Bonus Short Stories

Shut-in Cid

Cid Pavella was the successor of Archduke Pavella, which made him the next Archduke of Pavella. He was widely regarded as a once-in-a-generation prodigy, and for most of his life he had lived up to that reputation, but at the moment he was in the middle of spending multiple days locked in his guest room at the Pavella town chief’s residence.

“Siiiigh,” Cid sighed for the millionth time. He knew what he was doing was wrong, and yet his body just wouldn’t move.

“.........”

Cid curled up in his blankets on the bed and rolled around. Count Lodol was doing something with the Holy Kingdom’s High Priestess, but he didn’t even feel like stopping them.

“Siiiigh,” Cid sighed again. He knew the source of his mood. Put simply, he was heartbroken. The pain of heartbreak was immense even for adults, and Cid was still a ten-year-old child.

That was when a child nun appeared. “Ciiiid! Let’s plaaaay!”

“...Michiru?” Cid replied. He recognized the nun. It was Michiru, from the Beddhist church.

“Eheheh, I came to play! Mai told me to give you some time for yourself, but it’s been a long time since then, so it should be fine now!”

“...How did you get in here? This is my room.”

“I came to play with a friend! That’s all that matters!” she replied. Cid decided not to think about it too hard, concluding that although the door and windows were locked, he just didn’t notice due to the blankets over his head. It might be necessary to look into the security of the residence.

“Well, this is a fairly dull room with nothing too fun inside of it,” Cid said.

“You’re here, Cid! Let’s talk!” Michiru exclaimed. The guest room Cid was in was so bare there wasn’t much to do at all, but that didn’t bother Michiru in the least. She sat on the other side of the bed with a full smile, and it was all Cid could do to nod back at her awkwardly. “What’re you doing in here, Cid?”

“...Nothing, really.”

“Ah, you were praying like a Beddhist! You’re a diligent believer in the faith, and that deserves praise!” Michiru said before patting Cid’s head.

“Now that you mention it, I suppose that’s true,” Cid replied. He had researched Beddhism in hopes of finding some common ground with Niku to talk about. The holy symbol hanging from his neck was proof of that. But either way, he still found it unbelievable that doing nothing actually counted as praying.

“Resting when hurt is important, okay? This is common sense in Beddhism! The results of praying like this are immediately obvious! And it boosts your faith!”

“But I’m not hurt in the least.”

“Your heart is, isn’t it? There, there. There, there,” Michiru said while gently patting his head. It didn’t feel bad at all. “Let me tell you something nice. When you’re in a bad situation, make a detailed list of all your individual problems, and think of a solution for each. Sometimes when you have a big problem, it’s actually just a bunch of simple little problems making things complicated, and if you solve them it’ll all be better. Leona told me about this!”

“Leona?” Cid asked. It was a new name to him, but Michiru just continued without answering.

“This is why big problems and worries are usually solved by talking it out with other people and thinking of solutions. So! What’s worrying you, Cid?”

“E-Err...”

“I may not look like it, but I’m still a Beddhist nun! I’ll help you out!” Michiru said, looking at Cid head-on. For a second it seemed like her red eyes gleamed with a bewitching light.

“Er... I’m, er, heartbroken.”

“Heartbroken, okay. Was it with Mai or Niku?”

“Both... I guess? The girl I fell in love with was actually engaged to my first love,” Cid began, and before he knew it he was spilling his heart out to Michiru. He felt himself relax a lot as he spoke. It was like some kind of fuzzy feeling in him was being sucked out each time she patted his head. Thanks in part to Michiru being a surprisingly good listener, Cid felt like his broken heart had been mended.

“...Michiru, you really are a proper nun.”

“Eheh! Now you get it!” Michiru said, puffing out her flat chest with pride. Her smile healed his soul further, and for the first time in a long time Cid smiled for real.

“Haha, suddenly I’m feeling so much better. Thanks, Michiru.”

“No, no, thank you for the meal!” she replied. Cid couldn’t help but smile at what a strange, incomprehensible response that was.

At some point, the sun had fallen and the town had gone dark.

“Oh, whoopsie! I need to get going soon,” Michiru said.

“Ah. Want me to walk you?”

“Nope, nope! I may not look like it, but I’m an adventurer! I’ll be fine on my own too!” Michiru replied with a grin.

“Thanks for today. Mind if we talk like this again sometime?”

“I’d love to! We at Beddhism accept everyone. And you’re a friend, so you can come whenever!” Michiru said before leaving through the window. She had probably come in through the window as well, but either way she nimbly disappeared into the darkness as if she could fly.

“The girls in Goren sure are something else, huh...?” Cid mumbled. They were incredible in more ways than one, suffice to say.

Michiru’s Job

It was decided that a Beddhist church would be built in Dragg, and in turn Count Lodol ordered that a young nun be sent to oversee construction. To that end, Keima went to his church to call over Suilla the chief nun and Michiru the apprentice nun, both of whom were lazily performing their daily duties at a relaxed pace.

“So that’s how it is. I’m thinking of sending Michiru over for a while.”

“I understand the circumstances,” Suilla replied. “But are you sure she is the best choice for this?”

“Well... It is a Beddhist church, so all it needs is to be a comfortable place to sleep. With an altar, of course. The builders actually putting the church together will know more or less what to do.”

“I see. So it will not be a difficult job, then.”

“If you want, you can just write up a list of general instructions to give to her.”

“Very well. Can you handle this, Michiru?”

“Eheh, leave it to me! This is a big job, and I’m just the girl for it!”

And so, it was decided that Michiru would be sent to Dragg as an advisor for the Beddhist church. With his business finished, Keima left the church.

At once the Succubus nuns who had been listening outside the door slid into the room. “Um, Suilla. The other town’s chief was surely thinking of us when he made his request, wasn’t he? Or is he just a lolicon?” asked one of them.

“We wouldn’t mind if he laid his hands on us. We’re Succubi, after all.”

“In fact, we’re at our best when dealing with fat nobles. We’re Succubi, after all.”

“And once the job is done we could turn the tables and devour him. We’re Succubi, after all.”

Suilla paused to think. “It is likely that the pope is getting revenge on Dragg’s town chief. No doubt that this Count Lodol has been exceptionally rude to him,” she suggested, and the other Succubus nuns all nodded in agreement.

“Ohhh, that makes sense.”

“Considering how he acted when he came to Goren the other day, that must be the case.”

“Though there is the possibility that Michiru is so cute she’ll awaken his inner lolicon.”

“That in itself would prove to be a good experience for her... She is a Succubus, after all,” Suilla replied before glancing at Michiru, who tilted her head in a cute way. “Ahem. In any case, please do your best in completing this mission.”

“Of course, sister!” Michiru puffed out her nonexistent chest, brimming with self-confidence. That actually worried Suilla more, so she and the other nuns all worked together to write up a detailed list of instructions for her to bring as Keima had suggested.

＊ ＊ ＊

And so, Michiru’s job was done once she handed over the list of instructions. With nothing else to do, she started lazily killing time in Dragg.

“Mm, it kinda sucks that all I had to do was hand over the letter. I’m a better worker than that! I’m smart and competent!” she declared loudly to nobody. Thus, for lack of anything better to do, she went over to visit the construction site. Once there, she found a bunch of construction workers fighting for some reason.

“Huh?! You fuckin’ said this pillar should only be three fists wide!”

“And you think this is three fists wide?! Anyone could see it’s way too fuckin’ big!”

Michiru had no idea what they were saying, but it sounded fun so she decided to butt in.

“Hold it right there! I, Michiru the Beddhist nun, shall solve thi—”

“Who the fuck are y— Errr, I mean...”

“Shut the fuck up, you litt— Uh, I uh...”

The moment they saw Michiru, the pissed-off construction workers chilled out instantly. Reason being, Michiru had gotten teary-eyed from them yelling at her. There was a saying that went, “not even a king can defy a crying child.” It only made sense that construction workers would be utterly broken in the face of a crying loli.

“Sorry for yellin’. C’mon, calm down.”

“I-I’m not crying! I was just surprised...”

“R-Right, yeah. You’re a good, strong girl.”

“Sniff... What’s going on here, anyway? Why’re you fighting?” Michiru asked through sniffles, and the construction workers hurriedly explained the situation.

“This guy made a pillar bigger than I told him too.”

“Nah, I definitely made it three fists wide.”

The pillar was certainly as wide as three of the builder’s fists. However, it was four of the other guy’s fists. That made Michiru tilt her head.

“...Where are the blueprints? Let me see them,” she asked.

“Blueprints? We don’t need none of those, we just remember what we build in our heads.”

“That can work if you build it on your own, but it won’t work if you’re building it together. Even a kid can figure that out,” an actual child said, which left the construction workers no room to argue. “Don’t tell me you don’t know how to write, or even do math. Even I can write, you know.”

“O-O-Of course we know how to write! We know numbers! Am I right?!”

“Y-Yeah! Alright, let’s get some blueprints made...”

And so, since the builders actually didn’t know how to read, write, or do math, Michiru started giving them lessons.

“Beddhism’s crazy. Normally only merchants know how to write and do math, but she’s just a little girl and she knows...”

“I think I should get my kids to study in Beddhism...”

Thus, the good word of Beddhism was spread before the church was ever built, a fact Keima would never know.

Niku and Gym Clothes

“Gym clothes?” Niku asked.

“Yeah. They’re clothes built for moving around in. It’s like this jersey I’m wearing .”

Niku trained often, but she usually wore her maid outfit when doing so. The frills bouncing all over the place were cute to be sure, but at the cost of seriously getting in the way. Thus, I made some gym clothes for Niku to wear while training.

...At this point we’re rich enough to just dump DP on this kinda stuff, but why do gym clothes cost more than a futon? And why are they bloomers?

“So these are the... gym clothes?” Niku said after putting them on.

“Yeah. They don’t have any Golem assistance, but they feel pretty comfortable, huh?” I said, and Niku swung a fist experimentally. It was a smooth punch even without the Golem assistance.

“They are easy to move in. My legs especially,” Niku said. Her thighs were surprisingly healthy for her age; she lifted them up to do rapid high kicks in the air. Y’know, Niku’s whole body is as soft as those clothes.

“...May I ask for a hole to be made for my tail?”

“Oh, right. Will here work?” I asked, opening a hole in the bloomers by her lower back. Niku spread it open a bit and slipped her tail through.

“Master, I would like to try a duel. We should make my opponent wear gym clothes too, so we’re equal.”

“...Guess I’ll ask Ichika.”

“Okay,” Niku replied quickly, full of enthusiasm. I got the feeling that Ichika wearing gym clothes would have a lot of destructive power in its own way. Even so, I called her over and handed over a pair. She put them on without hesitating—and just to be clear, I didn’t watch her change. Nor did I watch Niku change.

“Woof, these are some soft clothes, man. Not bad. I can bounce around like hotcakes in these. Though it’s kinda embarrassing how my legs are like, totally exposed.”

Ichika stretched to loosen up her body, with her large chest bouncing softly within her tight gym shirt.

“...Ichika, do you have a bra on beneath that?”

“Stare at my boobs a bit longer and I think you’ll figure the answer out real quick, dude.”

“I’ve heard that the base of your boobs will hurt if you don’t keep them firmly locked into place.”

“You’ve got a point... But wait, why the heck are you just casually talking about boobs like that, Master?”

Maybe I should get some sports bras or something for them too.

“Okay. Let’s duel, Ichika,” Niku interjected.

“You got it. But these clothes provide like zero defensive power, so be soft on me, ‘kay?”

“I will hold back as much as I can.”

And so, the duel of bloomers and wooden swords began... Yeah, Niku’s crazy impressive here. She’s moving as fast now as she does with the Golem assistance. I’m impressed Ichika can keep up with what she’s doing at all.

“Ngh, whoa, hold it, Niku, stooooop?!”

“I can react a lot faster thanks to the gym clothes.”

The sound of wood hitting wood filled the air. Hm, it does seem like the sounds are quieter than when they use Golem assistance, which means their blows aren’t as heavy. But they’re moving faster despite that.

“...Nguh?!”

“Ah.”

Eventually, Ichika failed a parry and took a wooden sword blow to the gut.

“Guh, guh, guuuh... Master, heal meeee...”

“Yeah, one sec.” I crouched and cast {Healing} on Ichika, and after calming down she let out a sigh.

“Not gonna lie, I think that crushed an organ...”

“Sorry. I couldn’t slow it down fast enough.”

It seemed she would need more muscle power to stop the sword right before it landed. I thought for a second that they maybe didn’t need Golem assistance, but it was clearly still helpful enough to matter. But on the other hand, if you weren’t worried about stopping blows, then Niku was still a deadly fighter loli even without Golem assistance.

“Niku, you’re still strong even without Golem assistance, huh?”

“Yuppers. Niku’s just flat-out strong.”

Are all beastkin like this? Or is it just Niku..? It’s gotta be just Niku. She’s just that special.

“Anyway, in conclusion, the lack of frills and stuff did help you move faster.”

“You believe so?” Niku replied before gripping the side of her bloomers thoughtfully. “Doesn’t that mean I would be even faster without any clothes at all...?”

There was a marathon runner who ran without clothes a very long time ago, but Niku was a girl, so I had to shoot that idea down.

Ichika and the High Priestess

“Whew. You sure won this time, High Priestess,” Ichika said.

“It was a fine race. I felt quite heated by the end.”

Alca the High Priestess elected to stay in the grand suite, but before then she viewed a rat race. In a twist of fate it was Land of Dreams, the third most popular entrant, who managed to secure first place and line her pockets with winnings. She ultimately spent all those winnings buying beer and food for everyone in celebration, but emotionally speaking it was still a win. And then, having enjoyed her fill of the rat races, Alca finally allowed Ichika to guide her to the grand suite.

“All the celebration has made me somewhat sweaty. I believe I would like to take a warm bath ahead of time.”

“Sure, sure. Just go ahead and put in some of the mandarins to make some mandarin water.”

“Mandarin water?”

“I think just showing you’ll be faster. C’mere,” Ichika said, and the moment she opened the door to the grand suite a light magic tool lit up the room. Apparently it had been set to shine when the door was unlocked. In any case, Ichika guided her to the bathing room, where a tub of hot water had already been prepared.

“Oh? I see hot water was prepared during the rat races. Judging by the fact the water is still warm, it must have been prepared at the perfect moment. I would expect nothing less from Keima.”

“Heh heh heh, you’ve got it all wrong, High Priestess. I actually got this water ready before we even went for the rat races. The trick is, it’s using a warming magic tool! Check it.”

“I see, so you used a magic tool to keep it warm,” Alca replied. On closer examination she did see something like that within the tub. Ichika removed the tub’s wood cover and revealed the oven magic tool.

“...Is this not a magic tool for cooking? I believe I saw one in a store before.”

“If you put the heat inside water, it’ll keep the hot water warm, so yeah. Just gotta be a little careful with the settings, cause you’ll boil otherwise.”

“I see,” Alca replied, sincerely impressed. She had never thought to use the tool like that. It wasn’t unthinkable to drop a {Fireball} into water to heat it up, but the thought hadn’t extended to using magic tools in a similar fashion.

“So yeah, and here’s the mandarins,” Ichika said while pointing at a bunch of fruit in a basket. They were yellow.

“Mandarins indeed.”

“You take ’em like this and just toss ’em in,” Ichika said while tossing the mandarins into the hot water. “Then you do this with one,” she continued as she sliced one mandarin in half before sticking one half underwater and crushing it in her palm. A sharp citrus scent flooded through the bath water at once.

“I see, so fruit can be used in this way as well... Quite lavish,” Alca said. It reminded her of bathing in rose water, sliding into a large tub beneath a layer of bright red flower petals.

“This stuff’s good for your health and makes your skin silky smooth, for real.”

“That is quite delightful.”

“Riiight?” Ichika replied while nomming down on the other half of the mandarin. Alca didn’t say anything, as a sign of mutual respect and understanding.

“Ichika, since you’re here, would you care to assist me with my bathing?”

“Say no more, girlfriend. Let’s get you stripped!”

Ichika usually only ever had to do so with adventurers and merchants at best, but she was a skilled worker capable of treating nobles when the time came for it. One might think that she was being fairly rude and casual with the High Priestess, but in fact she was doing so because she knew Alca wanted her to do so. She could be polite when the time came for it.

＊ ＊ ＊

“Let’s get your hair done too. I dunno how things are done where you come from, but here we’ve got shampoo and conditioner. It’ll get your hair super silky.”

Alca was soaking in a pleasant-smelling tub with her body now scrubbed clean. Her skin was smooth as butter, and Ichika was taking out dungeon-made shampoo and conditioner to take care of her hair as well. Thus began the hair scrubbing. Alca quietly entrusted her body to Ichika’s dexterous hands.

“...Ichika, were you a noble’s attendant before you fell into slavery?”

“I was an adventurer, but I took on jobs like this sometimes. Didn’t have much time to be all picksy-choosy once I got the debt on me, and nobles pay out the ass for jobs, so yeah. They sure loved me since I knew how to do all sorts of junk like this. You know what I’m talking about,” Ichika said with a grin, and Alca nodded. Her life certainly would be easier with someone like Ichika around.

“I wonder if Keima would be willing to sell you to me.”

“Nooot a chance, girl. And I don’t wanna leave him either, so yeah.”

Imagine, for a moment, how much Ichika would cost. She could read, write, do math, and be a decent bodyguard. She could host nobles (if she wanted to), and all flattery aside, she had an exceptionally pretty face on top of a curvy body. That alone would put her at a solid one hundred gold coins bare minimum if a merchant wanted her as a mistress. Add on the fact she knew {Storage} and that would boost the minimum to five hundred gold coins. That price would double if you considered her knowledge and experience in running events such as the rat races.

“...Is ten thousand golds not enough?”

“Nope. You can try if you really wanna, though.”

Indeed. No amount of money would be enough to make Keima nod his head. Alca could easily imagine him refusing even ten thousand golds for her.