The Girl with Animal Ears

Meruru, a beastkin who had been hiding aboard the massive trade vessel known as the Achbari. In exchange for keeping her presence from the captain, I put her to work helping me clean. It was absolutely not blackmail.

Meruru got to stay hidden from the crew, and I got help with a cleaning job too big to handle alone. Nobody lost out. A genuine win-win, wasn't it?

This damn Narration. Always trying to make me look like garbage. I've got to survive too, you know.

"Huff... huff... That room's all cleaned, so it is! How many are left?!"

Meruru came running out of a cabin with a rag in her hand, her face already worn out. She'd only cleaned a single cabin and she was already wiped. How was that supposed to work?

"About fifty left, give or take."

"That's way too many, so it is! If Meruru cleans that many rooms, Meruru will die, so it is!"

"Hey, I was originally going to do all of this by myself."

"Ugh... You weren't a good human, so it is."

Meruru trudged toward the next cabin with her shoulders sagging. I picked up my rag and got back to work.

And so the cleaning of the trade ship Achbari went on through the night. Working together was definitely faster than going it alone — even if Meruru only managed one cabin for every two of mine. At this rate, we'd finish comfortably on time, with room to spare.

"It'll be dawn soon."

We'd nearly finished that mountain of cabins in a single night. When I climbed up onto the deck, the sun was just beginning to rise. Originally, I'd had no idea when the job would be done, so the plan had been to clean through the first night and take stock of whatever was left the next day. But it looked like we'd finish sooner than expected, which meant getting some rest once the sun was up would be the smart move. I was getting sleepy, too.

"Hey, Meruru."

I called out to her. She was sprawled face-down on the deck like a frog.

"Meruru is dead, so it is. Meruru has no strength left, so it is."

"Quit the theatrics. We're almost done, so I was thinking of calling it for today. What about you?"

Come to think of it, I had no idea what to do with her. I could just crash at a nearby inn, but Meruru was far too conspicuous to walk the streets like this. If Kubel had been a city overflowing with other races, it might have been fine — but in all my wandering, I hadn't seen a single beastkin like her.

"Meruru wants to rest too, so it is. Meruru is hungry, so it is. Meruru moved around so much and you didn't even give Meruru food, so it is."

"How'd you even eat while you were hiding on this ship?"

"Meruru nibbled on the ship's provisions a little at a time, so it is."

"And what were you planning to do from here?"

"Meruru has to keep hiding on the ship until we reach the continent, so it is."

What was she talking about? This already was the continent.

"We've already arrived, then. Stand up and take a look."

"Eeeeh?! This is the continent, so it is?! Meruru thought it was just a really big island, so it is!"

She was only figuring that out now. I'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thought something was off — it explained why she hadn't come out even after the ship docked and the entire crew disembarked. I'd assumed she had some other destination and was planning to stay hidden until the next port. Apparently not. This girl was the type who'd get herself into serious trouble if you left her alone.

"Meruru has finally arrived, so it is! Thank you for telling Meruru, so it is! The cleaning is not appreciated, so it is!"

A sudden burst of energy sent Meruru springing to her feet, ready to hop right off the ship.

"Hey! Hey! Wait!"

The instant I heard the Narration, I lunged and grabbed the tail of Meruru as she tried to bolt off the ship. Caught mid-sprint, her feet went out from under her and she pitched face-first onto the deck.

"Kyaaaaah—!"

"Shh—! Keep it down!"

"That hurts, so it is! What are you doing?!"

"If you go out there like that, a slave trader is going to grab you."

Honestly, if I let her get captured, it wouldn't have been my problem. But that felt far too pitiful. She'd clearly been through a lot to get this far, carrying her own reasons — and a slave ending the moment she arrived at her destination? I wasn't exactly in a position to be helping people or worrying about anyone else. But it reminded me of when I'd first arrived in this world, and that sat wrong with me.

"Look. Look at your ears and your tail. There's nobody of your kind in this city. On top of that, slave traders are out there right now with their eyes peeled, hunting for anyone they can sell. What do you think happens if you go down there looking like that?"

"Meruru doesn't want to be a slave, so it is. I-it's scary, so it is."

"Right? You were so scared of the crew finding you that you begged me. And now you want to go crawling straight to people even scarier?"

"Then what should Meruru do, so it is?! Meruru has something she has to do, so it is!"

"Hmm..."

I circled around Meruru, studying her ears and tail closely. The ears would be easy enough to hide under a hood. The problem was that big, fluffy fox-like tail. When I'd grabbed it earlier, the actual tail hadn't been as thick as it looked — it was just the fur that made it seem so huge. If I could get her a long hooded robe, we could probably cover it somehow. If the Narration was right and slave traders were prowling around, she'd need to hide that she was a beastkin if she wanted to move around at all.

"Meruru, for now, get back in that barrel you were hiding in."

I was just about at my physical limit. I needed sleep. I needed food. Once it was fully light, the Achbari's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠captain or crew might come by to check on the ship. If she was going to stay safe until I got some rest and came back to finish the cleaning, hiding in that wooden barrel was the safest option.

"Ugh... The barrel is stuffy, so it is."

"You were in there just fine this whole time. Another day isn't going to kill you."

"Uuuugh..."

"Just wait about half a day. I'll bring you something that can hide your ears and tail. Hang in there until then."

With that, I left Meruru behind and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠headed down into the streets of Kubel alone.

"Aigoo. What riches and glory did I think I was after."

The bustling district of Kubel in the early morning. Having left Meruru on the Achbari, I headed for the shopping streets before even looking for an inn. I opened my coin purse and counted what I had.

Twenty-five silver.

It hadn't shrunk or grown, of course. I should have been worrying about today's meals, and yet here I was, out buying a robe for Meruru. I'd be getting one gold from the Achbari's captain tomorrow for the cleaning job, anyway. Truth be told, I wouldn't have finished the cleaning without her, so she had a bit of a stake in it.

Kubel's shopping district had plenty of proper shops, but just as many street stalls. Compared to the stores operating out of actual buildings, the goods were a mixed bag and the quality was uneven — but the prices were cheap. It had the feel of an old open-air market. I wandered the stall-lined street, looking for a robe that might fit Meruru.

"How much is this?"

I found something just right and asked the price. Instead of answering, the merchant held up two fingers.

"Two silver?"

"Twenty silver."

Ridiculously expensive.

I immediately started looking at other options and picked out a robe that was a bit more tattered, but would still cover the ears and tail.

"This one?"

"Ten silver."

"Come on, it's stained and falling apart like someone already wore it to death. What's with that price?"

"Don't like it, don't buy it."

"Don't be like that. Let's knock a little off."

Something about the ten-silver robe made me think I could talk the price down if I played it right, so I started haggling. I picked at the robe spread haphazardly on the mat, finding fault with it.

"Look here. There's some weird stain on it, too. Doesn't look like anyone's going to buy this anyway. Just let me have it cheap — I'll use it as a rag."

"Aigoo, nickel-and-diming me over even this? Fine. Take it for five silver."

Wow. Fifty percent off. I paid on the spot and bought the robe for Meruru. It was a little dirty, but I wasn't in a position to be picky. Good enough.

That left me with twenty silver. Would this even cover an inn and food? With a worried heart, I set off in search of a nearby inn.

"Completely cleaned out..."

An inn in Kubel. I lay down in an attic space barely big enough for one person and stared at my coin purse with a sigh. I never thought rooms would be that expensive. I couldn't afford a proper one with my remaining twenty silver, so I'd had to plead my case and rent the attic for fifteen.

Five silver left.

Buying a single meat skewer off the street would bankrupt me.

"At least I'll get one gold tomorrow..."

It was dizzying to think what would have happened if I hadn't marched up to the Achbari's captain and talked my way into a job. I rolled up the robe I'd bought for Meruru at the stall and used it as a pillow. A musty smell wafted up.

This smell... the smell of poverty...

How long was I going ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to have to live this life that reeked of being broke? Running the numbers in my head, it was obvious I'd go under fast even after getting that one gold if I didn't find another source of income soon. Still, I'd bought myself some time. All I could do was look for ways to earn money, one step at a time.

Sleep was closing in. I'd cleaned that entire massive ship — of course it was. Meruru would be waiting. Just a little sleep, then I'd get up and head back to the ship...

......