Is it past midnight?he thought without any kind of basis.

Since there was no clock, it generally was impossible to tell what the exact time was at present.

After the citizens fell asleep, different from his previous world, there was hardly anything you could call night activity in this world.

Because there is nothing making any sounds, nor anything to listen to, the silence becomes almost painful. Merely his own breathing can be heard quietly.

At the time he was at the pioneers village, the dog or wolf packs, he wasnt sure which of them, living in the forest could be heard howling. In the city even that was missing.

The pleasure and amusement facilities had already closed down and everybody crawled into their beds as no decent people would be awake at this time. At the most there were the grumbled complaints of those who werent permitted to leave their station which wouldnt be anyone else but the city guards.

While thinking about this situation, Renya was sitting up on top of his bed.

It was dark in his room.

Each room was equipped with a candle in order to provide a light source. Of course it was extinguished once the occupant went to sleep.

At the moment, the only light entering the room was coming from the sole window by the bright moon standing high in the sky and shining down its light upon the surface.

As the window wasnt overly transparent, it was difficult to clearly look at the sky.

Wasnt he feeling tired enough yet from the piled up exhaustion? Or did the bed not suit his tastes?

Apparently he wasnt able to fall asleep in a restful slumber.

Although he had also drunken some alcohol at dinner, his sleepiness hadnt increased at all. Also, he had only gone to bed as Shions group had recommended doing so. The bed itself was more or less quite clean. But, for some reason or another he somehow didnt feel quite comfortable lying down on it.

After coming to this world he hadnt yet had a chance to take a proper bath which might also be a reason for his current restlessness.While its not to the degree that I can fall asleep, there is obviously some drowsiness firmly pulling at my mind, Renya assessed.

It didnt particularly mean that Renya was a slouch though.

Just, as for this worlds customs, the event of taking a bath wasnt a common occurrence.

Since that was the case, he wondered how the inhabitants of this world kept their bodies clean without taking a bath. Scooping up water from a basin to wash ones face and then use it with a cloth to wipe the body of sweat and dirt seemed to be the standard method to keep the body clean.

Renya had recalled that he was a Japanese person in his previous world.

And so, just like the great majority of the Japanese people, Renya perceived the matter of taking a bath as a normal devotion.

But, he wasnt able to do that here.

It wasnt like baths were unknown here, but such things as gathering hot water to fill the bath tub just to soak the body in the hot water was something unreasonable for the common public due to the costs involved. Except for the apparent portion of rich people like the nobles and the royalty, Renya wasnt aware of anyone else taking a bath.

Although it was extremely unpleasant, he had no other choice but to put up with it for now.

Since he couldnt stand it, he had received a washbasin filled with hot water from the inn employee before going to sleep. Wiping his whole body with a cloth, Renya somewhat had the feeling of becoming slightly clean in the end. Since he couldnt use a bathtub to amply soak his whole body in hot water, his body didnt feel completely relaxed after all either.

There also is the urgent matter of improving my meals. After having tasted that dinner earlier, it is absolutely necessary to do something about the entire situation to significantly improve it,Renya uneasily grumbled about the future.

As he was thinking about such serious matters, he ended up completely perking up.

Thereupon, as if waiting for that chance, two soft knocks resounded from the entrance door.

For a moment Renya though he made a mistake in his hearing as he looked towards the door.

For a while there was a pause before there was a knock again.

Although it didnt seem like he misheard, Renya didnt remember having any acquaintances who would visit his room this late in the night.

Or rather, in the case of Renya, he had almost no acquaintances to begin with.

Talking about acquaintances, currently it would only be Shion and Rona.

He couldnt count in those he just knew by their faces and names either, which would apply to deputy branch leader Fritz, as he hadnt told him which pub he would choose as a resting place, thus he could be excluded from the possibilities.

Having done this selection by exclusion, it could only be either Shion or Rona who had chosen the same pub as him. However there was no way a young woman would visit the room of a male this late in the night.

They should be at least this careful, Renya thought using his common sense.

As he wasnt sure if it was usual to visit a mans room in the dead of night in this alternate world, he wasnt able to reach a definite conclusion on what to do.

If this is a little bit like what happens to protagonists of Light Novels, I should have somehow raised a flag with a heroine somewhere, no?Although he should be delighted about such a thing, Renya was unfortunately an exceeding realist and moreover a slight pessimist as well.

Since he had the conviction from the beginning that such a pleasantly embarrassing event wouldnt occur anyway, he couldnt help but feel that the late night visitor smelled like trouble.

From within the little luggage he had, he retrieved the knife he had borrowed for removing raw materials from monsters.

Gripping this drawn knife in his right hand, he moved to the wall beside the door that would conceal him behind the opening door from anyone who entered.

In reality he preferred to hold a powerful long sword as a weapon but there was almost no chance to obtain one at the moment. In that case this whole matter wouldnt be so troublesome. He would be able to instill a feeling of dread and deep seated doubt within his opponent with the drawn blade of a long sword.

After the second knock, there was no indication that the door would be opened.

Still the person who had knocked earlier must be waiting on the other side of the door.Renya judged.

Cautiously gripping the door knob with his left hand, he talked in a small but still clear voice so the person other side could hear it.

Who is there? (Renya)

Sorry for disturbing you this late in the night. Its me, Rona. I wish to talk with you for a while. If you dont mind, could you let me in? (Rona)

The voice replying to him was certainly Ronas.

The person on the other side of the door was without a doubt one of his acquaintances even though he couldnt prove it. Somehow Renya got a strong feeling that some kind of trouble was approaching him and thus he grimaced.

If it were Shion, at worst, he could try to feign ignorance to the circumstances and deal with the situation superficially by saying that there is a chance of him losing to his lust if she came to visit his room, albeit the chance of that really happening were slim.

However, with Rona here it was a different story.

At first glance she appeared to be full of gaps in her guard but in reality there were no gaps at all.

Furthermore, based on her also being an apprentice priestess, there was also the point of having to be careful about her profundity in comparison to Shion around whom he didnt have to be quite as modest.

Such a woman visited the room of a man this late in the night.

There was definitely something wrong, or rather it was impossible that there was nothing amiss.

Because there was no way that it was nothing, nevertheless, as it was possible that they would spend a long time together as companions from now on, he couldnt treat her cruelly now either.

The subject cant wait until tomorrow? I want to sleep, too. Im tired. (Renya)

Its a subject that has to be addressed now. Can I ask for your forgiveness for my unreasonable request? (Rona)

Renyas tone completely carried the nuance of telling her to return to her own room immediately. Whereas Ronas tone gave off the feeling that she didnt intend to stand down at all.

Renya hesitated.

It was simple to firmly insist on her returning to her own room.

But that would cause Ronas impression of him to become worse which would lead to him having to decline Shions invitation.

Certainly, Renya was still poorly informed about the circumstances in this world, but he was confident enough to somehow run across a person who could help him out in this regard.

Actually in this case, although he had asked for some time to consider it, he had come to the conclusion that immediately refusing would lead to a not overly good relationship thereafter. However he intended to reject the invitation itself.

If he already had to act together with someone, he would prefer it to be companions of the same sex as it would be more comfortable that way.

He shouldnt have to deal with the opposite sex one way or the other.

Therefore, the first thing he would do tomorrow, was to refuse Shions invitation. He planned to go back to the guild in order to search for a party.

Moreover, Shion is somehow inexperienced and Rona is a person whom you never know what she is thinking, Renya judged.

Those two are hiding something and that will, with almost absolute certainty, lead to a lot of trouble.

This was the conclusion Renya had reached.

However, right then, this one dropped in for a short visit.

That is, I do understand the feeling of certain body parts no matter how withered my body might have been as I previously died peacefully at the age of 94 years as an old man. After all I can be classified as a man in the end. I know of the previous degree of entanglement due to my little finger.1He thought.

Well, how about freely declining all requests by women?

Renya didnt care about his own face at all when he was at the pioneers village. He only started to do so after seeing the reflection of it in the water of the washbasin he had borrowed from the inn.

Black hair and eyes and an average personal appearance emitting a deep knowledge.

Easy to like and easy to hate, being acceptable as well as being improper. Such was the impression he received.

And at the pioneers village I rescued them both and helped them even more, leaving a fairly good impression, he assessed with certainty.

The probability of her coming here to confess her love was like drawing the winning ticket of 100,000,000 yen from a 100 yen ticket. However he couldnt declare with absolute certainty that it wasnt so either.

No way. (Renya)

While Renya reached that self-conclusion at an abnormal speed, he decided to let Rona into the room.

There were two reasons.

First, even if Rona was scheming something, he predicted that he would be sufficiently able to cope with it.

Second, he didnt find any words to absolutely persuade Rona to return to her own room.

Understood. The door is open. Since I have no intention to invite you, enter on your own discretion. (Renya)

Kind and inviting words are troublesome, but since it cant be helped I will deal with you were the undertone he conveyed to her with his reply. As Renya unlocked the door with the key, he immediately turned his back towards the door.

He placed the knife he held under the pillow on the bed. As he sat down on the edge of the bed a lewd smile floated on his face but he soon dispelled it after thinking about it deeply. No matter how much time passed, he didnt particularly notice the sound of the door opening.

Thinking that she wouldnt really wait for the door to be opened for her, Renya turned towards the door. Before his eyes Rona was standing with her usual smiling face where you never knew what she was thinking about.

I was careless. When did she come in?Thinking about this question, Renya was one step late.

Using that momentary delay, Rona used that chance to tackle Renya with her own body, pushing him down on the bed so he laid face up.

With a feeling ofWhat kind of joke is this supposed to be?his typical train of thoughts caused Renya to be delayed in his reaction.

When he finally noticed, she had completely taken the mount position and thus finished pinning him down.

Renya-san (Rona)

Renyas shoulders where held down with both her hands and Rona brought her face close to his in one go.

Still wearing her priests garb for no good reason even in the dead of night, Rona had intended to tackle him right from the start. The appearance of her night-wear was only hindered by the string at her waist.

As the collar area was widely opened in comparison to her usual priests garb, naturally the countenance of the swelling of her breasts which shouldnt usually be seen was sticking out halfway. Being in a straddling position, the hem of her clothes ended up revealing quite a bit of her thighs. The scene was definitely lascivious. Renyas pulse slightly increased.

You do understand, right? What kind of situation this is. (Rona)

No, I totally dont understand. I dont remember having raised such a flag at all either. (Renya)

Rona took away the hands pinning down his shoulders in order to deal with the hem of his shirt.

No, that is definitely a bad idea.Renya thought as his shirt was lifted up in no time exposing his bare skin. Shifting her body position from his belly downwards to the hips, she used the transition to press her body down on his with its exposed skin in order to embrace him. While doing so, Ronas lips approached Renyas ear.

After doing this much do you intend to make me say it? (Rona)

As the body parts touching each other increased, the transmission of the heat, tenderness and weight werent hindered by the clothes at all. Renyas reason easily went flying. The still remaining composed part of it that was dwelling deep within his mind cried out Its a trap! Its definitely a trap!

Opposing this was another part of his mind, calling out Even if it is a trap, there is nothing to dislike about it.

As he had no experience in how to deal with women, he reached the conclusion to simply go with the flow. How far do you intend to go in the end? he heard the barely audible voice denying his conclusion.

Being surprised at that, he decided to follow the calm voice within his mind rather than the desires of his own body. He crushed Ronas strength with the power of his own body.

Attacking her in her unguarded moment, although he was laying facing up, it didnt mean that Renya was completely defenseless.

Struggling several times, he tried to escape from under Rona at least. As her arm was locked in embracing him glued their bodies together and pressed him down, she didnt allow him to escape.

In case of a simple contest of power, there was no reason for Renya to lose to Rona. However, their bodily positions were to Ronas advantage in this situation.

It is impossible to pull her off, huh? There is the recoil of delivering a blow to her, too. I dont understand what Rona is aiming for with the present situation.Renya didnt care about the methods anymore.

Please dont act so violently, Renya-san You can let me handle it. I will make you feel good. (Rona)

Wa-Wait, damn. First of all, calm down. No, is it me who has to calm down? Anyway, get off me. Being dragged into such a situation, I dont see any reason or memory to explain it! (Renya)

Do you want to bother the neighbours with your loud shouting? Or do you want me to plug this mouth of yours? (Rona)

S-T-O-P it. Dont whisper into my ear, dont use such a sultry tone and dont blow your hot breath into my ear! (Renya)

A part of Renyas ear was wrapped up in a warm damp sensation.

It was just like imagined play-biting. Something lukewarm was caressing his ear lobe.

At the time this comparative sensation ran down his spine, Renya resolved to separate himself from it.

NamelyDo you want your sense of self to be washed away like this? Or do you want to move forward with resolution?

Rona, this is the final warning. Stop it right now (Renya)

Renya-san (Rona)

Towards his cold attitude, Rona skilfully bit his ears digging in her teeth just a tiny bit.

This has already exceeded the stage of talking, Renya understood. Suddenly clenching his right hand into a fist, he only made his thumb tightly stand up.

I gave you fair warning. (Renya)

Using his extended thumb, he thrust it into the side of Ronas abdomen.

Hiyaa!? (Rona)

Screaming in disarray, Ronas body lost its strength.

Thereupon, without mercy, Renya continued striking both sides of Ronas abdomen with similar attacks. Without giving her any chance to regain her position, Renya fled from beneath Rona.

Simultaneously he pulled Ronas clothes turning her over on top of the bed while at the same time diving towards the pillow to grab the knife he had hidden there. Then he leaped back close to the wall.

At least he now had taken the necessary distance, as his calm mind had ordered him to do.

The not so calm part of him entered a state similar to the simmering noise of boiling honey.2

It is a good thing that my body has become young again, but with such weakness occurring at the same time, I mustnt become negligent, Renya assessed while roughly catching his breath.

Rona, who had been tossed on top of the bed and laid there spread-eagled, didnt show any signs of getting up.

Since it is night, its a good thing that the room remains shrouded in darkness,Renya pondered while waiting for his breathing to regulate.

Most likely his face was bright red. He didnt want to consider it too much. The state of his lower part couldnt be helped in such situation either as he was a man after all. This incident was going to be trouble.

Renya couldnt deny it if someone were to ask him. For a while now he had the wish to go back to the bed even while frantically trying to calm down his mind. He repeatedly took deep breaths.

Translation Notes

1Not sure ED: Red string of fate attached to pinky fingers that ties men and women together as lovers?

2Another idiom, I guess?