kscans

Chapter 46 - Night Bugs and the Bikini Armor Gambit

I was on night watch. Levante, Altair, and the Mateo Trading Company were each providing two people for guard duty. For us in Levante, the rotation was me and Aira, Myra and Mizuki, and Famu and Cecily. The pairings were decided by drawing lots. Speaking of which, Levante. We had to keep telling ourselves that was our name or we'd forget. I wasn't confident I'd even recognize it if someone called out to us. Aira and I were sitting around the campfire. We'd managed to erase the characters on our foreheads with the various slime oils I'd collected. It had been a struggle to get the marks off Famu, though; she'd put up quite a fight. The starry sky was as breathtaking as ever. Come to think of it, it hasn't rained once since I came to this world. I wonder if it ever does.

"What was that all about during dinner?"

Aira asked.

"What was what about?"

I tried to play dumb.

"Everyone's mad."

"You too, Aira?"

"...Yeah."

"Really? I thought you wouldn't get angry."

"Don't mess with me."

"I haven't told you or Cecily, but I have a deal with the Mateo Trading Company."

I explained the circumstances of how Mateo had told me I could do as I pleased with Claire.

"What do you think?"

I asked.

"What do I think? Just do what you want, right? No one will object. Everyone likes you, so they'll never create a decisive conflict. In the end, it'll go your way."

"You too, Aira?"

"...What's with you all of a sudden?"

Aira's expression hardened.

"Well, I was just wondering if you liked me."

"...I hate you."

Aira stood up. She stared off into the forest.

"Something wrong?"

I stood up too. I followed her gaze, but couldn't see anything. I could only hear the buzzing of wings. It sounded like a bug. A small dot was drawn toward the campfire as if mesmerized, then fell at my feet. I picked it up.

"A stag beetle. It's huge. A Miyama stag beetle, maybe?"

I showed it to Aira.

"Eek!"

Aira recoiled. She must not like bugs.

"You're afraid of insects?"

"I'm not afraid, you just startled me."

"Oh, really? Want to touch it then?"

I offered her the beetle.

"Hiee!"

Aira backed away again.

"You really do hate them. Why lie?"

"I-I don't hate them!"

Why was she getting so worked up? I decided not to bring the bug any closer to her. If she let out a loud scream, it would cause a huge scene.

"I wonder if I could gather a bunch of these and sell them in town."

"A-a bunch..."

Aira turned pale.

"Not 'a bunch of boobs.' Where I'm from, stag beetles sold for a high price."

"What kind of creepy town is that?"

"..."

I couldn't think of a comeback. I had always thought that stag beetles and rhinoceros beetles were a boy's dream in any world. Just then, I heard another buzzing sound. A black dot landed on Aira's left breast. It was another magnificent stag beetle. She froze in place, standing ramrod straight. Completely rigid.

"Want me to get it off for you?"

Aira shook her head.

"Why are you being so stubborn?"

"You like insects, don't you?"

"Well, I'd be hard-pressed to say if I like them or not. I don't like or dislike them."

Seeing a stag beetle gets me excited, but if you ask me if I like insects, it's a bit of a gray area.

"Hey, try putting the stag beetle in your hand on my other breast."

"Are you serious?"

Aira nodded. I placed the stag beetle on her right breast. She remained perfectly still. Should I tell her it suited her?

"...I want to cry."

"I don't get it. What have you been trying so hard for?"

"Because... you hate me."

"I don't hate you."

"But you think I'm a pain."

"I don't. I was the one who thought you didn't like me."

"You're not wrong about that."

"That actually hurts, you know!"

"...What if its pincers... pinch my nipple?"

Was that a request? Which was it?

"Do you want it to pinch you?"

"Because it seems like something you'd enjoy."

What did she think I was into?

"...If that's the case, I'd rather just grope you normally. I don't like pain either, so I'm taking them off."

I removed the stag beetles enthroned on her breasts and released them into the darkness. I might be on Aira's bad side now, but I hoped they would grow up strong. For a while, I stared into the darkness. Nothing happened.

"Hey, what are you planning to do once we get to Miglutt?"

"I don't know. I haven't decided anything."

Aira looked up at the sky. Her expression seemed lost.

Morning of the next day. It was before we started moving. Me, Famu, and Mizuki were doing our morning training with Altair's Avea and Beers. It was Famu's idea to make this a daily routine starting today. Avea was in charge. Right now, we were doing some light practice swings. Aira was watching us. I'd asked her last night to be there in case anyone got hurt. By the way, Beers was apparently going to keep calling himself Beers. He said it gets a better reaction. I wasn't sure about changing your name for the sake of a laugh, but since he was part of Altair now, maybe it was a good thing. Avea was intently watching my practice swings.

"You have the cleanest swing."

I'd probably be surpassed by Mizuki and Famu soon enough. Having just experienced that sad reality with horseback riding, I was feeling resigned.

"You think so? Do you think I could handle the fourth floor of the dungeon in Richel?"

"Fourth floor? Everyone knows you beat a B-rank adventurer who cleared the fortieth floor, don't they?"

"We're F-rank, and the farthest we've cleared on our own is the third floor."

"You should be fine up to at least the tenth floor."

"Someone else said the same thing, and we had a terrible time when we went to the twelfth."

Avea gave me a skeptical look. It was the truth, so there was nothing I could do about it.

"Well, whatever. Since it's the first day, I want to get a grasp of everyone's abilities. Let's have a match, one pair at a time."

By drawing lots, it was decided that I would fight Mizuki, and Famu would fight Beers.

"The day has finally come to settle my daily grudges."

Mizuki gripped her wooden stick and smiled defiantly.

"Wait. What daily grudges?"

"My daily grudges are my daily grudges. And I haven't forgotten the grudge for my virginity, either."

"...I might actually die to [Super Kill]."

"Don't worry. I won't activate it. Probably."

Mizuki took her stance. She held the wooden stick in her right hand and had a wooden shield equipped on her left arm. I gripped my wooden stick like a katana and faced her in a seigan stance.

"It's alright, Master. You will absolutely not lose."

Famu said encouragingly. I wondered what kind of person she thought I was. While I was thinking, Mizuki closed the distance. She feigned a strike, so I used the tip of my blade to parry her wooden stick and break her momentum.

"Hmph!"

I tried to back away and create distance, but Mizuki pressed forward, not letting me. The tension mounted as we drew closer, into the one-step, one-sword range. I aimed for the instant she raised her weapon for an overhead strike, swinging my wooden stick at her wrist. The blow was about to land for real, so I instinctively stopped my movement. In that moment of hesitation, Mizuki's strike came down on my head.

"...Ouch."

When I came to, I was lying with my head in Aira's lap. Mizuki, Famu, Avea, and a little farther off, Beers, were all looking down at me.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry,"

Mizuki apologized. Contrary to her earlier bravado, she looked like she was about to cry.

"No, this man is at fault. If he hadn't stopped, Mizuki's wrist would have been struck and she would have dropped her weapon. Why did you stop?"

Avea asked. The atmosphere wasn't one where I could say I didn't want to see Mizuki get hurt like that. We were trying to train seriously. It wasn't right to bring those kinds of feelings into a match. It wouldn't do either of us any good.

"Ah, I thought I could get Aira to dote on me."

"...It seems we need to beat that attitude out of you. I'll be your next opponent,"

Avea said.

"Wait, isn't it just one match today?"

"You haven't even swung your weapon once in a real match yet. Get up."

I had no choice but to stand. My weapon was gone. I looked around and saw Famu holding it.

"Sorry about that. I lost."

I said to Famu.

"..."

Famu just looked at me searchingly.

"Master... me too... no, please win next time."

Famu handed me the wooden stick.

I took the seigan stance again, just like before. I knew it was one-dimensional, but it was all I could do. Avea had the same stance as Mizuki, but without a shield. While I was trying to figure out my next move, she lunged forward. Fast. She closed the distance faster than I could retreat. She raised her wooden stick. Just like with Mizuki, I aimed for her wrist on the approach, but I was too slow and my swing hit nothing but air. At this rate, I'd just get hit, so I charged forward, ramming into her with my body. I'd intended to shove her back, but she easily absorbed the impact. We were locked in a stalemate.

"Not bad, dodging that,"

Avea grinned.

"Shut up."

I tried to apply pressure, but she didn't budge an inch. Her muscles were no joke. Avea switched to a two-handed grip and pushed me back instead. I'd planned to pull something as I retreated, but I was so focused on keeping my balance that I couldn't do a thing. From there, Avea's relentless assault began. She swung her wooden stick wildly, literally from every direction, trying to land a single blow on me. I was completely on the defensive, just backing away and blocking. I knew retreating was a bad idea. But I wasn't given any other choice.

"What's wrong? Is that all you've got?"

I aimed for her torso as she finished her sentence, but she quickly stepped back and dodged it with ease. The distance was broken. I was out of breath. I took a deep breath to calm myself and returned to my seigan stance. Seeing this, she also readjusted her stance. She wasn't even breathing hard after all that attacking. It was no use. Nothing I did seemed to work. I was just being overwhelmed by her pressure, and my spirit was starting to break. I had to watch carefully. Having blocked all her attacks, I felt like I was on the verge of a breakthrough. I kept my concentration, moving the tip of my blade up and down. As if lured by the movement, Avea moved. I tried to parry her weapon as she started to act, but her movements were still faster, and I cut through empty air. Her rush began again. Once more, I was forced onto the defensive. Her attacks were focused on my head. Just as I thought that, a front kick came flying at me. I spun around to dodge it. It was a chance to counter, but my hands wouldn't move. The distance was broken again. The heavy, difficult time continued. My heart rate was up and my breathing was ragged.

"Not bad,"

Avea laughed. I wanted to say something sarcastic back, but nothing came to mind.

"Ready to start hitting back, even if your opponent is a woman?"

She'd seen right through me.

"...How did you know?"

"I hate guys like you."

Avea thrust the tip of her wooden stick at my throat. The killing intent was immense. She planned to end it with the next attack. However, understanding a little of what was in her heart allowed me to calm down. Something was swaying. It was her breasts, encased in bikini armor. How had I not noticed? They must have been swaying wildly while we were clashing. Now, they swayed gently with her breathing. I hadn't looked at them at all until now. I wanted to punch my past self. I readjusted my seigan stance. The tip of my blade was aimed at her solar plexus, just short of it. I didn't need to force my way into her range or take a hit just to strike her. I just had to swing my own sword. Against her robust and straightforward style, this was the only weakness I could aim for. My target was that single point. I would bet everything on breaking through it.

"Avea, any more is dangerous. You should stop the fight..."

Famu, who had been watching the fight, called out.

"Hey, she's worried about you,"

Avea laughed.

"No. She's worried about you."

I knew it. Famu had completely sensed what I was planning to do.

"Don't make me laugh."

Contrary to her words, she stopped laughing. Good. Anger would surely cloud her vision. I proactively closed the distance. Just before entering the one-step, one-sword range, I used the tip of my blade to parry her wooden stick. She tried to press down on my weapon to break my stance. I flicked it back, tracing a small half-moon as I slid my stick up and leaped in. I moved the tip of my blade as if to strike down her wrist.

"All you do is aim for the wrist, you one-trick pony!"

She backed away to dodge my attack and raised her wooden stick. I had fallen for her feint.

"You're the idiot!"

I lunged toward Avea. My target was the great divide of her bikini armor, the single point of the string that connected the two pieces of cloth covering her breasts. The tip of my blade made contact. There was resistance. But it was okay. From the feel of it, I could cut it. As I swung through, I thought I heard a snap.

"Bikini armor, you are defeated!"

"Are you an idiot?!"

Avea's wooden stick came down on my defenseless head. If she was going to call me an idiot, I wish she'd stop hitting me on the head and making me even more of one. I lost consciousness without even getting to see the reward of her bare breasts.