by Fujino Omori
When we’re done, there’s chicken-fried steak, several fried fishes, a kind of rice ball that is popular in the East called “onigiri,” Jyaga Maru Kun, and a bit of wine on the table.
Mikoto laughs as she continuously offers chicken to Lilly, who keeps making strange noises as she wolfs it down. Meanwhile, Welf sips on his wine and watches as the goddess inhales one Jyaga Maru Kun after another. Trapped between all this chaos, I don’t eat all that much. Instead, I watch the show unfold. It’s late evening outside. The sounds of laughter and warm light leak outside through our kitchen windows.
I remember eating meals like this with Gramps. As memories flood back, I fight to hold in tears. I don’t tell anyone about it, though.
“Familia.”
Joined by our goddess’s blood, I’m sure we’re a family.
This is what my heart has yearned for, ever since I lost the man who raised me.
This is why I came to Orario, and I’m so happy I did.
I’m so happy I met these wonderful people. Today only reinforced that.
All of us share food and laughs well into the night.
The sun comes up on the morning after our familia “party.”
The goddess left early to go to her job, leaving the four of us to finish up here.
“Every box gets emptied today.”
I say this to myself as I walk down a hallway with two of them in my arms.
None of us will have energy to unpack after a day working in the Dungeon. As long as we do it together and finish this today, we can start to focus on saving money.
“Miss Mikoto, you have a visitor. Miss Chigusa is outside.”
“Lady Chigusa?”
Mikoto and Welf were making progress on the first floor when Lilly called to them from the front.
Mikoto immediately drops everything and goes outside to meet the visitor.
Chigusa is a member of Takemikazuchi Familia, as was Mikoto until recently. In fact, they are both from the same town in the Far East and probably old friends.
I take a look out the window, and there she is. Her bangs are always long enough to hide her eyes. But she seems more anxious than usual. Arms folded across her chest, she’s pacing back and forth on the front lawn…I wonder why.
Chigusa rushes to meet Mikoto the moment she emerges onto the front porch.
I can’t hear what they’re saying, but Mikoto looks just as surprised by Chigusa’s body language as I am. Suddenly—
“—A-are you certain?!”
A yelp of surprise.
“…Something up?”
“Lilly has no idea.”
Welf and Lilly come up behind me and look out the window as well. All of us lean closer to the window, trying to hear anything being said outside.
Chigusa is outside for only a few more minutes before turning around and rushing across the front lawn. Mikoto is coming back inside.
“Mikoto, is something wrong?”
“E-eh, no, nothing at all…”
I venture a question, but she avoids eye contact and quickly changes the subject.
“There’s still so much to do.” She rushes past me and picks up the closest box before disappearing around the corner.
The remaining three of us exchange glances, wondering what’s wrong with our friend.
CHAPTER 2
RUN, CRANELL
“I-I think I shall retire early tonight.”
Dinner plates had been washed and put away.
Only four of them were sitting, relaxing in the living room, when Mikoto made her declaration.
Hestia was absent this evening. Last night’s meeting had lit a new fire within her. This burning desire to pay back the loan gave her the motivation she needed to work overtime.
Bell and the others ignored the shakiness of Mikoto’s voice and either waved or said, “Good night,” as she stood up. The clock had yet to strike eight when the girl left the living room and closed the door behind her.
Going up the stairs and walking through the moonlit hallway, Mikoto was on her way to her room on the third floor.
All of a sudden, she changed course.
Racing back in the other direction without making a sound, she opened a second-floor window and jumped down to the grounds behind the manor.
She hid behind trees and checked to make sure the living room lights were still on before letting herself out through the back gate.
“That’s our cue. We’re tailing her.”
“It’s been a long time since Lilly’s done something like this.”
“I-is this okay…?”
Meanwhile…
Welf, Lilly, and Bell watched Mikoto step through the back gate from a different vantage point.
They had been expecting Mikoto to do something like this. After the girl went upstairs, they left the living room lights on and hid in the garden outside where they could see both exits. Three figures crept quickly and quietly through the darkness.
The stubborn girl was obviously trying to hide something. Following her was the only way to figure out what.
“Miss Mikoto seemed overly concerned with the cleanliness of the windows today…just as we expected.”
“Anyone coulda figured it out, way she kept stealing glances at the window.”
Welf and Lilly noticed that Mikoto hadn’t been herself during the day. The biggest clue was that she spent way too much time looking outside. So the two of them came up with this plan and dragged Bell into it despite the boy’s confusion. They were ready to pursue her whenever Mikoto made a move.
Their concern for their friend couldn’t let them ignore her secrecy and odd behavior.
“She’s a lot like you.”
“Huh?”
“Mr. Welf is saying that lying isn’t her strong suit, Mr. Bell.”
The black-haired girl, who was always honest to a fault, made her way into the vibrant city.
She was too focused on her destination to notice she was being followed. Her three pursuers kept to the shadows, staying just far enough behind her to conceal their presence. They followed Mikoto away from their home in the southeast to the southern part of the city.
It wasn’t long before they arrived in a district just off South Main Street—the Shopping District.
It was certainly living up to its name. The night was still young, but every corner of the street was already bright, colorful, and crowded. Lines of people were already filing into theaters, casinos, and high-class bars. Wealthy-looking merchants and adventurers rubbed shoulders with gods as they walked down the street lined with massive buildings, looking for that night’s entertainment.
Mikoto traveled into the heart of the Shopping District before suddenly darting into one of the backstreets, and she ran up to meet another figure standing in front of a shady-looking store.
“Is that Miss Chigusa? Are they alone?”
“Yeah, and they’re on the move…Now, where are they headin’?”
The two girls from the East shared an anxious nod before leaving the store behind.
Bell and the other two watched their movements from around the corner of a stone wall. Ignoring the suspicious glances of a few demi-humans, the three continued to trail their targets.
The spirit and sounds of the Shopping District faded into the distance as the two girls pressed forward through dark alleyways.
“…No way. This direction…It can’t be.”
Welf’s eyes shot open—he knew where they would end up if they kept going this way.
Their targets veered to the southeast. Welf struggled to get the words out of his mouth.
A jolt traveled through Lilly’s brain as she connected the dots as well.
“Huh?” Bell looked at his friends in confusion.
“Bell, you oughta head home.”
“Mr. Bell, please turn back.”
“Eh? Ehhh? Why? Why now?”
His allies’ sudden requests only worsened his confusion.
Bell looked back and forth between Welf a
nd Lilly over and over. The two of them repeated themselves, choosing stronger words.
“Seriously, listen to me. You’re not old enough yet.”
“Old enough? Mr. Bell should never go there, ever!”
“But we’ve come all this way…Ah, they turned a corner!”
Bell was certain he could be useful and could take care of himself despite Lilly’s and Welf’s desperate attempts to persuade him otherwise.
Their brief argument nearly made them lose their targets.
“Dammit, Li’l E, give it up, it’s no use. After them!”
“Gaaah! Miss Mikoto, why there of all places…?!”
Abandoning their attempts to convince Bell to turn back, the three of them dashed from their hiding place. Lilly seemed to be the most frustrated, a sour expression contorting her face. Bell was lost for words, but he kept up the pursuit.
They passed several drunken adventurers sprawled out on the street before finally reaching their destination.
“What—what is this place…?”
And then.
Bell’s eyes opened wide to take in everything that appeared as the backstreet opened up before him.
They had arrived at the eastern edge of the fourth district of Orario, adjacent to Southeast Main Street.
Despite being relatively close to the Shopping District, there was a much more impure atmosphere about this place.
Every magic-stone lamp attached to buildings and pillars projected pink light. While there weren’t too many of them, each light dimly illuminated a billboard decorated with seductive red lips and other alluring feminine features. Women of all shapes and sizes wearing skimpy dresses or clothing that completely revealed their back and hips were walking up and down the street.
More than half of these women were Amazons, but several humans, animal people, and even prums dotted the street as well. They called out invitingly to men in every direction, flashing smiles as if issuing a challenge. Then they’d spend a few minutes talking with said men before taking their hand, or even their waist, and guiding them into one of the many buildings.
The street was absolutely flooded with luscious breasts, thin shoulders, and seductive thighs in every direction. The air was tinged with perfume, or maybe it was simply the ladies’ naturally sweet scents as they worked up a sweat.
“Wh-wh-who are those people…?”
Bell’s fingers shook as he pointed down the street, pitifully stuttering as he spoke.
An inevitable awakening was taking place within him.
The fact that these erotic women were prostitutes shook him to his very core.
He’d found the Night District.
Bell’s face turned bright red as the stark differences between the Pleasure Quarter and everything else he knew began to sink in.
“This is why Lilly didn’t want Mr. Bell to come here!”
“I just can’t get used to this smell…”
Bell finally figured out what here meant as he watched men disappear one by one into different establishments. Lilly snapped at him as she got redder and redder. Welf stood behind them, trying to shield his nose with his arm.
So this is what they were trying to warn me about…?! Bell’s realization came a little too late.
Another memory bubbled up from the back of his mind. “I forbid you to go southeast.” Even Hestia had warned him…The serious look in her eyes had made his blood run cold. Now he knew why.
“Orario…has a place like this?”
“In this district, every building here and along Main Street closes its doors and brings in its signs during the day. Of course, Mr. Bell wouldn’t know…”
The Pleasure Quarter slept during the day and only showed its true colors at night.
It went without saying that no average citizens lived here. The district had a lonely, desolate feel to it. Bell had never even ventured into the Shopping District before tonight, so it wasn’t surprising at all that he didn’t know about the nature of this district’s businesses.
The main reason, though, was that the people who knew him best had kept it a secret from him.
Welf gave Bell a quick slap on the back to get him out of his trance as the three of them continued the chase.
“Cultural designs of the Kaios Desert, architecture from the Dizara Region…Never ceases to amaze me.”
“Don’t forget, Orario is the center of the world. People from all walks of life gather here, including them.”
Buildings designed to look like things the citizens of Orario had never seen before loomed behind all the scantily clad prostitutes. Some roofs were built to resemble the stark triangles of the Far East, other structures looked like they belonged to desert nomads, and still others were built out of solid stone like the castles in the north. It was a strategy to encourage as many customers as possible to come back and see a different style each time. Lilly explained everything at once, clearly not happy about being here.
Different types of brothels from all around the world were on display.
It was like nothing Bell had ever seen before. He felt lost in a world that kept changing, and yet new things kept popping up wherever he looked.
People he didn’t know, streets he’d never seen, and an atmosphere he’d never dreamed of.
It was all very overwhelming for the farm boy from a small town in the mountains.
“W-Welf, have you, um, been here before…?”
“Back when I was with Hephaistos Familia, a few guys dragged me out here after a night of drinkin’. But I’ve never used the…facilities.”
Bell tried to start a conversation to get his mind out of the whirlwind. Welf cringed as he responded. “Just didn’t sit right with me,” he added. A small group of the women of the night approached the three adventurers, their enticing smiles brought to bear. One of the ladies reached for Welf’s hand, but he brushed it aside.
Lilly jumped between another girl and Bell, fending her off like a bodyguard. “Lilly was lucky enough to have never set foot here until today.” She shot an angry glare at the prostitute coming in for another pass.
“Ughhh…What are Miss Mikoto and Miss Chigusa doing here…?”
Bell’s head was still spinning as his eyes searched for a safe place to look. Seeing Mikoto in the distance, he posed another question.
“Young women willingly coming to this place…Lilly’s afraid to say it, but to sell their bodies for money?”
“?!”
“Nah, those two don’t have it in ’em.”
Bell gasped at Lilly’s suggestion. Welf calmly pointed forward and said, “Have a look.”
Both girls were frantically waving off advances, arms a blur at chest height.
Their faces were red enough to give Bell a run for his money. Mikoto and Chigusa stayed side by side, their eyes frantically scanning the area. Their shoulders jumped every time they heard a catcall from some passing perverted man or taunts from the ladies working the street.
It was at that moment that a large man decided to make a move and reached out to touch Mikoto. “P-please, stop!” The startled girl squeezed her eyes shut as her body moved on its own. The man landed face-first on the stone pavement a heartbeat later.
Chigusa seemed like she was about to cry. The two looked like lost baby deer in the middle of the city. Lilly squinted and Bell broke out in a cold sweat, but both agreed that they were not here for that reason.
“Lilly sees Mr. Welf’s point—pure girls like Miss Mikoto and Miss Chigusa could never do such a thing…In that case, why are they in the Pleasure Quarter?”
The three fell silent to contemplate Lilly’s question. At the same time, the two girls started moving again. Bell, Lilly, and Welf followed them all the way to the main street.
Orario’s third and fourth districts sat on either side of Southeast Main Street. Mikoto and Chigusa crossed from the fourth district they had been in up until now and quickly vanished into the entrance of the third district opposite them.
“This is bad, we’re gonna lose ’em! Let’s move it!”
“S-sure!”
Welf moved to the front of their group because his height gave him the best chance of keeping their targets in sight.
Here, the prostitutes worked in teams to wall off areas and guide customers toward their establishments. Welf forced his way through, clearing a path despite the constant barrage of invitations and insults. At last, they set foot in the third district.
The lights in the third district were much brighter than the streets earlier. Welf spotted Mikoto right away.
She was surrounded by a group of gods wearing obscene smiles.
“Well, if it isn’t Eternal † Shadow. Imagine meeting you here!”
“Black hair, can’t get enough!” “Eastern girls are so sexy!”
“I-if you’ll please excuse us, w-we have an important matter to attend to…!”
The group of male deities had the two girls cornered against a wall. Each offered to show them a good time while barring their escape.
Mikoto stood in front of Chigusa, shielding her from their advances. However, these were gods, not mortals. She was forced to rely on words to fend off the deusdea.
The gods themselves, however, were enjoying her reactions more than seriously trying to initiate a transaction. Each comment and suggestion more vulgar than the last, the deities took great pleasure in seeing what shapes Mikoto’s face would make.
Welf and Lilly sighed as soon as they realized what was going on.
“My Lords, you’ve had your fun.”
Welf approached them.
“Eh?” The group responded in unison as they turned to face him. Mikoto and Chigusa turned pale as ghosts.
Lilly emerged from behind the young man and opened her mouth to speak.
“Why waste time out here? Does the night not grow short?”
“Oh no, she’s right! ‘Special Playtime’ at Jessica’s place is almost over!”
“Had to sneak away from my own familia. Better make tonight count!”
“I brought my familia’s money along!” “Oh, me, too.” “So did I.” “Me as well.”
“““HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!””” They all shared a big laugh before continuing on their way.