A Female Knight (In Character)?

While the female knight, Seram, was taking a bath, I changed out of my wet clothes and stood in front of my closet, wondering what to do.

“Hmm, what should I give her to wear?”

My name was Jin Mita. I was twenty-nine years old and lived alone. I was the only person living in this house. Since moving back here, I had kept my social interactions to a minimum, so I didn’t even have a girlfriend.

Naturally, that meant there wasn’t a single piece of women’s clothing in my house. Everything I owned was men’s clothing.

Still, I couldn’t just give Seram, who was technically my guest, any old clothes to wear.

Even if I gave her something brand-new, she was a little smaller than me, so it would probably hang loosely on her.

Didn’t I have anything a size smaller that would be easy to move around in?

As I hurriedly rummaged through my closet, I came across a red tracksuit. It was the standard-issue tracksuit from the local school, which covered elementary, junior high, and high school.

There was nothing particularly fashionable about its design, but it would be comfortable to move around in and should fit Seram perfectly. I was glad I hadn’t thrown it away.

I grabbed a suitable short-sleeved shirt and a bath towel, then headed toward the changing room.

“Hey, Seram. I’ll leave your clothes and bath towel right—”

“Phew, that was a wonderful bath.”

Just as I was about to place the clothes on top of the washing machine in the changing room, Seram opened the bathroom door and stepped out.

“…………”

Our eyes met, and time seemed to stand still.

Her porcelain-white, flawless skin was completely exposed, and my gaze inadvertently took in everything, including her beautifully shaped, ample breasts and rounded bottom.

“Kyaaaaaah!”

Seram screamed, her face turning bright red, and immediately retreated into the bathroom.

“Sorry! I only came to bring you some clothes and a bath towel! I wasn’t trying to peek!”

For the moment, I apologized and tried to explain myself.

There was no response from inside the bathroom, but I could hear her taking several deep breaths.

“I-I’m sorry. I lost my composure. I’m all right now. I understand that you meant no harm. Let us put this incident behind us.”

Her voice was still trembling slightly, but taking those deep breaths seemed to have helped her calm her emotions.

“I appreciate that. I’ll leave your clothes here, so come to the living room once you’re dressed.”

“Understood.”

I quickly set the clothes on top of the washing machine, left the changing room, and retreated to the living room.

“I-I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

After a while, Seram appeared in the living room, apparently having finished changing.

For a moment, the image of her naked body flashed through my mind, but since she had suggested putting the incident behind us, it wouldn’t be right to dwell on it.

That said, she seemed to be having trouble forgetting it herself, judging by her awkward expression.

Seram had been completely covered in mud earlier, but after her bath, she was thoroughly clean.

Her golden hair flowed smoothly like strands of silk. Strangely enough, even that utterly unfashionable red tracksuit looked stylish when worn by a woman with such incredible proportions.

Oops, this wasn’t the time to stand around admiring her.

“Do the clothes fit all right?”

“Yes. The fabric feels remarkably pleasant against my skin. It doesn’t rub or chafe at all. It’s extremely comfortable.”

“I see. That’s good.”

Her response wasn’t quite what I had expected, but she didn’t seem to have any complaints.

I was relieved to see that the clothes appeared to fit her perfectly.

However, I thought I could make out a couple of faint protrusions around her chest.

Was she not wearing any underwear? Since she didn’t have a change of clothes, it made sense that she wouldn’t have any spare underwear either, but there wasn’t much I could do about that.

“If you’re tired, I can prepare a futon so you can sleep. Or would you rather eat something first?”

I decided to ignore the underwear issue and asked her.

Seram opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say anything, her stomach let out a loud growl.

“Got it. Food first, then.”

“…I would appreciate that.”

Apparently embarrassed by the sound of her stomach, Seram answered with a bright red face.

I reheated the leftover miso soup from breakfast and took some chilled, deep-fried summer vegetables soaked in seasoned broth out of the refrigerator.

I quickly cracked some eggs into a bowl, beat them, and poured the mixture into a frying pan.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Seram, who had been sitting quietly, spoke up with a restless expression.

“You’re my guest, so just sit back and relax.”

“Understood.”

I appreciated the offer, but I wasn’t making anything particularly complicated anyway.

Once I had finished making enough rolled omelet for two, I scooped rice from the rice cooker and arranged some pickles on small plates. With that, everything was ready. I placed the dishes on a tray and carried them to the living room table.

“A-Are you certain I may partake of such a lavish meal?”

“It’s just leftovers from this morning and some food I prepared in advance. I wouldn’t exactly call it lavish.”

I couldn’t help smiling wryly at Seram’s exaggerated reaction.

If anything, I considered myself rather lazy when it came to preparing meals.

Seram had been fidgeting excitedly in front of the food, but her expression gradually clouded over.

“What’s wrong? Is there something here you don’t like?”

“No, there are very few foods I dislike. More importantly, how am I supposed to eat this? Surely you don’t expect me to use my hands?”

“Hmm? Just use the chopsticks over there—oh, right. Chopsticks might be difficult for a foreigner. I’ll get you a knife and fork.”

“Please do.”

She spoke Japanese so fluently that I had assumed she was familiar with Japanese culture as well, but apparently that wasn’t the case. Seram really was a mysterious woman.

After fetching a knife, fork, and spoon for Seram, we finally sat down to eat.

“Itadakimasu.”

“What does that word mean?”

“It’s something like a prayer before a meal, expressing gratitude for the food and its ingredients.”

“I see. So this land has such a prayer. In that case, I shall say it as well. Itadakimasu.”

Seram nodded in understanding and pressed her palms together, imitating my gesture.

“What are these white grains?”

“Hmm? That’s white rice. It comes from the rice plants growing in the paddy where you collapsed…”

“To think something like this could come from those plants…”

Seram examined the rice intently before scooping some up with her spoon and putting it into her mouth.

“It’s sweet and delicious!”

Apparently, she had taken a liking to rice on her first try.

“It’s good on its own, but it tastes even better when you eat it with the other dishes.”

“Really?!”

Following my advice, Seram ate some rice together with the deep-fried eggplant soaked in seasoned broth.

Her body trembled as though she could barely contain her delight.

“You’re right! Eating it together with the other dishes makes it even more delicious!”

“I see. I’m glad you like it.”

I still couldn’t figure this woman out, but she certainly seemed to enjoy her food.

“This soup is delicious too! Drinking it makes me feel so relaxed…”

“That’s miso soup.”

“Miso soup, is it… Miso soup is wonderful.”

Seram held her bowl of miso soup with a contented expression.

How many years had it been since I’d last shared a meal with someone like this?

It felt strange to have someone sitting across from me while I ate.

As I answered Seram’s questions and responded to her enthusiastic comments, we continued eating, and before I knew it, our plates were empty.

“Phew, that was delicious.”

While Seram let out a satisfied sigh, I gathered the empty dishes and left them soaking in the kitchen sink.

“…I realize this is terribly late to ask, but may I know your name?”

“You’re right. That’s a little late.”

Well, I supposed I was partly to blame for not introducing myself either.

“I’m Jin Mita.”

“Jinmita?”

Hearing her say my full name without any pause between the two parts felt a little strange.

“Mita is my family name, and Jin is my given name.”

“You possess a family name? Could it be that you are a nobleman, Jin-dono?!”

“No, Japan doesn’t have a nobility. Everyone has a family name here.”

“No nobility? And everyone possesses a family name?”

Seram looked at me in utter disbelief.

“Hey, Seram. I get that you’re committed to playing the part of a female knight, but how long are you planning to keep this act up?”

“I keep telling you, this is no act! I am a genuine knight!”

She spoke with a dignified, resolute attitude, but the grain of rice stuck to the corner of her mouth completely ruined any sense of authority.

“You’ve got a grain of rice stuck to your mouth.”

“Mm!”

When I pointed it out, Seram hurriedly wiped her mouth and ate the stray grain.

“All right, then tell me. Where exactly did you come from, Seram?”

“Very well. I shall explain everything properly.”

Seram straightened her posture and began explaining the circumstances that had brought her here.