The state of Durham lost much of its territory and population during the great monster parade fifty years ago. The current government is more of a provisional one. Naturally, tax revenue is low, and the situation is far from prosperous. Despite this, they maintain a state military by collecting and selling monster materials for income.
The soldiers’ discipline is lax, and they don’t seem like regular troops—probably because of this. In a way, they live like adventurers from other countries. From the outside, they’re said to be “burning with a desire for revenge against monsters,” but in reality, they’re just hunting monsters to level up and make a living.
After hunting for a while, Kimijima’s condition changes.
Even during our escape, Kimijima occasionally fought monsters, so she probably had more experience points accumulated compared to Nishina and Sakuragi. It seems she’s reached the fourth level first.
“This is where you come in, Sensei.”
“Huh?”
Nishina looks at me meaningfully. Kimijima, already unsteady and about to fall asleep, leans on me.
“Please… take care of me…”
“O-Okay…”
“Well, I guess we’ll stop here for today. Sir, I’ll leave the lady in your care.”
“Huh? Y-Yes.”
And so, I end up carrying Kimijima on my back. Even if I try to act like nothing’s happening, I can’t help but feel the softness of a woman’s body against my back, along with a sense of guilt. On top of that, I can sense Nishina and Sakuragi smirking behind me… but I can’t bring myself to get angry.
When we reach the road, the repairs still aren’t finished. We lay out a cushion and some clothes on the cart we’re supposed to ride and let Kimijima sleep while we watch the work until it’s time to go back.
Eventually, in the warm, steamy air of the freshly laid asphalt, the work finishes, and we finally head back. I gently lift Kimijima and let her lean against me as we sit. The ride is still bumpy, so I hold her from the side to support her.
…Sure enough, Nishina and Sakuragi, sitting across from us, are grinning.
By the time we get back, it’s starting to get dark. Still, there are street lamps powered by magic tools scattered around the area, so we can move around fairly normally.
After a level-up hunt, there’s still work to do. The monster materials we collected belong to the state military. We have to deliver them to the outpost and submit a simple report.
“Sensei, we’ll handle this, so please take care of our senpai.”
“Huh? What do you mean? I can’t just go into the girls’ dorm…”
“Just take her to your dorm, Sensei. She’d be happy with that, right?”
“H-Hey, you guys!”
“Haha. Sensei, you should get your own place soon.”
“Stop teasing me…”
Still, judging from past experiences, she’ll probably wake up in less than an hour. I ask the old man managing the carts to let her sleep in the cart storage area until she wakes up.
…I glance at Kimijima’s arm, but the numbers from the Divine rank aren’t showing. I shift my gaze and stare blankly at her peaceful sleeping face.
……
…She really is beautiful.
As I watch her complexion gradually improve, I can’t help but think that. I quickly shake my head to dispel any impure thoughts.
…Huh?
When I turn around, I see a shadow quickly hiding. …Seriously. It’s Nishina and Sakuragi. Lately, they’ve been doing a lot of things to try to push me and Kimijima together. Maybe I should properly scold them…
But right now, I’m just using my position as a shield to vaguely accept Kimijima. I haven’t clearly rejected her either. I know this ambiguous attitude of mine is part of the problem.
But still… even now, I find myself glancing at the bracelet still fitted snugly on my left wrist. Kimijima had asked me not to take it off, so I’ve kept it on. And Kimijima also has a ring with the same design as this bracelet. Originally, Kimijima wore that ring on her right hand, but for some reason, it’s now on the ring finger of her left hand.
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“Mm…”
At that moment, Kimijima opens her eyes.
“…Where are we?”
“Doodle Valley’s cargo beast parking area. Are you okay?”
“Ah, yes… I’m fine. Thank you.”
As they say this, Kimijima sits up. I reach out to support her as they rise.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
When I reply, Kimijima gently touches their lips.
“Sensei… did we kiss?”
“Huh? Wha—? N-no, we didn’t!”
“…Fufufu. Too bad. I’m always ready, you know.”
“Don’t be silly.”
Kimijima giggles, and I turn bright red, stumbling over my words.
“Well, Nishina-kun and Miki-chan are watching, after all.”
Kimijima cheerfully turns toward where the two are hiding. After a moment, the two peek out, looking a little embarrassed.
“Did you notice us?”
“Of course I did.”
“Wow, you two are the only ones with that kind of skill. Impressive.”
“Still, we’ve been in situations where we could’ve died at any moment. Even if you ask us, we don’t want to do it again.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Since we’ve been staying in Doodle Valley, I’ve noticed something. Our ability to detect enemies or sense presences has become unusually sharp—both mine and Kimijima’s. According to Yarzak-san, being in extreme situations for long periods, coupled with the constant state of tension, likely caused us to develop this skill as a form of self-defense.
Apparently, this kind of thing isn’t uncommon in this world.
After that, we head to the baths, as there’s still a chance they might be open. Since the town’s functions haven’t fully recovered, the state military has set up a communal bathhouse.
We rush to the bathhouse just before closing and manage to squeeze in a quick bath.
After all, we’re Japanese. For the students, bathing in this communal bathhouse is one of the few pleasures they have left.
The place I’m currently staying at is a dormitory-like building meant for state soldiers. It seems to be a common type in this world’s towns, with military facilities built inside the city walls, and part of them is designed for lodging.
The dormitory is like a capsule hotel, with rows of bunk beds that have doors you can close. I’ve never disliked small spaces, so this kind of compact private area suits me just fine.
Just as I’m about to fall asleep, there’s a knock at the door. Wondering what it is, I open the door to find Nishina’s upside-down face.
“What’s up?”
“Sensei, um…”
Nishina uses the space above me, making a mischievous face, hesitating as speaking.
“Uh, so… I got this.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“It’s, um… alcohol, apparently.”
“Oh, right. Nishina, you’re underage, so I’ll—”
“Can I drink it?”
“What? No, of course not!”
“But… in this world, you’re considered an adult at fifteen, right? Is it still a no?”
“Hmm… Well, even if that’s the case here, there’s still the issue of physical development. Back home, it’s twenty and over for a reason, right? I can’t just say it’s okay.”
“…Yeah, I guess so.”
Hmm. I get that kids want to act grown-up, but if something’s off-limits, it’s off-limits. Nishina probably knew that and asked me anyway.
“Sakuragi said you’d say no, too.”
“Oh, so Sakuragi knows about this?”
“Sakuragi said if you ever said it was okay, it’d mean you’ve accepted Kimijima-senpai.”
“Wha—?! N-no, that’s… that’s not related at all!”
“Here, Sensei. You should have a drink and relax for once.”
“Wait, no—hey, Nishina!”
Nishina shove the bottle into my hands and duck back into their space. I try to call Nishina back, but the sound of snoring is already coming from the surrounding booths. I can’t make too much noise. Damn it.
I glance up, annoyed, then look at the bottle in my hand. It’s been a while since I last drank. I feel a little excited. I wasn’t a big drinker, but maybe having a little to unwind isn’t such a bad idea.
The bottle is sealed with something like a cork. I twist it around and pull, and it pops open with a satisfying sound. A rich, aromatic scent fills the booth.
…Gulp.
“Cough!”
Whoa! Strong. It’s like whiskey. No, maybe it is whiskey. I quickly grab my water bottle and take a sip as a chaser. Well, no point being picky. I’ll just enjoy it little by little.
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