After Episode: Stopping Off on the Way Home from Labyrinthos
"Whoa! An airship?!" Sasa exclaimed. She stood at the bow of the boat, spreading her arms in the breeze.
She's doing the same thing that Lucy did.
"Miss Sasaki'h! That's dangerous'h!"
Even Nina's scolding was the same. At least Sasa's having fun.
I watched out of the corner of my eye as Labyrinthos grew further away. Next to the town, I could see the Soleil Knights making their own preparations to leave.
"See you, Sakurai," I said. We hadn't been able to wish each other farewell, so I had to make do with saying it from the ship.
Being the Hero of Light and the savior reborn must be pretty difficult, so I wished him luck. Maybe I'd go visit him in Highland if I felt like it.
The weather today was gorgeous, perfect for setting out on a journey.
"Takatsuki, what's that?" asked Sasa a few hours later.
We'd been traveling through the sky for a while, and she'd spied a huge collection of tents below.
"A bazaar!" Fujiyan exclaimed. "It is rare indeed for one to be in such a place!"
I hadn't ever seen one. What was it, like a market? "Have you heard of them, Lucy?"
"They're something like a big business meeting that merchants hold periodically to all trade together. It's human culture you never see in Springrogue."
"Well, Boss'h? Do you want to stop'h?"
"Hmmm, I suppose so. What do you say, my esteemed Tackie?" Fujiyan asked, turning to me.
"Let's go!"
I couldn't pass up the chance to see my first bazaar! We stopped nearby and then headed for the tents. The area was bustling with people. Clothes, weapons, magic items, food, and even animals were all on sale.
I'd never seen anything like some of the clothing designs—were they foreign? There were also lots of rare weapons and food I'd never seen before.
"Hey, mister! We've got some good stuff! Come take a look!" "Hey there, mister, stop by!"
On top of that, the salespeople were pretty aggressive with their marketing. I was getting yelled at from all sides. Did they think I was a sucker?
"My esteemed Tackie, you must not pay the asking price at a bazaar like this. Most prices are set at three times higher than the true
value, so make certain you haggle the price down."
"Th-Three times?" I was shocked, but Nina and Lucy both seemed to have expected it.
Haggling, huh? I was fairly shy, so that was too much for me.
Sasa was the one to open negotiations. "Hey, mister," she said, "what about this price?"
"Come on, little miss, I'll end up in the red."
"Aww, forget it, then."
"Well, let's not be hasty! What about this?" "One more time!"
"Fine, then this?" "Yayyy!"
"Take it, you thief."
Sasa had driven the price right down... Well, she'd always been pretty sociable.
"I will be surveying the stalls with Lady Nina. Will you be joining us?" Fujiyan invited me.
Nina's expression was the same as ever, just an unreadable grin. I remembered our conversation back in Labyrinthos, though.
I think I'd like to give her a chance.
"Nah, I feel like taking it slow," I responded.
"I see..." Fujiyan seemed vaguely disappointed as he and Nina set off.
As they left, Nina gave me a slight nod. I must've made the right choice.
Okay then, where to now? The stalls were full of things I'd never seen and just looking was fun.
"Makoto, let's walk around together!" "Takatsuki, let's go!"
Lucy had grabbed my right arm, and Sasa had my left. The two of them stared silently at each other, with me caught in the middle.
The air felt like it'd gotten a little colder. "Lu, you can come too."
"Aya, come with us."
What was with the tension in the air?
Apparently, Sasa was calling Lucy "Lu," which at least sounded friendly, but... The two of them seemed slightly aggressive toward each other.
"Right, let's head around with the three of us." "Sure."
"All right!"
Great, everyone's friendly in our party! Right? Lucy, Sasa, and I perused around a lot of the stalls.
As we went, we picked up some lunch: a sandwich with thick ham and vegetables, along with skewered and salted fish. I guess you could call the meal vaguely exotic as far as the seasoning went? The food contained plenty of spices and had a really distinct taste, though a pleasant one. We also had a mixed fruit juice to drink, which was pretty sweet.
"Water Magic: Chill."
The liquid was lukewarm, so a little water magic cooled it down to the perfect temperature.
"This is great, Takatsuki," Sasa commented. "Your magic's really handy."
The other two seemed to enjoy it too, which was good.
After lunch, we ended up in an area with a fair few clothes. Lots of the stalls were selling women's clothes, and most of them were carrying different designs than the ones we saw in Macallan.
Women seemed to like fashion, no matter what world they were in. Both of the girls' eyes were sparkling, so I figured we might as well
take a look.
Lucy and Sasa were in the middle of clothes hunting.
"Hey, Makoto, what do you think?" Lucy was holding up a bright red dress that looked similar to a cheongsam.
She sure likes red. "I think it works." It'd suit her well. "Really? Well, if you say so—"
"Hey, Takatsuki! What about this?" Sasa demanded, throwing herself into the conversation.
She was holding a white shirt and orange skirt, like the type you might see in a more southern country.
"Pretty cute," I told her. It'd fit her well. "Right, then I'll go with this."
For some reason, the two wordlessly stared at each other.
"I'm trying it on!" they yelled in unison before vanishing into the dressing room tent.
I wonder if there's anything cool for me?
We were at a bazaar, after all, so I kinda wanted to buy something new. Unfortunately, there wasn't much equipment I could use with my low Strength stat. I also already had a divine weapon; I wasn't going to find anything here that would surpass the Dagger of the Goddess.
Of course not, I heard. Yeah, Noah, that figures.
"Here I am! What do you think?" Lucy asked as she bounded from the changing room.
"Wh-Whoa...!" I said unintentionally.
The dress was tight against her and had a daring side-slit that showed off her thighs. With all the skin it showed, it looked even more risqué than her usual mini skirt.
"I-It looks good on you," I said. More like hot, to be honest. I used Calm Mind to keep the blush off my face.
"Really? You like clothes like this?" Lucy looked at me with upturned eyes and stepped toward me.
Gurk... Wearing different clothes gives her a different impression.
I was getting all tense with nerves when Sasa appeared. "Takatsuki! Looook!"
"Wow?!"
Sasa was wearing a skirt with a floral pattern on it that looked like hibiscuses. The issue was her upper half—she was only covered by a thin band of cloth.
"A-Aren't you cold?" I asked. She was only covering her chest, so her stomach was on full display.
"Not really. Isn't there something else you should be telling me?" she asked, posing cutely.
"Th-That looks cute on you..."
It put a bit much on show though, and I didn't know where to look. This outfit was super different from her usual clothes.
She's adorable...
"Oh my, that's a dodgy look you're wearing." She grinned, coming over toward me and putting an arm around my neck.
"Makoto, look over here," Lucy said at the same time, leaning against my other side and following suit.
Their hands met behind my neck and their gazes locked with one another.
"Hmm, that looks pretty pervy, Lu."
"Don't you think your clothes aren't great for adventuring?" "That's fine. They're for Takatsuki."
"W-Well these are to show to Makoto too!"
Why are they clashing over every little thing? Flustered, I went and asked how much the outfits would be.
"You've got some cuties with you, mister. How about these accessories too? They're talismans!"
I ended up buying a whole bunch of stuff alongside the clothes!
"Thanks, Makoto," said Lucy. Sasa gave her own thanks at the same time.
The two of them were happy at least, so whatever.
We spent a little while longer going around the stalls. They were wearing the clothes they'd just bought, so I was leading around a
pair of sexy-cute girls. I had a feeling that it was getting us a bit more attention than usual. The two of them argued a bit from time to time, and I honestly had no idea how to deal with it.
Once we were done with shopping, we just wandered around for a bit.
"Hey, look at that," Lucy said, pointing to a sign.
"The Bonds of Fate Shrine," it proclaimed in Japanese.
Whoever made this was definitely from our world. From Japan, even.
"Hey, Takatsuki, how about you and I go in?"
"Hey, Makoto, let's go in, me and you!"
The two of them had spoken in unison and were now silently glaring at each other.
Come on, guys... Quit it?
"Hey, Lu?"
"Say, Aya?"
The two of them sounded like they were moments away from a catfight.
"Come on, quit fighting!" I frantically tried.
I paid for entry for the three of us and we went through. The entrance was made to look like a torii as well.
Is this...from our world?
As we entered, there was an employee there to explain things to us. "There is a shrine further inside. If you make it there and wish for something, it will be granted. However, there are various obstacles you will need to overcome, so do your best!"
"Well, then..."
It was like some attraction at a theme park. Also, this wasn't our world, but there was a shrine? I thought the goddesses controlled this world.
No point in thinking about it too hard.
We followed a stone-paved path into the trees. It was well- maintained and easy to walk along, completely unlike the paths back in the Great Forest.
"Makoto." "Takatsukiii."
Let me correct myself: considering that I was being pulled along by two girls from both sides, I'd never found it more difficult to walk.
We took it easy with our pace. Then suddenly, a monster(?) appeared before us with a forced roar. It was short and stout, with fur that looked more like knitted wool... Almost like a teddy bear, and not all that scary.
"Oh no! Makoto, it's a monster!" "Takatsuki! Let's get it!"
Lucy readied her staff and Sasa's eyes sharpened. "Hold on! It's not!" I yelled.
It was obviously a teddy monster! Just an employee wearing a tired costume and growling, "Rawr, rawr," like something you'd see in a rural theme park. It was kinda cute, actually.
"Oh no! A monster appeared! You there, mister! Show off for the ladies and take it out. Here, your weapon," said the employee, appearing from nowhere and handing me something.
A shinai? It was one of those wooden swords that people used in kendo. Seriously, were we back in Japan?
Either way, I took it and swung.
Squeak!
That was a cute noise.
"Um, was that the best you have?" came an apologetic voice from inside the outfit.
"Sorry, it was," I answered. After all, I was weaker than the girls.
"Makoto! Get back! I'll do it." A fireball the size of a house was floating over Lucy's head as she readied her staff.
"Takatsuki! It's mine!" Sasa exclaimed, hoisting a boulder that was just as big over her own head.
"Ahhhh! I'm gonna die!" the costumed person screeched before running away. The person that had given me the shinai had also fled at the same time.
"Wha?" both Lucy and Sasa said in unison, tilting their heads.
I'm sorry the girls in our party are so strong.
So that's the game here.
As we progressed, the shrine's staff sent out more (fake) monsters, and they appeared on the path in front of us. Normally, the male customers would elegantly repel them and capture the hearts of their female companions.
In our case though, Lucy's yell of "Meteo" ended up with huge
boulders creating craters, and Sasa's grunting punches felled some massive trees.
The costumed employees scattered... This was a mess.
We're gonna get kicked out... I thought as we progressed deeper into the forest. Then, a huge slime double the height of a person appeared.
This one's real.
I guess they couldn't all be fake, but this was the first time I'd come across one of these monsters. Right, how were we supposed to get rid of this again?
"A massive slime?!" Sasa exclaimed, bringing her fists up.
"It's okay, Makoto, Aya. This is a jelly slime, so they're not dangerous at all," Lucy explained.
"Right, I remember." Jelly slimes were about as strong as horned rabbits, if I recalled correctly. They were also herbivores that usually spent their time eating seaweed on beaches. Why was it this far inland?
"Well, let's take it out then," Sasa said, cocking her fist.
Damn!
"Aya, no!" Lucy tried to yell, but it was already too late.
I remembered something I'd learned in the temple: jelly slimes were exceptionally weak, but it was best not to attack them physically.
Because... "Hyah!"
Splash went the jelly slime as it burst. The three of us yelled out as bits of it were flung all over us.
"Ugh, the hell? It's so slimy!"
"Bleh... Takatsuki, it's all slippery and in my clothes."
Lucy and Sasa's brand-new outfits were drenched in the gloop. They had already been tight-fitting, but now, the fabric clung even closer to each girl's body.
Nope. This isn't happening.
"Makoto?" "Takatsuki?"
"W-We should hurry," I got out, my voice sounding strangled.
I can't look. Calm Mind, Calm Mind.
The girls started complaining.
"Makoto, are we carrying on dressed like this?" "We should get changed."
"I guess so."
It's a shame, but I suppose we should call it quits here. Just as I was thinking that, the employee turned up again.
"Oh my! You're all covered in the jelly slime! That won't do, not at all."
Gah! Where'd she come from?!
"Right this way, I'll guide you." She dragged us along, leading us to a small cottage.
"Um, and this place is?" I asked.
"Two hours are included in the price. Longer stays are a supplementary charge," recited the staff member.
That's not an explanation! We were all covered in goop though, so there was no other option. Despite the lack of explanation, the three of us walked inside.
It was like a hotel room. The issue, though...
"Hey, Takatsuki... You're seeing this, right?" "Yeah, I am..."
"What's wrong, guys? This room's adorable," Lucy said, looking around without any apparent issues.
The interior design was based on shades of pink. It was dimly lit with indirect lighting. I guess there was some kind of perfume as well because I could smell something sweet.
On top of all of that, a king-sized four-poster bed dominated the center of the room.
Is this some kind of love hotel...? I was a virgin, so I'd never been to one, but I'd seen rooms like this on the internet!
The Bonds of Fate Shrine... Did they mean those kinds of bonds? "Look, Aya, there's a bath."
"Hey! Don't just strip off!" I yelled. "Turn away, Makoto."
"Tell me that first!" I complained, hurriedly doing as I was told. Though, considering my RPG Player skill, I could see behind me too.
"I'm going to join her. Are you coming, Takatsuki?" "Sasa, don't be stupid."
"Kidding, kidding." She laughed impishly. I could hear her undressing.
D-Don't look...I can see, but don't look.
Sasa and Lucy went into the bathroom, both laughing. Before long, I could hear splashing.
"Wow, Lu! Your chest's huge!" "Nah, it's norm— Hey, no touching!"
"It's so soft. No fair tempting Takatsuki with them!" Sasa complained, before adding, "Take that!"
"You've done it now! You're the one not playing fair since you've known him for so long! You take that!"
"Whoa, that was too hard... Ahhh! Why, you!" "Mph! You're too good at this, Aya!"
"And you're way more perverted with it!"
That was the conversation I could hear.
What the hell...?
If I kept listening, I'd go crazy, so I moved further away.
What do I do, then? I was left alone in the room. It was fine for them to go bathe, but I was on my own and bored until they returned.
Hang on.
"Hey, elementals?" I called. "Water Magic: Waterball."
The elementals' magic generated water over my head, and I used it to wash away the jelly slime. Then I dumped the dirty water outside. While I was at it, I dried my clothes, and everything was all fine again. Yeah, there's no need for me to go into the bath.
I could hear cheers coming from the bathroom. They got along well enough when they were on their own, but I just wished they'd act like it while I was with them.
"Makoto's gonna be lonely out there."
"You're right. Takatsukiii, why don't you come in?" "Come on, Makoto, it's fine!"
"I'm good here!" I yelled back. Damn it, they knew I wouldn't and now they're teasing me!
I lay back on the huge bed, which was large enough to sleep the three of us all at once.
All the stuff that happened in Labyrinthos was tough...
We got a lot out of it, though. I got to meet Sasa again.
I fought against the blight dragons with elemental magic. And...
I uncovered Noah's real goal—to overthrow this world.
Considering the Sacred Deities reigning over this land, it was a pretty big ask. Is it even possible? Everything seemed too difficult, and I had
no real idea if it was or not. Still, our adventure this time was a success, I guess. We were getting better, step by step.
Still... I'm so tired...
We'd been in the dungeon so much, not to mention the uproar at
the tavern on the last day. It'd been a while since I'd relaxed or taken it easy.
My eyes got heavier and heavier. I closed them and was soon dragged down into the depths of sleep.
Noah...wasn't in my dreams.
Did I fall asleep? I thought to myself as I came to. Damn it, there was an extra charge if we were here too long, right?
"Are you up, Takatsuki?"
I looked to the left to see Sasa giggling.
"Yeah, sorry, I passed out," I apologized to the two of them.
"It's fine. Aya said we shouldn't wake you up, seeing as you looked so tired."
Lucy was over to the right, resting her chin in her hands and smiling at me.
"My bad, Lucy. Thanks, though." I rubbed my sleepy eyes and sat up. Something was wrong.
"I don't often see you sleep so soundly," Lucy commented, fiddling with her hair as she giggled as well.
"Do you always sleep with Takatsuki?"
"Aya, I mean sleep, not...like that. He rests lightly while we're adventuring, so it's just rare for him to sleep deeply."
"Hmmm."
"What?"
"I want to sleep with him too."
"Isn't that what we're doing now?" "Ah, right."
What was with them? They were giggling and laughing together and were getting on way better now. What'd happened?
"Lucy, Sasa. Um?" "Morning, Takatsuki." "You seem sleepy still."
The two of them turned to look at me. That was fine, but... "Why aren't you wearing clothes?"
Both of them were only covered with a sheet. Their shoulders were bare, and I could see the upper portion of their chests, so I knew
they weren't wearing any tops at least.
"Well, we just got out of the bath, Takatsuki." "Our clothes are still drying."
"R-Right..."
Yeah, their clothes had gotten all mucky because of the jelly slime.
But hang on, this is bad! I was sharing a bed with two naked girls in a love hotel or at least something similar!
"I'll dry them off with magic, then we can get out of here," I said, keeping my eyes away from them and trying to get out of bed.
"What are you saying?"
"You're not going to try anything, even in this situation?"
Sasa and Lucy asked questions simultaneously, both of them grabbing my arms.
"Uh... Wha?"
Hold on! What the hell were they saying?! This is weird...
I wasn't dense. I knew the two of them had at least some affection for me.
Realllllly? said a voice in my head. Noah! Don't make this worse!
All of this was far too sudden.
"Hey, Takatsuki." Sasa breathed, tracing a cold hand down my cheek.
"Makoto..." Lucy murmured, her own warm fingers slipping along my collar bone.
An unspeakably pleasant shiver ran down my spine. Why are they being so aggressive?!
It was completely different than before. Plus, I'd have said the two of them were arguing earlier, but now they were double-teaming me!
Makoto, hey, look at the sign on the wall, I heard from Noah.
The sign? There was something by the room's entrance that looked like the owners had written it. Instructions? One of the lines read, "This room has a scent for a more sensual mood."
So that's why?! I did remember smelling something sweet when we came in. I took a closer look at the girls' faces and saw that both of their cheeks were reddened, and their eyes were heavily lidded. The "scent" from the room must have worked on them.
"Whoa, stop!"
The two of them had started undressing. The dim lighting of the room let me just see their bodies as they removed the sheets covering them.
"Come on, Makoto, strip off." "I'll help you."
Wait, were they stronger now?! No, I was just too weak... In a moment, they had gotten my shirt off.
"Wow, you've got muscles now."
"You've seen Makoto naked before?" Lucy demanded after a pause. "Tee hee hee, we had swim class together in junior high, after all." "I guess I've trained since then..."
Back then, I'd done nothing club-related, but had just gone home and gamed all the time. Because of that, I'd been pretty lanky. That hadn't changed much, but I guess I was healthier now.
But now's not the time for that!
Th-That tickles! Sasa had gotten on top of me.
"H-Hey, Sasa?" I was panicking, but Lucy joined in too.
"You saw me bathing before. Now it's my turn," she said, moving to lick at my neck.
"Hyaah," I cried out weakly.
"That was a strange noise, Takatsuki." "You're so cute, Makoto."
The two of them had bewitching smiles as they got ever closer.
Th-This is bad. I froze as words floated up in the air.
Will you have s*x with them? Yes
No
The hell's the big idea?!
So if I go along with this...?
No! They're important to me. I didn't want things to take that turn while they were under the dodgy effect of some aphrodisiac!
How sad, Makoto, you're not taking the feast offered to you?
Shaddap! This was my choice. I'd make it!
"Wait a minute!" I yelled, getting out of the bed and tossing the source of the scent out the window.
Water Magic: Fog!
I used the mist from my magic as a ventilation system to get rid of the remaining odor.
The sweet scent vanished, and as it did, the lidded look left the girls' eyes.
"Wha?"
"U-Uh?"
The pair exchanged glances. They were on a bed.
They were naked.
They screamed out in unison.
"Um, Sasa? Lucy?"
The two of them had come back to their senses, and I'd dried their clothes. I'd just waited outside until they'd changed. And now, they were sitting in a corner of the room, cradling their heads and mumbling.
"Urgh... Why did I...?" Sasa murmured.
"Argh..." Lucy groaned. "I tried to act like Mama..." At least the two of them were back to normal.
"It was because of the shady fragrance the room had," I told them. By the way, they were wearing their original clothes again.
"Ugh, Takatsuki, did you see?"
"He saw me...again... That's the second time now..." "It's fine," I stressed. "I didn't. See. Anything."
"Liar!" they called in unison.
Well, true.
I calmed them down as we headed back to Fujiyan and Nina's lodging.
"Oh, my esteemed Tackie! Back so late?" "Oh my, you must have enjoyed last night'h."
The other two were a bit overly sensitive to that remark. Where'd Nina hear that, anyway?
We were back on the ship, headed home.
Fujiyan and Nina had teased us about our late return, but Lucy and Sasa had gotten in a better mood once they'd eaten.
Every time one of them met my gaze, they'd flush bright red and look away. They'd probably be back to normal soon, though.
I leaned on the handrail and looked out over the ground below.
It's so peaceful.
"Takatsuki..." Sasa said, coming into earshot and leaning next to me. Her cheeks were a little red, so I figured she was still embarrassed.
"The wind feels nice, doesn't it?" I asked. "Y-Yeah... You looking at the scenery?"
Huh, that's a coincidence. I think I said something about wishing Sasa and I could look at this view together, back when I was first
traveling to Labyrinthos. Didn't I?
Seems like my dream had been granted. "What's up, Takatsuki? You're grinning."
"I am? Well...I was just happy to be with you." "Wha?! I-I see!"
Uh, did I admit something strange?
There was silence between us for a while. Should I try and say
something clever? Although I guess with Sasa, it'd just make things weirder.
The green scenery stretched on endlessly.
"Makoto, Fujiyan's making tea. Aya, we've got cakes."
"Really? Yay!" Sasa pattered off. It was cute, and I noticed Lucy staring at me as I watched Sasa leave.
"You look like you're having fun." "I do?"
"Are you happy being with Aya?"
"Yeah. She's one of the few friends I have from back in my old world, and I can only go home with her thanks to you, Lucy."
There was a big crosswind as I spoke, and the ship shook and listed. "Ahh!" Lucy cried out, falling toward me.
"Whoa there," I said, grabbing her by the shoulder. I could feel the warmth through my hand. She was wearing the bracelet from the Grandsage, but her body temperature didn't seem to have changed at all.
"Th-Thank you...Makoto."
Her face was right in front of mine. The ship was level again, but she was still leaning against me and making no move to separate us. I
didn't want to force it, so we just remained silent.
So, uh, how long were we staying like this? I had no idea when we should move apart.
"Hey! I take my eyes off you for one minute and you're getting ahead!" Sasa called as she returned.
"H-How is this getting ahead?!"
"C'mon, Lu! Let's go!" Sasa said, dragging her away.
Despite the arguing, they were fairly cheery with each other, linking hands and heading inside.
I guess it'd gone okay...?
Suddenly, I could see a huge blue expanse on the horizon.
That was Lake Chimay, in the middle of Roses. Macallan, our home, was near that lake as well.
I'd finished my first real expedition since I'd come to this world, had been reunited with a classmate, and had safely returned home.
All thanks to my goddess's guidance.
I suppose the adventure was a success. That's just like Noah.
I looked down from the ship again, and the world seemed to continue on forever. As far as I could see, there were mountain ranges and swathes of green. Everywhere that I couldn't see was somewhere I'd never been.
They're the Sacred Deities and Noah's enemies...
Being her believer, I was the world's enemy. "I've got a long way to go..."
My goal was so far away it was giving me vertigo.
"But still, that makes it all worth it," I muttered to myself, leaving the deck to head inside.