Kiryuu

By: Kiryuu

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Chapter 8: Another Version 5

Another Version 5


"Well, shall we work today? Ah, Mizell, are you properly prepared? You're the errand boy, so you should do your best."

"Yes, yes."

"Errand boy. Do it properly. Ehehe... haha..." 

Recently, Asurika has been saying strangely aggressive things to me. It almost feels like she's trying to pick a fight.

She doesn't seem to be in a bad mood, but rather seems to be in good mood. She doesn't seem to be in bad health either. Her breathing is sometimes rough, but it's at times like these that her complexion looks bright.

The reason why this happened is...

It must be because a while ago I forced her to apologise in the most pathetic pose imaginable...

That made me feel a lot better, and I was able to forget about Asurika in the past. However, from that day on, instead of reflecting on her actions, she started acting strangely mean towards me. It seems that I was too aggressive after all.

I have a lot of things that have been building up because of her, but that doesn't mean I should let her do something like that... I was too excited about my victory in the tournament and was too drunk. On top of that, Asurika had a strangely seductive vibe that day, so I was really going crazy...

It's too late to regret your actions.

Asurika's teasing towards me has become a little meaner.

In particular ...

"That monster just now was surprisingly hard to beat. Are you not good with it? Hmm~, I see. Even champions have trouble with small fry sometimes. Ahahaha."

"Damn, it's hot... Hm? ...You were looking at me with a really strange look just now. Our eyes met. Aaah, what a shock. Mizell, you're a pervert. Hehe." 

"...What? Do you want to read the magic textbook, Mizell? ...Ah, you can't read. You're so stupid. I'll read it to you." 

She started throwing rough provocative remarks into our conversations like this.

I'd like to think that this is childish level of insults, and that if it's meant to be harassing, it's cute.

I'm completely upset by Asurika's behavior. I feel irritated, anxious, and frustrated. It's like that every day. I don't know what to do.

I feel something slowly building up inside me. Should I tell her to stop? 

I was thinking about this on our way to the adventurer's management association, which was a job placement agency.

Just as I was thinking that I should at least be careful so that she wouldn't find fault with me...

In the end, it seemed like I was a complete idiot. As I was going around a corner, I collided head-on with someone coming towards me from the other side. 

"S-sorry."

The other person is on the ground, sitting on their buttocks. They are wearing a hoodie, but appear to be a woman.

I held out my hand and she looked up and down at me, then took my hand in both hers.

Under the hood was a girl younger than I thought, or rather, about my age. She had a worried look on her face, and there was something about her that seemed abnormal. 

"Um, well! I'm being chased... Could you please help me, adventurer?"

"Eh?" 

The girl, who had a somewhat elegant air about her, asked me for help. Huh, out of the blue?

I don't know what to do but I can't react. 

"Oh my! That's terrible! ...hey everyone in the  strong party over there! Help us! Our young lady is currently being chased by someone."

"Huh? Us?"

"Eh? Ah, well, I'd like to ask this person a favor..."

Asurika interjected, and in a flash, she was forcing the matter onto a group of fellow adventurers who were passing by.

And so, just as the adventurers began to glare at what seemed to be some sort of pursuer, Asurika was leading me by the hand as we rounded the next corner.

"Hmph. What a ridiculous 'Cult Invite scheme'... Come on, Mizell." 

For a moment, she looked at the spot where she had been earlier with a strangely cold gaze, but when she looked back at me, her expression had returned to normal.

"Is it okay? To leave that person alone." 

As I followed Asurika's back as she resumed her movements, I asked her a simple question.

Asurika turned around.

"What? You want to help her? Because she is a beautiful girl?"

She narrowed her eyes and spoke in a harsh tone. For some reason, she didn't seem to be in a very good mood.

A beautiful girl, huh? The girl from earlier was certainly pretty, but that wasn't a feature worth noting.

"Well... She seemed to have some money, so I thought we might be able to expect some compensation."

I didn't know the circumstances, but from her demeanor, the way she spoke, the shoes she was wearing, the necklace...it smelled like a money-making opportunity.

Asurika was confused for a moment, then her eyes softened a little and the corners of her mouth turned up.

"Huh? Wow, you're surprisingly perceptive. I thought you had some ulterior motive between a man and a woman. Have you ever thought about getting closer to her?"

"Not at all, not to someone I just met today."

"I see..."

Or rather, there is no room left in my ulterior motives for anything or anyone other than Asurika. What can the person who made me that way say?

I don't know if that thought was conveyed to her, but Asurika suddenly burst out laughing.

I don't know what she was thinking, but she took my arm and pulled me close. I'll probably never get used to this closeness...

Asurika whispers something to me, and as always, her voice sends chills down my spine. 

"That's good. There's no way any girl would fall in love with you, Mizell. Don't dream. You should know your place in the world. Hehe." 

She whispered those sharp, cold words in a cheerful voice.

... How should I interpret this? It seems that gently making fun of me is her current hobby. I wish she'd stop trying all sorts of different ways to tease me.

My mind will become even dumber than it is now... 

I'm worried about passersby looking at me, so I ask her to move away.

A short while after we resumed walking, I heard a rather catchy voice coming from the narrow alleyway right in front of me.

"Ahh! Stop it!"

It seemed like there was some trouble. I slowed down my pace a little and took a quick peek into the alley as I passed by.

There, we found a girl about my age surrounded by strong men.

"Hehehe. This is a fine looking girl... Why don't you join our party?"

"Gahaha..we will welcome you!!"

"But the newcomer welcome party isn't compulsory, so you don't have to force yourself to attend...!"

"Hahaha! The benefits are great too. You get paid vacation from the start... and there's also workers' compensation... Also, even during periods when you're unable to complete your work, your commuting expenses, food expenses, housing expenses, etc. are guaranteed.... Hahaha!!!"

"Stop it! I don't want to work even for one second!"

Well, it doesn't seem like something that other people should interfere in.

……yeah? 

"What's that? ... This is terrible, we have to help!"

"Do we really need to help...?"

Asurika, who had suddenly come to stand next to me, spoke in an exasperated voice.

Now, I saw the girl put her hand on the sword at her waist, as if she was going to use violence to solve the persistent solicitation.

She wants to intervene to prevent the four fellow adventurers from suffering any hardship, but...

"Hey, wizard! Look, a young girl is being attacked by a thug in an alley."

"What?! I have to go help!!"

"Yes, solved~" 

Asurika instigated a passing man and sent him into an alley. Isn't this just going to make things worse?

Then my hand was pulled with a strong force. It was a weak force, but it felt like I had no choice but to let it go.

A lot of things have happened today that have me stopping to think. I wonder if I'm just having bad luck.

We arrived at the Barima branch of the union and sat at a table in the attached bar to discuss the request we had received.

Recently, thanks to the name value of winning the martial arts tournament, I have been given jobs that are dangerous but lucrative. I and Asurika have been achieving good results with the requests we have accepted, and I have been highly evaluated by the association. I want to earn money while I can.

Eventually, the conversation comes to an end.

At that time, some people called out to us. 

"Hello, swordsman Mizell-san."

"Looking at it up close, I see, he looks pretty strong."

"I can sense sacred magic. Maybe he's a talented person..."

They were probably an adventurer party like us. However, it might be a little unusual that they were all girls of the same age as us.

As I returned the greeting to the three, a swordswoman who seemed to be the leader took a step forward. ...I saw her in the main tournament. Although she was in a different block. In other words, she was a powerful woman.

The girl turned her intense eyes towards me and spoke.

"Mizell-san, would you like to join forces with us? We have been given the right to investigate an S-rank unexplored labyrinth, but we are somewhat lacking in fighting power. We would like to hire a strong vanguard."

"S rank? That's amazing." 

I'm impressed. S rank is higher than A rank. Only a handful of people who belong to the union are allowed to set foot there.

I was amazed that girls of my age were so talented. The aura that the three of them exuded was that of people who were confident in their own abilities. I had heard that Barima's adventurers were all top-notch, and it seemed to be true. I guess it was just a fluke that I won.

Being invited by them might be a lucrative business opportunity worth jumping for joy. In the labyrinth, you can get various supplies and treasures, and the higher the difficulty of the dungeon, the better the reward. I knew that because I was managing the finances in the previous party.

...But, well... 

"It's an attractive idea, but I'll pass this time." 

And I declined the invitation.

I'm sure there are many other people at this agency who are worthy of their search. They probably just saw the face of the tournament winner and called out to me.

After that, she continued to press me to consider it more, but I declined as politely as possible. 

"If you change your mind, please let me know."

The girls give me a friendly smile. End of story.

After watching the three of them leave the bar, I felt a sense of relief. 

"..."

Asurika watched them leave with ice-cold eyes, unusual for a fire wizard.

It's scary. Those three said, "Of course we want you to accompany us," but they acted as if they didn't even care about Asurika. I had a bad impression of them at that point, but it's no wonder that Asurika herself was furious. 

"Are you sure you didn't go with me? I think it's a good business opportunity. If it were me, I'd go. ...It's a harem after all." 

However, Asurika asked me in a surprisingly calm tone.

The reason for that is simple.

"Those people didn't see through Asurika's abilities. If I were to join a party of that level, I would only get hurt."

"..." 

She looked surprised, but maybe I was wrong.

Also, I think that party should have more experienced adventurers. They need people with a lot of experience digging labyrinths. 

"They're all beautiful girls though?"

"Huh? ...Ah, well, is that so?"

To be honest, I don't even remember much about their appearance. I'm not interested in other girls anymore...

Asurika looked at me for a few seconds, then let out a small sigh. 

"Fuu. Mizell, you know... It's best not to get too involved with good-looking girls. Before long, they'll take advantage of you and your life will become crazy."

"……Ehhh?" 

Yeah, I'm experiencing it now. You're pretty impressive.

Her serious expression makes her seem like she's serious, which is actually scary. I think most women are more sensible than Asurika...

"Looking around carefully, everyone is paying attention to Mizell, and if we hang out here too much, the Champion recruition might get annoying. Are you happy, Mizell?"

"I'm happy, but I don't want to join another party..."

"Hmm."

After giving a curt response.

Asurika seemed to be in a good mood this time and smiled gently.

"Let's go, let's go. Let's get something on East Second Street. For lunch."


Then, Asurika's attitude suddenly became gentler, and I thought today might be a good day, but only for a moment.

Then, as if she remembered, she continued her malicious pranks.

The restaurant Asurika had picked out did not have many customers, perhaps because of the time of day or because the place wasn't particularly busy.

And the more out of sight, the more provocative her behavior becomes. 

"Since the tournament ended, it's become more comfortable again."

"Uh, yeah..." 

As we were chatting like this about nothing in particular.... From under the table, Asurika was touching my legs in a mischievous manner, with her bare boots on.

At its worst, she will rub our legs together and give me 'that' feeling.

And yet, sitting at the table, she looked intently into my eyes with a calm expression... 

"Oh. Excuse me." 

There was a crash as something hit the ground, and Asurika's legs let go. I took this opportunity to catch my breath and try to calm myself down.

"I dropped my fork. Sorry, could you get it for me? Under the desk." 

Although I thought she could just getting it herself, I couldn't resist, so I had no choice but to bend down and look underneath.

There it was. I reached out and picked it up. 

"!!" 

Right in front of me, Asurika crossed her legs.

I quickly look away. She's wearing a short skirt today, which is not nice...

I returned to my chair and, trying my best to avoid looking at Asurika, handed her the fork I had picked up.

"Thanks." 

With a quick, innocent smile, she accepted it.

And then I heard it. 

".... Did you see my panties?"

"I, I didn't see it."

"Oh dear. I'm wearing something I don't mind being seen in. What a coward."

"Huh..." 

What an unjust insult. Shit. What the hell is that?

It's normal for her to play around with people, but then she starts insulting me... I don't really want this to continue. 


I was about halfway through our new job, so I called it a day and we returned to the inn.

Now I just need to rest up for tomorrow. That's also important.

But...

"Why are you in my room like it's the norm?" 

Asurika climbs onto someone else's bed, looking down at the pages of a book. Like a child, she occasionally sways her legs. But in contrast to her actions, her long, slender legs are those of an adult. In other words, she's a real eye-catcher.

Also, since it's been getting hot lately, she is wearing light clothing. 

"It's more ventilated here. Oh, it's hot." 

Asurika stopped reading her book and sat on my bed, tugging at her collar and fanning her chest with the book.

I tried to look away, expecting her to say something, but it was too late.

"...Want to see? Want to take a bath with me?" 

Hearing that mysterious voice made me imagine all sorts of things. I shook my head and somehow managed to drive them away.

"Just kidding. Of course I won't show it to Mizell. You don't have the guts." 

She stood up and leisurely approached me as I sat in a chair. As always, she came close to my ear so her voice could carry clearly.

And that blushing smile is the expression she has when she hits her latest craze.

If I'm being provoked like that even in this room, where I have no escape and where I should be able to rest, then I... 

"See, you're timid, you have no guts, you have no courage... But you're a pervert. You dirty pervert. Aren't you ashamed? Ah, do you have anything to say back? No? Ahahaha."

"Hhhh...!"

Everything that had been building up until that point had finally made it impossible for me to sit still. With a clatter, I stood up from my chair.

I could see Asurika's body tense up with shock.

When I saw that, I honestly lost interest immediately. But I thought I should keep the momentum going and say something, so I somehow managed to put on an angry face and confronted her.

Then, I cornered Asurika, who was retreating back, against the wall. I purposely and violently slammed my hand into the wall behind her.

Asurika's shoulders twitched.

...Oh, this is going too far. It's terrible to try to intimidate a girl by using the difference in physique. Since when did I become like this? 

But Asurika's expression... 

"...What? Were you angry? ...Should I say I'm...sorry?" 

Her face was flushed, her mouth was quirking, and she was looking up at me with eyes that seemed to be expecting something.

Her breathing was a little heavy compared to her usual acting, but it felt incredibly realistic and made my heart rate rise too...

What's with that reaction? Maybe she was trying to anger me...?

"Asurika."

"Yes, yes..." 

Somehow, I feel like everything up to this point has been exactly as she wanted.

That's right. I'll just have to hold back here... 

"If that's your attitude, then I have an idea."

"Huh..."

I looked at Asurika, who had narrowed her eyes tightly.

I left her. 

"Well then, that's it."

"……? Eh?" 

I tried to look calm and left my room.

If Asurika is trying to play with me, I'll resist for once. I don't intend to return to the inn until late at night.

And also...

Starting tomorrow.

...Let's leave this party of two.

Kiryuu

Author's Note

When I thought I would see a brat correction program, he just left. Well, that's a good move too though against this kind of brat.

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