Suddenly, Arisugawa became the center of attention among non-human girls.
The girl guiding them walked silently through the village. The place felt strangely dark, and it was because there were so few torches. Visibility was almost zero.
“Um, excuse me, I’m Hiroaki. Nice to meet you.”
“……”
Thinking I should at least offer a greeting, I called out to her. Then, the girl stopped abruptly. She slowly turned her head towards me. Her neck twisted unnaturally as she looked at me.
“Pleased to meet you.”
Yikes! I almost screamed. What was that? Her neck bent the wrong way! Was I mistaken? No, it wasn’t an illusion. The girl returned her head to its normal position as if nothing had happened and started walking again. Even my usually boisterous companions fell silent at this.
“Well, this is it. Please.”
“Th-thank you.”
I thanked the girl and stepped into the inn. It was simple but clean inside. The previous village smelled more like beasts, truly like a hunter’s home, but this place had a pleasant woody scent. As I was about to greet the villager sitting at the counter, his head also twisted to face me. His body followed suit, rotating.
“Hello there, or perhaps good evening. A group, it’s been a while. No, wait, that’s right, soldiers from the home country arrived. We have rooms available, how many will you be renting?”
The innkeeper spoke, blinking his large eyes.
“Um… I’ll take one separately.”
“Why?! I will accompany you. After all, we’re husband and wife, aren’t we?”
“We’re not married yet, are we?! Can you not just decide that for us?”
Ah, it’s started again. Even the eccentric innkeeper looked bewildered by this. For the time being, I rented five rooms. It cost money, but there was no other way.
After shoving everyone into their respective rooms, I finally found myself alone. A sigh naturally escaped my lips. I never thought it would come to this. Those vampires, they always do more trouble than good. Right, let’s take a bath to clear my head. It’s small, but they said it was prepared.
I peeked into the hallway. Good, no one was there. I tiptoed towards the bathhouse.
“Hehehe, they probably can’t follow me into the men’s bath.”
I muttered to myself, and the door creaked open. And there it was, a bath after so long…
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Gah! Philiana! This is the men’s bath, you can’t be here! How did you get in?”
“Fufufu, it’s alright. It’s a wife’s duty to soothe her tired husband. I’ll wash your back.”
Before I knew it, I was being grabbed. I hoped there were no other guests. Then, a splash came from the bathtub behind me.
“Philiana, so you were here. I won’t forgive you for sneaking ahead!”
“Nina, coming from over there. Honestly, that’s unseemly.”
Why was she in the bathtub? Looking up, Sharin jumped down from the wall separating the women’s bath.
“Arisugawa, I came to help!”
“Ah, wait, wait, Piyo is here too!”
Piyo, who followed, crashed into me naked.
“Ouch! Hey, everyone, this is the men’s bath!”
“Hehehe, Piyo is Hiro’s girlfriend, so it’s okay!”
“When did you become my girlfriend? I am the one fit to be Arisugawa’s girlfriend, no, wife!”
I can’t even relax in the bath. If this is how it’s going to be, I have to escape! I pushed Piyo off me and ran towards the entrance. But just as I reached for the door, it swung open.
“Ah, H-Hiroaki. Um, it seems like there are no other guests besides us right now.”
“Cecilia, too?”
Furthermore, I felt a persistent gaze from somewhere. Glancing to the side, I saw Lauren peeking out from behind something. W-what should I do? If I can’t go forward or backward, I have to go sideways.
I gave up on the exit and climbed over the wall that served as the partition to the outside.
“Hiro, be careful! It’s dangerous!”
I could hear everyone’s voices from behind me, but I didn’t look back, just frantically climbed over the wall and ran barefoot. Running through the night forest with only a towel was dangerous, but it was better than my current situation. I could hear footsteps chasing me from behind.
If this continues, I’ll be caught. Sharin and Nina are much faster than me. Should I hide somewhere? But I can’t see anything around me. Suddenly, as I turned a corner, someone grabbed my arm. Before I could resist, I was thrown into what seemed like a storage shed.
“Ouch, ouch, who is it?! Wait, Karubene?”
“Shh, be quiet.”
I could hear my companions searching outside. Their voices and footsteps gradually faded away.
“Haaah, I’m saved. I was saved again.”
“Nfufufu, we’re finally alone. Let’s make it a fait accompli before anyone else takes you.”
What did you say? Was that all an act?
“You… you’re lying, right?”
“Of course, it’s a joke. Still, this is quite troublesome.”
“Haaah, I know. What should we do? I don’t understand anything about magic, and it feels like it’s getting worse as time goes by.”
Karubene shrugged, as if he didn’t know what to say either. I wanted to consult with Elana, but I might be found by someone. Should I wait until the effects wear off? But it’s only a matter of time before this place is discovered. In the cramped shed, I sat down on a nearby box.
