Today the three of us, Wendy, Shiro, and I, are out shopping.
Ever since Einzheil became a nation and the number of traveling merchants increased, new items appear on the stalls every single day, no matter how much we look around.
That’s why lately, outside of work hours, we’ve been spending a lot of time shopping or just strolling.
「Lord, lord. Let’s buy white bread and beef skewers?」
「Yeah. Shall we stop by?」
「Shiro, you just ate a little while ago, didn’t you?」
「Hmm. Beef skewers and white bread are separate stomachs.」
I see.
To Shiro, beef skewers and white bread are apparently like dessert.
……That’s way too heavy for me.
「Hey there, nii-chan! Out with the beauties again today, huh!」
「Fufufu. Jealous, aren’t you? Two flowers in both hands.」
「Hahaha, totally. But if you don’t keep them close, Wendy-san would have a hard time, right?」
「Yes…… I get approached quite often. Fortunately Shiro is usually with me, so I feel safe.」
「Hmm. Shiro will chase them away」
「Good job, Shiro」
「Nfu」
When I pat her head, Shiro puffs out her chest proudly and lets out a satisfied huff through her nose.
That’s right. The people of Einzheil know Wendy is my lover, and they’ve heard plenty from the adventurers about just how ruthless I can become if someone tries anything. So no one here would dare approach her with pickup intentions.
But outsiders don’t know that, so whenever they spot Wendy shopping alone, they call out to her right away.
Well? Wendy is a rare beauty you don’t see every day, with a stunning figure and breasts that are just…… overwhelmingly attractive. As a fellow man, I can understand why someone might not be able to hold back from talking to her.
If they back off once they learn she has a lover, fine. But if they still don’t retreat even after knowing that, then Shiro giving them a little punishment would be perfectly justified!
That’s why lately I can’t let Wendy go shopping by herself anymore.
And that’s also why Shion has been sticking close to me these days.
Mizera often goes out alone too, but fortunately Pococo the tanuki shinobi is always with her.
They’re close friends, and Pococo is quite capable in a fight, so whenever Mizera heads to the half-breed children’s area, I ask her to act as escort.
Mizera has also developed quite a healthy figure now, but her slender, fragile lines still make her look like a single flower blooming in the wilderness, overflowing with the kind of charm that makes you want to protect her. So Pococo was more than happy to take on the role of escort whenever needed.
「So, you’re actually buying something, right? This isn’t just window-shopping, is it?」
「Of course. Give me three white bread sets.」
「Master, I don’t need any.」
「It’s fine. I’m already full, so they’re all for Shiro.」
「Hmm. Reward for protecting Wendy」
「When you put it like that, I can’t really argue…… Shiro, chew properly, okay? Shopkeeper, extra vegetables, please.」
「No leaves!」
「No. Eating them together makes it delicious, so you have to eat them now.」
Shiro scrunches her face, but Wendy won’t budge.
Realizing she won’t win, Shiro quietly whispers to the shopkeeper to add extra meat too.
「Hahaha. You two are as close as ever. Got it. Extra veggies and meat. All right, can you go get it? Just tell the beef skewer stall four servings of the set with extra meat and vegetables, they’ll understand.」
「Ah, yes. Right away.」
At the shopkeeper’s words, a boy dashes off.
That’s……
「Shopkeeper, new hire?」
「Yeah! The lord…… er, the representative’s been arranging jobs for people! Teaching him everything from bread prep to how to run the business.」
「Huh……」
He’s a half-elf boy.
It looks like they’re gradually distributing work opportunities.
「Boss, I’m back…… I’ll head back to chopping firewood now.」
「Hold on, hold on. Stay here and watch how it’s done.」
「Eh, yes sir.」
The shopkeeper calls him back and starts assembling the white bread and beef skewer sets.
Spread butter on fluffy white bread, layer on vegetables, pull the beef off the skewer, drizzle the bakery’s secret sauce, then top with another slice of white bread, and done.
By the way, if you get it from the beef skewer stall, it comes with their secret sauce instead, so we switch depending on the mood.
Shiro seems to like both, though.
「All right. Sorry for the wait!」
「Mmm smells amazing! Lord, I’m eating one right now!」
「Got it. I’ll hold onto the rest.」
I take two sets from Shiro. She opens her mouth as wide as possible and dives in.
The moment she bites down, juicy meat drips out, but the white bread soaks it all up, making the next bite just as delicious.
「How’s that? Got the steps?」
「Yes. I’m good.」
「Then give it a try.」
「Ah, yes sir!」
I see. So that’s why he ordered four sets.
The new boy, looking tense, carefully assembles the white bread set just like the shopkeeper showed him, layering everything with caution until it’s complete.
「Done.」
「Good, good. By the way, this one has extra meat and vegetables. Also, the payment for the white bread sets gets split with the beef skewer stall, so put it in a separate pouch, not the usual money bag.」
「Understood!」
「All right. It’s a bit early, but go ahead and eat one as a light snack.」
「Eh? Is that okay?」
「Of course, kid. How are you supposed to recommend it to customers if you don’t know what it tastes like?」
「……Yes! Thank you for the meal!」
「Heh heh heh. How is it? Good, right?」
「Mmm…… ngh…… Yes! It’s delicious…… really, really delicious!」
……Looks like they’re building a nice relationship.
「Shopkeeper, here’s the money.」
「Got it! Come back anytime! You guys are regulars now, so remember them well, kid.」
「Mmm…… gulp. Yes! Thank you very much! We look forward to seeing you again!」
The new boy bows deeply even while still flustered, seeing us off properly.
We’ll probably run into him a lot more from now on.
Maybe because he gulped it down too fast, he starts hiccupping. The shopkeeper laughs and hands him some water, and I can’t help but smile too.
「Man, the town’s really filled up with people……」
Not just the customers and traveling merchants, places like the white bread shop earlier are hiring half-breed kids left and right.
The butcher we always go to, the vegetable lady, even the bear beastkin’s oil stall, all of them have new staff now.
「Mizera’s been working really hard, hasn’t she.」
「Yeah. When we get back, I’ll give her some praise.」
The half-breed children who came from the royal capital.
At first, even after being told they were freed, many were confused and worried about food, clothing, shelter, and what came next.
But Origol had already taken care of all that, housing and jobs were prepared in advance.
Of course, it probably didn’t go completely smoothly.
That’s exactly why Mizera, being a half-elf herself, stepped in to help. She’s been talking with each one slowly, explaining what kind of city Einzheil is, what their futures could look like, listening to what they want to do, and assigning them suitable work.
And the faces of the half-breed kids who are working now all look brighter. I’m sure that’s not just my imagination.
Well, naturally, now that it’s a proper nation, everyone’s busier than before.
Even I’ve been throwing myself into work more than usual, making accessories and all sorts of things.
Adventurers are also busy with escort requests for merchants and such, but Aina and the others aren’t taking those kinds of jobs, so they’re relatively free…… or rather, while the escorting adventurers are away, they have to handle any urgent requests that come up.
「O」
I hope things calm down soon, but thinking that this busyness will lead to growth in the future makes it feel not so bad.
「ni」
It’s not quite the excitement of a festival……
Just somehow, I feel a little giddy.
「i」
Lately Yasis seems busy too……
He’s been going back and forth between the royal capital and Einzheil, and sometimes I transfer him over. When I do, I meet up with Hayato and chat, and…..
「Chaaaaaan!!」
「Gurka!!」
My body bends into a crooked shape from the impact right around my lower abdomen.
It doesn’t hurt…… and since I haven’t lost sensation, the important parts are probably safe.
「Haaaa…… I can smell onii-chan…… So thick…… suuuper thick…… You must have been really active this morning, onii-chan! Lucky lucky! Let me join too!」
……Why is this girl here?
By the way, there’s no way I was active this morning, so everything she’s saying is complete nonsense.
It’s nonsense, so first-timers, please don’t misunderstand!
Don’t whisper about it! This feeling is nostalgic! The citizens of Einzheil would just ignore it as usual!
The sight of someone burying their face in my crotch and breathing so loudly it’s audible must look utterly bizarre!
Hey, bear beastkin at the oil stall! Don’t explain it as a local specialty on your own!
Butcher shop owner! You came over wondering what was going on, then lost interest when you realized it’s the usual thing and went back!
「Origol…… what are you doing?」
「Hm? Well, I found onii-chan, so I tackled you and started sniffing around your crotch area? It’s amazing. Just smelling onii-chan is making me feel like I’m going into heat!」
「You know humans don’t have a heat cycle, right?」
「Doesn’t onii-chan know? Love transcends everything? Right now I’m in a heat cycle so intense even rabbits would be shocked! Funsu funsu! So! Let’s head to the inn right away and get cozy!」
「I’m not going. As you can see, I’m in the middle of shopping.」
「Shopping……? Ah, I get it. That thing, right? You came to buy that super-potent herbal medicine imported from the Republic, the one that’d shock even the dead into getting hard? In that case, it’s over there! Being fully prepared for our first night together sounds wonderful! Hold me, onii-chan!」
Ah…… this guy is something else.
Nothing has changed at all. You’re technically the top of this country, right?
Why are you walking around the streets like it’s nothing? Why are you still the same pervert as always?
Don’t you ever gain any dignity? Should I make you a coronet or something?
「You…… everyone else is so busy, yet……」
「No no no. I’m super busy too, you know!? I’m on the verge of tears from how busy I am!? When I finally find my oasis in the middle of all that, of course I’m going to jump in! I have to jump in, don’t I!?」
「Ah, so you were actually busy. I thought you were just skipping work again and wandering around like usual.」
「There’s no way I’d do that…… Even I do my job properly. If I didn’t, the district overseers would get mad…… especially Meira-chan. She’s terrifying……」
「Meira?」
「Yeah. Darwin said it was too much trouble and stepped down from being an overseer! Back when this was Einzheil territory, he took on the west district even though he pushed most things onto others! I wanted to dump it on Souma or Walkas too!!」
「That’s impossible……」
「I know…… That’s exactly why I sometimes come and spoil myself with onii-chan when I finally run into you.」
Spoil yourself……?
I just learned for the first time that burying your face in someone’s crotch counts as spoiling yourself.
「By the way, the south district overseer is Iris.」
「Ah…… I did notice her running around a lot lately. So Yasis is an overseer too?」
「Nope. West district is Meira-chan, south is Iris, east is Dama, and north is temporarily being handled by Walkas right now!」
「Huh…… I’m surprised Yasis isn’t one.」
He always gave off the impression of holding a lot of power.
I figured Darwin, Yasis, and Reinrich were the real power players in this city, yet none of them are overseers…….
Have they already passed the torch to the next generation?
And Iris, huh…….
She left the kingdom and plans to live in Einzheil from now on.
She’s already given up her claim to the throne, so there shouldn’t be any issues…… or are there?
Well, even if there are, she’d probably force her way through somehow.
……Anyway, she’ll be living right next door from now on, so we can get along as neighbors.
She’ll probably come over for ice cream too.
「It’s not surprising at all…… That guy has always been like that. He just laughs off anything troublesome and never takes it on!」
Ah…… I can imagine that.
He really is quite the free spirit, isn’t he?
「So anyway, I’m the representative standing at the very top of all the overseers! That said, everyone’s so capable that all I do is stamp approvals. I’m bored. Super bored. But I can’t just leave my post, so it’s incredibly dull!」
「Well, that’s pretty much how politics works.」
「I knew it…… I knew it, but being the representative is so boring…… I created the overseer positions so someone could scold me when I messed up, but almost everything that comes up to me is already decided…… Ah, onii-chan, why don’t you become the north district representative? If you were there, I feel like I could actually try my best.」
「No way I’m doing that.」
「Why not! You’d become a powerful figure!」
「Hahaha. Not interested.」
「Don’t say it with such a nice face! Well, I figured as much. Hm? Oh? Ooooh? What is it, Shiro-chan?」
Oops, sorry Shiro.
We were in the middle of shopping.
I thought she was tugging on Origol’s sleeve to protest…… ah.
「Origol」
「Hm? What’s up? Want something? Sure sure. Since I got to see onii-chan today, I’ll buy you anything! Shiro-chan likes beef skewers, right?」
「That.」
「……Geh! W-Well then, onii-chan, Shiro-chan, Wendy-chan! The representative is super busy, so farewell!」
「Yeah. See ya.」
She disappears in the blink of an eye……
Well, it’s only natural once you see what Shiro was pointing at.
「Origol-samaaa!!! Stop messing around already, you little brat! You’re the representative, so act like it!」
「Ahahaha! Just a little! Just a little shopping and I’ll come right back aaaah!!」
……That right there is Einzheil’s famous sight: the fleeing representative and the energetic old man.
Still, she seems as lively as ever, which is good…… I guess?
She’s probably busy, so I was a little worried.
I’ll bring her some snacks next time.
「All right! Let’s continue shopping. Where to next?」
「Ah, um…… I have a little errand over here……」
「Sure sure. Any shop is fine.」
「Yes. Um…… when we get to the shop, could you wait outside for just a bit?」
「Hm? Yeah, got it…… but」
What’s this about? Something embarrassing to buy?
Well, there are things guys wouldn’t understand.
Huh…… isn’t this the shop Origol mentioned earlier, the one with goods from the Republic…
What Wendy bought there would become clear on another day.
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