Volume 1, Chapter 2 – Take Me to Town

Well, good morning.

This is kinda sudden, but I—no, not I (ore), I (watashi)—am currently enveloped in fluff. ¹ “Watashi” is a Japanese first-person pronoun commonly used in formal situations and by women. The protagonist switches to it in social settings to sound more proper and feminine.

Ah, the reason I corrected “ore” to “watashi” is for my character concept.

I’ve decided to start referring to myself as “watashi” now so I don’t slip up when I meet someone.

With my considerable experience as a net-okama, I know from experience that piling up these little habits day by day is crucial if you don’t want to get found out. ² Net-okama (shortened to nekama) is Japanese internet slang for a male who pretends to be a woman online. Derived from “net” and okama (a slang term for an effeminate man or gay man), it refers to users who adopt female usernames, avatars, and communication styles on social media, games, or bulletin boards.

Anyway.

Yesterday, after leaving those ruins, I headed into the forest and ran into a single, fairly large wolf.

It kinda reminded me of a Siberian Husky, but it didn’t bark, so it was probably a wolf.

I thought wolves usually move in packs, but for some reason, this one was alone.

I was just starting to feel a bit chilly when, what should appear before my eyes but a ball of fluff.

This was basically a case of a moth flying into the flame—or rather, an autumn Mofumofu flying straight to me. ³ Mofumofu = Fluffy, soft, furry texture.

Well, I’ve got no idea if AnnyOn even has seasons, though.

And then it hit me.

Hadn’t I taken the Unique Skill, Charm?

Even at Skill Level 1, it should be effective on a wolf, I figured. I crept up on the Mofumofu and stared at it.

When it noticed me and our eyes met, I whispered Charm in my mind.

And just as I predicted, it came right over to me, tail wagging!

I gotta say, I’m pretty impressed with my own flawless strategy.

Huh? How did I know how to use it, you ask?

I mean, when it comes to Charm, the usual thing is eye contact, glowing eyes, and boom—charmed, right?

Besides, even if I failed and got killed, I’d just be sent back to the Initial Spawn or have to logout.

So yeah, no big deal.

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And so, just like that, I acquired a fluffy bed.

Feeling a bit thirsty, I had the Mofumofu guide me to a spring, drank some water, and then used it as a bed.

And that brings us to now.

Now, what to do?

I’m starting to feel a little hungry. I didn’t know AnnyOn had a hunger parameter, but I’m pretty sure I saw that classic manga meat-on-the-bone in the promo videos, so maybe it does.

Well, rather than searching blindly for food myself, it’s always better to have someone who knows the area do it for me.

And with that, I decided to find myself some new minions.

I got up from my fluffy bed and looked around.

As luck would have it, about five small birds had come to the spring to drink.

I approached them quietly, made eye contact, and activated Charm.

“Phew. That worked—no, I mean, it worked, didn’t it?”

I succeeded in charming three of the five birds. I need to make sure polite speech comes out naturally.

“Now then, everyone, please bring me some fruits or nuts that I can eat.”

After sending my minions off to get food, I snuggled back into the Mofumofu.

It’s got a bit of a beast smell, which is a downside, but it’s warm and comfy.

As I desperately fought off the urge to go back to sleep, my minions came back with nuts and small fruits.

“Nice work. Please go get some more.”

With that, I sent my minions out to gather again.

Now, should I cook these nuts a little?

With that thought, I got up, gathered some twigs, lit a fire, and placed the nuts beside it.

Since my Fire Magic is Level 1, starting a fire was easy enough.

Though from the looks of it, the flame was so weak it looked like starting fires was about all it could do.

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To use it as an attack spell, I’ll probably need to raise my own Level or the Skill Level.

The small fruits, on the other hand, looked like they could be eaten as is.

They had the color and texture of grapes, but they grew in clusters like cherries—a strange fruit indeed.

I washed one in the spring water and popped it into my mouth.

Sweet and sour juice spread through my mouth.

It was quite tasty, to the point where I’d buy it if they sold it in a regular supermarket.

Oops, but it seems the skin isn’t edible.

I spat it out and tossed it into the bonfire.

Still, AnnyOn is pretty amazing.

To think they’d not only replicate the sense of taste but also things like inedible skins.

I thought the Management was crap, but maybe the development team is actually trying hard.

As I was pondering this, a group of about ten people in matching white armor suddenly emerged from the bushes.

—Dammit. I didn’t notice them!

I was just about to pop a second fruit into my mouth while using the Mofumofu as a backrest.

Because of that, a dumb “Huh-eh?” slipped out.

What a disaster.

And I was planning to go for a cool and collected persona!

To make matters worse, the minions I’d sent out to gather food returned at that exact moment.

This time, all of them brought back fruit.

“Good work. You guys can go now.”

Now that I’ve met other people, I should be fine.

I felt sorry for keeping the little birds as my minions forever, so I released them from the Charm.

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My former minions immediately flew back into the forest.

“Wh-wh-wh-what?”

The group in white armor was staring at me, dumbfounded.

They didn’t seem hostile, so I figured I’d try talking to them.

“Good morning. Um… my group of white-armored friends?”

Matching, expensive-looking white armor… could they be from some knight order?

As I observed them and wondered, the group parted, and a single woman stepped forward. She was a beautiful, buxom woman with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Her armor was more ornate than the others, so she must be someone important.

But I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

Trying to figure out why it felt familiar, I stared at her, and the beautiful woman blushed slightly and averted her gaze.

—I’ve got it. She’s a “kukkoro”! ⁴ “Kukkoro” (くっころ) is a Japanese slang term used in anime, manga, and gaming, representing a scene where a proud female character (often a knight) is defeated, humiliated, or captured, typically crying out, “Kill me!” (Korose!). It is a shortened portmanteau of “Kusu… korose!” (くす…殺せ!), meaning “Damn… kill me!”.

Satisfied with that conclusion, I greeted her.

“Pleased to meet you. Are you the commander? I am Fiene Argentata.”

Oh? For some reason, they started whispering.

Kukkoro-san snapped to attention with a sharp salute and shouted in a loud voice.

“It is an honor to meet you for the first time, Fiene-sama. I am Christina, serving as the Vice-Commander of the Fourth Squad, Faren Region, of the White Moon Kingdom’s Third Knight Order.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Christina-san.”

Why did she add “-sama” to my name?

“Please, feel free to call me Chris. Now, Fiene-sama, why were you in a place like this? The stronghold of the dangerous Vampire, Schwarz, is nearby. It is extremely dangerous for you to be here all alone.”

Hm? Schwarz? I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere… Oh well.

“Is that so? Well then, Chris-san, thank you for your kind warning. But, this is embarrassing, I don’t know where the town is…”

Chris-san looked surprised for a moment, then her expression shifted as if she’d realized something.

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She looked me straight in the eye and said forcefully.

“You must have been through a terrible ordeal. But please, rest assured. We will see you safely back to your family home.”

“Eh? My family home?”

“Eh?”

Once again, Chris-san looked surprised.

And then, like a replay of before, her expression changed again.

“In that case, let us first escort you to town. We will guarantee your livelihood in town for the time being.”

“Oh, th-thank you very much.”

I have no idea what’s going on, but it seems they’re going to take me to town.

“Um, Fiene-sama. By the way, that… that Silver Wolf over there…”

“Ah!”

I’d gotten so used to using it as a backrest that I’d completely forgotten about it.

But if these people are going to protect me, I suppose I don’t need the Mofumofu anymore.

Thinking that, I released it from the charm.

“Um, you’ve done well, too. You may return to the forest now.”

The Mofumofu stared at me intently, then slowly began to walk back into the depths of the forest, glancing back at me over and over.

“That one… it was a bit cold last night, so I had it act as a blanket.”

At that, the surrounding knights began to murmur. “A Silver Wolf as a blanket?” I could hear them whisper.

Huh, did I say something weird?

“Um, in any case. We are relieved you are safe. Let us return to town first.”

And so, I was escorted toward the town by the members of the knight order.