Since we now know some potential enemies may be lurking in the city, I did a quick check around the inn with my [Intuitive Mapping] and [Size Up] skills. I didn’t find anyone staying with us that would be concerning, so unless someone comes and checks in later, we should be safe here for the night. Still, as a Japanese man, it pains me to skip out on a bath, more so a mixed bath with my party, but I couldn’t risk us possibly walking into an ambush by the Duke of Demon’s Disciples. I explained that much to my party and they agreed, so when we finished dinner, I cast [Clean] on all of us to avoid going to the public bath for tonight.
By that point, the pudding I was making was ready to be refrigerated. I took what was in the oven and put them in the kitchen's shared fridge, of which I asked permission to use beforehand. On Earth, it would take a few hours before they're ready to eat, but it would take about half of that time here in Raiza. I made quite a bit, so after I shared some with my party, I'll store the rest in my [Storage] where they won't spoil. Gotta love the magic in this world.
Our party came up with plans and countermeasures for the dungeon crawl a bit before it derailed into casual chatter. The pudding was done before I realized how much time had passed, and just as I was about to get up to get them, three recognizable figures came into the inn.
“Oh, Kisaki, Roll, and Julius, you all just came back from somewhere?” I asked.
“The baths, actually, though we didn’t really get a chance to bathe,” Julius, an adventurer’s guild master from a city in the Human-Kin’s Territory, answered for the three of them, “We ran into each other when we got there, but when we stepped inside, the atmosphere was rather … heavy, especially when some of the Demons inside glared so coldly at us. Even though there were baths catered to Humans that are separated by gender, we got the sense that we weren’t welcome there. Then again, there were more Demons in this city acting hostile toward me than usual today. Is that the same for you, Kisaki?”
Kisaki, still in her motorcycle one-piece leather suit and red helmet, nodded in agreement. The enchanted chains around her torso rattled subtly, like they were ready to fight back the moment they saw the sign of assault. The mysterious girl even patted those same chains to calm it down, as if it was a pet. That has to be the cheat blessing she chose when she arrived here, if she was a Champion, of course.
"Yeah, I had almost gotten into a fight with the Devil from yesterday earlier too," I said, "We also got word that some dangerous Demons are lurking about in this city, so I'd be careful going out if I were you." I didn't think Kisaki or Julius would be weak, but I figured it would be best to warn them.
"I was considering whether to cut my time in Palocaesy short and I think you just gave me that answer, Jinma. My Transportation Crystal is charged, so I can hop back to Bomira at any time. Kisaki, you and your party are welcome to join me, free of charge.”
Kisaki shook her head and whispered something to Roll.
"Mistress said we still have some business in Palocaesy before moving on, but thank you for the offer, Mr. Julius," Roll answered before bowing her head.
"Very well," Julius said before reaching into his flashy jacket pocket and pulling out a few cards, handing one to each of us, "If either of you ever stop by Bomira, use these cards at my guild's front desk to reach me. I'd love to hear about your adventures."
"We'll keep it in mind," I said for both of us as we took the cards, "Oh, but stick around for a bit, I got a treat to share with you all."
"A treat?" Julius asked while blinking in surprise.
I then went into the kitchen and took out the chilled pudding cups, arranging the numbers I was giving out and those I would put away in my [Storage]. With the cups and disposable spoons on a tray, I carried it all out to the dining hall. Rounds of awe sounded in my group. Everyone helped themselves to a cup and spoon and eagerly took their first bite.
"Mmmm! Thish sho good!" Kalline exclaimed, forgetting her manners briefly. Even her horse ears flopped with glee.
"So delicious … my troubles are melting like the pudding in my mouth," Ren added, her tail wagging erratically.
"Mr. Jinma made this, right?! Mistress, you have to try this!" Roll urged, but Kisaki shook her head before whispering in the cute Orc's ear, "Mistress said she'll have it later, but asks if Mr. Jinma has two more to give to our new party recruits."
"Really? My congrats, then. Go ahead and give these to them and send my regards," I said, taking out two more pudding cups and spoons from my [Storage]. Kisaki nodded in thanks and put them away in the Magic Item Bag on Roll's back.
"Mm, handsome and a good cook? Jinma, your appeal is just getting higher and higher in my book," Julius said.
"Don't even think about it, I'm not interested."
"Saying that and giving such a smile afterward, how cold!" Julius exclaimed at my blunt rejection.
It didn’t take long for all of us to finish our cups, so after Julius gathered his things and checked out of the inn, we bid him off as he went back to the Human-Kin’s Territory through his Transportation Crystal. It functioned similarly to my [Portal] Null Spell, so I wondered if there were other items that seemed to play off some of the existing Null Spells in this world.
After Julius left, Kisaki wanted to speak with me alone. I didn’t know what was up, but I was curious how she’d communicate with me when Roll wasn't nearby. I had Ume and my Familiars watch after Sue before I followed Kisaki to the inn’s backyard. The sky was turning violet, and the sun was slowly disappearing into the horizon. Just to make sure, I cast [Soundproof] to keep our talk discreet.
“So, Kisaki, will I actually get to hear what your voice is like?” I asked jokingly.
Kisaki responded by pulling a smartphone from a pocket in her motorcycle suit and rapidly tapped something on the screen that my eyes couldn’t follow. She then showed me the screen.
“Nah, I figured you can settle for me speaking like this.（○゜ε＾○）”
That was Kisaki’s message on the screen, in Japanese, I might add.
“So, you really are a Champion, and a fellow Japanese, even,” I said.
Kisaki typed her next message on her smartphone, “Sorry for making this difficult for you. I have complicated reasons for keeping my voice and face hidden. m( _ _; m) ”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve been running into a lot of people with secrets like this lately,” I answered while waving a hand, “Though it’s a little suspicious, you don’t seem to be a threat, so I figured it might be safe to hear you out, or ‘read’ you out, technically speaking.”
“Thank you. I just wanted to see how you’re doing. You seem to be tense when I saw you earlier this morning, almost like this, (┛ಠДಠ)┛彡┻━┻” Kisaki said.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“... Yeah, it was an emotional morning, that’s for sure, and it got hectic after that,” I said, “There might even be more stuff going on tonight, and I have an important quest to do in the dungeon tomorrow, one that seems to be garnering a lot of unwanted attention.”
“Does it have to do with the dangerous Demons you were mentioning earlier?” Kisaki asked.
I nodded in confirmation, “I’m sure they’re mainly coming after me, but their group in general doesn’t take kindly to Humans, so if you’re planning on taking the dungeon tomorrow, I’d take precaution.”
“I appreciate the concern, but you don’t need to worry about me. Are you still enjoying this new world, despite the current circumstances?” Kisaki asked, her helmet tilting to the side a little.
“... Well, if we’re ignoring all the serious stuff, I’d say I’m having a blast,” I answered.
“I bet you those girls you’re always with have something to do with it, right? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)”
“Can’t really deny that. As a Japanese person, do you have any problems with me having multiple partners?” I asked.
“Weeeell, if the way I’m talking to you now doesn’t say enough, I’m not your typical Japanese girl, ୧(๑•̀ㅁ•́๑)૭✧” Kisaki answered, making brief pauses in between sentences to write more in her smartphone, “Putting that aside, all I can say is don’t let everything from your past life control what’s right or wrong here. This isn’t Japan, so you should make the most of what you can do now while you can. I’d still keep your morals in check, though, cause I’m sure those have something to do with how you got with all those girls, right?”
I nodded in understanding, “Yeah, that’s right. I really do want to keep them around as much as I can, and I want to give them the best I can offer, especially my wife.”
“Don’t run yourself ragged, though, or you’ll leave them worried! Even with our cheats, there’s only so much we Champions can do on our own. You seem to have gone through a lot, so try and take a break after your quest, okay?” she asked.
Strange, even though it’s through text, I can still somehow feel the comforting warmth behind those words. Heck, despite how suspicious Kisaki looks on the surface, I feel a little safer in her presence. Wonder why that is?
After that brief thought, I nodded to Kisaki’s suggestion, “Yeah, that might sound good. I think there’s still some stuff following the quest that we’d have to deal with, but I’ll try to find time in between for some R and R.”
“Good! Want to exchange LINEs and keep in touch?” Kisaki asked.
“That really works here?” I asked in amazement.
I took out my smartphone and we exchanged contacts. After a quick test, I really can still use LINE and message Kisaki through it. Phone calls must also work between devices, too, and with the service on my phone at full bars, it doesn’t look like we’ll have any problems with connections. Out of curiosity, I tried checking for wi-fi, but there weren’t any routers or some sort nearby that could provide it. Seriously, just where am I getting that service?
“If you ever need to talk about something, hit me up. I can spare some time to chat,” Kisaki said through the chat room in our LINE apps.
I nodded in understanding, “I’ll take you up in that. Thanks, Kisaki.”
“Anytime, kiddo. I’m gonna go try that pudding of yours before we freshen up and rest. Don’t stay up too late and best of luck to your quest tomorrow! (☆^O^☆)” I read in LINE before my hair suddenly got rustled. For the record, Kisaki was shorter than me, so she had to reach up to mess with my head before making her way back inside.
“Y-Yeah, thanks,” I answered, caught off-guard by her gesture as I watched her form walk inside.
Alone in the backyard, I discontinued the [Soundproof] spell, but then focused my mind to Nyra,
I did think how Kisaki was using those emojis at the end of nearly every message was a bit much for someone with a mature air like her. Back in Japan, Komi, through some god-like feminine powers, would somehow paste more emojis in longer passages while responding unnaturally fast whenever we messaged each other through LINE. Now that I think about it, Aneki was also like that on occasions when we caught up on each other’s current states of life back in the day. At that point, I thought gyarus were kind of amazing, no matter how old they seem to get. Could Kisaki also have been like that back in Japan?
~~
{Kisaki}
After I regrouped with Roll, we bid the rest of Jinma’s party, Twilight Sky, a good night before heading back up to our room. There, my Familiars, Ikari and Kandaiko, waited for us to give their reports. Unlike last night when they only had tank tops and panties on, they were currently wearing some fantasy-esque clothes from the ribbons Obina gave me. Jinma’s Familiars should have clothes of similar fashions once they transform.
Before my Familiars gave their reports, we took a moment to have the pudding Jinma gave us, and the taste made me speechless the moment the first spoonful touched my tongue.
“Mistress? I get that it’s delicious, but is it really enough for you to break into tears?” Roll asked with great surprise.
I sniffled and rubbed the tears out of my face frustratingly, “Seriously? This is the second time food has made me cry since coming here as a Champion.” Compared to when I tasted food for the first time in this world, though, this ‘first’ for me was in a different context. I wondered if my friends back home would blame me for being like this.
“I don’t really see what the big deal is. I don’t even like sweets … ah, it’s gone already?” Ikari asked.
“You sure you do not mean having good sweets before tasting Sir Jinma’s, Ikari?” Kandaiko asked, “You pretty much inhaled the whole cup after taking your first bite.”
“I-It’s not like that at all! Since you haven’t finished yours yet, though, by your logic, you don’t like it either, don’t you?” Ikari asked.
“Unlike you, I am taking the time to savor the taste, but I do admit the temptation to speed it up is difficult to resist. And no, you are not having the rest of mine,” Kandaiko said before moving herself away from Ikari’s reach.
For the Duchess of Generosity to refuse sharing her pudding, I can’t imagine how the others from the Generosity Faction in the Holy Realm would react after seeing her. Then again, Kandaiko wasn’t the Queen of Generosity like her leader, but that would then beg the question of how the actual queen would react if she were in her place.
“Anyway, I do hope I could meet Sir Jinma soon so I could repay him, somehow. One of my feathers could not even begin to measure the deliciousness of his pudding. Thank you for the meal,” Kandaiko said while setting the finished cup down and putting her hands together in prayer. The look in Ikari’s eyes upon seeing that empty cup was pitiable.
Trying to resist the urge to cry again, I continued eating my own pudding cup, “Let’s get to your reports now. Ikari?”
“H-Huh? Ah, right,” Ikari stuttered before clearing her throat, “It’s as you said, Anego, there are numerous Demons led by the Duke of Demon’s Disciples who were eager to fight the ‘Human that Lord Rowling wants erased’. There seems to be a plan of separating Jinma’s party in the dungeon before they overwhelm them in numbers.”
“Indeed, and the White Werewolf Pack that was camping outside Palocaesy’s walls are making a move,” Kandaiko added, “Though they are divided into smaller parties, they are going into the dungeon despite how late it is getting here.”
“And despite those numbers, we’re not going to interfere to help Mr. Jinma, right? Until he needs us?” Roll asked.
I nodded, setting my finished pudding cup to the side, “Right. We’re going to wait and watch how they’ll set themselves up in the dungeon. Once we know at least half of them are inside, we’ll head in as well and get a scope of what’s going on. Should Jinma’s party fall into the trap that separates them, we’ll make our move accordingly then.”
I’m slightly annoyed that Klash, the Devil I’ve exchanged blows with multiple times, has been persistent in trying to beat me the last couple days. Still, I don’t take lives when I get enough satisfaction out of humiliating them in front of their peers, and that’s me holding myself back. Even though he’s getting dragged into this by his brother, Blaine, he’s taking part in something that puts Jinma’s life on the line. It would be a different story if this took place in Japan, but there was no way I’m holding myself back this time in the new world.
No matter who or what they are, no matter their circumstances, for making the stupid choice of targeting my Jinma, I’ll give no mercy in leading them to their deaths.