ten dorayaki into your mouth at once. Your mouth is huge," Curze replied flatly.
"...Let's not argue about that..." Doraemon had originally wanted to explain that she meant big mouth in a different sense, but considering that might provoke the Night Lord, he wisely abandoned the attempt. Then he spoke more seriously. "Rather than worrying about me, you should be worrying about Bruce."
"Why would I worry about him?" Curze said dismissively.
It wasn't wartime. If Bruce had been fighting enemies, then yes, Curze would have worried. But right now he was aboard the Vengeful Spirit.
As the flagship of the Sixteenth Legion, surely nothing could possibly happen to Bruce there. Even if by some tiny chance it did, Lion certainly wasn't useless.
By now Curze had thoroughly understood that Lion was a shameless woman who did nothing but cling to her precious son. One day, Curze swore, she would take Bruce home and lock him up properly so no one else could get close.
If you've got the guts, then fight me. Beat me, and then you can take him away.
"It stands to reason Bruce's channel shouldn't go silent for this long unless something really has happened. Of course, I'm only saying maybe."
"What if he's asleep?"
"He's not a pig. There's no way he'd sleep through this much noise." Doraemon was certain. "Something must have happened. Otherwise he would have picked up."
"...?" After hearing that, Curze's heart involuntarily skipped a beat.
That was true. What if Doraemon was right? But with so much distance between them, how were they supposed to know Bruce's situation?
"Um... great Lord of the Night, there's something... I don't know whether I should say it," Doraemon said in a small voice.
"Say it!"
Curze's mood was still decent enough, and now she wanted to hear what exactly this raccoon cat was about to say.
"To be honest... I can tell you've been distracted lately. It's exactly the same look as the women Bruce used to get involved with. I know it too well."
"You don't know a damn thing!" Curze snapped. "And what do you mean, 'women Bruce got involved with'?"
Could it be that he had been seeing women all over the place? That couldn't be right. Ever since he arrived on Nostramo, his movements had been perfectly clear.
"Don't get angry first..." Doraemon hurriedly said.
"I'm not angry! I just think you're talking nonsense!"
"Honestly, Miss Meiling has already talked to me about your condition. She asked if I had any way to help you. So I think it's about time I passed on one of my ultimate techniques."
"I don't usually tell anyone this, because it might hurt Bruce, but you're different. You're a good ruler, and I'm very grateful for the room and food you've given me."
Doraemon really was grateful. Compared to his old vagabond days, life in the Scarlet Devil Mansion was paradise. He spent his days either eating or sleeping, with only occasional overtime. Dorayaki was always available, his room was cleaned for him by the maids... what more could he possibly ask for?
"What? What condition do I have? You're absolutely making fun of me now," Curze said, increasingly convinced the blue cat was just messing with her.
Damn it. Now I really won't be able to sleep tonight. Unless I stomp him underfoot, I'm not getting any rest. And if I don't sleep, I'll sleep late again tomorrow.
Aaaah! How did the great Lord of the Night end up with a schedule like this? This is intolerably degenerate!
"I can tell, but you seriously haven't noticed?"
"Hm?"
"Sometimes you zone out. Or you take a few sips of tea and keep muttering Bruce's name. Or when you're eating dessert, you somehow always bring him up."
"You've no idea—every single time you mention Bruce, Miss Sevatar's face goes pitch black..."
"That's just the truth!" Curze immediately flared up. "The afternoon tea those maids prepare simply isn't as good as what the new recruit makes!"
When Bruce was around, what did she get to eat? Whatever she had dreamed about the night before would be on the table the next afternoon. But after he left, eating Sevatar's food felt like eating filth.
Disgusting.
"And that's exactly the problem," Doraemon said. "At the end of the day, you really do care a lot about Bruce."
"You zone out because of him. You complain because of him. But it all comes down to the same thing: now that he's gone, you're unhappy."
"Hah? Wanting someone to make me better desserts means I care about them?"
"Do you want to see Bruce?"
"Do I want to see him? I can see him anytime with the video call, can't I? Why would that matter?"
Curze snorted.
Did he think she was shameless like Lion?
Dignity. At all times, maintain dignity. Under no circumstances could she be the one seeking Bruce out. He was supposed to come to her.
Though... that boy hardly ever did, which was truly irritating.
"No, no, I don't mean through the communicator. I mean actually going to see him. Just once. You could go and come back right away. What do you think?"
"Bruce is in the Davin system, and I'm on Nostramo. With that much distance between us, how am I supposed to..." Curze trailed off.
A door suddenly appeared behind Doraemon.
He leaned against the frame and grinned.
"Like this."
"..."
Curze stared.
The blue cat shut the door again and then gestured grandly.
"This is called the Anywhere Door. It can take you anywhere you want to go!"
"It wasn't working before, but I've fixed that problem. As long as the destination is safe, it can open a passage there."
"Really?"
Curze dropped the paper cup, then walked over to Doraemon.
"Why not test it and see?" Doraemon said. "Put your hand on the doorknob, think of the place you want to go and the person you want to see, then open it. Once you've met, you can just come right back."
"..."
Curze remained skeptical, but her hand moved of its own accord to the doorknob.
The place she wanted to go... and the person she wanted to see...
Click.
Curze twisted the handle and pushed the door open.
Another brightly lit room appeared on the other side, in stark contrast to the darkness of her own chamber.
"Hm?"
"?!"
"Mmff mmff mmff..."
"Oh holy—"
Six eyes met at once.
Bruce, Sevatar—no, not Sevatar—Amiya, Curze, and one raccoon cat covering his eyes all simultaneously froze into silence. Even the air seemed to stop moving, while Lion's soft snoring continued in the background.
No matter whether you were coming in through the door or already inside the room, the sight was equally devastating.
Amiya was in the middle of trying to yank Bruce's underwear off.
Lion was asleep on the bed.
Curze stood in the doorway, staring.
And Doraemon, despite covering his eyes, had somehow already taken out a camera and snapped a photo.
Everyone, in other words, was busy with something very important.
"Mmff..."
Bruce burst into tears. It was impossible to tell whether they were tears of joy or despair—or both.
"And just what," Curze asked at last, first looking at the donkey-eared girl in front of her, then at Bruce as if he were a piece of trash, "exactly are you doing?"
So this was how it was.
He had been playing around behind her back all along.
Quite the connoisseur, wasn't he?
"I'm going to cry... I'm really going to cry..." Bruce sobbed.
At last. Rescue. But also total disaster. Both at once.
"Curze! It's not what it looks like!" he cried.
Amiya instantly turned and looked toward the doorway, her expression going dangerously cold.
"Another woman?" she asked softly, terrifyingly softly. "Doctor... how many more are there?"
"Doctor?"
Curze's expression changed. She slowly turned back to Bruce.
"Bruce," she said, her voice suddenly very calm, "care to explain why that little donkey just called you Doctor?"
Doraemon quietly took two steps backward.
This... was about to get bad.
Very, very bad.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 138)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter155)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter172)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 158
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 144
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 165
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 140
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 120
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 95
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 80
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 50
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 40
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 50
Still playing traditional Honk 30
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin