"Two bags of soil? Check. Three large flower pots? Check. Four small flower pots? Check. Six bags of seeds? Check. That should be it!"
"I must thank you for delivering them for me, but you don't have to go through all the trouble. I can send Gin to deliver them instead."
"It's alright! This isn't a problem for me. Besides, he's busy over at his store, I wouldn't want to bother him while he's working. So you can leave this to me!"
Enna briefly closed her eyes, pondering if Shouya should deliver the items by himself. She took a short nod, accepting his assignment and gave him a small note.
"Alright, here's her address. Her place shouldn't be far from here."
"Okay then, I'm off!"
After receiving the note with the address, Shouya lifts the handles of a large wooden wheelbarrow, which contains all the contents in it, and heads down the road with it.
Shouya had never worked a job in his life before, let alone being a delivery boy of all things. He had always received allowances from his parents since they got jobs. However, since he's not on Earth anymore, and his parents aren't around to give him money, he has to make a living and make money on his own.
As he walked down the road, the citizens of Vincilos, young and old, male and female, and beast humans and lizardmen, greeted and waved at him with a joyful smile, welcoming Shouya as he was delivering the contents, and Shouya greeted them back as he continued walking. It's uncommon that he'd ever gotten this treatment in his life. He was used to everyone minding their own business and he kept quiet back in his world. Seeing them greeting him was a breath of fresh air and his heart was filled with joy.
He took out the note that Enna gave him and read what it said—at least to his understanding.
"Hmm… Let's see. What's that letter again?"
Not only the note that he had taken out, but a pencil as well and wrote under the letters.
It had been a month since he was transported to another world. Couple of days after surviving the night against the Blue Sharks, he had asked Enna to borrow a couple of her and Gin's books to study the language of this world. He had some assistance from Enna, even the siblings Jakki and Gina, to help him to know the alphabet.
He had been studying day and night writing down this world's language for weeks to a point where he can kind of understand some of this world's alphabet. Even though he couldn't understand all of this world's alphabet, he could understand some of it and could make it out of it.
But he still needs to study it.
After a couple of minutes of walking, he had reached his destination. He knocked on the door a couple of times and an elderly cat-eared woman in her mid-to-late fifties opened the door.
"Are you, uhh… Mrs. Rinana?"
"Oh! Thank you for delivering them."
Shouya assisted the elderly woman in storing the flowering items. One by one, he takes the items from the wheelbarrow and stores them in her house. He had to be careful with the pottery since they can easily break.
Finishing up with the supplies, he then gave the bags of seeds to the buyer.
"Everything is inside, Mrs. Rinana."
"Thank you so much for helping me. I hope that wasn't much trouble for you."
"Not at all! I'm very used to this."
"Well, in any case, here you go. That should be enough."
Rinana reaches for her pocket and takes out a hand sized bag of Ercos and hands it to Shouya. He could feel that even if it was just a handful of coins, it was a bit heavier than he expected. He looks inside the bag and sees a large sum of gold coins.
"Wow! Isn't this a little bit too much?"
"Hohoho, don't worry about it. It was all for you."
"O-Oh! Thank you!"
"No, no. Thank you. For delivering these things for me."
He puts the bag of Ercos into his pocket and heads out the door. Before he could leave, the elderly woman gave him her final words.
"—And thank you for saving this city."
"—"
As she said that, Shouya suddenly froze up for a split second. His joyful expression was quickly switched to a downcast look. Without looking back to Rinana, he kept looking straight ahead and quietly said "not a problem" before heading back to the flower store with the wheelbarrow.
From house-to-house, everytime he delivers the supplies to the customers, they've always said: "thank you for saving this city", "thank you for protecting my family", "you're a hero". Any normal person would've appreciated the compliment. But to Shouya, however, instead of making him happy, it made him depressed. He's no hero; he doesn't declare himself as one and he didn't like to be called as one. All he saw was a coward.
Was my idea really a good idea?
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
"You want us to…what exactly?"
"Delivery service?"
Gin and Enna cocked their heads to the side as Shouya brought up the idea of starting a delivery service. A week after the Blue Sharks' disbandment. Since the Blue Sharks are now gone, everyone in the city was repairing their homes and their lives. And because of that, the business was slow. He thought that it was a great opportunity to jumpstart a delivery service.
It was really nothing original; Shouya had previously shopped video games and manga online and had it delivered to his home. He thought that if he would use his knowledge from his previous world and integrate it into this world, the store would have financial success because of it.
"Yeah! I thought it would be a good idea to start a delivery service. So instead of people coming to us and buying our stuff, we'll bring the stuff to them!"
"I mean, I like the idea of spreading and giving flowers to everyone. But do we have the tools to make a store move?"
"It doesn't have to be this store itself. We could get people to carry the supplies and deliver them. That way, no one has to leave their homes while they fix their houses. Don't worry about who will deliver first, I'll volunteer to deliver."
"I don't know…"
Enna wasn't so sure about Shouya's delivery idea. While the idea was nice and selfless, she wasn't sure about the precautions. Who gets to deliver? Is it safe for the person who delivers? Can they leave the store abandoned? She wasn't sure what to do.
She looked at her lavender-colored furred husband and wanted to ask his input on the idea, but when she looked at him, all she could see was a smirk on his face.
"What are you smiling at?"
"I'd say it's a great idea!"
"Ehh?!"
She couldn't believe what he said, even Shouya was shocked by this.
He liked the idea? I wasn't sure if anyone was willing to accept it.
"Think about it, Ennie. This could probably save your business and gain a lot of notoriety. Giving flowers to people from all around the city and bringing smiles to their faces. And besides, meeting new people wouldn't hurt. That's how you got me to like flowers in the first place, my little orchid in the sky. What do you say, hmm?"
"Mnn…"
Gin was sly with his words when it came to their healthy relationship. If anyone is going to blush her, it's her husband, Gin, including his wide dog-like eyes, making like he's doing a puppy face. The fact that he's giving her the puppy-dog look—considering that he is a dogman himself—just makes it more adorable.
After teasing Enna, she caves in.
"Alright, fine! I guess we should try it out, as long as this goofball quits looking at me like that!"
"T-Thank you!"
And so, the idea was greenlighted.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
It has been an entire month since then; Shouya got an upgrade from pottery making to just simply being a delivery boy. Pottery making was fun and all, but staying enclosed indoors feels restricted to him. He didn't want to feel like he was trapped in a cage like in his old world. He wanted to expand his horizons.
While he's delivering from house-to-house, Shouya would learn about the city's routes. Alisa and Gunther, including Gin and his friends, joined in and assisted him in delivering the supplies in Vincilos while some helped Shouya to know the road of the city.
The idea caught on with the people of Vincilos only several days after they started using the delivery service and people began requesting items from the store. It became a huge success and it became a permanent change.
The sun had already set. The sky turned from blue to orange. That is the time where the delivery service has paused and it won't resume until the next day.
After a long day of walking and delivering supplies, Shouya had returned to the store and sat on a stool near the table, exhausted, with Enna closing up shop for the day.
"Looks like we did a really good job once again! I guess your idea worked after all."
"It's not really a problem."
"Are you sure your feet aren't killing you?"
"Only a little, but not much."
When they had first started the service, his feet had been hurting him from walking back and forth after a few deliveries—although it was technically his fault for picking toeless shoes in the first place. But now, having lived in another world barefooted for about a month, his resistance against it increases little by little to a point where he could feel the ground without hurting the soles of his feet.
Even though he was glad that he didn't have to suffer himself walking around barefooted, he had regretted that he should've picked comfortable shoes in the first place. But that was back then.
Someone opened the entrance door and the bell rang above it. A familiar purple wolfman enters the store.
"I guess today was another successful day?"
"That's right! All in a day's work. Oh, that reminds me! Shouya, are you free to go somewhere with us tonight?"
"Tonight?"
It was an odd question to ask. What could Gin and Enna want Shouya to do tonight? He was curious and asked them.
"What are you planning to go to tonight?"
"Me, Enna, and the boys are heading to relax at the bath house tonight. I'd thought we would relax our bodies from all the work. So I'd figure if you would want to join us."
"A bath house?"
Now that I think about it, I haven't gone somewhere relaxing. And I haven't gone to a bath house before. Though I've seen bath house scenes from various anime. Eh, what the hell, I need a good break from all the deliveries I've been making.
"Sure! I'll go with you guys!"
And with that, Shouya agreed to go with them and enjoy his valuable time.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Some time had passed and the sun had been replaced with a crescent moon in the night sky.
They have arrived at the place where they can spend their time in the "bath house".
"Welcome to Abe and Barns' Bath House. How many people will be joining?"
They were welcomed by two apricot-colored furred dog humans—one boy and one girl—from the front counter, who were filled with glee to see customers enter their workplace.
"Three right now. There'll be more of us joining soon."
"Splendid! We'll escort you to your changing rooms."
The dog-woman escorts Enna to the room on the right while the dog-man escorts both Gin and Shouya to the room on the left. It's obvious that the rooms are separated by gender; it would've be weird—if not, creepy—if both people with the opposite sex enters one room at the same time.
"When you're done, please place your clothes into the basket and into the shelves."
He said that after giving each of them a small basket with the towel inside and left the two beastmen alone afterwards. Shouya took off all of his clothes, put them in the basket, and placed the basket in one of many empty shelves while wearing the towel around his hips.
Entering another room behind the curtain with Gin, who had nothing but a towel around his hips, he saw a large room filled with stalls and faucets on the wall of each stall. There were eight stalls on both sides of the wall except for the entrance they had just come from behind them and the entrance to the right of him, and the other side of the room are two entrances to the pool inside, reducing it by four.
This room also has four support beams and each of them only has one stall on each side, making it a total of sixteen. Luckily, there were very few people in this room, so there's a lot of vacant stalls to take from.
They went to the nearest available stall and sat on a small wooden stool. Shouya twisted the valve and water came out from the faucet. He cupped the water with his hands and washed his head. Then he took the bucket next to him and poured water in it, only for him to splash it on top of him, washing out the germs and bacteria from his body. As he washed around his body, he saw Gin struggling to reach for his back.
"Want me to get it for you?"
"Yeah, thanks."
Shouya sat behind him and scrubs for his back as Gin pours water on to himself.
Wow! His fur felt really soft!
The feeling of washing a giant dogman is like washing an actual dog—except he had never owned a dog before. Gin's body was very muscular from head to toe. It felt rock hard, despite being covered in soft fur all over him. But under his thick fur, he can feel the textures of his scars from his body—scars from his previous life.
"Huh?"
However, he had noticed something was off.
"Gin…"
"Hmm?"
"You said that you got these scars during the war, right?"
"Yeah, I've fought my life defending the people. What about it?"
"What about this one?"
"—."
Gin's expression flipped and he went silent after Shouya pointed at his left hip. Unlike the scars around his body, this particular one stood out the most. The scar on his left hip was the only visible scar that he had on him that couldn't be healed back. It looked like claw marks from a wild animal, however, unlike the rest of the scars, this one, in particular, looked older.
He looked away from Shouya, not wanting him to see his expression.
"I…rather not talk about it."
"Oh…"
Did I set him off? Probably was a mistake to ask him. I should've thought before I said anything. Stupid me!
He regretted asking a question that was sensitive to Gin. He didn't intend to make him feel down with a simple question. Now the sense of unease is looming over his head.
Before Shouya could say anything, trying to change the topic, Gin slapped his own knee.
"Hey, now we're done, let's head to the tub, shall we?"
"Y-Yeah!"
Whew, that was quick thinking.
They both got up and headed towards the pool area, which was located on the other side of the room. The room has a large indoor pool in the middle of the room. There were not a lot of people in the pool, however, most of them were adults and they were relaxing quietly, savoring the tranquility.
When they get in the pool, Shouya can feel the warm water from his legs. However, the water only stopped close to his knees. The depth of the pool is only a mere two feet tall, and Shouya stands over five feet tall.
Both of them sat on the floor of the pool and gave a refreshing sigh. While the water stopped at Shouya's arm length, it only stopped above the abdomen.
"Feels good, am I right?"
"Yeah."
Feeling calm and relaxed, preserving the moment, Shouya looks up at the night sky. Despite being an indoor pool, the ceiling was doughnut shaped with a large glass window in the center of it so that the people can enjoy the hot pool under the moonlight.
"Gin, I've been meaning to ask."
"What is it?"
"This has been bothering me for a while, but…what's a Kowler?"
"Pfft! You're a funny guy, you know that?"
"…"
It wasn't a joke nor was he trying to make one. Shouya was actually serious about it. He was in this world for one month, heard that word multiple times in a conversation between Gin and Enna, and he still doesn't know what a "Kowler" is.
Gin slowly realized this and he was actually shocked by his question.
"Wait…what?!"
"I've been meaning to ask this for about a month! What is a Kowler? Enna keeps calling you that, but I don't know if that was meant to be taken as an insult or what you actually are. I don't want to insult you, but I don't really know what it actually means. I just don't know if that word is offensive to you or—"
"Woah woah woah woah woah! Slow down there!"
Gin halted Shouya's rapid rabling before he could go out of breath. Shouya took a deep breath and calmly said "S-Sorry".
"You…really don't know what it means?"
Shouya shook his head, confirming Gin's question.
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright, you don't have to feel sorry about it. Hell, you're not the only person to ask me about my species."
"Huh?"
"Kowlers aren't actually insults, they're actually my kind that we go by, unlike the rest of ya—well, in more ways than one."
"In what way?"
"To put it bluntly, our appearances are very different from other races. You're a Canido, and I'm a Kowler. You can say the same when you ask a Feliwa and a Foxian."
"Hmm…"
Canido? Filiwa?
Shouya didn't understand what those words even mean. All of this was new to him. The only piece of information that he had gotten was when he had just awoken to another world. When he first met Alisa, she referred to herself as a Foxian. That he understood.
Oh! I think I get it now! If I follow the first half of the word, "Canido" are basically Canines. Then "Filiwa" are Felines. But "Kowler"? Hmm… Ah!
He figured out what Kowler really means. By piecing the puzzle together, if Canido is to Canines and Feliwa is to Felines, then Kowler is to…
"This may be a wild guess, but could it be that you guys are Kobolds?"
"'Kobolds'?"
Based on the tone of his voice, Gin doesn't seem to know what a kobold is. From Shouya's anime and gaming knowledge, they are a species of dogmen that look similar to Gin. However, unlike any other ordinary dogmen, there are huge differences between them in terms of appearances and traits. For example: their greatest traits would be harvesting, hunting, mining, brute strength, sharp eyesight, and etcetera. The more they live, the more they gain intelligence to the point that they could outsmart the adventurers.
That's what a Kobold is capable of—at least to Shouya's knowledge to the extent.
"I honestly don't know what they are, but…huh. Kobolds…Kobold…"
Gin repeated the same word quietly over and over for a short while before he concluded with, "That has a nice ring to it" and laughed.
While he's having a kick using that word, Shouya couldn't help but feel a bit melancholic in his mind. But he couldn't hold it in and keep it a secret for a little while longer.
While Gin kept on repeating the same word "Kobold" over and over, having a thrill saying it, Shouya took a deep breath and looked at Gin with the corner of his eye.
"Gin…"
"Ko— yeah?"
"Do you…think it was a bad idea? The delivery service, I mean."
"…"
"I mean, do you think that it was a terrible idea to bring it up and then greenlight it? Maybe I should've kept quiet about it so your friends don't have to waste their time delivering the items for us. I would have maybe done it by myself so they don't have to be away from their homes and family. I know I might sound crazy, but maybe I should ask Enna to—"
Before he could finish, Gin placed his hand on his head.
"Your idea wasn't a terrible idea. In fact, it helped us."
"H-How?"
"It helped us grow stronger. Build connections with one another from all around the city and rebuild what was lost. You see, it was all thanks to your decision that we're able to rebuild the city not as an individual, but as a union."
"—"
Gin's honest and pleasing remark shed some light in Shouya's eyes. He didn't think that someone would find his delivery service idea remarkable. It gave him a reason to feel joyful, hoping that he'll impress everyone.
However, it also gave him a moment to think and his mind for the future was clouded with doubt.
"Gin, I'm flattered by what you've said and you're helping me so much, and I couldn't thank you enough."
"Mhm!"
"But—"
"Oh hey! It's Boss and Lil' Boss!"
Before Shouya could say anything else, the conversation was interrupted by someone from a small group of familiar beastmen, who wore nothing but towels around their hips, approaching them. Those people were Gunther, the manager who works at the inn with Alisa, and the two beastmen who helped Shouya fought against the Blue Sharks, who were named Leroy and Cole.
"'Lil' Boss'?"
"Yeah. I'd thought that if you're the one who created the delivery service, and you and Boss are working hand in hand equely, I might as well call you Lil' Boss."
"That won't be necessary. You don't have to call me that."
"No, really! I mean it. You're like a brother to me—to both of us. If Boss praises you so much, then I might as well do the same thing. Whoever is close to our boss is a brother to all of us."
"I…uhh…"
Shouya doesn't know what to say. While it was grateful for him to say that, and Shouya felt genuine to hear that, all of these praises from his friends and allies are coming in too fast. And the nickname Lil' Boss was a bit too much on him.
While Shouya tries to think of ways to respond to Cole, Leroy chuckles and intervenes in the conversation as he sits on the side of the pool with his feet in the water.
"Just accept it. He won't stop until you do."
"…"
"Aw, you don't make a face like that. If you're talking about this, you don't have to worry about it or feel sorry for me. I kinda deserved it, after all."
The sight of his ally's missing left arm, even after successfully ending the Blue Shark's regime, left Shouya with nothing but guilt.
Having two arms are the most important tools of the body for anybody. They play a huge role in your everyday lives. Carrying, pushing, pulling, twisting, turning. With both arms in one body, anyone can get around in life. However, losing one limb—or rather, any of your limbs—can leave a huge denturment in life down the road, permanently restricting the user, and changing their life forever.
Although Leroy doesn't seem to be bothered by this change, Shouya, on the other hand, couldn't get over it. Just the sight of it makes him remember the trauma, and it's revolting. So much so that he wanted to vomit, that is really the truth. But he couldn't do that and the weight of his guilt looms above his head.
"Let's not dwell on the past. Whatever happened, happened."
"Yeah, what he said. I mean, you should listen to the one-armed Reggnarl right here."
"What did you just say?!"
Caught up with Cole's playful taunt, Leroy kicks the water and splashes on to him.
"Hold on, I was just kidding!"
"I'll show you who's a Reggnarl! C'mere!"
"Eep!"
Both of them chased around like children and played around in the middle of the pool. While they played around in the water, Shouya turned to Gunther.
"Oh! I forgot to mention. Was Alisa with you, as well?"
"Yup. She's by the womans' side of the building. Along with those guys' wives."
"I see."
"Speaking of which, I see that you haven't gotten a girl, have you?"
"H-Huh?"
"Tell me, boy. What kind of girls are you into?"
"Eeh?!"
It was an odd question coming from Gunther. Why did he suddenly ask that out of nowhere? Shouya was shockingly taken aback by his question.
In truth, Shouya hasn't had a romantic relationship before; not in this world and not from his previous life. Simply because he hadn't had any interest in building a romantic relationship and it'll only hinder him from making cosplays. He had planned that after he goes to the convention one last time, he intends to take his own life.
But now, since he's restarting and rebuilding his new life in a new world, exploring new places and doing everything that his previous life couldn't, building a romantic relationship never really occurred to him.
Touching on this topic, Gin laughed and decided to join in the fun as well.
"Yeah, what kind of girls are you interested in?"
"Uhh—"
"Are you interested in girls with big boobs, or girls with smaller boobs?"
"How about slim ladies, or ladies that have thick bodies?"
"A…aa…"
"Are you interested in Canidos? Filiwas?"
"Or maybe Kowlers—I'm sorry, 'Kobolds', like me. Am I right? Hahaha!"
Too much…questions. Brain…overloading!
Questions have been coming in left and right that Shouya was unable to comprehend. It was to a point that his brain overheated and went to an emergency shut down, sinking his body into the pool.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
"Oops! I think we overdid it. Alisa is not gonna like this."
Both Gin and Gunther see the unconscious Shouya's body floating on the water of the pool. They might have asked him way too much to the point where he's in a state like that. They can already conclude that it was their own fault that they put him like that.
He looked at Gin and raised an eyebrow.
"Also, 'Kobold'?"
"It was something that he came up with. It's funny sounding and it rolls the tongue and I don't know why."
"Riiiiight."
Gunther was unamused. He had never heard of that word before and Shouya came up with it. He wanted to ask either Gin or Shouya after he regained consciousness, but he decided not to.
Instead, he leaned back and started talking about a different topic.
"Anyways, you know the reason why I brought you here."
"Having a relaxing time for a swim?"
"What? No!"
"That's sad. I was hoping we could go for a swim."
"Cut it out!"
Gunther wanted to get on topic of the discussion, but Gin got off topic just to annoy him. He gave a short sigh and finally discussed.
"Alright, fine. What is it that you need?"
"Have you gotten the letter from them?"
"…"
Gin gave a soft and low growl and went silent. Before he returned home, he had received a letter in the mailbox with an emblem stamped on the back. If there was a familiar emblem that he knew, then it was from the royal family. But—
"Well?"
"Yes, I've got one."
"Then you must've known—"
"But I didn't open it."
"What?!"
He couldn't believe his ears. Gin did not open the letter? Is he insane? You've got to be dumb enough to not read the contents from the Royal Highness.
But that was the truth; Gin didn't open the letter that he had gotten, even if it was someone from the royal family.
"What do you mean?"
"It's like I said: I did not open it! I've told them that I'm not going to fight anymore. I've already moved on and am living with my family. So if they want to find a person to fight in the war, they gotta find someone else."
"…"
"What?"
Gin looks at Gunther pinching the bridge of his nose and sighed in annoyance. What does Gunther know what Gin didn't? He wanted to know.
"You have no idea what I'm talking about."
"So what? It doesn't have to do with me anymore."
"It does have to do with you! Because he isn't asking to recruit you again."
"—!"
That last part, he isn't asking to recruit you. What does he mean? Gin didn't understand what he meant by that. But there was one thing that he noticed. He. Doesn't he mean they, as in both the King and the Queen?
It didn't quite make sense to him. He asked Gunther for the specifics.
"Gunther. What did it say in the letter?"
"…"
Gunther took a deep breath before telling him what was written in the letter.
"Gin…"
"…"
And with the words he's going to say, he had heard the tragedy that he had never heard in years.
"…Urbria is dead."