Rising Life Volume 2, Chapter 10

Episode 10 Two-Timing Debt I

「Thank you, Arueno-san, for giving me today off from my part-time job.」

「Ufufu, it's fine. I'm sure everyone would like to have a drink at least on the day the exam is over. Right, Kian-kun?」

「T-that's right. Eek.」

「Is there anything else you want to say?」

「...... T-That white dress is lovely. Especially with your golden hair.」

「My, my, my. You're a smooth talker, aren't you」

「―――」

「Do you mind if I pass by? I'd like to sit behind you.」

「...... go ahead.」

「Thank you, Sukekomashi-kun♡」 [TLN: Lady-killer]

　Arueno said with an elegant smile and passed in front of where Kian was sitting.

　Her big buttocks, wrapped in a white skirt, swayed.

　Arueno had a sweet smell that he had never smelled before, and it made him flutter.

　Tonight, Arueno was very urban, from the way she looked to the way she smelled.

　Kian was reminded of how different she was from the other girls in town.

「Heave-ho......But still, it's been a long time. I thought I would have more chances to talk with you after we came back from the 『Rose Labyrinth』.」

　The elven sister is very close to Kian.

　Sitting in a corner seat surrounded by desks and walls, she crossed her white-skirted legs and casually leaned toward Kian.

　She leaned forward a little with her arms on her knees, the bosom of her wide-open dress accentuating the fruit of her ample flesh.

　Kian couldn't help but stare at her cleavage.

「Kian-san」

　He looked up at the subdued voice and saw that Esther had just returned to the front of the table with a mug of ale and a bucket of wine and bottles of spirits.

　She compared the beautiful Arueno's outfit with her own work clothes and gently placed the liquor on the table.

「Oh, I'll take another ale.」

　Serena, the lone airhead, took up a mug of ale and put it to her lips.

　Esther completely ignored Serena and stared at Kian.

「Um, Kian-san. Can I sit next to you?」

「Ah, yeah. Go ahead ......」

「Three against one.」

　Serena, sitting alone on the other side of the table, shows her blue eyes from her mug.

　She was the only conscience left in the room.

「Flowers on both hands, Kian-kun. Any thoughts?」

「Not particularly.」

「Um, Kian-san? I've been thinking about you for a while now, what kind of relationship do you have with Arueno-san?」

「What kind of ......? She's someone who's been trading me herbs and poisons and stuff for a long time.」

「Ufufu. Yes, for a long time. If I'm not mistaken, we've been knowing each other since you were a baby.」

　Arueno turned her green eyes on Esther.

　The tavern's sign girl shook her brown ponytail with an "Oh" and leaned in closer to Kian

　Perhaps startled by the elf sister's mature and intimidating stare, she unconsciously hid her body, but the mood of the place visibly deteriorated.

　The men laughing merrily over there were distant.

　Only Kian's table was chilly as if the temperature had dropped below freezing, and there seemed to be a whirlwind of invisible feelings of irritation and hostility.

「Ha ...... hahaha. By the way, Serena, why did you tell Arueno-san that you had a drinking party today? No, I don't mean anything else, Arueno-san. I was just genuinely curious. Normally, the conversation would have ended with 'I'm taking a day off from my part-time job because I have a promotion exam' and 'Hmph".」

　Serena, who was chewing on her cake, looked up.

「Somehow? It was just the way the conversation was going at that moment.」

「Damn ......, what an unnecessary thing to do......!」

『Your voice is coming out』

「By the way――」

　Arueno cut in, stirring a glass of clear spirits.

　The ice she had magically created was making a high-pitched sound in the glass.

「It's been ten days, Kian-kun. We last traded sewing threads and that was it. Why didn't you contact me?」

「......I figured you would have heard about me from Serena.」

「Well, you're so cold-hearted, even though we live in the same city. I wonder if you had enough magic power during that time?」

「Why are you talking about magic power?」

「My, you want me to tell everyone?」

「I'm sorry.」

「Kian-san, let me pour you a glass of wine.」

　Esther whispered to Kian, leaning in as close as she can like Arueno.

　It was as if she was asking him not to forget her presence.

　Kian's hand trembles as he looks at the glass of wine being poured, as if just before stirring a cup of poison.

「Um, Kian-san? I don't care who you used to be. Kian-san is cool, kind, and very strong, ...... so I know that a lot of beautiful women will come on to you. But I would like to know what Kian-san is thinking about right now.」

「...... Esther. It's the same as you. Right now I'm more interested in getting ahead than having a family or settling down. That's why I took the promotion exam,...... and now I'm going to save up some more points and try to pass the intermediate exam next. ......Even Esther is now taking over a little bit of Robert-san's business, right? I'm sure you've heard that he wants to not only continue to run the business, but also to make it even bigger. This is not the time to be indulging in a love life. I want to support you.」

「Please don't try to change the subject.」

「Right. I'd like to hear what Kian-kun thinks about me and Esther-san, while you're at it.」

「I consider both of you important women. It's just that ...... I don't have the strength to accept either of you yet.」

「You mean you're going to continue to two-timing us both?」

「What do you mean by both, Kian-san?」

「I mean it as it is. I want to take responsibility.」

「You mean two-timing? Hey, it's a two-timing, isn't it? Kian-kun, since you don't seem to understand, let me tell you, you are at a crossroads in your life. Let's see, ......, if you answer the question wrong, you might be bisected like this cake」

「N-No way! You can't!」

　Esther hugged him tightly.

　She hugs Kian as if to protect him.

　He could smell the sweat of a girl who had worked all day.

　Arueno kept smiling and put her mouth on the potato spirits.

「I'm joking. But depending on the answer, there will be a price to pay. You'll pay for what you've done.」

「How much will it be?」

「No way, it's not money.」

　Arueno said and pulled a knife out of her pocket.

　I'm going to get stabbed ― Kian thought, but instead of pulling it out of its sheath, she makes a snipping gesture in front of his hair to cut the tip.

「Just a little........I was just thinking that I would like to have some of your hair or nails.」

「What are you going to do with my hair?」

　Just as Kian was about to turn pale, an unexpected source came to his rescue.

　It was Serena, who was licking her ale on the other side of the room.

「In short, are you both Kian's females?」

　Esther looked over at Kian in her arms.

「Fe-female ......!? Se-Serena-san, what are you ......!」

「I and Kian-kun, we are equals. Aren't we?」

　Arueno whispered as she took Kian back from Esther's arms.

　The smell was so good that it almost reminded him of his mother, and it tickled his nostrils.

　Serena rested her elbows on the table and blinked her light blue eyes.

「See, I knew it. You're both making that heartbeat you make when you've been pointing this out.」

「......!」

「――――」

「A strong male deserves to have several females around him.」

　Serena put down her mug and looked at Kian.

　She continues.

「I think the problem is Kian's financial power and social status. He still has three females ...... Huh? Two, huh. He doesn't have the strength to keep two of you around, so he needs more time. It's not too late after that if you want to fight over his body. I mean, if they are females serving the same male, they need to cooperate with each other to support the family, not bicker with each other.」

「That may be the case in Serena's tribe, but for me as an elf, I would rather monopolize him.」

「Me, too, would like to monopolize him if possible. ......」

「As for me, as a man, I want to take responsibility for everyone. In my country, there's a palace called the harem, where we put our wives and love them. Of course, we don't keep them in a cage. We wish them the utmost happiness and promise them freedom. But ...... before that, as Serena says, I have to rise to the occasion and get a house, land, and money. If I were to go out with either of you, I would have to become a pimp as it is, wouldn't I?」

「Or stuffed.」(?)

「What?」

「Oh, never mind.」

　Arueno smiled faintly as she tilted her glass.

「Go ahead, continue?」

「......I don't want to do that, so I'm making it my top priority to rise to the top. I know it's not enough to have enough food and clothing to know how to be civil, but I can't imagine taking a wife in my current state, where I'm living for the day.」

「So you are saying that Kian-kun is going to keep us?」

「I already told you, I will not throw either of you. When I am financially comfortable, I will visit you again to take up my responsibilities.」

「............. That so.」

　Arueno takes a silver coin out of her pocket and places it on the table with a bang.

　Then she looks at Esther and asks.

「About Kian-kun, he is renting a room here, right?」

「Y-yes. Yes, he does, but...」

「Could you show me around? I think we should go somewhere quiet and discuss things properly.」

　Arueno tugged on Kian's arm as she said this.

　Kian stood up, and Esther, who was attached to Kian's arm, also stood up.

　And for some reason ― Serena, who was sitting opposite, also stood up.

「「Serena-san? Serena-san?」」

　The eyes of the High Elf Sister and the tavern's sign girl focused on Serena.

　Serena blinked her eyes and then nodded, "Ah".

「I had nothing to do with them. For some reason, I stood up. Why is that ......?」

　Muttering to herself, the silver wolf tribe girl takes her seat once more.

　Serena put her hand on her forehead with an unflattering face.

　Esther smiled at Serena.

「Please relax here, Serena-san. The other waitresses will take care of your order.」

「O-Okay.」

「Come on, let's go upstairs, Kian-kun.」

　With a smile on her face, Arueno pulls his hand.

　Kian looked at Esther as if asking for help, but Esther had also blocked his escape route by hugging Kian's arm.

「What is it? It's kind of noisy, but what happened?」

　A large, bear-like man - Robert - emerged from the kitchen.

　He looks at Kian, who is being taken away by two women, says, "Oooh!", and gives a big smile.

「Kian! You're back from the exam already! And you've got 'Thorny' with you, too! Thanks for taking care of me back then. If you're about to have a drink now, by all means, count me in. We'll keep things interesting until the end of the night――」

「Dad, shut up. And don't ever come up there.」

「Eh, ......?」

「Ufufu, Robert-kun, you'll have to excuse us.」

　Arueno said this to the bear man with a smile, then turned sharp eyes on Kian and said coldly, "Come on, we're going".

「Robert-san. Could you deliver a bottle of wine to my room later? And while you're at it, make sure I'm not slaughtered.」

「My, my, you must be very drunk already, Kian-kun. If you don't feel well, you should just throw up everything and anything. I'll put you into a deep sleep afterward.」

「......What the heck? What happened here?」

　Robert's eyes become frightened by Arueno's cold murderous look.

「Robert-san, ......!」

　Kian called out the name of the only God of salvation, but his resistance was futile and he was dragged directly to the stairs to the second floor.

　He heard one of the adventurers, who was sitting around the table watching him, mutter, "That guy's dead".

　　×　　×　　×

「Come on, get in.」

　The door to his room on the second floor was opened and Kian was pushed back into the room without a single light.

　Behind him, Arueno snaps her fingers, and an orange flame lights the candlestick in the room.

　The room is still dark.

　Behind him, the sound of a door being closed and locked echoed.

　It seemed that Arueno had carefully created a tightly sealed room.

「Um, Arueno-san? It's good that we brought Kian-san here, but what we you going to do now? Are you really going to discuss it?」

「Even if we discussed it, neither side change their opinions」

「Y-you're right」

「Arueno-san, please wait. Esther didn't do anything wrong.」

「That's right. So if I'm going to turn someone into a toad, I'm definitely going to choose Kian-kun.」

「A-Are you going to turn Kian-san into a toad!?」

　Esther squeezed the arm that was holding her.

　Her big tits, wrapped in her waitress dress, were squashed.

　Kian bowed his head to Arueno while his brain was invaded by the undeniably blissful sensation.

「I'm sorry. I'll do anything, so please forgive me.」

「Oh, my goodness, Kian-kun. Don't say 'I'll do anything' so easily in front of a magician.」

　said Arueno, laughing, and took out a pair of shiny silver handcuffs from a pouch on her arm.

「Esther-san, I want you to use these to connect Kian's right hand to the bed. I will take away the freedom of his left hand.」

「What ......?」

「Oh my, don't you want to get back at this terrible man?」

　Arueno winks at her with a mischievous smile.

　Esther stared at the handcuffs she handed her for a moment and eventually muttered, "Is that what you mean?" She nodded demurely, a wry smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

「That ...... if it's for a bit.」

「Ufufu, now we're accomplices. Well, let's put the main dish on a plate called a bed first」

「Wait!? Arueno-san? Even Esther! Stop it! Both of you, please reconsider!」

　Kian raised his voice in desperation, but Arueno was in no mood to listen to him.

　Esther looked apologetic, but finally, she cuffed Kian's right hand.

　In no time at all, the two women had him tied by the arms to the bedpost.

　Kian was rolled on the bed in a "大" position like a crucified sinner.

「Kuhh!」

「Wearing such an old black coat. I wonder if Kian-kun is at that age?」

　Arueno sat on the edge of the bed, shaking a glass of spirits from wherever she had taken it. The bed creaked.

　Her white hands unbuttoned his coat, and with the application of her transfer technique, she instantly stripped off his undergarment of the inner part.

　Instantly, Kian was dressed in his normal clothes, a white shirt, and leather bottoms.

　Arueno's cheeks turned even redder, and she unbuttoned his shirt one button at a time, breathing heavily and without a care in the world.

「Whoa, whoaa ......」

　Esther, who was standing nearby, was also blushing.

　She was staring at Kian's muscular upper body, which was being exposed, firmly through the fingers of her hand that covered her face.

「P-please don't, Arueno-san! What on earth is wrong with you!」

「......! You dare to say that!? You who left me alone for ten days! ...... I was so worried. After worrying, I was saddened when Serena-san told me what was going on. You could have at least told me that there was a promotion exam. This makes me and Kian-kun look like a stranger 」

「―――! I-I am truly sorry.」

「I don't forgive you.」

　Arueno put her lips to Kian's ear and whispered sweetly.

　She drips the potato spirits she was holding onto Kian's chest.

「......!」

　The cold distilled liquor spills onto his chest, which is unbuttoned.

　His wet chest immediately became hot and began to rise and fall on its own.

　Esther looked dazed as she watched the movement of Kian's hairy chest muscles.

「I-it's kind of very naughty. ......」

「I'm going to make you pay for it tonight, and you're going to pay a lot.」

　Arueno whispered as she teased Kian's wet chest hair between her fingers.

　Beside her, Esther, her cheeks uplifted, placed her knees, which peeked out from her serving skirt, on the bed. She crawled toward Kian with her hands on the bed like a demon.

　Arueno's plump lips gently bit Kian's ear.

「Prepare yourself, Kian-kun」

「Ki-Kian-san, ......♡」

「W-whoaaaa!?」

　Kian's eyes rolled around.

(What's going to happen to me!?)

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