We found ourselves trapped in the storage room, sitting down and waiting for someone to pass by.

'Even so, locking us in a storage room...'

Emily is like this, but sometimes Mary can also be quite forceful in her methods.

Surely, there could have been a softer and better way.

"Um, excuse me..."

At that moment, Diena, who was beside me, hesitantly spoke to me.

We were currently sitting on the floor side by side, blankly staring at the storage room door.

In this situation, Diena started a conversation and gently moved closer.

"Kenna, are you not cold?"

"Cold? Hmm, now that you mention it, the floor does feel a bit chilly..."

When I was a man, I would have just sat without a care, but somehow, as a woman, I seem more sensitive to the temperature.

Moreover, because this is a storage room, I can't even imagine a soft mattress-like floor; it's just cement.

So, the floor was colder than the room itself.

"Oh, this isn't good! If your body gets cold, you'll catch a cold!"

"What? No, it's okay at this level..."

"What are you talking about! You're underestimating Gellius too much."

Diena sincerely frowned, as if it were dangerous, and cautiously advised me.

"Getting sick in a prison like this means losing the strength to protect yourself. Do you know what that means?"

"W-What does it mean?"

"…You’ll be devoured."

"…Pardon?"

Devoured?

Is there a monster in this prison that eats sick prisoners?

“Didn't you see the group of Giants? You'd be mercilessly defiled!”

With her further explanation, I understood what Diena was trying to say.

Yesterday, in the shower room, those who surrounded Raphne and me—the power players of the prison.

The Giants and their group.

They were licking their lips, looking at Raphne and me as if we were prey.

“Eek!!”

It's a cliché often seen in prison movies.

An attractive prisoner becomes a tool for satisfying other prisoners' desires.

Luckily, Raphne and I have considerable strength, so we've been safe so far.

But if I were to catch a cold and lose strength...

“…Well, Raphne would protect me, so it should be fine.”

Plus, there's Emily and Mary.

Surely, something like that wouldn't happen.

“Even so, it's good to be prepared for any situation! Come, let's huddle closer.”

“What? Huddle—?”

“In situations like this, the best thing you can do is warm each other with your body heat.”

For some reason, Diena blushed and looked at me with eyes similar to that of a pervert uncle, while moving closer.

Her eyes are terrifying!

But, since her expression is normal except for the gaze, it might just be my misunderstanding.

“Well, then…”

Thus, Diena and I pressed our bodies closely and faced the storage room.

Wriggle, wriggle.

Although we'd only moved closer, it was indeed warmer than before.

Yet, I felt as if Diena's hand was creeping towards me like a worm.

I sensed something near my back.

"Um, um..."

Unable to ignore her odd approach any longer, I cautiously turned my head to look at Diena.

At my voice, she jumped in surprise, her eyes darting around like a thief caught in the act.

"Oh, I-I just thought it might be warmer if we got a bit closer… ha, haha."

"Is that so? Well, if you're cold, I don't mind."

"Yes! I'm cold! Really cold!"

For some reason, she seemed quite enthusiastic at my response, but it was clear that Diena was very sensitive to the cold.

Eventually, she wrapped her arm around my shoulder and pulled me tightly against her side.

'Oof, her chest…'

Naturally, her chest brushed against my shoulder.

By the way, prison uniforms don't come with bras.

So, neither I, Raphne, nor Diena beside me, have any support at the moment.

As a result, I could distinctly feel the softness of Diena's chest through the thin fabric of her clothes.

This made my heart race, adding to the awkwardness of the situation.

'No, no. Calm down. I'm a woman right now! Plus, I already have three fiancées!'

If I let this go any further, I would surely face doom, both socially and physically.

I had to keep my mind focused and shake off any improper thoughts.

More importantly, I needed to think about Diena's escape plan...

This was a crucial opportunity that Emily and Mary had arranged for us.

To make the most of it and execute our plan to escape together, I started a conversation with her.

"Um... Ms. Diena, how much time is left until your release?"

"Me? Hmm... Since it's been three years since I came in..."

She thought intently about my question, her face slightly red, then replied with a smile.

"I have about 50 years left."

"Oh… 50 years!?"

"Yes, um, is that surprising?"

"Well, in 50 years..."

By then she'd be an old lady. I couldn't help but be shocked.

"Ahaha! I'm just grateful I'm not facing the death penalty! After all, I did commit an attack on the Royal Palace!"

Unlike me, Diena laughed brightly. She's quite a positive person.

"Doesn't being here feel confining to you, Ms. Diena?"

But from her answer just now, I felt like I got a small hint for the plan.

A total of 50 years in prison.

With that amount of time, surely...

She would be tempted by the thought of escaping.

"It felt confining at first, but now I've adjusted and it's fine."

"...Huh?"

"Wherever people live, it's the same. So now it feels comfortable, just like home."

Diena spoke as if she had been there forever, even though it's only been three years.

Her carefree response left me a bit flustered.

This isn't quite what I expected.

"Um..."

But I should still go for it.

I have no choice right now.

I can't just wait around here for years to leisurely take her out.

I need to act quickly.

"I plan to escape from here soon."

I said seriously to Diena, who was hugging my shoulder.

In response, Diena looked even more surprised than I had been after hearing about the 50 years.

"You’ve only been here for two days and you're already thinking like that?"

"Ugh…"

She asked with an incredulous expression.

I mean, I might seem like a reckless person without much perseverance, but the real reason is not that I dislike being here, but because I need to create a Demon Sword!

"Anyway! There's something I want to say to you, Ms. Diena!"

I decided to express what I wanted to say without hesitating.

It's all or nothing.

If it doesn’t work, I'll have to take her by force, even if it means knocking her out.

Before resorting to force, I should try the peaceful approach of having a conversation.

"Ms. Diena, would you… like to escape with me?"

But as a woman now, my softer heart couldn’t boldly ask, and I mumbled while looking up at her like a rabbit.

This doesn't really match the image I had in mind, but… Well, I made the suggestion anyway.

The issue now is whether Diena will join in this timid invitation of mine that lacks confidence…

“Ugh!”

Diena clutched her chest and her shoulders trembled slightly.

Huh?

"So… cute," she muttered something like that, then soon recovered, her eyes sparkling as she firmly grasped my hand.

"Y-you mean you need my help?! For you Kenna!"

"What? Oh, yes, well, ... but don't you have any doubts?"

"If it's to help you Kenna, I can do anything!"

That was surprisingly easy.

Thinking back, maybe we didn’t need to get trapped in the storage room after all.

However, let's be thankful for the ease of it.

It's certainly better than taking a tough road where a tragic backstory surfaces, triggering her trauma, and we unite to overcome hardships and miraculously escape prison.

The easy way is the best.

I nodded at Diena, who was blushing and breathing heavily.

Though, her face was a little too close.

At that moment, when our escape alliance was formed, the firmly closed storage room door made a 'click' sound.

"You two in there. What exactly are you doing? Come out quickly."

Mary was the one who opened the door and appeared.

'...She was listening at the door.'

For some reason, Mary looked at Diena and me with a slightly displeased expression.

I can't tell if she's playing the role of a guard catching prisoners slacking off or if she's genuinely bothered by something.

"Oh, I'm sorry! The door suddenly got locked!"

Diena, as if familiar with the situation, immediately stood up and approached Mary.

And she didn't forget to take the construction materials Emily had asked for.

“Hmm, I see. Then, you go ahead to the shower room first.”

“What? Just me?”

“They say the materials are urgent. I'll take care of this prisoner since she's a person of interest.”

“O-Okay…”

Is this really alright?

Mary was abusing her power as a guard to a reckless degree.

Sending a prisoner alone like that.

Even earlier, an unknown guard escorted us to the storage room.

Well, we will be breaking out later anyway.

With that, Diena hurriedly grabbed the materials and ran toward the shower room.

Once she disappeared from the vicinity, Mary quietly sidled up to me, pressing her shoulder against mine.

I felt Mary’s soft shoulder and heard her slightly sulking voice.

“…Playboy.”

“…What?”

“Even after becoming a woman, Ken can’t help himself.”

“Did I do something?”

“The fact that you’re unaware makes it even worse.”

Mary puffed her cheeks slightly and started to pull me along, holding onto my arm tightly.

It seemed I must have done something wrong.

As Diena ran with the materials for the shower room renovation, a smile spread across her face.

“Kenna needs me! Kenna needs me!”

Diena, who had fallen in love at first sight with Kenna (Ken) when she first saw her and Raphne being brought to the prison bound in ropes.

At first, she felt the despair of heartbreak at the thought of her having three fiancées.

But that didn't mean her burning heart suddenly cooled off.

In fact, she was frustrated because she couldn't freely express her passionate feelings.

So, she only used the cold in the storage room as an excuse for shy physical contact.

'...If we succeed in escaping.'

Diena thought as she ran toward the shower room.

Escaping from this prison.

It's not as easy as it sounds.

In such a situation, if Kenna, who planned the escape, needed her help, it would surely be a significant opportunity to repay her.

'If we succeed, I'll ask Kenna out on a date!'

Diena, excited by this new goal, couldn't contain her energy, her orange ponytail fluttering as she ran.

Escaping from this prison was such a daunting task that asking for a date would seem trivial by comparison.

She would assist her in escaping from this place and then confidently ask her for a date.

What did it matter if she had three fiancées?

She would become the fourth.

"Here, I brought the materials!"

Feeling uplifted, Diena quickly reached Emily with the materials.

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