I returned to my room and found Yr still fast asleep. Her face was buried in the pillow, a trail of drool spilling from her mouth and soaking the fabric beneath her.
“At this rate, she’s not waking up until tomorrow,” I muttered to myself. “Should I just crash here instead?”
If I did, though, I’d miss out on my nightly fun—a good wrestle with one or two, or maybe even a whole bunch of my women. But I guess that could wait. I didn’t want to leave Yr alone in my dorm room.
“Where the hell should I sleep, though?”
There wasn’t much space to sleep. The sofa was the only alternative, but curling up there would probably leave me aching all over by morning. I guess I had no choice but to make do with it.
As I was contemplating this, Yr stirred from her sleep.
“Mmmm…” she moaned softly, her eyes slowly fluttering open. She fixed her gaze on me, and then her stomach let out a loud, rumbling growl. “Hungry,” she said.
I couldn’t help but crack a smile at the sight. It felt like I was dealing with a spoiled daughter.
“Alright, alright. What do you want?”
“Something appetizing,” she mumbled, her voice still heavy with sleep.
“Okay,” I said, “but don’t expect a gourmet meal. I’m not exactly a master chef, and the stuff I’ve got in storage isn’t exactly five-star cuisine. So, don’t judge too harshly.”
I walked over to the storage barrel—a small, unremarkable container that functioned like a primitive fridge. Inside, a constant chill was maintained by a spell that cast a steady stream of ice magic. It wasn’t the most advanced setup, but it kept the food from going bad. I rummaged through it, hoping to find something halfway decent.
I gathered the ingredients and moved to the cooking area, which shared space with the bedroom since it was a compact, single-room dorm. Normally, cooking here would result in smoke filling the room, but thankfully, despite it being a bronze-class dorm, the ventilation was impressive. Magical vents swiftly drew the smoke away, keeping the room clear and fresh. Magic really did make everything work seamlessly.
I set to work on my meal: smoked monster meat and monster soup. The meat came from a monster bird—edible and generally safe, though some monsters were too toxic to consider. As I seasoned and sautéed the meat, the aroma of spices mingled with the rich, gamey scent of the monster bird, promising something both hearty and satisfying. I employed a few culinary tricks to elevate the flavors, aiming to make the dish as delicious as I could. It might not be five-star cuisine, but I hoped it would hit the spot.
The savory scent of the meal swirled through the room, intensifying as I served it. Yr’s stomach growled loudly, a clear signal of her hunger, and I could almost feel her anticipation behind me.
Once the food was ready, I arranged the succulent monster meat on a plate and poured the steaming, aromatic soup into a small bowl. Yr’s eyes lit up with primal hunger, and drool pooled at the corners of her mouth as she fixed her gaze on the meal.
I placed the food in front of her, and she wasted no time. With a near-animalistic fervor, she attacked the meal, shoveling it into her mouth without a word or a hint of gratitude. If I had a daughter, I imagined she might act just like Yr—unfiltered and ravenous. While I wasn’t in the mood for children now, the thought of someday having them with my women stirred a thrilling sense of anticipation. Imagining them growing up, perhaps mirroring this unrestrained hunger, sparked a curious excitement within me.
After finishing her meal, Yr let out a burp so loud and raucous it felt like the room itself was shaking.
“So full. Gotta go back to sleep,” she mumbled, then flopped back onto the bed with a sigh of contentment.
I stood there, my jaw practically hitting the floor, staring at her in utter disbelief.
“Hey, you can’t just leave me hanging like this,” I said, trying to rouse her from her lazy stupor. “Wake up!”
“Nooo… five more minutes…” she whined, barely opening one eye.
“You’ve been out for six hours already,” I insisted, trying to sound exasperated. “Wake up and tell me what you know about Trill.”
“Five more minutes, I say…” Yr’s mouth twisted into a pout.
I sighed, realizing that no matter what I did, I wasn’t going to get her up anytime soon.
I gathered up her dishes, the clinking and clattering echoing in the quiet room as I washed them. The warm water did little to ease my frustration. Once the dishes were clean, I made my way back to the sofa and threw myself onto it, the cushions offering minimal comfort.
As I started to sink into the worn fabric, Yr’s voice cut through the silence, surprising me.
“I’m sorry, but truth be told, I don’t have any information about her,” she mumbled, her voice carrying a hint of apology. “I can’t give you anything…”
I stared at her.
“I figured as much,” I said, not expecting Yr to have any real insights about Trill. Given her laziness, she hardly seemed the type to stay up and stay alert, especially when her skill required constant mental engagement. That meant she had to be awake and focused all the time for it to work, which wasn’t exactly her strong suit.
“But you’re not going to leave me completely in the dark, are you?” I asked.
Even though Yr was notoriously lazy, she wasn’t one to outright lie. I had to believe that if she promised to provide information about Trill, she would, even if it wasn’t today. Maybe it would come in the days ahead.
“Mm…” she murmured, her eyes still closed in lazy contentment. “I caught on to your little scheme to dig up info on Trill because I overheard you chatting with someone about investigating her. I happened to stumble upon it while drifting around the school with my astral form, hunting for a cozy corner to nap in after Professor Irene’s class wrapped up.”
That explained why she had an inside track on my clandestine efforts regarding Trill.
“I’ll dig up the dirt you want on her,” Yr said. “But you’ll need to cough up something in return.”
“I’m all ears,” I said, ready to hear her price.
But after everything that had gone down today, I already had a good idea of what her conditions would be.
“I want you to cook for me,” she demanded with a lazy drawl.
Cooking wasn’t exactly my forte, but fine. If that was the price for getting info on Trill, so be it.
No sooner had she laid out her terms than I heard her start snoring again. It seemed she was back to dreaming away without a care.
***
The next day…
I awoke on the sofa, feeling like every bone in my body had turned into a block of cement. My muscles were stiff and sore.
I glanced at my smartphone and saw it was already late afternoon. The sunlight streaming through the window made the room feel like a warm, lazy cocoon. Thankfully, there were no classes today, so I didn’t need to fret about being late. I must have been so exhausted from taking care of Yr last night that I’d slept through most of the day.
The woman in question was still sprawled across my bed, her body tangled in the sheets like a cat that had claimed a sunlit patch. Her snoring was rhythmic and peaceful, with occasional drool dripping from the corner of her slightly open mouth, dampening the pillow beneath her.
I sighed, getting up with a creak of my stiff bones, and headed over to shake her awake. I had things to do, and I wasn’t keen on letting her laze around my room all day.
“Wake up, Yr,” I said, shaking her gently to rouse her from sleep.
“Mmm…” she moaned in response, barely registering my attempt.
It was clear waking her up wouldn’t be a simple task.
“Wake up,” I repeated, a bit firmer this time.
“Mrgghh… I don’t want to… I want to sleep more… I don’t function well this early…” she mumbled groggily.
“It’s already afternoon,” I said, but I sighed, realizing she wasn’t going to give me the time of day.
It seemed like getting this woman out of my dorm room wouldn’t be an easy feat.
