Yesterday’s meal had been Hamburg steak, and the day before deep fried vegetables, and the day before that, meat buns. All cooked to near perfection. When Yue and Hajime heartily dug into their meal, Shea hummed softly as she cleaned up the dishes. Then, she used the leftover water to do the laundry. She washed their clothes with a brush made from the soft bark found in the sea of trees. She’d even made a detergent out of powdered plants. Once she was finished, she wrung the clothes out and hung them by the fire to dry. Clothes too torn to be worn again were sewn into dust cloths, which she then used to clean the inside of the tent. After that, she repaired the clothes that had only been slightly torn or frayed.
“Shea’s really good at doing housework.” Hajime muttered quietly while he checked up on his weapons. Yue jumped with a start. She wanted to say that she could do it too, but she held her tongue. She had, in fact, tried to help out with the chores before, using her water magic to clean clothes or her wind magic to sweep the tent, but all it had earned her was a scolding from Shea, of all people. Naturally, her cooking was subpar as well. Yue could sew, but not nearly as well as Shea. A sudden shiver ran down her spine.
“Wait... doesn’t that mean Shea’s better than me at housework?”
“Huh? Yue-san, is something wrong?” Unaware of Yue’s plight, Shea simply tilted her head in confusion. Her hands continued sewing the whole time, fixing the battle scars the party’s clothes had suffered. There was no way Yue could compete with that. For a few hours after, Yue could be found inside one corner of their tent, hugging her knees and sobbing softly to herself...
Cat Ears of Terror
One afternoon, Hajime, Shea, and Yue were strolling down the town’s main street, looking to stock up on supplies for their upcoming journey. It was a rare moment of respite in between their constant labyrinth-conquering excursions. The street was filled with the sounds of people haggling over wares, the smells of a hundred different spices mingling together as food stall owners began preparing meals, and the sight of a thousand different stores each with their own unique goods for sale.
One couldn’t help but get excited in such a lively atmosphere. Especially Shea, who hadn’t ever stepped foot outside her small village in the sea of trees until recently. Her rabbit ears were twitching happily as she looked around, the excitement evident on her face. Every few seconds she’d come back to her senses and quickly look around to make sure she hadn’t been separated from Hajime and Yue. After making sure they were still there, she’d then once again start hopping about, examining anything and everything that caught her interest.
“Shea looks just like a little child...” Yue laughed as she watched Shea run around. She then turned to look at Hajime, seeking his opinion. Normally, Hajime would instantly react to Yue’s voice, almost as if on instinct, but for once he was just spacing out, looking straight ahead.
“...Hajime?”
“O-Oh, what is it Yue?” Hajime replied with a start.
Puzzled at his unusual behavior, Yue furrowed her brows. Realizing he must not have heard her, Yue just said, “It’s nothing,” then kept a closer eye on him after that.
A second later, she noticed Hajime’s gaze was fixated on a certain individual. When she followed his gaze to that individual, she felt a wave of jealousy wash over her. But upon closer inspection, she saw that his gaze wasn’t fixated on the individual, but rather a certain part of their body.
“I see,” she mused to herself. It appeared Hajime had quite a soft spot for “those.” Her jealousy vanished somewhat, but she still lamented the fact that she did not possess “those.” And she still couldn’t forgive another girl for stealing Hajime’s attention, even if it was only one part of her that had done so. Also, the words “give up” and “back down” didn’t exist in her dictionary, so steeling her resolve, Yue tugged on Hajime’s sleeve.
“Hajime, let’s split up for a bit. Take care of Shea, okay?”
“Split up? If there’s something you want to see or somewhere you want to go, I don’t mind taking a detour. We can go together.”
“No. I don’t want you to know about it yet.” Yue pouted and turned away from him. Hajime was shocked; this was the first time she’d ever taken that kind of attitude with him. However, Yue simply gave him one last sidelong glance.
“Don’t follow me. I’ll get mad at you if you do.”
“O-Okay, I won’t...” Hajime tried to hide how shaken he was, but failed miserably. Then, without even a backward glance, Yue trotted off into the crowd.
“What on earth is up with her?” Hajime just stood there, dumbfounded, not realizing that he was the cause of her strange attitude.
That evening, Hajime and Shea had returned to the inn and started discussing Yue’s odd behavior earlier.
“Yue-san sure is late.”
“Yeah. W-Well, I-I’m sure she just wants some alone time.”
“Hajime-san, you look pretty flustered...”
“What are you talking about? I’m perfectly fine. Besides, what could possibly have flustered me, anyway? See, nothing’s, uh, wrong. Yeah, nothing’s wrong at all.”
“You’re answering your own questions... That sounds like a problem to me.” Shea was starting to get annoyed by Hajime’s attitude. She’d never seen him like this before, and while it seemed obvious to her that Yue would never leave him, it looked like Hajime didn’t trust Yue enough to even be sure of that. She was annoyed that he couldn’t believe in Yue the way she believed in him, and her displeasure spread into her voice.
“I can’t believe you, Hajime-san. Yue would never leave you, so why are you acting so worried? Can’t you just calm down?”
“Huh? You must be misunderstanding something. I know that she won’t leave me. I’d be more willing to believe you if you told me the sky was falling tomorrow than if you said Yue would leave me.”
Realizing she’d misjudged what had gotten Hajime so flustered, she followed up with, “Then what is it?” Hajime watched her bunny ears as they tilted to the side in confusion. Finally, he spoke in a trembling voice.
“Look, Yue would normally never leave my side. For her to want to split up, I must have done something pretty bad, something she’s really unhappy about.”
“O-Okay, and?”
“And that means she’s going to assault me tonight.” Hajime’s answer only served to further confuse Shea. He then started nervously glancing about the room.
“Yue’s definitely going to come to my bed tonight. Any time she’s unhappy with me, that’s what she always does. She’s a monster at night, so I’m not even sure I’ll be fit to travel tomorrow.”
“I see.” Shea’s reproaching gaze was more intense than ever. It was only natural. Hajime had just told her he was going to have sex with Yue tonight. From Shea’s perspective, it just looked like he was praising her sex game. As someone competing for his affection, all the more so because she’d so far been unsuccessful, it only made sense for Shea to be unhappy with him. Even her rabbit ears were twitching in accusation.
Hajime fidgeted nervously and grumbled, “It’s only because you haven’t seen what she’s like in bed that you can say that. Here, let me give you an example. One time, I asked Yue if she was really a virgin.”
“Whoa, seriously? That’s like the number one thing you should never, ever do.”
“Yeah, I know that now. I don’t know what came over me, honestly. Maybe I was just too close to breaking under all the constant night raids. Well, it’s because she was so good at it in the first place that I began to doubt whether or not she’d really been a virgin.”
“Yeah, I bet she got mad.”
“‘Mad’ is an understatement. I honestly thought she’d kill me. Mentally, anyway. I was prepared to end up as Yue’s sex slave for life... Those were dark days. Hell, I got down on my knees and begged for forgiveness, even. Can you believe it? Me, begging for forgiveness?”
“Y-You got on your knees? No way...” Shea shuddered in horror. Even if Hajime ha
d called it a night raid, she had assumed the reality was just that they were having some slightly rough sex. She was going to chide Hajime for exaggerating, but when she heard what he had done, she began to wonder just what kind of crazy antics Yue got up to.
An awkward silence spread throughout the room while Hajime nervously looked around, worried his lover might attack him at any second. Shea just watched on, not knowing what to say. With a soft click, the door to their room opened. Shea and Hajime both looked up at once. Yue was standing in the doorway, a pair of rabbit ears on her head.
“I’m back.” Her expression was as deadpan as always. She seemed to not mind the fact that there were rabbit ears growing out of her head. Ignoring Hajime and Shea’s shock, she sat down on the bed. Both of them finally returned to their senses, and before Hajime could say anything, Shea was screaming.
“Hwha-Hwhat the heck is thaaaaat!?”
“...What a strange question. They’re obviously rabbit ears.”
“I get that! But why do you have them, Yue-san? Are you trying to steal my strong points or something!?” Shea pointed accusingly at Yue, screaming as if Yue had just copied her most important trait. Yue simply turned away and responded in a sulky voice.
“It’s all Hajime and the rabbit ears’ fault.”
“Wh-Why does that mean you have to copy my ears? And if they’re at fault, why are you wearing them at all?” Shea shook her head. Her bunny ears flopped around as she did so. Hajime looked over at them and Yue mumbled, “I guess in the end fake ones are just...”
Those words finally clued Hajime in on what was going on. Yue had discovered Hajime’s secret desire to rub Shea’s fluffy bunny ears. And so, in order to compete, Yue had found herself a pair of bunny ears. Most likely at that one store.
“W-Well, I guess I can understand your burning desire to have a pair of your own rabbit ears after seeing how amazing mine are. Fufufu, but let me tell you something. Before the real thing, your faux bunny ears are but a pale imitation!” Shea gazed perhaps a bit too triumphantly down at Yue and continued.
“Yue-san, it was a strategic mistake to try and fight me in my home ground! This is your defeat!” Shea was getting a little full of herself, but it was also obvious at a glance that Yue’s ears were fake and not nearly as soft or fluffy as the real thing.
However, Yue had done this for Hajime’s sake. He already found her cute beyond belief, but knowing that she was willing to go that far just to please him made it clear which pair of ears he considered more important. There was no comparison between the bunny girl, who was busy getting full of herself, and the vampire who had done everything she could to grant him his desire. Naturally, Yue didn’t falter in the face of Shea’s provocations either. In fact, she exceeded all expectations.
“I never thought my rabbit ears would be able to beat yours. This is just the beginning. The real battle starts here!” Yue whipped off the bunny ears and replaced them with something else. That something looked like a pair of fluffy black triangles resting atop her head. Even more amazing, when she poured mana into them they moved like a real pair of ears would.
“Wh-What on... earth?” A jolt of electricity shot through Hajime’s spine. An indescribable sense of awe washed over him. But Yue wasn’t done yet. As Hajime’s trembling hand touched Yue’s cat ears, he let out a shocked exclamation. Before their eyes, Yue pulled out another long and fluffy object, and somehow attached it to an area right above her butt. Upon pouring mana into it, it too moved, just like a real tail. Hajime gulped audibly. Yue got on all fours and crawled over to where Hajime was. She looked unbearably cute. When she finally reached Hajime, she said a single word.
“Meow.” What Yue had replaced her bunny ears with was the pinnacle of all animal ears, cat ears. She’d even procured a cat tail to match. She arched her back and playfully pawed at Hajime. In this instant, Myue was born.
“Yue, just how far are you going to test my self-control?” Hajime was cradling his head in his hands, desperately trying to hold himself back. His primal instincts were already on the verge of conquering his reason. But even when he was on his last legs, Yue showed him no mercy.
“Meow.” She rolled over onto her stomach, like a dog showing submission to her master. Her pleading gaze met Hajime. That was enough to push Hajime over the edge. The light in his eyes was replaced by a feral gleam. But just before what might have been the greatest copulation session in history could begin, Shea bravely interrupted them.
“How sly! Yue-san, you really are a cunning woman! It’s clear that you thought ahead! Still...! Don’t forget that those ears and tail are fake! And my real ears and tail will never lose to fake ones! Look, Hajime-san, these are a real pair of bunny ears. Feel free to touch them all you want!” Betting her very soul, Shea challenged Yue. Her ears and tails twitched excitedly as she leaned into Hajime. But it would seem Yue had predicted even this development. When it came to fighting over Hajime, Yue made sure to prepare for every eventuality.
“You fool. Shea, what makes you think... that my ears are fake at all?”
“What... did you say?”
“I knew you would bring that up, Shea. That’s why I got real cat ears. These are no replica. That’s why I can move them using mana. Mana also helps keep them from rotting.” Yue sat down, then looked up at Shea victoriously. Shivers ran down Hajime and Shea’s spines, but for a different reason this time. Given a cold hard dose of reality, Hajime suddenly started sweating. Shea slowly backed away, her entire body trembling. Yue tilted her head in confusion, as Hajime took a moment to gather his wits before asking a question.
“Y-Yue, where’d you find those?”
“Hm? From a general goods store on the main street.” Hajime and Shea breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed these were commonly sold in the area—
“...But they weren’t the ones selling the real thing.” Hajime and Shea stiffened again. So that meant Yue only got her fake rabbit ears from there. Then where did her very real cat ears and cat tail come from? They both looked back at Yue, who puffed out her chest with pride and answered casually.
“I tore them off myself.” Those twitching cat ears and cat tail. Were they really moving because of the mana Yue poured into them, or because they were still so fresh that...
Suddenly, those cat ears didn’t look at all cute to Hajime. Shea was cowering in a corner, her ears pressed flat against her head.
“She’s a psycho, Yue-san’s a psychopath,” she muttered. Tears were spilling from her eyes and her whole body was shivering.
Yue suddenly shifted her gaze to Shea. Shea jumped with a start as Yue stared at her ears with cold, emotionless eyes.
“Can I... tear those off too?”
“Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, Yue-san, you’re insane!!! You monsterrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!” Shea leaped out of the room with the speed of a fleeing rabbit. Grimacing, Hajime called out to Yue.
“Umm, Yue?”
“Yeah? Sorry, that was a joke. I feel bad for Shea, but I wanted to have some time alone with you... Also, these are fake ears made with real monster fur, that’s all, so you can pet them as much as you want, okay?”
“I-I see. Umm, well, you’re really cute, Yue. But uhh, it’s not because of the cat ears, it’s just because you’re you, you know that right?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Yue smiled warmly. Hajime gently removed the cat ears and cat tail off of Yue and hugged her tight. Yue entrusted herself to Hajime and let the strength flow out of her limbs. Marveling at how lovely she looked, Hajime started stroking her hair.
...He decided not to ask why the ears and tail he’d taken off of Yue had been warm.
Parent-Teacher Conference
“Mom, Dad, please, PLEASE don’t say anything embarrassing.” Those words echoed through an evening-lit corridor of the school.
“Come on, Hajime, what are you so worried about? It’s just a parent-teacher conference. We’re just going to talk about how you’re doing at school and stuff.
”
“Seriously, what a worrisome child. Just because your homeroom teacher’s a legal loli doesn’t mean we’re going to mess with her or anything.”
“That’s EXACTLY the problem! Please don’t use words like legal loli in front of my teacher. Seriously, no one else’s parents are like that. Please, I’m begging you, just hold it in, okay?” Hajime looked surprisingly serious. But his mom, Sumire, and dad, Shuu, were just grinning like little children.
“Did you hear that, Sumire? He said no one else’s parents are like this.”
“I did indeed. To think he thought of us as such special people... Dear, I don’t think I’ll be able to let him go when the time comes for him to become independent. Ufufu.”
“That’s not what I meant! Quit interpreting things however you want!” Hajime’s parents just ignored him. Today was the scheduled day for his parent-teacher conference. Because he knew how crazy his parents could be, Hajime was very worried they might mess everything up.
He was suddenly reminded of the disaster that had been his middle school conference. He was snapped out of his musings by the sound of someone’s footsteps coming down the hallway. The teacher who came out to greet them was none other than Aiko Hatayama. Standing only 140 centimeters tall, baby-faced Aiko resembled a baby squirrel more than a teacher with the way she always ran around doing her best to help, but ultimately making things worse.
The interview started innocuously with Aiko talking about Hajime’s grades. Shuu and Sumire nodded exaggeratedly as she went over his test scores and the like. They were clearly just acting the part, so Hajime grew increasingly more concerned.
“Umm, so basically, Nagumo-kun is doing fine academically. Though some of the other teachers and I are concerned about his chronic habit of sleeping during class...” Aiko smiled awkwardly, and Hajime smiled back much the same. Then, reluctantly, she opened her mouth and tried to deliver her next lines as tactfully as possible.
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest: Short Stories (Premium) Page 4