Chapter 38

And so, I ended up living with Mary.

Mary arrived at the house, floating through the air while clutching her pillow tightly.

“If the pillow changes, I can’t sleep at all. I’ve tried all sorts of pillows, but in the end, I always settle back on this low-rebound one.”

“I see. Like those people who travel with their own ‘My Pillow’—it’s that kind of thing, right?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Also… is that outfit your everyday clothes? Or is it for sleeping?”

Mary’s attire was what you’d call a “babydoll” nightgown. Moreover, it was the sheer type where you could faintly see her skin through it. I couldn’t help but think that if she stopped clutching that pillow, her underwear might be visible.

Is it okay because she still looks like a child? No, actually, it’s probably more dangerous… It would be a disaster if some guy with weird tastes approached her.

Not because Mary would be in danger, but because a pissed-off Mary might decide to, say, wipe out the Royal Capital.

Since she’s at an age where she could just barely pass for a young adult, it’s extra risky. It would actually have been better if she looked like she was six or ten years old.

“Both of your questions are correct. I live my life so that I can fall asleep at any moment, so I’m always dressed like this.”

“I see. Well, if possible, I’d be happy if you could wear at least one more layer over that.”

“No. Based on my years of experience, I’ve determined that this is the most optimal for sleeping. I won’t budge on that.”

It seems the girls I know have a high rate of skin exposure—like Cerulia, or Senior Tototo, who walks around with just a coat over her underwear. Well, it’s not like a great demon is going to say she wants to go shopping in the Capital, so that should be fine… or so I thought.

“By the way… you smell nice.”

“Eh? I don’t think I’m at the age where my body odor gets strong yet.”

That was a fairly shocking comment. I’m still a teenager, after all—almost nineteen, though I’m reaching the end of my teens.

“I said you smell nice. You’re a bit like an older brother, maybe.”

So even a dangerous demon like this has a family? What kind of household she came from is a mystery.

“Um, since we’re at it, why don’t we go eat at a nice place in the Capital today to welcome Mary-san?”

Suddenly, the flag for going to the Capital was raised! I guess Cerulia, who shows way more skin than Mary, doesn’t find Mary’s outfit strange at all.

“Cerulia! Don’t you think it would be better for her to get used to the house first…? Yeah, I think so…”

It was already close to evening, and I thought it would be safer to lower the exposure level.

“Hmm, the Capital, huh? In that case, maybe I’ll go.”

The flow had shifted toward going! By the time we arrived at the Capital, the sun had almost set.

While people in the Capital seemed to have gotten used to Cerulia’s appearance, we drew stares again because of Mary.

“Is she in the nightlife business?” “No, she’s just walking around in her pajamas.”

I could hear whispers like that. It seemed we were narrowly avoiding any strange misunderstandings. By the way, no one really cared about her wings. The Capital is full of various races, after all.

“The Capital, huh? It’s fairly lively, Big Broth… no, never mind.”

Mary shook her head slightly.

“I’d like to check out a bedding shop later. I wonder if they’re already closed.”

Well, since Mary herself didn’t see any problem, I figured it was fine.

Once we reached the bedding shop, Mary checked the pillows one by one with an incredibly serious expression. She had the eyes of a master craftsman. The shopkeeper even asked, “Is she the daughter of a famous pillow maker? That gaze is not that of an amateur.”

“Hmm, close, but not quite. This isn’t it. It hasn’t surpassed my ‘My Pillow’ yet.”

Afterward, Mary spoke with the shopkeeper. He bowed his head, saying, “I’ve learned so much!” I bet there isn’t a single book in the world that mentions the ‘Indescribable Ancestor of Nightmares’ is an expert on pillows…

Mary said she wanted to eat lamb, so I took her to a restaurant famous for mutton and goat.

“This is quite delicious. Yes, I approve, I approve!”

Since Mary’s mood had improved significantly, I decided to count it as a win. All that was left was to go home and sleep. We had spare rooms, so living together wouldn’t be much of a problem.

Mary said, “This room is decent enough,” and casually entered the room I had designated for her.

“I was thinking of buying a bed tomorrow. Would that be okay?”

It was too late to have one delivered today.

“Oh, I don’t need one. As long as I have my pillow, that’s enough.”

For a great demon, she was surprisingly low-maintenance in that regard.

“It seems our lifestyle isn’t going to be threatened as much as I thought,” Cerulia said with a relieved face.

This was a conversation while the two of us were in the bath. She was washing my back.

“Yeah. I’m glad the dorm is spacious. Having three independent rooms really helps.”

“Since we have the chance, I hope to learn many things from her.”

After getting out of the bath, Cerulia and I went to sleep as usual. Mary hadn’t taken a bath, but she seemed to be sleeping, so I decided to leave her be. I felt like she’d be furious if I woke her up.

However, in the middle of the night, someone shook me. I opened my eyes to find Mary standing beside me.

“I just can’t fall asleep… The nightmares keep coming…”

That’s a troublesome ability for the person themselves to have.

“So, there’s something I want to try…”

“Oh, do you want to use the bed? That’s fine with me.”

“No, not that.”

Mary patted my lap.

“Franz, give me a lap pillow.”