"Is she really never going to stop?"
"Why do you think I'm sleeping in the living room..."
With a dark expression, Rin spread out his bedding on the floor.
If Marisa could quiet down a bit, he would have just pulled her into bed with him. He really didn't want to be in the middle of a dream, having a romantic date with a beautiful girl, only for the surroundings to suddenly transform into a construction site with a bunch of drills attacking his skull.
As he lay down in his bedding, he noticed Patchouli, bloodshot eyes and all, still standing there with no intention of leaving.
"Aren't you a magician? Can't you use magic to block out the sound?"
"I'm afraid that if I fall asleep too deeply, I'll suddenly get teleported to the general store and no one will be able to wake me up... Especially in this state..."
Patchouli murmured anxiously while clutching the hem of her clothes. The emblem on her chest twisted even more, practically radiating suffering through its very text.
Most importantly, she wasn't sure what Sakuya had written in the contract beyond just helping out with chores!
When she get back, she was going to make that wicked woman pay!
Rin, whose gaze had nearly sunk into the void from exhaustion, nodded before suggesting, "Why don't you make a bed here too? At least in the living room, with the door shut, you won't hear the drilling sounds."
"I still have an extra set of bedding. I'll grab it for you."
"...That would be helpful."
After thinking it over, Patchouli agreed. There was no way in hell she was going back to that construction zone tonight.
Without delay, Rin crawled out of his bedding and went to the storage room.
A few minutes later, he returned with a brand-new set of bedding and even considerately laid it out on the other side of the coffee table, keeping a reasonable distance from his own.
Seeing how proper and well-behaved he was, Patchouli's wariness gradually faded.
'The boss is a good man. Clearly, the problem is Marisa!' Once she lay down in her bedding, Rin turned off the lights and climbed back into his own.
Enjoying the rare peace and quiet, both of them sighed deeply in relief, their faces full of contentment.
Without that wretched source of chaos, sleeping was such a wonderful thing...
Except for Yukari.
Listening to the never-ending construction sounds coming from the next room, her usually seductive expression had become completely twisted.
Chen, thanks to Yukari covering her ears, was sleeping quite soundly, but Yukari herself felt like she was undergoing tribulation. Her blood pressure was skyrocketing.
She had never wanted to strangle someone so badly in her life!
Why didn't Rin just finish that thing off earlier?!
Unable to endure it any longer, Yukari decisively opened a gap and dumped Marisa in Patchouli's room.
For the sake of her own and Chen's sleep—no, for Ran's happiness as well—she had no other choice!
She would make sure to offer incense for Patchouli next year!
With a room in between acting as a buffer, the house soon regained its peace.
Satisfied, Yukari hugged Chen and comfortably drifted off to sleep.
Just as everything had settled into silence, the chain markings on Rin and Patchouli's hands suddenly lit up without warning.
Sensing the magical fluctuation, Patchouli immediately opened her eyes in alarm.
'You've got to be kidding me. They seriously won't let me get a peaceful night's sleep?!'
Another mark against Sakuya!
She stared at the glowing red chains, heart lodged in her throat.
What now? Night patrol? Cleaning duty? Or... warming the boss's bed?!
Recalling the strange sounds from Marisa's "torture session" earlier, Patchouli's pupils began to tremble violently.
If she died, she would make damn sure Sakuya suffered as well!!!
But just as Patchouli was drowning in terror, the glowing chains suddenly dimmed and vanished.
Huh? What?
She blinked in confusion.
But after confirming there was no actual danger, she let out a sigh and collapsed back into her bedding.
However, mere minutes later, the markings flared up again, the light almost blinding.
"...Patchouli, you're glowing."
"...!"
Hearing Rin's emotionless comment, Patchouli's face darkened.
She instinctively tried to hide her arm under the blanket, only for the red light to shine straight through the fabric, turning the entire blanket into a glowing spectacle.
Feeling Rin's increasingly peculiar gaze, Patchouli nearly lost her composure, veins bulging on her forehead.
Why, why had she ever thought studying contracts was a good idea?!
Does this thing seriously have a malfunctioning alarm system?!
But just as she was about to explode, the red glow flickered and died down once more.
Three minutes later, the light suddenly blazed up again, this time flashing wildly, as if sending out an emergency signal.
"...Patchouli, doesn't this feel like an SOS?"
"Now that you mention it... yeah, kinda."
"Who else still has these chain markings? ...Oh, right. Remilia."
"Remilia? Then we can ignore it."
"I have an eye mask. Want to borrow one?"
"Sounds good."
The moment they realized it was Remilia sending out the distress signal, they both immediately chose to ignore it. Without hesitation, they put on eye masks and went to sleep as if nothing had happened.
As if sensing their cruelty, the red glow flickered even more frantically, as if crying out in despair.
But five minutes later, the light completely faded, signifying the outcome on the other side...
"AHHHHH! HELP! HELP ME!!!"
"Patchouli! Patchouli, where the hell are you?!"
"Meiling! Anybody! Save me!!!"
"Flandre... your sister is about to be eaten, wuuuah—!!!"
"If you want, you can be the big sister and I'll be the little sister from now on! Just help me!!!"
Remilia's anguished wails echoed through the Scarlet Devil Mansion, but every single door remained tightly shut.
No one had any intention of rescuing her.
No matter how desperately she struggled, she was firmly restrained on Sakuya's shoulder, being carried step by step towards her doom.
"My Lady, please calm down. I am only taking you to bed."
"Do you really need to tie me up for that?!"
"It's to prevent you from sleepwalking."
"I can sleep alone! Just lock the door and I won't bother anyone!"
"That won't do. You sprained your ankle today, after all. As your maid, I must personally take care of you."
"Any injury you suffer is my failure. Please rest assured, I will look after you thoroughly."
Sakuya explained with an air of righteousness.
Yet the undisguised excitement on her face sent a chill down Remilia's spine...