Volume 4 - CH 4

Chapter 4 – Life on the Hideaway and Rimu’s Victory

Morning… huh? After completing my morning routine, I get ready and head out of the room. Well, I was so excited last night that I felt kind of heavy.

But Girasole is with us, so I’m going to enjoy myself. When I went to the dining room, all the members of Girasole were already there.

“Good morning, everyone. Sorry for the lateness.”

“”””””Good morning.””””””

I also greeted Rimu, who was approaching me.

“Rimu, good morning. Did you have fun?”

“Good morning, it was fun.”

“Dorothea-san, thank you very much for your help with Rimu. Did he cause you any trouble?”

“No problem, Rimu was a very nice child, and I had a good time with him.”

“I see. I heard that Rimu also enjoyed it, so thank you very much.”

I wanted to ask Rimu about his night with Dorothea-san in detail, but I decided not to. I would pass over the perversity.

Breakfast, as I said last night, will be ready-made. Claretta-san is going to cook lunch today; I’m looking forward to it.

“Well then, we’d better get back to the Luto. Are you ready?”

“Oh, wait a minute, I left my bathrobe hanging out to dry. Do you think I can leave it like this?”

“Ah, yes. If it is dry, you can leave it as it is, but if it is damp, it will not dry after repatriation, so it is better to dry it on the Luto.”

“I’m sorry, Wataru-san. I’ll go check. Can you give me some time?”

“Yes, that’s alright, Alessia-san.”

The other Girasole members also went back to their rooms to check. Ours were dry, so I think it will be fine as long as we hang them up when we get back to our rooms.

“Thanks for waiting, they were dry.”

“Well, shall we go?”

A few moments after we switched to the Luto and departed, a group of monsters attacked us. Those are… the first time I’ve seen them, but what are they? They look like people, but… I can’t figure it out, so I go to the salon to let everyone know, hoping they’re not mermaids.

“A group of monsters I’ve never seen before attacking us. Can you please check them out?”

“…Those are merman. They’re monsters that attack ships and eat people. Individually they’re not that strong, but they attack in groups, so they’re hated.”

“I see, Alessia-san; thank you very much. Can we get any materials from them?”

“No, only magic stones and the value of their magic stones is low.”

“I understand. I’m glad they are not mermaids.”

“Mermaid? Mermaids don’t look that ugly, you know.”

“Hahaha, that’s right.”

Good thing that they are not mermaids. Besides, the fact that they don’t look ugly means that they could also be beautiful.

It is possible that they could still be mammals, like dugongs or manatees. But I believe there is a paradise for beautiful mermaids. After all, this is a different world.

“Wataru-san, Wataru-san, what’s the matter?”

“Eh? Ah, I’m sorry, Alessia-san, I was just lost in thought. Then, for now, let’s reduce it as much as we can.”

The merman bounced back when they hit the barriers, but the members of Girasole, Ines, and Felicia were able to clear them away quickly and easily. 

…My bow was bounced, and I never thought it would not work even against a weak opponent; it’s an attack to gain experience with Rimu. My level has gone up a lot. Why can’t I defeat it? 

“Whew, that’s a lot of work when there’s so many of them.”

“Thank you very much for your hard work, everyone.”

When I was resting after easily eradicating the merman, Marina-san came to talk to me.

“Wataru-san, I don’t think that bow will work against sea monsters; why are you using it?”

“Eh? …I bought it for practice, and just kind of used it as it was. If I may ask, is this bow no good?”

“Yes.”

I see; that’s what I thought. It’s a beginner’s training bow and arrow, isn’t it? Even if you don’t need to think about it, it’s no good because no matter what level you go up, a loose bow and arrow will never be strengthened, so there’s no way you’ll be able to defeat it no matter how long it takes, it makes sense.

“Well, I think I’ll buy a new bow and arrow in the next town.”

“That would be good.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Wataru-san, I was also looking at him, but I was wondering, doesn’t Rimu-chan use magic to attack?”

“Ah, Claretta-san, Rimu can only use purification. It seems that he cannot use offensive magic yet.”

“Is that so? Then, shall I try to show Rimu-chan some of the magic and see if he can use it?”

“Eh, is that okay? That would be very helpful, but would it cause you any trouble?”

“Fufufu, it’s fine. Wataru-san was the one who taught me how to cook, so let me return the favor a little.”

“Thank you. Then, Rimu, Claretta-san is going to teach Rimu some magic; why don’t you try learning magic?”

“Magic, Rimu, want.”

“Rimu said he wants to learn magic, too.”

“I understand. Rimu-chan, I look forward to working with you.”

I returned to the ship, and Claretta-san was teaching magic to Rimu on the rear deck. The others seem to have returned to the salon, and I occasionally hear them laughing.

After a while, Ines and Felicia come to take turns, so I return to the salon with Claretta-san and Rimu, who are going back to prepare lunch.

“Claretta-san, is Rimu going to be able to learn some new magic?”

“Fufu, Rimu-chan has already learned two new spells. Heal and Holy Ball, Rimu-chan is amazing; I’ll find time to teach him again.”

“Thank you very much, Claretta-san. Thanks a lot for your time.”

I was curious about the effect of the Holy Ball, so I asked her about its effect. She told me that it removes the miasma of monsters, and although it is not powerful, it surely damages the monsters.

“Rimu, you learned magic, that’s great, that’s great, show me later.”

“Rimu, happy. Rimu likes Claretta.”

“Claretta-san, Rimu said he’s happy, and he also likes you, thank you very much.”

“Fufu, Rimu-chan, I’m happy too.”

The appearance of Claretta-san, smiling and patting Rimu, is divine.

We had a delicious lunch prepared by Claretta-san and decided to make a large batch of pudding in the afternoon.

Claretta-san and Carla-san are going to help me; I’ll make a lot of them and store them on the ship. Rimu is playing reversi with the rest of the Girasole members.

We make a lot of puddings while fighting off the monster attack, and while we’re at it, we also prepare dinner.

By the way, Rimu’s Holy Ball damages the monsters but doesn’t knock them down. But it was incredibly cute to see Rimu, who worked hard to send the ball of light flying while twitching his body.

For dinner today, we made cheese chicken cutlets with the cheese I had on hand. I cut chicken breast into 1 cm pieces, seasoned them with salt and pepper, and put cheese between them.

It would be delicious with some shiso leaves in between, but I didn’t buy any, and I wonder if they sell them.

“It’s getting dark, and it’s time to move on to the Hideaway.”

“Okay.”

We move to the Hideaway and gather in the dining room for dinner.

“This is good too. Fried chicken is good, but cheese chicken cutlet? I like this one too, the crispy batter and the melted cheese coming out from the inside, very tasty, Wataru-san.”

“I’m glad you liked it, Alessia-san.”

Everyone else seemed to like it too, and all the extra cheese chicken cutlets I had made were gone. I made quite a few more, but there were none left over.

I want to stock the leftover side dishes in the food storage ship… Should I make more next time? What should I do if there are still no leftovers?

“Wataru-san, I want some pudding.”

“Yes, Carla-san, I know; I’ll bring some right now. Do the rest of you want some pudding, too?”

“””””””Yes.””””””””

I bring pudding for everyone and distribute it. Everyone is smiling; after all, pudding is great. I think Rimu is also eating it with a bigger portion than usual.

“Rimu, do you like pudding?”

“Rimu, pudding, like.”

When I was talking with Rimu, I was poked and prodded, and when I turned around, Carla-san was looking at me with expectant eyes. Cute.

“This is the last pudding for today.”

“Too bad, can we have pudding again tomorrow?”

“Sure, but if you eat that much pudding continuously, you’ll get bored, won’t you?”

“No problem.”

I put out more pudding and distributed it to the other people who wanted more… Eventually, I distributed it to everyone. The pudding was very popular. After the meal was over, we gathered in the living room to drink tea. It’s so relaxing.

“Hey, Wataru-san. I understand the bathroom in the room, but how do you use the shower?”

“Oh, that’s right. The shower comes down with hot water from above, and you can wash your body. Would you like to use it?”

I let the shower explanation go by a little to get a mixed bath, but they noticed. I guess I can’t take a bath today.

“Sounds interesting. Can we use it?”

They were interested in it…

“Yes, I’ll explain then.”

All the Girasole members are going to try to use the shower. Too bad… Well, it’s easier to wash your body in the shower because you don’t have to wear a bathrobe.

Soaking in the bathtub feels good, and it’s not like I’m going to lose my chance, so that’s good.

“Hmm, I’m up for another bath today. Are you two good?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

I changed into a bathrobe and took a leisurely soak in the hot water while playing with Rimu. But I should take a shower as well as a bath in order to wash myself properly.

After enjoying the bath, I return to the room. I change into my sleepwear and go to the living room, where I find Girasole all gathered together.

They smelled kind of nice. Is it possible for six such beautiful women to smell so nice? What would happen if they got shampoo, conditioner, and body soap?

“Would you all like a cold drink?”

“Please.”

I handed out juice to everyone and sat down on the sofa.

“Whew, it’s delicious. Wataru-san, the shower feels good too. I like to take a bath to relax, but I also like to take a shower for a quick refreshment.”

“You are right, Alessia-san; if you just want to wash your body, a shower will be enough. A bath is a good way to warm up slowly and get rid of fatigue, but it takes a lot of time.”

Let’s mix in a little bit of the good aspects of a bath.

“That reminds me, I felt more tired after taking a long bath on the island, too. I was able to get a good night’s sleep.”

“I guess baths have that effect, too. Well, you can use it according to your mood of the day.”

“Thank you. I didn’t expect such a comfortable boat trip. Are you sure you only need an escort? It’s more comfortable than a first-class inn.”

“Haha, well, that’s fine. As I told you before, when I get paid, I tend to put a lot of thought into it, and I’d appreciate it if you took it easy.”

“Fufu, I understand. But I think we can help you on land, so let me know if you have any requests.”

“Thank you very much. I will ask for your help then.”

I guess I’m a bad person because I immediately think of something naughty when someone says something like ‘request.’ I want to be a person who can afford to be, how should I put it?

We played reversi and Jenga with Girasole. It’s still a wonderful sight. Rimu jumped on me and told me what he wanted to do.

“Rimu, strong.”

“Hmm? What is strong?”

“Reversi.”

Reversi? I looked at the table where they were playing and saw that Ines was frozen.

“Did you beat Ines, by any chance?”

“Yes, Rimu, strong.”

“Oh, that’s great; at first, you couldn’t beat her at all, but now you’re getting stronger.”

“I’m so happy.”

“I see, you worked hard. I’m so proud of you.”

I patted Rimu and praised him a lot. 

Dorothea-san and Ilma-san would intentionally lose to Rimu, but Ines was giving it her all. She’s going to be in shock because she really tried and really lost.

Felicia is consoling her, but her face is all stiff. Felicia must be thinking about the possibility of losing because she’s really competing with Rimu, too. It’s kind of funny.

Jenga and reversi… I’ll see what else I can come up with. As for me, I’d like to make a twister or something, but I think the purpose is too obvious. Well, I’ll think about it when I return to Southern City.