Master and I continued to enjoy the festivities until it got dark, after which we headed to Shunrai.
“Hi, Harumikazuchi!” master said. “I’ve come tonight to drink on my buddy Blade’s tab! Hope that’s okay!”
“Been expecting you, Karina. Yeah, Blade already told me everything.”
A beautiful fox woman greeted master with a wave as we entered. She kept her fingers together as she waved, giving it an elegant, adult nuance—more like a beckon, really. Er, master? This is an adult establishment, isn’t it? One of those ones where the girls use the bar on the first floor to invite their clients upstairs? Oh, look, there’s a stage here too. As a former minstrel, I can’t deny that makes me a little curious.
“Blade said he got more than enough reward money, so he wants you to go ahead and drink your fill,” the woman continued. “If your bill ends up exceeding his budget, I’ll have him pay off the rest later.” She paused. “Hm? Is that girl with you a slave? Sorry, but if you brought her here to work, we don’t accept children.”
“I-I’m Aishia,” I said, introducing myself. “I’m a half dwarf, and despite how I look, I’m an adult... Er, master, if it’s what you want, I’d be happy to work here.”
“No, no, no, not at all!” She shook her head vigorously. “I just thought I’d bring you along to drink too, since Blade was already picking up the tab! And with that said, let’s drink the night away! Oh—right, Harumikazuchi, there was a festival going on today, so I came bearing gifts!”
“Oh really? I appreciate that. My girls will be thrilled as well. Wait, you had these in your backpack as is, without any wrapping? Aren’t you worried about the inside getting all messy?”
“Heh heh heh. That’s where my secret technique comes in, you see. I can even carry around a bowl of soup in there without spilling a drop!”
“You don’t say? That is quite impressive.” Harumikazuchi took the food items master offered her. A secret technique... Master must be referring to her magic. I suppose magic is a technique, in a way, so that makes sense.
“Now, with the gifts out of the way—let’s party, Harumikazuchi! You join in too, Aishia! We’ll drink until the sun comes up—Blade’s paying for it, after all!”
“I suppose I have no choice,” the fox woman said with a smile. “Aishia, you said you were a half dwarf, right? I suppose that means you can hold your liquor?”
“I prefer hard liquor, actually.”
“Well, Karina’s a lightweight compared to the two of us, so the faster we knock her out, the less trouble she’ll be. You help out too.” She poured herself a glass of amber mead and downed it in one go with a gulp. Liquor, huh... Come to think of it, I haven’t enjoyed a proper drink since I became a slave, so it’s been...three years now. Drinking too much isn’t good for your throat, but I’m not a minstrel anymore, so it should be fine, right? Besides, master can always fix my throat right up. Not just heal—fix. That’s how incredible she is.
“H-Hey, you two?” master said. “If you’re planning something behind my back, at least make sure I can’t hear you first.”
In the end, master was totally smashed after only a few drinks, and Harumikazuchi and I helped her up to the second floor so she could rest. As for what the three of us did afterward: That’s a secret, but we were at it until the sun came up. Oh, master, I adore you so much!
#Side: END
Uuugh. When I woke up, I had a splitting headache. Next to me was the half dwarf Aishia in sheer sleepwear. Oh—come to think of it, it looks like I’m also in sheer sleepwear. Wow, how lewd! The fabric was so thin, it’d probably tear if you pulled on it, which was scary in itself. From a cost perspective, that is.
More importantly, what happened last night...? I couldn’t remember. But when I checked my preservation storage space, there were two new pairs of socks from Aishia and Harumikazuchi inside. Hm... You know, I don’t think I’ll offer these to the Goddess. Aishia aside, I’d just delivered a pair from Harumikazuchi not too long ago. I’ll keep these for myself. Huh? No, of course not for embezzlement purposes. Just as a keepsake, that’s all.
“Hello? Is this thing on? Hey, hey, it’s your Goddess speaking! I’m glad to see you’ve also awakened to the glory of socks, so since we’re kindred spirits, I’ll overlook your negligence this time. End divine message.”
I guess she noticed. Don’t try to pass that off as a “divine message,” Goddess. And the only reason we’re “kindred spirits” is because you planted this disposition inside me, remember?
Still, there was a slight problem. Harumikazuchi worked in the sex trade, so she was fine, but Aishia was my slave, meaning she couldn’t go against my orders. What if she didn’t actually want to do any of this with me? When I thought about that, it did make me hesitate to make a move on her. Although, she was my slave, so maybe it was silly to worry about that? Hmm... Oh man, her sleeping face is so cute! Nah, I can’t help myself!
“Oh, you’re awake, huh? Morning, sleepyhead.”
“H-Harumikazuchi?” I turned toward the room’s entrance to see Harumikazuchi standing there, in the same black dress emphasizing her curves that she’d worn when we’d first met.
“Breakfast is ready. You hungry? Don’t worry about paying, I’ll just have Blade cover it.” She brought three servings of onigiri over. O-Onigiri?! Then there must be rice in this world as well! Although, this was the world of a goddess well-versed in Earth and Japanese culture, so that shouldn’t have surprised me.