The walk back to the inn caught a few people's notice. I was the hero of Chalm, but I hadn't really gotten around to meeting the whole town. There were a couple hundred citizens here, and there were plenty who only heard of me. Lydia was walking next to me while Miki was in my arms. She seemed quite content with me holding her. Her eyes were closed, her ears were lowered, and her pale skin made her look almost like death itself. If she wasn't breathing softly, I would have thought she slipped off to death again.
As for Lydia, she was the polar opposite. Her tail was lashing excitedly, and she kept glancing over at the pair of us, a worried expression on her face. Every once in a while, she would stop, then take a few quick steps to catch back up. Her agitation was clear, as she gave off the vibe of a tiger in a cage perfectly. I could only smile wryly and hope she dealt with it.
When it came right down to it, I had no particular interest in Miki. She was pretty, with pale perfect skin, a soft feminine scent, and a small figure. However, she also had very small, almost nonexistent breasts, a mischievous and obstinate attitude, and a sickly feel to her. I wanted to make her better, but there was no way she'd replace Lydia in my heart. Lydia was my first, in many ways, so I wasn't such a selfish guy as to have fantasies about having a harem. It'd be downright disrespectful to Lydia to sleep with Miki, and given Miki's status as a slave, it even could be considered inappropriate whether she could give consent.
Suddenly, I wanted to ask Miki what selection she had under her slave form. Wait, scratch that. Wouldn't Lydia have filled out such a slave form too? What selection did she make! I shook my head. There were no good things in the direction of those kinds of questions. Both girls had hard lives in the past, and I wanted their futures to be filled with peace, health, and happiness.
We reached the inn, and I put Miki in a chair in the common room, ordering something to eat, even though she said she wasn't hungry. She had just been resurrected from the dead, so it was impossible that Miki wasn't hungry! While I ordered the food, the innkeeper's eyes kept flickering to Miki, and I was wondering if she was curious about her. However, she didn't say anything so I let it be.
"Lydia, can you go to the seamstress and pick up the clothing they have finished?" I asked.
Lydia's eyes went from the door to the pair of us. I had picked up a piece of food and was feeding it to Miki. Although she said she wasn't hungry, she was happy to open her mouth when I was the one giving it to her. As a result, I ended up feeding her. Things sort of just ended up that way.
"Miki wouldn't be able to go, only Lydia can." I spoke carefully.
Lydia's eyes opened excitedly. "Th-that's right! I have legs! Miki cannot walk! I will definitely do what only I can!"
Lydia's spirit seemed to be rejuvenated with just that. She left with her tail swaying excitedly back and forth. I breathed slightly easier. I knew Lydia didn't mean to act this way; she was just worried her place was being taken. Tonight, I'd have to reassure her that she was still my very important person and that Miki wouldn't take away from that.
Once Lydia left, the innkeeper returned. Every time she was near me, I couldn't help but look up over her head. I was really trying not to. Women didn't like it when you looked at their chests, but the innkeeper had long bunny ears. I imagined if my eyes were a bit high, she'd notice and be similarly angry. She had a complicated expression on her face.
"Your new… friend…" She spoke uncertainly.
I looked over at Miki and blinked. "That's right, Miki is a slave I recently bought… well, saved… she's a-"
"Foxkin…" The girl said, her eyes flashing in a shockingly angry light. "A spirit fox!"
Miki looked down, her usually playful expression turning sad.
"What of it?" I asked, frowning at the bunnykin.
"Will she be staying with you at the inn?" She said it more like a statement.
"That was the plan, yeah…"
The bunny girl crossed her arms and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I can't let you stay here anymore. Not while she's with you!"