Aurora (2)
The fight that broke out in the underground colosseum a few days ago quickly turned into a city-wide rumor.
As I walked down the street, it felt like every other person was chatting about what had happened there. Since I’m a rabbit beastman, my ears picked it up even more clearly, but even if I’d been human, it would’ve been impossible to miss how the entire district was buzzing with the same topic.
That’s how big the story had gotten.
After all, someone had set a spectacular fire in the city’s premier entertainment venue. It was only natural that people couldn’t stop talking about it.
The only problem was, the details floating around were quite far from the truth.
“Someone said it was arson on purpose.”
“Wasn’t it just some crazy guy who lost money and flipped out?”
“Honestly, I’ve wanted to burn that place down myself at least once.”
“Ever since that day, my oppa hasn’t appeared in the colosseum! What if he got hurt?”
“First of all, that gladiator isn’t your oppa. And the reason he’s not appearing is because the colosseum isn’t even open.”
“Who cares about that?! The real problem is that I can’t see my oppa anymore!”
“You’re seriously insane…”
Some people talked about the fire itself, while others gossiped about the people who worked at the colosseum.
Surprisingly, almost no one mentioned the existence of the underground colosseum. Everyone had already suspected as much. No one really believed a place called a “colosseum” was just hosting peaceful, friendly matches with laughter and cheers.
Even so, there wasn’t a single rumor about corpses being found at the scene, or traces of black magic being discovered.
They hadn’t even tried to hide the signs of battle, so anyone with half a brain should’ve noticed something. Yet none of those details were spreading.
In other words… someone was actively suppressing the information.
There could be any number of reasons.
This world didn’t have anything like “the public’s right to know,” so maybe they simply saw no need to tell people. Or perhaps they worried that revealing black mages had been operating so close by would frighten the citizens.
It could also be something I couldn’t even imagine.
I had no idea what the real reason was, but I could only hope it wasn’t bad for us.
With that thought in mind, I kept walking.
◆
Senos General Store.
It wasn’t quite on a main road, but it wasn’t exactly a back alley either. There was a decent amount of foot traffic…
Wait. I feel like I’ve said this exact thing a few times already.
Hmm… I can’t remember exactly how many times, but I’m pretty sure I have. Let’s just skip the location talk.
Anyway, the reason I suddenly started describing the store’s location was this:
Location is incredibly important in business. Even setting aside accessibility, if people don’t notice the shop, you won’t get customers or regulars.
In that sense, Senos’s location was hard to call good even as a polite lie.
Naturally, there weren’t many customers.
It had that “hidden gem that only locals know about” vibe. As a customer, I liked that it wasn’t crowded and checkout was fast, but for Sepia, who actually ran the place, it must’ve been incredibly stressful.
Today, though, things were a little different.
“Huh?”
Someone was loitering in front of Senos.
A man kept sneaking glances inside through the glass window.
Peeking inside? Well, that’s understandable. It wasn’t a private house—it was a store.
I knew some people felt awkward about browsing with staff watching, or felt guilty about leaving empty-handed. People’s personalities vary.
But if someone spends a full ten minutes staring through the window, suspicion starts to creep in.
From the looks of it, he didn’t seem like he was planning to buy anything.
A thief? Maybe scouting the place in advance to rob it at night?
Or… a stalker?
That actually seemed pretty plausible.
Senos General Store existed in the game too. Naturally, the owner, Sepia, had been an NPC.
You could call her a named NPC. She wasn’t on the level of heroines like Faye or Claire, but she was still far from ordinary-looking.
It wouldn’t be strange at all for her to have a stalker.
I kept my distance and carefully observed the man.
At first glance, he looked like an ordinary, decent middle-aged guy. His clothes were neat. He didn’t give off any obvious criminal vibes.
Still, judging people by appearance alone isn’t wise—whether the judgment is positive or negative.
I memorized his features and walked over.
I had no intention of suddenly accusing him of being a stalker. His behavior was just a little suspicious so far. Jumping down his throat over that would be rude.
“Hello!”
“Uh, yes? Oh, hello.”
When I greeted him with a bright smile, the man looked startled but returned the greeting properly.
He seemed surprised, but he didn’t run away immediately. That suggested he didn’t have anything to hide. My suspicion dropped a notch.
“Is the store closed today? You’ve been standing out here for a while.”
“No, it’s not. I have some circumstances, so I was just looking from outside. I’ll be going now.”
He gave a light bow and left. It was only natural to feel uncomfortable if a stranger suddenly talked to you. Leaving wasn’t strange at all.
However…
I stood in the same spot and looked through the same window he’d been staring into.
In the corner of the view, I could see the counter where Sepia would usually be dozing off. She wasn’t there right now.
I raised my suspicion level back to where it started.
In the end, I still couldn’t be sure if he was a stalker. I’d just have to tell Sepia that some suspicious guy had been hanging around.
“Excuse me~”
I gave a light greeting as I entered the general store. Of course, no one answered. Sepia wasn’t at the counter.
Hmm. Is it really healthy for a store to be completely empty with no staff…?
It made me a little worried, but I figured Sepia knew what she was doing. She was always sharp when it came to money.
What bothered me more was that she’d left the door unlocked with no one inside.
Seriously, how careless. I’d have to watch the store until she got back.
“Up we go.”
I slipped behind the counter.
From this side, I could see all sorts of things that weren’t visible from the customer area.
There was a chair to sit on, of course, plus a small table for tea time and even a board game.
It was a little sad that the board game was clearly for two players… and it looked like it had been left mid-game. I hoped it was because she’d been playing with someone else.
Just how much time did she spend behind this counter? The cushion on the chair was permanently squished into the perfect shape of a butt. If she ever decided to sell it, she probably could.
I plopped down on the chair that still carried Sepia’s butt imprint. The cushion felt completely cold. That meant she’d been gone for quite a while.
Wait… had the place already been robbed before I got here? There didn’t seem to be any empty spots on the shelves, though, so maybe not.
I swung my legs in the air as I looked around the store.
The walls, floor, and shelves were all made of wood, giving the whole place a very warm atmosphere. It really felt “pastoral.”
It reminded me of the little stationery shop near my grandma’s house in the countryside when I was a kid. They had a 100-won arcade machine there that was super fun.
I was lost in nostalgic memories when the sound of footsteps from the back door snapped me back to reality.
If it was a customer, they would’ve come through the front. So if it was the back door, then…
“I’m sorry for making you wa— huh? What the… it’s Luna?”
Of course it was Sepia.
“Hey. Long time no see.”
“I thought it was a customer. Why are you sitting there?”
Sepia smoothly ignored my nonsense. She brushed it off so naturally that I almost wondered if she hadn’t heard me.
“There’s no one watching the store. What if a thief broke in? I was keeping an eye on things for you.”
“Do I look like I’d get robbed that easily? You might not know this, but I’ve taken plenty of precautions.”
“Really? That’s a relief. But there wasn’t a single customer anyway. Is this store actually doing okay?”
“………It’s fine, okay.”
The way she subtly looked away suggested there were indeed problems. Well, she’d handle it. There wasn’t anything I could do to help anyway, considering the only retail experience I had in my past life was working part-time at a convenience store.
“Oh, right. I saw a suspicious guy hanging around nearby earlier. Are you being stalked?”
“A suspicious guy?”
“Yeah. So…”
I described the man’s appearance from memory.
Sepia’s reaction was strange.
“Ahhh…”
It was an awkward response, but not one of outright disgust.
“Wait. Do you know him?”
“Well… we’re not strangers. He’s not a bad person either. Just leave him be.”
Sepia and I chatted casually.
Like most conversations between friends, the topics bounced all over the place and the talk stretched on.
Then, I heard footsteps from the back door again.
Sepia was right here, so who could it be?
“Sepia. Someone’s coming.”
“Someone’s coming? Oh, right!”
Sepia jumped up as if she’d completely forgotten.
Almost at the same time, the back door opened.
“Owner, how long are you gonna make me wait…? I’ve decided on this one. Ring me up… huh?”
The woman who came through the back door was someone I knew.
Flowing purple hair that moved like water, sleepy half-lidded eyes, a lazy voice that lacked any motivation, and a huge chest.
It was the ‘Lazy Princess,’ Aurora Fremia.
She had been speaking to Sepia, but when she noticed me, her gaze shifted in my direction.
“You’re… Luna, right.”
“Uh, yeah.”
The sudden encounter made me stutter for a second. But that wasn’t the real reason I’d stumbled over my words.
My eyes had locked onto the product in Aurora’s hand. It was wrapped so you couldn’t see the contents, but the label on the outside clearly read:
- All-in-One Sex Slave Training Development Set
The product name was impossible to miss.