We separated from Rose and were now heading to the city Claudia’s family lived.
We left the cobblestone streets of the city behind and travelled across the gravel and dirt roads of the country. We travelled on these roads for around two days before arriving in the city Claudia hometown.
It was a town just as bustling as Bandol.
“Master, Master, please look! This is the town I was born and raised in!”
When we left the carriage, Claudia could no longer hold her excitement in.
I looked at her as she spun around in her mini skirt…I can see them.
But, it’s nothing special.
The underwear in this world is rather plain. However, there’s nothing like a bra in this world as far as I know.
Every time she moves around her breasts bounce around and look as if they’re about to fall out — this is the legendary no bra.
It’s a beautiful view. A man with a crude appearance approached Claudia as I was lost in thought.
“Girl, is the way you’re dressing meant to be an open invitation to any guy?”
“Yes, that’s exactly right. I’m jumping and bouncing in order to draw the perverted stare of my Master.”
Aaaaahhhh, she knew I was watching her!?
Rather, she was doing it on purpose so I would stare at her. I thought I was just watching the defenceless Claudia, but she was actually putting on a show for me….
“I don’t really know what you mean, but…you’re saying you are inviting us?”
“No, it’s an invitation extended only to my Master.”
“Ah? That’s too bad. I was hoping to have some fun.
…it seems like these guys have confused her with a working girl.
In Japan, the clothes she’s wearing are pretty common for an adult, but…in this world, everyday clothes are rather plain.
Claudia no longer has any trace of her burns. She’s undoubtedly a beautiful girl. I expected her to call out for me to help her, but she just ran over to my side.
“This cute slave only follows Master’s orders.”
“That…sounds like fun.”
She’s still acting strangely… Goddess Medea’s Blessing should’ve worn off, so why is she still acting like this?
“Oi, are you listening?”
At some point, one of the men harassing Claudia approached me.
“Sorry, what did you say?”
“Like I said, I’m asking you if you’ll lend me this girl for the night.”
“…you’re asking me?”
It felt like he was trying to intimidate me.
“Yeah, I’m asking. It’s a simple request…understand?”
The man placed his weighty hand on my arm and began squeezing — I took my other arm and gripped his as hard as I could.
My base grip strength is 50. After adding the 10% increase from my rank D strength and the 27% increase from my titles, it should be around 70.
And so —
“…i-it hurts! It hurts so badly!”
The man began frantically clawing at my hand so I immediately released him.
“I’m sorry, but Claudia is…she’s my girlfriend so I can’t lend her to you.”
“Girlfriend? She said you were her master.”
“That’s just a form of roleplay she does.”
To be honest, I’m not sure he believed me, but I was more concerned about what I had just done. I didn’t realize I was squeezing his arm so hard. After clicking his tongue at me, he walked away with his friends.
“Thank you for helping me, Master. Would you like to rub my chest?”
“No, I don’t want to do that right now…why are you still acting like this?”
“I’m just so excited! I never thought I’d be able to return to my hometown!”
“Oh…I guess I understand.”
Claudia was sold into slavery in order to pay off her family’s debt.
I’m sure she was prepared to never see her hometown or her family again.
Having said that, I still feel like this doesn’t really explain her behaviour. Actually, that has me worried about how she’ll behave later.
What if when she introduces me to her parents she says, “Mom, Dad, this is my Master. We’re going to get married. Kya~!”
— Soon, we arrived in front of a shop.
“This is my family’s store, Wells’ Clothing Shop.”
“Oh~, this is your home?”
It doesn’t resemble many shops I’ve been to. There are no clothes displayed near the entryway, but I guess that’s a matter of security. The shop itself looks much cleaner than other shops I’ve been to and it’s beautifully decorated.
It seems really warm and inviting.
“Well then, Master, Mother and Father should be inside… I think I should go inside and explain the situation first. Do you mind waiting here for a while?”
“…hm? There’s a lot to talk about. Wouldn’t it be easier if I was there?”
“No, I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry, you probably won’t be kidnapped by a Yandere while waiting out here.”
“Why would something like that even happen!?”
Certainly a Yandere — well any girl really — could just walk up and grab me and I couldn’t even resist, but I could at least call out for help.
…the only way I can resist a girl attacking me is by yelling…I’m pathetic…
W-Well, anyway.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Alright. I’ll be back soon so don’t get kidnapped in the meantime.”
“Yeah, yeah, I understand.”
While enjoying our casual conversation, I waited as Claudia entered the store.
“Well then, I hope Claudia won’t get angry, but if I just quietly sneak away, I can expl –”
Just as I was turning around the corner of her family’s shop, I crashed into someone and knocked them to the ground.
I turned to look at them and saw a blue-haired girl sitting on the ground.
She looks around ten years old and seems like an energetic girl.
“Sorry, are you okay?”
I offered my hand to the girl and pulled her to her feet.
“Thank you, onii-chan.”
“No problem. I just hope you aren’t hurt….”
“I’m alright. Thanks for being worried, but I need to go.”
Boku? I guess she’s one of those girls that uses boku. The girl shook my hand and sprinted away.
She really was a lively child…eh? A small purse… or maybe it’s a wallet was lying at my feet.
I could still see the kid running in the distance.
I picked up the wallet and chased after her.
“Hey, little girl, wait!”
After running for a little while, I called out to the girl.
“Eh, oh onii-chan? Umm…why are you calling out to me?”
She seemed a bit cautious of me. She was already positioning her body in a way that would allow her to run if necessary.
“Just wait a second. I chased after you because this is yours, right?”
“Eh? Ah…it is. Onii-chan did you find it?”
“Yeah. It seems you dropped it when you fell.”
“I see…umm, thank you, onii-chan.”
She looks adorable when she bows her head.
I thought she was a rather energetic girl, but she seems well mannered. Does she belong to a noble family?
“Onii-chan, onii-chan.”
The girl began bouncing up and down in front of me. Unfortunately, her chest can’t even be compared to Claudia’s and there’s really nothing to admire. But why is she doing this?
“What’s got you so excited that you need to jump around?”
“Onii-chan, you’re not from this town are you?”
“Eh, yeah, but…how do you know that?”
“Ehehe~, because I’ve never seen shoes with that design before. I’m guessing they’re shoes from another town.”
“I see.”
Is she only looking at my shoes? She’s actually really girly if she’s paying attention to that.
“If that’s the case”
“…eh?”
Before I even noticed, the young girl grabbed onto my hand.
“I’ll show you around the city to thank you for returning my wallet.”
“E-Eh….eh?”
She began pulling on my arm and I was unable to resist due to the effects of Feminist — like this, I was forcibly taken by this young girl.
Where is she even taking me? Is this little girl actually a Yandere?
If that’s the case, I’ll have to yell out to get help…. I continued following her but remained cautious as she dragged me to a hill behind the city.
The hill was only around twenty metres high, but due to the buildings only being one story tall, I was able to look out over the entire city from here.
“What do you think? Isn’t this a beautiful view?”
The girl ran to a fence near the edge of the hill and proudly exclaimed this.
“The view is nice, but…why did you bring me here?”
“I told you already. I wanted to thank you for returning my wallet.”
“…really? Just for that?”
It seems rather strange for such a young girl to invite an older man to an isolated hill.
The only thing that I can think of that makes this less strange is the fact that this is a different world; people are less afraid of strangers. Or this young girl is actually a Yandere. My SSS rank skill could easily have affected her in the little time we’ve spent together.
“Hmm~, well, actually, there are other reasons.”
As expected — I prepared to run away if I needed to.
“I really love this city.”
“…eh?”
I curiously tilted my head after hearing something I wasn’t expecting.
“You mean, because you love this town so much you want travellers to enjoy this beautiful view?”
“That’s not quite right…I really just wanted to enjoy this view with someone else.”
I enjoyed the feeling of the sunlight hitting my skin as I took a long look at the stunning skyline before us.
Yet, the expression of the girl in front of me looked somewhat gloomy. It’s not an expression I’d expect to see on such a young girl.
“Are you lonely?”
“…eh? Why would you think that?”
I could see genuine surprise in her eyes, but she still looked lonesome.
“That dark expression on your face. It’s something I don’t expect to see on a child.”
“…I see. Maybe I am lonely.”
I leaned against the fence and glanced over the city once more.
“…do you know why?”
“Yeah. I’ll be getting married soon.”
“…I see.”
She looks around ten years old, but…could she be around the same age as me?
…no, now that I think about it, Rose’s mother was married at a very young age. Unlike modern Japan, the age of marriage in this world seems to be quite young.
…even knowing that I still feel that ten is just too young. Or maybe I just don’t like the idea of someone being forced into a marriage they don’t want.
“So I’ll have to leave this town soon. That’s why I come here every day so I’ll never forget this view.”
Another sad expression unsuitable for a child’s face. I would never want someone to decide something for me that’s so important.
I was captured by Yanderes, threatened, and tortured, so I can really understand her feelings.
I can’t really tell her why I empathize with her considering this is the first time we’ve met… Ah, I know.
“I’ll protect this city you cherish so much.”
“…onii-chan?”
I gently stroked her head.
“I came to this town for a specific reason, and I’ll be sure to protect your home now that I’m here.”
The Earl of Chaos is causing problems all across Gran Island. Rose and her family are in charge of stopping him, so I can get any information I need about this town from her.
“…thank you, onii-chan.”
I’m not sure she felt completely relieved by my words, but she thanked me for trying to comfort her. She clearly wasn’t happy but the girl showed a slight smile.
“Okay, well, I was actually in the middle of an errand. I need to get going!”
“Hmm? I see. Well — I hope we see each other again.”
“Yeah, me too. Bye bye, onii-chan!”
She began running away while waving goodbye to me.
And that was the end of the encounter between me and a girl whose name I didn’t even know.
— why do I feel like I’m forgetting something?
“Master.”
A voice that came from behind me that sound both clear and beautiful, yet as cold as ice. I jumped about a foot after hearing it.
“Uwa, Master, you went flying.”
“O-oh, yeah. My stats are all raised by 30% due to my titles and other things.”
I tried to quickly control the conversation so Claudia couldn’t punish me —
“So, I told you to wait in front of the shop…why are you here?”
“Ugh….”
She quickly took the conversation back to the main issue at hand.
“Didn’t I tell you that you wouldn’t be kidnapped by Yanderes if you just waited in front of the shop? Is one of your hobbies being kidnapped by Yanderes? Can’t you go a few minutes without getting kidnapped?”
“T-That’s not what happened. There was actually a young girl that dropped her wallet.”
“– and you had to be the one to return it to her!? You womanizer!”
“That’s not what happened!”
Actually, I kind of am a Yandere womanizer…I shouldn’t say that to her.
That little girl wasn’t a Yandere anyway. Wasn’t she just an ordinary young girl? Yeah, when I think back to our conversation, she was just completely normal.
Of course, there is a chance that my skill caused her to develop that Yandere trait, but she just seemed grateful for me helping her, and she left me even though she wasn’t sure we’d ever see each other again.
She really did seem like a normal girl. I think if you raise your child properly, even in this strange world, she won’t grow up to be a Yandere.
“That girl….”
“…Master.”
Claudia’s eyes became serious for some reason.
“What’s wrong? I could create an orphanage and gather young girls. I feel like my dream of living a happy and calm life isn’t so far off.”
“I’ll kill you first and then kill myself.”
“Why!?”
I don’t know what she’s imagining, but whatever it is she’s scaring me.
“Master, I’ll follow you wherever you go, so let’s both die before you commit any crimes, okay?”
“I don’t want to die and I don’t plan on committing any crimes. Anyway, I’d survive even if you killed me.”
“…that is true.”
“See? So just calm down.”
“You’re right. I’ll kill you and keep killing you every time you come back.”
“Wha-!?”
Recently, Claudia has seemed more like a Yandere than everyone else I’ve met. It truly is amazing that she doesn’t have the Yandere trait on her status window.
Well…Medea-nee did mention there is something called a ‘hidden status.’ I guess there could be more than one skill that causes someone’s personality to change.
“I’ll buy some kebabs for you, so will you please calm down?”
“Mou~, you’re not going to buy me off with food. And I’m not upset, I’m just worried that you’ll commit some kind of sex crime.”
“…a sex crime? Why would you be worried about that? Even if I wanted to, I can’t do anything like that against a girl because of my Feminist skill.”
Or is she trying to suggest I’d do something like that against a young boy?
I was seriously worried about what she’d do, but Claudia seemed to have completely forgotten about my Feminist skill. She said, “Oh, that’s right,” before returning to her usual self.
“I understand. I believe you, Master.”
“…I-I feel like you believe in the effectiveness of my skills rather than believing in my words.”
“Then, are you suggesting I shouldn’t believe your skills either?”
“Well…that’s fine.”
With mixed feelings, I followed Claudia back to her home.
