Discipline? (2)
“Yona. Hands out of your pockets.”
“Aaaaiiiieee!!!”
Rydia?! Why Rydia?! I never imagined she’d show up at this exact moment—let alone catch me red-handed. The shock was so sudden that I actually started howling and thrashing in every direction, trying to flee.
“Hyah.”
Of course, she caught me instantly. She slipped a hand under my armpit and hoisted me clean off the ground. No matter how much I kicked my dangling legs, there was no escape.
Good grief. How is this even possible? Elly might manage it, but Rydia isn’t that tall—she should be struggling…
“Ah.”
Only then did I notice she was practically holding me in a full victory pose, like an otter proudly displaying its pup. It wasn’t exactly cute, though. More like a citizen’s arrest in progress.
With Rydia’s already striking appearance and this eye-catching stunt, every gaze in the vicinity snapped toward us at once.
“The Noble Rydia? That boy is…”
“A pingchang, obviously. Rydia’s the other party, and the kid looks scruffy despite the pretty face—so he’s probably a honey trap.”
“That’s pingchang hate, you bitch… Still, if that’s the case, did he actually succeed in seducing her?”
“No way. There’s a reason they call her the Pure Rydia behind her back.”
“True. Who knows where all that money goes.”
“At least it’s not getting blown at brothels like yours.”
“Don’t act so virtuous. Everyone knows you bought a slave with weapon money.”
“Loving slaves is a basic part of life.”
“If you want to love them, free them instead of keeping them as slaves, you idiot.”
“You just don’t get it. The thrill is watching a slave desperately try to please you while pretending to love you.”
“…? Are you insane?”
Trembling at the terrifying conversation drifting from the crowd, I heard Rydia repeat her demand.
“Pockets. Empty them.”
“Ah, um. You see, Lady Rydia…”
I rolled my eyes toward the direction the elf robber had gone. Fortunately, the distance must have been too great—she only glanced once before continuing on her way. Relieved that the worst-case scenario had been avoided, I let out a sigh and pulled out the wallet.
“My tenfold grudge…”
“…Grudge?”
Perhaps it was the voice dripping with lingering attachment. Rydia tilted her head, then set me down. She accepted a wallet in each hand and asked,
“Yona. What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. I happened to spot the woman who used to steal every last coin I earned begging, so I was planning a little revenge.”
“How much?”
“Eight copper.”
“That’s…”
“Yeah, yeah. It doesn’t sound like much, right? But back then it was a huge deal.”
“Was it?”
“It wasn’t the amount. The problem was that I hadn’t eaten anything for five whole days.”
“Five… days?”
“Yep. At that point you start feeling like you might actually die. So I tried to resist somehow… but I still couldn’t win against an adult woman.”
“……What?”
Her voice was flustered. Rydia spoke with extreme caution, as if worried.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course I’m not okay! Eight copper was literally all I had! I really thought I was going to starve to death because of that! …Well, luckily the temple gave out rations the very next day, so I survived, but at the time it felt like the sky was falling!”
“That’s not what I meant. You went through something terrifying. Usually that would cause trauma… Ah.”
Rydia had been rambling, trying to say something, but then nodded as if she understood. The pity in her eyes deepened even further.
What? Did I say something weird? While I tilted my head in confusion, Rydia fixed her gaze—cold and sunken, just like when she’d faced the twin-dagger clan leader—toward the direction the two elf robbers had vanished. After a moment she let out a deep sigh and relaxed her eyes.
“Haaah.”
Then, with awkward movements, she began patting the top of my head.
“Good job.”
“Huh? For what?”
“You must’ve wanted to kill her, but you held back.”
“No matter how big my grudge over eight copper is, I don’t go around killing people just because they stole from me, you know?!”
What exactly does Rydia think of me? I was dumbfounded, but I stayed still while she patted me. Only now did I notice she was in casual clothes today. It made sense—it was her day off. Her outfit looked warm and suited for winter, yet even the thick fabric couldn’t hide one particular presence.
Jiggle, jiggle.
“Oh…”
Her chest—something I could never see because she always wore armor. I couldn’t know the exact size without removing the coat, but I cautiously guessed it had to be at least a Z-cup.
After staring for quite a while, Rydia seemed to notice my gaze. She paused her hand and blinked her red eyes.
“Yona. Strange expression.”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Please continue.”
“…Okay.”
Without any sign of displeasure, Rydia resumed stroking my hair. In a way, it was natural. On the Pan Continent, a woman’s chest wasn’t something to be particularly ashamed of. Perhaps a remnant of pre-Divine War culture, going completely topless would get you labeled a crazy exhibitionist… but that was about it. Covering just the area underwear would hide was perfectly acceptable. That was why people were tolerant of exposed chests and the stares that came with them. Right now the weather was cold, so everyone was bundled up, but… summer had been something else entirely.
Cheers to my past self for setting up this world! Anyway, because of that, Rydia probably never even considered that I might be ogling her chest with lewd eyes.
A sudden flash of inspiration crossed my mind.
…Wait. Could I actually cop a feel right now? It’s a gender-reversed world, I’m still young, I’m just curious—etc. I lined up every excuse in my head, but honestly, it was pure ulterior motive. Pretending to reach for the stolen wallet again, I launched a surprise attack. If I just altered the trajectory at the last second, making it look like an accident…!
“Here.”
“Eh?”
Maybe because I moved so openly, or maybe because she’d seen the same move before and wasn’t falling for it again. Rydia snatched my hand with ridiculous ease and placed the wallet she’d just confiscated on top of it. Through the thick leather, I felt a solid weight.
…It wasn’t her chest, but this wasn’t bad either. Torn between whether to be happy or sad, I looked up at Rydia blankly. She averted her eyes, looking slightly embarrassed.
“I was originally going to scold you. My goal is to discipline you, after all. But this incident is an exception. If anything, it deserves praise.”
“So does that mean I can keep pickpocketing from now on?”
“…I was praising you for ending your revenge at this. The pickpocketing itself is still a bad thing.”
“Aha? Both Elly and you, Lady Rydia—I really don’t know what you think I am, but I do have enough common sense not to kill people over something like this, okay?”
“And the common sense that pickpocketing is also a bad thing?”
“If you stay bound by common sense forever, you’ll never become a great person.”
“…I really have a lot to teach you.”
Rydia chuckled and smoothed down my messy hair. Meanwhile, I quickly checked today’s spoils. Hmm… this much, huh. As expected, it was mostly small change. Still, the sheer quantity meant the total should be decent. At the very least, it was enough to buy a meal.
“Lady Rydia. You haven’t eaten yet, right?”
“Yeah. I was on my way to get something now.”
“I made some money today, so I’ll treat you! Lead the way!”
I thumped my chest and declared this. After a brief moment of thought, Rydia nodded.
“Alright. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“Yes! …Though it’s not going to be some super expensive place, right?”
“Don’t worry. I’m just going to my usual regular spot.”
If it was her usual place, it probably wasn’t that pricey. Feeling lighthearted, I followed Rydia.
…And immediately regretted it.
The restaurant we arrived at after following Rydia made me unable to hold back the indignation that welled up inside me.
“You liar! You tricked me!”
“Misunderstanding. I didn’t trick you.”
“How can you call this place your regular spot?!”
I shouted at the top of my lungs while swinging my arms wide, as if telling her to look around. Chandeliers swaying from the ceiling. Guests who had properly followed the dress code. Neatly uniformed waiters. And a menu where the base unit was silver.
Good grief. One silver just for a glass of water? Had the world gone mad? It wasn’t just regular water—it had something written about magical power and divine power, but water was still water.
“This place is ridiculously expensive! It’s a super high-class restaurant! Aren’t regular spots supposed to be reasonably cheap and reasonably tasty?!”
“Ahem. Among the restaurants I frequent, this one is on the cheaper side.”
“Lying is forbidden! If that were true, even you, Lady Rydia, would’ve gone broke by now!”
“Th-that’s not it. I do buy proper equipment too.”
Rydia said this with a strangely evasive attitude. Now that I thought about it, Rydia’s wallet had been surprisingly light for a high-ranking adventurer…
…No way.
“Be honest, Lady Rydia. Where does all the money you earn from adventuring go? As a high-ranking adventurer, you must have at least one base in Labyrinth City, right? Like how Elly opened a shop.”
“……No comment.”
“You really spent it all on expensive meals and expensive equipment?!”
Rydia deliberately ignored my horrified expression. She held up two fingers to a nearby employee.
“Two, please.”
“Understood. A good table just opened up, so I’ll guide you there.”
The employee bowed politely, as if our earlier commotion hadn’t happened at all. Thinking back, when he first saw me he’d slightly furrowed his brows, hadn’t he? He’d returned to normal so quickly that I’d wondered if I’d imagined it…
Now it was clear. He’d been about to kick me out after seeing my clothes, but once he confirmed I was with Rydia, he’d let it slide. Just how often did she come here to get this kind of treatment…?
While I stood there dumbfounded, Rydia—guided by the employee—began crossing the restaurant interior with her usual expressionless face. I hurriedly ran after her and tugged on her sleeve.
“Lady Rydia! Lady Rydia! This place is way too expensive. I know it’s embarrassing for a guy to go back on his word, but can’t we go somewhere else?!”
“Hm? What does being a guy have to do with it?”
“I said I’d treat you! But the food here probably costs more than my entire fortune…”
At my desperate whisper, Rydia tilted her head, then her expression shifted as if she’d realized something.
“Ah, so you were serious. Don’t worry. I’ll pay.”
“Huuuuh…!”
Right. Rydia wasn’t unaware of my financial situation, so she hadn’t been planning to mooch off me. That earlier comment must’ve just been a joke. In this world, it was considered proper for women to pay for meals, but there were limits. Treating someone at a place this expensive… Rydia really was a good person.
…Or so I thought.
Until I heard what she said next.
“I’ll just add it to your debt.”
“……”
This was a joke too… right?