Chapter 11: Recruitment I

The team had gathered at the inn where they’d stayed the night before the exam. Despite having very few guests in attendance, lively chatter and a joyful atmosphere filled the first floor.

The participants would receive their rewards once the test concluded. Until then, they were free to stay here, their food and drinks provided at no cost. The commoners were all delighted to hear this, especially Borge. Shuou felt the same way. Since leaving Amane’s side, this would be his first opportunity to truly relax. As such, he was happy.

Upon arriving at the inn, the group had gathered around a table for a celebratory dinner. Immediately, Jiro had ordered every variety of fish cuisine. Borge had started gulping down unrefined alcohol made from rice. Kumokari had distributed food on small plates, attentively wiping Jiro’s mouth for him. Shuou found it interesting how everyone expressed so much individuality simply by eating.

Crowded with fresh food and side dishes, the warm glow of the hearth illuminated the tabletop. As the state would pay for everything they ate, the inn’s proprietress brought them food they hadn’t even requested. Shuou munched upon sweet and spicy stewed potatoes: a staple home-cooked meal in Murakumo. To wash down his food, he drank cold green tea.

“When we last parted, you had no intention of joining this gathering, I believe,” said Aise, who’d joined them wearing a luxurious dress. “So what’s going on, Shitori?”

“She joined us not too long after we arrived,” said Shuou.

Though he’d explained this as a gesture of kindness, Kumokari – who sat across from him – discreetly gave him a light kick to the leg. Realizing he should have stayed quiet, Shuou regretted speaking up.

Aise looked at Shitori with a dry expression. “Is that right…?”

“I changed my mind.”

Shitori spoke without inflection, not returning Aise’s gaze.

“Gh—”

Though Aise didn’t appear to have given up her questioning, she couldn’t respond to Shitori’s words. If Shitori claimed to have changed her mind, that was that. Pursuing the matter any further would be meaningless, Aise must have realized.

Once she’d brushed off Aise’s inquiry with a single phrase, Shitori continued sipping on her sweet drink. She’d taken the seat to Shuou’s left, their chairs stuck together. In this short period of time, she appeared to have taken a bath, a faintly sweet scent wafting from her buoyant, blue hair. She wore a simple, black dress, a crimson shawl draped across her shoulders. The dress accentuated her figure, further increasing the glamour emitted from her shapely, feminine body.

After joining this gathering partway through, Aise had placed her chair to Shuou’s right. Her vibrant, yellow dress – dazzling to the eye – matched her golden hair quite well. Her usually sharp impression had transcended into one of refined nobility.

Contrary to his expectations, a deeply flustered Shuou had ended up flanked by a pair of gorgeous women. These two beauties were close enough to brush shoulders with him, leaving him unable to relax. His sole salvation came in the presence of his male companions. Kumokari’s massive physique, Jiro single-mindedly devouring his fish cuisine, and Borge pouring alcohol into an oversized cup. Their proximity alone helped reduce the sensual aura drifting from Aise and Shitori.

“Still…” Aise leaned towards Shitori, sniffing her. “Are you wearing perfume, by any chance?”

Each time Shitori moved even slightly, a flowery scent drifted from her body, Aise had noted.

“… I am,” said Shitori. “What’s your point?”

“Oh, nothing. I just thought it was unusual. You normally don’t wear that sort of dress, let alone perfume.”

“There’s nothing strange about my outfit. Since I didn’t have a spare uniform, I had to wear this instead.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

Once the conversation had ended, the girls returned to eating the food from their respective plates. For a little while, Aise had been making biting remarks about Shitori’s actions and clothing, the latter responding nonchalantly. After each exchange, a short silence followed, which had become quite problematic for Shuou, who found himself caught in the middle. As he began to feel suffocated, a lone savior appeared to smash this delicate situation into smithereens.

It was a drunken Borge.

“Hic! Hey, Shorou!”

“It’s Shuou.”

Upon arriving, Borge had started guzzling down alcohol, causing him to slur already. Standing on one leg, he came over to Shuou’s side, holding a cup filled with booze.

“Ooh, I wa’ jusht shaying that I thought you were amazshing!”

Sticking his face in Shuou’s, Borge blew out a breath reeking of alcohol. Shitori – who was sitting right next to Shuou – grunted, putting distance between them.

“You’ve had a little too much to drink, I’d say,” said Shuou.

“Shut up! Thish ish only the beginning! Sheeing you reminds me o’ my youth! You’re an amazshing guy! Ya got that, ya pieshe o’ shit bashtard?”

To protect his wounded leg, Borge stood on one foot. Despite being precarious even under normal circumstances, he swayed back and forth due to the alcohol. The former mercenary seemed quite drunk, his vision unfocused.

“I’ve got it,” said Shuou. “You should sit down and drink some water.”

“Nah, you don’t get it at all! All right! I’ll show you jusht how grateful I am!”

Raising his cup above Shuou’s head, Borge tilted the container, pouring out its contents.

“Shelebratory boozshe! Have at it, Shurou!”

The bittersweet alcohol spilled onto his head. This happened to me just the other day, Shuou thought as the liquid splashed over him, reflecting upon the nostalgia of it all.

“Hey!” cried Aise. “What the hell are you doing!?”

Watching Borge pour alcohol on Shuou’s head with astonishment, Aise stood up and shoved the older man away. Pushed while in an unstable position, Borge grabbed ahold of the food placed atop the table, falling to the floor. Salads and meat dishes clattered onto the ground, scattering in every direction. Freshly brought soup tumbled over as well, splashing onto Shuou’s thighs.

“Are you okay, Shuou?” asked Aise.

“Don’t worry,” he replied. “I just got a little wet.”

“Just a little wet? You had steaming hot soup splashed on you! If you don’t take off your pants, your thighs are going to burn!”

“You’re overreacting. It’s lukewarm at the most.”

“It’s definitely hot,” said Aise, dubiously touching his wet trousers.

Without waiting for consent, she pulled down his pants, checking his thighs.

“See, your leg is bright red!” she exclaimed. “…Or maybe it’s not?”

Shuou’s thigh hadn’t changed at all. The skin wasn’t even a little red. Everything was completely normal.

“A bit of overreaction, don’t you think?” said Kumokari, his wry smile directed at Aise. “If his leg had been burned, he would have been making a much bigger fuss.”

“Yeah… You’re right. Hold on a moment. I’ll go fetch a towel or something from one of the employ—”

Before Aise could finish speaking, Shitori – who’d been quietly observing them from the side – leapt out of her chair, dashing towards the back of the tavern.

“Hey, wait a minute!” shouted Aise. “I spoke first!”

Aise chased after Shitori, who’d gotten a head start. A fierce competition unfolded between the two girls. Pulling each other’s clothes and pushing their palms into each other’s faces, both struggled to take the lead. Despite being worried about the girls, Shuou was also concerned about Borge. Since Aise had pushed him, the former mercenary hadn’t budged at all.

“Hey, are you okay?” Shuou called out to him.

No reply.

Standing up, a concerned Kumokari walked over to Borge’s side. “…Looks like he’s asleep.”

Since Borge had fallen face down, Kumokari rolled him onto his back. Afterwards, his raucous snoring reached their ears.

“Yeah, looks like it,” Shuou agreed.

“Still, he’s one incorrigible old man,” said Kumokari.  “Let’s roll him into the back. He’ll just be in the way here.”

“Jiro will help, too… ish.”

Holding a fish in his mouth, Jiro helped Kumokari roll Borge to a back wall. Despite all this, Borge showed no signs of waking. Even after rolling far enough for his back to meet the wall, he still wore the peaceful expression of someone deep in slumber.

“He’s sleeping so soundly,” said Kumokari. “He must have been very tired.”

His hair still wet, Shuou began cleaning up the plates and food scattered across the floor. Though the fallen food was a little dirty, it wasn’t yet inedible. Not wanting to be wasteful, Shuou considered eating it. Before he could do so, Kumokari asked for the salad comprised of raw vegetables cut into long, thin pieces.

“What for?” asked Shuou.

“Oh, you know,” said Kumokari. “He needs to take responsibility for knocking all this food onto the ground.”

Taking the plate from Shuou, Kumokari picked out a vegetable stick, inserting it into one of Borge’s nostrils as he slept.

“Ngh!”

Borge’s body leapt. Nevertheless, he still showed no signs of waking.

“And he’s still asleep,” said Kumokari. “Well then, let’s take one more…”

Slowly, Kumokari inserted a second vegetable stick into Borge’s other nostril. Before Shuou, an enormous gay man was inserting vegetable sticks into the nostrils of a middle-aged fellow lying across the floor. All the while, a Demiphibian – acting as his assistant – watched over the scene, his gaze solemn.

What kind of game is this? Shuou wondered.

Since the others were quite serious, he decided to watch over them in silence.

Working cautiously, Kumokari finished carrying out the operation with success. “They’re in. Still, it feels like something’s missing.”

“His eyes seem lonely… ish.”

From atop a plate, Jiro took thinly sliced, round vegetables, sticking them on Borge’s eyelids. Since two long sticks extended from his nostrils, air leaked from between the gaps, producing a pathetic, whistling sound. Due to his nose being plugged, his mouth hung wide open. Finally, vegetables – round and white – decorated his eyes.

Here lay the ruins of a man once known as Borge.

Finishing their work, Kumokari and Jiro looked at each other, nodding in agreement.

“Sorry for the wait,” said Aise. “We brought something to wipe you off.”

Aise and Shitori had returned with towels in their hands.  Taking one look at the ruins of Borge, the girls pretended not to have seen anything. Afterwards, they began competing to wipe down Shuou’s head and body.

Covering Borge with a blanket, the group regained their time of peace and warmth. Everyone reached for their respective food and drinks, discussing various events that had occurred during the exam. As the conversation reached the end of the test, Kumokari addressed Shuou in a cautious tone.

“Hey, Shuou. Do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Sure. So long as I know the answer.”

“I wanted to ask about how you fought those final Rabidaemons. Where did you learn to do that?”

“I wanted to ask about that, too,” said Aise, showing her agreement. “Sure, I’ve heard of humans hunting Rabidaemons in the Abyss, but those groups contain dozens of people. It’s unheard of for someone without a Sunstone to exterminate so many Rabidaemons without suffering a single injury.”

Shuou chose his words one at a time, wondering how much he should reveal. “I already told Aise this, but I learned about the Abyss from my adoptive guardian. When she took me in as an orphan, I made a promise to her.”

“A promise?”

“Per the promise, I would carry on the ancient martial style she had inherited.”

Aise leaned forward at Shuou’s words. “Is that martial style what you used to defeat those Rabidaemons in a single blow?”

“That was different. While training me to inherit her martial style, my guardian also taught me about the forest and how to deal with Rabidaemons as an added bonus. Still, according to my guardian, those added bonuses would be far more useful.”

“That was just an added bonus…? Then what is the actual martial style?”

“Hmm…”

Wondering how best to explain, Shuou found himself at a loss for words.

Thinking him hesitant to speak, a perplexed Aise waved both her hands. “If you can’t tell us, that’s okay. I don’t want to force an answer out of you.”

“No, I do want to explain. It’s a martial style used against people. Right now, those are the only words that come to mind.”

The martial style he’d inherited from Amane was unconventional. If he had to offer an on-the-spot explanation, he wouldn’t be able to find the right words. Despite having the grandiose title of martial style, it was rather unremarkable. During the time-consuming process of learning from Amane, he’d doubted its actual usefulness. Even after arriving in the world of humans, he hadn’t used his skills in real combat even once.

“Well then, that’s okay,” said Aise. “But I’d be happy if you showed it to me at some point.”

Finished speaking, she asked no further questions.

To be honest, Shuou didn’t want to fulfill her request. Imagined even mildly, the situation in which he used his skills against another person would not be a peaceful one.

Afterwards, the fun continued. The group laughed out loud at Kumokari’s gags, Jiro began expounding upon the various kinds of fish cuisine he’d eaten, and as everyone discussed their dreams of the future, time passed in the blink of an eye.

Once the group had finished most of the food on the table, everyone fell asleep where they sat. It was already late into the night. Someone placed their shoulder inside Shuou’s armpit to support him, carrying him to his bedroom on the second floor. Being so tired that he couldn’t even bother to open his eyes, he thanked the person for gently laying him in bed. While expressing his gratitude, Shuou’s half asleep mind expected this considerate person to be Kumokari.

“Thank you, Kumokari…”

Within the dark room, the person he’d thanked responded to him immediately. “You’re very welcome. But my name is Shitori.”

As soon as he heard her speak, something warm and soft climbed atop him with a thump. At once, the sweet scent drifting from her awakened Shuou’s vacant consciousness.

“Shitori!?”

Opening his eyes, he found Shitori right in front of him, the dim light of candles illuminating her form.

“That’s right,” she said. “As a reward, you can have my first kiss…”

Eyes closed, Shitori pouted her lips, bringing her face towards Shuou’s. Somehow, he managed to push her back.

“H-hey, wait!” he shouted.

“Is something wrong?”

“I should be the one asking that. What are you doing? Where’s everyone else?”

In response to Shuou’s question, Shitori offered a bewitching smile. “They’re sleeping downstairs. There’s a certain medicine I take when I can’t sleep. I spiked everyone’s drink with that a little bit at a time. Except for the old man, it wasn’t very effective, though. I was starting to get rather impatient.”

“You drugged us with sleeping medicine…?”

“Everyone except you and me. And it was just a little bit.”

Shuou didn’t need any more convincing. Borge must have fallen into an unnaturally deep slumber due to the sleeping medicine.

“Why are you doing this?” asked Shuou.

“Because I want you, obviously. So I’d like those intrusive little bugs to stay quiet for a while.”

This was a completely different Shitori from the one he’d come to know during the exam. Usually, Shuou couldn’t even tell where her vacant eyes were looking. Now she perceived him acutely, not removing her gaze for even a moment. Furthermore, her heavy sighs were sweet and warm.

“Do you understand what you’re doing?” asked Shuou.

“I’m straddling you.”

Shitori looked down at Shuou with an alluring expression. She slipped her hands underneath his shirt, sliding them – little by little – from his navel to his chest. Her cold, soft fingertips traced his body. Experiencing this strange sensation for the first time, Shuou trembled. Smiling, Shitori licked her upper lip, her seductive form causing his heart to leap.

“You said men were gross, if I’m not mistaken,” said Shuou.

“You’re not gross. Throughout the exam, I was interested in you. I felt apprehensive, and because you knew so much about the Abyss, I wanted to rely on you. That’s what I thought at first, anyway. But in the end, you defeated those monsters so easily. After seeing that, my pulse raced, the bottom of my stomach growing warm. My heart was like a withered tree. Until now, nothing had ever caused it to stir this much. And so… I need you to take responsibility for the way I feel.”

To prove she wasn’t lying, Shitori’s gaze didn’t waver in the slightest.

She closed in on him with a serene, slightly feverish expression. Shuou’s male desires and an inexplicable sense of unease overcame him simultaneously. The former won out in no time at all. As if someone had poured boiling water over him, his head burned. At the same time, his heart hammered against his chest, heat tinging his entire body. He no longer had the capacity for rational thought.

Shitori’s entranced eyes gazed at him, and her face – flushed slightly red – approached his. However, the moment she touched his eyepatch, the heat boiling within him cooled in a flash. Grabbing her hand, he pushed it away.

“I’m sorry, but… please get off me,” he said.

Both heating up and cooling down were instantaneous. Sexual desire was inconvenient. Depending on the situation, the instinct could be laughably flexible. Even so, the current situation wasn’t so insignificant that he could just laugh it off.

“Why?” asked Shitori.

“I don’t have a reason. In any case, I need you to calm down.”

Shitori looked at his eyepatch. “Because I touched your mask?”

“…I suppose so.”

Shuou gave an honest answer. Since she’d guessed correctly, he couldn’t dodge the question.

“Are you afraid of people seeing what’s underneath?” she pressed.

“…I am. Exposing something you’ve already hidden takes a lot of courage, it would seem. Especially to someone you’ve grown close to.”

His eyepatch concealed hideous burn scars. If he showed these scars to his companions, he doubted that their attitude towards him would change.

But what if…?

When that thought crossed his mind, his meager courage dried up like an empty well. If his companions remained ignorant, that would be fine. To prevent wounding his heart any further, he would remain in a safe place. Thoughts of escape caused his body to freeze. All alone, Shuou could face monsters everyone else feared, yet this frightened him.

How pathetic, how laughable I must seem, he thought.

“No matter what’s underneath your eyepatch, my feelings for you won’t change,” said Shitori. “I can assure you of that. Even so, I don’t want to force you to let me see. If you ever happen to be ready, will you show me then?”

Shitori’s words showed heartfelt consideration for Shuou. Her expression was so sincere and warm, he wondered where she had been hiding this face up ‘til now.

“Yeah, I can promise you that,” said Shuou.

Climbing off him, Shitori lay at his side. “Ah… After I went and built up my resolve.”

“…I’m sorry,” he apologized, feeling guilty as she stared at him reproachfully.

Shitori laughed at his apology. “Somehow, you seem so young all of a sudden. You’re a mystery. Though you act arrogant, you can sometimes be kind. And though you show tremendous strength, you’re also surprisingly delicate.”

“I feel the same way.”

“How so?”

“Since my guardian adopted me, I haven’t had much contact with other people. Girls who are close to my age like you and Aise seem like a different species.”

Shitori glared at him with a peeved expression. “Don’t mention Aise. But it’s interesting to know that we’re close in age. I turned eighteen this year. Is that how old you are, too?”

“I turned twenty this year… Most likely.”

“Most likely?”

“I’m not sure. During my time as an orphan, I didn’t know my own age. When I met my master… my guardian, she said I looked six or seven. That was twelve years ago.”

“Even if you were seven, that would still make you one year short of twenty, right?”

“My guardian said that I would be free after turning twenty. Since I wanted to hurry up and see the world, I declared myself as such and left.”

“How perfunctory. Still, I don’t think your guardian’s estimate was that far off. You don’t appear too much different from the boys in my class.”

“I see… Well, that’s good to hear.”

Shuou’s eyelids grew heavier. Despite getting a reasonable amount of sleep on the day the test had ended, his fatigue hadn’t reduced in the slightest. Throughout the exam, he’d spent the majority of each night on watch duty. Halfway through, he’d walked while carrying Borge the entire time.

Not wanting his companions to worry, Shuou had hidden his exhaustion. However, he’d accumulated so much fatigue in his lower body that even standing in front of his squad mates required immense effort. Right now, as he lay atop this soft bed, Shitori’s dispassionate voice sounded like a comforting lullaby.

“You look tired,” she said. “Do you mind if I sleep here until we wake?”

Rolling over, Shuou turned his back towards Shitori. ”Do whatever you want.”

As he closed his eyes, the sensation of being swallowed by darkness intoxicated him. Fading in and out of consciousness, he soon fell asleep.

***

As Shuou’s breathing began to slow, Shitori poked him in the back. Confirming that he was completely unconscious, she let out a solitary sigh.

“He really did go to sleep.”

Despite being afraid to show her what lay hidden beneath his eyepatch, Shuou had defenselessly fallen asleep beside her. At the very least, he must have trusted her at little. Wrapping her arms around him from behind, Shitori closed her eyes.

He’s warm.

Though her body had been flushed just a moment ago, it settled into a comfortable warmth, providing her with an irreplaceable sense of security. Until a few days ago, she’d hated the sight of men, but right now, she couldn’t stop thinking about a single boy. One never knew how life would turn out. Thus, Shitori fell asleep, wishing for more time with him, even if only within a dream.