Rising Life Volume 2, Chapter 9

Episode 9 - Fight?

　The girls are serving customers in swimsuits――

　It was not just that one tavern that was doing such a prodigious business.

　Not all the shops on Central Street, but several of them were serving customers in swimsuits as well. Some of them were really operating in their underwear, perhaps because they could not provide the fabric for swimsuits. It was not unusual to see breasts in full view.

「What in the world is going on here ......」

　Serena muttered to herself as she looked at the crowds of people on the street on either side of her.

　Some stores were crowded and some were not, but that was also the difference between those that were doing something like a sex business and those that were not.

　The difference in the number of customers has come to be seen in addition to the quality of the food, sake, and accommodations.

「I've lived in this town for over a decade and I've never seen Central Street in such a crazy state. Maybe the Tavern Guild has changed its policy? Whatever the case, this kind of brothel-like business is going to be stopped immediately from the top, though ......」

「They're out of the loop about serving customers in their underwear or wearing nothing at all.」

「As for the swimsuits.........it may be okay depending on the design, though」

　For example, the serving clothes at "Pig's Feet Pavilion" have exposed shoulders and skirts that are about 20 cm above the knee, very mini-skirts. For the onlooker, it can sometimes be more crotch than a swimsuit if it is poorly executed. The theory is that if a mini-skirt with bare shoulders is OK, then a less revealing swimsuit should be OK.

　Swimsuits are explicit in many ways, but mini-skirts and bare shoulders are......though Kian can't explain it well, he feels like they're more naughty than nudity. Kian thinks it's a hard line for him personally to judge.

「Oh, I'm glad. The "Pig's Foot Pavilion" is normal.」

　Serena points to the left side of the street.

　It is Kian's regular lodging and the place for tonight's drinking―There is a Pigfoot father-and-daughter shop.

　Delicious smells and bright light were leaking from inside, and cheerful laughter could be heard.

　However, the place does not seem to be full as it is at normal times.

　It has definitely lost customers to the surrounding naughty stores.

　However, the place does not seem to be as full as in normal times.

「Good evening. ......」

　Standing in front of Serena, he passed through the entrance of "Pig's Feet Pavilion".

　As soon as he did so, the girls in serving clothes returned him with a cheerful "Welcome!"

「Ah, it's Kian」

「Welcome back, Kian」

「Thank you, Moimoi-san, Melissa-san. I'd like to have a drink with my friends today, is there a seat available by the wall?」

「There is~」

　The waitress with twin-tailed blond hair, Moimoi, smiles, and points to a seat on the far right.

「See, there are a few empty seats today.」

「Yep, it looks like the shops around here are doing something weird.」

「Is there some kind of event going on?」

　When Kian asked, the two waiters shook their heads in unison.

「Na-ha-ha-ha. Don't know!」

「I don't know.」

「I see. ....... But I'm glad things didn't get too crazy in this shop. I wanted to calm down and have a drink. Serena, it's back there on the right. Let's go.」

「Take your time! I'll be back later to take your order!」

「Thank you very much.」

　After replying to Moimoi, Kian took Serena and sat down in the corner.

「Speaking of strange things, ......, you were involved with some strange people at today's exam.」

　Serena turns her light blue eyes on Kian as they sit opposite each other.

　Kian nodded as he pulled out a water bottle from his backpack.

「Ahh, yep. My partner was a nobleman, and it looked like the knight who accompanied them came after them in a hurry.」

「Eh, ....... Was it all right? About various things」

「I passed the exam smoothly, as you know. I was nervous because I couldn't do anything bad, but it turned out well.」

「Hmm. But what made them want to join? Those two hooded guys, right, the aristocrats?」

「I'm not sure if the one with the black hair is noble or not. The one with the mask is almost certainly a great noble.」

「I don't know, though, because I didn't exactly check their appearance. I've got my hands full with my party 」

「Yeah, the one with the mohawk is an amateur who's never dived a labyrinth before.」

「You can tell?」

「I can tell. His torso balance is clearly not muscular enough to be called a swordsman. He didn't have the flesh of someone who dived the labyrinth.」

「Well, that's true. ...... Though I never thought it would come to that. Even if he passed the exam, he has no choice but to quit being an adventure」

「It's a high price to pay to lose a leg and a finger for a mere exam. ...... It doesn't happen often, but did something happen inside the labyrinth?」

「Seems like he was in a hurry.」

　Serena squeezed the mug of ale that had been brought to her.

　Kian also accepted a glass of wine from the waitress and thanked her.

　Serena continued.

「I was basically the only one doing all the scouting and fighting, but he said, 'If I don't do this, I'm not going to get the credit I deserve.' So we took turns scouting out in front, and he accidentally stuck his hand in a trap.」

「So he got his fingers taken then.」

「Mm....... His legs were taken by Shield Cain. I would have been able to finish it off quicker, but its armor was so hard that my weapon repelled and I had no choice but to cut its back.」

　Serena glanced at the longsword at her waist as she said this.

　Her weapon was still the same as when she fought the vampire in The "Rose Labyrinth".

　For the swordsmen of the western world, who do not allow their weapons to be clothed in air, the strength of their weapons is directly related to the strength of the swordsman. Serena's armament, with its frayed magical language, was no match for Shield Cain.

「The magician's girl also had her staff broken early in the battle.」

「From what I've heard, both of them were piggybacked by Serena to pass the test. I wouldn't go so far as to say they deserved it, but I don't think Serena should worry about it any more than she had to.」

「We were a team, the three of us together. ...... I just played one man's play.」

「Well, we'll have to move on then. Just try not to be so selfish next time. And by the way, I never once felt Serena was being selfish.」

「...... Thanks, Kian.」

「I'm just being honest about what I think. Come on, let's have a drink. Everything you've done today is going to be poured down your stomach.」

「Mmm.」

　They make a toast together.

　With cheerful music playing, they chug their drinks in silence.

　Serena's low spirits didn't make it seem very lively, but Kian, without his glasses, didn't mind the quiet atmosphere of this kind of drinking.

　After they had been licking their drinks for a while, Esther came out of the kitchen with a plate of ham and wild grass salad.

「Welcome back, Kian-san」

「I'm back, Esther.」

「Welcome back, Serena-san. Please take your time.」

「Thank you, Esther.」

「May I sit down?」

　After putting down her plate, Esther pointed to the seat next to Kian.

「Of course you may.」

「Thank you very much. Thank you both for your hard work on the exam. How was your test?」

「So-so, I guess.」

「Kian definitely passed. As for me, I don't know. I could defend myself, but I did hurt my friends badly.」

「Oh my. ......」

　Esther raised her eyebrows as she sat down next to Kian, facing Serena.

「It's not hard to get promoted to a junior adventurer. I think Serena has passed. I don't think you need to worry about it.」

「Yeah. ......」

「Cheer up, Serena-san. Oh, we have new pancakes today, do you want to order them? They're sweet, with lots of whipped cream. They're delicious.」

「I want to eat it. Maybe I'll order some.」

「Please don't mind me. I'm good.」

「You don't eat oily or sweet foods at all, do you, Kian-san?」

「I'm getting all the sugar I need. Still ...... the new pancakes are the ones Robert-san was inventing before, right? Maybe if I ate one whole one, I'd get about two days' worth of calories that an adult male needs all at once. ......」

「I think you'll be fine as long as you move a lot!」

「Yes, I know. But for me, meat and veggies will suffice.」

「Esther-san, would you like to eat some portion from me?」

「Eh!? You don't mind? Then I'll deduct the portion I eat from the price!」

(I guess this is how Esther is getting fat.)

　Kian looked at Esther's stomach with a smile on his face.

　The design of her serving clothes made her look slim and tight, but when she took off her clothes, her belly was plump.

　Her lower stomach was slightly protruding enough to give her a belly job.

　I would think that all girls Esther's age would be like that, but when I imagine Serena's toned body, I can't help but――

「.......!」

(That's not good. I'm getting an erection when I remember them naked.）

　Kian crossed his legs and camouflaged the ridge between his legs.

「Come to think of it, Central Street was looking a little weird today.」

「Weird? What do you mean by weird?」

「Eh, look. Um...Serving customers in that swimsuit.」

「Ah!」

　Esther nodded.

　She smiled bitterly and continues.

「It seems like everyone is starting to do it. At first, it was just a few shops on East Street.」

「What happened?」

　Kian asked, and Esther started talking, saying, "Actually, ......."

「Do you know who Matilda-san is? She went missing around the same time as Sophie-san, the receptionist the other day.」

「Yeah ....... But she was murdered, unlike Sophie. As I recall, she was two-timed by a guard and an adventurer brother, and the brother guard was the one who killed her.」

「That Matilda-san's house was actually a tavern, but after Matilda-san was killed, it didn't get many customers ....... So, to get the customers back, the owner decided to have his employees dress sexually to serve them.」

「The employees would explode with complaints.」

「But from that day on, the number of customers increased dramatically. They realized that it was an effective way to make money for the Tavern Guild to serve customers in naughty uniforms. There are a lot of objections, though. They say that the ones who do it are doing the same thing as a brothel, or that they are disturbing public morals. ...... But there is a part of them that feels like they're winning when they're making money.」

「They're going to be cracked down on by the guards in the near future, though, but what are your thoughts on that?」

「Of course, there was a discussion in the Commercial Guild about how to separate the guild from the Brothel Guild and how to draw the minimum line to protect the public morals of the city as a whole. You see, that's why my father has been going to the guild meetings late, day after day, night after night, for those discussions.」

　Serena urged ahead as she placed a plate of the huge cream cake that had been brought in on the desk

「So what does Robert-san think?」

「My father is very much against having people serve customers in what looks like underwear. He says, "This ain't a sex industry". But some places do it, and it's true that our places are losing customers to that kind of place. My father says that if the food is good, people will come back, but I can't be so optimistic.」

「If the guards crack down on them, they'll be lost, so why don't you just keep doing what you're doing? In fact, the food here is delicious and I'm sure everyone will come back someday. It's the only first time you can make money with such a shameless method.」

「You're ......,right」

「In your discussions with the Commercial Guild ......, or rather the Tavern Guild and the Brothel Guild, to what extent did you come out okay with the employees' uniforms and services? I mean, the line has been drawn, right? I can't imagine it's being adhered to, though」

「As for service, common sense dictates that sex is generally not allowed. But ...... you see, after all, they are in the hospitality business, so they are sitting as close to the customers as I am doing now, aren't they? Though, I heard from a girl at another shop that the employees tend to be more okay because of the tips they get.」

「Ah ......」

　Esther looked down at the mug of water in her hand.

「As for the uniforms, they are very detailed. For example, the type that has a separate upper and lower part, as some taverns are doing now ...... It seems that uniforms, which are more like strings than cloth, will soon be banned in the Commercial Guild. They have received complaints from the Brothel Guild and they are threatening to stop opening the public bathhouse to the public if they don't reduce the exposure.」

「Isn't that reasonable?」

　Serena nodded as she brought a mug of ale to her lips.

「Yes, but I don't know what will happen now, but serving customers in swimsuits may become a limited possibility. We could make the design more wholesome, designate certain days of the week, and change the uniform to a traditional one only on those days. It's a good opportunity, and I'm in the process of designing a new uniform.」

「Esther-san is designing them? That's amazing!」

　Serena rolls her eyes.

　Esther looked a little embarrassed and laughed, "I'm not amazing as you think".

「Then the uniform Esther wearing now was also designed by you?」

「Ah, yes. Though my father is good at cooking and baking sweets, he has a personality that doesn't care at all about designing clothes like this. ...... If you're in a tavern, you should compete with drinks and food! He's a hard-core kind of guy, after all」

「I see now.」

「So, um, if you don't mind, though, I would like to request some quests from you two. I would like to ask you as a private request if possible because it will be expensive if I go through the Adventurer's Guild, is that OK?」

「Sure」

　Serena nodded.

「I'm in debt to Kian, so I have to work hard to save up the money. I can't take the quest until the promotion process is done, and if I can take it personally, I would like to. Of course, if the reward isn't worth it, I'll cancel it.」

「I don't mind either. What kind of requests do you have?」

「There are two. The first is related to swimsuits, and I would like to know the design of the swimsuits used at the Royal Academy.」

「Swimsuit designs at the Royal Academy?」

「Yes. According to what I've heard, the swimsuits at the academy are neat and modest looking. It doesn't seem to fall under the Guild's laws, and it looks like a cute design, so I thought I'd like to take a look at it.」

「You can't just hear about it from a bard or something, can you?」

　Serena asked, and Esther nodded with an apologetic look on her face.

「If possible, I want to see the actual product. I would say I want to touch it with my hands and feel the texture and design with my fingers.」

「You're a bit of an elaborate person, aren't you ......」

「Hmm. All right. I'll go around to the stalls. It's not safe there, so it's hard for Esther-san to go there.」

「I'm counting on you. How about a reward for the two of you is casual clothes? While I tailor the uniforms, I will also make clothes for Kian-san and Serena-san. You can tell how good I am by looking at the clothes the other waitresses and I wear.」

「The reward is clothes, huh. ....... Nah, I'm just going to go find a swimsuit and it's reasonable. In my case, most of my regular clothes are this adventures attire, so it might actually be a pretty nice reward」

「Oh, Serena-san, I'll make your clothes in a design for beastmen so that your tail can easily come out from the back.」

「Really? I'm happy. It's hard to find clothes designed for beastmen in this town.」

「I guess I'm happy to have more clothes too. When I'm not wearing armor, I'm wearing a white shirt and pants.」

　Esther clapped her hands with a pon.

「That's a deal! If you have any orders for clothing designs for the reward, please let me know! I think I can do most of them.」

「Got it. Before you start making the clothes, please let me know what kind of fabrics you want to use. I'll give you some ideas of what I want the clothes to look like.」

「Sure!」

「So, what is the other request?」

　Serena asked, and Esther lowered her voice.

「......The other request may be a bit more difficult. Actually, I wanted to go to the 『Rose Labyrinth』 again.」

「The 『Rose Labyrinth』? That's a property that the Adventurers' Guild and the Count of Ezerland Frontier have temporarily taken care of and are investigating.」

「I guess it would be difficult after all.」

　Esther lowered her eyebrows.

　She continued.

「After all, I couldn't have a proper conversation with my mother. She wished me happiness at the end of her life, but I still think of her as a stranger. Even if I were to make a grave for her and pray for her every year on the anniversary of her death, I would still have no feelings for her. I want to remember my mother with patience, knowing her circumstances and how she spent her time in the labyrinth.」

　Esther turned her brown eyes toward the kitchen.

「I think my father still cares about my mother, too, though he never says it out loud. And the end was the end......」

「You know, "Lyanancy" turned into a vampire at the end and disappeared, right. ...... Surely you can't pray properly even if you pray at this rate. We should at least get some kind of relic.」

「Yes.......It doesn't matter how long it takes, so if the time comes when you can go to the "Rose Labyrinth," would you escort me there? The reward will be the equivalent of a standard 7th-class quest. It will be out of my own pocket, so it will be a low reward, though........but I would like you to accept it if you don't mind」

「I don't mind. I was thinking of going back there at some point. After all, we didn't get to go inside the Western-style house, and I'd like to explore every inch of it if the Guild and the Frontier Count will let me.」

「I would gladly go along if I could get a reward equivalent to a 7th-class quest just for escorting. As soon as we get permission from the Guild, we'll take Esther-san over there.」

「Thank you very much. It would have cost twice as much if I had gone through the guild every time, so I'm really glad to have you as a friend.」

「I'll do my best to make sure you don't end up asking the guild」

「I agree.」

　Kian and Serena looked at each other and nodded.

　These two seem to be all the requests from Esther.

　For now, there are two more things to do.

　One is to investigate the swimsuits at the Royal Academy in Royal Capital.

　And to revisit and explore the "Rose Labyrinth" dungeon.

　Both of these missions are relatively peaceful.

　As their first quest after becoming a junior adventurer, it seemed like a good way to get used to it

　Esther, who had successfully had the quest accepted with minimal reward, looked at Kian and Serena alternately with a smile.

「Would you like another drink? I'll go get a new mug!」

「――――My, that's just what I needed. I think I'll have a strong spirit, then.」

　As Esther stood up from her seat, such a cool voice suddenly called out from the side.

　Kian and Serena, who had started to get drunk by now, turned toward the voice.

　Kian looked at the person standing at the entrance of the shops, stiffened for a moment, and then felt sweat pouring out of his body.

「Ufufufufufu......Good evening, Kian-kun. How long has it been since we last meet?」

　Standing there with a smile on her face was a beautiful blonde high elf ― Arueno.

　She was not dressed in her usual sisters' attire but was wearing a beautiful, fluttery dress with a white image.

　The men who were drinking at the other tables turned their gazes to Arueno's ample bosom and buttocks, the fabric of her skirt rising and falling.

　She was used to such stares, or perhaps she was not bothered by them, as she approached the table where Kian, Serena, and Esther were seated, her hips swaying.

「Ah.......G-good evening......」

　Esther gave such an ambiguous smile as if she was put off by Arueno's good looks.

　Then she glanced accusingly at Kian.

　Arueno, on the other hand, had a frightening smile on her face.

「Long time no see, Kian-kun.」

「Eh, ah」

「Long time no see! Hey! How long has it been?」

「Oh, let's see, ......, it's been about a week, right?」

「――――」

　Arueno is smiling.

　The men who had been giving erotic glances to the High Elf Sisters, perhaps sensing the atmosphere of the shuraba(fight), quickly turned their gaze.

「It's been ten days, Kian-kun. No word from you in all that time. Serena-san told me that you had an exam today.」

「I'm sorry, I don't mean to blame anyone else, but I will say that it was somehow difficult for me to visit you when I heard that Serena was working part-time.」

　The other thing is that Kian was preoccupied with developing new equipment and researching techniques. Since absorbing vampires, his physical abilities had increased to an unprecedented degree, and he was having a lot of fun.

　So, he ended up replenishing his magic power every night when he sleep-trained Serena.

「My, really? By the way, Kian-kun, are you the type of person who doesn't feed the fish you catch? You must be so lucky to have all these girls around you.」

「――――」

「I'll sit beside you, that's fine, isn't it? Oh, and if I can't, just say so. Because I'm going home.」(?)

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