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The following night, Tatsumi had that dream again.

Although he had woken up, he laid still on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling as he recalled the dream he’d just had.

It was a strangely vivid dream—Tatsumi could remember every detail clearly.

What’s more, he couldn’t help but feel that it was becoming more and more realistic with each passing day.

In a dim, basement-like place, the holy maiden was offering her prayers with single-minded devotion, as always.

In the dream Tatsumi had today, he could clearly see just how desperately she was praying.
Beads of sweat glistened on her skin, as white as virgin snow.

Eventually, the beads of sweat slid down her motionless skin and dripped onto the stone floor, one by one.

Tatsumi could see even those minute details clearly.

“…I wonder why… I keep having this dream……”

Staring up at the ceiling, Tatsumi muttered quietly.

Seeing the same dream this frequently meant there had to be a reason.

A common trope would be if someone was trying to call for Tatsumi—the so-called Summoning Trope.

But while that might happen in novels or comics, there was no way something as unrealistic as being suddenly summoned somewhere would happen in real life.

Besides, there’s no reason for him to be summoned. Tatsumi is just an ordinary sixteen-year-old boy—the kind you’d find anywhere, with no particular strengths to speak of.

Sure, in novels and such, it’s common to have a princess from another world randomly summon a hero to save the world, but he couldn’t possibly imagine that happening to him.

More importantly, though.

Tatsumi knew full well that his current situation couldn’t go on forever.

He has to look forward. He can’t keep dwelling on Chiiko forever.

Repeating that to himself once again today, Tatsumi sat up in bed and began to get dressed slowly.

Now that he’s dropped out of high school, he should at least look for a part-time job. With that in mind, he finished getting dressed and washed his face.

*I’ll go to the convenience store down the street and buy a job listing magazine.* He thought that, but when the birdcage that once held Chiiko caught the corner of his eye, the sadness of losing her welled up inside him.

The happy times he’d shared with Chiiko played over and over in Tatsumi’s mind.

And he realized once again: Chiiko was gone.

And that was it. The grief of losing Chiiko came flooding back, and he lost all motivation to do anything.

Ever since the day he lost Chiiko, Tatsumi hadn’t had much of an appetite and had been eating only the bare minimum. And even then, it was mostly just the instant foods he’d stocked up on earlier.

In the end, that day too, Tatsumi stayed cooped up in his room, going nowhere and doing nothing.

He sat down on the bed and stared intently at the photos of his family and Chiiko on his phone screen. In the middle of this, Tatsumi suddenly reached for the acoustic guitar leaning against the side of the bed and began to strum it absentmindedly.

This acoustic guitar was a memento from his late father, and when Tatsumi was young, his father would often play it for him.

His father had formed a band in his youth and apparently seriously aimed to become a professional guitarist. Though he eventually gave up on that path, he wouldn’t stop saying how far his band had come.

Since his father had taught him how to play the guitar, Tatsumi could play it to some extent. Of course, he didn’t have the skill to aim for a professional career.

He plucked the strings without really thinking about it, producing a soft, strumming sound.

“……Come to think of it, whenever I played the guitar like this, Chiiko would sing along with me…”

Recalling that, Tatsumi’s mood darkened once more.

Back when his Chiiko was still full of life. Whenever Tatsumi played the guitar like he was doing now, Chiiko would chirp along as if singing.

Recalling her as she once was, Tatsumi quietly strummed the guitar.

It was then.

Suddenly, light surged up around the bed where he was sitting.

There was nothing on the bed but sheets and a comforter—no source of light whatsoever.

And yet, a mysterious glow suddenly appeared. Though he still couldn’t figure out where the sudden light was coming from, Tatsumi could do nothing but squint and watch the swirling glow.

Or rather, to be precise, the phenomenon happened so suddenly that he could do nothing but squint and watch.

Even as Tatsumi sat on his bed, the dance of light continued.

The light was silver and gave off no heat whatsoever. Far from being hot, it was a dazzling yet gentle light that somehow felt sacred.

And when the surroundings were completely bathed in silver, Tatsumi noticed something on the floor.

It was something resembling a geometric pattern, surrounded by what looked like letters and symbols.

As his limited knowledge interpreted it—glistening even more silver in the dazzling light—as something akin to a magic circle——

His consciousness was swallowed up by a deep darkness, the exact opposite of the light flooding his surroundings.

.

Slowly, Tatsumi opened his eyes.

The surrounding was quite dim. Is it perhaps right before dawn?

Thinking so, Tatsumi turned his head to look out the window above his bed.

But there was no window where it should have been; instead, he saw a solid stone wall. Moreover, mounted on that wall was an expensive-looking candlestick adorned with intricate decorations, and the candle atop it was lit.

Huh? Were there stone walls and candlesticks like this here before?

Tatsumi wondered, his mind still groggy from sleep.

After Tatsumi lost his family, he moved into a small two-room apartment with Chiiko. Even so, it was spacious enough for him to live alone—though Chiiko had been with him until recently—and it was a place he quite liked.

Naturally, there was no way such a cheap room had sturdy looking stone walls. No, not just Tatsumi’s room—there are hardly any houses with stone walls in Japan these days.

*Then this can’t be my room,* he concluded. Wondering where he had been sleeping, he sat up to survey his surroundings.

He was surrounded by stone walls in every direction. And it wasn’t just the four walls—the ceiling and floor were all made of stone as well.

Actually, hadn’t he seen a scene like this somewhere before? And not just once, but many times very recently.

Scratching the back of his head, Tatsumi looked around again.

Then, his eyes caught sight of something—

A woman kneeling with her eyes wide open, staring intently at him.

A very beautiful woman with long platinum-blonde hair and ruby-colored eyes. For some reason, a single strand of hair was sticking up from the top of her head. Perhaps it was what people call an “ahoge.”

Since the woman was staring at him without moving a muscle, looking completely startled, Tatsumi found himself staring back at her intently.

And then, Tatsumi realized something.

He recognized her.

“……The holy maiden… from my dreams…?”

That’s right. She looked exactly like the saintly maiden who had been praying with all her heart in the dreams he’d been having almost every night.

When Tatsumi realized this and looked around again, he saw that the place he was in now did indeed resemble the basement-looking location from his dreams. No, it wasn’t just similar. It was that very basement.

So, was the woman in front of him the same woman he had seen in his dreams?

Just as Tatsumi was about to turn his gaze back toward the figure who appeared to be the holy maiden—

A powerful shockwave struck his body.

Tatsumi, who had been sitting on the bed, couldn’t withstand the impact and fell backward onto the bed.

*What the hell is going on!?* As Tatsumi fell into a mild panic, beautiful platinum-blonde hair floated gently into his field of vision.

And then, the sensation of being held tightly in an embrace, along with a sweet scent tickling his nostrils.

Only then did Tatsumi finally realize that he was being held in the arms of the holy maiden before him.

.

The woman suddenly threw herself at Tatsumi and embraced him.

After holding him tightly in her slender arms for a moment, she pulled back slightly and peered into his face.

The woman’s red eyes and Tatsumi’s black eyes met at close range.

Her ruby red eyes glistened with tears, like gemstone. And yet, she directed such a happy smile at Tatsumi.

“Finally… finally we’ve met… I’ve been waiting for this day, to see you like this again… for so many years…”
“Eh? Uh… have we met before…?”
“Yes… ah… this appearance, this voice… and this scent… there’s no mistake… I haven’t forgotten you for even a moment…”

Perhaps overcome by emotion, the tears brimming in her eyes finally overflowed, falling drop by drop onto Tatsumi’s face.

Feeling the tear on his cheek, Tatsumi was reminded of his current position and blushed.
Right now, Tatsumi and the woman were embracing on the bed.

Moreover, since she was straddling him, he could feel the softness of her body all over his own.

But he didn’t actually feel her weight. She was about the same height as Tatsumi, or perhaps a little shorter, but her weight was likely much lighter than his.

What really caught his attention, however, were the two incredibly soft things pressed against his chest. Of course, they were the very symbols of womanhood.

Every time she moved, they would gently tickle his chest, soft and wobbly.

Tatsumi hadn’t noticed it in his dreams, but she’s wearing nothing more than a single, extremely thin piece of fabric wrapped around her body.

The room was dimly lit, but even so, with them being so close, he could see the color of her skin showing through that thin fabric.

Before he knew it, his gaze was drawn to the deep cleavage etched into her chest.

The pink fruits at the tips of her breasts were hidden by his chest pressed against hers, but there was no doubt that this woman’s bust combat power was quite high. Estimated combat power: somewhere between 85 and 90.

*To be thinking such things even in a situation like this… what sad creatures men are,* Tatsumi thought, as if it were someone else’s problem. His mind, obviously, was trying to escape his current situation.

Whether she noticed Tatsumi’s gaze or not, the woman smiled softly once more and said something truly outrageous.

“To be able to meet you again… like this… I am so happy… Master.”
“Huh? What? W-what did you just say…? Huh? M-Master? C-could it be… you mean me?”
“Yes. Aren’t you my master?”

She beamed. The smile on her lips was filled with genuine joy.

Just like she claimed, he must have met this woman in his life before, somehow, somewhere.

Tatsumi frantically searched his memory, but he had no recollection of ever meeting the beautiful woman before him.

To begin with, Tatsumi didn’t know any foreigners. In fact, he’d barely even exchanged words with any foreigners in his entire life. At most, it was probably just once or twice when someone asked him for directions.

Moreover, she was a striking woman with stunning platinum blonde hair and ruby-red eyes. Her features were exceptionally refined; there was no way he could forget her if he’d met her even once.

As if reading Tatsumi’s thoughts, the woman continued speaking.

“It’s only natural that you don’t recognize me, Master. The me you remember doesn’t look like this.”
“What do you mean by that?”

Seeing Tatsumi’s bewildered expression, the woman chuckled softly. Then, stepping away from him, she sat up straight on the bed.

“I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Calcedonia Chrysoprase. I hold the position of priestess within the Savaiv Church of the Kingdom of Largovere.”

She bowed her head quietly, remaining in a posture similar to seiza.

“Huh…? Ah, um… I’m Yamagata Tatsumi.”
“Yes. I am aware of that.”

The woman who introduced herself as Calcedonia smiled brightly. Seeing her smile, Tatsumi was sure that any man in the world would surely be captivated by her. Her smile was simply so exquisite.

However, even as she directed that smile at him, Tatsumi’s confusion only deepened.

This was because, not only did she know his name, but her words just now contained several terms he had never heard before.

At that moment, a suspicion formed in Tatsumi’s mind. But before he could voice it, Calcedonia continued speaking.

“You probably have no idea who I am, Master. However, I know you… no, I remember you better than anyone else.”

Calcedonia stared intently at Tatsumi’s face. That earnest gaze gave Tatsumi a sense of déjà vu.

Tatsumi was familiar with the way she gazed at him. He’d experienced it, and from very close range, too.

Perhaps, from someone standing on his palm. Or from above his shoulder. From someone on his lap too, sometimes. It must be.

Yes. For some reason, her gaze was very similar to that of his beloved little family.

“……Chiiko……”

The name slipped out of Tatsumi’s mouth before he could stop himself. And the moment she heard it, Calcedonia’s face lit up with the biggest smile she’d ever shown.

It was a blissful smile that left no doubt in anyone’s mind that she was feeling immense happiness.

From her lips, adorned with that smile, came words that sent a tremendous shock through Tatsumi.

“Yes…!! Yes, that’s right!! I am… I am Chiiko!! Master… I am your Chiiko!!”

***
Author’s Note:

“Pet Holy Maiden” Update.

Well, this may come as a sudden change, but up until now, I’ve been writing all sorts of things in the afterwords.
However, I’ve heard there are some who prefer that I refrain from writing all sorts of things in the afterwords.
So, starting with this work, I plan to generally stop writing in the afterwords and limit them to administrative reports, such as when updates are delayed due to work or other reasons. If anything comes up, I’ll post it in the activity reports from now on.

Well then, I look forward to your continued support.