"Hahaha! Is this one of those things?" Natasha laughed after getting over the initial shock, staring at the floating blue panel in front of her.
'These hallucinations are getting way too realistic,' she thought, shaking her head. 'Maybe I should ask the third for some medicine.'
While she was still thinking it over, her eyes landed on the clock, and her expression froze on the spot.
"Oh no, it's late. I need to make breakfast for Dante!"
She snatched up a towel and hurried into the bathroom, her body still covered in sweat.
Cooking was something she genuinely enjoyed, especially when it was for other people. It was one of the few things that actually helped her clear her head.
As Natasha stepped into the bathroom, she yanked off her clothes in a rush, sending her heavy breasts bouncing free with a soft, juicy jiggle.
Her naked body was finally on full display. It looked as if a god had personally sculpted every curve just to drive any man absolutely fucking insane with lust.
Unfortunately, there was nobody around to witness this work of art.
And the one person who did get to see it… ended up dying the most gruesome death imaginable.
***
Meanwhile, Dante had a look of total confusion on his face as he waited for Natasha to bind with the system.
"What is taking her so long?" he muttered. "Right now, she should be desperate for any way to fix her condition…"
"So why the hell didn't she accept it?"
Even in this world, novels existed.
They were just as popular as they had been back on Earth, if not more so.
"She has to have heard of systems before," Dante said, looking irritated. "She must have read at least a couple. That author loved shoving random novel titles into every other chapter."
He unconsciously tried to recall the names.
"What were they again… Lord of the Toilets and Shadow Intern: Lost From Height.."
With a sigh, Dante leaned back in his chair and narrowed his eyes. "Whatever. That's completely useless information."
He forced himself to quit overthinking and zeroed in on the only thing that actually mattered right now.
"Did she think she was hallucinating?" Dante wondered, and the more he turned it over in his head, the more likely it seemed. "Looks like I need to adjust the plan a little…"
An hour flew by as he reworked his strategy, and it was finally time for breakfast.
"Dante!" Natasha called out as she walked out of the kitchen carrying food trays in her hands.
Inside the room, Dante was already waiting, and a smile tugged at his lips. 'Time to put those acting skills to work. Years of dealing with fake people are finally about to pay off.'
***
When she got no response from her student, Natasha figured he was still asleep and got ready to go wake him up.
But just as she stepped out of the dining room, she spotted Dante slowly coming down the stairs with a gloomy look on his face.
'What's going on with him today? Why does he look so miserable?' she thought, feeling a wave of concern. It had been a long time since she had seen him like this.
Before she could say anything, Dante actually walked right past her without even saying hello the way he normally did.
"Dante," Natasha called out, worry clear in her voice.
Hearing her, he stopped in his tracks and looked up with surprise, like he had only just realized she was standing there.
He had only stolen a few quick glances on his way down the stairs. This was his first time getting a clear look at Natasha, and the figure in his memories paled in comparison to the real thing.
She had a gorgeous face with golden amber eyes that were looking right at him, full of worry but still sharp enough to make him feel like she could see straight through his mind.
Her hair was loosely tied back with a few strands resting along her neck.
She was wearing a simple white blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and a dark apron tied snug around her waist.
It was the most harmless, housewife-looking outfit in the world, and somehow that only made the insane figure underneath it hit ten times harder.
He quickly dropped his gaze after coming back to his senses
"Good morning, Master."
"Forget the greeting. What is eating at you so badly that you didn't even see me right in front of you?" she asked, way more worried about what was going on in his head.
"It's… it's nothing, Master," Dante said with some hesitation, putting on a weak smile before turning his eyes away.
'Damn… she looks so hot!' Dante thought, fighting the urge to steal another glance. 'Focus, Dante. Focus. Don't blow your own act.'
He thought he had already seen everything there was to see when it came to women, but this was on a completely different level.
'But seriously, what is up with those ridiculous proportions and that angel face? And that apron is just the cherry on top!' Dante thought, feeling a rush of something entirely new.
'I was way too full of myself before. Whoever sent me here, thank you. I will make the most of this chance to expand my… "knowledge,"' he reflected without a hint of shame as he made his way to the dining table.
Watching him walk away, Natasha felt a pang of distress. She had no idea what had suddenly gotten into her student, but since he wasn't ready to talk about it, she didn't want to push him.
With that, she served breakfast. Dante didn't say a single word and kept his head down the entire time. The mood was heavy, and Natasha quickly lost her appetite.
A few minutes later, Dante suddenly stopped eating and finally looked up.
"Master, I want to move out," he said, meeting her eyes with a serious expression.
'And move into your bedroom.'
Too bad he couldn't say that last part out loud.
Hearing those words, Natasha went stiff, and the fork slipped right out of her fingers and clattered onto the plate.
She had always known this day would come eventually.
As her students grew older, they got busy, and moving out was only natural.
But not like this.
'No… I can't let him leave in this state. Who knows what he might do when he's feeling like this?' she thought, making up her mind instantly.
"Sure. I'll help you with the arrangements," she said, keeping her face neutral. Then her tone got softer. "But before any of that, you need to tell me what's bothering you."
"Only then can you move out," she added with a gentle smile.
"Okay," Dante answered right away, completely catching her off guard. Then he leaned back slightly and looked her straight in the eyes.
"But let's start with you, Master."
"Do you have something to tell me?" he asked, a cold edge flickering across his gaze.
'Huh? Why is he turning this around on me?' Natasha thought, feeling totally blindsided. 'What does he want to hear?'
She was honestly stumped.
She wasn't even sure what he was talking about, and the problem was… she had way too many secrets to guess which one he meant.
It was a tricky spot to be in.
"Haha… Dante," she said carefully, trying to ease the tension. "Can you tell me what exactly you mean?"
But Dante's next move left her completely speechless.
He suddenly shot to his feet, slammed his hand down on the table, and pointed straight at her with open anger.
"Master, you're still trying to play dumb with me!"
"Even after all these years, you don't even trust me!"
After those words left his mouth, he stormed out of the dining room without once looking back.
Natasha sat frozen for a moment before snapping out of it and rushing after him, but it was already too late.
Outside, the roar of an engine cut through the air.
Dante had already taken off in his Rolls-Royce Phantom.
"Ah… damn it," Natasha muttered, standing in the doorway with her hand pressed against her forehead.
"This day is really cursed," she said, looking completely defeated. Not only had her realm dropped, but now her most well-behaved student had actually blown up at her.
And the very next second, that same mechanical voice rang out in her mind again.
[Do you wish to bind with Master-Student Bond System?]
[Please confirm]