Chapter 6: A Thrilling First Job – The Sweets Chapter

It’s a template situation, the absolute template!

"Heh, just hand over the girls and the cargo nice and easy, and we might let you keep your lives."

Just one day away from our destination, a group of grimy-looking men wrapped in ragged cloths showed up. They looked exactly like the kind of filthy thugs you’d expect. One who seemed to be their boss licked a knife and gave us a vulgar grin as he spoke.

Their eyes were all locked on Lulu and the swordswoman, Rebecca. The mage, Clarice-san, and I were completely ignored. I had my hood pulled low and I’m short, so they probably didn’t even recognize me as a girl.

As for Clarice-san… well, I stole a glance at her chest, and she shot me a glare with such murderous intent that I froze. I’m sorry, please don’t kill me.

"And what if we say no?"

Our Master stepped forward lightly, resting Levantine on his shoulder. A lone, scrawny man among a group of women, and that only seemed to stoke the bandits’ jealous rage.

Ah, so this is what they call a loser’s inferiority complex.

"In that case, no choice… Don’t hurt the cat-beast or the swordswoman. Kill the man. I don’t care about the little one or the flat-chested one—just waste 'em!"

From beside me, I heard a distinct snap.

"Wow, you really saved our hides."

By the next morning, we’d safely arrived at our destination… some village or other.

I didn’t catch the name. Didn’t really care, honestly.

For reference, the town we live in is called Peteshe. It’s a fairly decent-sized waypoint town along a trade road, and there's a dungeon nearby, so adventurers tend to gather there.

This time, we were hired to escort a merchant from that village back to town. I found out the details after we got there. Bit late, but oh well. What matters is that we made it.

Bandits, you ask? A noble sacrifice. Fire magic in real life is terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. Even though I know they brought it on themselves, I still couldn’t help feeling sorry for how completely they were wiped out.

The result: Clarice put on such an overwhelming display that everyone there was left stunned. Master affectionately dubbed her the Flat-Chested Wrecking Machine. She looked like she was about to cry, so I actually kind of felt bad for her.

But seriously, if she keeps descending into madness at this rate, I might end up like those bandits myself. That night, I had a dream where Clarice-san came chasing after me, cackling, "Burn! Buuurn!" while flinging flames everywhere.

I jolted awake in terror. But the scariest moment of all was when I realized she was up on night watch, eyes wide open in the darkness, staring straight at me. That was genuinely a little dangerous. I won’t say what exactly was dangerous—but it was.

"Senpai, I brought you some new underwear~!"

Don’t shout that out loud!!

Anyway, we arranged to return to town tomorrow, tagging along as guards for another carriage. So today, we’re spending the night in the village. Apparently, their main industry is beekeeping, and although the prices are a bit steep, they have a ton of honey-based foods.

"Senpai, this one’s delicious too!"

"Oof… I’m going to get fat..."

After seeing Master off on his errands, Lulu and I dug into the hotcakes and scones they served at the tavern, slathering them with honey. The thick, potent sweetness soaked into every corner of my being. Lulu, having her first taste of anything this sugary, was sparkling with delight as she kept shoveling bite after bite into her mouth.

The tavern staff looked a little suspicious at us—two “collared girls” helping themselves freely to sweets—but Master had confidently said, "We reward effort. That’s our policy." That seemed to do the trick.

Still, even with all-you-can-eat freedom, if we kept going, the consequences would be very real. With my figure, if I eat too much, I’ll end up with a flat chest and a bulging belly—a tragic visual.

…Wait. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad? If I looked like that, maybe he wouldn’t call me at night anymore. This might be a brilliant plan. Yes, let’s eat more.

"If you eat any more, you’ll get fat."

Just as I reached for another scone, it was snatched away. Master had returned from shopping. That was faster than expected… Anyway, please give it back.

"I don’t mind gaining a little weight. Please give it back!"

"Some curves are fine, but I won’t allow you to get fat."

The tyranny! But oddly, it only strengthened my resolve. Just a slight puffiness, enough to drift outside his preferences. Once we get back, I’ll start drafting a new dietary strategy.

"If I have to, I’ll put you on a forced diet. You know what that means, right?"

"I’ll restrain myself."

Health comes first, after all. Too much sugar is bad for the body. I really dropped the ball there—neglecting my health in a world where collapsing could mean the end? Unforgivable.

When I stopped eating, Lulu hesitated too and put her fork down, though she kept staring longingly at the desserts with drool nearly forming. In the end, we asked the tavern’s permission to wrap up the leftovers and take them home.

Which meant it was time for Master’s item box. Time doesn’t pass inside, which is just not fair. Unlimited magic, insane combat ability, ridiculous luck… and we’re both from Japan! What’s with this massive gap!?

That night, Master was summoned by Clarice-san and left the inn. Fearing the worst, Lulu and I huddled together in bed, trembling.

But unexpectedly, it was Master who came back first.

"I’m back."

"W-welcome back…?"

I was fully expecting them to divide their forces and come to finish us off, so this was a bit anticlimactic.

"Shuuya-sama, did that female do anything to you?"

Lulu flung aside the sheets and pressed closer to her master. Should a girl really be calling another girl "female"?

"Ah… well, she confessed, but I turned her down."

Honestly, I was surprised. I thought she was a reasonably high-level tsundere, but it seems she was the type to charge in more aggressively than expected. Was it because of her contact with me and Lulu?

"Wasn’t that a bit of a waste?"

That said, she was good-looking. She seemed pretty skilled, and her bust wasn’t too different from mine, so I couldn’t help but think that maybe Master could’ve gone for it.

"Her confession line was, 'Please make me your slave! I won’t lose to those girls!'"

"……"

This wasn’t just aggressive—it was torpedo-level intensity. No matter how you look at it, that’s betting way too much on your life. In this world, slaves have no rights whatsoever. If their master gets bored, they can be killed without a single complaint. To throw yourself into that? That’s not sanity—that’s full-blown madness.

"No way, right?"

"No way."

We exchanged glances and sighed. This wasn’t just heavy—it was downright repulsive. The only men who’d be happy about this are either deranged perverts or perverts with zero common sense.

…Wait, isn’t there someone right in front of us who fits that description? No, let’s not go there. Poke the bush, and some mysterious creature will pop out, drag you into the thicket, and before you know it, you’ll be flashing a double peace sign. I mustn’t forget that right now, I’m just a helpless girl.

At any rate, I hope she’ll give up cleanly after this… but I’m uneasy. Master doesn’t seem the type to handle this well—or rather, when it comes to women, he’s just plain unreliable.

"Well, I’m a boob guy to begin with. Sucks for her, but even if you two weren’t around and it was a normal confession, I’d have turned her down."

"Is that so…?"

"……Huh?"

Ah, so either way, she never stood a chance. That’s a pretty harsh reality. I hope she finds the strength to move on… Hm? Wait, what did this guy just say?

"Master, this is bad—I’m hearing things! Something about you liking big breasts?"

"Shuuya-sama, I heard it too! Could it be enemy magic!?"

Seems Lulu heard it as well. Must be hallucination-inducing magic. Maybe Clarice’s doing? Some kind of mental attack on me? Not very effective, though.

"What the hell do you two take me for…? My type is a younger girl with big breasts, around Lulu’s age!"

…What did you just say!?

"Then… you’re an imposter!? But Master is a genuine lolicon with a fetish for little girls like me! There’s no way he’d like big breasts!"

"Exactly! Replicating even his scent is impressive, but the details are off! Where have you hidden the real Shuuya-sama? Answer us!"

This is dire. To think an imposter would appear in Master’s form… I let my guard down! But you’re underestimating me—my eyes won’t be deceived——

"………………'Down.'"

"Hyah!?"

"Nya!?"

The magic flowing through our collars forced our bodies into a prostrate position, like a deep bow. Footsteps approached.

"You two… don’t you think you’ve been messing with me a little too much?"

"Ah, ahahahaha…"

Whoops, got carried away. But well, I vented some pent-up frustration, so it’s fine. Really, it’s Master’s fault for making such an unfunny joke. That’s just how it is. For now, Lulu and I should apologize together to calm his anger. We’re not in a position to push our luck here, but better safe than sorry.

I glanced at Lulu, still face-down beside me, and we opened our mouths at the same time.

"We’re sorr—'It was all Senpai’s idea!'—Huh!?"

"Oh…?"

I turned to look at Lulu like a rusted machine, only to see her cute lips twist into a crescent-moon grin. …After all the time we spent getting along, I never thought she’d betray me so easily.

"L-Lulu, what are you—!?"

"I-I resisted, Shuuya-sama! I didn’t want to do it, but Senpai forced me…! I’m so sorry, Shuuya-sama!"

Lulu instantly switched back to tears, clinging to Master as they spilled down her cheeks. Master stroked her head with a sad expression, then fixed his gaze on me. And in that moment, I understood everything.

"I see… You had it rough, Lulu. I never thought Sora could be such a bad girl. This… calls for proper punishment, doesn’t it?"

That’s right—the two of them had been in cahoots from the very beginning. Sensing my rebelliousness, they used Lulu to lure me into revolt. This foolish elf had fallen perfectly into the tyrant’s scheme, doomed to meet her end here. As I hung my head in defeat, my master’s hand reached toward me——

"Let’s stop the jokes and get some sleep."

"Okaaay!"

"Understood."

With a gentle pat on my head, my master headed to one of the two beds. Lulu and I were to share the other. Getting to sleep beside a girl was a nice little perk.

The reason we split up? Well, even we have our limits—we couldn’t just dirty the inn’s beds. Truly, this was a peaceful journey.

"Still, Master Shuuya, I didn’t expect you to joke like that, Senpai."

"Honestly, I wonder where you get the nerve."

Huh? Betrayal? A scheme? Nah, just playful teasing. No matter what, things would never get seriously messy between us over something like this. …Well, Lulu is genuinely devious—what a terrifying girl!

"I was serious, though… Ah, whatever."

"Sure, sure, let’s leave the jokes at that."

How stubborn. It’s too late to take it back now—the moment you laid a hand on me, there was no undoing it. Give it up, you pervert. I burrowed into the bed, curling up with my back to Lulu. With my master nearby, I’d be safe enough to manage some sleep.

"Good night!"

"Good night, Shuya-sama."

"Night… Oh, and the punishment is real, so be ready for it when we get back."

…Huh?

◇◆ADVENTURE RESULT◆◇

[EXP]
NO BATTLE --
◆ [Sora Lv.8]
◆ [Lulu Lv.1]
◇―
◇―
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Sora Lv.8 [82]
Lulu Lv.1 [13]
[RECORD]
[MAX COMBO]>>12
[MAX HIT]>>16
[PARTY]
[Shuya][Lv26] HP372/372 MP630/630 [Normal]
[Sora][Lv4] HP17/17 MP30/30 [Normal]
[Lulu][Lv1] HP272/272 MP22/22 [Normal]
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
[Comment]
"I don’t wanna go home…"
"My condolences, Senpai."