Several famous oil paintings that looked extremely valuable hung on the wall directly opposite. Every single one of them seemed worth a fortune.
Even the red carpet spread beneath their feet felt incredibly soft. Stepping on it felt almost like standing on clouds.
The furniture around the room was all made from top-grade wood with exquisite craftsmanship, displaying the taste and status of nobility.
A winding staircase on the left led up to the second floor, and the decorations upstairs seemed even more splendid and luxurious.
As an ordinary salaryman, when had Tani Ichiro ever seen a display like this? He immediately stared in a daze.
"Sir? Sir?", The maid beside him, Takahara Ren, saw Tani Ichiro standing there blankly at the entrance and couldn't help urging him a few times.
"Ah! Sorry! I'm just too hungry, so my legs are a bit weak. Sorry, sorry!"
Seeing himself acting like a clueless pauper who had never seen the world, Tani Ichiro quickly blushed and took a few steps forward so he wouldn't block the doorway.
"Hehe~", Seemingly amused by his appearance, the noble lady standing on the second floor, Munakata Rurie, covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
Tani Ichiro instinctively looked up.
Then he was completely stunned.
This was a stunningly beautiful woman with brown hair and green eyes. That well-maintained, pale, tender face possessed a beauty that Tani Ichiro had never seen before. And beneath the luxurious long dress, her mature and full figure looked like a perfectly ripened peach, making people salivate.
At this moment, as the gorgeous noblewoman covered her mouth and laughed softly, the unintentional charm she revealed instantly made Tani Ichiro unable to look away.
He swore that after spending so many years playing around in the red-light district, he had never seen even half a woman who could compare to this stunning noblewoman.
"Hey!", Seeing this man who already looked suspicious staring nonstop at Madam Rurie, the maid Takahara Ren couldn't help scolding him.
"Ah! S-sorry!", Hearing the voice, Tani Ichiro snapped back to his senses and hurriedly lowered his head, covering the bulge in his crotch with his hand.
Even a man like Tani Ichiro who had embezzled company funds still felt embarrassed by his behavior. Acting like that in front of such a beauty made him awkwardly lower his head.
But the stunning noblewoman Rurie on the second floor didn't seem to mind much.
Resting her delicate hand on the railing, Munakata Rurie smiled charmingly. Her rosy lips parted slightly as she said, "Ren, bring this gentleman a towel so he can wipe off the rain."
Then she said to Tani Ichiro, "Sir, please wipe yourself dry first. I'll go call my daughter out, and we'll meet you properly in a moment."
"Ah… that's really too much trouble. I can just rest for a bit," Facing this noble and elegant beauty, Tani Ichiro felt rather nervous.
The beautiful Madam Munakata Rurie smiled and said, "It's fine. A guest is still a guest. Sir, please stay here for the night. It's already getting late, and walking through the forest now could easily lead to a wild animal attack."
"Dry yourself first. I'll go call my daughter. In a moment we'll eat together. Just sit and rest properly, it's alright."
"Th-then… alright!", Hearing Madam Munakata Rurie's words, Tani Ichiro's expression hesitated slightly, but inside he was overjoyed.
Being able to stay in a mansion like this at a time like this was simply wonderful. And it even looked like food and drinks would be provided. This was amazing.
This Madam Rurie was really a good person.
However, as someone who had lived in society for many years, Tani Ichiro still felt a little cautious.
He currently had no money at all. Why would this noble-looking beauty treat him so kindly?
Could it be that she had taken a liking to his body and was attracted by his reliable appearance?
Thinking about the way Munakata Rurie had just covered her mouth and laughed while looking at him, Tani Ichiro's heart itched, and he swallowed several times in a row.
Sitting on the luxurious leather sofa, Tani Ichiro secretly glanced toward the second floor at the departing figure of Munakata Rurie. The graceful sway of her exquisite figure as she walked was simply intoxicating.
After Munakata Rurie disappeared, the maid Takahara Ren also came out of the washroom carrying a basin with a towel inside.
"Ah! Thank you very much!", Tani Ichiro accepted the basin of hot water and thanked her.
But the maid Takahara Ren barely paid him any attention.
'Even your lady is polite to me, yet you're just a little maid acting so arrogant. I really want to teach you a harsh lesson.'
Seeing Takahara Ren's unfriendly attitude toward him, Tani Ichiro secretly ground his teeth in anger.
While Tani Ichiro was wiping off the rainwater, a sudden noise came from behind him.
He hurriedly turned his head, originally thinking the noblewoman had returned with her daughter.
But the sound had come from outside the mansion's front door.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Another knocking sound came from the grand doors of the luxurious Munakata Residence.
Tani Ichiro, who was wiping the rainwater off himself, froze slightly.
The maid Takahara Ren standing nearby also frowned as she looked toward the door.
Hearing the knocking continue, she still walked toward the entrance despite her furrowed brows.
"Who… is it this time?", Reaching the door, Takahara Ren pulled it open and asked the visitor outside in a slightly unfriendly tone.
But halfway through her words, when she saw the boy standing outside, the frown on her face gradually softened. Even her voice became quieter and gentler.
"Hello, sorry to bother you. I got lost in the forest. I saw a house here, so I came over to ask for directions," Looking at the maid with glasses and twin braids, Hikari wiped the rain off his face as he spoke.
"A-ask for directions?", Looking at the refined and polite boy with delicate features, big eyes, and an innocent expression, his hair damp and sticking slightly to his forehead from the rain, the maid Takahara Ren immediately felt sympathy.
"Yes. Do you know how to get out of this forest?", Hikari asked.
"Well…", Takahara Ren glanced at the pitch-dark sky outside and the light drizzle still falling from above, then said worriedly, "The road is very far from here. And it's night now. Even if I give you directions, it'll be very hard for you to get out."
"Oh…", Hearing that, a troubled look immediately appeared on Hikari's young and handsome face.
Seeing the boy's slightly furrowed brows and heart-melting innocent expression, Takahara Ren couldn't help saying, "How about… you stay here for the night first?"
"Huh? Is that okay?" ,Hikari raised his head and asked in surprise.
"Uh… well… I'll need to ask my lady first," Seeing the boy's deep and beautiful peach blossom eyes, Takahara Ren almost agreed immediately, but in the end she still kept a bit of reason.
Hikari nodded, standing properly outside the door with his hands together.
"Alright, thank you."
Seeing the drifting rain occasionally landing on him, Takahara Ren quickly said, "Th-then… do you want to come in and wait?"
"Huh, is that alright?", Hikari asked.
"Yes, it's fine!", Takahara Ren nodded firmly.
"Then thank you," Hikari thanked her.
"It's nothing!", Takahara Ren quickly shook her head.
After opening the door, she invited Hikari inside and even helped carry some of his luggage.
Meanwhile, when Tani Ichiro saw another person suddenly entering from outside, and it seemed like he wasn't someone who lived in the mansion, he was extremely nervous at first. He thought the police searching for him had arrived.
But when he saw that Hikari looked very young, seemingly only about high school age, and seemed to be another lost passerby like himself, Tani Ichiro finally let out a huge sigh of relief.
However, looking at Hikari being led inside by the maid Takahara Ren, Tani Ichiro's gaze was not very friendly.
Especially when he noticed that Takahara Ren, who had clearly treated him coldly earlier, was treating Hikari much better, Tani Ichiro immediately felt annoyed.
He also found the boy, who looked just a little more handsome than him, more and more unpleasant to look at.
At this moment, Hikari had just been led to sit on the sofa when the maid Takahara Ren brought him a basin of hot water and a towel as well.
"Dry your hair first," Takahara Ren said as she handed them to him.
"Okay, thank you," Hikari took them and thanked her.
"I-it's nothing!", Takahara Ren pinched the hem of her skirt and lowered her head slightly.
Normally, Takahara Ren lived in the Munakata Residence with only Madam Rurie and her daughter, so she rarely saw men. Now that she had encountered such a handsome and polite boy, and she herself was still a girl not much older, she couldn't help feeling a bit shy.
In the huge living room, aside from the somewhat bashful Takahara Ren, the only outsiders present were Hikari and Tani Ichiro.
The two of them sat on separate leather sofas, wiping the rainwater from their hair with warm towels. Although they exchanged a few glances, neither of them spoke.
While wiping his face, Hikari also quietly observed the environment inside this luxurious mansion called the Munakata Residence.
Just like it looked from the outside, the inside of the residence was also extremely spacious and luxurious.
However, unlike the inexperienced Tani Ichiro, Hikari had seen quite a lot of the world. He knew and had even become quite close with more than one or two young ladies and noblewomen, so he wasn't particularly surprised.
Compared to the grandeur and luxury of the Munakata Residence, Hikari paid more attention to the middle-aged man beside him who was also a guest.
Earlier, after fighting a fierce battle with Hachishaku-sama in the forest and completely conquering her, even recording her in the Record of Strange Tales and turning her into something similar to his shikigami, the two of them had gone their separate ways.
At that time, Hikari had planned to return to the road and head toward the next town.
But after only walking a few steps, he heard the NTR warning from the Pure Love radar.
Following the system's alert, Hikari braved the rain and hurried over to this luxurious mansion called "Munakata Residence," which looked like something from last-century Britain.
While observing the surroundings, Hikari also activated his Pure Love Aura-Reading Technique and glanced at Tani Ichiro beside him.
He saw a red glow mixed with black radiating from the man's body.
Clearly, this fierce-looking middle-aged man was most likely the "unexpected intruder of the mansion," the "criminal who embezzled public funds," and the "potential NTR minotaur" mentioned earlier by the Pure Love radar.
And the young beautiful maid who had opened the door for him earlier was very likely the victim.
After all, this glasses-wearing maid with twin braids looked pure and lovely. Both her appearance and figure had the graceful charm of an anime heroine.
However, Hikari guessed that she was probably not the only potential victim, because the black aura around her body was not strong enough.
According to the earlier system prompt, there should also be a mother and daughter pair inside the mansion.
Moreover, the young maid with glasses had just said that if he wanted to stay the night, he would need Madam Rurie's permission.
While wiping his face, Hikari continued thinking quietly.
A noblewoman and her daughter living in a mansion, a young beautiful maid, and a fugitive criminal who suddenly intruded into the mansion.
If the story was simply like this, then it actually seemed quite straightforward.
For Hikari, who had hunted down many NTR perpetrators before, it would hardly be worth mentioning.
However, Hikari faintly felt that something here wasn't quite right.
Ever since he saw this mansion, a vague sense of unease had been lingering in his mind.
A luxurious mansion standing in the middle of deep mountains and forests was already abnormal.
And after walking inside, Hikari could clearly feel that behind this glamorous and splendid mansion lurked a faint, unsettling aura of gloom.
He pushed his aura-reading technique to its limit and carefully scanned the mansion hall once again.
Faint strands of black mist surrounded the mansion.
There were also streams of colorful-looking energy drifting through the air, though beneath their bright surface they were filled with dense black aura.
Just as Hikari was wondering what secrets this mansion might be hiding, another sound suddenly came from the side of the hall.
The noise came from the second floor and the staircase at the side of the hall.
Hikari and Tani Ichiro both turned their heads to look.
Two graceful figures appeared one after the other, walking down the winding staircase from the second floor.
They were a pair of beautiful mother and daughter who looked about fifty to sixty percent alike. Both were very pretty and dressed in gorgeous long dresses, giving off an elegant and noble air.
The beautiful woman walking in front had delicate features, seductive eyes, and a mature figure.
Her gorgeous face looked soft enough to break with a touch. Her smooth hair was tied up high, leaving only a single strand falling in front of her ear. Beneath the corner of her right eye was a small beauty mark, giving her the full charm of a mature woman.
Although she gave off a very mature impression, her skin was clearly extremely well maintained, still as smooth and tender as that of a young girl.
The beautiful woman's figure was no less stunning than her breathtaking face.
Beneath the loose and luxurious long dress, her mature curves could not be hidden. Her chest rose high beneath the front of the dress, while her waist was slender where the belt tightened the skirt. Her full and mature figure curved in all the right places, like a perfectly ripened peach, unbelievably enticing.
The beautiful girl walking behind her wore twin ponytails and looked equally charming. Although her figure still seemed slightly youthful compared with the beautiful woman, that was only in comparison. Compared to girls her age, her development was already far ahead.
As Hikari and Tani Ichiro looked over, the noble mother and daughter also turned to look at the two unfamiliar guests.
Noticing the newly appeared Hikari in the hall, the mature and charming noblewoman Munakata Rurie smiled lightly and asked the maid Takahara Ren beside her, "Ren, who is this handsome young man?"
Hearing the question, Takahara Ren quickly explained, "Madam, he also got lost and needs help. I… I let him come in to rest first."
"But what to do next will be up to you, Madam."
Seeing Takahara Ren's slightly nervous expression, the stunning noblewoman Munakata Rurie smiled charmingly.
"Oh, I see. Ren, you did the right thing. We should help people who are in need."
Then she turned to Hikari and said kindly, "Young man, you can rest here without worry. This is deep in the forest, and wild animals appear at night. It's very unsafe. But Auntie will help you get home safely. Stay here tonight and have a good rest."
Seeing Madam Rurie's friendly expression, Hikari politely smiled and nodded.
"Alright, thank you, madam."
"Hehehe!", Hearing his thanks, Madam Rurie covered her mouth and laughed softly.
"Nakoto, why are you still standing there? Come here, I'll introduce you."
The beautiful noblewoman Munakata Rurie pulled the girl beside her and sat down on the largest leather sofa.
Then she smiled at Hikari and Tani Ichiro.
"A guest is still a guest. The two of you should rest well tonight at the Munakata Residence."
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