Rising Life Volume 2, Chapter 21

Episode 21 Kian Can't Be My Male (Laughs)

　A dream of sweaty embraces with a brown-skinned, muscular young man――

　The strange, blurry image gradually faded into the distance, replaced by the sound of birds chirping. The cool, moist, cool air in the back of her nose. A slight, masculine smell.

　There seemed to be a white light on her eyelids.

「......ah......」

　Serena gently opened her eyelids and found herself in someone else's room.

　It was a large, empty, wooden room with only two large windows.

　In the corner was a large tub propped up against the wall.

　She didn't recognize the room, but the air in the room smelled familiar.

(Kian ......?)

　She looked sleepily under the bed and found the backpack he always carried on his back.

　Along with his wooden sword and club.

　However, the black coat he wears and the "trophy" he brought back last night―a large straight sword―are nowhere to be found.

　Or rather, he himself was nowhere to be found in the room.

「Huh ......? I, how?」

　Serena looked down at her own body.

　A pair of string panties and a blanket.

　She blinked and looked at the table beside her, on top of which was the shirt and shorts Serena had worn here before she changed into her waitress clothes. Her boots were also lying crumpled under the table.

(Ah ....... Come to think of it, I was so pissed off yesterday that I even took Kian's drink and drank it.)

　She couldn't remember what happened after that, but she think Kian was brought her here in his arms.

「Nnhh....♡」

　For a moment.

　Serena remember that her body was tingling as if it was complaining about something.

(Huh? I ......)

　She held her forehead and shook her head.

　It was as if her memory was strangely jumpy.

「Yesterday, I was ....... I drank alcohol. ...... drank ....... Ah」

(Hold on)

　Where did the waitress clothes I borrowed from the bar go?

　Serena hurriedly looked under the bed, but there was nothing else there but something in a bag.

　She looked around the room, moved the blankets off, and explored the bedsheets with her hands, but there was no sign of any clothes.

「Not in this room.」

　Serena concluded as she stared with her light blue eyes at the interior of the room.

　She could hear birds chirping again from outside the open window.

(Let's get dressed and go downstairs for now. There is a sign of someone ...... downstairs. There are three people in the kitchen and ten in the hall.)

　Probably one of them must be Esther and Robert.

　First of all, she has to talk to them and apologize for the fact that the waitress's clothes had gone somewhere and that she got drunk while she was eating her meals.

「...... not good. Today is the day of the exam pass announcement. ...... Kian, his backpack is still here, and I'm sure he's still in this bar.」

　Serena jumps off the bed and quickly puts on a shirt and shorts.

　She wants to wash her face and fix her sleeping habits, but it can all wait for now.

　She wraps the leather holder around her waist where she keeps her knives and checks to make sure she hasn't forgotten anything.

　She had left her only longsword and light armor at the Pumpkin Pie Pavilion.

　Since she visited "Pig's Foot Pavilion" yesterday wearing normal clothes, this outfit should be all she needs.

「Good.」

　With a small murmur, she left Kian's room.

　　×　　×　　×

　When Serena went downstairs, she found Esther and Kian at the counter on the first floor.

　A pretty girl with brown hair and a ponytail and a tall young Azrairian man――

　They seemed to be smiling and discussing something.

　Esther was giggling with a finger to her mouth.

　On the other side, Kian was smiling softly and putting his hand on the back of his head.

　Serena's attention should have turned to Esther, but it turned first to Kian.

　Serena looked at the young man who was smiling with a slovenly face, and for some reason, she felt her heartache. Her body felt warm and fuzzy, itchy and uncomfortable, yet ...... somehow she didn't hate it.

　Such a strange feeling rises up from the bottom of her stomach.

　The heart of sleepy person's heart beats faster.

「G――Good morning!」

　Holding back the sudden Kian syndrome, Serena called out to the two as usual as possible.

「Ah! Serena-san, good morning. How are you feeling? Are you okay?」

「About that ......」

　Serena lowered her eyebrows as she walked up to the counter.

　There's no point in hiding it, so she'll be honest and tell her everything.

「After drinking a lot of alcohol yesterday, I don't remember anything. Did Kian lend the bed under the circumstances?」

「Oh ......, that's right.」

　Kian answered immediately with an evil smile.

　But Serena could hear his heart pounding unnaturally in his chest.

　This is not a lie, but it is the sound of a heart beating when it is hiding something.

　But every human being must have something or two to hide if they are alive.

　Serena doesn't think there is any profit in trying to deceive her here, and it would be better not to get any funny ideas about it.

　So, she decided not to worry about it.

「I'm sorry, Esther-san. Even though I still had some work to do, like cleaning.」

「Oh, no. The time for you to work was already over, and the cooking research was something that I and my father had done on our own.」

「Also, I couldn't find my waitress clothes.」

「Ah, Kian-san delivered those to me last night.」

「He did?」

「You don't remember? After we finished eating the meals downstairs, we would have had a drink in the room while discussing the party's future. When you began to lose your articulation, I came out of the room and made you change your clothes.」

「Hmm ......? Was ......that so?」

「I received the waitress's clothes from Kian-san. I'll have you wear it the next time I need you to come in temporarily. And this is my thank you for yesterday. It's not through the Adventurers Guild, so you won't get any contribution points, though」

「Oh, yeah. ....... Thank you.」

「Likewise, you were a great help too. Serena learned the menu quickly and was very attentive to her work. She was also very attentive when she had to pour water and drinks for customers.」

「In the pack, I had to move around in detail like that when it was time to drink. I just happened to be familiar with it and it helped. I'm glad.」

　Serena smiled awkwardly as she said that.

　Kian already felt like a friend, but Esther still felt more like a stranger.

　She couldn't help but react as if she had taken a step back.

「Heeey, Esther! What are you doing!? You're in the middle of preparing!」

「Oh, coming! ...... Well then, I'm going back to the kitchen. Kian-san, Serena-san, today is the day the result was announced, right?」

「Yeah. It should be posted before noon, so I'll leave as soon as I get myself ready.」

「Right. Kian has probably passed, but I don't know......so I'm a little nervous」

「I'm sure Serena will be fine.」

「You think so?」

「Yeah.」

　Esther smiled behind the counter.

「I hope you both passed. If you've passed, please come and have a lot of drinks at our place tonight」

「Esther!」

「I'm coming, Dad! I'll be right there! ......Take care」

　Esther bowed and went back to the back of the kitchen.

　With that, Serena turned to Kian.

「About yesterday, I'm sorry. I don't remember anything about our conversation.」

「About that though, I actually have something important to tell you.」

「Eh.....?」

　Serena stares back at her partner, who has suddenly become very serious.

　While she was trying to gauge his true intentions, Kian suddenly touched Serena's shoulder.

「Nnihh!♡♡」

　Twitch-twitch-twitch-twitch-twitch!

「Se-Serena?」

「Eh, ah, no. I-It's nothing. ......」

(W-What? What happened just now?)

　Just now―when Kian tapped her on the shoulder, she felt as if the sensation of yesterday's lewd dream, which she can't quite recall, had returned to her body.

　When Kian tapped me on the shoulder, I felt like the nightmare sensation I couldn't quite remember from yesterday came back to my body.

　But that was only for a moment, and while she was showing her confused expression, everything disappeared like a lie.

「I have something important to tell you. I want to talk to you outside because someone might eavesdrop here.」

「Uh-huh. Okay.」

「All right, then, let's go outside.」

「Okay」

　The young man's partner quickly crosses the hall and leaves through the door of the Pig's Foot Pavilion.

　Serena followed him with her own shoulders in a hugging position. As she followed Kian out of the tavern hall, she recalled her earlier overreaction and had a puzzled, "???" look on her face.

　　×　　×　　×

(I got carried away and overdid it yesterday, but does Serena really remember nothing?)

　Outside the "Pig's Foot Pavilion" tavern.

　Frowning at the blinding sunlight that poured onto the main street, Kian was thinking such thoughts.

　The cleanup was perfect.

　He had even brainwashed Serena, just in case.

　Still...

(To begin with, Serena, who was drunk last night, was the one who asked me out. I hadn't done any hypnotic spells on her until we had a couple of interactions upstairs).

　Even though it has been dealt with, if she strongly recalls the memory, it may come to light like a thread unraveling.

　If that happened, it would be the end of his relationship with her.

(No, that's not it, Kian.)

　His bespectacled self is doing the devil's whispering.

　She can no longer defy me (Kian)――he said

　The other Kian laughed darkly, "If you ordered her to fall into sex slavery, all will be well".

(No, I won't do such a thing ....... There is no way I would allow her freedom to be forcibly taken away from her. She's my collaborator and an important party member.)

「So, what do you want to talk about, Kian?」

　Serena, who was taken out, crosses her arms and looks up at him.

　The silver wolf tribe girl there is already a different person from the disturbed female of last night.

　She is a comrade and an ideal collaborator.

　That's why――Even though he was driven by sexual desire, his own misdeeds of yesterday are brought to light.

「Let's see, ....... Right. I want to take responsibility.」

「Responsibility?」

「Serena, I like you. I want us to date on the premise of marriage.」

「――――――――. ............?　......, ............」

　When Kian uttered his confession, Serena stopped moving in the morning sunlight, as if she had stiffened on the spot for a while with her arms crossed.

　However, ...

「――――! Eh, eehhhh!?」

　She immediately understood what he intended to do, and her face turned bright red after her eyes widened.

　Her light blue eyes wandered and her hands were folded behind her back.

　The bosom of her sleeveless white shirt dazzled.

　The bulge is modest compared to Esther's―but he was reminded last night that how good it was.

「Are......, are you serious?」

　Serena looked up while shaking her shoulders with a fidgety look.

　Kian nodded.

「Yes, please go out with me.」

(Go out with her and really love Serena. I can't be responsible for training her this far except to do so.)

　To be honest, the shape of Serena's pussy had been developed so perfectly that it could be said to be exclusively for Kian's use. Her forehead has also been made to become a sexual zone as her clitoris with a single word, and her anus has also been developed to a great extent.

　I can't just go along with the "I don't know anything" attitude now, can I?

「I-I can't believe it. You've said the same thing before.」

「Maybe so, but I really mean it. I really want to add Serena to my harem.」

「What made you think that way? What is it about me that makes you fall in love with me?」

「All of it!」

「It smells so fake ....... Though I guess it's not a complete lie either.」

「Go out with me, Serena. I'll do my best to make you happy.」

「...... Look. Do you know your financial situation, Kian?」

　Serena gives Kian a puzzled look.

「I can't speak for others either,...... but Kian already has two females, right?」

「Yeah」

「Let's say hypothetically I'm going to have a baby. Hypothetically, okay. Because I didn't okay it. ...... Will Kian be able to feed all of us then?」

「First of all, no.」

「Right? If you don't have enough money, will you ask for help from Arueno-san? You want us to cut into our savings to feed us. How's that for being the head of a pack?」

「I am well aware that starting a family now would not look good. That's why I'm asking you to go out with me on the assumption that we'll get married.」

「Well, just dating is free. ...... Still, as I said before, I'm busy avenging myself right now. I don't have time to play with males.」

「I understand that. I will respect your situation as much as I can. When all is said and done―when you defeat the Deadly Swordsman of Azrair, I'll take responsibility and let me marry you. I will definitely make you happy.」

「I see. So you want to make a reservation for a relationship?」

「That's what I'd like to do.」

「Hmm ......」

　Serena kept her mouth shut as if thinking about something.

　The sound of the hustle and bustle of the morning traffic on the main street grew louder.

　Silence passed between them for a while, and eventually, Serena looked up and continued speaking.

「I know I've said this before, but I can't see Kian as a male. I don't think I have ever seen one before. Maybe. ...... Yeah. Maybe.」

「Right. I know. But still ......!」

(I've taken her virginity and raped her like crazy!)

　Also, apart from the sense of obligation to take responsibility, every time he had intercourse with Serena many times and saw her lasciviousness, he was emotionally and undeniably attracted to her.

　He knows he sounds naive, but a teenage girl's pussy was just too much of a deleterious drug for a nearly 30-year-old man.

　After all, as a creature who thinks with his dick, there was no way that he would never fall in love with Serena.

　Sixty or seventy percent of the time, he was rather serious about marrying Serena.

「I am old enough to have been someone's female long ago if that were true. By the time I hunt down and kill a Deadly Swordman, I'm sure it'll be too late. ...... If I were to think about it in a calculating way, I'd be willing to keep Kian.」

「I don't care if you keep me. Anyway, why don't you give me a chance to get to know you better as a person? Maybe we can talk after that.」

「True. There's the compatibility of personality, the division of household chores, ...... and most importantly, our physical compatibility」

「Wait. A-A girl says 'physical compatibility'......」

「I think it's important. I don't have that kind of experience, but I think it starts from basic things like ...... for example, if we can't smell each other's body odor or if our voices don't match, and then ...... that.... ..., we may have physical chemistry that can only make each other unhappy during such acts. I've had people like that in my flock.」

「―――」

「Kian and I have a difference in size, and there's a good chance that we're not physically compatible at all? I have a feeling that's the case.」

「U-Ummmmm... ......?」

「Also, like I said before, I don't feel 'male' with Kian. I know it sounds horrible, but I just can't get excited about you in an animalistic way. I think you're a reliable partner, but I also think there's something effeminate about you.」

「Don't be so direct.」

「I'm only being honest because Kian is making a serious proposal to me. Anyway, I have a feeling that I won't be satisfied with my marital life with Kian, so I think it would be better for our mutual happiness if we don't go out.」

「There are things you can't know until you start dating. You've been speculating for a while now. I beg you, will you try going out with me just once?」

「 You really refuse to back down.」

(After all the mess I've made, I can't simply back down.)

　Kian muttered back to her in his mind.

　Serena thought for a moment and then said,

「Well, then, how about a real duel with me sometime? A duel in which we both intend to kill each other.」

「A duel!? Are you serious?」

「Hmm. I'm serious. I want you to show me your manly side in a duel. If I lose to you in a fair fight, maybe I will fall in love with you. Well, it is unlikely, though. Our abilities are equal after all.」

　Serena looked up at Kian with blue eyes.

　She continued.

「Even if the duel ends in a draw, as you say, there are some things you won't know until you start dating. I will only give my chastity to a male who is truly qualified to be my husband, but I may give it to you separately, at least for a date. If I sense a "male" in you during the date, I may possibly have a relationship with you.」

「―――― All right. At any rate, if I beat you in a duel, at least that means I still have a chance.」

「That's right. Conversely, if you lose, your chances will be blown to smithereens. At that point, you have to give up.」

「Got it. If that's what you want, I have no problem with that.――So, we're going to duel now?」

「I can't do it now. Because of my fighting style, I can't show my strength unless I'm fully armed. I'm still working on my "hidden technique" to surprise Kian.」

「Then when are we going to duel?」

「When I am fully armed and my "hidden technique" is complete. It won't take long. Both of them will be ready soon, and then I will challenge you to a duel at that time. I haven't forgotten our previous practice match. This time, I will beat you head-on!」

「I-I see. That's great enthusiasm. ......」

　Said Kian, lowering his eyebrows.

　It was supposed to be just a confession, but the conversation took an unexpected turn.

　Another duel.

　If you say it's Serena-like, it's Serena-like, but...

「It was just the right opportunity. ......I'm not going to lose.」

　Kian looked back at Serena with a puzzled look on his face, his fighting spirit shining brightly.

　A duel, it's as if he's dealing with a male friend.

(But ......)

　He gets a little bit of a bad fantasy.

　In a duel, he would completely crush Serena's confidence in herself as a swordsman.

　Make her crawl in front of you.

　If he rapes her on the spot.

　How would Serena react?

　His curiosity never ends.

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