Chapter 218 - Hyakka and the New World's Quest
The next morning, Shizuka was furious.
"Why do you always, always leave me out!"
Her voice sliced through the hazy fog clouding my mind. The morning sun stung my eyes. In this world, there was only one reason to stay up late, and the wretched state I woke up in was all Aira's fault.
"What are you talking about?"
I answered while fighting a yawn and rubbing my eyes.
"You exclude me and sleep with everyone else! What's your problem?"
She pressed closer.
"You have Ko-kun—I mean, Toratsuna!"
"I told you, that doesn't matter! No matter who I sleep with, it doesn't change the fact that I love Ko-kun!"
"It matters a hell of a lot! If I sleep with you, I'll make you break up with him! I'll never let another man touch you."
"But you sleep with all sorts of other women, Mash! That's the same as what I'm thinking! Besides, someone your size won't change my size at all!"
Shizuka’s words chipped away at my sanity.
"Sh-shut up! In any case, you need to talk to Ko-kun first. Get his permission."
"If you're so worried, just wear a condom! If it's through a condom, we aren't technically touching, so it doesn't count as sex! I can get plenty of them!"
My mind was suddenly pulled toward Shizuka’s line of thinking. If we used a condom, as she said, maybe it would be okay. Maybe Fam wouldn't get angry. It seemed like a very tempting proposition. To be honest, I was growing fonder of her by the day. I pictured her topless form from Longhorn Trail. I wanted to hold her body as much as I pleased, to pour all my desire into her. Lost in such fantasies, I found I had placed a hand on her cheek without realizing it. Her skin was a little cool to the touch. But when I pressed gently, as if caressing her, a soft resilience and warmth came through. I noticed Shizuka staring at me, her eyes wide with surprise, and I quickly shook my head and pulled my hand back. If I slept with her even once, I knew I’d never be able to let another man have her. I had to avoid a conflict between those summoned by the Five Pillars of Genesis at all costs. Besides, he was the kind of guy who would explore the forty-ninth floor of a dungeon alone. My chances of winning were slim.
"N-no, I can't."
"Ugh, for a pervert, you're way too much trouble!"
She raised a hand to the sky.
"W-wait! What are you doing? Don't be rash!"
"Anu-chan, tell me if that elementary-schooler-looking girl and Mash are really in love! Scales of Love!"
"Did you just call me an elementary schooler?!"
Hyakka's ponytail swayed. As if to drown out her cry, a distortion in space appeared, from which a golden light shone. A man with the head of a dog, holding a set of scales, materialized.
My line of sight was lower than usual. Fam looked to be about the same height. Her mouth was agape as she stared at me—no, at Hyakka.
"What have you done?! We were just about to head to the Crystal Palace!"
And to the forty-ninth floor, no less. Now I had to drag along the completely useless Shizuka.
"Sorry, I didn't think Hyakka really liked Mash…"
Shizuka apologized with her words, but she simply stuck her tongue out and showed no sign of remorse.
"Grr, you witch! Show some regret!"
I wrapped Shizuka in a headlock and tightened my grip.
"H-Hyakka-chan, the three principles of body-swapping!" Mizuki cried out, having noticed our predicament. Mash-kun looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"What're ya talkin' 'bout? Three principles?"
"One: use '-kun' and '-chan' when addressing each other. Two: act in a way that respects the other's original personality. And three: if anything bad happens, it's all Shizuka's fault!"
"I see… I get it now. So I just have to act like Mash, right?"
Hyakka placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. Was I really that arrogant?
"Alright, members of Levante, let's go!"
"Hey, where do you think you're going?"
I hastily called out to Mash-kun.
"It's obvious, ain't it? The forty-ninth floor of the Crystal Palace! We're gonna find a trace of Ko-kun! C'mon, Mizuki, Fam, don't just stand there!"
Mash-kun gave Mizuki a light smack on the butt.
"Kya!"
Mizuki let out a shriek.
"C'mon, let's go!"
She started walking, waving the hand she had just used to smack Mizuki's rear.
"…He might be even cooler than usual. A lot cooler, actually…"
Mizuki, delighted at having her bottom smacked, muttered something that plunged me into the depths of despair. Then, she started chasing after Mash-kun. The other members and Shizuka trailed along behind them. Fam hesitated until the end, but eventually, she seemed to make up her mind and followed Mash-kun. Had she fallen for Hyakka-as-Mash-kun too? There was nothing I, now in Hyakka-chan's body, could do. I collapsed to my knees in defeat. As I stared blankly at their retreating figures, Mash-kun came stomping back. He brought his face close to my ear.
"Listen up. The third special skill is an absolute secret. Don't tell anyone, and don't use it. Be a good girl and I'll take good care of ya later."
When I nodded frantically, Mash-kun grinned. Then he stroked my butt, and my body reacted with a jolt. Seeing my reaction, Mash-kun's smile widened. Then he turned and headed back toward where Levante was waiting.
It hurt to walk. My butt hurt. My front hurt, too. Both ached, but my rear was especially painful. It was all because Karpana had relentlessly tormented Hyakka's behind last night. It felt as if her fingers were still inside, constantly probing and twisting. I couldn't complain about the front, though; that was my own doing. That part felt like something that had once filled it was now gone, a sense of loss for something precious. It was agonizing, an incompleteness, a feeling that squeezed the depths of my heart. To make matters worse, a sticky fluid was trickling down, soaking my underwear and making it cling unpleasantly between my legs. Thinking about it only made the dampness worse. I couldn't let the members of the New World party see my troubled expression. I steeled my face and forced the events of last night out of my mind. My eyes met Chihiro's. They were so similar to Hyakka's. Was he worried about me? As I stared back, a constricting pain tightened in my chest. Last night flashed before my eyes. That wasn't me. I wanted to confess everything to him and make excuses. Chihiro's hand rested on Hyakka's.
"Onee-chan… Hyakka, are you okay?"
His voice, too, was like Hyakka's. Sweet and pleasant. Did he see through me? Was he calling out to the person hidden deep inside me? I didn't know what I was thinking anymore. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the thoughts.
I… I am…
No, this is wrong. Shizuka's special skill only caused lovers to switch bodies. Hyakka must like me. What happened last night wasn't a mistake. I sealed away the impulse welling up from the bottom of my heart.
"I… uh, what should we do?"
Did Chihiro notice that I had shut myself off? He didn't answer my question, just stared intently at Hyakka-chan. Was he still unable to believe that Hyakka and I had swapped bodies? I stared back, hoping for an answer, but the same impulse didn't arise this time. Chihiro had androgynous, well-defined features, and his slender frame could pass for a woman's. In fact, Mizuki had mistaken him for a girl. Since he was Maira's type, I'd have to be careful to keep her away from him. Hyakka-chan's and his profession was 'Paladin'. I wasn't entirely sure what a Paladin was, but it was a combat-oriented profession that came with healing and defensive magic. Just by existing, a Paladin granted a blessing to all party members. I shifted my gaze to the other members of the New World party. The girl with short black hair in a black robe was Chihiro's girlfriend. Her name was Sierra. She looked to be about the same age as Hyakka. Like Chihiro, she didn't talk much. Her profession had apparently been 'Adventurer', but she changed it to 'Mage' to fit the party's needs after joining up with Hyakka and the others. Her chest was on the modest side. But it looked like she had more than Hyakka. No, maybe even more than Cecily. As I observed her, she hid behind Chihiro. Next were two colossal men, Moos of the Bovine Race and Korne of the Rhinoceros Race. Moos had two horns, and Korne had one. They had apparently met Hyakka's group in a town far beyond the mountains south of Flucht, where they had gone in search of octopus for takoyaki. Their homeland was said to be even further south, across the sea. Their ages were unknown, but they both looked to be around thirty. They were clearly the front-line power types. The last member was a thin man named Etowan. His profession was 'Thief'. He wasn't actually a thief; it was an adventurer profession suited for disarming traps, scouting, and detecting monsters. Rinko and Airi's 'Ninja' and Shizuka's 'Phantom Thief' were higher-tiered versions of the 'Thief' class. He looked to be between forty and fifty years old. A man with a neurotic air about him.
"First, let's head to the guild," Etowan said. "I don't know how you guys make a living without even going to the guild, but our journey is over. We can't keep leeching off the Wandering People."
Etowan's words made me realize how lucky we'd been. Thanks to Mash-kun's special skill, we could easily obtain rare magic seeds by fighting monsters. And for our journey from Richelle to Migul, the Mateo Trading Company had not only covered our expenses but also paid us for our escort services. Racshell had said she was also a goddess of travel. Maybe I should worship her a little more. We had been so free from financial worries that we were now on the verge of being able to afford the one hundred large gold coins needed for a place to live. However, I hesitated to ask the Mateo Trading Company to find work for Hyakka's group. No matter how close I'd gotten with Claire, the Mateo Trading Company was still a small outfit here in Migul. It would be better to wait and see.
"Alright. Let's head to the guild. But I'm not used to handling a lance, so please go easy on me today."
I said that and started walking, but no one followed. When I turned back, the five of them were standing there with strange expressions.
"Are you really not Hyakka?"
Being asked that put me in a bind. The body was, after all, the real Hyakka.
"So, what's your plan?"
"Hmm? We're going to the guild, right?"
"No, I mean about Yuuki. Your friends say they're going to save him. If you plan to do the same, we'll be going our separate ways."
I looked away from Etowan and toward Chihiro. He nodded with a firm expression, as if he had already made up his mind. Sierra, standing next to him, nodded with the same expression. For the members of the New World party, this was an unbreakable vow.
"It's not yet decided that Mizuki's senpai and the Yuuki you're talking about are the same person. Besides…"
The faces of Fam and Mizuki flashed in my mind. Samuemu and Yuuki. We had to save them both.
"Hey, aren't there the three principles of body-swapping?"
"R-right. Yeah, right."
But unlike with Mizuki or Cecily, when I tried to act like Hyakka, that feeling from before came rushing back.
"Is a guy who wears underwear like this really a man…"
I realized that Etowan had lifted Hyakka-chan's skirt and was looking at her underwear. I had been so distracted that I hadn't even noticed, and he could see all the way to my stomach. A large, cartoonish bear face patch was plastered right on the front. He lifted the back, too. There was a similar patch on the rear. They were what you'd call kids' underwear.
"You like bears?"
"N-no, I don't know. When I saw them last night, there weren't any patches like this…"
It didn't feel like my own underwear was being inspected, so I found myself looking at them with a detached curiosity.
"Those must be her special-occasion panties. She usually wears these, but I guess even Hyakka thinks about that kind of stuff…"
I realized that it wasn't just Etowan; the other members of the New World party were also staring at Hyakka's underwear. That's when I remembered the evidence of last night's activities had been leaking out.
"Kya!"
A shriek escaped my lips. I clamped down on the hem of my skirt and crouched. Had they seen the stain on my panties?
"You're Mash, right…?"
Etowan's dumbfounded expression made me suddenly feel embarrassed by my own actions. I could feel my cheeks burning, but there was nothing I could do. I didn't know what to do, so I just remained crouched down.
"Tch, whatever. Anyway, let's go to the guild and find a decent quest. On the way, you can tell us about Yuuki."
He shook his head and started walking.