Knock Knock Knock!
"Are you asleep, Beatrice?"
"Come in."
Though Adam was knocking on what should have been an empty room, a cold voice answered from inside.
Beatrice was angry — he was certain of it.
Opening the door, he found her sitting in a chair directly facing the entrance, her tiny frame dwarfed by its large size.
"Hey Betty, still awake I see."
"Yes, waiting for a certain heartless man to explain himself."
"Oh my~"
Beatrice's pouty expression and worried eyes made Adam keenly aware of his mistake.
"Please let me apologize first. I'm sorry, I was wrong." Adam straightened his back and gave her a small, sincere bow.
His sincerity didn't appease Beatrice, who remained seated with her head tilted and lips pursed in a pout.
"Hmph."
She clearly hadn't forgiven him yet.
"Um... I understand why Betty is angry — it's because I didn't come find you during dinner."
"Hmph, so you did know after all."
"That's why I'm here to apologize." Adam said, trying to explain himself, "But Betty, you didn't show up for dinner either. I thought you might have had an issue with our new companion, so..."
"That's no excuse for Adam to deliberately avoid me!"
"Yes, yes, I was wrong."
Adam accepted all her complaints without mentioning her earlier reluctance to meet Yunyun.
"So, I came to make it up to Beatrice."
"Make it up...? What are you talking about, Betty doesn't need... ah, ah! Adam, what are you doing!"
Before Beatrice could react, Adam swiftly crossed the room and wrapped her in his embrace, leaving her flustered and at a loss.
"Making it up to you, like I said."
As Adam held her firmly, resting his head atop hers and breathing in her sweet scent, Beatrice's light taps against him were as gentle as tickles.
"Since coming back, Betty has just been cooped up in her room, hardly going out at all."
"So what... anyway, I don't know anyone else, and I'm used to it." Realizing resistance was futile, she quietly nestled into his embrace.
Though she wanted to act more mature, deep down she desperately wanted to stay close to Adam.
"I'm sorry, Betty."
"Why so suddenly..."
"It's nothing. I just decided... from now on I'll keep you by my side at all times, even if you don't agree."
"Hmph, it's not like Betty wants to be with Adam that much." Despite her words, she held tightly to his hand with no intention of letting go.
A moment later.
"Alright, Betty needs to sleep. Adam can leave now." Beatrice commanded, though her reluctant expression betrayed her true feelings.
"Eh — I have to leave?"
"W-what do you mean?" She startled at his intense gaze.
"I'm going to sleep here."
"Eh...?!"
"I'm sleeping here, and to replenish my Betty quota, I'm going to hold you while we sleep tonight!"
"N-no way!" Beatrice's face flushed red as she protested his bold declaration.
She couldn't help but recall what that golden-haired girl had said in the other world:
[Will you two have children?]
And Adam had clearly answered: "I want to!"
Combined with his current intention to stay in her room, she couldn't look at her contractor directly and refused without hesitation.
She simply wasn't ready yet.
"Objection overruled! I'm your contractor, Betty has to listen to me!"
Adam firmly held her in his arms as they fell together onto the soft bed. Beatrice's small frame rested on his chest, her heart racing as she listened to his steady heartbeat.
Soon she realized she had misunderstood — Adam didn't have that kind of intention. He simply wanted to make amends by sleeping together.
After a while of stillness, Beatrice understood, and her heartbeat gradually calmed.
"Good night, Betty."
"Good night, Adam."
"I love you."
"Mm... me too."
The two fell asleep in each other's embrace.
✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧
Early the next morning.
The party gathered in the main hall.
"So, this is Betty, the Great Spirit I'm contracted with." Adam pointed to the small figure sitting in his lap as he explained to the newly joined Yunyun, "Last night, I forgot to introduce her because of my carelessness — please don't mind."
"No, no, I don't mind at all." Yunyun quickly shook her head.
"Mm, glad you don't mind." Adam smiled at her, then asked Beatrice to give a brief self-introduction.
The tsundere Great Spirit, bound by her contractor's request and satisfied with last night's compensation, felt less antipathy toward the newcomer.
"Well, Betty's name is Beatrice, a Great Spirit of the Yin attribute. And you?"
"Y-yes! I am Yunyun! One who follows the path of magic and future chief of the Crimson Magic Clan!... Sorry, I just automatically..."
Yunyun's habitual chuunibyou outburst made Beatrice realize she was just like the other party members — children with peculiar mindsets.
"Well, looking forward to working together."
"Yes! Please take care of me!"
Though the strange noises from last night had made Yunyun uneasy, once everything was explained, she put it out of her mind.
However, another matter remained unresolved.
"We really shouldn't leave someone alone on the third floor." Adam rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
The lord's mansion was vast and empty. The party members typically only used the first and second floors, seldom venturing to the third.
Though the rooms were mainly for sleeping, the risk of accidents increased after dark — something Adam found concerning.
"What should we do..."
"Adam-senpai, I have an idea."
"Oh, let's hear it."
As Adam pondered the situation, Kazuma raised his hand eagerly, ready to share his solution.
"Adam-senpai, why don't we have all the female party members move to the third floor?"
"Oh?" Adam's eyes lit up at the suggestion.
This was indeed a good idea.
Having men and women on the same floor had been causing various inconveniences, and with Yunyun joining, someone would need to move to the third floor anyway. It made perfect sense to separate the party by gender.
The four women would live on the third floor, while the men would stay on the second floor. This arrangement would solve both the room allocation issue and prevent certain troublemakers from causing mischief.
"Huh? Why do I feel like I'm the troublemaker they're talking about?"
"Hmm... Aqua, Darkness, Megumin, what do you think?"
Adam knew he couldn't make this decision alone, so he turned to the female party members for their input.
"I don't mind."
"Same here."
"Either way is fine with me."
All three women agreed without hesitation.
In truth, there wasn't much difference between the second and third floors — the rooms were nearly identical in layout and size. The third floor even had the advantage of better lighting.
The only minor inconvenience would be climbing an extra flight of stairs.
"Then it's decided."
And so, on Yunyun's second day with the party, all the female members relocated to the third floor of the lord's mansion.
✧✧✧
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