Do You Really Distrust Me That Much?
The exact layout of my new home was simple enough. There was my caravan, with another parked a short distance away, and the rest of the lot was packed with caravans lined up in neat, orderly rows. The space between the vehicles served as my yard. More specifically, an awning extended from the side of my trailer like a makeshift roof, and whatever ground fell beneath its shadow was considered my domain—roughly enough room to park another caravan with plenty of space to spare.
Out in this yard sat an outdoor dining table and chairs, a barbecue grill, a garbage bin, and a tree stump with a hand ax inexplicably wedged into it. I had to assume the ax was mine. All sorts of random junk was cluttered against the caravan's exterior as well—sacks filled with mysterious contents leaning against the hull, and an honest-to-god feed trough, the long, hollowed-out wooden kind used for livestock. I'd only ever seen troughs like that in documentaries, so seeing one in real life was quite an experience. Between that and the interior layout, it was clearly never meant for long-term living; it felt more like a campsite where a group of friends might crash for a weekend getaway.
[Rough concept reference.]
"Girls."
The moment I pulled open the door, Sayoko, Jessica, and Mirele were already waiting in their respective postures of complete submission: a dogeza, a kneeling bow, and a full five-point prostration.
"Welcome back, Master. Sayoko has been waiting for your return with bated breath♡."
"You're back! I mean—welcome home! You're not tired, are you? My neck was practically stretching out waiting for you!"
"W-Welcome home, Master. Mirele was preparing to wash Master's feet! I won't make a mess of it like I did this morning, so if you would only grant me the chance..."
Having three gorgeous women submit to me so thoroughly was certainly an ego boost, but... knowing they were only groveling because they feared for their very lives took the fun out of it. It just made me feel guilty.
"Come on, guys. You don't have to keep torturing yourselves like that."
"Oh, goodness, no. It is merely the basic etiquette for welcoming our Master."
"I'm telling you, it isn't necessary. And besides, could you move aside first?"
They were practically barricading the threshold, leaving me no room to even step inside.
At my words, the women scrambled in a panic. Sayoko clumsily crawled up onto my bed, while Jessica and Mirele retreated down the caravan's narrow hallway.
"I don't know why you all freaked out so much over the photos earlier..."
All three flinched at the mention of it.
First, I gently took Sayoko's hand, then Jessica's. Both were soft and warm.
"Since it clearly distresses you, I won't pry. If you don't want your pictures taken, I won't force you. And as for throwing you away... I have no intention of ever doing that, so stop worrying. Got it?"
Mirele had been pushed behind Jessica, putting her hand out of reach. Instead, I reached over and stroked her hair. Pat, pat.
"Mirele, you said you wanted to wash my feet? Have you been agonizing over bumping into my foot this whole time?"
Seeing her pupils quake with anxiety, I quickly added, "Thank you, but I'm completely fine after what happened earlier, so let's just forget about it, all right?"
Strictly speaking, it was my fault for kicking her by accident, meaning I ought to be the one begging for forgiveness. But doing that would only cause more complications, so it was better to brush it under the rug.
"...Yes, Master."
I looked down at Sayoko, Jessica, and Mirele in turn. My sincerity seemed to have gotten through; the tension that had stiffened their faces softened considerably.
"...Fufu. Sayoko is astonished by Master's benevolence once again today. I can only marvel at your grace and offer my deepest gratitude."
Speaking in her usual polite cadence, Sayoko dropped back into a dogeza. The gaping slit of her kimono parted as the fabric draped forward, offering a tantalizing flash of pale thigh.
The moment she bowed, Jessica threw her arms around my leg, rubbing her cheek affectionately against my shin.
"Really? For real? You're definitely not throwing me away, right?"
Good lord.
To have a stunner like her rubbing her face against my leg, begging me not to abandon her with just the right touch of charming coyness rather than pathetic desperation... With my handsome face, I'd always thought something like this might happen to me someday, but experiencing it firsthand felt... honestly amazing. The soft pressure against my leg was wonderful, but the sheer sense of satisfaction was even better.
Turns out I'm really into this kind of thing.
"Why must Senior Jessica constantly doubt Master and demand confirmation? Why can you not place your faith in Master's promise, which carries the weight of a mountain? Could it be that you harbor insolent thoughts?"
"Hey! When did I say I doubted him?! Mirele, why are you always trying to frame me like some kind of rebel?!"
"My apologies, Jessica. I'm afraid I had a similar thought to Mirele's~. I was merely concerned that you were bothering Master, but it seems I was mistaken."
Apparently unaware that I was actually enjoying Jessica's cheek-rubbing, Mirele and Sayoko leaped straight into their usual UFC match to drag her down. Or wait—did they step in precisely because they saw I was enjoying it? It was a bit of a shame to have the moment interrupted, but whatever; there would be plenty of chances to soak up affection like that later.
"You two, seriously...! Hey, move! Back up, back up! Master is coming through!"
Even in the middle of their squabbling, Jessica and Mirele scrambled backward to clear a path the second I took a step forward. At the end of the day, they were just females competing for my favor... Wait, that phrasing sounded terrible. They were women trying to win my affection.
Mirele scowled intensely as Jessica's skirt and luscious backside bumped right into her face—a scene that was both erotic and hilarious.
I rummaged through the fridge for something to drink. Water, mealtime beer, drinking beer, children's beer, date palm cola, pomegranate juice. Grabbing the pomegranate juice, I settled down into one of the dining chairs inside the caravan.
As I sat there gulping it down, the sows crawled over to the foot of the table like puppies begging at dinnertime, gazing up at me with wide, expectant eyes.
"Do you want some too?"
"If Master would bestow sweet water upon me, Sayoko would be overjoyed. It would quench my thirst with your pure mercy."
"M-Me! Me first! I'm super thirsty!"
"I-I am fine. Mirele knows her place; Mirele is a good, praiseworthy sow who harbors no greed."
"My goodness, Mirele. How can you claim such a thing with your lips while sticking out your tongue so shamelessly? You will trouble Master♡."
"Do you think acting humble makes you better than everyone else? Hilarious."
"That wasn't what I meant..."
Calling it a stuck-out tongue was an exaggeration, but Mirele's lips were indeed parted like a parched puppy's. Her chronically wronged expression, glistening eyes, flushed cheeks beaded with sweat, and slightly opened mouth lent her an oddly sensual charm.
I switched on the air conditioner, which blew out refreshingly cold air surprisingly well.
"Then Mirele will drink with us too."
"Y-Yes...! Thank you, Master!"
Watching her bow her head over and over, I found her rather cute—and felt a slight urge to tease her. Not in the sense of driving her into a mental breakdown like earlier, of course, but just playful teasing to see her pout.
"Now, where are the cups..."
The sink sat directly across from the table. As I started to get up, Sayoko and Jessica were quick on the uptake, hopping up to fetch some cups. Mirele tried to stand too, but being blocked behind Jessica, she couldn't reach the sink at all.
There were only three cups in total, counting the one I was already holding. Hmm. Washing another one sounds like a hassle.
"You three. Play rock-paper-scissors."
I expected them to be confused, but they immediately threw down their hands. The winners were Jessica and Mirele; the loser was Sayoko.
"Oh, my. I lost♡."
Dropping back onto all fours, Sayoko looked up at me with an alluring smile, her hips swaying ever so slightly.
"Fufu, I wonder what thrilling punishment Master has in store for this sow? Sayoko is prepared to gladly endure whatever discipline you see fit to grant me♡."
"Gross." Jessica pouted.
I refilled my own cup with pomegranate juice and held it out toward Sayoko.
"We're short on cups, so you take the one I was using."
"...Excuse me?"
Sayoko blinked. Jessica and Mirele fell silent as well.
"You wish me to use a cup? One touched by Master's own lips, no less... How could someone like me dare?"
"Don't want it? I can wash a new one for you then."
"N-No! There is no way I could dislike it! In fact, it is more like a reward... Ah, no, what I mean is—!"
"Master? Why must you go out of your way to offer a cup to Senior Sayoko?" Mirele chimed in while Sayoko was flustered.
I tilted my head. "If you don't use a cup, what else are you supposed to do? Mouth-feed you?"
"Whaaat?!" Jessica flushed bright red.
"S-Such an outrageous suggestion!"
Sayoko's voice raised in shock before she hurriedly and demurely fanned her heated cheeks. Even so, the distinct look of anticipation lingering in her eyes was a bit overwhelming.
Mirele was the only one who answered calmly, almost casually.
"Is it not customary to serve sows their sustenance in dog bowls or the feed trough? Since Senior Sayoko lost, if you intended to punish her, you could simply pour it onto the floor and have her lap it up."
My jaw dropped.
Yet not only Mirele, but Jessica and even Sayoko herself nodded along as if that were the most natural thing in the world.
Having no other choice, I sighed.
"...Just enjoy it from a cup like normal people. Here, drink from the cups."
I handed a cup to each of them. No wonder there were hardly any drinking glasses near the sink, but a suspicious abundance of stainless steel dog bowls. When I thrust the cups toward them, the women on all fours startled before extending their forepaws—no, wait, what am I saying, forepaws? Their dainty hands—to take them.
"Thank you, Master..."
Even so, the three women hesitated, stealing cautious glances at my face between nervous sips. Having too strong of a slave mentality really was its own kind of headache.
"I'm not going to eat you, so just drink up. Don't go choking on it from being nervous. And also..."
As they flinched as if waiting for the other shoe to drop, I asked, "You're probably getting hungry, right? What do you want to eat for dinner?"
Time for food. I was starving.
"Ghack!"
"Cough, cough!"
"Hiiik...!"
...Why the hell were they violently choking on their drinks all of a sudden?
"D-Did you just ask us what we wanted to eat? But why?!" Mirele pressed, sounding thoroughly bewildered.
Before answering, I racked my brain trying to recall what I used to feed them in the game. What was it again...?
...Right, I just dumped basic dry pellets into their trough with a couple of mouse clicks.
I seemed to recall an interaction where you could toss them a scrap of pizza crust while eating your own meal. Or was that a different scenario? The starter scenario had essentially functioned as a tutorial, so I'd barely spent any time playing it.
"If you ask me why... just because?"
Their faces showed zero comprehension. My brain scrambled to come up with a logical justification.
"I wanted to get you whatever you felt like eating. Eating nothing but dry pellets must have been rough on you all this time, and I felt bad about making you cry earlier. Today, I'm treating you to whatever you want."
"Rough? On us? Ara ara~♡, whatever do you mean? You have always provided us with nutritious feed that costs far more than our own worthless lives, and Sayoko is eternally grateful. There is truly no need to trouble yourself seeking out different fodder."
"Yeah! And besides, I didn't cry! It was only Mirele and Sayoko bawling their eyes out!"
"Girls."
"I apologize!"
"Hiiik!"
"Mirele didn't say anything!"
At my single word, all three instantly planted their foreheads against the floorboards in their own respective styles, shivering with terror.
...Talk about being scared of their own shadows. At this point, did they really distrust me that much?
Granted, the game was originally designed for players to revel in having women tremble before them, but having them cower at every single breath I took was getting a bit tiresome. Human nature really is fickle.
"I'm not talking about buying different pellets. I'm talking about ordering real food."
I pulled out my smartphone and slapped it onto the table.
"What kind of food do you like? Sushi? Hamburgers?"
"..."
Forgive me. That was the extent of my knowledge regarding Japanese and American cuisine.
...Come on, girls, say something. The silence is killing me here.
Should I have named something less cliché? What do women in Japan or America usually like to eat? Do they like pasta and stuff just like back home?
While they exchanged nervous looks, Sayoko cautiously lifted her head.
"...You intend to bestow food fit for humans upon us?"
"Yeah. It's not like you don't know what it tastes like."
Because they had once been human.
Naturally, they would have eaten real meals in the past and would have their own favorite dishes. But pointing that out directly would only trigger another breakdown or force them into self-flagellating chants of "I am not human," so I deliberately phrased it gently.
Sayoko, Jessica, and Mirele all fell into heavy silence.
"Look, it's not like this is the first time I've tossed you human food, right? I've given you pizza crusts before. This time, I'm just letting you pick what you want to eat. And I'll be eating with you, of course."
Only after hearing that did they seem to tentatively accept the idea. Though I worried they had somehow misunderstood and assumed I was merely offering them whatever scraps I left behind...
I opened the delivery app on my phone. The interface matched the game perfectly.
Most of the menus featured bizarre Assyrian dishes I had never heard of in my life, but there were also generic options like burgers, along with dishes resembling Korean food categorized under 'local cuisine.' For reasons unknown, there were even certified Halal options, as well as Mandaean and Yazidi certified badges on certain restaurants.
Wait, Halal?
Come to think of it, Mirele was Jewish.
"Hold on. Mirele."
"Y-Yes, Master."
"Do you need to eat kosher food?"
At those words, Mirele froze solid.