That morning, Allen's mansion was slightly little hectic.

Still, for the master of the house, it was shaping up to be a relaxed start to the day. He was in the living room, reading the newspaper, when Charlotte walked in, fully dressed and ready.

“Charlotte, you haven’t forgotten anything, right?”

“Y-Yes! I’m all set!”

In response to Allen's question, Charlotte nodded with a serious expression.

Today, she was dressed in her usual outing style a blue hair accessory, a dress, and a basket bag.

It was the same outfit she’d worn on her recent date with Allen… But unfortunately, her escort for today would be someone else.

“My sincerest apologies, Lady Charlotte.”

Then, Gosetsu came up from behind her. Instead of her usual laid-back hell capybara appearance, she was transformed into a stunning beauty.

Although her outfit was simple, her breathtaking figure and flawless looks made her the kind of woman who could walk into any party and steal the spotlight.

Gosetsu's beautiful features twisted in anguish as she bowed deeply to Charlotte.

“To think I am taking up your precious time today… I cannot apologize enough.”

"Th-thaat's not true. I'm really looking forward to the pancakes too!"

“Right… That ultra-huge pancake set, limited to female groups only…”

Allen groaned as he spread open a colorful flyer.

Apparently, a popular café in town was offering a new limited-time menu.

The flyer depicted a massive stack of pancakes topped with mountains of cream, fruit, pudding, and macarons. The dish was available only to groups of women, and Gousetsu had invited Charlotte to go with him specifically to try it.

And since it's a women-only group, Allen will have to stay home alone.

(Well, yeah… Even I can’t tag along for something like that…)

Just looking at the flyer gave him heartburn. Seeing it in person might knock him out. He’d never been a fan of super sweet things anyway.

While Allen sat there dejected, Charlotte took another look at Gousetsu and blinked in surprise.

“Still… I had no idea you could take on a human form, Gousetsu. I was so surprised.”

“Ah, this is your first time seeing it, isn't it, Lady Charlotte? I must say, I take some pride in my transformation.”

“It’s absolutely gorgeous!”

Charlotte cheered with sparkling eyes as Gosetsu puffed out her chest. Then, a little embarrassed, she blushed.

“Actually… I’ve always sort of admired people who have older sisters or brothers. So getting to go out with such a lovely big sister today makes me really happy.”

“Lady Charlotte…”

Gousetsu looked touched, then gently took her hand and smiled radiantly.

"If you don't mind, you can call me older sister. If you do, I, Gousetsu, would not hesitate to conquer the world and lay it at the feet of my adorable little sister.”

“N-No thank you… I’m good…”

“You seriously need to learn your lesson already.”

Allen could only stare blankly. He could tell 90% of the time that she was joking, so he let it slide with just a glare, but the remaining 10% was serious, so he'd need to be careful.

Just then, Luu, who had been eating breakfast, trotted over and pressed up against Charlotte.

『Mom, Luu's ready to go out too! Let's hurry! 』

“Hehe. You’re looking forward to it too, Lou?”

『We’re gonna eat yummy stuff, right? Luu loves meat, but Luu loves sweets too! 』

“They say that café has not only pancakes but also delicious cakes and bubble milk tea. Shall we share everything between the three of us?”

“Sharing! That sounds wonderful!”

The two of them are having a great time, giggling. It's a strange combination, but... Allen has gotten used to it by now.

He sat down on the sofa and smiles at Charlotte.

“Well, enjoy yourselves. If anything happens, just call me. I’ll be there right away.”

"Yes. Are you off today, Allen?"

“Something like that. Might as well take it easy for once.”

“Then… we’re off!”

“Indeed. Leave Lady Charlotte’s safety to me.”

『We’ll bring back souvenirs, so be a good boy and wait at home, okay!』

With that, the ladies of the house departed together.

Instantly, the mansion was wrapped in silence. However, it wasn't completely silent. The chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves echoed from the forest outside, creating a pleasant melody.

Left alone, Allen stretched out on the sofa.

“Well then… I guess I’ll read through some magic papers or something.”

Things had been hectic lately, and his reading pile had grown.

He picked up a stack of papers from the nearby low table and flipped through them. He had a red pen in hand to mark up the papers, and was all set. Allen immediately became absorbed in the text of the paper――――not.

No matter how much he read, none of the content was sinking in.

He tried reading aloud, but the sound of his own voice echoing in the silent living room was uncomfortable, making it even harder to concentrate.

"That's strange... Usually this should sink in more easily... I don't have a cold... right?"

Allen knew his own physical condition well. He hadn't lacked sleep that day and was feeling great.

So there must be another reason he couldn't concentrate. Allen gave up and put the stack of papers back. Then he tilted his head in thought for a moment—and then he suddenly realized something.

"...Come to think of it, it's been a few months since I've been completely alone."

Until the beginning of spring this year, Allen had been living alone in this mansion.

But then he got a new roommate, Charlotte, and then Luu and Gosetsu. Plus, there were a lot of guests. Miaha, Eruca, Magus, Glow, and so on. There was always someone by Allen's side, and the place was always lively and noisy.

But today, he was alone for the first time in a long time, and he couldn't concentrate on his work. This meant that...

"Could it be that I'm... lonely?"

A twenty-one-year-old man, sulking over being home alone.

It was quite a hellish scene.

“No, no, no, no, no!? Impossible! Absolutely not!!”

Allen jumped to his feet, frantically shaking his head.

Even if he had realized it, he couldn’t accept it. The silence in the house only made it worse. It was the first time since childhood that he felt so unsettled by being alone.

But his pride wouldn’t let him admit it.

"Hmph... I've lost my cool. Seriously, that can't be. A grown man feeling lonely... How stupid."

He muttered an excuse to himself, not wanting anyone to hear it.

“I’m not lonely at all… but, well, if someone happened to stop by right now, I’d definitely welcome them. Yep.”

More than welcome. He was begging for someone to show up and break the oppressive stillness.

Allen quickly thought of the faces of the people who might be visiting. Charlotte and the others wouldn't be leaving until evening, so those three were ruled out.

First, Miaha. She had made a delivery early morning, so she had no further business with him today.

Eruca? He hadn’t seen her in a while. Unlikely.

Magus and Glow? He’d worked them hard in recent training, so they were probably still recovering.

Jill and the owner of the magic item shop had never been here, and I hadn't heard from Dorothea, the dark elf who had been living in the garden, since she was kidnapped by my editor.

In short, the chances of any visitors were quite low.

“Wait… am I just… unpopular?”

He felt the blood drain from his face.

He was realizing way too many things he would’ve been better off not noticing.

As he stood there, frozen in a daze—

BANG BANG BANG!

"Huh...!?"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

In other words, it was proof that an unexpected guest had arrived――a savior who could ease this uncomfortable atmosphere. Allen, feeling excited, hurried to the front door.

“Ah, wait! I don’t know who you are, but I’ll be right there…huh?”

He opened the door triumphantly, but froze in place.

Because he didn’t recognize the person standing there.

It was a young woman clad in silver armor. Her dignified features were brimming with elegance, and her golden hair was casually tied up in a bun.

Behind her were several women dressed similarly.

He seemed to remember seeing them around town, but... Allen didn't know any of them.

“Um… who might you be?”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Giselle, captain of the city’s Royal Guard.”

The golden-haired woman bowed formally, face stern. Then she fixed Allen with a piercing gaze.

“You are Allen Crawford, master of this house?”

“Uh… yeah, I’m Allen. What does the Royal Guard want with me?”

The Royal Guard is an autonomous organization employed by feudal lords and other such entities. Their main duties include guarding the city and cracking down on criminals, so they're often filled by highly capable individuals.

Judging by her well-worn sword, Giselle was clearly a seasoned warrior.

(Why would someone like that... Could something have happened to Charlotte!?)

Charlotte had only left about ten minutes ago, and with Gosetsu and Luu by her side, it seemed unlikely she'd be in any real danger.

But the worst-case scenarios flooded Allen’s mind anyway.

Just then, Giselle pulled something from her coat with a stiff expression.

“It’s nothing serious. We just have a few questions for you.”

What she produced was a written notice.

Written in an overly formal style, it was clearly a stern official document at a glance.

"We've received an anonymous tip that you're holding an underage girl captive and abusing her... Would you mind accompanying me to the station?"

“So I am unpopular after all!!”

Allen could do nothing but clutch his head and scream.