落とし穴９０堀：徹夜明けの後の夫婦の休息 (Part1)
**Pitfall 90: Rest for a Married Couple After an All-Nighter**
**Side: Yuki**
*Chirp, chirp...*
The sound of morning. A clear, unmistakable sparrow’s song.
Come to think of it, why do sparrows have such a strong association with the morning? They’re chirping away at all hours of the day. When I think about it like that, they just seem like noisy, troublesome pests, and I start brainstorming ways to get rid of them.
"Aren't sparrows supposed to be surprisingly delicious when grilled?"
I’m pretty sure there are still quite a few yakitori shops that serve them. That means they’re perfectly edible. Is this a new culinary improvement?
As I’m pondering this, a voice suddenly cuts in.
"What kind of strange things are you saying? Before you start turning sparrows into yakitori, do your work."
Seraria says this as she places a stack of documents on the desk.
"What’s this?"
"Don't ask 'what.' It’s the report on our intercontinental exchanges. You’ve been completely preoccupied with the New Continent lately. You’ve basically abandoned Weed for the last month."
"I wouldn't call it 'abandoned.' I’ve still been working on things diligently."
"You haven't shown your face, and my old man—not to mention the kings of other nations—are starting to tilt their heads in confusion. Honestly, I’d like you to return to the intercontinental exchange duties immediately."
"I’d love to show my face, but things are incredibly complicated in Haiden right now."
I hand her the intelligence report on Haiden that just arrived.
"Let's see... oh, wow. This is a headache. A strange organization with excessive power is moving around. We can't rule out intervention from other countries, so if we don't settle this quickly, Haiden is going to tip over."
"Exactly. In a way, it’s like when I first got involved with Roschur. Including the part where the Imperial princess was killed."
"...Now that you mention it, it is similar."
"Well, that was the Empire, and Haiden is different. This time, there’s a magical organization—the 'Gathering of Wisdom,' I think they call themselves—using something that looks like a Dungeon Core to summon monsters and pull strings from the shadows."
"Hmm. So we just need to crush this Gathering of Wisdom. Sounds like a pain, though."
"Secret organizations have deep, wide roots. We can't do anything about it immediately, so I’m planning to attach a tracker to them and let them run for now."
"That’s about all you can do. And after that, you’re preparing to welcome the Imperial army? Should I show my face for that?"
"Yeah. You’re the Queen of Weed, Seraria. You have to make an appearance. Princess Carrie is coming, too, after all."
"I see. With the princesses of Haiden and the Empire both present, I can't afford to miss it. Since that little girl named Kagura is coming too, I’ll have to give them a stern talking-to."
Come to think of it, Seraria hasn't met Kagura yet due to her busy schedule.
"Don't be too stern. It’s a pain to do damage control later."
"I know how to handle that. Children tend to like me, after all."
I know that, but the other party isn't exactly a child.
We continue to look through and organize the documents while we talk. The room, which had been dim until a moment ago, is now flooded with sunlight streaming through the window, dazzling my eyes.
"Anyway, regarding Haiden, I’ll discuss things with the King, using the attack on Duke Kamishiro as a pretext to clean up the internal mess. We’ll likely need to help with military strength, and given the situation with the potential Dungeon Core, it’s better to get actively involved."
"Oh, I remembered. Zargis sent word earlier that the analysis of the core and the Lizardmen is finished. He said he sent an email to Call, but there was no response, so he wanted you to take a look."
"I’ve been too busy... I see it now. I’ll go after I finish these documents. *Sigh*, I’m sleepy."
"If you haven't slept, why don't you take a nap before you go?"
I consider her suggestion. The main hurdles are cleared, and I’ve already given my instructions, so I can leave the rest to everyone else, right? Just because I’ve heard the report on the core and the Lizardmen doesn't mean I’m going to storm the Gathering of Wisdom right this second. Plus, I need to ask that useless goddess about a few things... *Sigh*, there’s no point in cramming it all in now.
"I’m going to sleep."
"That’s for the best. I’ll inform the relevant parties."
"You’re a lifesaver."
"Alright then. Jessica, Samantha, Cleena, please take care of Yuki. Ria and Deryu are already asleep after their all-nighter, too."
"Leave it to us."
"Understood."
"Mm. Leave it to me."
With that, I leave the workspace with the three guards-cum-secretaries who have been handling diplomatic work in Weed lately. I leave the Doppel body in the breakroom and return to my original body, back at the Weed inn for the first time in a while. I’ve been in Haiden for so long, after all.
"I guess even if my brain is working hard while I’m elsewhere, this body still feels the fatigue."
"That is only natural."
"Come now, Yuki-sama. Let’s have a quick bath and get some rest."
"Mm. I’ll support you."
Normally, the four of us might have had some fun, but we don't have the luxury of time for that. We take a quick bath and head straight to bed. When a human is pushed to their absolute limit, their consciousness just vanishes the moment they hit the futon. I usually can't sleep if I try to force it, so I wonder what the difference is. While I’m thinking about such trivial things, my consciousness easily slips into the darkness.
*Zzz...*
When I wake up, it’s dusk outside. I’ve been asleep since morning, so that’s about ten hours? Maybe because I slept longer than usual, my head feels fuzzy. My body... well, it’s still a bit sluggish, likely from the all-nighter. But I don't have a fever or anything; I can tell from my old office-worker days that it’s just standard fatigue, so there’s nothing to worry about.
"Nn..."
I realize Cleena is sleeping next to me, but Jessica and Samantha are nowhere to be seen. Well, they don't need to sleep if they didn't pull an all-nighter. I’m starting to wake up, but perhaps because it’s dusk, I don't feel like moving around much. It can't be helped. Usually, this is the time when work ends and the evening begins to soothe the day's exhaustion. I don't have the energy to start doing anything now. There’s a mountain of work, but I’m taking a pass for today.
As I’m sitting there, dazed, the door opens and Jessica and Samantha walk in.
"Good evening. Are you awake?"
"Good evening, Yuki-sama. How are you feeling?"
"Saying 'good evening' feels a bit strange. I really shouldn't pull all-nighters. My head is still a bit foggy and my body is sluggish. Well, I’ll be back to normal soon enough. So, were you two working?"
"No. We went to the bath."
"The bath? It feels weird to say you went when you already went this morning, but I guess it’s not that strange."
When you go to a hot spring inn, it’s common for people to bathe in the morning, afternoon, night, and even late at night.
Jessica nods at my reaction and continues.
"Yes. It wouldn't be strange regardless of the time, but this time, it was for post-processing."
"Post-processing?"
As I tilt my head in confusion, Samantha, standing beside her with a glowing, refreshed face, puts her hands on her hips and says with a satisfied air...