The next morning.
Ai Hayasaka and Shiina Kasha made their way to the master bedroom, intending to tidy up Roy's bed.
Cleaning the master's bedroom was part of a maid's duties, and Ai planned to use this morning as a chance to teach Shiina Kasha the ropes.
"There's no need to clean my room."
Roy closed the door behind him, blocking the view inside as he smiled and declined their offer.
"In fact, from now on, you don't need to clean my room at all. Unless it's something urgent, don't come near it. Just focus on the rest of the house."
The two girls exchanged a glance.
They didn't quite understand Roy's reasoning, but if it meant less cleaning, it was a welcome relief.
"Lord Roy, are you hurt?"
Just as Ai Hayasaka was about to leave, her sharp eyes caught a glimpse of something red on Roy's hands.
The skin on his knuckles was cracked, covered in multiple wounds—likely the result of punching something hard. His knuckles were bruised and raw, the injuries appearing quite severe.
But there was no blood. The wounds had already begun to scab over.
Shiina Kasha also paused, staring at Roy in surprise.
How did he get hurt like that while staying at home?
"Oh, this?" Roy glanced at his fists and chuckled, as if it were nothing.
"It's fine. Just a small injury. I'll take care of it myself. You two go on with your tasks."
"I understand."
Ai Hayasaka's internal alarm bells went off, and she quickly pulled Shiina Kasha away.
After the two left, Roy's smile faded. He inscribed a healing rune on his knuckles, then added a locking rune on the bedroom door before finally turning to leave.
Before they knew it, several days had passed.
It was now the last day of January.
That morning.
"Lord Roy, any special requests for lunch today?"
Shiina Kasha stood at the entrance to the study. The study in this mansion was enormous—larger than two bedrooms combined. She knocked on the slightly ajar door.
Roy was seated at his desk, tinkering with something she didn't dare look at directly.
He had taught them that certain magical items were dangerous to view carelessly, as the consequences could be dire.
"No offal."
"We weren't planning to cook anything with offal."
"Then it's fine. I'm not picky. You can decide on the menu yourselves."
Roy waved dismissively.
Shiina Kasha nodded and left.
To be honest, she couldn't stand dishes with offal either.
But circumstances were different now. In this world, food resources were scarce, and people couldn't afford to waste anything edible. Even offal had been developed into various dishes.
Still, she was grateful that Roy didn't eat offal. It felt like a small blessing.
"Ai, I'm heading out."
"Wait a moment, we're almost out of soy sauce. Could you bring back a bottle?"
"Got it."
Carrying a shopping basket, Shiina Kasha set off.
After about half an hour of browsing the shopping district, she had bought enough food for three people to last two days. As she paid for the groceries, she couldn't help but gasp softly. Even though she'd prepared herself, the prices still shocked her.
The food here—even something as simple as vegetables—was at least five times more expensive than in her own world, with some items costing ten times as much. And this was during a time of stability. She couldn't imagine how chaotic things must have been during the initial disaster.
"Shiina-senpai?"
Suddenly, a familiar voice, filled with surprise, reached her ears.
Shiina Kasha turned her head, and a flicker of joy rose in her heart at the sight of an old acquaintance.
"Tomoya… what happened to you?"
Standing not far behind her was a boy with black-rimmed glasses.
His face was gaunt, his lips dry, his skin greasy, and his complexion deathly pale, as if he hadn't slept in days. A scabbed-over wound split across his forehead.
Aki Tomoya tried to smile at Shiina Kasha, who still looked fresh and put-together, but the smile he forced was pitifully weak.
"Senpai, you seem to be doing well…"
Shiina Kasha was startled by his appearance.
While Aki Tomoya had always been a bit sloppy, it had never been this bad. At most, he had the typical habits of a shut-in otaku. But today, he looked like someone knocking on death's door.
She found a nearby café and sat him down, ordering tea and snacks for him.
"What on earth happened to you?"
"…Just bad luck. I ended up with an unreasonable master."
Aki Tomoya's voice was hollow. He took a sip of tea, soothing his cracked lips.
Shiina Kasha vividly recalled that day. Aki Tomoya had been taken away by that dark-skinned young man. She still remembered the events clearly. That Middle Eastern man had originally set his sights on her, but Roy had intervened and taken her instead.
Now, seeing the blank, numb expression on Aki Tomoya's face made her shudder.
What had he gone through to end up like this?
If someone like Aki Tomoya, who hadn't even been targeted at first, could be reduced to this state, what would have happened to her if she'd fallen into that dark-skinned man's hands?
Would her fate have been ten times worse?
The mere thought sent a chill through her, and she instinctively hugged herself, as if the action could ward off the cold dread creeping up her spine.
"What exactly did you go through?"
"…Senpai, could you do me a favor?"
Aki Tomoya lowered his gaze, avoiding Shiina Kasha's eyes.
"I want to leave my current master, but I have no way to do it. Your master managed to take you right from under that guy's nose, so maybe he could take me too? Please, I'll do anything—work in the mines, farm, even be a servant. I'll do whatever it takes. Just don't make me stay in that hell any longer!"
The fear on his face was unmistakable.
Shiina Kasha couldn't even begin to imagine what he had been through.
"…I'll talk to him."
That was all she could offer. She couldn't make any promises, only agree to try.
After all, she was just a refugee herself.
Back home.
After setting down the groceries, Shiina Kasha found Roy in the living room, flipping through some documents.
"Lord Roy, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
"What is it? Go ahead."
Shiina Kasha recounted her conversation with Aki Tomoya in full detail, including when she left the house, when she ran into him, and when they parted ways, sparing no detail.
She worried that she might have fallen into a trap set by another magician and wanted to avoid causing any trouble for Roy.
"This is tricky."
Roy didn't seem angry, and Shiina Kasha quietly sighed in relief.
However, hearing the word "tricky" from Roy left her surprised.
It wasn't that she was upset by what sounded like Roy's refusal. As a refugee, she had no right to be displeased. Even if Roy outright rejected her request, there was nothing she could do about it.
It was just that in the short time since she had been brought to this world, her limited understanding had led her to believe that the Aozaki family was a powerful force—connected to Mayor Rin Tohsaka, with the sisters being prominent figures in the Magic Association.
For Roy, a member of the Aozaki family, to describe the situation as "tricky" was unexpected. In her mind, there shouldn't have been many things in Fuyuki City that the Aozaki family couldn't handle.
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