落とし穴３２掘：新入りの日常 (Part1)
Pitfall 32: The Newcomer’s Daily Routine
The Newcomer’s Daily Routine
Side: Jessica
*Jiririri...*
An alarm clock echoes through the room.
"Ah, is it 5:00 already...? Just one more hour."
With that, Jessica silences the alarm and crawls back under the covers.
A few days ago, circumstances forced her to wake up at 5:00, but today, waking up at 7:00 would be perfectly fine.
The view peeking through the gap in the curtains shows that the sun hasn't risen yet, though in her old life, she would have been up by now.
However, mornings in Weed are leisurely.
Well, since they stay active late into the night, the actual amount of time spent working and being active is incomparably harder than her old life.
With a groggy head, she reflects on her life since coming here.
When she first arrived, she was shocked by the astonishing stories Yuki told her, stunned by Weed’s technological prowess, and ended up bedridden from overeating due to the delicious food culture.
Since then, she had to study the continent’s affairs desperately to fit in, undergo the forced training known as "leveling up," and finally, she had become capable of working as Yuki’s assistant.
Lately, since Yuki and the others are at the Zilba Empire’s royal capital, and because she is officially considered dead, she spends her days doing office work in Weed.
Until recently, she had been going to the villages early in the morning for work related to the demi-humans, but since moving to internal duties in Weed, things have become more relaxed.
*Jiririri...*
The alarm clock rings again.
"...6:30. ...Time to get up."
She sluggishly rises from her futon.
Her unstyled blonde hair is a mess, blocking her vision.
Finding it bothersome, she uses a hair clip kept near her pillow to pull it to the side, as she always does.
Her nightclothes are disheveled, and her chest is spilling out quite naturally.
It’s a magnificent, large bosom—even if she says so herself. She prides herself on it being an attractive feature that draws men's gazes.
However, for her, just waking up, those large breasts are nothing but heavy and bothersome.
For now, she pushes them back inside her clothes, grabs her change of attire, and leaves the room.
"...It’s cold."
The inn’s hallways are spacious, so even as morning follows the night, they retain the chill.
Well, it’s still far better than the castle.
Passing through the cold hallway, her destination is...
"Oh? Good morning, Jessica."
"Good morning, Ratz."
"Are you heading to the bath, too?"
"Yes. It’s the best thing for when you’ve just woken up."
"Indeed. A bath right after waking up—it’s luxurious and feels so good."
Yes, the open-air bath.
A luxurious bath attached to this inn that can be used 24 hours a day.
Honestly, even royalty and nobility don't have baths they can use whenever they please, but here in Weed, it’s treated as a matter of course.
Thanks to the shampoo and conditioner, her once-stiff hair has become silky smooth, making the bath an indispensable part of her life.
*Splash.*
"Ah, this feels so good."
Ratz, not minding her large belly, is sprawled out in the open-air bath, soaking in the hot water.
"Yes. It truly is a wonderful feeling."
Jessica soaks in the water right next to her.
The sensation of warmth slowly spreading from the core of her body is quite pleasant.
"But Jessica, you’ve really gotten used to things. It’s been a little over three months since you came here, right?"
"That’s right. About that long."
"The baby in your belly is growing, too. You were about three months along when the talk of going to the new continent came up, so you’re nearly seven months now. It won't be long."
Ratz strokes her belly lovingly.
Inside that belly is Yuki’s child.
"Oh, come to think of it, didn't you say at the beginning that you were going to seduce him?"
"I did say that, but Yuki doesn't seem to have the inclination, and his wives are keeping him busy every night. Plus, I’ve only been here for three months, and there’s so much to deal with. But, if the opportunity arises, I’ll give it my best."
That’s right—she hasn't given up on becoming Yuki’s concubine.
With his power, making the Zilba Empire the greatest nation on the new continent would be easy, and he himself has the capacity of a man.
His future prospects are clear just by looking at Weed, and while his personality is a bit devious and prone to scheming, looking at his wives, that’s a minor detail and quite favorable.
Honestly, as a woman, she wants to get her hands on a fine man like him.
Of course, she also believes that lending a hand to solve world-scale problems is a natural duty as a wife.
"Hmm, hmm. That’s the spirit. If Jessica becomes his aide just like Ria, we’ll feel at ease, too. Being both a wife and an aide—that’s the easiest position to protect him from."
"I can understand that. However, I can’t even imagine who could possibly defeat Yuki."
"I’m of the same opinion, but we can’t afford any mishaps. It’s better to have more cards in our hand. If we aren't careful, he has a bad habit of trying to solve every problem all by himself."
"Is Yuki even aware of his own position?"
"He is, you know? But to him, we are more important than that. That’s why we want more wives like Ria who can stay glued to his side as aides. Of course, once our terms as executives end and we’ve raised our successors, we’ll take up the duty of guarding him, but that’s still a long way off. Plus, there’s child-rearing once the babies are born."
"So, acting as a bodyguard is mostly impossible?"
"Exactly. Even after child-rearing is over, it’ll be more than ten years from now. But, having children is a joy beyond words. At first, he wouldn't even lay a hand on us."
"What do you mean by that?"
"He was just that incredibly serious..."
After chatting about such things, they get out of the bath and eat breakfast.
"Thank you for the meal."
"You're welcome."
Such exchanges with Yuki are a common sight.
She had initially thought it strange for the leader of an organization to be the one cooking, but when asked if she could do it instead, she realized she had no confidence in making food better than his.
It seems to be a case of the right person in the right place.
"Hey, Jessica, what are you doing today?"
"Ah, Deryu. I’m just doing internal work today."
"Hmm. Then that’s perfect. I’ll train you for the first time in a while."
"Eh? Surely Yuki wouldn't allow that, considering your belly?"