kscans

Chapter 122 - Pure Love and the Flower-Selling Otherworlder

"So, let's hear your story again, shall we?"

One woman, with three men across the table from her. It was a strange setup, like some kind of interview. Anyway, about Fang. Even if he was a wolf-kin with a superior sense of smell, being able to sniff out an STD seemed abnormal. There was no doubt about it. This man was a master of his craft. That aside, I decided to talk to this woman. I told Fang and Beers to go find a woman without me, but they decided to stay as well.

"You're an Otherworlder, aren't you?"

the woman asked back. When she saw I wasn't going to drink any more ale, she took my cup and started drinking from it herself.

"No, not me. It was my dad's friend's kid's spouse's friend who I think was an Otherworlder."

"Please, be honest. If you do, it's on the house today. I'll even let you experience my special jelly. It's my forte!"

"Absolutely not. You have an STD, don't you?"

"Come on now. Your little friend down there isn't saying that."

She started probing my crotch with the tip of her foot. To be honest, I'd been hard this whole time.

"No way. I don't want to get sick."

It was a rather difficult decision.

"In that case, let's use this. Special Skill, [Torrent of Condoms]!"

As she said that, a massive pile of condoms appeared out of nowhere on the table, raining down and forming a mountain. What a wonderful—no, what a ridiculous special skill.

"...You, what's your name?"

"I'm Shizuka. And you?"

"I'm Mash. The wolf-kin is Fang, and this human here is Beers."

"Nice to meet ya!"

She innocently extended her hand, and I was about to shake it, but Fang stopped me. It seemed better not to touch her. What kind of disease did she have? I had no knowledge in that area.

"Which god summoned you? Where did your partner go?"

"We can talk here, but I'm getting a little tingly down there, so how about we talk while we have sex? A three-on-one is fine too."

She was so nonchalant that I was almost tempted to take her up on the offer. Fang still had a grim expression, but Beers was half-rising from his seat.

"Talk here!"

Fang said. The waitress who had first shown us to the booth brought us more ale. She also cleared away the mountain of condoms, but I secretly snatched a few and hid them in my storage. I'll have to try using a condom with Mizuki next time to see what it feels like. I paid three silver coins, and to calm my own spirit, which had been aroused by my interaction with Shizuka, I fondled the waitress's breasts. Beers joined me in fondling her breasts. He had a very happy expression on his face. I'm sure I had the same look on my face. Shizuka immediately snatched my ale and started drinking.

"My boyfriend's name is Ko-kun, but he got super mad that I was doing compensated dating, and I was like, 'I was doing that before we even started going out,' and we got into a fight. Then we warped to a weird place, were made to choose a weird ability, and next thing I knew, I was in this world."

"The name of the god?"

She shook her head. But there was no doubt she had been transferred by one of the five goddesses.

"So, where did your partner go?"

"His name's Takamura? I met an Otherworlder. We swapped, but then I told him that Takamura's junk felt better, and he got mad and went somewhere."

The terrifying thing was that while what she said was nonsensical, she wove in keywords that could only be true.

"And you were okay with that?"

"Of course not! I'm super in love with my boyfriend!"

I was about to say that if she loved him, she should stick to just Ko-kun, but I was in the same boat as Shizuka right now, so I kept my mouth shut.

"...What's your boyfriend's name?"

"...Who knows? But I called him Ko-kun. His name in my phone is Ko-kun too."

"You can't find him with that!"

"But Ko-kun is Ko-kun!"

It seemed she really knew nothing about her boyfriend other than his name. Was such a thing possible? But when I thought about it, it was the same with Famu, Mizuki, Myra, Cecily, Aira, and Hyakka. As for Riley, there was no way to find her. The only one who would come when called was Laciel. We were connected by surprisingly fragile bonds. The thought was frightening.

"How did you two meet?"

At this rate, I wouldn't even know what he looked like. I was getting nowhere, so I tried asking a question.

"You see, in my second year of high school, a teacher who was about a decade older than you, Mash, assaulted me. That was my first time, but he filmed it and blackmailed me, and after doing it a bunch of times, I started going to his place on my own."

"Don't tell me, he's Ko-kun?"

She shook her head.

"That's when Ko-kun confessed to me. But because of what was happening with the teacher, I turned him down."

"...And?"

Was Ko-kun a close acquaintance, like a classmate? If so, how could she not even remember his name?

"Then, Ko-kun found out about my relationship with the teacher and made a scene, and it became a huge scandal at school. The teacher got fired, but I still went to his place after that."

"Hey! Where did Ko-kun go?!"

"Ko-kun still told me he loved me even then, so we started dating."

"So, Ko-kun knew about your ongoing relationship with the teacher?"

"Tee-hee, I forgot to tell him."

She stuck out her tongue.

"Liar!"

I couldn't see a future in Ko-kun's love life. But it was Ko-kun who had been transferred to this world as her partner.

"From that story, I imagine Ko-kun is from the same school, right? Why don't you know his name?"

"He was a year below me, and I didn't know him until he confessed..."

"Don't you have a picture?"

"It's on my phone, but the battery's dead."

"I'll charge it for you. For some reason, if you put a phone in an adventurer's storage, it charges."

I took out my own phone and showed her that the battery was charged.

"Really?! Then I'll send you the video of me and the teacher, peer-to-peer. At first, I'm just crying, but in the second and third ones and so on, I'm nicely trained, so I recommend them."

"..."

The videos were extremely interesting, so I decided to gratefully accept them. I wanted to use them as a reference for when I was with Mizuki. I had heard the story of how they met, but it seemed I wouldn't learn anything more about Ko-kun, so I decided to steer the conversation towards matters related to the transfer.

"I don't know if you'll believe this, but it was the Fifty Gods who sent Otherworlders to this world. Among them, a group called the five goddesses are in conflict with the other gods. The five goddesses summoned you. The remaining gods have told the Otherworlders they summoned that if they kill the Otherworlders summoned by the five goddesses, their wishes will be granted. We need to find your boyfriend quickly."

Ko-kun seemed like a wild one too, but he was probably more reasonable than Shizuka.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"I see. Then that's all. Also, you and your boyfriend will die in ten years in this world. Live life to the fullest."

Shizuka would probably die much sooner from her STDs. That was the life she chose, so it couldn't be helped. I thought about testing the waters a bit, but I was scared of getting sick, so it couldn't be helped. I stood up from my seat. Fang and Beers stood up too.

"W-Wait a minute. Don't scare me with all that creepy talk."

"Isn't this what you wanted to hear about?"

"No. What I wanted to do was have some nice, cozy sex while talking about our original world!"

I took out ten silver coins, intending it as severance pay, and gave them to her.

"Wait just a sec."

She disappeared into the back, but we ignored her and went outside. Strangely, my desire to sleep with a woman had vanished. Was it okay for something like this to happen? I became worried about my own crotch.

"She was some woman, huh?"

"I've completely lost the mood."

"Really? I'm dying to give it a try."

Beers and Fang were whispering to each other. I had no problem with them doing it with her, but I didn't want them bringing diseases back to the caravan. We passed by the place where the fight had happened earlier. The men who had been knocked down by the dog-eared man had been stripped of their belongings and moved to the side of the road. Looking closely at the street, I saw other naked men lying in the corners of the road.

"Fang, Beers, sorry for inviting me, but I'm just not in the mood anymore. I think I'll head back to the inn. You two go on and have fun. No, I was really having fun until a moment ago. I'm grateful for your consideration. Thanks."

After talking with Shizuka, I found myself missing Famu and the others terribly. My feelings of guilt towards them grew stronger, and my mood soured. The atmosphere here was fun, and I enjoyed talking nonsense with Fang and Beers, but I couldn't betray Famu, especially.

"Actually, I've lost my excitement too. I'm heading back for the night as well."

Fang nodded at me. Beers looked extremely disappointed, but in the end, he nodded too. We decided to have one more drink at the open terrace we had first stopped at before heading back.

"I wonder what that woman is going to do now? Well, she's cute, and maybe it's because she's an Otherworlder, but I think she has a similar vibe to Mizuki..."

Beers said. It seemed he still had a lingering attachment to Shizuka. He seemed like he might visit her during his stay in Heilon.

"Mizuki is not a slut like that!"

Fang said in a strong tone.

"Mr. Fang, do you have some business with my girlfriend?"

"S-Sorry."

He downed his ale as if to hide his blushing face.

"If you're interested, you should buy that woman. But if you get sick, I'm leaving you behind too."

Just as I said that to Beers, someone snatched my ale from the side.

"'That woman,' are you talking about me?"

Shizuka gulped down the ale, her throat gurgling. She was wearing a sailor uniform top. The design was different from Mizuki's, and it looked well-worn. Was she poor?

"Please throw away what you picked up."

Famu said, pinching her nose. It really seemed to smell bad. I couldn't smell anything at all, but maybe the beast-kin races could.

The inn we were staying at was in the city on the south bank. The ferry across the river ran even at night. It wasn't a regular service; it departed whenever enough people who wanted to cross had gathered. Many people were returning to the city after a night out on Longhorn Street. We used it to get back. For now, my room at the inn was for all of Levante. Fang and the others were assigned individual rooms. Myra had said she would stay at the church, so there was one extra spot in my room, but I had a feeling I'd be in a lot of trouble if I brought Shizuka, so I decided to get her a separate room. The first floor of this inn was also a dining hall and bar. It was late, but there were still customers in the bar, and just as an innkeeper was about to arrange a room for us, Famu, for some reason, came downstairs and found us. And so, me, Fang, Beers, and Shizuka were all dragged to my room and forced to sit seiza-style.

"...What are you doing?"

Mizuki had apparently already been asleep. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. There were only the two of them in the room.

"Where did Cecily and Aira go?"

"Mmph!"

When I asked, Famu glared at me, so I straightened my back and sat up straight again.

"Cecily went with Aira to Mo's place to learn about magic, but Famu wasn't invited, so she's been angry all this time..."

"Mmph!"

"Eek, I'm sorry!"

Famu glared at Mizuki as she tried to explain. Mizuki fell silent. But she seemed to be fully awake now.

"Master, the plan tonight was for you, Fang, and Beers to go out and have fun, but who is this person?"

"Th-That's right. The three of us went to the other side of the river and drank ale."

"Right, right, and we were going to buy a rabbit-eared girl, but I was so pretty that he bought me instead!"

Shizuka, picking up where I left off, added an outrageous detail and struck a dazzling pose. The muscles in Famu's face were twitching.

"'Buy'?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? Mash wanted to have sex, so he bought me for ten silver coins."

Did she not sense Famu's anger? Or was she trying to provoke her? Shizuka answered nonchalantly.

"Master. That's not what we promised."

"N-No, that's not it, Famu! F-Forgive me! This girl has an STD. So, I was thinking of having Myra look at her tomorrow..."

"So that's what that smell was... And why did you pay ten silver coins?"

"W-Wait, forgive Mash. We were the ones who took him out without telling him. He only found out just before that the purpose was to buy a woman. He looked gloomy, but we dragged him along. Mash really didn't intend to do it!"

Beers stepped in to defend me. He was a brave, good man. In contrast, Fang was looking at the floor, resigned to his fate. He seemed to understand that saying anything unnecessary at a time like this would only add fuel to the fire.

"But Mash was the one who asked for the rabbit-eared girl."

Shizuka immediately stirred the pot. She seemed to be enjoying this situation, grinning from ear to ear.

"Shizuka, don't make Famu angry."

"The one making her angry is you, Master!"

I glared at Shizuka while keeping my head down.

"Then, is it alright if I kick this person out?"

"N-No, wait. She's an Otherworlder. And she was summoned by one of the five goddesses. I don't care about her, but she has a boyfriend she fought with and left. I want to get in contact with him."

"How cruel! Weren't you just happily pinching my nipples?!"

I couldn't offer any rebuttal to Shizuka. I was just too scared of Famu to look her in the eye, so I looked down.

"Famu, it was a moment of weakness. I'll never be with a prostitute again. Please forgive me."

"'Again'? 'Never again'?"

"N-No, that was just a slip of the tongue. I've never had any experience like that before. It's true."

This time, Fang and Beers looked at me with surprised expressions. It was embarrassing, so please just let it go.

"Hee, so Mash is a professional virgin. I'll be the one to take your first time, okay? I've already been paid!"

"Ugh..."

Someone please shut this woman up. However, it seemed Famu had realized she was getting worked up over her words. She and Shizuka were shooting sparks at each other through me. Famu let out a big sigh.

"Master. To me, that sort of thing is very important. I think it's natural for you to fall in love with someone. But I don't want you to do it with someone you can't share a connection with. I don't want to think that my feelings and your amusement have the same value."

Famu's words made me hang my head. She was right.

"...Famu, I'm truly sorry."

Fang and Beers were released. They must have learned not to anger Famu. The two of them returned to their respective rooms. Only Shizuka and I were left. Our seiza had not been released. My legs were numb. I shifted my position restlessly. Seeing that the conversation seemed to be settling down, Mizuki got up and stood next to Famu.

"So, is that girl really an Otherworlder?"

"So that means you're Mash's partner, the Otherworlder? I'm Shizuka."

Shizuka answered Mizuki's question with a bright smile.

"I'm Mizuki."

"Are you two parent and child?"

Shizuka asked, her curiosity on full display.

"N-No,"

Mizuki blushed. Why blush there?

"The person named Takamura said that someone close to you is chosen as your partner. If he's not your father, maybe your sugar daddy?"

""That's not it!""

Mizuki and I shouted at the same time. Famu was glaring at me. She seemed to still be angry. I had no right to speak and lowered my gaze to the floor again.

"Mash is my boyfriend,"

Mizuki said quietly. For some reason, she seemed reluctant to say it.

"Are you, by any chance, being threatened?"

Shizuka didn't seem to believe her at all.

"Huh? No, that's not it!"

"Hmm. This is a trading company of suspicion."

Mizuki denied it, but Shizuka cast doubt with a statement worthy of a politician from our original world.

"Hey, can I test if it's true?"

Shizuka floated a mischievous smile.

"How?"

"My special skill will tell me."

Shizuka raised her hand. "[Scales of Love]!"

At her cry, the room was enveloped in light. The light was similar to the radiance when Laciel appears. However, it was not a rainbow-like glow, but a golden one. From within that light, a man with the head of a dog but the body of a human appeared. He wore golden ornaments and a cloth skirt-like garment. He was so tall that his head scraped the ceiling. In his left hand, he held a set of scales.

"You, what are you planning to do in a place like this!"

I tried to stand up, but my legs were too numb to move. I could only place my hands on the floor.

"Like I said, I'm going to see if your love is real. If you really love each other, something interesting will happen. Hehehe."

Shizuka's laughter echoed.

"Now, Anu-chan, measure the depth of their love!"

The man with the dog's head raised the scales in his hand. A miasma-like white mist rose from my body and Mizuki's, drifting towards the pans hanging on either side of the scales. As the white mist settled on each pan, the scales swung wildly. Then, as the weight of the two mists, mine and Mizuki's, was the same, the swinging of the scales subsided and came into balance. The sight seemed to lull me into a deep sleep, and I couldn't maintain consciousness. Mizuki was the same, swaying, and Famu supported her body.