kscans

Chapter 154 - The End of the Escape and a New Problem

My escape with Famu was a short-lived affair that lasted only until we reached the opposite bank. Mizuki and the others were waiting for us, and we were caught in an instant.

"I've never seen anyone try to escape by swimming so brazenly across a river!"

Mizuki exclaimed. But I had to wonder, had she ever actually seen anyone try to escape by swimming across a river before? Apparently, they had spotted us under the moonlight, making a ruckus on the sandy beach before splashing noisily into the water. Then they just took a ferry to get ahead of us. Now, we were back at the inn, forced to sit seiza-style, Famu and I side-by-side.

"Are you an idiot? Why didn't you come back?"

Mizuki demanded. As a result of our little getaway, the gathering on the open deck had been disbanded. It seemed the discussion with Vassili and the others would have to wait for another time. Fang and Beers had vanished into the night on Longhorn Street, leaving just the members of Levante, plus Shizuka and Reeni, in this room. Claire had been taken back to the trading company by Avea.

"There's no reason. It was the impulse of youth."

"How old are you?"

"S-seventeen..."

"Seventeen years and how many hundred months?"

"..."

I was at a loss for words. Next to Mizuki, Myra was folding her fingers, trying to calculate her own age in decades of months. I desperately wanted to point out that she'd never have enough fingers to reach triple digits, but I held my tongue, knowing it would only add fuel to the fire.

"I... I just wanted freedom!"

"I've met a lot of people since coming to this world, but I've never seen anyone more free than you, Mash,"

Mizuki said with a sigh.

"I'm not free at all. I want to build a world where I can gather all the beauties from around the globe and do lewd things."

"M-Master! That's going too far! I only followed you because I heard we were eloping!"

I was just trying to say something random to dodge questions about Famu, but she went and stopped me.

"Isn't this enough? What do you plan to do with any more beautiful women?"

Cecily asked, confidently counting herself among them.

"It's not nearly enough. Besides, you're planning on leaving me, aren't you?"

She was right, but I still wanted to consider future possibilities.

"Mash, just how many girlfriends do you have right now?"

Shizuka chimed in. I maintained my right to remain silent.

"Spit it out,"

Mizuki said in a low voice.

"...Famu, Mizuki, Cecily, Aira, Riley, Laciel, Hyakka, Myra, Claire."

I figured I didn't need to count Mash-kun since that was Mizuki.

"That's way too many in less than two months! What is wrong with you?"

"And don't forget Kalpana and Mo. Come to think of it, there was Avea, too... Honestly, this is just absurd,"

Myra added.

"Mo is different!"

Famu retorted.

"You've been getting angry right alongside us, but don't forget you're one of the ones being scolded, Famu."

"Oh! Right,"

Famu said, her head dropping at Mizuki's reminder. She put on a demure, repentant look, but she seemed somewhat happy. Her tail wagged a few times.

"Shizuka-chan is your girlfriend too!"

"You've got Ko-kun, don't you?!"

"You know you really want to do it with me!"

Shizuka puffed out her cheeks.

"Reeni isn't included... Am I being aba—"

"I'm not abandoning you, so don't worry."

She gave a little nod. She'd been sitting on the bed rubbing her eyes for a while now. If possible, I didn't want her hearing this kind of conversation. I wondered if I was the only one who felt that way, but then I noticed Mizuki also had a slightly disgusted look on her face. In our original world, we would have been strangers with different values, but having been thrown into this one, it seemed we'd become comrades who shared the same perspective.

"Well, if an orgy isn't about to start, I think I'll head back to my room."

Shizuka stretched with a yawn. She then lightly patted Reeni on the head. Reeni took her hand and stood up.

"Tonight, I'll tell you the story of the first time I was raped."

"I've heard that one already. It's a little sad, so I don't like it."

"Oh, right. Well then, I'll tell you about the 48 techniques to make someone climax and the 52 sexual positions. If you only learn how to get off, sex becomes a chore, so it's important to learn positions that feel good too."

"Okay."

Reeni nodded at Shizuka's depraved words. I really needed to separate Reeni from Shizuka as soon as possible. But since I was currently being lectured, I couldn't say a thing.

"Call me when you're having sex. I'll come running anytime!"

Shizuka said as she led Reeni out of the room. I couldn't tell if she was a good mother figure or just a pervert. As I stared at the door the two had just left through, Mizuki brought her face close to my ear.

"Any more than this, and it's really going to be a problem. ...Was it really not enough, with just me and Famu?"

When she asked me so seriously, I found myself at a loss for an answer.

"What are you trying to cozy up to him for?"

"I'm not, I'm not!"

Cecily's accusation made Mizuki quickly pull away, shaking her head.

"So, what are you two planning to do?"

Cecily asked us.

"Tomorrow, I'll go see Chicchi by myself and talk to her."

"Will you be okay?"

"Yes. I'm calm now. Master taught me something important. In the end, everyone has to find happiness together. I've learned that 'everyone' includes me, too."

Famu nodded.

"And what about your promise for a date with me?"

She shifted her gaze to me.

"Actually, I've arranged to borrow two horses from the Mateo Trading Company."

I'd asked Mercedes after morning practice.

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

"Okay. That might be perfect, actually. Vassili gave me this to hold onto."

I took the wax-sealed letter from her.

"It's an invitation to a luncheon. The King of Heilon wants to meet with you unofficially at a castle south of the city."

I broke the seal and checked the letter. I was surprised by the date written on the invitation.

"Why would Vassili have this...? And it's for tomorrow?"

"Apparently, the guild received an invitation addressed to you, Mash, but since you disappeared after the C-rank exam, they put out a request for him to find you."

Famu peered at the invitation.

"It says if we decline, we need to send a reply to the castle in Heilon by today."

"If I try to go refuse now, I'll probably be arrested as a suspicious person..."

If I had known this was going to happen, I should have just gone to meet him with Marmi when she invited me.

"Vassili said it's even farther than Chairman's farm, so we'll need horses to get there."

The map included with the invitation didn't mention the farm, but it seemed we just had to follow the main road south, so we were unlikely to get lost. We weren't prepared, so showing up with everyone was out of the question. Famu had to go see Chicchi, too. Even if she was going to talk to her alone, it would be better if someone was nearby. I should leave Myra and Mizuki in town. I could probably just ignore the invitation, but it was known that Marmi and I had a connection. I felt bad that this might cause friction between her and the King of Heilon. She, at least, intended to be on good terms. The fact that Vassili had been holding onto the invitation was also a problem. I didn't know him well, so I didn't really care, but I wanted to avoid giving Famu's people a bad reputation.

"...Is that an okay place for a date?"

"We can go somewhere else. I'll leave the decision to you, Mash. Anyway, I forgive you both. I'm tired, so I'm going to bed."

Cecily flopped onto the bed.

"...I'm over it, too. Looks like tomorrow will be busy anyway."

Aira followed Cecily toward the bed.

"Hey, Aira, you got something to do tomorrow?"

"'Hey? Aira?'"

Aira turned back.

"My sincerest apologies, Aira-sama. Might you please inform me of your plans for tomorrow?"

"Nothing..."

Was it really necessary to make me rephrase the whole thing just for a two-syllable answer? Aira covered a yawn with her hand and collapsed onto the bed. The remaining Mizuki and Myra looked at each other.

"Did we solve anything?"

"Not at all, right?"

The two of them sighed.