Chapter 11
Chapter 11: Being Concern
[Ne~ Shiki, er, do you always do this?]
First floor of the labyrinth.
After defeating Fang Rabbits, Ruruka asked me when I am lightly petting Yuel who is retrieving the dropped item.
[That’s the case, what’s wrong?]
I carefully use my right hand to slowly stroke Yuel hair and my left hand to tickle her chin.
Possibly being unable to forget about the battle yesterday, although Yuel did not resist having her hair stroke, she did not hug me as tightly as she did in the past.
While I feel slightly unsatisfied about it, I still continue stroking the soft silvery hair in front of me.
Ruruka showed a complicated expression but did not say anything further after watching this scene.
[No, it’s nothing…]
She sounds somewhat dissatisfied.
As expected, I wonder if she thinks I am a ‘Lolicon’.
However, this is my [Job].
This skin ship is for the sake of increasing Yuel motivation.
There is no way I could stop doing it.
Besides, if I stop doing this, then all I will be doing is following behind the party.
My whole worth in this labyrinth is stroking Yuel.
Acting like a pimp, I praise Yuel, stroke her, encourage her and put in my best effort to make her motivated for the next battle.
At the same time, petting Yuel is also one of my joy in life.
The joyous feeling of being respected by Yuel.
It is just impossible to stop this.
After we completed the first floor and in the middle of the second floor, I understand the basic battle style of Ruruna.
Ruruna is a warrior which uses a single handed sword and shield and fight by deflecting enemy attack, evade and attack when she sees an opening.
From my observation, she can use shield skill and specialized in evading and attracting the attention of the enemy.
She threw small stones to attract and disrupt the attention of monsters trying to get behind her.
Although her attack does not seem strong, but she is able to bring her sense of reliability to her teammate by drawing the attraction of multiple enemy.
This is the so called shield user.
Thanks to Ruruka attracting the attention of the enemy, Yuel could focus on annihilating the enemy and we proceed through the dungeon more smoothly than usual.
We reached the fifth floor.
There is four giant bird in front of us.
Except for the presence of Ruruka, it is the same situation as yesterday.
The image of Yuel crying as she was unable to protect me flashes in my mind.
This is a good opportunity.
[Please wait a moment]
I stopped Yuel and Ruruka the moment they are about the rush forward.
This is an opportunity for Yuel to regain her confidence.
[Ruruka, could you leave this battle to Yuel?]
To overcame her previous failure, she must redeem it with her own ability.
Different from yesterday, she is carrying throwing knife with her now.
I believe the current Yuel could handle this situation.
[Uwa~, that’s amazing]
The four giant bird fell to the ground after the small knife pierced through their throat.
This is caused by Yuel throwing knife.
As expected, Yuel is definitely amazing.
The battle ended faster than normally fighting with a hand-held knife.
Even though the giant bird would only move in a straight line, it is still extremely difficult to accurately pierce the monster throat 10 metres away using the small knife.
Although I am respected by Yuel, I felt that I am beginning to respect Yuel instead.
[I did it! Goshujinsama!]
After Yuel retrieved the small knife and dropped item, she happily run over.
And leaped into my chest with all her momentum.
It se
ems like she did not hold back.
Casting aside her previous gloomy face, Yuel whole face is smiling widely.
Yuel overcame her past failure and regain her confidence.
Looking at the innocent Yuel being so happy, I am so pleased for her.
[Amazing, Yuel is so amazing!]
I gently hug Yuel who leaped into my chest and caress her head.
Yuel hug my waist and rub her head on my chest while sticking her body to me.
I used one hand to hug her back and the other hand to gentle stroke Yuel hand.
I felt Yuel react to my stroking and rubbing her head against my hand.
Such a nostalgic feeling.
Such a nostalgic reaction.
Despite Yuel only feeling depressed for one day, I felt that it has been a long time since I saw such a reaction.
I felt extremely happy.
I wonder what kind of feeling is this.
Oh right, it felt like my cute daughter getting first place in her athletic meet.
I have this urge to praise her even more.
I want to fully express this joy.
More, I want to praise Yuel.
I will not do with only caressing her head like usual.
It won’t do with only this.
Today is the day Yuel overcame her past, yes, today is such a memorable day.
I squat down, looped my hand behind Yuel’s leg and back and carried Yuel.
A princess carry.
(T.L Found this on Baidu.com. All credit to them)
Yuel gave out a surprised voice for a moment but immediately looped her hand over my head and rub her head on my chest.
I let Yuel do as she pleased after she stabilize her upper body while using my left arm to stabilize her lower body.
I caressed Yuel head with my freed right hand.
And lightly pressed Yuel head onto my chest further.
[Yuel is so amazing]
Praise her, stroke her, praise her, stroke her.
Yuel gave out a happy sound and rub her head even more.
Just when I wanted to hug the head of such a cute Yuel —
[Wait a moment! This is strange, is not it!?]
All of a sudden, I heard Ruruka voice. (T.L I forgot she is still there when I translate half way)
Ruruka whose face turned red, is looking over here which eye wide in surprise.
[What’s wrong?]
I am only praising a hardworking child with some skin ship.
I am not doing anything weird.
[E, eto, no, but, you won’t do anything to Yuel-chan?…]
I didn’t do anything weird.
I am just rewarding Yuel for her hardwork by princess carry and stroking her head.
There is nothing s.e.xual about it as it is just skin skip between a parent and their child.
Or is the matter of not doing anything to Yuel referring to not even allowing to touch her?
It is so unfair if I am judged as Lolicon just by this.
[I am only stroking her?]
[Although that’s the case… but you see, princess carry as such…]
Ruruka said such a thing while behaving suspiciously.
It seems like she is unable to calm down.
I wonder what this reaction means —
When when my attention turned towards Ruruka, Yuel started squiming around.
It seems that it is due me stopping my hand movement.
Behind my head, with all the fingers on her hand intertwined Yuel seem like she wanted to hug my head.
Yuel uses her finger to caress my head and locked my neck with her elbow and said:
[My, Goshujinsama]
Yuel is whispering into my ear just a few centremetres appear from me.
Just like this, Yuel cheek closed in onto my face.
Soft slivery hair and cheek.
Yuel moisted skin approaches my cheek and I felt a contact.
And then, Yuel cheek is pressed against my cheek and she started rubbing.
Her face sticking to my face.
In addition, I can smell a faint sweet smell of shampoo used by her during bathing.
My soul is being healed and my heart became warm.
[Ho, hora, you know a girl must not stick so close to man?]
This time, Ruruka forcefully stuck her body between Yuel and me.
Closely sticking between Yuel and me.
In other words, in front of me.
It is a distance which I will touch Ruruka if I slightly move my face.
And different from usual, Ruruka showed a desperate expression.
Contrary to the gentleness of her voice, she forcefully pulled Yuel away from me.
[Ruruka?]
And then my eye met with Ruruka.
She might be surprised by her own action as her eye grew wide in shock by our close proximity.
Matching her bright red hair, I could also see her big and beautiful green eyes in detail.
This is too close and I felt something weird.
Ruruka is also the same as her face become red— no [her whole head is red like tomato].
…. Are, what is this.
I feel something weird about this flow of events.
[Ruruka-san?]
[Wh, what is it!?]
Her body stiffen when I tried to talk to her and immediately move a great distance away from me while still having bright red face.
She avoid looking at my face by looking downwards and showed an uneasy expression.
What.
Is the reaction.
Furthermore, stopping Yuel from having close body contact with me.
Could it be.
Could this really be it.
… No, I must not get fooled.
Stay calm.
If I look back at Ruruka’s past action.
Even back in the clinic, how many times have a misunderstanding occur with leads to a reducing in treatment cost.
This must all be an act.
… However, is this really all an act?
Ruruka anxious look, bright red face and her suspicious behavior.
If all this is an act, I might never be able to believe the creature known as women ever again.
Up until this date, there is no reason for Ruruka to like me.
After all, there is no event of me saving Ruruka live during danger and we did not come into contact for long.
Ellis whom I live together with for three months in the clinic have a higher chance of liking me.
I do not have any idea the reason why Ruruka showed such an expression.
Our contact is only limited to treatment at the clinic and payment for the service.
Furthermore, Ruruka is an extremely charming women whom will not fall in love with just anyone.
No, she might like me since she allow me to touch her breast.
No, no, she did all this to lower the cost of the treatment.
This is all for the sake of money.
…However, what if she appears money-minded in order to hide her shyness.
No, because, I only got to her name recently.
Our relationship is only till the level of knowing each other.
Are~, but yet Ruruka knows my name.
I do not recall introduction myself to her.
What?
Is that it?
Like when I go to a convenience store and secretly look at the name tag of a cute clerk —
No, this is not about the matter of naming.
The main question is, what does Ruruka feels about me?
Although I feel over conscious, it seem too obvious judging from Ruruka behavior.
Asking [Do you like me?], it feel so direct that I could not say out the word.
If, by any chance, I misread Ruruka behavior, I will be labelled as [Misunderstanding-kun].
It will then only cause me to go [Aaaaaa] every time remembered it at night during bedtime.
I could not afford to ask, but I am very curious.
— What is this, it makes me feel very uncomfortable.