Leave a comment

I have no classes today. Not because I don’t need to be taught anything anymore, but because studying for the last few days meant that I didn’t do any cleaning or laundry.

Unlike Olivia who has to catch up as much as possible during her vacation, I have no rush at all, so today I decided to focus on housework again. During the morning I focus on the laundry, and during the afternoon I take care of cleaning the house.

While I had done little work the last few days, I still kept the rooms we usually use tidied, so the places that needed the most work were the empty rooms I hadn’t visited lately. That made cleaning less painful.

I look at the time when I’m done, it’s already 3PM. Nice, time to enact my plan. I had made some cookies after lunch when I was done with the dishes. Olivia is probably suffering through maths again. So I get the cookies and a tea set on a tray, go upstairs, and knock on Olivia’s door.

“Mistress, young lady, would you like to take a break? I prepared some tea.”

After I say that, Ophelia opens the door.

“Thank you, that’s very considerate of you.”

Ophelia winked as she said that. Was it really something that deserved so much praise? Still, I can’t get over how beautiful my Mistress is. I enter the room, and see that Olivia isn’t suffering as much as I had imagined.

“I’m actually surprised. She struggled so much with multiplication before, but now she’s doing pretty well. Is it true you helped her?”

Ahh, she’s talking about the multiplication table.

“I only gave her some tips. It’s all thanks to her own hard work.”

It’s true that I gave her some advice and a multiplication table, but that wouldn’t have helped at all unless she also put in some effort. That’s why I felt like Olivia deserved more praise than me.

“Regardless, let’s have some tea. I also made some cookies.”

They put away the notebooks and other things from the desk, and I place the tray with cookies and tea on the free space. I place a cup for each of them, and then serve black tea from the teapot.

“Thank you, Natalia.”

I pour tea for everyone, and then sit down with them. Ophelia then reaches for one of the cookies and takes a bite. I’m extremely nervous, more or less just like when I cooked breakfast for the first time.

“Mm, it’s tasty. You’re always a good cook, Natalia.”
“You praise me too much, Mistress.”

I had tried them before so I knew they were good, but it was still reassuring to hear someone else agree.

I wonder what Olivia thinks of them? She picks one of the cookies and bites it too, closing her eyes as she slowly chews on it, carefully tasting it, then after a while she throws the rest into her mouth and quickly takes a sip of tea.

Huh? She didn’t like it?

“Natalia, come over here.”
“Y-Yes!”

Olivia stands up from her chair and beckons me.
I walk up to her, slightly hesitantly.

“Lower your head.”
“Yes.”

I do as commanded, lowering my face, and I see Olivia raising her hands. I really messed up! I’m not sure what I did, but I really feel like I made a terrible mistake. But there was no pain, and no hit. Instead, Olivia placed her hands on my ears and began feeling them.

Squish squish.

“Umm, young lady?”

Squish squish.

“Is there something stuck on my ears?”
“…”

Huh, why is she silent?
Why is she looking at me with such disappointment?
Did I actually annoy her?

“Were the cookies not to your liking?”
“They were very tasty.”

I looked up at her and saw her cheeks were puffed, and her voice sounded annoyed too.

“That’s enough.”

Olivia releases my ears and sits down again, eating the cookies. Though rather than eating, devouring is probably a better word.

“?”

Still confused, I slowly returned to my seat, assuming I could sit down again since she said it was enough. But what just happened? Ophelia had her hand next to her lips, smiling entertained as if she just watched something very amusing¹.

I don’t get it.

Olivia continued looking displeased after that, and I wasn’t sure how to feel until the tea break was over.

After I take all of my clothes off, I slide the door and am greeted with the scent of flowers and the feeling of steam on my skin.

Taking a shower before a bath always felt like washing away the daily exhaustion together with the bits of dirt. My magic automaton body felt no physical tiredness, but I still have mental loads that accumulate every day.

Still, Olivia’s mood showed no signs of bettering. She said the cookies and tea were delicious, so that couldn’t be the source of her displeasure, but I have no idea of anything else that might have caused this. And we had just started getting along so nicely too…

Rattle rattle.

Hm?

“Natalia.”
“Young lady?!”

I turn around and see Olivia, covered only by one towel.

“I thought you had taken a bath together with your mother earlier?!”

I had made sure of that.

“Yes, but I wanted to wash your back.”
“You don’t have to do such a thing.”
“You don’t want that? Am I bothering then?”
“Not…at all…”

That was so unfair. There’s no way I can refuse if she talks like that. Young lady, I can already envision a devilish future for you.

“Well, sit here then.”
“Yes.”

I sit down as told. After waiting for a bit, I feel a soft towel touching my back. Olivia uses the towel to scrub my back, but it feels soft, like a caressing touch.

“Tell me if it hurts.”
“I’m fine.”
“Mm, your back is really big, Natalia.”
“Is that so?”

From what I had seen, my body is similar to Ophelia’s, just a little slimmer. But putting that aside, as Olivia scrubs my back, from time to time I hear her forced breathing².

“Mm, there we go.”

But seriously, what’s actually going on?
If I was a lolicon this would drive me crazy.
But I’m no lolicon so I’m fine!
But I’m no lolicon so I’m fine!
That’s very important, so I had to repeat³.

“Alright, I’ll wash it off now.”
“Thank you.”
“Is it too hot?”
“No, it’s perfect.”

Olivia turns the shower on and washes away the soap bubbles from my back.

“There, all done.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Umm, Natalia, I’ve gotten a little cold, so can I get in?”
“Of course, go ahead.”

Olivia gets inside the bathtub while I quickly rinse my hair and other places. Though my body is still artificial, so my skin doesn’t really produce any dead cells and I’m good with just scrubbing away any dirt that gets on me.

“I’ll get in too now.”

It would be weird if I refused to enter the bathtub after all that, but I make sure to make some distance between us. But for some reason Olivia slowly moves closer, leaning against me.

“Umm, young lady.”
“Yes?”
“You’re really close.”
“You don’t want me here then?”

Like I said, I can’t say no when confronted like that! I decide to close my eyes, picturing my duties for tomorrow to distract myself from her soft skin. I’ll be having classes again tomorrow, so I have to make sure I finish everything in the morning, or I’ll lag behind even more like today. No matter how much knowledge I have from my past life, I still have lots to learn.

“Say, Natalia.”
“Yes?”

Still, Olivia didn’t let me immerse myself in my thoughts for too long.

“Mother praised me for getting better at multiplication. That was thanks to you, so thank you.”
“It’s all because you worked hard. I only gave you a small push in the right direction.”

I had already told Ophelia, but no matter how many tips and multiplication tables I made, if Olivia didn’t work hard, she wouldn’t get anywhere. So this really is Olivia’s achievement, not mine.

“Mm, but still, thanks. I like you lots.”

Olivia averted her eyes as she said that with a smile.
She’s so cute.
Though I mean that in a general way.
I’m no y’knowat.

“Thank you very much, I also like you, young lady.”
“…”

Wait, she doesn’t look as annoyed as during the tea break, but something feels similar again.

“I’ll get out now. Make sure you relax for a bit longer, Natalia.”
“Ah, yes, of course.”

What’s happening?
Is this puberty?
I really don’t get it⁴.

1. Robinxen: Is this like… some custom they have? Hmmm… quite probably? Wait, is this in reference to the dog eared proposal thing in the previous chapter…?! Is that what’s going on here? I have so many questions.
2. Robinxen: Ah…
3. Robinxen: X to doubt.
4. Robinxen: Okay after totalling the contents of this chapter it is very clear the daughter has a crush on the MC.