Sleeping Together Because The Tavern Owner Said So

Albrecht had no idea what to make of the situation, but he didn't panic at all, for fear that the ladies huddled in the other room would catch wind of it and misunderstand everything.

For now, Albrecht decided to not think about what the lady had seen. He didn't have any clothes a moment ago, and if the roles were reversed, it would've been a 'lucky sukebe' event. 

Clearing his throat, Albrecht side-eyed the lady who had just barged into his room. Judging from the key which was inserted into the doorknob to his room, Albrecht could more or less guess that there was some sort of mix-up. 

For one, it wasn't the lady's fault that she had seen him naked. Adding to that, it was Albrecht's fault for letting his guard down too much. He was so relaxed that he didn't even bother sensing what was happening on the other side of the door. In a way, it was Albrecht's fault— or rather, he fooled himself into thinking that it was mainly his fault. 

"I'm!" The lady let out, causing Albrecht to extend his hand and cover her mouth before she could say something that would be heard throughout the second floor. 

Pressing his index finger on his lips, Albrecht slowly sidestepped beside the lady, grabbing the key and locking the door. It was a pretty suggestive action, but right now, Albrecht and Shirohime were too awkward to even think about it. 

"Now you can speak. And don't scream. I don't want my party members to misunderstand anything." Quite frankly, Albrecht was caught in a cold and hard place. Of course, there was the option of driving the lady away but that would just cause a ruckus. 

The lady might even complain so loud and Albrecht's group would be alerted. Adding to that, the owner of the tavern might suffer negatively if such a mix-up were brought up. Albrecht found it unfair that such a single mix-up could actually ruin the inn's good reputation. 

After giving the signal, Albrecht assumed that the lady would speak and defend herself... or something along those lines. However, what she did almost made Albrecht scream in utter confusion. 

With a hint of redness on her face, the lady didn't say anything. Instead, she removed her clothes until her undergarments were the only ones there... and then she removed those as well!

It happened so fast though, but Albrecht's sharp senses were enough to ingrain the lady's body in his memory. In a flash, the lady wore all her clothes again. At this point, her face had turned into a nice bright shade of red that reached all the way to her ears.

"Now we're even..." The lady trailed off, letting out an exhale before she sat on one of the chairs. This was the first time she had subjected herself to such humiliation... and she didn't even understand why she did that in the first place. 

"Unarguably. I can't even say anything after that. Case closed." Albrecht nodded his head as he relaxed on the bed. "So... what are we going to do? As far as I know... the inn's full for the night. Do you want to sleep on the bed? I can avail the floor space without complaints." 

"No, I'd feel bad." The lady frankly stated. "How about you take half of the bed, and then I'll take half." 

"If that works for you, sure. I'm... you know what, I'll take the floor." Albrecht was about to agree to the temptation but after a split second of contemplation, he chose not to succumb to the offer. 

"We've already seen each other naked, what's the worst that could happen?" The lady said. "Oh, and I guess I haven't properly introduced myself." 

"I'm Misami Shirohime. And your Albrecht Stein, right?" The reason why Misami dared mention Albrecht's name was because it would be even weirder if she didn't know him. As such, saying his name actually made her less suspicious. 

Besides, Albrecht had no idea that Shirohime was spying on him. That's why he didn't find anything suspicious in the first place. There was a little bit of mix-up with the inn rooms, but it could happen to anyone. 

"Yes, that would be me. I'm guessing you're also present during the Seventh Outerlayer's conquer attempt?" Albrecht asked. It was just a casual question, but Shirohime felt like it was a test. 

After all, if she were to tell him that she wasn't there, then how could she have recognized him? However, if she were to tell him that she was present, and then he knew she wasn't... it would look bad. 

In the end, Shirohime decided to vaguely answer the question by nodding her head in silence. Nodding his head back, Albrecht then stood up so he could sleep on the floor. 

"I'll sleep outside." Shirohime offered, grabbing the doorknob and pushing the door open. 

"No, I can sleep on the floor. You take the bed." 

"We'll both sleep on the bed. Otherwise, I'm sleeping outside." 

The terms were pretty demanding. And in a normal scenario, Albrecht would've okayed it without a hitch. However, he had no idea who this lady was. Besides, didn't they just meet a moment ago? How could they sleep on the same bed after that? 

Then again, it seemed as if Albrecht was given a dilemma. Either he let the lady sleep outside, or he would be the bigger man and just share half of the bed. Heaving a sigh, Albrecht assumed the left side of the bed. "Suit yourself." He let out as he closed his eyes. 

"I will." Shirohime slightly bowed her head before she sided with Albrecht. For some odd reason, her heart started beating fast, but she disregarded it while she tried to lull herself to sleep. 

It was going to be a peaceful night, though, since the two of them were heavy sleepers. 

And it should be mentioned that the two of them also move around the bed when they sleep. A lot.