“Heh. If you’re pleased, then that is the greatest joy of all.”
Loa wore a lascivious smile as she casually caressed my lower abdomen.
That faint stimulation caused the preparation for the second round to progress.
It was just like that, the two of us staying in our room……
“I’m hooooome!”
Hearing Shouko’s loud voice echo from downstairs, I hurried to pull on my pants.
“My master, let me handle the buttons for you.”
Loa didn’t falter and fastened all of my buttons in a swift swish in an instant.
With speed like that, it would take her no time at all to unbutton them, wouldn’t it? I couldn’t help but think.
“Then you have no emotion at all.”
Loa says it, as if reading my mind.
”…I see.”
And he’s probably right.
The two of us went downstairs together to greet the maids.
“Welcome back.”
“Master is home.”
“Sousuke! Sousuke! I bought a lot, so please put it away!”
It seemed they didn’t find it strange that the two of us had been upstairs. “Good work. I’ll be right there.”
I stepped outside and stowed the massive cage attached to Mashiro.
I marveled at the item names and quantities displayed in my Inventory.
“There really is a massive amount,” I remarked.
“Nyahahaha! When it comes to us, this is all there is to it!”
Shoushi flashed a peace sign toward me.
“Mm. Full-speed effort at all times, use ‘Beginner’s Heal’ when tired. Moving around helps with dieting too. Perfect.”
Chiyu, who had been checking on the chicken coop, nodded in satisfaction.
“It’s just that… hearing from Chiyu that Souju’s body tightened up in such a short time, we decided to try putting in a bit of effort ourselves…”
Fumika said this, fiddling with the tip of her ponytail while wearing an embarrassed expression.
So that was why she was so eager to gather items.
Chiyu’s healing magic restored stamina as well, allowing them to train their bodies at an impossible speed by cycling between exercise and recovery.
In the process, excess fat would fall away, making it ideal for dieting too.
In the end, it was still grueling to the point of death, so it required a great deal of resolve.
Also, exercising burns a significant amount of calories, so you have to be careful not to immediately offset the deficit by overeating.
“Right. There’s something I want to tell Shouko.” “Huh? What’s up?”
Shouko, who had been gently stroking Mashiro in a comforting manner, turned her gaze to me.
“You know about the Dream World, right?”
“What happened with Seirei? You don’t say you actually met her!?”
“I did meet her, but she isn’t there with us. I’ll explain the details to everyone.”
We all gathered at the dining table.
As soon as we sat down, Shouko leaned in close. “So?! How is Seirei!?”
Normally, this would be when her stomach would start growling with hunger, but today, likely because the topic of her friend had come up, Shouko wore a serious expression.
I briefed the Mashiro group on what had happened that morning.
After outlining the rough sequence of events.
“Oh! Come to think of it, you mentioned something about barriers and stuff? Like those things in manga where they create a box or space that enemies can’t enter?”
“Exactly.”
I see. Being an otaku, she grasped the concept instantly, though for most people, the term ‘barrier’ probably wouldn’t ring a bell.
”…Based on your description, does this mean it’s an ability that draws a boundary to distinguish inside from outside, restricting entry and exit within a specific range?”
I nodded in reply to Fukuboushi, who looked deep in thought.
「Your interpretation of Shinhou is spot on. The restrictions are quite flexible, actually; apparently you can repel insects, beasts, humans, and all sorts of things.’
”……So, does that mean you could repel the monsters that get added later?”
Chiyu had noticed a crucial point.
“That’s right. We still need to test the strength, but it seems you can configure it to prohibit entry by anyone other than those authorized. So in terms of capability, I think it could repel monsters too.”
“Hey, hey, does that mean we’re allowed to take Sanae into our party?”
Mune’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
No one forced you to make friends, but there was no reason not to be glad when a chance reunion led to becoming companions.
“Honestly, it depends on the Dream World. Considering that more monsters might be added down the line, I’m in favor of having her join us, but…” “Eh? Is something wrong?”
“No, if we’re making her a party member, I want to discuss it with everyone and decide together. Besides… before anything else, I was told to bring back Mune.”
“Awesome! Then let’s go, Sōsuke!”
Mune, who looked like she was about to bolt right then and there.
“Of course we’ll go, but let’s do it after eating. I left some food in the Dream World, so with the barrier up, it’s safe.”
“Oh. Yeah, you’re right. Sorry, I got all excited.”
She scratched her cheek, looking embarrassed.
“Hey, if I just got confirmation that my friend is safe, it’s only natural I’d be happy.” ”……Yeah. Thanks.”
“And even if we can’t make her part of the team, I think we could still establish a cooperative relationship.”
“Cooperative?”
“Basically, they surround our base with their barrier, and in exchange, we provide them with what we generate.”
“Ohh. That makes sense. Even if we can’t live together, we can still help each other out, right?”
If this counts as mutual aid, then it’s a perfectly healthy dynamic and I’m all for it.
That said, I want to avoid a situation where our one-sided assistance becomes the norm, so I need to be careful about who we choose to take in.
Now that Sayoko has calmed down, I asked everyone for their opinions.
Senshiyu said, “It’s useful for defense. In favor.”
Shion added, “Having actually seen it in action, I can see just how powerful her ability is. So yeah, I’m in favor too.”
Fuka-hou stated, “If a cooperative relationship is possible, the benefits for our side are significant. Moreover, she’s a close friend of Sayoko-senpai, so I think that adds to our trust in her.”
Loha asked, “Are you even asking for my opinion as a provisional member? ……If so, then I shall cast my vote in favor as well. If we have the barrier, uninvited guests can be turned away. It seems quite splendid.”
With that, everyone was in agreement.
“Thank you all!”
Perhaps because her friend had been accepted, Sayoko looked overjoyed.
“For now, Sho and I are heading to Dreamland this afternoon.”
“Good! Well then, lunch… wait, do you not smell that amazing scent?!”
Sho sniffed the air and peered toward the kitchen area.
As she said, a rich aroma of miso and soybeans was in the air.
“Heh heh. The Micron group found a field of soybeans. Roa did amazing work harvesting them, Sousuke crafted the miso and soy sauce, and then… I cooked with it all!”
Shion was a bit high-strung today.
She must have been thrilled about adding soybeans to their resources.
It wasn’t exaggerated to say that just the scent of miso soup wafting from the dining table brought us joy.
The things we took for granted back in Japan were lost, and this was day seven.
You might think it was only a week, but even a few days on a trip can make you miss home.
In a situation where you couldn’t return freely, it wasn’t odd that those feelings grew even stronger.
Was it too much to say that thanks to the miso soup, I felt like we had reclaimed another piece of our daily life?
”……Ginger pork is Souku’s favorite dish. You’ll end up having your stomach captured again.”
Chiyu seemed worried about something.
Hearing that from my childhood friend, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
By the way, the ginger pork with the sauce clinging perfectly to it and the exquisite miso soup with tofu and wakame were both absolutely delicious.
I am greatly grateful to Chef Shion.
After the meal, Mairu and I went to meet Yume in the dream world.
※I posted this by mistake.
Since deleting it would be a bit weird, please consider this as the entry for December 28th……! ※
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