kscans

Chapter 239 - Shizuka's Future, and Reeni's Future

Before heading home, we walked through a street lined with market stalls. It was bustling in the morning, but now the foot traffic was light. Famu and Sameim walked ahead, while Reeni and I followed behind, holding hands. Mizuki was on my other side. Reeni's rabbit ears, which were usually perked up, were now folded in the middle. She stared at the ground, refusing to look up.

"Reeni, what’s wrong? If there’s anything you want to eat tonight, I’ll make it for you."

"Meat."

"What about vegetables?"

"I hate them."

"Don’t lie. You were eating carrots just the other day."

Just because the rabbit-eared folk have rabbit-like traits doesn’t mean they’re herbivores; they eat the same things as humans. The same goes for the other races.

"Alright, fine. I’ll make nikujaga. I’ll put extra meat in your portion. And I’ll add carrots and onions, too."

"…"

Reeni stopped walking, and our hands slipped apart. I turned around to see her shoulders trembling, her head still bowed. Splotches like raindrops began to appear on the ground at her feet.

"Reeni… I don’t have a place to belong anymore…"

she whispered, wiping at the tears streaming down her cheeks with the palm of her hand, but they wouldn't stop.

"Reeni…"

She had been sold by her mother, who worked in Heilon’s red-light district, Longhorn Street, and I had received her as a reward for a quest. I didn't know where her mother was now. Even if I did, I wouldn’t have felt right returning her. As for her father, that was even more of a mystery. From the moment they met, she and Shizuka had become close and were often together. In a way, Shizuka had become a mother figure to her.

"Just because Toratsuna is back doesn’t mean you’ve lost your place, does it?"

Reeni shook her head.

"I can’t stay there. I don’t want to be in the way… Besides, those two are going on a journey, just like Mash."

"You don’t want to stay with Marina and wait?"

This time, she gave a small nod.

"I hate waiting. I don’t know when they’ll come back. Mash and Shizuka are both so weak. They might never come back at all. I don’t want to wait alone. It’s scary."

In the end, Shizuka was the only one in Marmi’s mansion she could truly open her heart to. But that couldn’t be helped. Not only was it a completely different environment from what she was used to, but she had only been living in the mansion for a short time. And I had misjudged her personality. I had thought she was the type to warm up to anyone quickly, but she was carefully observing people. She had chosen Shizuka, whose life had been similar to her own mother's. It wasn't a light choice. I should have taken it more seriously when she repeatedly asked me, "You won’t abandon me?"

I bent down, putting my hands on my knees to meet her gaze.

"Hey, Reeni, do you want to come with us?"

Mizuki’s eyes widened when she heard my words.

"Mash, there’s no way we can do that! Reeni is only seven years old!"

Famu, who had stopped to wait, turned to face us.

"I’m against it too, Master. She’s still a child."

"You’re a child too!"

"Hmph! I’m an adult!"

Famu protested before quickly averting her gaze.

"And you're the one who’s been regretting it all this time!"

"Famu…"

Famu kept her eyes averted, but Sameim looked over at me. Her eyes were downcast, and I couldn’t tell if she was confused or pitying.

"Master, I’m going ahead to do some shopping. Sameim, let’s go."

With that, Famu took Sameim and left.

At a stall, I bought some grilled meat skewers and ayran. We stood at the side of the street, and Reeni, Mizuki, and I ate. Reeni held the wooden cup of ayran with both hands and drank it down in gulps.

"Feeling better?"

I wiped the white foam from around her mouth, and she gave a small nod.

"I’m sorry."

"No, it’s understandable that you’d feel that way. I’m sorry…"

She shook her head.

"It’s okay. I know I’m being selfish. I know that you and Shizuka have to defeat the Demon Lord for the goddess. And I know you have to make sure you live for more than ten years. If you don’t live until then, Mash, I can’t marry you."

Reeni said this with a serious face, making it impossible to tell if she was joking or not.

"Hah, I’m not going to die that easily. And you’re allowed to be selfish."

I took the empty cup from her and handed her a meat skewer. The three of us bit into our skewers together. Juice burst out with every bite, mixing with the spices on the surface to create a delicious flavor.

"This is good. I wonder what kind of meat it is."

"It seems like beef, but isn’t it a little tough?"

Just as Mizuki said, it was hard to chew. As I worked my jaw, Reeni, who had already swallowed her mouthful, looked up.

"Reeni has decided. When I grow up, I’m going to be an adventurer. I’ll have Marina teach me magic, and Wake teach me sword fighting."

"I see… You don’t have to push yourself. Just take it one step at a time."

I wasn’t sure if Reeni’s decision, or my own words, were the right ones. But just as Mizuki had said, I couldn’t keep traveling with Reeni. There were people like Yuki and Clovis who were after my life. And in dungeons, a single wrong choice could mean death. I couldn’t take her to a place like that. I should have considered all of this more carefully when I took her in. I reached out and patted her head. Her hair was soft, and I could feel a gentle warmth underneath.

When we got back to the house, Hyakka and the other members from New World were in the dining hall, along with Rinko and Airi.

"H-Hyakka!"

It had been five days. I spread my arms to hug her as I approached, but she held up her hands to block me.

"Hyakka… why?"

"It’s so annoyin’ every single time!"

"This is only the second time!"

"Ugh… fine. But no kissin’ in front of everyone."

Reluctantly, she spread her arms. I hugged her without hesitation. And of course, I kissed her too.

"Mmph—mmh, mmph…"

She mumbled and tried to escape, but I chased her lips. In the end, she pushed me away.

"Jeez! I told ya I didn’t want to!"

Hyakka wiped her lips.

"Why do you always wipe it off?"

Rinko and Airi were frozen, staring at us with wide eyes.

"What in the world is going on between you two…?"

"Huh? Didn’t Hyakka tell you? We’re lovers."

I glanced at Hyakka, who blushed and looked away, embarrassed.

"Then what about her?"

Rinko pointed at Mizuki.

"I told you about her, right? She’s my girlfriend."

"…"

Rinko and Airi looked at each other.

"WHAAAAAT?!"

While they were freaking out, Etowan, one of the New World members, stood up.

"Who cares about that right now! You guys went to see Clovis, right? What happened? And why is an enemy dog-ear here?"

He huffed, then sat down roughly.

"Well… we’re not makin’ much progress with the 49th floor of the Crystal Palace,"

Hyakka said with a shrug.

"You couldn’t find the Area Guardian’s room, could you?"

The members of New World exchanged glances at my words, then turned to stare at me with wide eyes.

"How’d ya know that?"

"The 49th floor was redesigned to block access to the Area Guardian’s room. That’s where I met Kō-kun… Toratsuna."

"What? Weren’t ya at Clovis’s place?"

"I have to explain things in order. But first, how about we all have dinner?"

Rinko’s eyes lit up at my suggestion.

"Are you cooking, Mash? What are you making?"

"I was thinking of trying to make nikujaga."

"Potatoes! They have those in this world?!"

"Probably. I think a past reincarnator managed to bring them over somehow. But the people of this world think they’re cursed or something, so they don’t eat them. That’s why they only circulate among the Earth Dragon Race."

"I-I’ll help too!"

Rinko followed me, bouncing on her feet. She reminded me of Reeni, who was sitting quietly in her chair.

While we ate, I explained how we went to the city ruled by the Leafkraut Family, got into a fight in the dungeon, wandered through the World of the Jar of Holy Oil, ended up in the Crystal Palace, and finally joined up with Toratsuna.

"So that makes eight of the five goddesses’ heroes accounted for. And in the end, we still don’t know the goal of Yuki and Clovis’s Messiah. Right,"

Rinko said, frowning as she glanced at Sameim.

"You say she was just a slave forced to follow orders, but is it really possible she knew nothing at all?"

"Hmph. Sameim would never lie about something like that,"

Famu said, stepping between them to shield Sameim from Rinko’s gaze.

"And you say Yuki isn’t a bad person, either."

Rinko then turned her gaze to Mizuki.

"He showed us nothing but hostility and blasted us with his Divine Grace. It’s hard to believe a guy who was so ready to kill has some noble reason for it,"

Etowan said, crossing his arms in agreement with Rinko.

"I think I understand what everyone is trying to say. But I want one more chance to talk to him,"

Mizuki said, her shoulders slumping as she voiced her feelings. All eyes turned to me.

"It’s clear that Clovis’s group has information we don’t. They might even know something about the curse that limits our lives to ten years in this world. I want to create one more opportunity to talk."

"Talk, huh…"

Rinko and Airi sighed and looked at each other.

"Clovis seems just as self-serving as the god who brought us to this world. I get the feeling he’s after something for himself…"

Airi spoke up. Regardless of her thoughts on Clovis, it seemed she didn’t think highly of the gods either.

"Are they back in this city?"

"Who knows? We haven’t seen them. But next time, we’re all going. We don’t stand a chance unless we can break through that little girl’s special skill—Oi, was it? So we’re all going in together."

The other New World members nodded in agreement with Airi’s words.

Marmi, Toratsuna, and Shizuka entered the dining hall.

"Tora-kun! It’s been a while. We were worried about you,"

Rinko and Airi greeted Toratsuna cheerfully. He was no longer dressed like the beggar we first met. His hair was cut, his stubble was gone, and he looked clean. Seeing him like this, he looked his age.

"You’ve lost some weight,"

Rinko said, patting his back and ushering him inside. Shizuka, who was next to him, made a snipping motion with her index and middle fingers, opening and closing them like scissors as she approached me.

"You cut his hair?"

"Hee hee, he looks handsome, doesn’t he? I can give you a trim too, Mash."

Indeed, the cleaned-up Toratsuna was tall with a sharp jaw and slender eyes, looking quite handsome. She was also wearing makeup, which made her eyes look bigger than usual.

"Sheesh, I don’t get what a guy like that sees in Shizuka."

"That’s so mean!"

"More importantly, you’re wearing makeup to look like Mizuki again. Stop it!"

"Oh? Could it be you’re finally noticing my charms?"

Shizuka nudged me with her elbow. Patricia passed in front of her and rushed over to Marmi.

"Welcome back. I was so worried."

Patricia bowed her head deeply.

"…Hm. It’s been very inconvenient without you, Patricia. Have you been well?"

"Yes. I’ve been getting the house ready so that Lady Mo can return at any time. However, those people have been making a mess of things."

Patricia glanced at the New World members. It seemed they had been using our house as their base while we were away.

"…If you don’t like them, Patricia, just call Wake and have them thrown out."

"But, Lady Hyakka is…"

she started, then looked over at me.

"…Don’t worry about it, Patricia. Just throw them out."

I wondered if Marmi held some kind of grudge against Hyakka and the others. As I was thinking, Shizuka pulled on my arm.

"Mash, I have a favor to ask you."

Her expression was unusually serious.

"What is it?"

"I’m thinking of becoming an adventurer with Kō-kun."

"Really? But are you sure you’ll be okay?"

Until she went with us to the 49th floor of the Crystal Palace, she had never acted as an adventurer. She had joined Levante at that time, so her level had gone up, but she never participated in combat.

"We won’t do anything dangerous. We’ll just go to the guild and take on quests like herb gathering or clearing out the lower floors of a dungeon."

I studied her expression. Her sincere gaze didn’t waver; she seemed serious. I breathed an inward sigh of relief. If she had said she was going to go back to selling her body like she did in Longhorn Street, it could have caused another rift between her and Toratsuna.

"And about Reeni."

She looked over at Reeni, who noticed and looked back.

"If Reeni is okay with it, would it be alright if we took her with us? I promise we won’t do anything dangerous, and I’ll make sure we never get separated from Kō-kun…"

"That’s…"

I murmured, and Reeni trotted over to us.

"Reeni, is it okay if I stay with you? I won’t be a bother?"

"I’ve never been on an adventure before either. But…"

Shizuka scratched her cheek, perhaps to hide her embarrassment.

"I know. I’ll sleep by myself at night. I won’t get in the way."

Reeni hugged Shizuka, burying her face in her stomach.