A Proposal for Official Operations

A single-use ticket for her Unique Ability — the reward I'd claimed for relieving Coco's libido.

Looking at that prize, I felt like I was finally starting to get a handle on how to put this Vitality Massage to work in this world.

One thing was certain: using a one-time ticket like this wasn't going to let me do anything particularly adventurer-like. I'd checked the reward's details before accepting it as payment for libido management, so that realization came naturally.

Being able to choose between Coco's two Unique Abilities was nice enough, but both of them had absurdly short durations. With only a minute to work with, you couldn't hunt monsters or escort a merchant caravan — you'd struggle just to protect yourself. Which meant what I needed to do to put this power to real use was obvious.

I either need to relieve her libido more often to stack up more uses, or find a way to extend the duration.

Do that, and even a single minute of extremely limited time could be put to reasonably efficient use. Of course, even then, putting on a halfway convincing adventurer act would probably take nearly ten rounds of sex — but still, having something was better than having nothing.

And honestly, I've never been that interested in playing male adventurer anyway.

Giving people massages, gradually getting closer physically, and — with someone trustworthy enough — sneaking off to do something filthy. That was a far more appealing life than risking my neck pretending to be a male adventurer. Making friends with pretty or cute adventurers at the guild, occasionally getting up to something indecent, living freely on my own terms. Personally, I liked that a lot more than the path most men in this world took — marrying into some noble house.

Besides, the massage fees I'd collected from Coco over just a few days already totaled three gold coins, so money wasn't going to be a problem for a while.

With that in mind, I simply claimed Coco's Unique Ability reward and left it banked for whenever I needed it. Just holding onto it didn't consume any time or uses. Whether I'd spend it on Aerial Leap or Physical Enhancement was a decision for later.

For today, I'll just be satisfied that I got all of Coco's values under control.

I'd driven all four of her values nearly to the floor — and in the process, I'd gotten to indulge in some thoroughly filthy fun of my own. At the very least, I couldn't deny that today had been the most enjoyable day since I'd landed in this world.

After spending the night with Coco and thoroughly working out my own desires, the next day arrived. Having finally escaped the lifelong virginity that had followed me from my previous life, I clocked in at the Adventurer's Guild with a considerably lighter heart.

"Good morning, Senior Elin!"

"Hyaaak?!"

…Hyaaak? That was kind of cute.

"B-Beor…? You're here…?"

"Ah, sorry. Did I startle you?"

"No, no. It's nice seeing you full of energy first thing in the morning. Something good happen?"

"Who knows? Not sure myself, but I'm in a great mood today."

"Well, that's good~. Let's give it our best again today, then?"

"Yes, Senior!"

I could hardly go around announcing that Coco and I had done something filthy at my place. That had been our secret little Internal Vaginal Massage, after all. Fortunately, Senior Elin wasn't the type to pry into her junior's personal business, so even when I looked unreasonably cheerful for no apparent reason, she just went along with it.

Man, the more I look at her, the prettier she gets. Not just her face — her personality, too. Everything.

If I could, I'd love to invite Senior Elin over to my place and give her a proper "lower-body massage"… but I didn't have a good enough excuse yet. With Coco, the somewhat provocative act of massaging her tail had closed the psychological distance enough that inviting her home felt relatively natural. Senior Elin and I, on the other hand, weren't nearly close enough to just drop by each other's places.

Of course, if Senior Elin ever invited me over to her empty house, I'd nod without a second thought — but I knew better than anyone that kind of convenient windfall wasn't going to fall into my lap.

Still, lately the massages have progressed to the point where I'm working her sides…

If we got a little closer and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I could start kneading her hips or her chest, maybe I could create the same kind of atmosphere I'd managed with Coco.

I was turning that over in my mind while sorting through some simple paperwork before the adventurers started filtering in, when a blonde woman coming down from the second floor called my name.

"Beor. You're in."

"Ah — yes, Guild Master!"

"Come up to my office. There's something we need to discuss regarding yesterday's events."

"…Pardon?"

Guild Master Aisia summoning me first thing in the morning, and me trailing after her up to the second floor. The way she specifically singled out "yesterday's events" set my nerves on edge for no good reason.

Did she find out I got personally involved with Coco?

Was there some internal guild rule about staff not being allowed to form private relationships with adventurers? Granted, I was probably the only male guild receptionist in this entire world, so it seemed unlikely such a rule even existed — but that didn't stop the Guild Master's summons from making me anxious.

And looking back on it, the tail massage I'd given yesterday had been a pretty provocative spectacle in its own right. Considering how Coco had reacted in front of the other adventurers, there was no way I could seriously claim it was just a normal massage.

After Coco's session ended, a fair number of female adventurers came running over asking me to massage them too.

Guild Master Aisia had stepped in and mediated well enough that it never blew up into a real scene, but it was still the kind of incident that could draw attention.

With those thoughts swirling, I stepped into her office on the second floor — the Guild Master's private chambers — and she immediately pointed a finger toward the reception sofa.

"Sit. This conversation may run a bit long for standing."

"Yes…"

I hadn't actually done anything wrong, but something about Guild Master Aisia's tone made me feel like I ought to be apologizing. I sat down obediently on the reception sofa. Before long she returned with two cups of tea and set one in front of me, so I carefully followed her lead and took a sip.

…Lemon tea? Refreshing. Nice.

"Beor."

"…Yes, Guild Master."

"What I'm about to say is merely a proposal, so don't take it too heavily. Refusing won't bring any disadvantage upon you."

"Pardon?"

The Guild Master… had a proposal?

The realization that she hadn't called me in to scold me was something of a relief, but her mention of a "proposal" naturally raised questions of its own.

"What kind of proposal?"

"…It concerns the massage you gave Coco yesterday."

"Ah — so the commotion I caused back then really was a problem…?"

"Commotion? That barely registers as a disturbance by Adventurer's Guild standards. What I'm proposing is something entirely different."

"Pardon?"

"That massage you gave Coco — have you considered operating it officially through the guild?"

"……?"

I'd been bracing myself for a reprimand over the various scenes my massages had caused, and instead Guild Master Aisia was asking whether I'd like to run the massage as an official service. I couldn't quite grasp what she meant, so I carefully watched her expression — and she proceeded ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to lay out the details ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of her proposal.

"I may not have explained myself clearly enough. When I say 'massage,' I mean the actual technique you've been performing on Elin and Coco. Not any of the… euphemistic meanings the word sometimes carries."

"I understand that much, but…"

"And in case you're worried — I have no intention of touching whatever income you earn from the massages."

"Pardon?"

"That's your personal revenue. However profit-driven our guild may be, we aren't so rotten as to covet a staff member's private earnings, so you can rest easy on that point. Your salary as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an Adventurer's Guild receptionist will continue to be paid in full, with no reductions."

"……"

Guild Master Aisia was reassuring me about things that had nothing whatsoever to do with what I was actually worried about. Wasn't it standard practice for a guild to either restrict personal side businesses among staff, or at least claim a cut of the profits? Yet here she was, assuming that was my concern and offering me a free pass — which only made my confusion grow.

"Is that really all right, Guild Master Aisia? If I'm spending time on massages, isn't that a loss for the guild?"

"…What do you mean?"

"While I'm giving massages, I can't do my actual job as a guild receptionist. That means one less pair of hands during paid working hours, so from the guild's perspective it's a—"

"…I was wondering what you were getting at. You've been fretting over something completely pointless."

"Pardon?"

Guild Master Aisia waved a hand dismissively and shut down my question in a single stroke, explaining just how meaningless my concern had been.

"A loss for the guild? It's the opposite, Beor."

"…The opposite?"

"Obviously. Your massages will be an excellent means of drawing people to our guild."