Chapter 68

"Hum hum hum~ Hmm, hum hum~ What a nice day~ A perfect day for a date~"

On the main street of Frein, the rabbit-eared girl was walking along, humming a song and bouncing happily. Her outfit was different from the adventurer-style clothes she usually wore; it was a cute, milky white dress. The thin straps and the wide-open neckline made her ample chest jiggle with every step. The tight black leather belt around her waist emphasized her curvaceous figure, and combined with her plump, smooth buttocks, it created a truly alluring curve. The slender, firm legs that extended from the hem of her skirt, which was about fifteen centimeters above her knees, drew the gazes of the men around her.

However, the most charming thing was the aura that surrounded her and her smile. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she was so happy that her joy overflowed from her entire being. She was a demi-human, wearing a slave collar, but it seemed as if such trivial matters didn't matter to her. The people around her were completely captivated, and the elderly seemed to find something comforting, their faces relaxing.

Following such a cheerful Shia, Aichi walked along with a wry smile. Shia's mood was exceptionally good, and she would turn around every so often to wait for Aichi to catch up, smiling at him. Watching her repeat this behavior, Aichi, like the people around him, couldn't help but relax his face.

"Too excited, aren't you, Shia? You'll trip if you don't watch where you're going."

"Hehehe, no way~ I've been trained by Miss Tsuki~!"

Just as Aichi warned her, Shia turned around to say it was fine, but her feet got tangled, and she was about to fall. Immediately, Aichi caught her by the waist. With Shia's physical abilities, even if she fell, it wouldn't be a big problem, and she could stand up right away. However, today she was wearing a slightly shorter skirt than usual, and to prevent the men around her from becoming lucky perverts, Aichi supported her.

"Sorry."

"See, I know you're in a good mood, so walk next to me."

Shia, whose waist was being held, shyly pulled her body closer, this time gripping Aichi's sleeve and starting to walk beside him in small steps. Seeing her cute appearance with her cheeks flushed from embarrassment, the men around her seemed to be completely smitten. A few of them even fell to the ground, apparently due to the fists of their companions.

Aichi and Shia continued to attract the gazes of those around them as they finally entered the tourist area. The tourist area was filled with various entertainment facilities, such as theaters, street performances, circuses, concert halls, aquariums, arenas, game centers, observation decks, colorful flower beds, large flower mazes, beautiful buildings, and squares.

"Aichi, Aichi! Let's go to the underwater world first! I've never seen live marine creatures before!"

Shia, holding the guidebook in one hand, flapped her rabbit ears as if to say, "Hurry up! Hurry up!" The underwater world was a famous aquarium in the tourist area of Frein. Born in the "Haltina Tree Sea," Shia had never seen marine creatures, so she wanted to go there.

Incidentally, the tree sea had large lakes and rivers, and she was familiar with freshwater fish, but marine creatures were different. (Editor's note: They're not just different, they're bizarre...) Aichi thought that seeing fish together would be fine... but he didn't say anything, sensing the atmosphere. Today, Aichi planned to be gentle with Shia.

"Hey~ Being inland and keeping marine creatures... interesting. Managing, maintaining, and transporting them must be quite a challenge..."

Although his interests were slightly different, Aichi had no reason to refuse and accepted. Shia smiled happily and held Aichi's hand, leading the way.

On the way, there were street performers, and their daring acts that seemed to challenge human limits were quite eye-catching. Soon, Aichi and Shia reached their destination. The underwater world was a large facility, and the entire building was blue, as if to depict the image of the sea. It was quite crowded and lively.

The inside was very similar to an aquarium on Earth. However, it seemed that the technology to make high-pressure transparent tanks, as on Earth, did not exist here. All the tanks were made of thick glass bricks embedded in a grid of metal bars, which was a bit disappointing.

However, Shia didn't mind such things. Her eyes sparkled as she saw the marine creatures swimming for the first time, pointing at the tanks and excitedly talking to Aichi. Next to her, a young girl with her family was doing the same, her eyes also sparkling. Aichi's gaze inadvertently met that of a man who seemed to be the girl's father. Noticing the warmth in the man's eyes, Aichi felt a bit awkward and pulled Shia's hand to leave. Shia was surprised by Aichi's action but also happy to have her hand held, her cheeks turning red as she gently returned the grip.

After enjoying the aquarium for about an hour, Shia suddenly began to stare at a tank she had seen twice.

There was... a merman. It looked exactly like the merman in a game Aichi knew.

"...Why is he here..."

Shia's expression trembled, and she took a step back. The merman seemed to notice Shia and looked back at her from the tank with a listless expression, creating an inexplicable tension. Aichi, leaving the two (or one?) alone, turned his attention to the explanation posted next to the tank.

According to the explanation, this merman was a water-dwelling monster that could use the innate magic [Telepathy]. It was the only known monster capable of communication and was famous for it. Although it rarely spoke, it was possible to have a conversation. However, it seemed to be quite lazy, and even when it did speak, it only gave half-hearted responses, which apparently had the side effect of making the person talking to it feel drained (?). It also seemed to like alcohol, and after drinking, it would become talkative, but it was just a one-sided lecture, and a proper conversation was not possible... Incidentally, its name was Riman.

Shia, with a thin sweat on her forehead, continued to stare at the merman, or rather, confront him. Aichi, leaving her alone, started a conversation with the merman. However, since the merman usually didn't respond to most conversations, Aichi also used [Telepathy].

[Can you use telepathy? Can you really speak? Do you understand the meaning of these words?]

At this sudden telepathic message, Riman's eyes twitched. Then, his gaze moved from Shia to Aichi slowly. Shia's expression of [I won!] was ignored.

[...Tch, first time meeting, huh? Introduce yourself first. That's basic manners, you know. Really, these young people these days...]

Being lectured on manners by a fish with a middle-aged man's face was a regrettable mistake. Aichi's face tightened as he tried to start the conversation again.

[...Sorry. I'm Aichi. You can really talk. What exactly are you, Riman?]

[...What are you, human? How do you answer such a question? It's impossible to know. Well, if I have to say, I'm just me, nothing more. And I don't have a name, you can call me whatever you like.]

Aichi thought to himself,

(What should I do... The lines are so sensible and even a bit cool, completely unexpected. Wasn't it supposed to be half-hearted responses? Should I go complain to the aquarium staff...?)

Aichi looked away, slightly avoiding reality, when Riman sent a question.

[I have a question too. Why can you use telepathy? You're a human, but I don't sense any magic being used... It's as if you're the same as me.]

It was a reasonable question. A human using the innate magic [Telepathy] was unusual. Riman, who rarely spoke, responded to Aichi's conversation, possibly because of this. Aichi, who had eaten a monster that could use telepathy, explained the situation in a concise manner.

[...Young people have it tough. Well, if you have any questions, ask. I'll answer what I can.]

He was being sympathetic. Clearly, he thought Aichi was so poor that he had to eat monsters. Looking at Aichi's current well-dressed appearance, Riman made a gesture as if to say, "You've worked hard, that's great! I'm not crying," and sniffed.

Actually, those days were particularly tough, so Aichi didn't correct him. However, being pitied by a merman was... a bit stressful. Aichi, regaining his composure, tried to ask Riman various questions. For example, do monsters have a clear will? How are monsters born? Are there other monsters that can communicate? Riman said that almost all monsters act on instinct and don't have a clear will. He didn't know if there were other monsters that could communicate besides his own species. He also didn't know how monsters were born.

They talked about various other things, and a corresponding amount of time passed. However, from an outsider's perspective, it just looked like a young man and a merman with a middle-aged man's face staring at each other endlessly, which began to attract attention. Shia, becoming restless, slightly tugged on the hem of Aichi's clothes, and Aichi stopped the conversation.

Although the conversation with Riman was quite interesting, today's schedule was to spend time with Shia, and breaking a promise lightly was not acceptable. Riman's aura seemed to say, "Oops, I interrupted your date," and he ended the conversation. Incidentally, by that time, they had become on a first-name basis, calling each other "Mr. Riman" and "Young Master Aichi." To Aichi, Riman, despite his merman appearance, was a real man.

Finally, Aichi tried to find out why Riman was in such a place. His answer was...

[Well? I don't want to be here. As I said earlier, I like to travel freely. I was swimming in an underground waterway recently when I was suddenly shot out to the surface... When I noticed, I was lying in the grass next to a spring. Although I wouldn't die out of the water, I couldn't move. So, I used telepathy to ask for help... Well, I ended up here.]

Aichi's temple dripped with sweat. This was clearly the same incident where he was ejected from the Lysion Great Labyrinth. Riman was also caught up in it and shot out with the fountain. Although the direct cause was Milly, being caught up in it was the same.

Aichi cleared his throat and, regaining his composure, asked Riman.

[Ah, Mr. Riman. So, do you want to get out of here?]

[? Of course, I want to get out. I'm more suited to a free and wandering life. Being born and returning to nature is the most important thing. I shouldn't die in a prison like this but in the vast ocean.]

Riman spoke with deep meaning. Aichi was already quite fond of Riman, and since he was involved in the incident, he decided to help him.

[Mr. Riman. If that's the case, I'll take you to a nearby river. It seems you got caught up in our situation. I'll send something to pick you up in a few minutes. Please trust me and don't move during the transfer.]

[Young Master Aichi... Hehe, no need to worry... I don't know what you're planning, but I haven't sunk so low as to not trust someone who says, "I want to be your strength." I'll trust and wait for Young Master Aichi.]

Aichi and Riman exchanged a manly smile. Shia, who knew nothing, looked at the two (or one?) staring at each other with such expressions and commented, "Huh? An unexpected rival appears?" Her face tightened. Aichi turned around and pulled Shia's hand to leave. Although she didn't know the reason, she decided to follow Aichi. As she thought this, Riman's [Telepathy] entered her mind.

[Little girl, I'm sorry for scaring you. Hold onto Young Master Aichi's hand and don't let go.]

"Eh? Eh? No, no need to worry! Thanks to that, I had my first kiss with Mr. Aichi! And of course, I won't let go!"

Although she didn't know the reason, Shia answered properly. Riman looked at her and smiled in satisfaction. Aichi, muttering "Meddling" with a wry smile, wished his new