05 ★ (Flags showing up rapidly ✩)
Earth: if you are annoyed by my comment throughout the chapter then I"ll refrain from doing it in the next chapter.
_________
Although I said my son is already gone, I wonder what happened down there exactly? (Earth: you have a puss now you idiot.) I"m too afraid to check, so I"ll put that off for now. Fortunately, there"s no sign of menstruation.
"that"s right, and this is not the time to be panicked."
Although you can say that I"m just ignoring the problem, that"s fine too. I have to mentally prepare myself for it after all.
At any rate, I"m in the middle of a forest.
Unlike the dense jungle, the forest here feels more s.p.a.ced and more refreshing.
Moss and other small plants covering the ground and the trees all around me are forming a uniformly green color, but beams of sunlight that managed to get past the green canopy created a beautiful contrast. It wouldn’t be surprising if a fairy or a spirit came out to play with this almost mythical scenery surrounding me.
I stretch myself on top of Minoko"s back and slowly inhale the forest air… Tasty. It felt as if it clear out my body"s stagnated air in one go. As I was breathed deeply, my stomach didn"t swell out.
"[Rububu forest] was it? It doesn"t feel like the sea of trees, but if I just wander around aimlessly I would probably get lost… No, I"m already lost, isn"t it?"
Well then, look like it"s time to start being troubled.
I can at least sate my thirst if I can find a river but I obviously don"t know where or how to look for it, I can"t even make a campfire by hand. A perfect city-borne kid.
While I"m groaning over this predicament, I"m in, and I suddenly recall a word from the ranch owner…
"If someone asks you about an animal with a good nose you will usually think of dogs, right? But cows also have a sharp sense of smell too, that"s why they won"t eat something that"s too stinky. Come to think of it. Humans sure love stinky food, aren"t we? Like cheese, natto or an office lady"s stocking that has been used all day long… Hm? The last one is just me, you say? Wait, no, that shouldn"t be…"
That ranch… While I didn"t hear any news about it, can that place even operate with that kind of owner?
Though I recall something unnecessary but it seems like a cow have several times better nose than human do but will it be fine if I just leave it all to Minoko? That"s practically a lost child way of thinking.
"You can move however you like, Minoko. If you smell fruits or something, then please go there."
"nmmooooo"
I a.s.sume that she can understand human words and talk to her like a normal person. It seems like I"m losing my common sense at a pretty fast rate.
And she also replies to me "It can"t be helped, huh." And continue walking.
"Haha, it feels like I became the bear riding Kintarou."
Although we"re going at a snail"s pace it not like I have any equipment like a straddle so I would just fall off if she runs, this is just right for me.
ill.u.s.tration (Ill.u.s.trated by Mokyu)
Anyway. Although this looks like an excellent place to go for some morning jog…
"If I get lost I have only 50% to make it out alive, huh."
The main cause is probably the mentioned orcs. If it"s anything like how I imagined it to be, the current me probably can"t even putting up a fight. I"ll lose like a dying stray dog. I wish I won"t encounter them. (Flag raised.)
"If I can"t find a populated town then at least a safe shelter…"
Thinking back on it, being freed from the gear of society is stupid because it means no manga, game or internet. I still want to live like a civilized person.
There"s so much to do to reach that goal it gave me a headache.
"W, what?"
When I try to scratch my head, my fingers touched something hard.
This is…
Woah, no way.
"I grew horns…"
Just like Minoko"s but a lot smaller, around the size of a small bamboo shoot growing from both sides of my temple. Something that"s inhuman.
I see.
Be it a boy, a j.a.panese or even a human.
I"m none of those anymore, huh.
Well…
"Compare to my breast then this is not that shocking."
Rather, isn"t horns cool? Would it be able to grow too?
"Hehe, now I"m matching with you, Minoko."
She dismissed it with a snort of her nose as if to say that it"s not something to be impressed about. I accept the horns quite readily.
Did anything else change?
Since I don"t have a mirror, I start to inspect my body with my hands instead. There doesn"t seem to be anything wrong with my ears, nose, and mouth.
The third eye on my forehead… Nope. Despite my expectations, there"s no such a thing there.
And I, of course, have no idea how my face looks like. Will I be cool looking? That was probably asking for too much. That"s why just a normal looking face is fine. A face where I can live amongst humans without trouble.
"Ah."
While I was thinking, I found another part that differs from normal humans. There"s something on my back. I twist my neck a far as I could to look and see something black just next to my shoulder blades.
"Is that… Wings?"
Hmm? Wings? Not the bird-like feathery wings but bat wings. If I have wings, then don"t tell me…
That"s right. I only pay attention to the fact that succubus is a lewd demon that I forgot that they could fly. Can I fly too? Can I fly through the sky too!? Although it"s not a dragon, if it can fly then that"s fine, too!
My eyes glitter from the thought of realizing one of my dreams.
Just to feel down the moment later.
Looking at the size made me think that maybe it"s impossible after all. It"s even smaller than my shoulders, no way it can support my weight.
I tried to move it, and sure enough, it flapped for a bit, but I remain on Minoko"s back.
"If I can"t fly then what is the point?"
I even get my hopes up for it, and now the disappointment is even worse than it would be otherwise.
As if to hug it, I lie face down on Minoko"s back. My breast that"s pressing on her back is painful. Now I"m depressed.
After that, we continue walking for about an hour. Strolling is not bad, but we didn"t found anything of interest either. Nothing at all be it foods or any man-made structure. Sometimes Minoko would sniff at some gra.s.s, but she never eats any of them.
"uuuu… I"m hungryyyyyy. I want to eat Tenichi rameennnn…"
Ah, I was eating it before I die, isn"t it? It was practically my last supper.
"Minoko, if you want to eat then go ahead, okay? You don"t have to be worried about me. You"re also hungry, right? If you don"t eat, then I will also… Hmm? What"s it?"
Her ears stood up, and she stops walking, she turns her head sideways and stares at it. I also turn to look at the same direction.
*Rustle rustle*
Although there"s no wind, the gra.s.s moved. I broke into a cold sweat. From beyond the trees that grew close together, I heard a "gufu" sound like someone"s rough breathing.
It"s coming.
I feel like I"m a sheep now in front of a wolf, my body is trembling. It"s not some random squirrel or bunny. Something way stronger than me is coming.
"Forgive me alreadyyyyy…"
The next moment, what appears to me is a big, green arm that almost blended into the greenery pushing its way out of the thicket. An arm as thick as a human throat and a hand that could probably cave in a human head with a single hit appear, it grabs the nearby tree trunk and gouge a big chunk out of it.
My heart almost stops by that alone. I"m terrified now.
Being in a whole new world, facing an opponent that I have absolutely no way to defeat like a bear or tiger from my previous world is coming. But this time it isn"t restraint by a cage. It"s here in front of me. That"s why I"m having a fear of my life right now.
[for today]
"Gofu… gufu…"
While breathing out a white steam, it came out.
Looking at its powerful appearance, forget to blink, I can"t even breathe. It"s also huge, and it"s as high as me who was riding on Minoko. It"s skin from the tip of its toes to its bald head is green, its eyes are growing a sharp light, and a pair of tusk was protruding out of its mouth. No one would ever think of this thing as friendly.
It wears a tattered loincloth made of animal skin, exposing its pro wrestler-like upper body. It comes. What the h.e.l.l should I do? (Earth: I activate my spell card: flag realization!)
"Goffu… Gufufu…"
Having found an easy prey, its mouth break into a grin-like expression. Aaahhhh I"m so dead. That d.a.m.n woman, I"ll curse you. Even though this is supposed to let me live a second life, it seems like I"m dead. Mom and dad, I"m sorry I die before you again.
Although I don"t know if it"s an orc, that doesn"t matter. Although it looks like a pig-faced monster in games and manga, the orc of this world looks more like an oni. Even if it doesn"t have a pig face, no one would think it"s a human either.
Maybe this one is a kind one… Probably not. Its eyes are a full-blown predator"s. Seem like I"m trying to escape reality again.
"Gufuu… Gufuoo!!?" (Earth: *start talking in orcish*)
While my head is going haywire, the orc suddenly made a surprised voice and quickly leaped back like it"s trying to put a distance from me.
Contrary from the moment before, the orc is showing sign of caution and fear, its tusk is sc.r.a.ping each other, and it makes a weird groan from its throat. Did it suddenly change its mind after witnessed my pitiful state? Wait, why am I thinking like that?
"Gu, GUAAAAAA!!!"
It roared. Scary! I feel like I"m going to wet myself! I"m really, definitely dead.
I"m so scared I start reciting sutra, and then I realized something.
The orc didn"t even look at me.
"Mi… no… tauro…s?"
It talked. And it"s staring directly at Minoko. I see Minoko is based on a minotaur’s after all. Judging from its reaction seems like minotaurs aren’t common around here. That would explain why it act so surprised.
And because it"s keeping away and doesn"t attack, it seems like Minotauros is stronger than orcs.
Whether Minoko stops because she fears the orc or because she simply can"t understand what is going, I still follow her example and keep myself calm.
"Gufururuu" (Earth: I should have taken that orcish course I saw some years back.)
"Don"t move! If you do anything suspicious, these minotaurs will attack you!"
It seems to be startled by my shout, and its body stiffen. Good. It can understand words.
"Just like that! We"ve no intention to attack you!"
After I declare that I come in peace, as if to test my reaction, it says: "Destroying forest. Can"t forgive." (Earth"s note: the orc constantly switch between kanji and katakana, kinda like it can"t speak too clearly or fluently)
Good, we can communicate.
It"s weird that they still use j.a.panese in this world, but the office lady did say that the reincarnation is for the dead to enjoy a second life so it"ll be inconvenient if they can"t understand anything, huh.
"We don"t have any plan to vandalize this place. We"re just lost. If you can tell us the way out of this forest, then we will be gone in a second."
I"m very scared right now, and my heart is beating so loud it might explode. And my voice. Even though I use the most intimidating voice, I could do it isn"t intimidating at all.
"your smell… Human? No… Demon?"
"T, that"s right but why do you ask?"
"If lost then, let go. Fellow demon, no reason to fight."
"I, I"m succubus! A demon! Look here! See?"
Succubus is a demon, right? I hurriedly let him see my tiny horns using my hands to hold up the hair that covering it. Calling myself a demon is a bit hard to do, but my life is more important. So there"s a rule that said two demons shouldn"t fight each other? I wish you should tell me something like that sooner.
"Succubus? What are a succubus and, minotaurs, doing here?"
"Ahhhh… It"s a long story."
Do this world know of the concept of reincarnation? If they don"t then talk about it will only make me look suspicious, and I don"t want that especially when the orc is still wary of us. If I accidentally say something wrong then…
*cow"s thundering stomach growl* *succubus"s cute stomach growl."
Minoko and my stomach who can"t read the mood and decided to growl simultaneously and broke the silence. I"m so embarra.s.sed my face is on fire.
The orc look baffled by it. But it seems like sometimes, things like this is more persuasive than words.
"Hun, gry?"
"ah, yes. We"re wandering around searching for foods…"
It"s not something to hide, so I tell him the truth and since this forest is the orc"s turf, if I eat things without permission then I don"t know what would happen. I just want to know where the road out of the forest are but then the orc says something unexpected.
"If promised to behave, I give food."
"Really!? You will feed us!?"
"promise?"
"Of course! Minoko will behave too, right!?"
"nnmo~"
Will it be fine to just go with the flow? The orc didn"t answer back but the situation seem okay for the time being.
"Follow. To my place."
"Thank you very much!
Orc-sama… I unintentionally use honorific. It seems like I can"t judge books from its cover after all.
I think of orc as an evil, merciless race but if one talk to it we can communicate, isn"t it? That bald head suddenly looks a lot cuter.
Me and Minoko start to follow its lead.
"Is this forest a danger zone? It doesn"t feel like on though."
"It"s a calm forest. A lot of demon and humans come hunting. I drive them away."
So he"s like a guardian? My evaluation of the orc is steadily increasing. That d.a.m.n pervert 30 years old, what did you mean by 50% dead rate? You are just lying to scare me, aren"t you?
Maybe he"s still wary of Minoko since he turns to look at her a few times. Seeing that I feel a bit bad. It"s probably afraid of Minoko. Although I just trouble him for foods… sorry about that…
When I was thinking about that.
"You. Smell better than human females. Gufu."
He isn"t talking about Minoko, but about me, as if to appraising me, I felt his eyes watch every part of my body and hear him licking his lips
"I, is that so?"
My body froze. Is that a joke? Or was it compliment? Is it something only a demon would understand?
Anyway, I decided to keep quiet about the fact that Minko isn"t actually a minotaur.