“Oh, are you finally awake, Shizuku-chan? You slept like a log. It’s already noon.”
“Hm...? Kaori?”
Shizuku turned toward the direction of the voice and found her best friend smiling at her. She was sitting in a chair near the window and had already changed out of her pajamas. Shizuku raised herself into a sitting position and blearily rubbed her eyes, trying to think back to what she’d been doing before she passed out.
“Wait. Why am I in my room...? I was in the forest until... Actually, this isn’t even my room. This is your room, isn’t it, Kaori?”
Everyone in Hajime’s party had been provided their own rooms in Verbergen. The fact that she didn’t recognize the room’s decorations and that Kaori was sitting next to her led her to assume this room was Kaori’s. Kaori blushed a little at how cute confused Shizuku looked and replied.
“Yep, this is my room. Hajime-kun brought you here in the morning. He said you were up all night training. You really shouldn’t do that you know. You just came back from a labyrinth, so you should rest for a little bit at least.”
“U-Umm, yeah, you’re right. Sorry. S-So he’s the one who brought me here? I don’t remember that at all.”
“That’s because you were fast asleep, Shizuku-chan. You must have been really tired.” Kaori wagged a finger at Shizuku as she lectured her, but Shizuku looked away and started fidgeting nervously. With her hair down as it was now, she looked more mature than aloof, though her fidgety posture made her seem cuter than anything.
Shizuku looked down at herself and realized she’d been stripped down to a single shirt. Had the guys in the class or the girls who looked up to her seen her as she was now, they would likely have gotten nosebleeds big enough to kill them from blood loss. Blushing slightly, Shizuku looked up at Kaori.
“Umm, how exactly did he carry me?”
Despite what Hajime had said, he’d still apparently been considerate enough to carry her back here when she fell asleep. However, that left Shizuku wondering whether he’d carried her princess-style or not. Sadly, reality was a harsh mistress. Kaori’s expression cramped up as she replied.
“W-Well, normally, I guess?”
“...Kaori, what do you mean by ‘normally’?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. I guess you could call it artistic in a way, though.”
“Hold on a second, Kaori. How on earth do you carry a sleeping person artistically?”
Seeing Kaori falter, Shizuku felt a deep sense of foreboding. After a few seconds of waffling, Kaori finally smiled awkwardly and spoke up.
“Well, to put it bluntly... he crucified you and floated you all the way over here.
“C-Crucified?”
Shizuku pressed Kaori for details, which turned out to be a mistake. Apparently, Hajime had decided to use her for his training as well and used stones imbued with gravity magic to pull her arms into a vaguely crucified position. From there, he’d attempted to float her all the way to Kaori’s room without dropping her. According to Kaori, he’d said it had made for good training because balancing a sleeping person softly enough to not wake them up had proven quite a challenge. The reason he’d taken her to Kaori’s room and not Shizuku’s own was because he didn’t know where Shizuku’s room was.
“B-But why crucify me?”
“Probably because if he’d tried to do it in another position and messed up he would have ended up breaking your limbs... I think?”
“What do you mean, ‘you think’...?”
Shizuku’s expression cramped up. Anger filled her heart, chasing out the vague joy she’d felt earlier. Kaori’s smile grew even more awkward. Incidentally, some of the soldiers who’d been out on patrol early had spotted Shizuku’s crucified body as Hajime had brought it into the city. Though they didn’t know Hajime had been imitating the death of Jesus Christ, the beastmen had still been captivated by Shizuku’s divine form, and quite a few had converted to being her fans. However, some things were better left unsaid, so Kaori kept that information to herself.
Just as Shizuku’s anger was about to reach its boiling point, she heard a loud thumping from downstairs.
“Uryaaaaaaaaaaaah!” a familiar voice yelled out. “Iyaaaaaaaaaaaah!” A girl’s cute scream followed.
“Wh-What’s going on? It’s awfully noisy down there.”
“Oh, that’s just Shea and Altina-san. They’ve been fighting or something since morning.”
“What do you mean, or something?”
“Well, it’s not quite fighting. I’m not sure how to explain it though... You know what, it’d be faster if you see for yourself.”
Confused, Shizuku let herself be ushered out of the room and down the stairs. As they went, Kaori summarized the events of the morning for Shizuku. Apparently, Altina had tried to take care of Hajime, but had been stopped by a grinning Shea. However, Altina had refused to back down and had continued making passes at Hajime. Finally, Shea had gotten so fed up she’d hit Altina with her Cobra Twist.
A mere rabbitman had attacked an elder’s granddaughter, the princess of the elves, using one of the pro wrestling techniques Hajime had taught her for fun. Before the advent of the Haulia, it would have been unthinkable for a rabbitman to lay a hand on the elven princess. Anyone who tried would have been executed without question.
But now the rabbitmen were feared among the rest of the beastmen as bloodthirsty headhunters. Specifically, it was just the Haulia who were feared, but at this point, most other beastmen were terrified that any rabbitman they spotted was after their head. The Haulia weren’t just feared, either. They were also revered as the heroes who had freed the beastmen slaves within the empire. And Shea was the daughter of those heroes’ chief. Among the beastmen’s most fearsome race, she was the one known as their most dangerous individual.
That was why no one had stepped in when Shea had hit Altina with a Cobra Twist. Not that anyone could have. Aside from Hajime and his comrades, the only other people who’d been in the dining hall at the time had been a few servers and Altina’s maids. Kouki, Ryutarou, and Suzu had all been holed up in their room, dwelling on their failure to clear Haltina’s labyrinth and obtain evolution magic.
Afterward, Shea had thrown the elven princess onto the floor, given her the middle finger, and yelled: “Never show your face here again!” Considering that had been the first time Altina had ever received such crude treatment, it wouldn’t have been surprising if she’d broken down then and there. However, the sheltered princess’ reaction had been most unexpected.
“Take that, and that, and that! If you want me to stop, then swear to never flirt with Hajime-san again, you long-eared vixen!”
“Yaaaaaaaaaaaah! How embarrassiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!”
Altina hadn’t backed down. Shizuku watched, dumbfounded, as Shea hit Altina with yet another esoteric pro wrestling move. Kaori’s smile grew stiff as she led Shizuku down the last few stairs. Shea had flipped Altina upside-down and was holding her by the legs. She was blushing in embarrassment as her skirt flipped over, revealing her daring panties and shapely legs. Apparently, this particular wrestling move was known as the muscle buster.
“Hmph, you look all innocent and pure, but you sure wear some provocative underwear.”
“Mmm... All princesses are secretly perverts of some kind...”
Yue asserted her biased viewpoint. Hajime, who’d looked completely unconcerned with the ruckus until now, spit out the soup he’d been drinking at her comment.
Incidentally, Yue was a former queen, while Tio was the dragonmen’s princess. If it turned out that Liliana was a closet pervert as well, then Yue’s theory would be all but proven. Hajime fervently hoped that Liliana was as pure as she seemed, for the sake of all other men out there.
After seeing all that, Shizuku finally returned to her senses and asked something with a pained expression on her face.
“A-Are you sure we’re allowed to do this? That girl’s a princess, isn’t she? Look, all of her maids and al
l of the wait staff are worried too. They can’t bear to watch their princess flail around upside-down while revealing her underwear any longer. At this rate, Altina will be too ashamed to ever show her face in Verbergen again...”
“I-I know. Normally, I’d agree with you, but... look at Altina-san’s expression.”
“H-Huh? Is it just me, or does she look like she’s enjoying it?”
Altina’s face was flushed, and there was an odd glint in her eyes. At a glance, it appeared like she was lamenting the humiliation she was receiving, but a closer look revealed that there the faintest hint of a smile on her face. In truth, if Altina had found flashing her panties to a crowd of people as shameful as she made it out to seem, she would have long since agreed to Shea’s conditions. Depending on how one looked at it, it certainly did seem like she was implicitly begging Shea to continue.
“Tch... Stubborn bitch. Alright, how about this!?”
“Wh-What now... S-Stoooooop! Don’t embarrass me in front of everyoooooone!”
Altina didn’t even bother attempting to swear never to get close to Hajime again. Tired of her persistence, Shea threw her to the floor in disgust. However, Shea wasn’t done yet. She instantly moved on to the next wrestling maneuver. This time she wrapped her legs around Altina’s prone figure and lifted her into the air while Shea herself rolled to the ground. This move was known as the Romero Special.
Altina’s skirt flipped upward once more, showing off her most private parts. “Stop, pleaseeee!” She begged, no longer sounding like a graceful princess. However, her voice seemed somehow devoid of expression, and the smile forming on her lips destroyed any credence her words might have held. From her position, Shea couldn’t see Altina’s expression. So while everyone else could tell Altina was enjoying it and was backing away slowly, Shea still thought she was punishing the elf.
“I see, so this is where the ‘or something’ part comes in...”
“Yep. I hope I’m wrong... but it looks like Tio’s found herself a new comrade.”
Kaori gave Altina a pitying look as she said that. Meanwhile, the famed pervert Tio gave Altina a look of boundless kindness and affection. It was the kind of joyful look a master reserved for a particularly dutiful disciple. On the other hand, Hajime and Yue who were sitting across from her grimaced. Altina’s joints began to creak as Shea upped the pressure on her hold, and Hajime turned to her with an exasperated.
“Just leave it at that, Shea.”
“I can’t do that, Hajime-san. I have enough rivals as it is, so I refuse to let an elf princess join that list! Besides, she seems to be gunning for me specifically, so the only way I’ll stand a chance is if I strike first!” Shea shifted positions and put Altina under the Boston Crab. She was intent on crushing her potential rival here and now. Overjoyed at being put in another embarrassing pose, Altina screamed in ecstasy. She didn’t seem anything like the sheltered princess she was supposed to be. Her maids and servants swooned, shocked at seeing such a scandalous side of their master. And Tio gave Altina a knowing look, which only irked Hajime and Yue more.
“Hajime...” Yue called out to Hajime, her voice oddly gentle. It seemed almost as if she was egging him on. He scratched his cheek awkwardly, then hesitantly nodded at Yue. She nodded back, her mouth a determined slash. Hajime quietly rose to his feet and walked over to Shea, who was pulling on Altina’s legs now. He pulled her up by her arms as the crowd watched on, interrupting her wrestling spree.
“Hwoh?” Surprised, Shea let out a small squeal and fell back into Hajime’s embrace.
“Ah!” Kaori and, for some reason, Shizuku exclaimed. Hajime ignored the peanut gallery and brought his face close to Shea’s bunny ears as she blinked in shock. “Hey Shea,” he whispered, “You keep saying you don’t want more rivals, but... do you think of Yue as a rival?”
“Huh? What? Yue-san? Of course not! Maybe I might have when we first met, but definitely not now! Honestly, if Yue-san wasn’t by your side, Hajime-san, I’d worry the world was ending. I don’t even want to imagine something that horrifying.”
“O-Oh... I didn’t know you liked her that much...” Hajime’s expression froze up a little at the unexpected passion in Shea’s voice. Apparently, as far as Shea was concerned, Hajime and Yue being together was a natural law of the universe.
Hajime coughed awkwardly, then looked Shea squarely in the eyes. She gasped as she took in the intensity of his gaze. Hajime picked his next words carefully, aware of the weight behind them.
“In that case, stop worrying about potential rivals. You’re so much more important to me than Altina that you two aren’t even comparable. Because to me, Shea, you’re special.”
“H-Hajime-san...” When the word special was whispered into her ear, Shea’s entire face went red.
“Awawa,” she blabbered, her ears flapping up and down. Her tail wagged back and forth with more vigor than Hajime had ever seen.
Shea had, of course, noticed the slight changes in the way Hajime had been treating her as of late. It was clear that he treasured her more than he used to. In fact, Shea had begun to hold a faint hope her feelings, which she’d expressed since the day they’d first left Haltina, had begun to reach Hajime. That while she might never be special like only Yue was, that she was still more important to Hajime than anyone else. But at the same time, she’d been worried she was wrong. It was for that reason she’d hesitated to burden Hajime and ask him to help her save her family when Cam and the others had been captured by the empire. And it was for that reason she was so afraid of Altina becoming another rival.
But one word from Hajime had blown all those worries away. Her dreams had finally come true. That being said, she hadn’t expected to receive a confession like that in a completely average situation, like the middle of lunch.
Her thoughts ground to a halt, and her expression froze in place. However, her ears and tail continued to wag to and fro, a reflection of her true feelings. The others seemed just as shocked as Shea. Kaori and Shizuku’s jaws were hanging wide open. Oddly enough though, Yue and Tio had apparently predicted this. They were both smiling gently at Shea.
Hajime looked down at Shea, troubled. He didn’t expect this to be such a shock. In an attempt to lighten the mood, he let out a rather shocking statement.
“Anyway, Shea. I think Altina’s more interested in you than she is in me.”
“Hweh? Wh-What do you mean? She wants me?”
Hajime patted Shea’s back a few times, which finally snapped her out of her stupor. Her mind was still a whirlwind of emotions, but she was curious enough about Hajime’s statement to look over at Altina. The elf princess was blushing and covering her face while still watching Hajime and Shea through the gaps between her fingers. The moment Shea’s gaze met hers, she jumped. A second later, she started fidgeting bashfully.
“Umm, the reason you keep messing with me is... because you don’t like how close I am with Hajime-san, right?”
“N-Not at all! I have no grudge against you, Shea-san! I just want to spend more time doing these kinds of things with you!”
“Uhhh...”
Shea backed away warily. Don’t tell me she’s one of them!? Shea thought, her hair standing on end.
“These kinds of things” almost certainly referred to Shea’s pro wrestling torture course. The fact that she wanted to be put into joint locks that showed off her panties could only mean one thing. Shea rounded on the party’s resident pervert.
Tio smiled and gave her a thumbs-up, and the sincerity behind that gesture was overwhelmingly creepy. That alone was enough to prove to Shea that Altina was a pervert. Afraid that she might have awoken a monster, Shea fearfully turned back to Altina and muttered a single word.
“P-Pervert...”
“Y-You have it all wrong! This is a misunderstanding, Shea-san! I simply wish to get along with you!”
“W-With me?” Shea asked timidly. She hadn’t expected to hear that. Fidgeting, Altina went into more detail. Apparently
, the reason for her interest in Shea was as follows: Altina was effectively Verbergen’s princess. Elves were one of the most influential beastmen races, and Altina was the granddaughter of their elder. Since her childhood, she’d been given special treatment. On top of that, she’d excelled at her studies, and as a result, had turned into a wise and compassionate girl. Due to all this, she’d become respected by all the other elves, which meant that even when she played with children her own age, they always deferred to her. There was no one around her who’d treat her as an equal.
Though everyone around her was kind, the preferential treatment she received made her lonely. Soon enough, she began yearning for the kind of friend who’d speak their mind to her without regard for her status. The reason she’d been so infatuated with Hajime was that, from the start, he had neither looked down on her for being a beastman nor revered her because she was the elven princess. He’d just treated her like everyone else, which had made her jealous of Shea, who always seemed to be by his side.
However, after falling for Cam’s provocations and competing with Shea, she’d been hit with quite the shock. Naturally, almost having her joints dislocated had been a shock, but she’d received a mental one as well. A rabbitman the same age as her was messing around with her without regard for her status. Shea hadn’t hesitated to use harsh words or even physical violence on Altina. And that had made Altina indescribably happy.
It was then that she’d realized how wonderful it would be if she could become friends, no best friends with Shea, who was roughly the same age as her.
“It’s embarrassing to admit, but I haven’t the slightest idea of how to become friends with someone... I just knew that if I tried to get close to Hajime-san, you would pay attention to me, so...”
“What are you, some kind of dog? You should have just asked normally. I would’ve hung out with...”
“A-A dog... You’ll treat me like a dog?”
“Uh... is that really important?”
Shea watched as a happy blush spread across Altina’s face.
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 8 Page 26