Clang!
Thud!
Creak!
Sounds resembling a struggle emanated from a quite elegant and exquisitely decorated apartment.
"Huff... Huff..."
This was the sound of heavy panting.
"No, no more! I give up, I admit defeat!"
Pinned beneath Ryuya with just one hand, the girl with a charming face was covered in sweat, breathing rapidly as she surrendered.
The Worst Spirit, Tokisaki Kurumi, had to admit defeat yet again.
"Surrender? Alright then."
Releasing Kurumi, Ryuya looked at the girl, who had changed into another gothic lolita outfit.
"Kurumi, you really do like wearing these gothic lolita clothes, don't you?"
A month had passed since Ryuya arrived in this scenario. During this time, apart from finding an apartment to live in, he spent almost all his remaining time sparring with Kurumi.
Morning, noon, evening, even late at night… Kurumi initially launched several surprise attacks a day, but after being captured alive by Ryuya every time, she gradually reduced it to once a day.
"Hmm? Aren't these clothes nice?"
Looking at herself in the lolita-style dress she liked, Kurumi thought she looked quite charming.
"They are nice, but I think you might try other styles."
With a casual wave, the room, which was previously messy from their struggle, was restored to its pristine state by Ryuya's manipulation of magical energy.
"Try other styles? Alright, then I'll go... Wait a second."
Nodding, indicating she would do as Ryuya said, Kurumi suddenly froze. She stared at someone with a displeased look, her face full of annoyance, "Why should I change my style? Clearly, you and I are enemies! Enemies!"
Placing her hands on her hips, then leaning forward to stare intently at the man, Kurumi continued tsunderely, "Don't forget, Ryuya-san, I am the Spirit who intends to defeat you. You talking like this makes it seem as if I'm here specifically to show you new clothes."
With her exquisite little face slightly blushing, Kurumi felt her heart pounding as she spoke.
"Oh? So we're still enemies? I thought we were friends~~"
Putting on an exaggerated expression deliberately, Ryuya looked at Kurumi.
"Well... It's not that we're necessarily enemies. It mainly depends on your performance."
A bit shy from Ryuya's sudden seriousness, the somewhat awkward Kurumi turned her head away, her demeanor very much resembling a certain Ishtar from the past.
"Let's not talk about that. Ryuya, what are we eating today?"
Initially fighting Ryuya tooth and nail, fleeing every time a sneak attack failed, there was one time Kurumi came when Ryuya was eating, and they ended up sharing a meal after their fight.
Since then, Kurumi's arrival time shifted to every morning. They would have lunch, spend the afternoon reading books or browsing the internet in Ryuya's apartment, which is under the guise of observing the enemy, and finally have dinner together.
After dinner, Kurumi would leave. Unconsciously, the two had developed a tacit understanding.
"Noodles for lunch today. Golden Thread Noodles."
As for culinary skills... well, Ryuya could cook originally. Combined with his superior physical attributes allowing precise control over ingredients, the food he made was quite tasty.
Hearing Ryuya mention eating, Kurumi, as if following a routine after their perfunctory fight, obediently sat at the dining table waiting for Ryuya to serve the food.
Her attitude was practically: fight perfunctorily, treat meals with solemn reverence.
…
Moments later.
"Itadakimasu!"
Looking at the steaming bowl of noodle soup in front of her, Kurumi clapped her hands lightly, made a serious gesture, and began to eat.
Taking a gentle bite of the chewy noodles and the flavorful broth, her eyes lit up, and she quickened her eating pace.
"Delicious! Ryuya, your cooking is really good."
Munching away happily, Kurumi smiled broadly as she spoke. The Zafkiel eye, which was usually covered by her medical eyepatch, was now unobstructed at some point, only slightly veiled by her bangs.
The utterly charming, beautiful girl showed an expression of pure satisfaction.
"Not bad. Actually, my cooking skills..."
Thinking about his wives' culinary skills, Ryuya's first thoughts went to Merlin and Irisviel, those two livewires.
Then there was Gilgamesh using Ea to peel potatoes, Enkidu who only ate fruits and vegetables, Ishtar who relied on others for food, Artoria whose mind was full of eating...
"My cooking is indeed very good!"
Giving himself this boost of confidence, Ryuya's sudden seriousness made Kurumi a bit puzzled.
"Phew, the taste is wonderful. I'm full."
After cleanly finishing the noodles in her bowl, Kurumi picked up the water glass on the table and drained it in one go. Her satisfied expression made it seem like she had obtained the whole world.
"Kurumi, that's my glass."
Looking helplessly at Kurumi, Ryuya noticed the girl had developed a bad habit at some point: drinking from his glass after every meal.
'Could she not tell whose glass was whose, or what?'
"Ah? It's just a glass, what's the big deal."
Putting on a fierce little tiger expression, Kurumi acted angry, as if Ryuya was disgusted by her.
"Don't forget, Ryuya, you and I are enemies. It's already good enough that enemies aren't killing each other, and you're worried about your glass?"
"I'm very angry now. I'm confiscating the glass as punishment!"
Her face slightly red. Looking at the faint lipstick mark where her lips and Ryuya's had touched the same spot on the glass, Kurumi directly tossed the glass into her Shadow Domain.
"...I say, Kurumi, do you have a fetish for objects or something?"
Glasses, towels, toothbrushes, bowls and chopsticks... If it were just these daily items, fine. Even if Kurumi took his toothbrush, Ryuya could tolerate it, thinking that given Kurumi's personality, she might use it to clean the toilet or something for revenge.
But!
Thinking about how he had recently started losing clothes, even a couple of pieces of underwear, Ryuya couldn't help but cast a suspicious gaze at Kurumi.
This girl, who seemed proper, always gave him a bit of a female pervert vibe.
Being an experienced veteran in matters of the heart with a harem of over twenty, Ryuya had encountered all sorts of lovers, but someone like Kurumi, who came over daily under the pretext of fighting just to mooch meals, was a first for him.
Suspecting that this woman might be secretly using his clothes for some unspeakable activities, and being someone who didn't beat around the bush, Ryuya decided he must get an answer today!