kscans

Chapter 127 - Sweet Nothings and the Ghost's True Form

"...And now for my next request."

"You said you had a few, right?"

Marmi nodded.

"...I think it's about time I learned how to masturbate, so I want you to pet me."

"What do you mean, 'about time'?!"

"...About time is about time!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Marmi took off her nightgown. Then her hands went to her underwear. It looked familiar, but it had a small tulip embroidered on it. It was probably just my imagination. Her skin was a translucent, pristine white. She seemed so delicate. It was a different kind of beauty from Famu's or Mizuki's healthy appeal—this was the beauty of a doll, something so fragile it might break if I touched it, like glasswork. Her chest was just developed enough to be called breasts. Her areolas were small, with tiny, cherry-blossom-pink buds perched on top.

"You padded your bra!"

"...Sh-Shut up."

"'Shut up'? I'm the one who wants to cry here! It would have been better if you'd just been yourself instead of resorting to cheap tricks. My imagination can expand from there!"

I'd forgotten about being Mizuki-chan and just yelled. My true self comes out as soon as I let my guard down. I needed to remember to be Mizuki-chan.

"..."

Her cheeks were flushed. So Marmi had her vanity, too. As I was thinking that, her hands reached for my clothes.

"...It's embarrassing if it's just me, so you get undressed too, Mizuki."

With her help, I was soon naked as well. I took another look at Mizuki's nude body. She really was beautiful. Two contrasting naked bodies, and two pairs of breasts. The only disappointment was the lack of a towering monument in my own groin. I wanted to be sandwiched between their chests. Marmi's gaze was fixed on my inguinal region.

"Mash exclusive... prop..."

I had completely forgotten about what Mash-kun had written with a marker. My face turned bright red with shame.

"That was Mash-kun! Mash-kun..."

Her fingertip traced the letters.

"I wonder if I can be like this with Mash, too...?"

Marmi's hand slid up from my groin and touched Mizuki's breast. She gave it a light squeeze, and her eyes widened in surprise at its softness.

"...Amazing."

As I listened to Marmi's whisper, I touched her long ear. The tip was a little firm, but the skin was smooth, with a texture close to a human's. I let my hand glide along, tracing its shape, and then touched her cheek. From skin that had looked like cold porcelain, I could feel a solid warmth and a soft touch.

"...Hah..."

Marmi let out a small, breathless sigh. My gaze was drawn to her thin lips. I moved my face closer.

"...This will be my first kiss. Are you okay with my first being Mizuki?"

"Do you want it to be Mash? Do you plan to never be with anyone else but your first, Mo?"

The lifespan of an elf is said to be a thousand years. If that was what she believed, then I couldn't possibly make a move on her.

"...I plan to be only with Mash until he dies. But after that, I think I'll find someone else. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's good."

"I'll tell the next person that Mash did everything."

Marmi's words were both a relief and a worry. What would the next guy think when he heard about her first time? But if that was how she felt, I should save her lips for Mash. I traced her lips with my fingertip and then brushed it against my own.

I caressed Marmi's jaw. My hand trailed down her neck to her chest. It yielded softly when I pressed it.

"Ngh..."

A sound escaped Marmi's lips. When I touched the small bud at the tip, her body trembled. I pinched her nipple and rolled it between my fingers.

"Mmh, nn..."

Marmi clung to me. Then she began to suckle my breast. A warm happiness spread through me. Every time her tongue rolled over my nipple or she sucked on it, the sensation spread through my body like a wave.

"Aahn..."

Moans mixed with her breaths. I let my hand wander down to her crotch. First, I searched for the entrance to her vagina with my fingertip. It was already plenty wet. I coated my finger in her juices and searched for her little nub. Her clitoris was hidden beneath its hood. I carefully peeled it back and rolled the revealed bean with my fingertip.

"Ahn! Ahn! Aah!"

After letting out a cry, Marmi's eyes widened in surprise.

"...W-Was that my voice just now?"

"Does it feel good?"

Marmi nodded. I watched her expression as I moved my finger more. I mimicked the finger movements Mash-kun had used on Mizuki-chan yesterday. Marmi squeezed her eyes shut tightly, as if enduring it. She let out occasional moans. Her hand touched my stomach. Then it slid down to my groin, and her slender fingertip touched my clitoris. A jolt like an electric shock ran through my entire body, making me twitch.

"Auh!"

My legs slowly spread, as if seeking even greater pleasure. She moved her fingers, mimicking my own movements. I moved my finger to bring her pleasure to its peak. The squelching sounds of our juices, our mingled moans, and the rustling of the sheets.

"...M-Mizuki."

"What?"

"...It's almost time. We should get dressed..."

"Dressed?"

"...Yes, quickly!"

She glanced at the box containing the Crystal Core. Light was leaking out from within.

"Wake! Come in!"

"W-Wait, you can't be serious! Just a second!"

As our two cries echoed, the box shattered, and the light that burst from within filled the entire room. The Crystal Core was the one Mii had. He must have used his special skill to rig this one to turn into a dungeon on a timer as well. I had put it in my storage. Items in storage are preserved in the state they were in when they were put in. In other words, time doesn't pass for them. It hadn't activated then, but when I gave it to Marmi after the pirate subjugation, the clock must have started ticking. Marmi's dream and the sea of blood must have been omens of the dungeonization. The light subsided. We were still on the bed, naked and wrapped in each other's arms, just as before. I looked around, and while it didn't seem like anything had changed, the door to the room had. It was now the door that led to an Area Guardian's room. I checked the window. I could see the scenery outside, but I couldn't open it.

"...Wake didn't make it in time."

"You mean he was hiding somewhere?"

Marmi nodded. She got up and started putting on her underwear. It really was a familiar pair. I did the same. It was the same underwear Laciel had that Famu had worn.

"...He was reading the presence inside from beyond the door. The plan was for him to come into the room just as the Crystal Core activated, but my judgment was too slow."

"You were making him be a peeping tom?! If I were forced to do a job like that, I'd quit being a knight!"

But, come to think of it, maybe it's a perk of the job. Either way, he was about to hear Mizuki's moans and see her naked. I can't decide if him not coming in was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Are you okay with Wake seeing you naked, Mo?"

"...I'm fine. A long time ago, I was super curious about lewd things and wanted someone to teach me, so I asked Wake."

"...But I don't want anyone to see Mizuki naked."

She had a pretty wild personality. A few screws loose somewhere. I hurried to get dressed as well. As usual, I couldn't manage the bra. Marmi helped me as I fumbled with it.

"You know how to put on a bra too, Mo?"

"...That was a very rude thing to say. I will never forgive you."

"Wait, Mizuki said that. Try not to be mad at Mash."

I took out a shield and a one-handed sword from my storage and equipped them. While I was at it, I took out my smartphone to check the time. It was past midnight. The time to switch back should be coming soon. I checked the character sheet. The class was Swordsman, and the special skills section displayed Super Kill, Super Expansion, and Super Save. I wonder if I can activate them. And I had no confidence in my ability to use her weapons. It seemed better to wait for the time we switched back. I had thought her request to sleep together because she was scared of ghosts was just an excuse for her to create an opportunity to talk to me alone. If she had thought it was a real problem she needed to deal with, she had Wake. Mizuki probably hadn't anticipated this situation at all either. If she was already asleep, she'd have to fight right after waking up. That was dangerous. I should rethink this.

"Are you a mage, Marmi? What's your level?"

"...I'm a mage, level 3. But I can fight. I thought this would be an opportunity to show you that it's okay for me to join the party."

"I see. So that's the situation..."

This room has a door leading to the Area Guardian's room, but there's no other way in. Even if Wake got caught up in the dungeon, he wouldn't be able to reach this room at this point. I didn't know how much time it would take for the dungeon to grow and expand, allowing access from other rooms. It would be better to defeat the Area Guardian and destroy the Crystal Core while the dungeon was still new. It seemed best to proceed through the door.

"Alright. Let's defeat the Area Guardian and escape together."

I drew the one-handed sword.

Beyond the Area Guardian's room, a strange scene unfolded. It was a hilly landscape illuminated by moonlight. The hills were covered in knee-high grass, and the dew-covered blades reflected the moonlight, making them shimmer.

"...It's the same as the scenery I saw in my dream,"

Marmi murmured. And there, on the highest point of the hill, a single cow cast an eerie shadow. It was a giant, at least twice the size of a normal cow. The cow had no head, and blood dripped from its neck. The other door that should be at the back of the Area Guardian's room was nowhere to be seen. It was probably beyond the hill. Marmi and I exchanged a look.

"I'll go first."

I pointed my shield at the enemy, lowered the tip of my sword, and gripped it tightly.

"...Okay. I'll follow a little behind you. When the distance closes, I'll cast a lightning spell."

Marmi raised her wand. After we both nodded, we started climbing the hill, keeping an eye on the headless cow. The monster seemed to have noticed us and began to scrape the ground with its foreleg. At that moment, the blood dripping from the cow's neck floated up. The drops of blood transformed into countless needles. The needles were red and about thirty centimeters long.

"This is bad!"

If it fired those, my shield alone wouldn't be enough to block them all. I ran in an arc around the headless cow to avoid giving it a clear target. But the headless cow turned the tips of the needles toward me, tracking my movement. As I tried to escape its aim by reversing direction, the sound of a hoof striking the ground echoed. At the same time, a myriad of needles shot toward me. I couldn't dodge them all. I was sure several would pierce my body. In that instant, the hand holding the shield moved against my will. The shield deflected the needles. I suffered a few scratches, but I was safe. However, before I could catch my breath and regain my posture, I was hit by the monster's charge. I couldn't avoid it and took the full impact. My body was sent flying, and unable to break my fall, I slammed onto the ground on my back. The air was knocked out of me. The monster reared up on its hind legs, towering over my body, and raised its forelegs. Then it stomped down. Again, the hand holding the shield moved, deflecting the descending hoof. The monster's foreleg slammed into the ground right next to my face. I slashed at its defenseless belly and rolled out from under the cow to get back on my feet. I could feel my own blood trickling down my cheek. The monster turned to face me. My swing from a prone position with one hand had been weak, and it didn't seem to have done any damage.

"...Shatter!"

Marmi, who had been waiting for me to create distance between myself and the monster, unleashed a lightning strike at the headless cow. A faint magical barrier seemed to be deployed around the monster, and the lightning didn't get through.

Cold sweat trickled down between my breasts. My palms were sweating, too. In just a short time, Super Save had activated twice. Without it, I would have died twice. The reality of that fact made my body tremble. I had put Mizuki's body in such a dangerous situation. I had thought she was fine fighting strong enemies because she had Super Save. So this is what I've been putting Mizuki through all this time. And I thought I was protecting her. I wonder what she was thinking when she heard me say, "I'm counting on you."

It was arrogance, plain and simple. I took a deep breath. Right now, I had to focus on the enemy in front of me and defeat it. I had to return this body to Mizuki. And Marmi was here, too. No matter what, we had to get through this together. I glanced at Marmi behind me.

"...Mash... no, Mizuki, when you break away, create a lot of distance. I'll unleash a stronger lightning spell."

She held her wand at the ready, preparing her next spell. Her magic attack hadn't reached the monster, but she didn't seem to have given up, intending to get through with a more powerful spell. The headless cow's close-range physical attacks were powerful, and from a distance, it launched attacks with countless needles. On top of that, it also had resistance to magic attacks. The monster had no head. But it seemed to be able to see our movements perfectly.

"How is this thing tracking our movements?"

"...Maybe from above?"

Marmi pointed her wand upward. Something seemed to be flying around in the darkness. When I strained my eyes, I saw it was a cow's head, detached from its body. Blood was dripping from the severed neck. It was a disgusting sight. I regretted looking. The head didn't seem to be participating in the battle. The monster once again created countless needles from its blood.

"...Mizuki! Close the distance!"

Trusting Marmi's words, I charged toward the monster. At the same time the monster fired its needles, Marmi also unleashed a lightning strike. The needles were neutralized by it. I slashed at the monster. It charged at me, but I instinctively deflected it with my shield while twisting my body to switch positions, and then slashed again.

"Mizuki's body moves like crazy. It's so fluid!"

I realized that instead of trying to move as my brain commanded, it was better to let my body react on its own for lighter, smoother movements. I moved to prevent the headless cow from firing its needles, making sure not to break away. Furthermore, I deliberately stepped into its charge, using my shield to deflect it, which lessened the force and absorbed the impact. And I kept swinging my sword. With its needle attack and charge sealed, the monster reared up on its hind legs and tried to stomp me with its forelegs. I easily dodged that move with a backstep. My attacks were starting to slow the enemy down. As soon to as the distance opened up, Marmi shot a lightning strike at the monster. The force of it shattered the magical barrier that enveloped the headless cow.

"...One more!"

Marmi unleashed an additional lightning strike. A tremendous roar echoed as lightning flashed. The blow struck the monster. The headless cow raised its forelegs and fell to the ground as if recoiling. But it staggered back to its feet. I delivered the final blow, plunging my sword into its body. The monster vanished. Marmi and I exchanged a high-five. Perhaps because its main body was gone, the cow's head that had been flying overhead fell to the ground. When we went to look, it had transformed into a golden statue of a cow's head. Marmi and I looked at each other.

"...That's disgusting. I don't want it."

I agreed that it was disgusting. Perhaps it was its expression at the moment its head was cut off; the statue was so realistic that I could almost hear its death cry. But I thought it might be worth some money, so I decided to put it in my storage. A door had appeared on the opposite side from where we had entered. We walked toward the other door. Just then, my vision went dark for a moment.