Gacha Is a Good Civilization (3)
Unfortunately, there was no event where Elly showed up in her underwear in the middle of the night. But when I thought about it, that made sense. In my previous life, that would have been the equivalent of a middle-school girl knocking on a grown man's door wearing nothing but panties.
“…It was basically the same as telling me not to come in at all.”
Still, thanks to that, I spent the whole night organizing and testing everything I had pulled. The belt was sturdy and perfectly designed for hanging things, so I decided to use it as-is. I tucked the low-grade mana potion next to my existing lowest-grade recovery potion on one corner of the belt. As for the shield… I would probably have to sell it. It didn't suit me, and being a 1-star item, its performance was only so-so. There was no need to force myself to use something that awkward.
After that, the thing I spent the most time on was exploring ways to use the Gluttonous Stomach. The unicorn horn was an item I had no immediate use for, and the pathfinding skill could only show its true worth once I went outside. That was why I focused on testing the Gluttonous Stomach… and it turned out to be exactly the kind of ability I had imagined, while its performance far exceeded my expectations. No wonder it was a 3-star.
First, when I ate the jerky I had saved as a snack, I felt a satisfying fullness that far outstripped the actual amount I consumed. After draining my mana completely with Weak Flame and then eating the mana herb, it recovered my mana at a much faster rate. Once it was fully restored, it even increased my total mana pool by a tiny amount.
That's right. I no longer needed to refine the herbs into expensive elixirs. I could just eat the mana herbs raw and still get the full effect…!
“This is fucking broken.”
Now I could maintain Weak Flame for a whole minute. It was a massive improvement compared to before, when twenty seconds would leave me gasping. …Though it was a little depressing that eating that many mana herbs only got me this far. No wonder it was just a 1-star spell! Still, since I would probably pull a ton more mana herbs in the future, I could look at it as saving myself the refining costs and the hassle of selling them.
Incidentally, the recovery herb improved my overall condition a little. It might have even increased my stamina, but unlike mana, stamina wasn't easy to measure, so I couldn't be sure. I would need to test all sorts of things—elixirs, poisons, potions—and see exactly how they manifested.
One peculiar detail was that the Gluttonous Authority only applied to things that could literally be eaten, and that whatever I consumed was linked to a separate space rather than my actual stomach. The limitation to edible items wasn't particularly disappointing. If it could swallow incoming spells or tear apart space to ignore defenses, there was no way it would be only 3-star. That would be 5-star territory.
As for the part about connecting to a separate space instead of my stomach… I could simply think of it as an increase in how much I could eat. Once I reached a certain level of fullness, everything I ate afterward was stored in a subspace connected to my stomach rather than filling my actual belly. Thanks to that, I could now eat several times more than usual, and since digestion continued inside the subspace, my overall efficiency had improved dramatically.
It was like running my stomach on dual cores. In a way, this was the effect that suited the name Gluttonous Stomach the best.
“Burp.”
I let out a belch that smelled of mixed mana and recovery herbs before standing up. I had done everything I could inside the room. The rest would have to be handled outside.
Knock knock knock.
“Elly. Are you awake?”
It was still early morning, so the shop probably wasn't open yet. Instead of heading downstairs, I knocked on Elly's door. Soon after, a flustered voice answered.
“Huh? Y-yeah! I'm up! What's going on?”
“I just woke up, so I thought I'd say good morning and hear your voice for a bit. Can I come in?”
“Ah, no!”
Elly's panicked shout. I heard the sound of her scrambling over, and the door that had been slightly ajar slammed shut with a heavy thud.
…Strange. Normally she wouldn't care whether I came in or not. If anything, she usually seemed happy when I entered her room.
“Elly? You're not going to open the door today?”
“It's, um, ah, right! Clothes! I'm changing, so I'm naked! Even I would be embarrassed if you saw me like that, Yona.”
“What? That's all? Then I'll just take mine off too. It'll be less embarrassing if we're both in the same boat!”
“T-together?!”
Her voice cracked with excitement. The anticipation practically overflowed from it… but Elly gritted her teeth and refused.
“…Even so, not right now.”
“Hmm.”
This was different from her usual tone. Normally it felt like she was genuinely disappointed and would sneak in a touch if given the chance, but held back due to moral or practical reasons, plus a lack of confidence because she was still a virgin…
But this time, I could sense a strong determination that she absolutely could not reveal herself to me.
Early morning… flustered voice… desperately keeping the door shut….
Wait a second?!
“Elly. Did you cheat on me?”
“Huh?”
“While I was sleeping, did you perhaps bring another man into your room…”
“That's not it, you damn cheeky brat! What the hell are you saying!”
“Then why won't you open the door! It must be because you can't show me! If it's not a man, then maybe a woman… No wonder you and Rydia seemed so close. Rydia x Elly, I ship it.”
“I don't know about anything else, but that one's definitely not true?! Don't say such disgusting things!”
“Then there's no reason to hide it from me! Don't you know that a married couple is one body and one heart?!”
“First of all, we're not married. Second, even if we were one body, that doesn't mean we have to share every secret. And finally, I've never heard that saying before!”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, that was an idiom from my previous life, so it wouldn't be strange if it didn't exist on this continent. The part about not having to share every secret also stung a little. After all, I was hiding plenty of things from Elly too.
After a brief moment of thought, I let out a long sigh.
“Fine. I won't ask you to open the door. …But can't you at least tell me why you're trying to hide from me?”
“…Okay. But you can't laugh after you hear it, got it?”
“I have no idea what could possibly make you emphasize it that much, but alright. I promise.”
“Really?”
“Of course. When have I ever made fun of you, Elly?”
“Now that you mention it, you never have. Even though I've shown you quite a few embarrassing sides, Yona.”
Elly let out a small chuckle. After a brief pause, she spoke carefully.
“The truth is… I'm wearing the underwear you gave me right now.”
“What?”
“I-I mean, it was a gift, right? I thought it would be rude to just shove it in a corner because I was embarrassed. I should at least try it on once. …And I was curious about your tastes too.”
“…….”
Oh my god. She actually wore it?
Honestly, I hadn't expected her to put it on right away. After all, it was see-through, a T-back that left her ass completely exposed, and the front was split so it didn't cover the important parts at all! The top was the same—split down the middle to deliberately reveal the tips. It was underwear created purely for sex appeal.
In other words, by the standards of women in this world, it was a pretty grotesque design. I figured she might wear it someday, but only after I begged persistently or if there was some merit that made the shame worth it.
But the very next day? And for the reason that I had given it to her, because she wanted to know my tastes? This… this was true love.
“Elly. I'm taking back what I just said. Can't you please open the door?”
“Why?!”
“I want to see you.”
“I don't want to show you!”
“Then marry me!”
“Isn't that choice a little weird?!”
Elly sounded completely flustered. Seeing how she was still firmly gripping the doorknob, she had no intention of backing down. I shrugged and offered a compromise.
“If you hate the idea that much, I guess there's no helping it. Just show me your face. Only your face. That's fine, right?”
“Just my face?”
“Yes. Hide your body behind the door and just peek your head out. You can manage that much, can't you?”
“…Wait a moment.”
A small sound of deep breathing. Then the door slowly opened. Elly really did only stick her face through the gap, her expression flushed bright red as if it would burst.
“I-is this enough?”
She couldn't meet my eyes. Her perked wolf ears were twitching busily.
I took in every detail slowly but surely, burning it into my memory. Then I rose onto my tiptoes. Toward Elly's cheek.
Chu.
“…Eh?”
Elly's dazed voice. I felt just as disconnected from reality, but the softness lingering on my lips and her unique scent reminded me it wasn't a dream.
A half-impulsive kiss on the cheek. But I had no regrets…!
“I'll settle for this much today. Ah, and this is a gift.”
“Huh? Uh, yeah…”
Elly stared blankly at the book I handed her. It was nothing special—just a novel that had come from yesterday's pulls. It was labeled a masterpiece, so I had been curious, but it turned out to be erotica.
For Sale: Fallen Young Master. Never Used.
What a unique title. Honestly, it was entertaining, but since it was a gender-reversal version, it wasn't to my taste. How was I supposed to get immersed in a story where the female protagonist bought various male slaves and ravaged them, or slept with fallen seniors, professors, or even gods?
If it had been For Sale: Fallen Young Lady. Never Used. I would have devoured it immediately and screamed that it was a god-tier novel from every direction. Still, to Elly, who was born and raised in this world, it would definitely be an incredible erotic novel.
“Since this is a gift too, think of it as coming from me and enjoy it, okay?”
“I-I will?”
Still not fully recovered, she nodded with a dazed expression and accepted the book. But to take it, she had to reach out her hand. I grabbed the hand that poked through the gap and pulled it straight into my clothes.
Squish.
Elly's rough fingers touched my still-soft belly that hadn't properly gained muscle yet.
“Grrrrr?!”
I grinned at Elly, who had forgotten human language and was now making beast-like noises.
“I did say this is as far as we go today… but if it really ends there, it feels a bit cold, doesn't it? So consider this a service.”
“……!!”
Elly's mouth hung wide open. I leisurely admired the way her tongue twitched inside before releasing her hand and stepping back.
“Then I'll head out for a bit since I have some business! Keep up the good work today, Elly!”
I waved and quickly dashed down the stairs.
“#?&!@&#$”
Elly's delayed, incomprehensible scream echoed loudly behind me.