“Well then… I’ll be heading to the Ina group’s base.”
“Ah, thanks. Do you have any luggage?”
“Nope. Well, since I’m dropping the barrier—”
While the change was imperceptible to an outside observer, the fact that the barrier had been lifted became clear in another way.
Because Michron approached them.
It wrapped its long body around the narrator and Meko in a tight embrace.
“Wha—!”
“Hyah!”
Wrapped up by Michron, they were inevitably pressed together.
He could feel Meko’s body heat and scent close at hand, her massive breasts pressing against his chest.
“M-Michron… we’re fine.”
“Y-Yes, that’s right, Michron! So please let go~!”
”…What exactly am I being shown here?”
Mukai gazed at them with a cold, indifferent stare.
I stroked Mikuron, who had finally managed to pull away from me, as I explained the situation to Yume.
“The creature Shouko summoned is deeply attached to its master. She was just worried about what might have happened inside the barrier.”
“Heh… It sure does seem to love Kuyno a lot too.”
“That’s certainly true, but…”
In particular, Mikuron had grown quite fond of me.
“Good girl, Mikuron. This is Seryna. She’s my friend. Be nice to her, okay?”
Mikuron stared at Yume for a while, then shook its head with an air that said, well, if Shouko says so, I suppose there’s nothing I can do about it.
“Alright, since the introductions seem to be done, let’s head back.”
“Oh, Sousuke! I’m taking the lead on the way back. After all, I’m the one who summoned Mikuron, right?”
She seemed a bit jittery, though maybe she just wanted to look cool in front of her friends.
I knew taking the front position was what someone like a master would do, so I decided to let her have it.
“Hold on. If you do that, either Kuyno grabs me or I grab Kuyno. Wouldn’t it be better if it was just me, Shouko, and Kuyno?”
「Eh~? … Well, Iona is a girl, after all」
「What are you getting at right now? Anyway, that’s just your imagination」
「It’s okay.
Once we’re back, let’s have Sougosu give me a bath」 「That’s definitely not what I mean!」
Setting aside Yume-kyou’s true feelings, Teiko’s thoughtfulness wasn’t completely off the mark.
They must have washed their uniform and bodies in the water source, but going seven days without a proper shower is a bit harsh for modern people.
“Well, I guess I’m up front then.”
“Let’s do that, yeah.”
「Hey, you two, can you please stop giving me those worried looks?」
I, Teiko, and Yume-kyou hopped onto Mikron in that order.
”…Hyaah!”
As Mikron took off into the air, a high-pitched voice called out from behind.
“That voice just now, surely not…”
“You know, your voice is really cute when you’re startled, Yorina.”
“Shut up…!”
Then, for some reason, Mikron started moving with the wild intensity of a roller coaster.
「Myyu-ahh. What!? Did I punish this dragon for leaving it outside the barrier!？」
Normally, she looks after our comfort when we ride, so the Dream Realm’s assessment is probably spot on.
“You should call him ‘Micron’ properly, you know.”
“Mikko…!
Are you laughing at me right now?”
“I’m not laughing, myu-a” “Stop it…!”
So the Dream Realm is one of those people who actually yells out loud.
In our class, I always got off a total downer vibe from her, so this was quite a refresh.
And yet, it really does seem like she and Mikko are close.
Amidst all that chaos, we successfully made it back to the vicinity of our base camp.
“Look, Shina! Over there is our home! Sousuke built it!”
”…Whoa, there really is a huge house here. Aren’t Arano’s abilities a bit over the top?”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Um, I’m not exactly complimenting you; I’m just honestly surprised.”
“At times like this, isn’t it good form to say ‘As expected of Sousuke’? That’s what Chi-yu-chan used to say.”
”…Yeah, as expected from you, Arano.”
“You don’t have to push it.”
I gave a wry smile.
“No, no. I genuinely think it’s amazing. So, is that next door a warehouse?”
“No, no, that’s Mashiro’s Fenrir hut~”
Miko was the one who answered.
“The fact that you said it like we should know doesn’t mean I do, you know. Well, I can guess what it looks like, at least.”
“I’m thinking of making this entire grassland area our base camp, so how does the barrier’s range look?”
“The grassland itself is incredibly vast, so we probably can’t cover all of it yet. But I don’t think you’ll feel cramped. ――Wait, actually, I’ve already set up the barrier.”
He was fast with his work.
Well, since there’s no guarantee animals or people won’t come in anyway, I’m grateful.
“You can see the border lines in the Dream Realm, right? Could you show me where they are later?”
If we installed a stone wall along the boundary line, it would be visually clear to our allies that “this far is safe.”
Moving things is easy with storage reconfiguration, so once the barrier’s range expands, we’ll just need to adjust the position of the stone wall.
“Sure.”
“Also, Sera. Make it so my fluffy ones can get through.”
“I know. It’s a matter of granting access permissions for each individual, so let me know if you summon any new creatures.”
“Okay!”
“Also, are all the other members inside?”
“Yeah, they’re waiting.”
“If so, I’ll set it up so you can come and go whenever you want during the introduction time.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
When Mikron descended in front of the entrance, Loa was already waiting there.
“Welcome home, Master, Mistress Tsuko. Welcome to your residence, Lady Seri.”
“Ah, I’m home.”
“I’m h-o-m-e~”
”…You didn’t ask Kuno earlier, but why is it that you’re wearing a maid’s uniform and acting like a maid?”
“I am the maid of this household, after all.”
Loa placed a hand on her cheek, looking perplexed as she spoke.
“Got it. I understand that I don’t get it.”
Yume-kyou seemed to have given up on understanding.
“Thanks, Mikron~. Hey, So-suke, sorry to trouble you right away, but could we have the bath ready?”
Tsuko, having finished petting Mikron, looked at me and said this.
She probably wanted her friends to get clean quickly.
“Ah, of course.”
”…So you’re saying that Kuno has been heating the water and keeping it warm so we can bathe anytime?”
“Yeah, good catch.”
“It’s way too much extensibility… Couldn’t Inukai have survived on his own?”
“Not at all. I don’t think he’d have been able to enjoy a life this rich, at least.”
“Huh…”
“Yurina-sama, shall I wash your back for you?”
The caretaker Lova spoke, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“I don’t need any.”
Yumekai declined.
For now, we all moved inside the house.
While the ladies gathered around the dining table, I headed to the bathroom.
After filling the bath, I walked back toward the dining area.
“Yumekai, the bath is ready. Shouko, I think she can manage, but shouldn’t we show her how everything works?”
Sure, soap and shampoo were fine, but we had a hair dryer here, too.
It would be better to explain all the appliances beforehand so she wouldn’t get confused.
“Oh, that’s right! Let’s go, Yurina!”
“Mm… Hey, Inukai, everyone… thank you. I’ll make sure to do my job properly, so.”
Saying this, Yume-kai headed toward the bathroom.
“Seina-chan, your uniform was pretty worn out, huh. Must’ve been tough being on your own…”
Shion put on a worried face.
He didn’t want to entertain any doubts, but it would probably be best to have Shion listen to Yume-kai’s story just to be safe.
With Shion’s ability, she could see through any lie that might exist.
“I am grateful as well, but it is truly a stroke of luck that you all welcomed me.”
“That’s great and all, but I’m worried her cool personality might cause character overlap issues,”
“Chi-ju, don’t talk about ‘character overlap,’ okay?”
“Mm. I’m the silent type, but she’s more of a gloomer. Even if both are quiet, being unreadable and being listless are different things. So sensible, Sou-kun, you get it, right?”
Chi-ju seemed to have settled on this conclusion on her own.
Well, I didn’t really think Chi-ju and Yume-kai were that similar either.
“Souzou-san. She is saying she will join us as a companion, correct?”
“As for Yume-kai, she seems to want to frame it as a business transaction with her. For now, she’ll be living in this house and seems willing to maintain the barrier, so I’m at ease regarding defense.”
Once everyone is back together, we need to discuss formally accepting the Oneiric Realm and Loah as members.
If we officially welcome the two of them into our group, the party will have seven members.
Since there is currently only one “Right of Return,” it means we won’t be able to go home until we gather the remaining six.
It’s a rather important decision, so we need to talk about it all together.
A request to all readers
After reading this work, even if just a tiny bit
If you found it “Fun!” and felt “I’m curious about what happens next!” or were moved to shout “KEEP WRITING!!!!”,
· Please add to bookmarks.
-
Add a bookmark, and
-
Change the ☆☆☆☆☆ buttons in the “Support the author by adding points” section at the bottom of the page to ★★★★★.
Your support gives me motivation for future updates!!!!
Please!!!!!