I Picked up a Corrupted Heroine (The Secret Boss), and When I Spoiled Her, She Became Uncontrollably Affectionate With Me - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Witch of the End Is Happy

“…Mmm…”

The next morning.

As my mind slowly woke up, I felt something was off.

Something was stuck to my stomach area and it felt like it was moving a little.

“What the…?”

I opened my eyes and looked down—

“Snore… snore…”

There was Ria, fast asleep while hugging me from the front.

That part was normal. Ria sleeping while clinging to me was nothing new.

But for some reason… her clothes were wide open.

“…W-Wait, what happened yesterday…?”

I remembered Sia inviting me out and drinking for the first time in a while. Then Sia got drunk, I went home, and…

“…I was drunk too, so my memory cuts off partway through…”

While I was holding my head, Ria stirred.

“Mm… Huh? Asta… Good morning…”

“Ah, yeah, morning.”

Ria rubbed her eyes and sat up. The moment she saw my face, she smiled softly and spoke.

“Yesterday was really fun, wasn’t it?”

“!? !? !?”

What is she talking about!? I don’t remember anything…

“Ehehe, I was nervous since it was my first time, but you were there so it helped a lot…!”

“!? ”

First time? Nervous? Because I was there…?

“Ria, I’m really sorry. I need to go turn myself in for a bit.”

“Asta!? Why…!?”

“No, because… that’s what happened, right?”

I glanced at her open clothes. Her eyes widened and her face turned a little red.

“N-No, it’s not! This is, um… I had a dream about drinking alcohol for the first time together with you!”

“Oh, it was a dream… Thank god…”

I wasn’t a lolicon after all…

I let out a breath of relief.

“But the fact that you misunderstood like that… means you’re starting to see me as a woman a little bit, right…?”

“Eh…? Ria, did you say something?”

“No! It’s nothing! Anyway—”

Ria smiled happily and jumped right into my chest.

“Squeeze~…!”

“Ria!? What’s gotten into you…?”

“Hehe, I just got so happy I had to hug you.”

Ria rubbed her cheek against my chest.

Then she looked up at me with slightly wet eyes and smiled.

“Asta refill complete! So, shall we have breakfast soon?”

“Y-Yeah… Right. Let’s do that.”

For a second, Ria’s upward glance made my heart skip a beat. …It’s just because she’s cute, right.

“Alright, what should we have for breakfast today~…”

Ria headed to the kitchen in a great mood.

Oh, right—

“Ria, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Actually, next week I have to go on a business trip to a faraway town for a few days.”

“Ah~… I see. I’ll get lonely.”

Ria looked a bit sad, but her reaction was lighter than I expected. I thought she’d throw a bigger fit…

“Can you wait at home by yourself?”

“Of course…! I’ll protect this house until you get back.”

“Thanks…! I’m glad you understand. It really puts my mind at ease.”

“Hehe, business trips can’t be helped~…”

Ria made a disappointed face. But somehow her voice sounded a little happy.

“Ria, are you actually glad?”

“No way! …I’m not thinking how happy I’d be to go out together with you or anything.”

“I-I see. …Hm? Go out?”

“Ah~… Never mind!”

Ria laughed with an “ehehe” to cover it up.

――◇――◇――◇――

“See you later.”

One week later, on the day of the trip. I said goodbye to Ria.

“Yes, have a safe trip, Asta! I’ll be looking forward to a souvenir.”

“Yeah, be a good girl while I’m gone.”

I gently patted Ria’s head, then headed to the meeting spot with Sia.

“Sorry to keep you waiting…!”

I arrived at the meeting place and after a bit Sia came running up.

“Sorry, I was a little late…”

“Nah, it’s fine. I just got here too… Shall we get in the carriage?”

“Yes!”

We climbed into the carriage and it started moving right away.

“Still… of all places, it had to be the port city Kairos…”

I remembered the destination and let out a small sigh.

“You really don’t want to go? I heard it’s a popular tourist spot with beautiful ocean views…”

Sia, sitting across from me, tilted her head curiously.

“Well… yeah, but there’s a bit of a situation…”

Kairos was the stage for the next event. I had a bad feeling I’d get dragged into something.

“I can only pray nothing happens…”

“…? Yeah, I hope it’s a safe trip…!”

Sia nodded at my words.

Then she looked out the window and murmured thoughtfully.

“By the way, this carriage is really fast~”

“Yeah.”

I looked out the window too and the scenery flowed by smoothly.

“It’s pulled by magic beasts, right? What was it called again?”

“Yeah. It’s an amazing carriage that runs ten times faster than normal ones.”

It was probably as fast as a car.

After that, we killed time chatting about Ria and guild stuff, and taking short naps.

Then, a few hours later.

Light poured in through the window.

“Wow! Asta… I mean, Vice Guild Master! We left the forest and I can see the city!”

Outside the window was the huge port city—Kairos. There was a massive harbor along the sea, and next to it a big street lined with tons of shops.

“It’s such a beautiful city…! This is my first time here.”

“Really?”

“Yes! So I’m really excited!”

Sia’s eyes sparkled as she stared out the window.

“Then want to do a little sightseeing together? The meeting starts tomorrow so we’re free today…”

We had to attend the meeting with guild reps from various towns tomorrow. Which meant today was open.

“Eh, is that okay…! Yay… a date in the city with Asta…”

I didn’t quite catch the last part, but Sia looked super happy.

“Then let’s head to the main street quick…!”

“Yeah, good idea.”

I glanced at the excited Sia and smiled warmly to myself.

――◇――◇――――

“So this is the main street of the port city…!”

Sia looked around with sparkling eyes.

“I’d heard about it, but… it’s huge. How far does this street even go…?”

“It’s really amazing… Where should we go first?”

“Let’s see… It’s almost dinner time, so how about we eat first?”

“Sounds good! Actually, there’s a place I want to try!”

Sia leaned her body toward me.

“A place you want to go?”

“Yes! A friend told me a certain shop has really good pasta made with fresh seafood from this city…”

“Oh, nice. Let’s go there then.”

“Yay…! Let’s go…!”

Sia walked ahead full of energy, looking for the shop. A few minutes later we found it.

“This must be the place…!”

Sia started to head inside right away.

But I stopped in my tracks. No, I spotted an unexpected person and my feet just froze on their own.

“The protagonist…”

Inside the shop, eating with his party, was the protagonist.