Vol 1 Chapter 6 – Setting the Rules【Vol 1: A Man Who Wants to Buy a Slave】

The day after I ended up living with the cat-eared woman named Nemu. Yesterday, I got swept up in everything and Nemu steamrolled right over me. Couldn’t be helped, but once you decide something, you have to follow through. Starting today, I’d have to endure living with her until her suspension was lifted.

“Tch… That brat! When the hell is she gonna wake up!?”

When Nemu didn’t show up at the scheduled time, I lost my patience, went to the private room that had become hers, and started pounding on the door.

“Hey, Nemu! I told you to be up by eight today! I don’t know what you’re doing, but hurry up and get out here!”

This house was mine, after all. If she was going to live here, she’d have to follow my rules. I’d told her we’d have this discussion in the living room at eight today, but it was already past nine.

“Munya… sorry.”

My wake-up call finally got Nemu out of her room. Still sleepy, apparently—her black ears drooped flat, and she rubbed her eyes like a cat.

“Ugh, seriously! Just get dressed and wash your face! We’ll talk after that!”

After giving those instructions to Nemu in her underwear, I headed downstairs to the kitchen. I pulled out the cooking utensils I’d put away an hour ago and made breakfast for one. Since it was the first day, I went with sandwiches that anyone could eat.

As I was placing breakfast on the table, Nemu emerged from the washroom in casual clothes. Having washed her face, she seemed fully awake now—her cat ears were standing up energetically.

When I sat down to start our discussion, I noticed Nemu had frozen, staring intently at the sandwich on the table. Since the sandwich was placed in front of an empty seat rather than in front of me, she must have felt confused.

“…Can I eat this?”

Nemu pointed at the sandwich and asked, puzzled. Though it was annoying, I pushed the plate with the sandwich toward her.

“If you don’t have money for an inn, you obviously don’t have money for food either, right? I’d be in trouble if you starved to death in my house. I’ll at least handle meals until your suspension’s lifted.”
“…Thanks.”

Normally, I wouldn’t need to make food for Nemu. It’s just that I’m not rotten enough to abandon a broke girl. If I don’t have the guts to take care of meals for someone I decided to live with, even temporarily, there’s no way I could make my ‘destined slave girl’ happy.

Getting a bit drunk on my own kindness, I watched Nemu stuff her face with the sandwich. She must have been really hungry—she’d eaten almost all of it even though I’d made plenty. Even if she wasn’t a slave, seeing a girl enjoy my cooking this much was surprisingly satisfying.

Just as I was thinking that, Nemu spat a green object from her mouth and placed it on the edge of the plate. Looking at what she’d spit out, Nemu purred contentedly.

I grabbed Nemu’s hand as she reached for the last sandwich and stared into her eyes. Looking guilty, Nemu’s gaze wandered before she drooped her ears and spoke.

“…Nemu doesn’t like green peppers.”
“Hey, I made this food out of the kindness of my heart, so don’t be picky! Just suck it up and eat everything! Got it!?”
“Mmm… okay.”

After my lecture, Nemu reluctantly tossed the green pepper from the plate into her mouth. She must have really hated it—she squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed it down in one go while her ears twitched.

About ten minutes later, Nemu finally finished everything. While she slumped on the table, I washed the dirty dishes. After cleaning up, I sat back down to begin our discussion.

I flicked the head of Nemu, who was still suffering from the bitterness of the green pepper with her tongue sticking out, and the discussion about our living arrangement began.

“We’re going to set rules for living together! If you break the rules, you’ll have to leave this house immediately!”
“Nnn… okay.”

Though looking somewhat reluctant, Nemu accepted it out of necessity. She probably understood that enduring some restrictions was better than being thrown out penniless.

Well, the problem was the rules themselves.

Honestly, I’d made them pretty strict. I was only guaranteeing her meals while she lived in this house. I didn’t give a damn what happened after Nemu broke the rules and had to leave.

“Alright then, rule number one! Nemu is forbidden from entering anywhere except her own room and shared spaces! Absolutely do not go into any other areas!”
“Mm. Got it.”

Nemu accepted the first rule easily. Well, the first one was a rule you should naturally follow anyway. Nothing difficult about it. However, the problem was the rules from number two onward. She’d definitely want to run away from how harsh they were.

“Number two! I’ll give you a house key just in case, but when you go out, report to me where you’re going first! Even if you go out, be home before seven PM!”
“Mm, got it. No problem.”

Nemu’s unexpected response made my eyes widen. This rule should have been pretty mentally taxing for a normal girl. An overprotective father setting a curfew for his teenage daughter—that’s the kind of rule this was. Yet despite having it forced on her by a complete stranger, Nemu accepted it without hesitation.

“A-Alright then, number three! I’ll make your meals! In return, you finish everything without leaving anything! Don’t leave stuff just because you don’t like it, like earlier!”

Though flustered, I conveyed the third rule to Nemu. This was supposed to be a buffer before the fourth rule, but after seeing her eat earlier, I felt this rule would also be a significant restriction for Nemu. As expected, Nemu’s face hardened.

“Mmm… okay.”

However, though it didn’t go smoothly, she accepted this one too. I was internally quite shaken that Nemu had accepted more than expected. At this rate, I’d end up spending time with Nemu until her suspension was lifted.

I wouldn’t lose. If it came to this, I’d bet everything on my fetish!

“R-Rule four! Every Saturday from now on, you’ll dress as a maid and call me ‘Master’! You’ll wear a collar too, of course!”

How about that! Even Nemu can’t accept this rule! I can tell without looking that she must be frustrated!

It would lower my reputation, but this was a devilish plan that could drastically shorten our cohabitation period. I was truly a genius. I covered my rising smirk with my hand and gloated internally. However, that smile vanished in an instant.

“Mm, that’s fine, but Nemu doesn’t have a maid outfit.”

Nemu answered in a vacant voice. Looking at her face, she tilted her head expressionlessly as if she felt nothing. I placed my hand on Nemu’s shoulder, trembling.

“Wait, you’re okay with this? You’ll wear a collar, you know? Doesn’t that bother you? Isn’t it creepy? You can say no if you want, you know?”

I questioned Nemu repeatedly. Not because I was happy about getting her in a maid outfit. I’d become genuinely worried about Nemu accepting everything so easily. But dismissing my concern, Nemu shook her head as if it were nothing.

“Doesn’t bother me. Nemu’s a cat-person.”

Saying that, Nemu raised her face and showed me her neck. Seeing that, I realized it would be impossible to drive this girl out of my house.

“Oh, I see… Well then, let’s go buy a maid outfit.”
“Mm, got it.”

And so Nemu and I headed out to town together. It definitely wasn’t because I wanted to see a cat-eared girl in a maid outfit that I didn’t propose any more rules. I just… couldn’t think of any stricter rules. Really, that’s seriously all it was.