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After my initial warning, Maria avoided looking at me while we were working together, though perhaps as some kind of reaction, she now stares at me incessantly whenever there isn't anything else going on. It wouldn't be much of an exaggeration to say that observing me has become her hobby.
Since I already addressed the issue early on, at this point, I simply pretend not to notice.
There was no way for Maria to understand why she kept following me with her eyes, so she was forced to invent excuses for her strange behavior.
Twenty years spent playing the role of a serious, unassuming priest in the royal capital hadn't been wasted, after all—and as a former Japanese man, maintaining appearances is one of my specialties.
From Maria's perspective, I'm probably just a slightly plain but earnest and friendly priest who makes a good boss.
Fortunately, my appearance after reincarnation in this other world isn't bad, either. Incidentally, I made it clear to the goddess that I didn't want to be too handsome so as not to attract undue attention from fate's machinations. As long as I take care of myself, then, there shouldn't be anything unpleasant about being around me.
After spending several weeks like this, roughly three have passed, and we're finally ready to move on to the next phase.
"I'm going out to do laundry!"
"Oh, you've been taking care of everything lately, so let me handle it today."
"No, no!" Maria snatched up the laundry basket hastily. "This is part of my duties as Sister!" And with that, she bustled out the back door.
We've divided household chores since moving in together, but she's been acting like this for the past five days or so. It's high time I checked things out.
Four days ago, when it was still my turn to do laundry, Maria insisted on taking over despite herself, and ever since then, I've suppressed my urge to investigate immediately. Instead, while she does the washing, I've devoted myself to prayer.
Thanks to that, Maria must be completely at ease, assuming I'm fervently praying again today.
"Tara-ra-ta-ra-la... Invisible cloak!"
My voice cracks, proving my middle age.
Back in the royal capital, people knew me as a man of moderation, but this is why: In preparation for just such a time, I'd stocked up on various magical items.
This particular one isn't terribly high-quality, so it only conceals appearance; sound and scent still escape, and anyone with detection abilities outside visual perception would easily notice me. But since Maria is merely an ordinary Sister, there shouldn't be any issues.
Like a knight embarking bravely, yet inwardly driven by base desires, the middle-aged man dons his cloak and vanishes from sight.
After confirming its effectiveness before a full-length mirror, I set off in pursuit of Maria.
In this town, doing laundry meant heading to one of the communal water sources or using the irrigation ditches, but since we maintained the cemetery, there was a small yet impressive well behind our church.
I appreciated not having to go out of my way for this task, and I was especially grateful that no one would see me.
Step by step, treading lightly, I crept toward the well.
As I approached cautiously, I discovered Maria washing clothes.
There were no washing machines here, so she had to scrub everything with a washboard.
The item she was currently cleaning looked like some kind of enormous melon holder...but it was actually a bra.
Even ordinary people wear underwear in this pseudo-Western world.
It wasn't made from fancy silk or anything, but it was stylish enough that even by Japanese standards, you could call it cute. As for how their logistics worked, I couldn't say.
The feeling of embarrassment about having someone see one's underwear is also common here, just like back home. Even on laundry day, Maria always separates her undergarments from the rest of her clothes. Sometimes I catch glimpses of them when hanging things up to dry, but it wouldn't be appropriate to stare, so this might actually be my first chance to examine them closely.
Wow, those are huge.
The fabric covering her mammoth breasts dwarfs even my face.
They're so enormous that at first glance, you'd think she has two small pieces of furniture attached to her chest. The garments themselves are simple sports bras, devoid of frills or any other aesthetic flourishes, but imagining Maria wearing them still gets me excited.
But I'm not here just to sneak peeks at her lingerie.
"Nsho, nsho... Nsho."
Watching Maria washing diligently, there doesn't seem to be anything unusual about her demeanor.
She's such a fine girl, never slacking off even if no one else is watching.
After enjoying the sight of Maria's profile for some time, she finished washing her own clothes and reached over to start on mine.
This is it. If my hunch was right, something should happen now.
If nothing does, then my intuition might as well be shit.
The only laundry I have consists of my unvarying priestly garments, but even though she handles them slightly more carefully than her own, there's no sign that anything unusual has occurred.
Just as I'm about to give up, thinking my guess must've been bullshit...
"...!"
Maria abruptly turns toward me, making direct eye contact.
My heart nearly leaps out of my chest from shock, and I cover my mouth with one hand to suppress any audible gasps. She shouldn't be able to see me at all, so what gives?
I panic momentarily, but fortunately, it seems like false alarm.
She isn't actually looking at me; rather, she appears to be checking something beyond where I stand, unseen. Then she glances to the right, left again, and starts scanning her surroundings anxiously.
Here we go.
It's down to the last piece remaining in the laundry basket.
After thoroughly scanning her surroundings, she finally reached for that last item.
Gulp.
Maria's throat bobbed up and down.
The garment she held was my underwear.
It wasn't anything special—just plain blue boxer briefs.
I hadn't gone so far as to wear red loincloths or anything like that yet.
She had been washing clothes efficiently until now, but with my underwear clutched tightly in her hands, she stopped moving entirely.
Yep. The sight of this beautiful girl gripping my pants alone would've been enough to get me off.
"Just a little bit, just a tiny bit...please forgive me, Goddess, Mr. Priest Ain..." she muttered under her breath, checking once more over both shoulders before...
She brought my underwear close to her face.
Ohhhhhh yeah!!
Yes! Yes! It's happening!!!
"Sniff sniff... Sniff..."
Ahh...! Did you see that?! Did you?!
Her nose twitched; she was definitely sniffing now. Maria is smelling my underwear!
"Mmm...I shouldn't, but...sniff..."
The spot she's inhaling from is undoubtedly the smelliest part of the pants—the crotch area.
With each snort, her brow furrows not only with guilt but also because, I suspect, she doesn't actually find the scent pleasant.
Remember, the hypnotic suggestion made her curious about the odor, not fond of it. Considering its classification as downright foul, there's no way a young girl would willingly enjoy sniffing such a smell.
Yet, against all reason, her body craves it.
Just like when she followed me with her eyes, Maria seems to spontaneously fill in nonexistent reasons for my actions. Once that happens, there's nothing left but for her to tumble deeper down this slippery slope.
Although the crotch area is undoubtedly the strongest-smelling part of my pants, since she's still sniffing only the outside, it appears as though her hypnotic state isn't very deep yet. But if it intensifies further, even just brushing past me should be enough to make her obsess over my scent.
"Sniff, sniff... Ahh... Nnnn..."
It must have been at least five minutes by now.
The other hypnotic suggestion, making her feel aroused, doesn't seem to be taking effect quite yet. Based on my expectations, simply smelling me should already be getting her all hot and bothered, but I don't see any signs of restlessness or discomfort.
Despite the smell, she can't help but be intrigued.
Once she starts sniffing, it's just a little more...just a bit longer... Her mind must be spinning with confusion.
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
This is exactly what I wanted to see: her expression during the initial phase of hypnosis, when shame and embarrassment mix together.
Of course, plunging someone deeply under for instant erotic submission is fantastic as well, but that will come eventually. For now, let's enjoy this brief moment of sparkling transformation!
As Maria continues smelling my underwear with a frown on her face, I feast my eyes on her thoroughly, then return to the church with a contented smile. There, instead of striking a pose, I earnestly offer prayers to the goddess.