Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Volume 2.
Extra Chapter: Yeah I’m a Monster, Got a Problem with That?
Deep within the misty forest, a single figure was running with all its might. Her pale blue hair blended in with the mist, but the speed at which she moved sent ripples through the fog. Despite how lightly her hair was fluttering through the wind, her expression was anything but light. In fact, she was crying as she ran.
It was quite easy for a young girl of five to six to get lost and eaten within the Haltina Woods, a place considered to be a den of monsters by most men. Still, there was no worry of this particular girl getting eaten. It was hard to tell because she was crouching, but the girl running through the fog had a splendid pair of rabbit ears growing out of her head. She was a member of the beastman race that inhabited these woods— a rabbit girl.
The rabbitmen were considered the weakest of the beastmen races, but in return they had the best sense of hearing, and were skilled at hiding themselves. Even a girl like her had very sharp ears. Few creatures could escape the notice of a rabbitman’s sense of hearing.
And this bunny girl in particular had a special ability other rabbitmen didn’t possess. Hence why there was little chance this particular girl was in any danger of dying, especially as she was so close to her village.
As expected, the young bunny girl safely reached her village, despite her loud wailing. The fog began to thin out as she approached. The boundaries of her hometown were defined by a well-kept wooden fence. It was far better maintained than most other beastmen settlements, even those that belonged to other rabbitmen tribes.
The fence posts were close enough together that one wouldn’t easily be able to peek inside, and each of them were three meters high.
Normally most rabbitmen’s only options when it came to a confrontation were to run or to hide. Both in regards to themselves, and in regards to their villages, they rarely focused on heavy defense. As long as it could buy them enough time to run away, and was spaced out enough to give them a good view of the situation outside, it was a good enough fence for them.
And yet, the fence surrounding this village was surprisingly sturdy. At first glance it appeared quite sturdy, but a closer inspection showed that the planks used to hold the fence posts together were surprisingly fragile. It seemed almost as if this village was focused more on making sure their fence couldn’t be seen through than creating an adequate defensive barrier.
The young bunny girl circled around the unusual fence and went inside. The rabbitman guarding the gate said something to her as she passed by, but she ignored him.
Many other rabbitmen called out to her as she ran past, but she ignored them all and headed straight for her house.
“Oh my… What’s wrong, Shea? Your bunny ears are drooping.” The five year old bunny girl, Shea, looked up to see an older rabbit woman come out from inside a room. She had the dark blue hair that was characteristic of her race, and gentle eyes that belied a powerful will. The latter was a rarity among rabbitmen.
“Mom!” Still crying, Shea leaped into her mom, Mona Haulia’s, arms with a speed that seemed unthinkable for a five year old girl.
Mona let out a very unseemly grunt as Shea barreled into her. But Shea didn’t notice, as she was too busy wiping her eyes and nose on her mother’s chest.
The rabbitmen’s traditional clothing was surprisingly revealing. Women wore what was basically nothing more than a bikini and mini-skirt. For rabbitmen, wearing heavy clothing would only get in their way when they were trying to run. The sound of rustling clothes would alert them to their more perceptive enemies. Because of the perpetual fog, the temperature didn’t vary much year round, and there was little point in keeping clothes that would have to be discarded if they ever had to run.
And so, Mona’s cleavage was soon smeared in tears, snot, and drool. But she didn’t seem bothered by that at all. In fact, she was currently busy coping with the pain in her stomach and making sure she didn’t throw up all over her daughter.
With tears still in her eyes, Mona gently patted Shea’s back and once she’d calmed down a little asked her what was wrong.
Shea sniffled and looked up at her mother. Instead of an answer, she replied with a question of her own.
“Mom… Am I… a monster? Am I evil?” “…Shea.”
It was rare for a girl so young to think about such terrible things, but Mona knew about her daughter’s peculiar abilities so she could guess what must have happened.
Shea’s light blue hair wasn’t the only thing special about her. She also had the ability to store and manipulate mana, something no beastman should have been able to do. Furthermore, she was even able to use special magic of her own.
Not even humans or demons could do the last two things, which were abilities unique to monsters. And monsters were hated by all, regardless of race or nationality.
This was why the Haulia village’s fence had been made to prevent anyone from seeing inside. Her family had done their best to try and raise her inside the village, so that no one could find out about her existence. If anyone discovered who she was, even just among the beastmen of Verbergen, she would surely be executed.
Had Shea not been born to a tribe of rabbitmen, who were known for valuing familial love over all else, she would surely have been executed the moment she was born. Only the Haulia would be willing to take such risks to protect her like they had.
But no matter how much the adults tried to protect her, there was no way a curious young child would be satisfied living in the confines of her small village. It was only natural for her to want to explore the outside world.
“Shea… you went out again, didn’t you?”
“Uuu… I’m sorry mom. But… But…”
Shea hung her head apologetically, and Mona smiled gently. Someone must have spotted Shea on one of her excursions.
While beastmen didn’t lose their sense of direction in the fog, their vision was hampered just like with every other race. And while Shea was curious about the outside world, she knew how much trouble it would cause her family if anyone spotted her. Which was why she had used her innate stealth abilities, which far surpassed many adult rabbitmen’s, to stay out of sight when she left the village.
So even if anyone had spotted her, Mona doubted they’d gotten a good look at her. Meaning there could be only one reason Shea was crying.
“A white silhouette running through the trees. No matter how quickly you chase after it, it vanishes like an illusion before you can catch up. It must be some kind of new monster, or perhaps an evil spirit that has haunted the forest for centuries… Is that what you’ve been hearing people say about you, with those sharp little ears of yours?”
“Mom… You knew?”
Mona nodded as she softly ruffled Shea’s bunny ears. She had heard the rumors her fellow rabbitmen had been whispering about. For now it was still nothing more than an urban legend of sorts, the kind of thing people talked about just to have something to talk about. There were more legends about this forest than there were trees though, so it wasn’t anything to be concerned about yet.
Though of course, Shea must have been quite shocked upon hearing them for the first time. She’d already known that she was different from the rest of her family. And she knew she could do the same thing monsters could. She’d avoided thinking about it as much as possible, but it was hard not to when she heard people talking about it.
Maybe I really am something different. Maybe I really am some kind of freak that isn’t monster or beastman.
Fresh tears welled up in the corners of Shea’s eyes, and she sniffled. Mona gave her daughter a look that was equal parts kind and equal parts stern, but all of it filled with love.
“Shea, do you hate monsters?”
“Huh? O-Of course I do!” “Why?”
“B-Because…”
Shea couldn’t understand why her mom was asking this. Does mom think I’m a monster too? She thought sadly, her bunny ears twitching. Mona gently cupped her daughter’s cheek, and looked gently into her eyes. There was a surprising amount of weight to her gaze.
“You’re afraid because you’re different from everyone else. It’s scary, and lonely, and sad. I know. But you know, Shea. Mom’s jealous of you. She’s jealous, and she’s happy to have such a wonderful daughter.”
“Why?”
“Because if you’re different from everyone else, that means you can do things no one else can. Don’t you think that’s amazing?”
Mona’s words made no sense to Shea, and she looked around restlessly while sky blue tears dripped from her eyes.
“Amazing? What would you do, if you were like me, mom?”
“Fufu. Weeell, your mom’s always wanted to be a hero ever since she was little.”
“A-A hero?”
Mona had a surprisingly weak constitution, and was sick in bed for half of each month usually. Shea blinked in surprise as she looked up at her mother. It was an odd thing to say, for someone as weak as her, but then Shea nodded, thinking it was very like her to have such a wish.
“That’s right, a hero. You know, I’ve always wanted to be someone who could protect their family. And not just spend all my time running away or hiding. I wanted to be the kind of person that could stand up to anything that tried to hurt the people I love.” The rabbitmen were gentle, peace-loving people. It was rare for one to be as assertive as Mona. However, she had too weak a constitution to become the kind of person she wanted to. Though she had a stronger will than any of her brethren, a stronger heart than any of her family, fate had dealt her a body that was frail even by the low standards of her already weak race. Could anything be more ironic?
But that was precisely why she had prayed.
“I had always prayed my child would be stronger than I… And Shea, you were everything I could have hoped for. You can’t imagine how happy I am to have you as a daughter.”
“Mom…”
Mona hugged her daughter fiercely, trying to convey the depth of her happiness and pride.
“Shea. It doesn’t matter if you’re a beastman, or a monster, or even a freak. They’re all just words. Only you can decide what kind of person you want to become. And all that matters is you become that person. It’s precisely because you’re different from a normal rabbitman that you can become anything your heart desires.”
“……”
Shea could see from up close just how much her mother loved her. Captivated by her gaze, Shea stared back.
Then, like a prophet, Mona started predicting the future.
“Shea. I’m sure you’ll face many hardships in the future. Far more than any normal person would. Growing up will be hard. That’s what happens when you’re different from others.”
“Mom…”
Shea’s rabbit ears drooped and she looked around uneasily. But that wasn’t the end of Mona’s prophecy.
“But I know you have the power to overcome all of them. That’s why, Shea, never hate yourself. Stay bright, stay cheerful. Blow away all those nasty things with a smile. Puff out your chest with pride, ‘I’m Shea Haulia, got a problem with that!?’ As long as you still love yourself, everything will turn out okay.”
“Everything?”
“Yep, everything.”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
“Fufu, what a good girl you are.”
Her unnaturally bright hair bobbed up and down as she nodded. She decided first she’d start by trying to love the color of her hair.
Mona’s serious gaze vanished, and she smiled playfully. “Oh yes, mom has one more prediction for you.”
“?”
“One day, I’m sure you’ll meet some wonderful people. It’s possible they won’t be rabbitmen, or even beastmen. They might not even be from this forest… but they’ll be different, just like you, Shea.”
“Just like me?”
“Yep. I’m sure you’ll meet them eventually.” She can’t see the future like me, so why is she so sure? Shea tilted her rabbit ears to the side quizzically.
“After all, it’d be too sad… if you were the only one of your kind in the world. The world can be a cruel place, but it can also be a kind one. That’s why, I’m sure you’ll meet them one day, Shea. People you can trust to have your back, and who will trust you to have theirs.”
“Are there really people like that outside the forest?”
“There are, I’m sure of it. Fufu. Who knows, maybe one of them will end up being your husband.”
“Fweh!? M-M-M-M-My husband!?”
“Yep, and there’ll be a girl you’ll fight with over who gets him that’ll come to be your best friend!”
“Fight with!?”
Mona looked like she was really enjoying herself now. The young and impressionable Shea drunk in every word of her mother’s prophecy.
She had long since forgotten her sadness at being called a monster, and talked happily with her mom. Then Cam, who’d just returned from gathering food, and all the other Haulia who’d seen her run past came into the house and started teasing her about her future husband.
Cam looked a little disappointed upon hearing that Shea was already going to be married, but both Mona and Shea ignored him. No one could have foreseen that her supposed future husband would go on to turn the Haulia into a race of bloodthirsty raiders. Not even Mona could see the future that accurately.
“Mmmmm…” A single girl’s yawn vanished into the general tumult of the busy inn. She stretched and opened her eyes.
“Mmm, it’s morning already?”
“More like it’s past noon already. Just how much longer were you planning on sleeping, you airheaded rabbit?”
Those words instantly brought Shea to alertness, and her bunny ears perked up sharply.
She looked around and saw Hajime sitting by the window, polishing his revolver and staring at Shea with a look of disdain.
“Huh? What are you doing here, Hajime-san? Wait, don’t tell me you snuck in here to— Abweh!?”
“I just said it’s past noon. Yue left to go shopping ages ago. We promised to go together but you wouldn’t wake up even after I tried shocking you so she left by herself.”
“I-I see. Sorry. I’ll get ready and then we can go catch up to her… Wait, so then why did you stay behind in my room?”
Her bunny ears tilted quizzically. Shea had thought Hajime would have gone with Yue. Hajime grimaced and muttered “I’m… not good at dealing with that monster of a clothing store owner.”
The clothing store owner that Hajime and the others had traveled back to Brooke with seemed to put him on edge. He was so unwilling to meet with him that he’d even turned down a date with Yue.
Shea smiled awkwardly and replied, “He’s a nice guy once you get to know him, though.” The way Hajime had said “monster” bothered her a little. Probably because of the dream she’d just had.
“What’s wrong, Shea?” “Huh?”
Before she knew it, Hajime was staring intently at her. He must have somehow sensed her discomfort. Though she was happy he’d noticed, she wasn’t sure how to respond. Before she could think of what to say, Hajime answered for her.
“Is it something to do with your mom?” “Huh!?”
“Do you have a mind reading skill too or something!?” Shea asked, amazed. Her bunny ears flattened in shock, and she brought her hands up to the voluptuous chest she’d inherited from her mother.
“Nope. You were just muttering ‘mom’ a lot in your sleep.”
“Oh… I see. Ahaha, how embarrassing. I can’t believe I’m still doing stuff like that even at this age.”
Shea scratched her head in embarrassment, but Hajime didn’t buy it and kept staring at her with the same intensity. Finally, it seemed he’d realized something and shrugged his shoulders dismissively.
“Well, it didn’t look like you were having a nightmare at least.” Shea’s heart skipped a beat as she realized he must have been worried about her in his own classic way. She hadn’t told either Hajime or Yue about Mona. It wasn’t like she was trying to hide it, there just had never been a chance to bring it up. Hajime himself had guessed what must have happened to her considering that she hadn’t been anywhere among the Haulia, and that Shea never talked about her. He thought it was a topic she preferred to avoid.
He was far more considerate of her now that they’d cleared a labyrinth together. Shea’s ears and tail flapped about happily.
“Yes, it was a very nostalgic dream. My mother died ten years ago from an illness. Her constitution had always been weak, and after she gave birth to me the doctors said it would be a miracle if she lasted another ten years even.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Don’t worry, she didn’t die when we were being chased by the empire, and I was at least able to say my farewells to her, so it’s not like you need to take any extra care not to mention her or anything.”
“Who said I was?”
Hajime turned around sulkily. Shea followed up with a “Someone’s not being honest with themselves~ Hehe,” to which Hajime responded with a flick to the forehead. Shea rubbed at the red mark that had appeared on her forehead before continuing cheerfully.
“I was actually thinking of telling you and Yue about my mom sometime soon. Would you like to hear about her?”
She wore the same expression she had when she’d told Hajime there were some futures you couldn’t change no matter how hard you tried. Perhaps she had been thinking about what had happened to her mom when she said that. Though this time, there was a hint of pride mixed into her voice as well. Hajime could tell just how much pride Shea must have had in her mother.
“Go ahead. I’m tired enough to sleep through a whole barrage of electric shocks. So since we’ll be staying in here a while longer, I might as well hear some stories about your mom to pass the time.”
“Ehehe, okay.”
Her ears flopped about happily. Hajime found them rather charming, and stretched out his hand to scratch them. Obviously there was no deeper meaning behind that action, he just wanted to know what they felt like. But at that moment,
“No flirting.”
“Oh, Yue. What’re you doing there?”
“Wawawah. You scared me for a second, Yue-san.”
Yue’s emotionless face was glaring at them through the open window. The bags in her hand indicated that she’d finished shopping, and had returned to invite Hajime and Shea to go out with her.
Hajime leaped out the window. Shea quickly got dressed herself and followed after the two.
The warm rays of the sun, something she’d seen little of in the sea of trees, shone down on her as she watched crowds of adventurers and merchants and craftsmen go about their business. Shea closed her eyes happily and skipped lightly through the street.
Many sad things had happened in her life. Most of them had been things she couldn’t change. She’d lost many things important to her. But just like her mom had said, Shea had met them. And that meeting had saved her family. That meeting had led her out into the sunlight. And now, all of Mona’s family had become the kind of determined fighters she’d wanted to be herself.
“You can become anything your heart desires.” Mona’s words echoed through Shea’s mind. “Do you hate monsters?” Nope, definitely not. Shea could say that with certainty now.
“Hajime-san, Yue-san.”
Because next to her were her two favorite people in the world.
“Yeah?” “…Hm?” Hajime and Yue turned around and exclaimed simultaneously. Shea smiled, then said the following.
“I’m glad I was born a monster.”
She smiled, content with who she was.
Hajime and Yue looked at her blankly for a moment. They exchanged a brief glance before smiling back at her. She couldn’t tell if it was an exasperated smile or a happy one. Regardless, this is what they said to her:
“Stop talking nonsense and get over here, you troublesome rabbit. If you lag too far behind, you’ll get a crowd of people begging you to be their slave again.”
“…Yeah. Come closer. I don’t want to have to go looking for you if you get lost.”
Not exactly words of encouragement. But their expressions were gentle. Shea knew that even if they didn’t say it out loud, they treated her like a member of their family now.
Her rabbit ears twitched merrily.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!”
“Oi you, who said you could get between me and Yue?”
“You’ve got guts, Shea. If you want a duel, I’ll gladly take you on.”
Shea purposely butted in between Hajime and Yue while taking both of their hands. Their empty threats were always just that, empty. As the sun neared its zenith, the town grew even livelier. The trio’s banter became just another part of the hustle and bustle of the busy main street. Mom, I’ve found the husband and best friend you said I would. Well, he’s not exactly my husband just yet, but… I’ll do my best to change that! Shea resolved to herself, praying that her words would reach the soul of her departed mother.
Diamond. diamond. diamond.
Bonus Short Stories.
Cat Ears of Terror.
One afternoon, Hajime, Shea, and Yue were strolling down the town’s main street, looking to stock up on supplies for their upcoming journey. It was a rare moment of respite in between their constant labyrinth-conquering excursions. The street was filled with the sounds of people haggling over wares, the smells of a hundred different spices mingling together as food stall owners began preparing meals, and the sight of a thousand different stores each with their own unique goods for sale.
One couldn’t help but get excited in such a lively atmosphere. Especially Shea, who hadn’t ever stepped foot outside her small village in the sea of trees until recently. Her rabbit ears were twitching happily as she looked around, the excitement evident on her face. Every few seconds she’d come back to her senses and quickly look around to make sure she hadn’t been separated from Hajime and Yue. After making sure they were still there, she’d then once again start hopping about, examining anything and everything that caught her interest.
“Shea looks just like a little child.” Yue laughed as she watched Shea run around. She then turned to look at Hajime, seeking his opinion. Normally, Hajime would instantly react to Yue’s voice, almost as if on instinct, but for once he was just spacing out, looking straight ahead.
“…Hajime?”
“O-Oh, what is it Yue?” Hajime replied with a start. Puzzled at his unusual behavior, Yue furrowed her brows. Realizing he must not have heard her, Yue just said “It’s nothing,” then kept a closer eye on him after that.
A second later, she noticed Hajime’s gaze was fixated on a certain individual. When she followed his gaze to that individual, she felt a wave of jealousy wash over her. But upon closer inspection, she saw that his gaze wasn’t fixated on the individual, but rather a certain part of their body.
“I see,” she mused to herself. It appeared Hajime had quite a soft spot for “those.” Her jealousy vanished somewhat, but she still lamented the fact that she did not possess “those.” And she still couldn’t forgive another girl for stealing Hajime’s attention, even if it was only one part of her that had done so. Also, the words “give up” and “back down” didn’t exist in her dictionary, so steeling her resolve, Yue tugged on Hajime’s sleeve.
“Hajime, let’s split up for a bit. Take care of Shea, okay?”
“Split up? If there’s something you want to see or somewhere you want to go, I don’t mind taking a detour. We can go together.”
“No. I don’t want you to know about it yet.” Yue pouted and turned away from him. Hajime was shocked; this was the first time she’d ever taken that kind of attitude with him. However, Yue simply gave him one last sidelong glance.
“Don’t follow me. I’ll get mad at you if you do.”
“O-Okay, I won’t…” Hajime tried to hide how shaken he was, but failed miserably. Then, without even a backward glance, Yue trotted off into the crowd.
“What on earth is up with her?” Hajime just stood there, dumbfounded, not realizing that he was the cause of her strange attitude.
That evening, Hajime and Shea had returned to the inn and started discussing Yue’s odd behavior earlier.
“Yue-san sure is late.”
“Yeah. W-Well, I-I’m sure she just wants some alone time.” “Hajime-san, you look pretty flustered…”
“What are you talking about? I’m perfectly fine. Besides, what could possibly have flustered me, anyway? See, nothing’s, uh, wrong. Yeah, nothing’s wrong at all.”
“You’re answering your own questions… That sounds like a problem to me.” Shea was starting to get annoyed by Hajime’s attitude. She’d never seen him like this before, and while it seemed obvious to her that Yue would never leave him, it looked like Hajime didn’t trust Yue enough to even be sure of that. She was annoyed that he couldn’t believe in Yue the way she believed in him, and her displeasure spread into her voice.
“I can’t believe you, Hajime-san. Yue would never leave you, so why are you acting so worried? Can’t you just calm down?”
“Huh? You must be misunderstanding something. I know that she won’t leave me. I’d be more willing to believe you if you told me the sky was falling tomorrow than if you said Yue would leave me.”
Realizing she’d misjudged what had gotten Hajime so flustered, she followed up with, “Then what is it?” Hajime watched her bunny ears as they tilted to the side in confusion. Finally, he spoke in a trembling voice.
“Look, Yue would normally never leave my side. For her to want to split up, I must have done something pretty bad, something she’s really unhappy about.”
“O-Okay, and?”
“And that means she’s going to assault me tonight.” Hajime’s answer only served to further confuse Shea. He then started nervously glancing about the room.
“Yue’s definitely going to come to my bed tonight. Any time she’s unhappy with me, that’s what she always does. She’s a monster at night, so I’m not even sure I’ll be fit to travel tomorrow.”
“I see.” Shea’s reproaching gaze was more intense than ever. It was only natural, Hajime had just told her he was going to have sex with Yue tonight. From Shea’s perspective, it just looked like he was praising her sex game. As someone competing for his affection, all the more so because she’d so far been unsuccessful, it only made sense for Shea to be unhappy with him. Even her rabbit ears were twitching in accusation.
Hajime fidgeted nervously and grumbled, “It’s only because you haven’t seen what she’s like in bed that you can say that.”
“Here, let me give you an example. One time, I asked Yue if she was really a virgin.”
“Whoa, seriously? That’s like the number one thing you should never, ever do.”
“Yeah, I know that now. I don’t know what came over me, honestly. Maybe I was just too close to breaking under all the constant night raids. Well, it’s because she was so good at it in the first place that I began to doubt whether or not she’d really been a virgin.”
“Yeah, I bet she got mad.”
“‘Mad’ is an understatement. I honestly thought she’d kill me. Mentally, anyway. I was prepared to end up as Yue’s sex slave for life… Those were dark days. Hell, I got down on my knees and begged for forgiveness, even. Can you believe it? Me, begging for forgiveness?”
“Y-You got on your knees? No way…” Shea shuddered in horror.
Even if Hajime had called it a night raid, she had assumed the reality was just that they were having some slightly rough sex. She was going to chide Hajime for exaggerating, but when she heard what he had done, she began to wonder just what kind of crazy antics Yue got up to.
An awkward silence spread throughout the room while Hajime nervously looked around, worried his lover might attack him at any second. Shea just watched on, not knowing what to say. With a soft click, the door to their room opened. Shea and Hajime both looked up at once. Yue was standing in the doorway, a pair of rabbit ears on her head.
“I’m back.” Her expression was as deadpan as always. She seemed to not mind the fact that there were rabbit ears growing out of her head. Ignoring Hajime and Shea’s shock, she sat down on the bed. Both of them finally returned to their senses, and before Hajime could say anything, Shea was screaming.
“Hwha-Hwhat the heck is thaaaaat!?”
“…What a strange question. They’re obviously rabbit ears.”
“I get that! But why do you have them, Yue-san? Are you trying to steal my strong points or something!?” Shea pointed accusingly at Yue, screaming as if Yue had just copied her most important trait. Yue simply turned away and responded in a sulky voice.
“It’s all Hajime and the rabbit ears’ fault.”
“Wh-Why does that mean you have to copy my ears? And if they’re at fault, why are you wearing them at all?” Shea shook her head. Her bunny ears flopped around as she did so. Hajime looked over at them and Yue mumbled, “I guess in the end fake ones are just…”
Those words finally clued Hajime in on what was going on. Yue had discovered Hajime’s secret desire to rub Shea’s fluffy bunny ears. And so, in order to compete, Yue had found herself a pair of bunny ears. Most likely at that one store.
“W-Well, I guess I can understand your burning desire to have a pair of your own rabbit ears after seeing how amazing mine are. Fufufu, but let me tell you something. Before the real thing, your faux bunny ears are but a pale imitation!” Shea gazed perhaps a bit too triumphantly down at Yue and continued.
“Yue-san, it was a strategic mistake to try and fight me on my home turf! This is your defeat!” Shea was getting a little full of herself, but it was also obvious at a glance that Yue’s ears were fake and not nearly as soft or fluffy as the real thing.
However, Yue had done this for Hajime’s sake. He already found her cute beyond belief, but knowing that she was willing to go that far just to please him made it clear which pair of ears he considered more important. There was no comparison between the bunny girl, who was busy getting full of herself, and the vampire who had done everything she could to grant him his desire. Naturally, Yue didn’t falter in the face of Shea’s provocations either. In fact, she exceeded all expectations.
“I never thought my rabbit ears would be able to beat yours. This is just the beginning. The real battle starts here!” Yue whipped off the bunny ears and replaced them with something else. That something looked like a pair of fluffy black triangles resting atop her head. Even more amazing, when she poured mana into them they moved like a real pair of ears would.
“Wh-What on… earth?” A jolt of electricity shot through Hajime’s spine. An indescribable sense of awe washed over him. But Yue wasn’t done yet. As Hajime’s trembling hand touched Yue’s cat ears, he let out a shocked exclamation. Before their eyes, Yue pulled out another long and fluffy object, and somehow attached it to an area right above her butt. Upon pouring mana into it, it too moved, just like a real tail. Hajime gulped audibly. Yue got on all fours and crawled over to where Hajime was. She looked unbearably cute. When she finally reached Hajime, she said a single word.
“Meow.” What Yue had replaced her bunny ears with was the pinnacle of all animal ears, cat ears. She’d even procured a cat tail to match. She arched her back and playfully pawed at Hajime. In this instant, Myue was born.
“Yue, just how far are you going to test my self-control?” Hajime was cradling his head in his hands, desperately trying to hold himself back. His primal instincts were already on the verge of conquering his reason. But even when he was on his last legs, Yue showed him no mercy.
“Meow.” She rolled over onto her back, like a dog showing submission to her master. Her pleading gaze met Hajime. That was enough to push Hajime over the edge. The light in his eyes was replaced by a feral gleam. But just before what might have been the greatest copulation session in history could begin, Shea bravely interrupted them.
“How sly! Yue-san, you really are a cunning woman! It’s clear that you thought ahead! Still…! Don’t forget that those ears and tail are fake! And my real ears and tail will never lose to fake ones! Look,
Hajime-san, these are a real pair of bunny ears. Feel free to touch them all you want!” Betting her very soul, Shea challenged Yue. Her ears and tails twitched excitedly as she leaned into Hajime. But it would seem Yue had predicted even this development. When it came to fighting over Hajime, Yue made sure to prepare for every eventuality.
“You fool. Shea, what makes you think… that my ears are fake at all?”
“What… did you say?”
“I knew you would bring that up, Shea. That’s why I got real cat ears. These are no replica. That’s why I can move them using mana. Mana also helps keep them from rotting.” Yue sat down, then looked up at Shea victoriously. Shivers ran down Hajime and Shea’s spines, but for a different reason this time. Given a cold hard dose of reality, Hajime suddenly started sweating. Shea slowly backed away, her entire body trembling. Yue tilted her head in confusion, as Hajime took a moment to gather his wits before asking a question.
“Y-Yue, where’d you find those?”
“Hm? From a general goods store on the main street.” Hajime and Shea breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed these were commonly sold in the area—
“…But they weren’t the ones selling the real thing.” Hajime and Shea stiffened again. So that meant Yue only got her fake rabbit ears from there. Then where did her very real cat ears and cat tail come from? They both looked back at Yue, who puffed out her chest with pride and answered casually.
“I tore them off myself.” Those twitching cat ears and cat tail. Were they really moving because of the mana Yue poured into them, or because they were still so fresh that…
Suddenly, those cat ears didn’t look at all cute to Hajime. Shea was cowering in a corner, her ears pressed flat against her head.
“She’s a psycho, Yue-san’s a psychopath,” she muttered. Tears were spilling from her eyes and her whole body was shivering.
Yue suddenly shifted her gaze to Shea. Shea jumped with a start as Yue stared at her ears with cold, emotionless eyes.
“Can I… tear those off too?”
“Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, Yue- san, you’re insane!!! You monsterrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!” Shea leaped out of the room with the speed of a fleeing rabbit. Grimacing, Hajime called out to Yue.
“Umm, Yue?”
“Yeah? Sorry, that was a joke. I feel bad for Shea, but I wanted to have some time alone with you… Also, these are fake ears made with real monster fur, that’s all, so you can pet them as much as you want, okay?”
“I-I see. Umm, well, you’re really cute, Yue. But uhh, it’s not because of the cat ears, it’s just because you’re you, you know that right?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Yue smiled warmly. Hajime gently removed the cat ears and cat tail off of Yue and hugged her tight. Yue entrusted herself to Hajime and let the strength flow out of her limbs. Marveling at how lovely she looked, Hajime started stroking her hair.
…He decided not to ask why the ears and tail he’d taken off of Yue had been warm.
Diamond. diamond. diamond.
Legends of Japan.
Long, long ago, there was a princess known as Princess Kaguya. While her personality may have been questionable, she was an undeniable beauty. She possessed a stunning figure, pale blue hair, and dazzling sapphire eyes. But most importantly, she had something no other person did. Namely, a pair of fluffy blue bunny ears growing out of her head.
In the ancient capital Kyoto, anyone discovered with such strange growths would normally have been considered a target for execution… but as this was a parallel world, such considerations were of no concern.
At any rate, the beautiful Princess Kaguya, who was loved by everyone, was currently…
“Haaah. Marriage sounds like such a pain. I’d much rather just spend my time eating snacks forever.” Lazing about, stuffing her face full of meat buns, and complaining about marriage. Difficult as it was to believe, the capital’s number one beauty always acted like this.
Today was the day princes from all across the realm had come to seek her hand in marriage. But as Princess Kaguya had no interest in getting married, she assigned each of the princes an impossible task. Even as they reeled at the difficulty at the tasks set before them, these princes of noble birth continued to fight for Princess Kaguya’s favor.
“I am the one most suited to be Princess Kaguya’s husband!” “No, it is I!”
“No, I!”
“C-Come on, guys, stop fighting over me. Besides, this is all my fault for being too cute. Man, being popular sure is hard, Ehehe~”
Princess Kaguya was rather full of herself. More so right now than she had ever been before. It was a shame a beauty like her had such a worthless personality. In the midst of this clamor, a small pebble rolled across the room. It kept on rolling until it reached Princess Kaguya. Suddenly, a cold voice rang out across the room. It belonged to the only prince that had not joined in the commotion. A young man who had sat in the corner of the room until now.
“Oi, worthless rabbit. I’ll give you that precious treasure of mine, so pick me.” Not only did he act haughty, he had the gall to command Princess Kaguya. Furthermore, that pebble of his looked worthless. The room was silent for a moment before the guards drew their swords on him for his insolence.
“Hajime-dono, how dare you take such a tone with—” There was a loud bang, and the guard fell silent mid-tirade. Or rather, he was made to fall silent as he backflipped spectacularly four times through the air, at a speed that would have made even an olympic gymnast hurl. The other guards all looked dumbfounded at Hajime, and saw him holding an unfamiliar weapon with a smoking barrel.
“Oh shut up. I brought the princess what she asked for, so I win the contest. That’s all there is to it.” Hajime tapped his shoulder with his revolver, then glared threateningly at the rest of the guards. He looked more like a yakuza… or a bandit than a prince.
“H-Huh? I never asked for a stupid rock like that! I mean, look, it’s just a regular old—” Bang!
“Hey now, worthless rabbit. Don’t be so stingy. That there is my treasure. If you try and get ahead of yourself, I’ll rip em off.”
“Rip what off?” Princess Kaguya trembled in fear as she protectively pressed her rabbit ears to her head.
“Come on, this pebble is the treasure you were looking for, right?” Hajime said, waving his revolver around ominously. Princess Kaguya looked around desperately, searching for help, but…
“Oh heavens, look at the time. I have somewhere I urgently need to be. Do excuse me.”
“Oh my, what a coincidence. I too have pressing matters that require my immediate attention.” The princes all beat a hasty retreat. They sure were zealous about work. Surely the fact there was a gun waving in front of their faces had nothing to do with their decision. In tears now, Princess Kaguya looked over at the kindly old couple that had raised her for salvation.
“Oh, when did it become so late? My dear wife, I must be off to gather firewood before it gets dark.”
“Oh my. Well, I too must away to get the laundry in before it’s too late.”
Princess Kaguya’s parents sure were diligent. Even on this momentous day, they didn’t forget to do their chores. Even if their daughter complained, they put their work first. Soon enough, the room was cleared of everyone but Princess Kaguya and Hajime. Princess Kaguya was sobbing because of how unpopular she had suddenly become. Then tearfully, but with a hint of excitement, she said the following.
“D-Do you really want me that badly?” Hajime’s response was…
“Not really? When I was examining this weapon of mine, I discovered it had come from the moon. What I’m interested in is your hometown. I haven’t been able get in yet, but this is perfect. If I become your husband, then I can obtain their weapons without having to force my way in.”
Princess Kaguya collapsed into choked sobs when she heard Hajime’s absurd reason. She’d been captured by a demon. But there was still one ray of hope left. Princess Kaguya had in fact been thinking of returning home for a while, and had just recently contacted her hometown. The moon had the most advanced technology in the world, so if her family came, they’d surely be able to deal with this brute of a man. That was why even when he consoled her with words like “Sorry about that. I won’t threaten you anymore, so please stop crying,” her heart wasn’t moved at all. Princess Kaguya wasn’t that easy.
A few days later. A messenger from the moon came to get Princess Kaguya. Hajime had expected them to come down from the moon riding floating gold nimbus clouds, but instead they came down in oval-shaped UFOs. Truly a close encounter of the third kind. The citizens stared up in awe, while Hajime’s eyes glittered with a hungry light as he gazed upon the technology of the moon. Because of his occasional bouts of kindness, the worthless rabbit, Princess Kaguya, had started to think “This guy might not be able to handle himself without me.” The classic pitfall trap every shoujo manga heroine falls into.
A ramp extended down from the UFO, and down the ramp descended a procession of old rabbitmen… It seemed the myth that the moon was inhabited by beautiful young girls was just that, a myth. But at the very end of the procession of old men was a single young girl. She had beautiful golden-blonde hair and bewitching crimson eyes. Her cheeks had just the faintest blush of rose to them, and her thin pink lips enchanted all who saw her. She looked just like a perfectly sculpted doll. Her impressive outfit made it clear that she was someone of high standing. She was, in fact, a vampire princess that had just hitched a ride with the rabbitmen because she was curious about what Earth was like. Halfway down the ramp, she stopped and stared fixedly at a certain something.
The people began to converse amongst themselves. The incarnation of Venus herself had descended to Earth, and not only that she was looking at one of the people standing in the crowd.
“Wait, is she looking at me?”
“Don’t be stupid, she’s obviously looking at me.” The guys all started arguing with each other. One youth began walking forward. His gait was brisk and confident. The youth was none other than Hajime. Behind him, Princess Kaguya called out to him.
“W-Wait, don’t just go off on your own like that. I still need to mentally prepare myself for when I introduce you to my family.” Hajime ignored her and kept going. He stopped right before the blonde-haired, red-eyed beauty.
“My name is Hajime, Hajime of the Nagumo clan. May I have the honor of hearing your name?” Behind him, someone mumbled some annoyed words.
“Huh, he wasn’t like that when he was talking to me…” However, no one paid her any mind. The vampire princess blushed slightly at his well-mannered request.
“Yue.” That was the only word she said as she fidgeted nervously.
“Yue? In our language, that means the moon. A truly splendid name. It suits you perfectly.” Yue’s face grew even redder. The onlookers all simultaneously breathed out a passionate sigh. Only Princess Kaguya objected.
“Excuse me, what’s with that attitude? Lest you forget, you are MY husband.” Everyone ignored her. Hajime took in a deep breath, then spoke plainly his thoughts.
“I’ve fallen for you at first sight. I’ll give you even the world if you ask for it, so please be mine.”
“Okay. With pleasure.”
“Huh? What did I just hear? Aren’t I supposed to be the heroine of this story?”
Yue accepted his somewhat ominous-sounding confession without any questions and leaped into Hajime’s arms. And so, the boy from Earth, Hajime, and the vampire princess, Yue, were wed. They then went on to conquer the world, after which they lived happily ever after. For some reason, they were also accompanied by a worthless rabbit wherever they went.
Diamond. diamond. diamond.
Arifureta Magic Academy.
A blazing sunset shone its orange rays into a hallway. The dying light of the sun cast long shadows everywhere it touched. In this dim twilight that brought about feelings of sorrow, security, and just a hint of mystery the inside of the school was quiet, devoid of people. Only the faint sounds of sports club members practicing outside could still be heard.
All of the classroom doors lining the hallway were closed. This peaceful school was actually a magic academy, located in a certain country of a certain parallel world. Unlike most, it wasn’t restricted to only nobles, and opened its doors to commoners and even beastmen. So long as one could pass the entrance exam, they would be accepted. Thus, this school had become this world’s largest magic academy.
Inside what should have been an empty classroom in this massive school were two figures. One was a young boy with white hair and an eyepatch. He was gripping his pen tightly as he looked down at his desk, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He appeared terribly nervous, like he was facing down a ferocious beast and trying to find an opening with which to escape in.
“H-Hey, Sensei. I’ve finished the assignment you gave me, so can I go home now?” The white haired student, Hajime Nagumo, explained to the source of his stress that he’d finished his supplementary lessons.
“Hmm, nope. You’re not done yet.” Though she spoke little, the teacher’s voice had a surprising amount of force behind it. And though she was his instructor, she looked young enough to be a student. Everything about her, from her appearance to her actions, had a subtle layer of seductiveness to it.
In truth, she was a three hundred year old vampire who was older than most adults. Her blouse had a very low cut, and her eyes seemed to be inviting you behind the wire-thin glasses she was wearing. To make matters worse, the way she kept crossing and uncrossing her stocking-clad legs was just too alluring. The effect was further multiplied by her perfect figure, golden-blonde hair, and ruby-red eyes.
“Wait, why not? I finished my assignment, even though it made no sense, so hurry up and let me go home.” Hajime thrust his finished assignment paper in front of Yue. Every single question was filled out. However, it was the questions themselves that were rather questionable. For example:
1.) What kind of girl is your type?
2.) What do you think of older women?
3.) Do you believe forbidden love can ever work out?
The questions went on along those lines. None of them seemed in any way related to a magic curriculum. It was obvious this teacher was only interested in seducing the poor male student sitting before her.
“No. I need to check your answers first.”
“Aren’t I the only one that’d be able to tell if they’re right or not? I mean, it’s not like I lied about my answers.”
“I’m just going to make sure… by examining your body.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait just a minute. Control yourself, you sex- starved teacher.”
Yue straddled Hajime and began licking him all over. Her lust was truly insatiable. She lifted her skirt up just a little, so Hajime could catch a glimpse of what lay beneath. That, combined with the soft sensation of her body resting on his knees, her slender arms caressing the back of his neck, and her sweet scent… all started to overwhelm his rationality.
Seconds before Hajime resigned himself to entering an illicit relationship with his teacher, they were interrupted.
“The hero arrives! Stop right there, Yue-sensei! I won’t allow you to break the Hajime Nagumo anti-monopoly law!” With a thunderous bang, Shea Haulia, another student, flung open the poor classroom door with enough force to break it. Hajime was about to protest this law he’d never even heard of, but Yue pushed his head into her breasts and responded to Shea’s words instead.
“Laws were made to be broken.” And so, Hajime’s protest died in his throat. Instead, he just enjoyed the sensation of being smothered between Yue’s breasts.
“Nnngh, stubborn as always, I see! Then I suppose I’ll have to do things the hard way! Body strengthening, full power! I’ll take Hajime back by force if I have to!”
“Hmph. Bad kids need to be punished. Prepare to be banished to the counselor’s realm.”
“As if you’re one to talk! I’ll get you fired for daring to lay a hand on one of your students!”
A moment of tense silence passed between them. The school’s scholarship student and the strongest body strengthener on campus was about to face off against the most renowned magic teacher in the entire academy. The pressure exerted by both of them was enough to make the peaceful classroom feel like hell.
Realizing he had to do something soon or there would be a bloodbath, Hajime disentangled himself from Yue’s boobs. However, despite his effort, Yue simply squeezed her thighs around him and pushed her chest back into his face. Hajime felt his mind go blank. He was useless in this state. Yue stuck one hand out, while Shea settled into a martial arts stance. It seemed like a clash between these two was inevitable. And yet, just before they started fighting—
Whoosh. Countless crosses made of light assaulted the two of them. Yue and Shea instantly switched their focus, ready to beat this surprise attack off with magic and fists, but the moment they switched their attention, chains of light wound their way up Hajime’s and Yue’s legs. The chains forcefully separated the two from each other. Yue was flung carelessly to the side, while Hajime was carefully carried over to the classroom door.
“Hajime-kun, are you alright?” Released from Yue’s enticing embrace, Hajime once again found himself enveloped in something soft the moment he was released from the chains.
A different kind of of sweet scent entered his nostrils, and when he looked up he found a familiar student smiling kindly down at him. Kaori Shirasaki. Hajime opened his mouth to say something, but he was once again interrupted.
“Aahn. H-Hajime-kun, that tickles.” Kaori blushed and tried to squirm into a more comfortable position.
Then let me go, Hajime thought, but then chains of light wrapped around them both and he realized Kaori had no intention of ever letting him go. She hadn’t come here to save him, just to steal him away from the others.
“I see. You’ve got guts, Kaori. I’ll send you to the counselor’s realm too, so you’d better be ready to make friends with Shea.”
“Don’t you think a teacher who would assault her own students needs more counseling than us?”
“Let’s cut the pointless chatter. I’ll defeat the both of you, and then claim my prize.”
Vast amounts of mana started swirling around the three most beautiful girls in school as they stared each other down. Pillars of golden, sapphire, and white light rose up so high that they passed through the school’s ceiling and ascended to the heavens.
Then, with a thunderous noise, a section of the school building was destroyed. The sounds of battle rang out across the grounds. The few students still at school stopped what they were doing for an instant, but when they saw what colors the pillars of light were they just said, “At it again, huh?” and resumed whatever club activities they were indulging in.
A few minutes and many explosions later, the young boy managed to stop the trio from fighting. There was a bright crimson spark, and the school building was restored to the way it had been before. Those who attended this academy were already used to this happening. Among the many magic academies that existed in this world, this was just another normal day for one of them.
The… Not So Worthless Rabbit!?
“Alright, Hajime-san, Yue-san, food’s ready.” The appetizing scent of cooked food reached their nostrils as Shea took the pot of food off the campfire and called Hajime and Yue over. They had made camp a short while back, and Shea had just finished cooking.
”So it looks like we’re having pot-au-feu today.”
“Yeah. It looks delicious.”
Hajime and Yue crawled out of their tent. The stew was filled with delicious-looking vegetables, and there was a freshly baked loaf of bread to go with it. Though it was simple dish, the taste and texture were outstanding. True, it lacked the polish a five star restaurant’s food might have, but it had the warmth of a home cooked meal to it. True home-style cooking, one might say.
Yesterday’s meal had been Hamburg steak, and the day before deep fried vegetables, and the day before that, meatbuns. All cooked to near perfection. When Yue and Hajime heartily dug into their meal, Shea hummed softly as she cleaned up the dishes. Then, she used the leftover water to do the laundry. She washed their clothes with a brush made from the soft bark found in the sea of trees. She’d even made a detergent out of powdered plants. Once she was finished, she wrung the clothes out and hung them by the fire to dry. Clothes too torn to be worn again were sewn into dust cloths, which she then used to clean the inside of the tent. After that, she repaired the clothes that had only been slightly torn or frayed.
“Shea’s really good at doing housework.” Hajime muttered quietly while he checked up on his weapons. Yue jumped with a start. She wanted to say that she could do it too, but she held her tongue. She had, in fact, tried to help out with the chores before, using her water magic to clean clothes or her wind magic to sweep the tent, but all it had earned her was a scolding from Shea, of all people. Naturally, her cooking was subpar as well. Yue could sew, but not nearly as well as Shea. A sudden shiver ran down her spine.
“Wait… doesn’t that mean Shea’s better than me at housework?”
“Huh? Yue-san, is something wrong?” Unaware of Yue’s plight, Shea simply tilted her head in confusion. Her hands continued sewing the whole time, fixing the battle scars the party’s clothes had suffered. There was no way Yue could compete with that. For a few hours after, Yue could be found inside one corner of their tent, hugging her knees and sobbing softly to herself…
Diamond. diamond. diamond.
HALLOWEEN?
“Umm, uhh… how do I look, Nagumo-kun?” The classroom was quite noisy, even though classes had ended for the day. In one corner of the room, Hajime stiffened up. As if a cute ghost had just cast a curse on him.
“Y-You l-look really cute. That’s a nekomata costume, right, Shirasaki- san? That cat apparition thing?” Hajime somehow managed to regain enough of his composure to answer Kaori’s question.
Her nekomata costume consisted of a yukata and a pair of cat ears and a cat tail. She blushed happily at Hajime’s words, making her already adorable countenance reach levels of cuteness that should be classified as a weapon of mass destruction. Half the boys in the class were already bleeding fountains from their noses, while the girls looked on coldly.
Kaori wasn’t wearing this because it was a hobby of hers or anything, but because today was Halloween. After many meetings, in which the guys kept on pushing their agenda so that they could see Shizuku and Kaori in cute costumes, the student council had decided to hold a Halloween tea event. A short ways away, Shizuku was putting the finishing touches on her Dracula costume. Many of the girls came up to admire her, and Shizuku was laughing happily with them about their costumes.
As Kaori had made a beeline for Hajime the moment she’d finished changing, many of the other guys in the class were glaring angrily at him. Their monster outfits and monstrous gazes made Hajime wonder if he would be stuck in an actual Halloween nightmare tonight.
“Oh yeah, Nagumo-kun. Shizuku-chan and I were thinking of doing an after-party at her place once this is over, would you like to come too?” The guys’ gazes grew even more hateful. The stares said it all. “Only Shizuku, Kaori, Ryutarou, and Kouki are going to be at that after-party. How come you get to go even though you’re not her childhood friend like they are? You better not say yes.”
It looked like tonight’s Halloween party wouldn’t end peacefully. And it was all the cat-eared Kaori’s fault.
“Oh, Sorry, but I’ve got something I need to do after this.”
“I see. That’s a shame, but I guess there’s nothing to be done if you’re busy. So, can we at least hang out during the party, then? Halloween only comes once a year after all.” The way she’d phrased that so casually while putting her hands together like she was pleading belied how crafty Kaori actually was. Had Hajime not felt the immediate threat to his life surrounding him from all sides he would have agreed instantly.
“S-Sorry. I-I already made plans…” Hajime slowly backed away, making sure his retreat path was clear, while refusing as politely as he could. Kaori furrowed her brows, unaware of the army of monsters closing in on Hajime.
“You already have plans? Hey, Nagumo-kun, would those plans happen to be with a girl? Well?”
“Huh? No, of course not. Ahaha…” Hajime felt chills run down his spine and quickly denied the accusation. Kaori let out a sigh of relief, but then slumped her shoulders the next second. She was still disappointed that he wasn’t going with her. One of the nearby guys dressed like a wolf let out a truly wolfish growl. At this point he may have already transformed into a monster on the inside too.
Kaori bounced back pretty quickly. After all, it wasn’t like her to stay down. Suddenly, her eyes glowed and she took out her smartphone.
“Then we can at least take a picture, right? You know, to commemorate the occasion.”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” In reality it wasn’t fine at all, but he couldn’t refuse her any further. Kaori smiled happily.
“Alright then, say cheese!” She grabbed Hajime’s arm and squeezed next to him. Hajime understood it was necessary for taking the picture, but… he was treading on thin ice as it was, and she’d just dumped a space heater on it.
“Shirasaki-san, I’m sorry, but can we do the picture later!?” “Huh? What? Nagumo-kun! Where are you going!?”
Hajime ran out of the room like his life depended on it, which it quite well might have, as the horde of monsters chased after him the instant he left the classroom.
“I can’t take it anymore, who does that fucker think he is!?” “Grrrrr”
“Nagumoooo! Say your prayers!”
“Awooooooo”
The boys chasing him all yelled out various battle cries. Some of them didn’t even sound human anymore.
“Holy crap that’s scary. Why do your eyes all look so bloodshot? And why are you running on all fours!?” Hajime’s screams continued to echo throughout the school for a long time after that.
“So yeah, that’s what happened. I swear, some of those guys had to have been possessed or something.” Hajime finished telling his story to Shea and Yue in between mouthfuls of pumpkin mash. They were eating dinner in the inn’s common room. The reason that story had come back to him was because the pumpkin he’d been served had been carved in the spitting image of a jack o lantern. There didn’t seem to be any corresponding holiday here in Tortus, though. This particular inn just seemed to have a peculiar way of preparing food. Most of it stemmed from the innkeeper’s hobbies.
“Oh, your homeland has some interesting customs, Hajime-san. I can’t imagine anyone here would willingly wear a monster costume. They’d probably be branded a heretic by the Holy Church.”
“Yeah… it looks like your world has more freedom in it than ours. But the important thing here is that… Hajime, you lusted after other girls.”
“Hah!? Oh yeah, that’s true! I can’t believe you got seduced so easily by cat ears, Hajime-san, that’s pathetic! Besides, rabbit ears are the greatest animal ears in this world!”
It looked like he’d brought unnecessary trouble onto himself by reminiscing about the past. Faltering underneath the two girls’ accusatory glares, Hajime quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, the tradition is for kids to dress up as monsters and go around to people’s houses yelling ‘Trick or Treat.’ The idea is that adults have to give them candy or they’ll get pranked, so kids end up with mountains of it by the end of the night.”
“I see.” Yue muttered. She then whispered something into Shea’s ear. Curious, Hajime tried to ask what they were discussing, but they cut him off with questions about the kinds of monsters that inhabited Earth, and once they’d finished barraging him with inquiries they both headed off somewhere. All they said was that they’d be back later and that Hajime should head on up first.
Reluctantly, he took their advice and returned to his room. He began maintaining his weapons while keeping a lookout for Yue and Shea’s return.
A while later, he saw them coming down the hallway through the open door.
“Okay. Trick or Treat, Hajime.”
“Awawa, this outfit is so embarrassing. T-Trick or Treat.” “…Seriously?”
Seriously indeed. Shea and Yue both looked rather stunning, in more ways than one. Yue was dressed in a short white mini-skirt with a matching yukata, showing off a liberal amount of leg. The getup was accented by a crimson sash and crimson sandals, which highlighted her white skin. Despite her short skirt, the sleeves of her yukata were quite long, and only her fingers peeked out as she walked forward with her hands held out like a zombie. Judging by the frost crystals she was making hover around her, Yue was probably meant to be a snow woman.
Next to her, Shea was wrapped completely in bandages and moaning in a somewhat convincing mummy impersonation. The wrapping around her tail was a bit loose, and as she was wearing nothing else, so her ass was exposed for the world to see. Whoever had wrapped the area around her chest had clearly held some kind of grudge as her breasts were so tightly bound that it looked painful.
Though she was slender, Shea had curves in all the right places, and the outfit made only of bandages served to emphasize those curves. Hajime calmed his beating heart and smiled awkwardly.
“I see there’s two fearsome monsters who’ve come to get candy from me. Unfortunately, I don’t have any to give out. Had I known, I would have gotten some, but…”
Right around the time Hajime had said “unfortunately,” Yue and Shea had happily exchanged glances and blushed slightly. Then, they both broke out into mischievous grins. For some reason, Hajime had felt chills run down his spine just then, and trailed off. Yue licked her lips suggestively and responded to him.
“Well, whether you had treats or not, we were always planning on tricking you. Sexually, that is.”
Hajime’s smile stiffened. He started looking for an escape route, but Shea beat him to the punch. With her body strengthening up to full, she quickly wrestled Hajime into submission. In order to free himself, Hajime began gathering mana to use Lightning Field, but he was a second too late.
“Candy secured.”
“Moron! That’s not candy, that’s— Aaah, stop, stop—”
Shea woke up the next morning after she’d been knocked out by Hajime’s lightning to find him staring off into the distance with dead eyes. Yue was next to him, looking rather satisfied. Hajime’s next words rang out rather clearly in the predawn gloom.
“Halloween is scary…”
Diamond. diamond. diamond.
Parent-Teacher Conference.
“Mom, Dad, please, PLEASE don’t say anything embarrassing.” Those words echoed through an evening-lit corridor of the school.
“Come on, Hajime, what are you so worried about? It’s just a parent- teacher conference. We’re just going to talk about how you’re doing at school and stuff.”
“Seriously, what a worrisome child. Just because your homeroom teacher’s a legal loli doesn’t mean we’re going to mess with her or anything.”
“That’s EXACTLY the problem! Please don’t use words like legal loli in front of my teacher. Seriously, no one else’s parents are like that. Please, I’m begging you, just hold it in, okay?” Hajime looked surprisingly serious. But his mom, Sumire, and dad, Shuu, were just grinning like little children.
“Did you hear that, Sumire? He said no one else’s parents are like this.”
“I did indeed. To think he thought of us as such special people… Dear, I don’t think I’ll be able to let him go when the time comes for him to become independent. Ufufu.”
“That’s not what I meant! Quit interpreting things however you want!” Hajime’s parents just ignored him. Today was the scheduled day for his parent-teacher conference. Because he knew how crazy his parents could be, Hajime was very worried they might mess everything up.
He was suddenly reminded of the disaster that had been his middle school conference. He was snapped out of his musings by the sound of someone’s footsteps coming down the hallway. The teacher who came out to greet them was none other than Aiko Hatayama. Standing only 140 centimeters tall, baby-faced Aiko resembled a baby squirrel more than teacher with the way she always ran around doing her best to help, but ultimately making things worse.
The interview started innocuously with Aiko talking about Hajime’s grades. Shuu and Sumire nodded exaggeratedly as she went over his test scores and the like. They were clearly just acting the part, so Hajime grew increasingly more concerned.
“Umm, so basically, Nagumo-kun is doing fine academically. Though me and some of the other teachers are concerned about his chronic habit of sleeping during class…” Aiko smiled awkwardly, and Hajime smiled back much the same. Then, reluctantly, she opened her mouth and tried to deliver her next lines as tactfully as possible.
“Also, well, Nagumo-kun’s interpersonal relationships are a bit…”
An image of Hajime sitting alone during lunch flitted through Aiko’s mind. Though his isolation worried Aiko, Hajime himself seemed to not be bothered by it at all. He had even told Aiko not to worry about him, so she wasn’t sure how to address it. However, Shuu dismissed her concerns offhandedly.
“Both me and my wife are aware of his lack of friends, Sensei. And neither of us particularly mind.”
“B-But…”
“It’s fine, Sensei. Our son may be a little passive, but if the time comes when he needs to step up, he will. Me and my husband have discussed this at length already… and if the time ever comes that our son needs to run away, we’ve already prepared several options for him!”
“U-Umm I’m not sure running away is…” Aiko was amazed at how unconcerned Hajime’s parents were with his school situation, and that they were even willing to help him run away if he felt like it.
Sumire suddenly turned serious. Thinking her previous comments must therefore have been a joke, Aiko too grew serious. She was prepared for Hajime’s mom to ask her what she as a teacher was doing to rectify the situation, but what Sumire asked was completely unexpected.
“By the way, Hatayama-sensei, are you dating anyone right now?”
“…Come again?” Aiko opened her eyes wide, metaphorical question marks floating above her head. An interrobang was floating above Hajime’s head, though.
“I asked if there’s a guy you’re dating.”
“N-No, there isn’t, but…”
“Then is there a girl you’re dating?”
“Of course not! What on earth are you saying!?” Aiko cried out in alarm. Hajime’s expression underwent a rapid transformation.
“I see. I’ve heard that teaching is quite a demanding profession. Also, my son says you even give up a lot of your free time to help the students… Frankly speaking, we’re worried about your marriage prospects.”
“Th-Thanks for your concern! So, why exactly did you bring this up?”
“Well, I was just thinking… why not marry our son?”
“Seriously, what on earth are you saying!?” Aiko exclaimed.
“What the hell! Mom, dad!” Chaos engulfed the classroom. Shuu and Sumire continued to fluster Aiko even further, while Hajime desperately tried to stop his parents’ rampage. However, it only got worse from there.
“Huh? But isn’t Hatayama-sensei totally your type?” Shuu asked. Flustered, Aiko couldn’t muster much more than a “Hawawa.”
To which, Sumire commented, “Wow, I finally heard someone go ‘hawawa’ in real life,” while nodding in satisfaction.
“U-Umm, that’s everything I wanted to discuss…” Aiko slumped tiredly over the desk she was sitting on.
A few seconds later, she got up and tottered unsteadily back toward the teacher’s office. Dealing with Shuu and Sumire together drained a great deal of mental stamina. Hajime was in the middle of thinking up an appropriate apology when Aiko suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned back to them. There was a faint blush spreading on her cheeks.
“N-Nagumo-kun! I’m your teacher, so we can’t be in a relationship, okay?” She then turned back and vanished into the teacher’s office.
“Mom, Dad, how am I even supposed to face my teacher tomorrow?”
Hajime’s parents just gave him a thumbs-up.
“With a smile, right?” They both said that simultaneously. For the first time in his life, Hajime felt like he wanted to kill someone.
Diamond. diamond. diamond.
