Bound for Depel
It was time to carry out the plan I had originally set in motion.
The distance was not far, and it did not seem likely to take long, so I packed light for a simple overnight trip of one night and two days.
In truth, my luggage amounted to little more than the assassin's garb I had brought just in case; nothing else of real importance.
My most recent visit had been on the very first day after enrollment, when the hideout was swept away by the Deretia family. Back then I had needed to stay out of sight, so I had run through the night in secret. This time, though, I had time to spare, and I decided to make the journey at a leisurely pace by carriage.
Clunk!
Unlike the outrageously expensive magic carriages I had ridden when visiting my friends' mansions, this cheap one—wedged in among a merchant caravan and shared with strangers—jolted with every bump, the shock traveling straight up through my backside.
Realizing I was already missing my friends' carriages, I had no choice but to admit I had become quite the snob.
I was consoling myself with the thought that the distance was short enough that I would not have to endure it for long when I felt someone's gaze on me.
The carriage itself was not spacious; counting me, there were only four passengers inside. My senses never lied, so I lifted my head to find the source of that stare.
There was nothing to search for. The moment I raised my eyes, they locked with those of the person watching me. The woman seated directly across was staring at me without the slightest pretense of subtlety.
I tried to dismiss it as a fleeting glance and ignore her, but her gaze refused to leave me. That blatant, unblinking stare was uncomfortable. Rather than pick an unnecessary fight, I simply furrowed my brow, silently conveying my displeasure at being ogled.
The woman opposite me paid my expression no mind at all. Instead she grinned, rose from her seat, and came to sit right beside me.
The carriage was already cramped, and with luggage piled in it felt even tighter. When she squeezed in next to me, the space became downright stifling. The man who had been sitting beside me, scribbling something, frowned at her behavior, stood up, and moved to the seat she had vacated so he could continue his work.
"Miss. You're not from Depel, are you? What brings you there?"
This woman I had never met before today—someone who had simply happened to board the same carriage—showed not a shred of manners as she pressed her ample chest firmly against my arm while speaking.
No matter how beautiful she might be, and even if my mind was still that of a man, I was not the sort to feel instant goodwill toward someone who behaved so suddenly and rudely.
Instead of answering, I lifted my hips slightly and shifted as far away as the narrow seat would allow. Undeterred by my frown or my retreat, she closed the distance again the moment I moved.
"Hehe. What a cute little thing. You look young at a glance—how old are you?"
It was almost laughable hearing a woman who did not appear much older than me speak that way, yet her actions were anything but amusing. Ignoring her words and scooting away once or twice brought me to the very end of the seat; there was nowhere left to go.
I was still debating whether to stand up and snap at her when her behavior grew bolder still.
Swoosh.
"Kya!"
Even though I was wearing pants, the hand sliding up my thigh startled a cry out of me, and I glared at her.
"Hey, keep it down."
The man who had changed seats muttered irritably and returned to his work.
"What kind of rude behavior is this?"
I scolded her in a voice lowered so the man would not overhear.
"Come on, aren't you overreacting? We're both women. We've still got time until Depel, so I just wanted to get a little friendly."
Her completely casual tone made me briefly wonder whether putting a hand on another woman's thigh was simply ordinary skinship between girls. Then I remembered how Yurina or Celian would sometimes rest a hand on my thigh without a second thought, and it did seem that this level of contact was perfectly normal among women.
"You're being impolite. It makes me uncomfortable, so please stop."
Even ordinary gestures only made sense between people who already shared some closeness.
"Aw, don't be so sensitive. You look so young—how old are you really?"
Despite my refusal, she kept her hand on my thigh and simply continued talking. There was no further contact, and we still had about an hour until Depel. I figured if I just played along a little she might settle down, so I finally opened my mouth.
"...I'm eighteen."
"Wow! Even more of a baby than I thought!"
Hearing her call me a baby with a face that looked only a few years older was simply ridiculous. Yet when I turned my head to casually check her age, I noticed something unexpected.
Through her green hair, a pointed ear peeked out.
"Elf?"
"Hehe. Curious?"
Of course I was. Elves were fewer in number than humans and, thanks to their closed-off nature, rarely encountered. That explained why she had been calling me young. From the perspective of a race that lived for centuries, an eighteen-year-old like me would look like a snot-nosed child.
I had no idea how old the elf in front of me actually was. I doubted she had lived for hundreds of years, but I could not be certain. Watching a member of the so-called mysterious race behave like some middle-aged lecher made my illusions about elves crumble in real time.
"Hmm? Curious about these ears?"
She lifted a hand and brushed her hair back, fully revealing the pointed elf ears. Answering would somehow feel like losing, so I stayed silent, but my expression must have given everything away; she grinned.
"Want to touch them once?"
A tempting offer. When else would I ever get the chance to touch an elf's ears? She had freely groped my thigh, so this much should be fair, right?
"Then... just once."
Making excuses to myself, I slowly reached toward her ear.
"Ears are sensitive, so be gentle, okay?"
My fingers approached the pointed tip and lightly pinched it.
"Hahk!"
Startled by her sudden cry, I yanked my hand back at once. The man across the way shot us a brief glare before returning to his work; the other woman beside him watched us in silence, her face flushed.
"A little more... gently, please?"
Her voice had grown somehow softer than before, which was a bit embarrassing, but my curiosity about elf ears won out. Since she had said they were sensitive, I placed my fingers more carefully this time, moving slowly over the curve of her ear.
"Hau..."
Fortunately she did not make another loud sound. I gently bent the tip, rubbed it between my fingers, exploring the texture of an elf's ear. After a while I realized that, aside from the point, it was not so different from a human ear. Once that sank in, my interest faded.
Curiosity satisfied, I lowered my hand, only to find the silence awkward. I had no idea what to say. The one who broke it was the elf herself, still catching her breath.
"Hehe. Well then, since you touched my ears too, that means we're friends now, right?"
She stroked my thigh more openly than before, but she did not cross any further lines, so I did not stop her. Apparently that was enough for her; until we reached our destination she simply kept caressing my thigh in silence.
"Nice meeting you. I don't know why you came to Depel, but let's meet again if we get the chance."
"...I doubt there'll be any reason to."
Only after we arrived did the elf finally lift her hand from my thigh. She offered the farewell as she stepped down from the carriage. We had grown a little closer than at the start, yet she remained just as burdensome. I planned to stay in Depel only today and tomorrow—two days at most—so there was no chance we would meet again.
The other woman from the carriage seemed to be her companion; the two of them walked side by side into the city. Then the elf turned back as if she had something left to say and approached me once more. She pressed close, bringing her lips to my ear, and whispered in a soft, conspiratorial voice.
"Elf ears are sensitive erogenous zones, so next time touch them a little more gently."
While I was still reeling from that remark, she darted back to her companion's side. Then her hand clamped firmly onto the woman's backside, and the woman nestled against her as if melting into her embrace as they walked on.
No—isn't this a complete crazy psycho lesbian bitch?!