Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Journey (2)
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The atmosphere at the academy had grown considerably more relaxed.
It was a time when those who wanted to play, played, and those who wanted to go home, went.
With no schedule for the time being, it was practically a vacation.
Though it was only for ten days, we could extend it as long as we wanted.
It was a strict meritocracy.
The higher your rank, the more privileges you were afforded.
B-rank students and below had to adhere to the period precisely.
A-ranks were often given some leeway, but S-ranks had almost no mandatory rules.
-We’re going to this place to do this. Just so you know.
And that would be enough to get it approved.
Of course, you had to provide a plausible reason.
Luciel, befitting a Saintess, would be doing missionary work.
Baken and Crow, seeking to grow stronger, would be on a warrior’s pilgrimage…
Far from being discouraged, such individual activities were actually encouraged.
Anyway.
We, too, belonged to that privileged class.
With Aruru and Esterize on our side, we could get away with just about anything.
“We all plan to visit Aruru’s hometown. We’ll hunt a large monster on the way. The ultimate goal is to strengthen our camaraderie… This should be enough, right?”
“…”
The princess drafted the document in an instant.
Putting aside the content, her handwriting was far too elegant.
Its grace seemed to proclaim that she had received a high-class education.
If you’re going to hide your identity, at least do it properly!
Well, revealing these clumsy sides of herself was part of her charm.
“See you tomorrow!”
Tomorrow morning.
A journey filled with dreams and hope would begin.
I was really looking forward to the service… no, the events.
“…”
In truth, I didn't expect much to happen.
If it were a trip with just Ceria and me, maybe, but…
With so many of us, spotting an opportunity would be practically impossible.
But that was fine!
It would surely be better than being at the academy.
The air outside would be fresh, and the atmosphere would be more relaxed.
As night deepened.
Aruru was fussing about with all sorts of excitement.
It was so intense it brought to mind one of those notoriously chaotic breeds.
“Ugh, I’m so excited I can’t sleep!”
“…”
The familial bonds of beastkin were stronger than those of humans.
She was overflowing with energy at the thought of seeing her younger siblings soon.
I wanted to grab her and tease her.
But in her heightened state, I feared I might be the one who ended up getting overwhelmed.
I would capture her once she had calmed down enough.
Just as I was opening the Bible the Saintess had given me to do some reading that wasn't really reading, Aruru scampered over.
“Thank you. You’re really the only one.”
The girl suddenly expressed her gratitude.
She was smiling more brightly than ever before.
Hmm, was it because I paid for this trip?
“N-no, that’s not it. What I mean is…”
It was for going along with her wishes without hesitation.
She was grateful that I was investing so much time and effort into this.
My little cutie.
Have you already forgotten what kind of relationship we have?
An owner and a pet are one, but it is also a kind of transactional relationship.
I am responsible for everything concerning Aruru.
In return, she must provide me with comfort.
Do you understand now? Come on, hurry up and wag your tail.
Her daily food bill was already costing a small fortune.
So naturally, she should repay me with her body… no, with her tail.
“I’ll do something even better for you.”
She immediately leaped into my arms.
She rubbed her face against my chest as if trying to burrow into it.
It was a unique display of affection among beastkin, reserved for those they considered family.
This wasn’t bad, but it was, by all accounts, for her own satisfaction.
“This isn’t the end. I’ve prepared an even hotter reward.”
“—?”
Her voice tickled my ear.
The girl made a proposal I never would have expected.
“It’s a special trip, so you must want to do some naughty things with your lover, right?”
“W-well…”
I couldn’t deny it.
But admitting it frankly felt a bit strange, too.
“Whenever an opportunity arises, I’ll discreetly make myself scarce. Leave Esterize to me.”
As if she had read my mind.
She gave a cute wink with one eye.
My little cutie.
Have you finally matured?
I couldn’t believe how thoughtful she was.
Seeing her earn her keep was incredibly endearing.
“In exchange, tonight is…”
“You want me to play with you to your heart’s content?”
“Yep!”
I could already picture what was to come.
I would probably lose Aruru to the other two girls.
There wouldn’t be any time to play with her until the trip was over.
A short while later.
After a long time spent giggling and laughing, she finally seemed to reach her limit, crying out as if screaming.
“Aah, I’m ruined for marriage now!”
“…”
I couldn’t fall for those words.
She was just throwing out provocative lines to fluster me.
My little cutie only fell asleep after a frenzied night.
* * *
The next morning.
All the members of our travel party gathered in the central plaza.
I had rummaged through my room and dressed in something suitable.
Since the clothes hanger was top-notch, anything I wore looked good.
The same went for Ceria.
Her attire was both practical and stylishly feminine.
Her school uniform suited her well, but she looked just as beautiful in casual clothes.
However, she seemed displeased.
Her gaze was fixed on the princess.
Ah, I think I know why…
I had thought it was so normal for her that I almost overlooked it.
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
As if she had no idea.
She just tilted her head in confusion.
Unable to bear the frustration, Ceria finally spoke.
“That doesn’t look like travel wear, no matter how I see it.”
“This is how I always dress.”
“…”
The princess seemed determined to drive my fiancée mad.
Esterize’s fashion sense was problematic in many ways.
To put it nicely, it was a vintage style. To put it bluntly, it was shabby.
A mercenary or an adventurer…
It was that kind of outfit, which, in a word, was disheveled.
Of course, the princess’s charm managed to pull it off, but still, it was a bit much!
“I would recommend you dress in something neater.”
“I’m comfortable in this. Clothes don’t matter, do they?”
“…”
“…”
A staring contest between the girls…
Hmm, discord had already struck the party.
Objectively speaking, Ceria was right.
For the record, the theme of this trip was ‘Fun and Peaceful.’
She could have just changed into casual clothes, but she stubbornly refused.
Could it be that she didn’t have any? Surely she wasn’t so poor that she couldn’t even afford clothes?
She earned a decent amount from various jobs.
But she invested it all into rebuilding her kingdom, so she was poor.
Still, she should be able to afford a set of clothes or two, right?
Suddenly, a scene flashed through my mind.
An illustration of the princess in a short skirt, looking utterly restless…
That was it.
In her effort to act like a hero, she was losing her identity as a young woman.
That was something I could never allow.
I would have to force her into a skirt before it got any worse.
Just as I made that resolution.
Both girls looked at me simultaneously.
Each seemed to be pleading for me to take her side.
“Esterize.”
“Yeah?”
“Change into normal clothes immediately. If you refuse, we’ll leave you behind.”
“—!”
My ultimatum was met with full-body rejection.
She protested that she was the party’s workhorse and was fine as she was, but I brushed it off.
“W-wait! I didn’t want to have to say this, but…”
“You don’t have a spare set of clothes?”
“…”
“Then we’ll just have to buy you new ones.”
Hmph, you might as well kill me!
She scowled with that exact sentiment.
To think she’d hate the idea of me buying her clothes.
It was a clear sign that her girlish sensibilities had withered.
After a bit of a squabble, she finally yielded to my threats and persuasion.
Dressing up the princess.
I delegated that authority to Ceria.
“As soon as we arrive in the city, we’re going to a shop first. Understood?”
“…”
The princess’s shoulders slumped.
For some reason, she reminded me of an abandoned puppy.
“The same goes for you, Aruru.”
“—?”
Our little cutie, dressed in her school uniform, flinched.
What? I’m not shabby like someone else!
Her eyes seemed to convey that rebuttal, but she quickly shrugged.
Free stuff is always welcome.
If you buy me clothes, I’ll gratefully wear them.
Unlike the princess, she was simply delighted.
Soon, we passed through the gate connected to a large city.
After a brief verification process, we emerged onto the street.
For reference, the fee to use the gate was quite expensive.
As a result, not many people used it.
Well, academy students received a discount, so the burden was less for us.
City A -> City B -> City C -> Travel by carriage.
It was a bit complicated due to the gate’s travel distance limitations, but it couldn’t be helped.
Still, this was better.
Without the gates, it would have been dreadful.
Upon entering the bustling downtown area, we saw several clothing stores.
We entered one that specialized in women’s apparel.
“Welcome!”
A petite clerk gave a deep bow.
As you could tell from her long ears, she was a rabbit beastkin.
Beastkin seemed to be in charge of being the cuties of this world.
They often appeared as innkeepers, restaurant staff, and the like.
“What kind of clothes are you looking for…?”
“I’m here to buy clothes for myself!”
“A cute fox lady, I see. I’ll show you the way right now.”
Aruru trotted after the clerk.
We stood where we were, watching them quietly.
“…”
Should I call it adorable?
The cuteness of the two beastkin stirred something within a human.
“Here, these are the most popular items lately. Would you like to try them on?”
With skillful salesmanship, she drew us in.
Suddenly, a fashion show for our little cutie began.
Starting with casual wear and ending with dresses…
Judging by the clerk’s cheerful demeanor, she seemed to be enjoying it too.
“Wow, that looks amazing on you! I expected it, but I never thought it would be this good…”
She poured out all sorts of compliments.
She wore a business smile, but her words weren’t empty flattery.
“How is it? Do I look overflowing with feminine charm?”
The girl struck various poses in front of me.
I couldn’t say much about her charm as a woman, but I was simply delighted.
The uniform version was cute.
But her appearance in a dress was also quite fantastic.
As a smile naturally formed on my face, my eyes met Ceria’s.
Nod, nod…
We nodded at the same time.
We had read each other’s thoughts with just a glance.
Our minds were perfectly in sync.
We decided to buy all the clothes Aruru had tried on.
It seemed like it would be fun to play dress-up with her like a doll.
“We’ll take all of them.”
“—!”
The clerk was astonished by Ceria’s spending…
She might have even been the owner. Hmm, there was no way to tell.
“Ah, that’s too much! I don’t need that many.”
Aruru waved her hands, perhaps out of guilt.
But such meager willpower couldn’t sway my decision.
“You wear the ones you like, and give the rest to your younger siblings. I was planning on getting them gifts anyway.”
I didn’t know how old her siblings were.
But the build of beastkin was more or less the same.
They were all small, and obesity was a foreign concept to their race, so the clothes would fit perfectly.
“Oh, right. Gifts…”
As if wondering why she had only just remembered.
She tapped her head and looked at me with a warm gaze.
“Jace, you’re so kind. I really didn’t expect you to think of my siblings too.”
Ugh, you’re so thoughtful it’s driving me crazy!
With that feeling, she clung to me.
I stroked her head and said.
“What do they usually like? If possible, I’d like to get them that…”
“Delicious food?”
I knew it.
I would have to prepare a ton of snack gift sets.
Then they would surely shower me with all sorts of affection.
Five little cuties who looked just like Aruru.
What would it feel like to be surrounded by them?
As I drifted into a happy delusion.
Ceria and the princess picked out some clothes and entered the fitting room.
Since she kept hesitating, it seemed Ceria was going to force her to try them on.
The strongest hero candidate being dragged around by an A-rank…
“Hmm, now that I’ve stripped you, you have quite a nice figure.”
“Wh-what are you saying!”
“Though not as good as mine.”
“—?”
The two girls bickered for a good while.
A woman’s grooming takes time.
I spent the time productively.
By befriending the clerk, I was able to touch her rabbit ears.
Wait, she’s letting me do this?
From the looks of it, this body of mine seemed to have something that lowered the guard of beastkin.
“You bought so much, after all.”
“Ah?”
So it was a service?
Wow, this place has great business sense.
“Of course, it’s also because the customer is handsome… well, something like that.”
“…”
I couldn’t tell how much of that was sincere.
I’d have to check every time I met a beastkin from now on.
A moment later, Esterize emerged, dressed up like a girl.
Yes, this was it.
Just at a glance, her girlish charm had increased by about 300%.
A matching blouse and skirt.
Ceria’s fashion sense had certainly played a part, but she would have looked pretty in anything.
“H-how is it?”
She watched me with a look of desperate longing.
She wasn’t my lover, but since I was the only man here, I should give her my impression…
“Wait! Don’t say anything!”
“…”
Not only did her face turn bright red.
As if feeling exposed below, she pressed down on her skirt with both hands.
Aah, that’s something a man forced to cross-dress would do!
To protect her gender identity.
I used every means at my disposal.
I mobilized all my power and even borrowed the clerk’s hands.
“Alright, I get it! I’ll wear it, okay!”
I had barely managed to achieve a precious victory.
I felt incredibly proud, as if I had saved a young maiden.