kscans

Chapter 145 - The Time-Conscious Summer Bird, and the Rematch Between the Pure-Hearted Girl and the Flower-Selling Girl

It was the next morning when we left the cavern where the Earth Dragon Race lived. Now, we were basking in the brilliant sunlight on the surface, walking toward the city of Heilon. Everything was dazzling, and the sunlight was harsh. Aira looked up at the sun resentfully and wiped the sweat from her brow. Being in this light, the events underground felt like they could have been a dream. It was only the day before yesterday that Cecily and I had fallen into that hole. My sense of time had been completely thrown off.

"It's August, so I guess it can't be helped, but isn't it hotter than in Richel or Frucht?"

Mizuki said. Her clothes were wet with sweat and sticking to her skin, making the lines of her bra clearly visible. I took a commemorative photo, and she made an angry face, but quickly sighed.

"We've been traveling east, so maybe the climate has changed."

There was no humidity. But the sunlight felt hot, so we walked in the shade of trees as much as possible.

"Mash said before that the geography is similar to Europe, so if we apply that, is this a continental climate?"

"The Earth Dragons said this was the southern limit of their territory, right? Maybe we're right on the border,"

I said. I didn't think this world was exactly the same as ours, but I figured it was safe to assume it was similar.

"It was cool inside the cavern. I want to go back."

"You think so? I prefer the outside air, even if it's hot."

Mizuki's words made me suddenly recall what had happened in the cavern that morning. Before we left, a memorial service was held for those who had died in battle. It was not only for this battle but for all those who had lost their lives in the fight against the Earth Dragon King. At Myra's suggestion, Aira also participated, and they conducted the ceremony together with the church members. It was striking how the Earth Dragon folk, after seeing the faces of those who had died in this battle, immediately returned to their daily lives. Come to think of it, even though the heir to the throne had died, Couria and Yanan's reactions were rather detached. They should have been burning with a desire for revenge against the Earth Dragon King. For example, Famu wouldn't even speak of what happened when her village was attacked. But I could feel a deep sadness in the shadows of her words and actions. However, that might be because of my subjective view that she must be sad. If I had heard from Couria from the beginning that the prince had been killed, would I have seen them as a group burning for revenge?

"I wonder if they're not sad?"

It seemed Cecily was thinking the same thing as me.

"I'm sure they're sad, but you know how I said the other day that time is expressed by distance?"

"What about it?"

"Living continuously in the darkness, maybe they only have the 'now'."

"That means…"

She started to say something but fell silent.

By evening, we had arrived at the Chairman's mansion on Longhorn Street. Famu and I went to the mansion, while the other members returned to the inn. In the office, as before, the Chairman sat behind his desk, flanked by two muscular men who were glaring at us.

"You're back."

The Chairman jutted his chin, and one of the men left the room.

"Sorry about that. I've heard the rumors about you. We have no intention of causing any trouble with you."

As he said that, I wished he would stop directing that sharp gaze at me. Couldn't he manage a more friendly face? I didn't want to cause trouble with a man who ran a pleasure district like this either.

"The request is complete. Can I take Shizuka with me?"

"Yeah, I've heard from Cyril about that too. Heard the rumors are true."

If that was the case, I wished even more that he would smile a little. As I was thinking that, the man returned with Shizuka.

"Mash, I missed you!"

Shizuka tried to hug me, but Famu stepped in between and pushed her back.

"A little hug wouldn't hurt, would it?!"

"It would!"

"Stingy!"

Famu and Shizuka glared at each other. Shizuka was the first to look away and give in.

"Well, whatever. More importantly, Mash, let's have sex! I haven't done it in five days. At this rate, I'm really going to die!"

"Hey, cut it out with the dramatic, soap-opera-like phrasing!"

"Whatever do you mean?"

Shizuka giggled. For some reason, that smile made my heart flutter.

"You've gotten a little cuter since I left you here, haven't you? See, you were probably just feeling unwell from having too much sex, right?"

First off, her skin was glowing. She must have recovered from her STD and regained her health. But I had a feeling her cuteness wasn't just about that.

"Hehe, so you noticed that today's Shizuka-chan is a little different? Actually, I used makeup to look more like Mizuki-chan! So, we can do some Mizuki-chan roleplay if you want."

"…No, if that's the case, I'll just ask the real thing."

I kept quiet about how incredibly attractive I found that. I wanted to try doing lewd things with Shizuka pretending to be Mizuki, in front of Mizuki herself.

"If you won't do it, I'll take on a customer tonight with this makeup!"

"Don't you dare! Seriously, don't!"

As Shizuka and I argued, the Chairman tapped his fingers on the desk.

"Hey, how long are you two going to flirt? If you're done with your business, get the hell out!"

"…Are you sure? I'm taking Shizuka with me, you know?"

The Chairman nodded.

"Yeah, I sent a message after you left telling you not to bother with the request, but you went and did it anyway. If I just hand over Shizuka now, it won't be a sign of my friendship. So…"

He shifted his gaze toward the entrance. There was a figure peeking in at us from the edge of the door.

"Come on, come on in."

When Shizuka called out, a young girl in a white one-piece dress with rabbit ears entered. She trotted over and hid her face behind Shizuka. Her height was probably just below Shizuka's armpit. Long, white ears extended from her fluffy, waist-length hair.

"The Chairman said I could take a few people with me, so I picked one out."

"Hey, you're the one who picked her out?!"

Without thinking, I retorted to Shizuka with the energy of Hyakka. Was my tone too harsh? The rabbit-eared girl's eyes started to well up with tears.

"You said you liked the rabbit-eared race, Mash."

"She's a child! Do you think we can take her on our journey?"

"You have a wide range, Mash. You were even trying to make a move on that elf girl, weren't you?"

Was she talking about Marmi?

"No matter what, I can't with a child."

"Please! I'll raise her properly to be just your type!"

Famu had been looking down, her shoulders trembling, for a while now.

"Please stop this nonsense! Master doesn't feel anything for Mo at all!"

"…"

Everyone in the room stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Master, I can't stand it anymore. Let's leave them and go home!"

Famu started walking toward the door with heavy steps, as if she would stomp through the floor. As I watched her, Famu turned around and came back.

"Master, what are you spacing out for? We're going home, you know?"

Famu took my hand and started walking toward the door again.

The curtain of night had fallen outside. Famu and I were at an open-air terrace on Longhorn Street. It was the same place I had stopped by with Fang and Beers before. Since we were a little hungry, I bought two skewers of meat and two ales. I had tried to buy juice, but was recommended ale instead if I was just drinking it in place of water. It was apparently lower in alcohol content than beer. The price was also less than half. Ale was a type of beer, but I had misunderstood and thought they were the same thing. So, the drink that medieval people had as their daily beverage was ale. Still, it contained alcohol. I took a sip before handing it to her, but I couldn't really tell the difference. I barely felt any alcohol.

"Is it the sugar from the malt? It's sweet,"

she said.

"Famu, you weren't this kind of character before, were you? I don't know what you're aiming for, but if you have a dream, tell me."

As I was saying that, the door on the second floor of the building across from us opened. And a naked woman came out onto the terrace and started dancing, swaying her hips. This place was truly the best. I was about to raise my ale to her, but Famu glared at me, so I stopped. For a while, along with the people walking on the street, I was captivated by her bewitching dance. It felt strange to be watching it with Famu. The dancing woman, just like before, winked at me and went back inside the building.

"Why did she wink at me… I feel like she was calling me,"

Famu murmured. Did her wink have some kind of charm or magic that made everyone present think it was meant for them? Just then, someone was weaving through the crowd, heading our way. It was Shizuka. She was carrying a large backpack. And she was holding the hand of the rabbit-eared girl from before.

"Why did you go on ahead!"

Shizuka snatched my ale and drank it. She didn't look like she enjoyed it and immediately handed it back.

"Was the Chairman angry?"

"He wasn't angry. In fact, he was impressed. He asked me to tell you that if you ever get tired of your current master, you should serve him."

"…I will not!"

Famu answered.

"So, how old is that child?"

I looked down at the rabbit-eared girl, who was trying to hide behind Shizuka again.

"Hmm? How old are you?"

When I asked, Shizuka also asked her.

"Seven,"

the girl answered with a slight lisp.

"What's your name?"

"Reeni."

"We have to travel. So we can't look after you. I think it's best to return you to your parents, but what's the situation?"

"This child, she was sold by those parents of hers…"

While we were heading to the farm, Reeni's mother had apparently sold her off. Shizuka, who had time on her hands, had been looking after her until we got back. She handed me a piece of paper. It had the texture of animal hide. It was a certificate of the transaction between Reeni's mother and the Chairman. It stated that Reeni was to be handed over to the Chairman as a slave for fifty gold coins. I hurriedly checked her arm, but there was no Slave Mark. Looking at her again, I thought she was a little too thin. It reminded me of when I first met Famu. Her expression was made up by Shizuka to look plump and well-fed. I bought additional meat skewers and gave them to Shizuka and Reeni. I gave Reeni fruit juice and Shizuka beer. Shizuka showed no signs of trying to pay for herself. She seemed to think it was natural for me to treat her.

"You should be earning quite a bit, shouldn't you? Why are you mooching off me?"

"Well, right now, people who want to sleep with me pay me money, so it's fine. But in the future, when I get old, my value will go down, right? At that point, I'll have to be the one paying."

"…"

I couldn't really talk, but did she really like sex that much? It seemed there were things I needed to learn from her.

"Come to think of it, how old are you?"

"Me? I was a third-year high school student when I was transferred to this world, and a year has passed, so I'm probably nineteen now?"

"You're a minor!"

"Huh? It's a bit late to be saying that now!"

I tried to snatch the beer from her, but she desperately guarded it. Not just her, but why did Famu and Mizuki want to drink so much?

"So, what are you going to do? We really can't take her with us."

I had intended to speak in a small voice so only Shizuka could hear, but Reeni's body flinched. Those rabbit ears weren't just for show, apparently. I regretted my careless remark.

"Master, if we leave her here, she'll end up like Shizuka,"

Famu said.

"We can't have her working as a prostitute, can we?"

"I don't know about that. There are people with all sorts of hobbies. She has experiences she can only have now, too,"

Shizuka replied.

"Could we ask Mo to take her in as a handmaiden?"

Famu said. I couldn't think of any better way than to rely on my connections either. If Shizuka didn't intend to become an adventurer, we would have to find a place for her to work too.

"I don't want to be too indebted to them, but maybe I'll ask Mercedes if there's an opening at the Mateo Trading Company…"

Would there be a job for someone her age? Was it even okay to have her work? I should consult with Myra about it later.

"Well, it's just until Reeni gets bigger and Mash's can fit inside her,"

Shizuka said, gently stroking Reeni's head. It was a mystery how she could say the most horrible things while performing such a kind action. I was all for her becoming my girlfriend when she grew up, so I kept my mouth shut.

"Reeni, is there anything you want to be in the future?"

When I asked, Reeni hid behind Shizuka. Shizuka then whispered in her ear.

"I wanna be a gwate pwostitute,"

Reeni said.

"Don't make her say such stupid things!"

I had intended to say it to Shizuka, but I had scared Reeni again.