ED: The final chapter of part 4. As mentioned before, I’m taking a week long break to clean up part 4 and work a bit on the other novel.
Translation: Zioming
Editor: Zioming
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Chapter 72.5 – After the Petting
Author’s Note: This is a story from Tsukiyo’s point of view. I didn’t want to post a short story for Part 4 and the start of Part 5 at the same time, so for the first time in a while I’m posting not at midnight. This time, the focus is on the monster girls.
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—Tsukiyo’s point of view—
“Fuu…”
After being petted by Shindou-sama, we decided to get another bath.
Well, Shindou-sama might have called it ‘petting’, but it was nothing as pleasant as that. Honestly, ‘caress’ would have been a more fitting word. And since beastmen have very sensitive ears and tails, I lost count of how many times I was on the verge of giving out a loud moan while he stroked them. Thankfully, Tokoyo was also there, so I managed to keep my wits. …I don’t want to think what might have happened otherwise.
“To think that I actually passed out… Fainting in front of Jin-sama might have been the biggest blunder in my life…”
“It’s only natural. To think Master actually had this kind of side to him.”
“Pain, I could handle, but that pleasure was indescribable…”
Maria-san and Chocolate-san, who are also in the bath, muttered.
The two of them couldn’t handle Shindou-sama’s petting and fainted half-way through. They were also trying their best to hold in their voices, but then, they stopped responding at some point, so Shindou-sama just let them rest.
Another person, Coco-chan, also fainted, but she isn’t here right now, since she has yet to recover. She let her voice come out a couple of times.
Only three of us made it until the end: me, Tokoyo and Dora-chan. Honestly, it was a pretty tough fight. The direction might have been the opposite, with pleasure instead of pain, but it might have been more exhausting than fighting back the ‘Madness’. It’s strange to say that, since it almost makes it sound like ‘Madness’ wasn’t such a big deal.
After Shindou-sama got his fill, we stayed in the room to wait for the other girls to recover, but Coco-chan was sleeping happily showing no sign of waking up, so we asked the maids to take care of her and we went to the bath first.
“By the way, were Dora-chan and Tokoyo-chan fine with being petted by Jin-sama?”
“How come~?”
Maria-san asked Dora-chan, but she just tilted her head, as if she didn’t understand what she was asking about. Apparently, Dora-chan’s body hasn’t reached puberty yet, so she wasn’t really that affected by Shindou-sama’s petting. Weirdly enough, it makes me feel slightly envious of her.
“No, it’s nothing, don’t worry about it… How about you, Tokoyo?”
“It made me feel itchy.”
Unlike Dora-chan, she was slightly embarrassed about it.
“Oh, This mistress thought you handled it pretty well though.”
Chocolate-san said, but that’s a misunderstanding on her part. People often say that Tokoyo doesn’t let her emotions show, but that’s actually not the case. If you look closely at her face, you can see the changes in her expression, even if they are pretty small. For example, I can tell she has a pretty troubled look on her face at the moment.
Tokoyo’s body is pretty developed for a 10-year-old girl. She might not be that tall, but her breasts are definitely much bigger than her age would suggest. It’s only reasonable that she’d react to Shindou-sama’s caress somewhat. …Now that I think about it, it is a bit strange actually, since her mother, my close friend, was never really that gifted in that area. She used to complain about it, saying things like: “How am I ever going to seduce anyone with such a pitiful chest?”.
That aside, it looks like Tokoyo is gradually becoming an adult. While, on the one hand, I’m happy to see my daughter grow up, on the other hand, I’m slightly concerned about the timing.
“Are you okay, Tokoyo? If it’s too much for you, I can always take care of Shindou-sama’s petting on my own.”
I don’t want her to push herself. Let’s work twice as hard next time. …Though it won’t be easy. *Gulp*
“It’s okay. I will help Mother with petting. I want to be together with Mother.”
Tokoyo and I have always been together in the past, so I’m glad that, even now that she found out I’m not her real mother, she still wants to stay close to me. Of course, Tokoyo’s growing up, so she will end up leaving eventually… Wow, just imagining it makes me cry a little… It’s never easy to see your children go out into the world.
“Are you sure? You’re not just making a brave face, are you?”
“No. It felt itchy, but not uncomfortable. Besides, I like being with Master.”
I can tell by the look in her eyes that she isn’t lying. Well, I’m still worried, but let’s respect her wishes for now.
“Please don’t push yourself…”
“Aren’t you being a little too overprotective?”
“No, I’m not.”
Chocolate-san looked at me slightly disappointed. …Yes, I’m well aware of it, but it’s still too embarrassing to admit.
“Well, based on what little this mistress knows of your history, she doesn’t think it’s unreasonable. …You must have thought of humans as enemies, right?”
“Yes, well… Obviously, not any more. …At least, I don’t consider all humans to be enemies.”
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I had a grudge with humans, since my close friend was killed by the Emperor of Crimson Empire. Tokoyo saw that, so she also tried to stay away from them, but it turns out she didn’t really have any such misconceptions on her own.
It’s clear to me now that we’ve come to this mansion where I see her acting totally at ease while being surrounded by humans.
Looking at her like that, I can’t say that I’ve put all of it behind me, but, considering the last will of my close friend, and having Tokoyo’s future happiness in mind, it wouldn’t be right to keep holding onto it. Obviously, I’m not going to let go of it overnight, but I will stop acting hostile towards people who had nothing to do with it at the very least.
“That’s only natural. Considering these mistresses have all been tamed by Master, how can they still treat humans as enemies?”
“Yes. I guess you’re right.”
Seriously, it would be a serious problem if we remained hostile to humans while following Shindou-sama, who’s also a human. Only a fool would want to go against him.
“Pardon me.”
While we were soaking in the bath, chatting away, the bathroom door opened and Coco-chan came in. Looks like she’d already recovered and decided to join us.
“Ah, this feels good.”
“Coco-chan, you passed out for a while there. Are you OK now?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I have adventurer work tomorrow, so I need to take a bath and get some rest.”
“You’re a hard worker, aren’t you?”
“It’s all for Master’s sake. I can’t wait to become an S-rank adventurer.”
Coco-chan is only twelve years old, but she is a B-rank adventurer with a good track record. By the way, this is something I’ve learned about while talking to the girls during the petting. Apparently, she only became so strong thanks to Shindou-sama’s powers. …He really is an extraordinary man. Becoming an S-rank adventurer is usually not something a slave girl you happened to pick up in a thieves’ hideout can aspire to. …Still, a goal for the future…
“Mother, what’s wrong?”
Tokoyo asked, seeing my expression. It seems she can read my face just as well as I do hers.
“It’s nothing, really. I was just thinking about our future.”
“As fluffers?”
The ‘fluffer’, that Tokoyo just mentioned, is a job Shindou-sama came up with for the two of us, but it’s only until we think of something else to do. Of course, even if you ask me “What do you want to do in the future?”, it’s not like it’s something I can answer from the top of my head.
“No, after that. What do you want to do from now on, Tokoyo?”
“I want to be with Mother.”
“How about, apart from that?”
I’m very happy to hear that, but that’s not really what I’m asking about.
“……………………don’t know.”
This is the conclusion she came to after mulling over it for a while. It looks like neither of us has any good ideas, so let’s ask the other people here
“I’m only asking for reference, but can you girls tell us what you want to do in the future, …or, what your dreams are?”
“””…”””
“That’s easy~!”
Maria-san, Coco-chan and Chocolate-san are thinking about it. Is Dora-chan also thinking about it?
“Well, I’ll start then… My wish is to support Jin-sama. He is as all-powerful as a god, but at the same time he can behave in a way that is uncomfortable to watch. I want to be at his side as much as possible, help him in any way I can, and protect him.”
Maria-san said with a fire in her eyes. I haven’t known her that long, but I think I understand her somewhat. She really only cares about Shindou-sama, doesn’t she? It’s not for me to say, but I am a little worried about her future.
“But, does Master ever need an escort? With all his power, this mistress can’t really imagine him needing someone else to protect him. …Even if he acts in a way that makes you anxious at times, he still comes out unscathed at the end, you know?”
“Master is invincible~!”
“Well, if you ask me if Shindou-sama needs an escort, then my answer is also: not in the slightest.“
“Even if it’s not strictly necessary, it’s not enough of a reason to neglect my job. Things might still happen, and I don’t want to regret it if they do.”
“I see. …It sounds pretty tough.”
“I’m prepared for it.”
If you want to protect Shindou-sama, you’ve got to be at least as strong as he is… Talk about a high bar.
“What about you, Coco-chan? If I’m right, your goal was to become an S-rank adventurer, right?”
“Who, me? …Well, becoming an S-rank is just a means to an end. My real dream is to become Jin-sama’s, …no, Master’s knight. I guess it’s pretty similar to Senior Maria’s goal in that regard, isn’t it?”
“A knight, is it…? Doesn’t that mean Shindou-sama has to become a monarch first…?”
He does own several big mansions, and, just the other day, the entire Narnka Kingdom fell in his lap, but he doesn’t seem to hold any real power. Well, Shindou-sama doesn’t like to be tied down, so it’s probably more like he actively avoids the annoyance of it.
“Certainly, Master isn’t a monarch, nor does he have his own territory, …but do you really think people in power could leave someone that powerful alone? Now that I’ve learned a bit about human society, I can assure you that’s absolutely impossible.”
“…This mistress knows barely anything about human society, but she also thinks it’s impossible.”
No, being much more versed on that topic than Chocolate-san, I also can’t disagree with you on that one.
“That’s why, I’m sure Master will have a lot of power in the future. And when he does, he’ll need a Knight Order, or at least a King’s Guard, so I’m gonna study hard for that time.”
“I see…”
She’s not sure when, but she knows she’ll be needed as a knight in the future. That’s surprisingly farsighted of you, Coco-chan…
“Dora-cha…”
“Dora together with Master forever~!”
She didn’t even let me finish, but I think she conveyed her intentions rather well. So far, everyone’s dreams are connected to Shindou-sama in some way…
“Then, this mistress will go last. …this mistress has never told this to anyone before, but her dream is to become Master’s mate.”
””What!?””
Maria-san and Coco-chan both exclaimed in surprise. Well, if you think about how Chocolate-san acts around Shindou-sama, I think it’s pretty obvious, …though, apparently, the two of them didn’t notice.
“That’s a very bold statement to make.”
“This mistress can’t help it, you know! He’s a male with such an overwhelming strength! How could this mistress not fall for him!? …Well, This mistress is too embarrassed to say it in front of Master, so please keep it to yourself for now.”
“I can’t tell if you’re being bold or delicate any more…”
Of course, I understand how Chocolate-san feels. I’ve been alive for a long time, but I’ve never met such a mighty being before. I wouldn’t be surprised for that feeling of admiration to turn into longing sooner or later.
“Rather than delicate, it’s probably more that this mistress lacks confidence, but it’s true that she has strong feelings for Master. In that sense, honestly, today’s petting was pretty dangerous…”
“Dangerous how~?”
The innocent Dora-chan asked, intrigued.
“Well, that’s… A secret! Yep, it’s a secret. You’ll understand when you grow up.”
“That’s right. I don’t think it’s something you need to know about until you’re older.”
It’s probably better not to teach her anything inappropriate. I’ve heard that Shindou-sama is the one in charge of Dora-chan’s education. On a side note, I did explain it to Tokoyo in general already.
“Muu… Dora will ask Master later~!”
She seemed dissatisfied with our answer, but gave up soon enough. Though, we might have just pushed the problem onto you instead, so please do your best, Shindou-sama.
“So, Chocolate-san wants to be Shindou-sama’s mate, right? But, looking at the people in this mansion, aren’t there already too many rivals?”
“Well, of course. It’s Master we’re talking about. This mistress never thought she could monopolize someone like Master to begin with, …this mistress is a monster after all. There’s no way this mistress could become Master’s wife, so a concubine is probably as far as she can go.”
Of course, there is no legal way to take a monster as your wife in human society. …Well, few people would even attempt something as crazy as that, so it’s probably that it’s ‘unregulated’, rather than ‘not allowed’. Plus, it’s very unlikely for a man and a monster to have children, so even if you were to get married, it would likely be in name only.
“Are you OK with that, Chocolate-san?”
“Of course. It’s only natural for a strong man to surround himself with women. It would be enough for this mistress to be one of them, since I know Master can handle it.”
It’s a pretty animalistic way of thinking, but it’s true that one of the jobs of a powerful man is to preserve his bloodline for future generations. It would be a loss to the world as a whole, if someone of Shindou-sama’s calibre were to only marry a single person and only have a single child.
In other words, Chocolate-san’s dream is not to become Shindou-sama’s only wife, but to join his harem. I guess, the main problem is what Shindou-sama himself thinks about all this, though I think it might be best not to mention it to him for now.
Now we’ve heard from everyone.
“If you think about it, everyone’s dreams are about Shindou-sama…”
“It can’t be helped. Everyone here serves the same Master. Plus, we’ve all happily accepted Master’s petting.”
“Well, pretty much…”
Chocolate-san muttered. It’s true that beasts, monsters and beastmen are very picky about whom they let pet them. If they allow it, it’s pretty clear that they have a strong affection for you.
To be honest, I didn’t think it would end with petting. I thought it was just a pretext, and things would go beyond that, but it actually ended with just some light skinship. …Not to say that I was looking forward to it. Tokoyo and Dora-chan were also there and it would have been too soon for the two of them.
“So, were our answers any help to you?”
“Yes, very much. Thank you.”
“Then, have you decided what you want to do from now on?”
Coco-chan asked me, but I haven’t decided just yet.
“No, to be honest, it’s still pretty vague… But I think I’ve picked a direction at the very least.”
“Oh, can you tell us?”
“Well, it’s: to be of use to Shindou-sama.”
To begin with, Tokoyo and I are now Shindou-sama’s subordinates. Even if we find something to do, it shouldn’t be too far apart from his intentions. In other words, we should be thinking more in terms of: what do we want to do, in order to support Shindou-sama, …though it’s pretty difficult to come up with anything.
“So… you also came up with a goal that’s connected to Master?”
“Yes, I think it’s something we can never ignore, given our position.”
“Well, that’s true, but, …it’s still pretty vague, isn’t it?”
I might have added a restriction, but I didn’t really mention anything specific.
“…Yes, I know. But it can’t be helped. I’ll keep thinking about it.”
“Well, that’s a good plan in itself. I don’t know if this mistress will be of any help, but if you need more advice, please feel free to ask.”
“Thank you very much, Chocolate-san. And all of you as well.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve enjoyed talking to you.”
“Same here.”
As the conversation ended and silence rang out, I began to feel a little dizzy. I must have soaked in the hot water for too long. When I looked at Tokoyo, she was also starting to doze off, her eyes narrowed. It felt so good, we lost track of time, but it would be dangerous to fall asleep, or even pass out in the bath, so it’s time to go.
“Let’s go, Tokoyo.”
“Yes… Mother…”
I pulled the half-asleep Tokoyo up from the bath, and we left the bathroom.
There’s no need to rush when deciding what to do in the future. Shindou-sama didn’t give us a deadline or anything, so I think we can take our time thinking about it. Plus, it wouldn’t be that bad to keep working as fluffers until we do…
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Author’s Note: Sorry, everyone, Claude’s short story will not be coming until the end of part 5. I have to skip it for now since I don’t have enough free time at the moment, and the story I have to tell next is the A-rank exam, so if I did it now, it would be rather pitiful.
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