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“At all times, day or night, I will always serve my master with all my power.”

Arisa, the lilac-haired girl, had said these words during the contract ceremony. Neither the black-haired Lulu nor the beastfolk girls had said anything, so maybe this was just Arisa trying to gain favor?

Once the slavery contract was completed, I paid Nidoren, the slave merchant, with a gold coin.

I had wanted to free the girls from their status as slaves, but Nidoren stopped me.

Given the severity of the northern Shiga Kingdom’s hatred for demi-humans, he told me, any freed demi-humans (aside from fairies) would be treated worse than slaves, if they were allowed entry into the city at all.

Besides, the younger beastfolk girls started clinging to me and crying while begging me not to abandon them, so it seemed like putting this subject to rest was my only option. Maybe I can look into it again if we go to the old capital in the south of the Shiga Kingdom or something.

Realizing that I didn’t know much about being a master, Nidoren educated me about slave ownership and training. He said he would be staying around until noon the day after next and asked me to come back if I had any more questions or wanted to make another purchase. I appreciated the advice, but I definitely wasn’t looking to add even more slaves to my party.

During the ceremony, I had acquired the skill “Contract.” I had thought this might mean I’d be able to free the girls myself, but it turned out not to be so simple.

“Contract” required a particular chant. It must have been some special oath-related magic skill. But apparently, it could be used for more than just slavery.

Outside the tent, our little group set about making introductions.

“Well, then, please allow me to introduce myself once more. I am Arisa, born of the now-lost Kuvork Kingdom. Currently I am eleven years old, still four years away from adulthood, but I will do my best to meet your needs nonetheless, even in services after dark. Please take good care of me.”

Finishing her introduction with a statement totally at odds with her age, Arisa pinched the ends of her skirt and gave a small curtsy. It was an elegant motion, but the short length of her simple skirt meant that it left her quite exposed underneath, so I swiftly returned my gaze to her face and gave a quick response. “Pleased to meet you. My name is Satou.”

I definitely don’t want any “services after dark” from a little girl, thank you.

“…My name is Lulu. I’m fourteen. I am also from the Kuvork Kingdom. Being gaunt and homely as I am, I don’t think a body like mine is very well suited to…night services, but…I’ll work as hard as any horse or cattle, so please don’t abandon me.”

Lulu’s bangs hung over her lowered eyes as she introduced herself. She had a sweet voice, a soft and clear soprano, although it was shaking quite a bit. By gaunt she was apparently referring to her B-cup bust, which I thought at her age seemed to indicate a promising future, but maybe the rule of “bigger is better” didn’t apply in this world?

I say, as long as they’re soft, what’s the difference!

Well, it wasn’t like I was going to be requesting any “services” from the middle school–age Lulu, either.

I hadn’t planned on buying Lulu along with Arisa, but Arisa had pleaded with me to do so. I couldn’t bring myself to refuse a little girl begging with tears in her eyes not to be separated from her big sister.

Besides, I was planning to release Arisa from slavery once I found out what she knew about this world and Japan, so it was better to keep her together with her family. Both girls were beautiful, but they were clearly of two different ethnicities; my guess was that they were half sisters who shared a parent, or simply stepsisters.

At any rate, it was ridiculous that this young lady would describe herself as homely, even if she was being modest.

Even with her face partially hidden, I could tell that she had traditional beauty that would win by a mile in any pageant in the country. Frankly, she was kind of my type. If she had the personality to match, I’d be tempted to propose to her when she got older.

Whoops, can’t let my thoughts get away from me like that, or it’ll seem like I’m leering at her. I smacked my forehead to clear away any evil thoughts.

After the sisters, I had the beastfolk girls introduce themselves.

“My name…is Pochi.”

“Tama.”

I guess Pochi and Tama were feeling shy, because they were very brief.

Upon hearing their names, Arisa responded with a faint twitch at the edges of her lips, but she made no comment.

“I am Liza, of the orangescale tribe. The village I was born in was destroyed by weaselmen, and I was sold into slavery in the Shiga Kingdom. Fortunately, our most wonderful master found me—”

Enough already, Liza.

Arisa and Lulu didn’t seem prejudiced against demi-humans, since they didn’t react badly when the girls took off their hoods and revealed their faces. Maybe demi-humans weren’t hated so much in other countries?

Since the two newer girls seemed to accept them so naturally, it didn’t take long for Pochi and Tama to get used to them, too. As they allowed her to touch their ears curiously, Arisa looked over at me. “I’m surprised you were able to get animal-eared slaves like this.”

“Well, it just sort of happened.”

Now that she mentioned it, I had initially misunderstood, since there were a lot of dog-people and cat-people in Seiryuu City, but Pochi and Tama were actually the only dog-eared and cat-eared demi-humans in not only the city but the entire county.

“These two appear to be humanfolk but have the ears and tails of beastfolk, so they were abandoned at birth… Still, they’re good girls, so please do not look poorly upon them,” Liza said to Arisa and Lulu.

Pochi and Tama had the titles Satou’s Slave, Changeling, Labyrinth Conqueror, and a few combat-related Slayer titles. It seemed that the Yamato stone would display only the first of these.

If Changeling, a hidden title, didn’t have its usual fantasy meaning, I wondered if it was some kind of hereditary characteristic.

“How could we dislike them? They’re so terribly cute!”

“Cuuute?”

“Tama’s cute, sir!”

“Pochi’s cute, toooo!”

Pochi and Tama wriggled bashfully, apparently pleased by Arisa’s compliment.

Looked like they’d get along just fine.

“Well, shall we head back to the inn?” It seemed silly to stand around outside the slave market tent forever, so I spoke up to the five of them, and we decided to head back.

Arisa slipped over to wrap both her arms around my left one. This contact seemed a little excessive, but I did think we should at least hold hands so the kids wouldn’t get lost, so I didn’t mind terribly.

Pochi and Tama both scrambled for my remaining arm, but they couldn’t decide who would get it, so in the end Liza picked up the pair of them and carried them like luggage.

Apparently giving up, the girls went limp in her arms, allowing their limbs to dangle freely… They really like that pose.

It seemed like Liza was having trouble carrying both of them along with her spear, so I took the weapon for her for the time being. Lulu offered to carry it for me, but it seemed too heavy for a delicate girl like her, so I carried it myself.

The sun was beginning to set, which must have signaled dinnertime; delicious smells were wafting over from the street stalls in the plaza.

Eating out seemed to be the standard in the west quarter, because even people in less-affluent-looking clothes were going about ordering from the carts.

On closer inspection, I saw that there were even collared slaves among the commoners getting food. However, instead of finding seats with the other people, they were sitting on the bare ground to eat.

Grrgrrrgwr…

Hearing a cute little noise, I turned to see that Lulu had turned bright red.

Her bashful expression was adorable. She definitely couldn’t be a romantic interest right now, but I looked forward to the distant future.

“Smells good, right? Let’s get some dinner here before we go back. What do you want to eat?”

Not that I really needed to ask.

“Meeeat?”

“Meat would be good, sir!”

“Master, anything you choose to provide us with is always appreciated, but if I dare to make a suggestion, I believe chicken meat would be truly divine.”

Yep, that was what I’d thought they’d say.

“I should think a slave must be happy just to receive any food at all.”

Arisa tilted her head with a curious expression, so I asked her what she was used to eating.

“On our way to Seiryuu City, rye bread and hot salted soup were the greatest feast we could hope for.”

I guess that was pretty standard.

But I was taken aback by their answers when I asked the beastfolk girls the same question.

“Acooorns?”

“Weeds, sir.”

“Demi-human slaves like us are usually given a meal a day at best, so we learned to stave off hunger by eating what nuts, berries, and plants we could find in the public parks—anything edible, really. When we were able to catch small animals, we shared the meat with our fellow slaves.”

They shared their food even in such a desperate situation? I wondered whether beastfolk had naturally kind personalities or perhaps grew up in environments where such cooperation was the norm.

Well, as long as they’re with me, I’d at least like to let them eat to their hearts’ content, whatever they want.

“Young master!”

A loud voice echoed through the plaza.

Whoever this person was calling must have terrible hearing or something, because the loud cry repeated a few times to no avail.

“Master!” Liza called, and I turned to her.

“What is it?”

“It would appear that the gentleman at the stall is calling you, master…”

At Liza’s polite suggestion, I turned toward the source of the voice to see an unfamiliar man waving at me.

“You finally noticed! Young master!”

Uh, who are you?

“Master, that’s one of the men we rescued from the slime attack.”

“Oh, right.”

Ever since I’d come to this world, I’d thought I was able to remember faces perfectly, but apparently, that only worked if I made a conscious effort to remember someone in the first place.

Anyway, I would’ve felt bad ignoring him, so I headed over.

“Young master, please have some food if you’d like! The young ladies can eat, too, of course!”

With a huge smile on his face, the middle-aged man led us to a little dining area behind the stall.

Well, I guess we couldn’t say no to that.

I could smell some kind of meat-based dish, so the beastfolk girls were sure to like it here.

“What’re you yellin’ about n— Oh, we’ve got customers?”

“I told you before, didn’t I? Those are the demi-human slaves who saved my life in the labyrinth and the young master who arranged for better conditions in the dungeon!”

“Oh? Y’mean that nonsense about gettin’ meat in there, eh?”

“It wasn’t nonsense!”

A well-built woman carrying a bucket of water in each hand appeared behind the stall. Judging by the conversation, she seemed to be the proprietress of the place.

“Well, then. We’re mighty grateful to you fer saving my husband’s life. It’s on the house today, so eat till you can’t move another inch, y’hear?”

“Yaaay!”

“Wow, ma’am!”

“We’re truly grateful for your kindness.”

At the first hint of free food, Pochi and Tama flung their hands into the air with joy.

“Oh my, aren’t you polite fer a slave. You one o’ them tutor slaves?”

“Not at all; I specialize only in physical labor. The slave who tutored me in the Shigan language was even more polite than I.” Liza responded in a quiet, almost nostalgic tone.

After watching her thoughtful profile for a moment, I looked around the dining area. They must not have been open yet, because there was nobody else there but us.

I asked the husband and wife who owned the place if the girls could sit on some stools. The wife frowned a little at first but quickly remembered that we’d saved her husband’s life and very amiably granted me permission.

However, she said it might cause trouble if other customers saw them, so she set up a partitioning screen to separate our dining area from the rest before we ordered our food.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. This is made with innards of a red deer, cut for us by our good friend the butcher,” the shopkeeper said proudly, putting a deep dish of stew in front of each person at the table. Shortly after, a large basket full of steamed potatoes clunked down in the middle of the table as well.

In addition to the deer offal, the stew contained sinewy meat, green beans called Shiga soybeans that were about the size of fava beans, and some nuts that looked like gingko, shell and all. Is this dark, skinny thing edible burdock?

Pochi and Tama had sparkles in their eyes as they looked at the meaty stew. Liza’s face remained prim and proper, but her tail betrayed her true feelings, slapping the ground with excitement.

“Well, let’s eat before it gets cold.”

Before eating, Arisa put her hands together and said a quick thanks for the food, and Lulu followed her example.

Since I had worked for a corporation, I’d gotten into the habit of going out to eat, so I hadn’t taught the beastfolk girls the Japanese custom of giving thanks before and after a meal.

I had taught them to wash their hands before eating and to use utensils and stuff, though.

“It’s hot, sir!”

“Hooot, hooot!”

Digging into their food in a hurry, the beastfolk girls were alarmed to find that the stew was piping hot.

“You have to blow on it first, okay? Like this.”

“’kaaay!”

“Yes, sir!”

Watching me teach Pochi and Tama how to blow on their food to cool it down, Arisa covered her mouth with her hand and bowed her head. With my “Keen Hearing” skill, I heard her mutter, “Are you trying to kill me with cuteness or what?” but I did my best to ignore her.

“Yummy, yummyyy!”

“It’s delicious, sir!”

Pochi and Tama were making a bit of a mess, clutching their forks rather clumsily in their small fists. Both of them looked like they might dunk their hair into the stew at any moment, so I pulled out some string and tied it back. The others looked jealous, so I gave them string, too.

Of course, they were eating without a problem.

Liza stabbed her fork into each piece of meat and chewed on it with a serious expression. Even eating dinner, she gave off the impression that she was training somehow.

Arisa and Lulu were silent, but it wasn’t out of displeasure so much as desperation in their eating. Arisa conducted herself with relative grace, but she still managed to stuff so much stew into her mouth that her cheeks bulged a little. She looks like a cute little squirrel.

Lulu, too, was reserved but thoroughly focused on eating.

“This is truly delicious.”

“So soft and tendeeer!”

“This part’s crunchy, sir!”

As soon as Liza praised the stew, Pochi and Tama did their best to match her. Arisa and Lulu, too, nodded their agreement while covering their mouths with their hands.

Okay, I really should stop watching everyone else and start eating dinner myself.

It certainly smelled good, so I scooped some stew onto my spoon and brought it to my lips.

Mm. A little bit on the salty side but still pretty tasty. Apparently, there were a lot of laborers around this area, so it was probably seasoned to suit their tastes.

Entrails made some delicious dishes because you could enjoy a lot of different textures and flavors, but some people didn’t like the smell. In this case, though, our hosts must have used some kind of special preparation or particular herbs, because it didn’t smell bad at all.

“How’s the soup treatin’ you, young master?”

“It’s delicious—every bit as good as the food at the castle.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far.” The shopkeeper scratched his upper lip and laughed heartily, hiding his embarrassment.

My compliment must have pleased him, because soon he returned with even more food. “Young master, how’d you like to have some of this, too?”

The plate he offered me was loaded with what looked to be thick fried intestines, cooked with an herb similar to garlic chives. In his other hand was another, smaller plate, this one with thin fried slices of heart and liver.

“This is quite extravagant.”

“Yeah, so eat it up while it’s nice ’n’ hot!”

“The hunters’ve been bringin’ in all kinds of game lately. We’ve been able t’ stock up fer cheaper than usual, so go ahead! Stuff yourselves!”

Phew, I was glad my Meteor Shower hadn’t killed off all the wildlife or anything. I just hoped this wasn’t a flag for some villainous monster to show up from deep in the mountains or something.

Putting aside these worries, I figured I might as well take the couple up on their offer and eat as much as I wanted.

Lulu seemed especially timid, so I dished out some of the meat to her on a small plate.

Then, somehow, this led to my doling out portions for everyone else.

I got a weird skill out of all this, but I had no desire to put any skill points into it.

All the food on the large dish was delicious, but I found the liver especially tasty. I bet it would have tasted great raw, although food poisoning would have been a concern.

Riding the excitement of trying a brand-new meat dish, Tama and Pochi wolfed down their food from the small plate in no time fast, then started in on the fried intestines.

“Spaishy…”

“T-too spicy, shir…”

Both of them had shoveled a big bite into their mouths, but apparently, they were not fans of spicy food. Their expressions were impossible to put into words; if this were a manga, I’d say they had Xs for eyes.

They weren’t wrong, but for someone like me who was used to superhot foods, it tasted perfectly normal. In fact, I could hardly sense spiciness at all unless it was physically painful, which was probably not a good sign.

“I believe these have been cooked with chili powder. Pochi, Tama, if it’s too much for you, you needn’t force yourselves to eat it. I’ll take up that responsibility in your place.”

Out of consideration for Pochi and Tama, Liza volunteered with gusto to eat their portion of the intestines.

Having wolfed down their stew, Pochi and Tama sat with their forks in their mouths, watching Liza enviously.

Perhaps feeling sorry for them, Arisa slid her portion of the liver onto their plates. It’s possible that she just didn’t like it, but Pochi and Tama were so thrilled that they looked like they were about to jump out of their seats.

Arisa and Lulu aside, the beastfolk girls definitely seemed to still be hungry, so I stood up to order more food.

“Master, if you need anything, allow me to take care of it in your stead. What is your command?”

“Oh, it’s all right. I was just going to ask for more food, and maybe stop at the next stall over to buy coats and shoes for Arisa and Lulu while I’m up.”

“I-if you need to buy something, I can…!”

Liza and Lulu both leaped to their feet. Pochi and Tama froze in the middle of chewing on the liver, looking up at me without moving their heads.

“All of you, stay here and keep eating. That’s an order, all right?”

I could probably have just left the shopping for later, but I kept catching glimpses of Lulu’s chest across the table, and it was bothering me. Next to her, Arisa’s flat chest was pretty much out in the open, too, but that was less of a problem.

“Do you need somethin’, young master?”

“Yes, I’d like more stew, please.”

“Comin’ right up!”

I felt bad ordering more food when they were treating us, so while the husband was preparing the food, I gave the wife a few large copper coins for the extra helpings. While I was at it, I asked her if it was all right to bring in goods from other stalls, and she readily allowed it.

The proprietress was called away to help a customer with a takeout order, so I asked her husband while he was cooking if he could recommend a stall with good grilled chicken skewers.

“Grilled chicken? The stall with the red flag out front is a good one. All the others do terrible prep work.” According to the shopkeeper, some of them even just cut the meat into chunks at random and cooked them without any further preparation.

I thanked the man and headed for the stall with the red flag. They offered only salted chicken, not sweet-and-sour, but I caved to the smell of roasting fat and bought one to eat on the spot.

It was just what I’d hoped for, freshly cooked over a charcoal fire. Just one bite sent a river of juice dribbling down my chin. It had the perfect amount of salt—not table salt, but something with a more complex flavor, like rock salt.

Aah, now I want a nice cold beer.

After praising the shopkeeper’s delicious cooking, I ordered thirty more of them for everyone else.

On my way back, I saw a flash of light in a nearby alleyway, so I took a closer look. Countless pairs of lights, suspended in the darkness, stared back at me.

…Dogs?

Before my eyes could finish adjusting to the light, an AR pop-up revealed their true identity.

Apparently, they were dog-people slave children. There were some cat-people kids, too.

When I took a single step closer, the floating pairs of eyes seemed to tremble.

One more step, and I was finally able to see them in the darkness.

They looked like nothing if not a group of little dogs sitting up straight. They were cute as could be, like stuffed animals or something from a kids’ TV show. How could anybody hate them…?

Their gazes were focused on the half-eaten chicken skewer in my hand. A few of them closed their eyes and sniffed the air, raptly enjoying the scent.

“Would you like some?”

“…Rrr, rrreal-ly, sirrr?”

One of the kids responded in a voice that was difficult to understand. Most likely the structure of their mouths made it difficult to speak the Shigan language.

Nodding at him gently, I gave them all the chicken I’d just bought, still wrapped in enormous leaves.

“Share them with everyone, okay?”

“Y-yes, sirrr!”

“Thank ’oo!”

I waved to the children as they thanked me in unison, then headed back to the red-flagged stall. This time I really have to bring them straight back.

While I was waiting for the new set of skewers to be cooked, I secured the coats and boots for Arisa and Lulu that I’d almost forgotten to buy.

The grilled chicken skewers proved to be very popular, earning a smile not only from Arisa but even from Lulu. And Liza seemed to be uncharacteristically choked up with tearful gratitude.

“I’m fuuuull!”

“So happy, sir!”

Having devoured their stew down to the last drop, both Pochi and Tama let out sighs of contentment. The other three, of course, had eaten their fill as well. Liza, in particular, was wordlessly basking in the meal’s afterglow.

I thanked both shopkeepers for the delicious food, gathered everyone together, and headed back to the inn.

“Welcome to our… Mr. Satou?!”

When we finally arrived at the Gatefront Inn, Martha’s lively voice was there to greet us. Without even picking up the tray she had dropped, she rushed over and gave me a light embrace.

The landlady came out next, shoving her way through the crowd that was watching us curiously from the entrance. “We heard all about it from that young lady Ms. Marienteil. Must’ve been awful! We kept your room just the way you left it, so you can rest right away, but… My, it seems there’s quite a few more of you now.”

“Yes, I wouldn’t have made it out of the labyrinth alive without the help of these kids.”

Well, Arisa and Lulu had joined up after the fact, but I didn’t feel like explaining the whole thing, so I left it at that.

“Labyrinth?” a small voice murmured behind me. I’ll have to explain that later.

“So, I’d like to get a room for all of them as well… Do you have any openings?”

“Unfortunately, we’re full…” The landlady’s response was short and biting. I glanced into the hotel and saw the landlady’s husband scowling in our direction, his arms crossed.

Around him, the curious guests who had gathered in the foyer glared at the beastfolk girls as well, grumbling to nobody in particular.

Their animosity was so oppressive that I felt sick to my stomach.

I hid Pochi and Tama behind my back, trying to shield them from the angry stares.

Should we go find another inn…?

It was already so late… Arisa and Lulu could take my room inside, and the beastfolk girls and I would just find somewhere to sleep outside in the park nearby. It’d still be more comfortable than sleeping on the stone floor in the labyrinth.

“Martha, please show these two girls to my room. How much is the charge for an extra person, ma’am? I’ll go with these three and sleep outside or something.” It took no small amount of effort to stop myself from spitting the words at her.

My hand was trembling with anger when I felt a smaller hand wrap around it. It was Arisa.

“Master, please calm down. All of us are frightened, being glared at that way.”

Arisa stepped out in front of me and addressed the landlady, as well as the drunken rabble behind her. Although she’d said she was afraid, her voice was as calm as if she were an adult addressing her peers.

“If you please, might there be a corner of some shed or stable that you could spare for us? These girls saved many a human life in the labyrinth. I know rewards for such deeds are normally reserved for soldiers, but could you not perhaps show them some small compassion?”

“A-all right. The shed won’t do, but since we don’t have too many guests with horses or carts right now, there’ll be some room in the stable. Martha, show them the way. We’ll bring another bed up to Mr. Satou’s room, so you two can wait at the end of the bar for now.”

Arisa’s eloquent plea seemed to have awed the landlady into quickly granting permission for the beastfolk to stay in the stable. The antipathy drained from the drunkards’ faces as well, and they shuffled sullenly back to their tables.

“Was I of some small use to you?”

“Yeah, you were a big help.”

Arisa looked up at me proudly, and I patted her head, thanking her.

Martha brought us to the stable and gave us a fresh stack of hay to cover the floor with. She was a bit hesitant at first, but once I gave her a silver coin, she was quick to tell us to use as much hay as we needed, and I was glad to take her up on the offer.

I spread a waterproof blanket over the hay and covered that with a comfortable bedsheet. Hopefully this would be enough to prevent the makeshift mattress from scratching at us while we slept.

For some reason, making this straw bed somehow earned me the “Sewing” skill. This didn’t make any sense to me, but it seemed like a useful skill to have, so I decided to consider it a stroke of luck.

In place of blankets, I put out some furs from my spoils of war and a few soft-looking bundles of cloth.

I could buy some warmer blankets and quilts tomorrow— No, I guess I should look for a different inn or a house for rent first.

“Fluffyyy!”

“It’s just like the bed at the castle, sir!”

Pochi and Tama happily leaped into the straw bed. As Liza looked down at them fondly, I handed her a bag filled with supplies like food and weapons.

It was against the law for slaves to be armed inside the city, but the slave trader Nidoren had explained to me that it was possible to get away with it if the slaves were “just carrying their master’s belongings.”

“If any creeps try to come in here, be sure to stave them off without killing them. And if you call for me, I’ll come right away.”

“Yes, master. I’ll protect your belongings at all costs.”

Liza’s fists were clenched and her eyes burned with a sense of duty, so I gave her a quick warning. “You three are much more important than my belongings, so I want you to prioritize your own safety more, all right? If push comes to shove, you have my permission to get rid of that stuff.”

Objects could always be replaced, but the girls’ lives and safety were another matter.

I gave them permission to eat the food inside the bag in case they got hungry. I wouldn’t want them to go hungry if I overslept, after all.

I brought Arisa and Lulu up to the room, where the addition of an extra bed had made things quite cramped.

Making the beastfolk girls’ bed took longer than I’d expected, so the pair looked a bit sleepy. In fact, Lulu looked exhausted, her face paler than usual.

I wanted to ask Arisa about how she knew Japanese and all that before we went to bed, but I guess it could wait until tomorrow. It wasn’t like there was any particular need to hurry.

“Should we just go to bed now?”

A lit candle in a candlestick provided the only source of light, so the room was quite dark.

When I started to take off my coat, Lulu hurriedly rushed over to receive it, hanging it up on a wooden hook on the wall. She tried to help me take off my robe, too, but I gently stopped her. “It’s all right; I don’t need help. You two take care of yourselves.”

“…Y-yes, sir.”

Lulu went silent right away. Confused, I glanced over to check on her, but as soon as we made eye contact she hastily stepped back, tripped on the wooden frame of the bed behind her, and fell flat over backward.

“Are you all right?”

“Y-yes, I’m fine! I’m perfectly fine!”

I reached down to help her up, but she refused in a panic.

I think Lulu might be a little uncomfortable with men.

…Actually, I guess this was a pretty normal reaction, since I was still a stranger.

“Oh? Please get ready, then.” I was trying to instruct them to get themselves ready for bed, but apparently they misunderstood.

Trying to give them some privacy to change, I turned my back to them while I took off my robe and folded it. After a few moments, the sound of rustling clothing stopped, and Arisa announced, “We’re ready,” so I turned around.

Uh, why are they both naked?

It was only thanks to my “Poker Face” skill that I managed to conceal my astonishment.

What the hell is this? Are they nudists?!

“Girls, these blankets are pretty thin, so you’ll catch a cold if you don’t wear anything to bed.” As calmly as possible, I urged them to put on some clothes.

Little Arisa didn’t really faze me, but I was somewhat disgusted with myself to admit that I caught my breath a bit to see Lulu’s innocent form, the likes of which I’d only ever seen on TV.

Just to be clear, I wasn’t at all interested in having an intimate relationship with Lulu, but I apologize if I gave that sort of impression in a moment of weakness.

With all my might, I forced my eyes to focus on anyplace other than Lulu’s chest.

I should really pay a visit to Seiryuu City’s pleasure quarter before I end up sexually harassing someone. I might have looked fifteen on the outside right then, but luckily that seemed to make me an adult in Shiga, so hopefully I wouldn’t be turned away at the door.

The two girls were still naked, so I once again implored them to get dressed. “You can wear the long shirts I gave you earlier as nightgowns.”

“U-um, then…your services…” Arisa, who had been busily rolling up the blankets on the bed, trailed off in astonishment.

Were “night services” a standard for slaves in this world?

“No, I don’t need any of that. I’m going to have you two go buy yourselves some necessities tomorrow morning, so go to bed for now.”

“You don’t?!”

Arisa seemed stunned, but Lulu had started to cry huge tears as soon as the words left my mouth. I took care of her first, covering her body with a sheet and offering her a handkerchief.

Even for a slave, offering your body to some middle-aged man you just met—although I look like I’m around their age—must be too much to bear. It was no wonder that she would be relieved enough to cry.

If they were adult women, I might have come close to giving it a thought, but I definitely wasn’t going to do anything to a child. “I won’t be needing that kind of service in the future, either,” I assured them.

Lulu did seem to be uncomfortable with men, so I left the job of comforting her and wiping her tears to Arisa.

Looking at the two of them like that, you’d be hard-pressed to tell which one was the oldest.

When Lulu finally wore herself out crying and fell asleep, and Arisa passed out next to her shortly thereafter, I put a thin blanket over them, as well as a pelt like the ones I’d left with the beastfolk girls. Hopefully this would keep them warm until morning.

Was it my imagination, or did Arisa’s sleeping face look the tiniest bit insulted…?

Regardless, I was tired myself, and I climbed into the extra bed to sleep as soon as possible. Even with my eyes closed, I could still see the menu screen, so I operated it with my thoughts to turn it off so I could fall asleep in peace.