Chapter 86: Return to Classroom of the Elite, the Proactive Little Airi (Patreon)

In the Classroom of the Elite World, in dorm room 404, the glowing gate flared to life and spat Daniel out from within.

Unlike the first time he'd gone to the Re:Zero world, this time using the World-Crossing Gate to return didn't leave Daniel feeling dizzy or nauseous. He landed lightly on the floor, steady on his feet.

"Looks like my body's finally adjusted to this toilet-flush of a gate."

"Still, funny thing—after being away so long, coming back actually feels kind of reassuring."

Daniel chuckled inwardly. Compared to the danger-riddled other world, the modern city really was so much safer.

The dorm room felt a little cramped, though—he'd gotten used to living in a royal palace, where even the bathroom was bigger than this whole room.

Looking at Sakura Airi still snoring away on the bed, Daniel let out a soft laugh.

"Talk about things changing while people stay the same."

Who would've guessed—less than a full night had passed here, and Daniel had already been a king in another world.

Coming back now to play house at school did feel like a bit of a letdown.

Still, he'd treat it as a chance to relax. As long as nobody came looking for trouble, he'd let this world run its normal course until he got bored of it.

In the Re:Zero world he'd spent every night—and every day—in indulgence, to the point of getting a little sick of it.

So he didn't bother stirring Airi awake. He just stripped off his clothes, climbed into bed, pulled her close as a human pillow, and let his mind go blank as he drifted off.

Sakura Airi seemed to sense the familiar warmth and burrowed further into his arms.

The night passed without incident.

A soft, warm sensation roused Daniel from sleep. Airi, curled against him, had somehow slipped inside his blanket and was moving rhythmically.

A wet little sound.

"Haah, haah~ Yoru-kun, good morning."

Sensing the shift in him, Sakura Airi wrapped her arms in front of herself, keeping up the motion, and looked up at him—half shy, half expectant.

For some reason, after just one night, Daniel had grown even better-looking.

The old Sakura Airi, no matter how much she liked him, would never have dared something this bold.

But there was something almost magical about Daniel that made her want to keep pressing closer, to leave her scent all over him without even realizing it.

Daniel, naturally, wasn't stingy with his praise. "Good work, Airi. I love it. But keep an eye on the time—if it gets too late, someone might come by."

Hearing the praise warmed something in Airi's chest—making him happy was enough for her.

But his last words made her think of Kushida, who'd been walking to class with Daniel these past few days.

Doing this in front of Kushida would be way too embarrassing—and it might look like she was picking a fight!

Airi shivered, then threw herself back into her work with renewed focus, picking up the pace.

A low, throaty sound.

Daniel didn't make things hard for the girl—he matched her rhythm so she could finish her morning task.

Watching Sakura Airi patter off to the bathroom to wash up, Daniel stretched lazily on the bed, then followed after her.

"Y-Yoru-kun?"

"Airi, come scrub my back. No hands allowed, okay?"

"Mm-hm."

Airi's mind worked fast when it came to things like this—she understood exactly what he meant. After a quick rinse, she lathered up the body sponge with body wash and got to it.

Steam filled the bathroom in curling mist. The shower dragged on for twenty minutes, and by the end both of them were spotless.

The two of them had just stepped out wrapped in towels when they spotted Kushida Kikyo unlocking the dorm door with Daniel's spare key card.

She slipped inside in a flash and shut the door behind her.

"Good morning, dearest Master~"

Her cheerful greeting cut off just as abruptly as it started—after all, Sakura Airi wasn't exactly hard to miss.

For a moment, the room fell into silence.

Kushida Kikyo felt a flash of embarrassment and irritation—calling him "Master" in front of someone else was mortifying.

Sakura Airi, meanwhile, felt like Kushida was playing a much bolder game than she was, wondering if she should update her own way of addressing him too.

In the end, it was Daniel who broke the awkward silence. "Morning, Kushida Kikyo. You're a little late today—no reward for you."

"But since you're here, help me get dressed."

Daniel grinned and led both girls into the bedroom, having Kushida serve him while dressing, while Airi quietly changed on her own.

Kushida Kikyo's eyelid twitched. She gritted her teeth, shot Airi a glare, and stepped forward to help Daniel dress.

But watching her clumsy, fumbling movements, Daniel realized the girl in front of him had absolutely zero maid skills.

Damn it—he'd gotten too used to being served by Ram and Rem.

Kushida's struggling, effortful attempt made Daniel feel like he was putting her through some kind of ordeal, so he wiped the sweat off her forehead and just finished dressing himself.

Once dressed, Daniel looked at Kushida—no real accomplishment, but plenty of effort—and rewarded her with a kiss.

"Thanks, Kushida Kikyo."

Kushida's face lit up instantly, though she still put on a bit of a tsundere front. "Hmph. Only I'm obedient enough to do this. Enjoy it while it lasts—no other woman's going to spoil you like this."

Sakura Airi silently protested in her head—she could be just as obedient—but her social anxiety kept her from saying it out loud.

Instead, she crept up behind Daniel and gave him a poke.

Seeing Airi work up the courage, Daniel blinked, then realized. "Hm? Oh~ Airi wants to say she's obedient too?"

"Y-yeah, that's right, I can be too!"

Called out directly in front of Kushida, Airi still felt a bit timid, but she owned up to it anyway.

"Heh, all she does is copy what she sees, that gloomy girl." Kushida ground her teeth but held her tongue—Daniel didn't like it when they bickered over him.

"Alright, alright, both Airi and Kushida Kikyo are good girls."

Daniel, treating them both fairly, smiled and pulled the two girls into his arms, planting a kiss on each of their heads in turn.

That broke the faint tension crackling between them.

After roughhousing with the two schoolgirls in the room for a while, Daniel finally brought them both to the classroom.

The classroom was noisy at first, but soon everyone quieted down, every gaze—male and female alike—fixed on Daniel.

Could a man really be this beautiful?

Daniel noticed the stares. Ever since his life's essence had shifted toward something beastly, he'd grown used to this kind of attention—though compared to people from the other world, modern humans seemed more mentally fragile.

Which meant this passive, almost bewitching effect on humans worked even better here.

Kei Karuizawa was the first to snap out of it. Seeing Sakura Airi now walking to school alongside Daniel too, she felt a pang of jealousy, though by now she was almost used to it.

On top of that, for some reason Daniel seemed even more attractive than before, drawing this much attention from everyone.

It was about time she made her move too—otherwise, she might not even get scraps left over.

She got up at once, breaking away from Matsushita Chiaki and the others' little clique, and walked right up to him in front of the whole class, asking quietly, "Daniel, are you free at lunch? There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Whoa, Karuizawa's got guts!"

"So this is what a gyaru's like."

"Damn it, why wasn't I born a girl?"

The classroom erupted into gossip, everyone eager to hear how Daniel would respond.

Daniel, naturally, never turned anyone away. He nodded. "I'm free at lunch. Come find me after class, Kei."