Chapter 365
Chapter 365
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 365
Chapter Title: Debt Collection
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Anyway, the only witnesses were me, Karin, and Mariel—a grand total of three people—so if we all just kept our mouths shut, no one would ever find out.
Sure, a woman of her stature, basically the guild master who keeps the city in check, might find it utterly humiliating that she got into such an ugly brawl. Totally understandable. I'm the kind of guy who can overlook something like that.
That's the normal way to think about it.
And fighting like that was embarrassing enough, but to have exposed herself down there to some random guy? Nothing for it but to summon her and interrogate the poor woman to ease my mind.
I get it.
Gentleman Kim Katt has enough common sense to show that kind of consideration to a lady. I'll keep my mouth shut, tuck that dreamlike sight away in a corner of my heart, and leave this place behind.
"Hold it."
"Pardon?"
As I stood up with those thoughts in mind, she stopped me.
"To be honest, I... I can never forgive you for seeing me... half-naked."
She was saying this with her face beet red, head tilted at an angle.
She was trying to assert some authority with her arms crossed, but it was way too late for that. To me, Ms. Ristina was just the woman who'd bared her lower half while fighting.
"No, there was nothing I could do about it. I've already forgotten all about it. And there's no one I'd tell anyway. I plan to take that incident to my grave."
"I can't believe you."
"What the hell?"
"I can't trust you!"
Suddenly, Ristina shrieked and strode toward me.
Damn bitch, who the hell would I even tell about something like that?!
I was about to lose my mind.
Embarrassing as it is, I don't have many acquaintances in this world.
And most of them are women, so they're hardly the type I could gossip with. I'm not gonna go tell Kobson I saw the guild master's smooth pussy or anything.
Most adventurers are such blabbermouths they might as well have wings—if they stumbled on a scene like that, they'd shout it from the rooftops. But not me.
This was a fundamental denial of my gentlemanly consideration. I was willing to let it slide completely, but if she kept this up, it'd be like carving out my heart.
"N-No! Even if you don't trust me, I know my own position, so..."
"Shut up! I'll be the one to decide that!"
"You really think I'm that untrustworthy?!"
"Obviously! Anyway, you need to be properly punished for this!"
What the hell is she talking about?!
"Punished for what?! What did I even do?! I just happened to see you like that! And your upper body was covered—it was only your lower half, so half-naked at worst!"
"That's the problem, you idiot! And don't talk about it like that!"
"It's a problem because it happened! And half-naked means only half, so it's fine!"
If I'd seen her completely naked, I might not feel this wronged.
50% completion rate.
Sure, the lower half might be more important than the upper, but this wasn't full nude—it was hairless nude without the hair. Overreacting like this to that was excessive.
"Even half-naked, it was the bottom!"
"So what about the bottom?! Be proud of it!"
"Shut up!"
"Eek!"
Her ferocious aura scared me so bad I dropped back into my seat and threw up my guard. I got that she was humiliated and pissed, but this was unreasonable! These otherworlders sure are savage!
I knew it was unfair, but I was powerless both physically and socially to push back. All I could do was grovel like mad.
"W-What do you want me to do? You're not gonna kill me, right...? N-Nooo! I'll do anything, just spare me!!!!"
I bowed my head and begged again, and suddenly the room went quiet.
"..."
Was she pondering my punishment?
Finally, Ristina spoke.
"You. Take off your clothes."
"Huh?"
What did she say?
I thought I'd misheard and slowly looked up at her face. Her face was still flushed like lava, a stark contrast to her sky-blue hair.
"You saw mine... so I have to see yours."
In that state, rationality gone, Ristina started spouting nonsense.
"W-What?"
"If you don't want to die, strip off those pants right now!!"
"Aaah!"
"Strip! I said strip!"
Ristina lunged at me, trying to yank off my clothes. Unbelievable! I resisted desperately and yelled!
"Strip what?! You crazy pervert! Stop it!"
"I showed you mine, so show me yours!"
"What kind of bullshit logic is that, you lunatic?! What is there to see?! Get off! Get off me! Trampling my consideration like this! You're the worst!"
This was for my beloved future wives who would bear my children...! Something I could never just flash to random women!
"This is sexual harassment! Stop! You can still pull back now, Ms. Ristina!"
"Too late, damn it! I have to see it! That's only fair!"
"Did you get drunk in broad daylight?! I'm telling Karin!"
Ristina, straddling me on the floor, fumbled wildly at my belt. Snap! But it tore right off the leather.
Is this for real?!
Her grip strength is insane!
"Ha? You think I'm scared of Karin?"
"She beat your ass!"
"Beat my ass? In your dreams, you punk! If we weren't inside the gym, I'd have won!"
"Bullshit! You ate a full gauntlet smash! Our Karin's stronger than you, Guild Master!"
"I held back so I wouldn't wreck the building! If we'd gone all out, I'd have won! And if you hadn't stripped me...!"
"Our Karin's clothes got torn too!"
Back then, in terms of exposure—upper body vs. lower body—it was Karin's win. Her sword was intact, while Ristina's combat gauntlets were totaled.
Clear victory for Karin.
"Wait, you."
Ristina, mid-rant, suddenly looked puzzled.
"Why do you keep calling your own guild master by her first name? Did you pick up that swordsman guild habit of no manners from that Karin bitch? No, even that's fine, but our Karin...?"
What's wrong with calling my wife by name?
"So I'll call her whatever I want."
"Why?"
"She's my woman. Of course I call her whatever."
"Huh? What did you just say?"
Her eyes went wide in shock.
Truth is, the only people I know well are my girls. Karin's not exactly advertising it. But this crisis? Only way out is to leverage her name.
"I said she's my woman. Thanks to that incident you caused last time... things got pretty deep between us. Heh. I'm grateful for it."
"Huh?"
Ristina's face went blank, like a fish out of water. The force pinning me down vanished. Then she started muttering to herself—"Huh, really. Huh, no way."
This was it.
She'd thought Karin was a fellow spinster, but now her comrade had flown off to distant shores. She was dumbfounded. I lay there, waiting for her to move aside on her own.
"H-How..."
Her expression was pure suspicion. Still atop me, she looked down and said,
"Karin... with a guy like you?"
"What's wrong with me?"
"K-Karin, that bitch, beat me to it? Huh. Unbelievable!"
Finally, anger flickered in her eyes.
If I could show this to Karin, she'd clutch her sides laughing, "Kyahahahaha!!" Too bad I couldn't.
"Ha! But if you're the best she could snag, it says it all about Karin's standards!"
She went from stunned to finger-pointing rage. Flushed face. Par for the course with Karin's rival, huh?
But I couldn't let that slide.
Daring to badmouth Karin in front of me?
"What the fuck! Insult me all you want, but don't you dare trash my Karin! Apologize!"
"W-What?"
"Bitching about a woman in front of a man? What kind of manners is that?! Even for a guild master, this is out of line!"
"Uh, y-yeah. That was a bit much... No! Then what's so great about you? And I can't believe it! Karin has a man?!"
I never expected Karin to devour me like that either!
"I've got my good points, lady!"
"Like what, you barbarian?!"
"B-Barbarian?! Guild Master, you just crossed the line!"
"Not yet I haven't! You frivolous playboy!"
"Frivoloouuuus?!"
"Kyaa!"
I roared and surged to my feet.
Kim Katt is absolutely not frivolous.
If anything, he's life-and-death serious.
As I rose, Ristina leaped off me and put some distance between us. What an insult...! I was furious, but she was beyond my power to subdue.
Fine then.
"Alright, feast your eyes on this—heavenly demon Kim Katt's... manhood!"
"Manhood...?"
"You told me to drop my pants! Now I'll do it!"
"W-Wait! Don't just strip out of nowhere!"
"You tried to strip me first—what's your problem now?!"
My belt?
Long gone, torn to shreds.
I reached for my waistband. What? Fair's fair since I saw yours? If that'll satisfy you, fine. You wanna see? I'll show you.
Legend has it virgin ghosts flee at the sight of a man's root. Ristina's been a spinster so long she's basically one.
Time to exorcise her, per the relevant laws.
Ghostbuster Kim Katt in action.
"Take a good look!!!!!!"
"Wait!!! Stop!"
Panicking, Ristina covered her eyes with both hands instead of tackling me. Fine if she's leading the strip, but not if she's not?
She was visibly flustered.
Doesn't matter.
The deed was done.
"I'm striiiiiiipping!!!!"
Shlrk!
I yanked down my pants and underwear in one go—all the way to my ankles. There it stood, proud and exposed for all to see. I'd emphasized the lower nudity so much it'd swollen to bursting.
I'd tried to hide it earlier, but screw it now.
"Eek...!"
"If you're gonna cover your eyes, do it properly."
Ristina was only pretending with her palms, peeking through spread fingers.
Acting all prim for a grown woman.
Her face was so red it showed between her fingers. Looked like she had a healthy dose of sexual curiosity.
"Th-That size...! D-Do normal ones get that big...? No, more importantly, why is it standing up...?"
"Satisfied now, Martial Artist Guild Master?!"
I scolded her as she floundered in confusion.
"You tried to beat me down! Insulted Karin! Forced me to drop my pants! So, happy now that you've forced a look? This isn't just trampling my consideration—it's sexual harassment!"
"..."
Shake shake.
I even shook my hips for emphasis, declaring it proudly. No shame here. Wasn't my fault. She brought it on herself. Hell, I thrust my pelvis too.
"Uh, w-why are you shaking your hips...?"
Her earlier fierce momentum was gone—now just a meek whimper.
Couldn't even speak properly.
That's when it happened.
Knock knock knock.
Sudden knocking at the door.
"What? Who's there? Mariel?"
"Clothes! Put some clothes on, quick!!!"
"Clothes...? Oh shit! What have I done?!"
Her shout snapped me back to reality. I hurriedly pulled up my pants.
"No, Guild Master, the door's locked anyway, so it's f—"
Crack!
Before I could finish, the door behind me splintered. I whipped around in shock—Lizet strolled in casually, gripping the wrecked doorknob.
"Sis? Locking the door again for some bullshit...? Huh? Why're you here?"
Lizet's words plunged the room into silence.
"What is it? What were you two doing?"