A Story of a Male Knight (Not a Female Knight) in a Chastity-Reversed World ~The Girls Are So Afraid of Being Disliked That a “Kukkoro” Scene Never Happens~ - 16-17

Chapter 16: Master

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What Elsa-san suggested was for me to find another mentor. Elsa-san wasn’t someone specialized in martial arts; she was an all-rounder maid who was also skilled in academics and household chores. Compared to someone who specialized in combat, she certainly might have some shortcomings.

If I thought only about the benefits, it might have been better that way. But I hesitated.

“Elsa-san, I look up to you as my teacher. A knight serves no two masters. It’s the same for me—I will have only one mentor, and that’s you.”

“H-hauu… I love you. I love you so much, Ray-sama…”

Elsa-san melted like warm wax, but quickly snapped back to a serious face.

“But that won’t do, Ray-sama. If I were to try to train you any further, the only methods I know would put an undue burden on your body. You should seek guidance from someone more knowledgeable and stronger than me.”

“But… I feel bad, Elsa-san. You’ve worked so hard to teach me until now, and going to someone else feels like I’m betraying you.”

“Ray-sama, I don’t understand why you wish to become a knight. But I do understand that you dream of it with a strong will in your heart. Therefore, please don’t worry about me—go find a new mentor.”

“Elsa-san… But I don’t want to. Just because my body isn’t ready yet doesn’t mean you don’t have more to teach me. I don’t want to find someone else.”

“Please don’t worry! For a pervert like me who steals towels, drinks your sweat, and ogles you in hopes of a lucky lewd accident, you don’t need to show such consideration!”

…Well, she had a point.

“I understand, Elsa-san. I will look for a new mentor.”

“Yes, that’s the right choice, Ray-sama. If our relationship kept progressing like this and you started saying things like, ‘A disciple should wash their master’s back,’ it’d be a real problem—for me.”

The guilt I had felt now seemed silly, so I reset my mindset. Yes, I needed to find another mentor. If Elsa-san got too carried away, I might actually end up getting kukkoro-ed by her instead.

That said…

Even though I decided to find a new mentor, I had no one to rely on, so I didn’t know what to do.

“You’re making a face like, ‘I decided to find a mentor besides Elsa-san, but I have no idea who to turn to,’ aren’t you, Ray-sama?”

It looked like my face had given my thoughts away, which made me feel relieved that I wasn’t showing the expression of someone afraid of being kukkoro-ed if Elsa-san got too cocky.

“Yes. I have no connections or anything after all.”

“It’s okay, Ray-sama. I have someone in mind!”

Elsa-san spoke proudly.

“One of my junior disciples is exceptionally talented. When it comes to swordsmanship, she’s the bet. Among her fellow students, instructors, and even across different schools, I’ve never seen anyone better with a sword than her.”

Wow. Before the loop, I’d seen Mother’s sword skills firsthand—they were magnificent. Elsa-san surely knew Mother’s strength, so if she said someone was beyond that, then they must have truly mastered swordsmanship.

“Moreover, she’s a prodigy—and not just any ordinary genius, but someone who far surpasses any genius. Just imagining what a genius like you, Ray-sama, could become under the guidance of such a prodigy excites me so much.”

“C-could I really become that strong?”

“Yes! You could become so strong that you could one-punch me, mount me and make me moan, or disarm me with a flick of your sword and leave me helpless while you make me moan again!”

I ignored Elsa-san’s open excitement as usual and pumped my fist in my heart. Elsa-san was generally a weirdo, but when it came to thinking about what was best for me, she was always serious. So her words carried real weight. I trusted her judgement. If I trained under that person, I might even gain the strength to stand up to the cherry-haired girl!

“Elsa-san! Can you ask her right away!?”

“Yes. Although, first, I’ll need to talk to Madam.”

“Right. We’ll need Mother’s permission. And I’m sure there’ll be costs involved.”

“Ray-sama, you’re so kind—it’s almost unthinkable for a man to be this kind. You don’t need to worry about money.”

“I can’t just ignore it. If she’s as incredible as you say, she’ll probably command a high salary, and I’d feel bad having Mother pay for it all. I want to contribute something myself.”

“It’s fine. She’s loaded. She has so much money lying around.”

“Oh, in that case… She might not even want to come.”

“I hate to admit it since I’m the one suggesting it, but you’re probably right. Unlike me, who would gladly pay to serve you, she doesn’t seem like she has any carnal desires.”

That statement basically admitted Elsa-san served me because of her lust, but as always, I pretended not to hear it.

“I see…”

“But don’t worry! I’ll bring her here, no matter what! For now, I’ll speak with the Madam first!”

“Yeah! I’m counting on you!”

Later. It turned out she agreed to be my mentor without hesitation, and Elsa-san ended up tilting her head in confusion.

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Chapter 17: Prospective Master

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I adjusted the position of my tie in front of the mirror. I felt nervous. With just a week left until my mother’s test, today was already the day I would meet my prospective master. I recalled the conversation I’d had with Elsa-san yesterday.

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“Once again, Ray-sama, let me explain in detail about the woman you will take as your master.”

“Please do.”

“Her name is Kokoro Kafka. She is the second daughter of the family of the personal physician serving the lord of Nagasu Territory, where I am from. Though she comes from a line of doctors, she also carries the bloodline of the relatives of the first lord of Nagasu.”

“Hee… She sounds like someone of high status.”

“Compared to you, Ray-sama, she’s nothing at all. Still, since she comes from a distinguished family, she was adopted into a knight’s house that had no heir.”

“Which means… She’s a female knight!?”

“Exactly. Ray-sama, you really do admire knights so much.”

“Yeah! Ah, but… Since she’s not yet the head of that house, she’s only planning to become a knight, right?”

“No, she is the current head. Her adoptive mother has already passed away.”

“I see…”

Even though it was an adoptive mother, it hurt my heart to think of losing a parent at a young age.

“Yes. But there’s no need to worry about that woman.”

“Why not?”

“It’s been several years now, her wounds have healed, and more than anything, she’s an incorrigible brat who isn’t the type to inspire concern from others.”

Elsa-san continued with an exasperated look.

“She was a real rascal—like sticking a paper with ‘idiot’ written on it to people’s backs, waking people up early yelling ‘You’re late!’ or giving someone a frog as a ‘present.’ She was constantly up to some mischief.”

“Huh…”

“The worst one was this: there’s a river without a bridge, and she’d go flipping the ferryboats over. Naturally, she’d get scolded, beaten up, and end up with lifelong scars.”

“I wonder if she’ll be okay…”

Hearing Elsa-san’s stories started to make me anxious.

“Well, it’s fine. That’s the only scar she has. Even after harsh training, she emerged with only that one injury, so she’s quite the skilled fighter.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Yes. Because she came from a family of doctors, it seems she worked many times harder than others to become a knight.”

Working many times harder, huh… My unique magic revealed its true value the more I trained and put in effort. Thinking that way, she might be the perfect master for me. I felt more and more eager to learn from Kokoro-san.

“She was recognized for her talent by the lord of the territory and even received awards several times, so her skill is beyond question. I’m sure you’ll be more than satisfied to have her as your master, Ray-sama.”

“Yeah. From what you’re saying, it sounds like there couldn’t be a better master. But will she really agree to become my master? She’s not hurting for money, right?”

“Yes. The knight’s house she inherited, along with her mother’s family estate, has left her with both inheritances. Thanks to passive income from real estate alone, she’s absolutely rolling in money and doesn’t care about it at all—ugh.”

Elsa-san clicked her tongue before continuing.

“That’s why I was honestly surprised she even agreed to hear us out this time.”

“Yeah. From what I’ve heard, it doesn’t sound like she’d need to bother taking on a job like being my master.”

“Right. She always seemed perfectly content spending her days doing martial training and lazing around, but for some reason, on a whim… Well, since she meets every qualification to be your master, this is great news for us.”

“Yeah. I’d better treat this whim like a stroke of luck—and make sure she doesn’t change her mind.”

“Indeed. I believe you won’t have any problems, Ray-sama, but… Please make sure you don’t offend her… No, to even imagine Ray-sama being rude is in itself an unforgivable insult!! Should that happen, I, Elsa, shall personally mete out punishment for the crime of disrespect!”

“Ahaha. Take it easy, okay?”

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That was the conversation that led to today. I needed to be careful not to do anything rude so Kokoro-san wouldn’t change her mind—and so Elsa-san wouldn’t go overboard.

“Alright!”

Satisfied with my appearance, I gave myself a nod just as I heard a knock.

“Ray-sama, Kokoro-sama has arrived.”

I answered Elsa-san, who, keeping her personal feelings aside, spoke formally, and I headed to the reception room. Opening the door and entering the room, I saw a beautiful girl in a black gothic outfit wearing an eyepatch sitting there.

She must be Kokoro-san.

She looked like she’d stepped straight out of a chuunibyou fantasy, but her presence was undeniably refined. There was an old saying: “Standing like a peony, sitting like a tree peony, walking like a lily,” and it suited her perfectly.

I could tell that the secret behind her beauty lay in the core strength and muscles she had trained to perfection, and even while sitting, there wasn’t a hint of an opening anywhere. In just a few seconds, I understood the overwhelming strength she possessed and bowed my head politely.

“Thank you very much for coming all this way today. It’s an honor to meet you. I am Ray Kukkoro, the eldest child of the Kukkoro family.”

When I raised my head after bowing, I was met with Kokoro-san’s face flushed bright red.

“I waaaant to! Please let me be your master!!”

Kokoro-san pleaded desperately.

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