Chapter 2: Reconnaissance of this Jealous (?) Princess!
Part 1
I've been waking up early in the morning to practice my swordplay.
We bought some training dummies, but I soon got bored of hitting unmoving objects.
Moving on to a different sort of dummy, I roped Revi into sparring with me.
"Ow! Hey, do you really have to hit that hard?! And it's not fair if you buff yourself!"
We were only practicing with wooden swords, but they could still do a fair bit of damage if you got hit directly with it.
At first, Revi wasn't particularly enthused about sparring with me. I had to remind him that if he was ever disarmed in combat and lost his crossbow, he would be vulnerable without some kind of close combat skill.
He agreed after that explanation, but…
"Keep it up, Revi! The devil is rooting for you!"
Even though it's early in the morning, Komekko-chan got up to watch us spar, cheering on Revi.
"Hey, why are your attacks getting heavier all of a sudden?!"
I whacked him harder with my sword.
However, this would turn out to be a mistake on my part. I got focused on trying to hurt him and forgot about my own defense.
He used a move I taught him after successfully blocking my attack, sliding along the length of my practice sword. He slashed at my throat.
"Gack!"
I let out a croak as he cut off my airflow for a few seconds, sending me into a coughing fit.
He took advantage of that to whack me on the head several times.
"Hah! How the tables have turned! I guess even a beginner can get a lucky shot in when fighting a master…"
"[Akashic Discharge]!"
"Owww?! Whyyy?!"
I got annoyed by his gloating and reflected all the damage I absorbed from him
Now that I decided to fight in the frontline, I'll have more opportunities to use that skill.
I have a better handle on the Battle Priest class now.
It's kind of like a more magic-focused version of the Crusader class.
Revi held his head as he experienced the beating he gave me.
"Alright, let's call it a day. Good work."
"Oi, you can't just end the match like that! I want revenge!"
I ignored his yelling as I headed into the house. From the living room window, I watched Komekko-chan helping Revi up. They smiled at each other as Komekko-chan handed Revi a handkerchief to wipe away the dirt on his face.
Those two have really been getting along recently.
Rorisa-san started working on breakfast while we were sparring.
"How was your training? Did Revi-san perform well?"
"He got a few hits in, I guess."
"Ehe! How impressive! ...He's kinda cool isn't he?"
She lowered her voice in a whisper. Normally, I'd love to engage in girl talk but not if that dork is the subject.
"...Just what is it about that guy that makes you think he's cool?"
"Well, I mean he's a prince and all. It's not everyday you get to meet one…"
Rorisa-san had a dreamy look on her face as she said that.
"Don't be fooled, Rorisa-san! Royalty is overrated. You shouldn't be attracted to a guy just because of some title they got just because they won the genetic lottery."
"You can't blame a girl for liking the idea of a prince, or royalty in general. They are literally supposed to represent the best of humanity, bred and trained since birth to live up to their lofty title. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that princes represent the perfect man. Courteous, considerate, smart and graceful... those are that come to mind when I think about princes!"
There were stars in her eyes as she told me about her prince festish.
She can say all that, but I just don't see it.
Regina-sama came in looking bleary eyed. She had bags under her eyes.
"Didn't sleep well?"
I asked, as she took a seat. She asked Rorisa-san to make her coffee as she turned to me and said,
"I finished setting up my workshop yesterday. I couldn't help but work on my experiments all night… well, it was morning by the time I realized how much time had passed."
Regina-sama asked us to buy some materials for a magical workshop she wanted built in the basement of the mansion. She asked for alchemical supplies, components for magic items and an enchanting table.
"Just what are you up to, anyway?"
"Working on a potion that will reverse my curse, for one. I'm kinda tired of this body that never grows up, you know? I used to be a sexy, onee-san type, too. I'm tired of getting all kinds of perverted looks from the local lolicons…"
"Maybe we should head to the police station and you can give them a physical description of these 'local lolicons'..."
It was a bit unnerving watching a seemingly small child talking about her encounters with lolicons with a casual smile.
I have to keep reminding myself that this loli is an ancient goddess.
"Aside from that, what else are you working on?"
"Returning to my old body is a side project of mine, but I also have some other potions and items I'm working on. Ah, but that's a secret for now."
She winked while keeping information about her secret operations to herself. Rorisa gave her a mug of coffee.
"Thank you, my child."
Revi and Komekko-chan finally came in after a few minutes. I didn't know what they were doing outside for so long. Revi seemed a bit cleaner as he walked in. Komekko-chan probably cleaned him up before he could enter the house.
With everyone seated around the table, Rorisa-san served breakfast to everyone.
Part 2
"What do you mean you're too busy to go on a quest today?"
After breakfast, I announced my intention to go on another quest. Instead of the excited cheers I expected, what I got was Revi trying to flake out.
"I got things to do. Important things."
"I seriously doubt that."
I couldn't imagine anything more important than going on quests as a party and grinding levels.
For once in our lives, we both finally have the freedom to explore the world outside the castle walls. We can go on as many adventures as we want now. But the keyword is 'now'. Who knows what will happen tomorrow? Revi and I could be called back to our respective thrones at any time.
"Look, if I say it's important, then it's important."
"Fine, whatever."
I rolled my eyes, not wanting to start a fight over this.
There were other things I wanted to do in the town outside of going on quests, anyway. Perhaps some downtime wasn't so bad.
I invited Komekko-chan and Regina-sama to come along to my outing, a little hangout with the girls, but Komekko-chan said that she wanted to use her day off to go back home, and Regina-sama wanted to resume her experiments.
It was down to me and Rorisa-san.
Rorisa-san and I changed into street clothes and headed out into town.
She wore a pink, floral sundress, while I went with a sleeveless button-down blouse and skirt combo.
"I wonder, what does a cute succubus girl do in her free time?"
"Same thing as a cute princess girl does in her free time, I bet."
We giggled at that little exchange.
I like Rorisa-san. I feel like I get along well with her the most in our little group.
Maybe I like her because she's got it all figured out. She knows what she wants in life, and those things are uncomplicated, grounded in reality and within reach. I wouldn't call her simple minded or anything, it's just that her foundations are already set, while I'm still trying to figure out what the hell I want out of life.
We went to the shopping district and window shopped. Rorisa-san likes dresses and cute things, while I've kind of gotten sick of dresses.
We ended up buying a couple of items. Rorisa-san bought shoes while I got a light scarf.
"You didn't have to pay for everything, Rorisa-san…"
"I have to spend my salary from working in the shop somewhere. It's fine, it's fine! Why don't we go to the marketplace next and get a bite to eat? It'll be my treat, too!"
"Uwa…"
I feel like a girl getting taken out on a date.
We headed over to the marketplace next.
"Hm? Isn't that Revi-san?"
As we were getting kebabs from a stall, Rorisa-san pointed out to the crowd.
I found Revi walking along the marketplace of Axel.
The strange part is that he had a girl I didn't know beside him.
They were talking naturally, as if they were completely at ease with one another.
She wasn't an ordinary girl, either.
She was a beautiful girl with Crimson Demon features, long, black hair and red eyes.
She was wearing a white sundress that hugged her womanly curves and a straw hat.
"Hmm, I wonder who that girl with Revi-san is?"
The lady running the kebab stall seemed to be running out of patience as we used her stall as cover. We moved to another place to hide before she could kick us out.
"Do they give off the energy that they're on a date?"
Rorisa-san considered my question carefully.
"If they're on a date, I'd say it's the first date, or the prelude to the first date. They seem close, but they're not holding hands. Their shoulders aren't even touching."
An acute observation, I must admit.
"...Wait, what in the heck is a 'prelude to the first date'?"
"Forgive me, I forget that Iris-san lacks the common knowledge of commoners. I suppose it would be a trial period where a girl determines if a guy is worth their time for a first date."
"Wouldn't that just be a normal first date?"
I haven't gone on any dates, so I couldn't tell the difference between a first date and a prelude date.
"First dates still have expectations. Most guys expect, at the very least, a kiss at the end, right? Especially if they paid for the restaurant bills and other date-related activities."
"Well… I suppose…"
"There's also the expectation that the girl is supposed to make up her mind if she wants to keep seeing the guy for future dates after the first date. First dates are like job interviews, in a sense, and there's quite a lot of social pressure involved. That's why prelude dates are sometimes necessary."
"I understand now, somewhat."
If that's the case, isn't Revi's 'prelude date' going pretty well?
That mystery girl is laughing at every joke he says and she's been making eye contact all this time.
"Rorisa-san, don't you feel kind of pissed off looking at this?"
"Eh? Why should I? Shouldn't we be happy that Revi-san found himself a beautiful girl to potentially go out with? Maybe I'll get to catch more breaks, then."
"What can I say… Doesn't it make you mad to see a random girl suddenly dating your guy friend? Even if you don't care about him as a romantic partner, you still feel a bit frustrated."
"I feel like I heard those words from somewhere before…"
"And in my case, Revi is technically my childhood friend. Seeing your male childhood friend being taken away by some random girl is…"
"Ah, well I do understand that… Wait, isn't that just jealousy?"
I shook my head and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Listen, Rorisa-san, just as I'm not used to how commoners think, I'm sure that a devil race like Rorisa-san doesn't quite understand how our thought process works as human beings. When you see a guy friend going out with some random girl and you feel irritated, it's just a natural reaction. It doesn't have to be jealousy."
"So what is this natural reaction then, if it's not jealousy?"
"I guess it'll be the irritation that comes when a friend doesn't inform you about these things. Don't you think it's a bit unfair that our friend and party member didn't tell us about this date he's going on, prelude date or not? How would you feel if Komekko-chan started going out on a date with a random dude without telling us?"
"I'll be angry, too, but I think I'll be angry because Komekko-chan is someone that should be protected, not because of any other reason."
She had a point there, but I continued,
"Be that as it may, doesn't Rorisa-san feel a bit annoyed seeing Revi going all googly-eyed for some girl we've never seen before? He has us beautiful girls to hang out with, and yet he feels the need to wag his tail for another girl?"
"...Why is Iris-san talking about him like he's a dog? And it's not like he's dating any one of us, I don't think he needs to be faithful to us or anything."
"No, no, it should hurt your pride as a woman that he didn't ask you out on a date first before asking this random girl out."
"Well, I am a succubus, not a woman. I suppose it's kind of like having your frequent customer suddenly switch to someone else. But why should Iris-san be upset in this case, then? Hasn't Revi-san asked you to be his girlfriend many times before? I don't think Iris-san has the right to be upset now that he's moved on."
Moved… on!?
Since when did this guy get to be so choosy?
"Oi, don't make me out to be some petty bitch here!"
"Ah, I didn't mean it like that, please don't shake me! Oh, it seems they've moved out of the marketplace."
"...! Follow them before we lose them!"
I let go off Rorisa-san's shoulders as we followed Revi and the mystery girl to their next destination.
We watched them head into a cafe. Following them inside, we covered our faces with the menus as we watched them from afar.
"I can't really get a good look at the girl from here. Revi's big head is in the way…"
"Since I'm a succubus who can feed and sense life energy, I can somewhat distinguish between human emotional states. They both seem to be having a good time."
Rorisa-san explained as the cheesecake she ordered arrived.
"Rorisa-san, we're not here to eat, we're here to spy on Revi and his prelude date…"
"But I thought you'd like it…"
Wait, she ordered it for me…?
"T-Thanks…"
Moved by the sweet gesture, I had no other choice but to eat the cheesecake she got for me.
"Hey, what kind of food did they order?"
"Hmm… It's hard to tell from here."
"Does it look like they're sharing the food?"
"It looks like they ordered enough for two people."
I pumped my fist. Looks like they aren't lovey-dovey enough that they're sharing food.
"Oh! It looks like she took some food on his face and ate it!"
"...What?!"
I stood up from my seat, but thankfully Rorisa-san reacted enough to pull me down.
"Don't give up our cover!"
"S-Sorry…"
Are they close or not? I can't tell!
Rorisa-san put a finger against her chin. She said,
"Are you sure you're not jealous? You look like a jealous ex stalking their boyfriend, you know…"
"I already told you it's not like that. I'm merely curious as to how, why and when Revi managed to get a date, prelude date, whatever you want to call it, with such a cute girl…"
This is like a scandal that happens in the capital when it's revealed that a noblewoman has eloped with one of the commoners.
"Heh… Surely, I thought that Iris-san was jealous of the new girl who showed up all of a sudden to steal Revi-san… Just like how you're jealous that Revi-san has become best friends with Komekko-chan recently…"
"...Just where are you drawing these conclusions from?"
I stopped my surveillance of Revi to regard Rorisa-san. She wagged her eyebrows.
"Is it really such a bold claim to say that Iris-san is a little bit jealous? To suddenly have a boy who has been crushing on you for ages discard you for a girl you've never seen before… It must be quite frustrating!"
Why do I feel like Rorisa-san is enjoying this situation too much?
"I told you already. It's a matter of pride more than anything. To think that such a dork would get a date before I do…"
"Then why don't you go out and find a date? There's a lot of bachelors here in this town. It may be unprofessional of me to leak this, but there's been quite a few men who requested 'Alice' in the dream service. I can tell you who they are, you'll surely find a man in a heartbeat…"
She drew closer, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"I'm sure Iris-san has figured it out herself, yes? This current form of yours is only temporary. This means that if you give up your first time to somebody, it won't count…"
"I-It won't count?"
"That's right. Even if you take on multiple partners in that temporary body, it won't count."
"Even though I'm a famous figure, my partner won't know because I'm not using my real body…"
"That's right. It's not your real body, so it's allowed."
"It's allowed, huh? But I'm royalty, and I'm expected to keep my chastity until marriage… won't it cause problems if I do it…?"
"No one will know since it's not your real body."
"S-So it's allowed?"
"Indeed…"
Amazing… This temporary body of mine is truly amazing!
Although, this is already something I realized a while ago, during the Makemake situation.
But hearing another person confirm it for me is emboldening, I must say…
Is this the peer pressure onii-sama told me about? No, that's a bit different.
This isn't peer pressure… It's peer affirmation!
"Using this same argument, why don't you consider doing it with Revi-san, who can switch to a temporary body like yours…"
"...Hah?"
Rorisa-san gave a sweet smile.
"What's the matter? You've known each other the longest. Surely, it's better to do it with someone you know than to have your first time taken by a random stranger, no?"
"W-Well…"
I fell for her trap!
She inched her face closer to me. Her voice took on a husky quality as she whispered in my ear.
"Ne, I'd be more than happy to help facilitate such an encounter… I can be the mediator of sorts. It'll be awkward at first, but I can help the both of you acclimate…"
She's offering to help us in a threesome?!
Normally, Rorisa-san is a quiet girl who has an easy going personality that meshes well with everyone in the party. There's not a single person she can't get along with due to that complementary personality of hers.
Sometimes, I almost forget her true nature as a succubus, but her true nature is clear to me now!
"B-But… Even so… In the end…"
As I struggled to come up with something to say, Rorisa-san took a menu, held it up to the side of my face, and then leaned in even closer…
...Until I felt her lips on mine.
"...?!"
It was just a light brush, but I felt it.
She drew back, glanced to the side, and lowered the menu.
"Hehe. Sorry about that. Revi-san and his date were heading this way. They already left the store. I didn't want them to see us after all~! It was kind of cute how Revi-san immediately averted his eyes when he saw two girls kissing. What a gentlemanly prince!"
"A-Ah, yeah…"
I replied distractedly.
To think my first kiss was taken just like that…
Well, it's a kiss between girls, so I guess it doesn't count.
Doesn't count…
"..."
I thought about Rorisa-san's words some more as she paid for our bill.
She paid for everything today and even kissed me.
That really was a date, wasn't it?!
Part 3
"Where are they heading now?"
Our stalking continued after we left the cafe and resumed trailing Revi.
"It looks like they're heading to the shopping district. Oh? Looks like they're heading into a clothing shop."
The girl pointed to the shop and led Revi inside. She seemed rather eager to lead him in.
"Oho. I see now. I guess it really is like that?"
"Hm? What is it, Iris-san? And why do you have such a look of petty self-satisfaction on your face?"
W-Was I really making such a face?
"That girl is only after Revi for his money. Maybe she's an employee at the magic shops he frequents to buy those magic bolts of his. She's a Crimson Demon after all, who are known for their talent in magic items. After seeing how much money he spends on a weekly basis, she decided to ask him out on a date to take advantage of his deep pockets. Right now, she wants to take him to that clothing shop and have him buy all kinds of expensive clothing for her!"
"Actually, I noticed that she's the one who paid for the bill in the cafe."
"Seriously, who the hell is this girl?!"
I know that Crimson Demons are eccentric by nature, but just what did that girl see in Revi?!
"Should we go in? It might be a bit risky since the shop is rather small…"
"...Let's watch from the display window first before going in."
We tried to play our part as interested window shoppers as the girl led Revi around the shop, pulling on his arm.
"Rorisa-san, can you see what kind of items they're picking out?"
"Let's see… Coats, skirts, shoes… Nothing too unusual…"
"Oho. I guess that proves that she's not interested in him, if she's picking out such tame clothing. If she were truly interested in him, she'd be trying to seduce him by picking out mini-dresses, lingerie, swimwear…"
"She's picking out swimwear right now."
"What?! Well, as long as she's not planning to show it to him…"
"They're heading to the changing room right now."
"No way?!"
I pressed my face against the shopping window, fogging up the class with my ragged breathing.
We headed inside once the two of them went into the changing area. We took some hats and scarves from the shelves and put them on as disguises. The sales clerk looked like she wanted to berate us, since we obviously had no interest in shopping here, but she just shook her head and muttered "Damnit. Ex-boyfriend stalkers on my shift again…"
I wanted to correct her horrible assumption of me, but I was too focused on what was happening in the changing room…
"What are they doing now?"
"It seems he's waiting for her outside. He's carrying her coat and purse for her. What a gentleman!"
"Heh. I guess she only took him here to use him as a pack mule. Poor Revi, I guess she really isn't interested in…"
"Oh? She invited him inside the changing stall?"
"Say what now?!"
True enough, when I came in to look, there were two sets of feet inside the stall.
"W-What are they doing in there?"
I whispered to Rorisa-san, as I tried to get as close as possible without it looking suspicious.
...Although, the sales clerk lady is already glaring at us.
"She's obviously trying to seduce him with her swimsuit. Or maybe she's pretending like she needs help putting on the bikini top?"
"T-This girl is quite the crafty one, huh?"
"If they're in there for more than ten minutes, maybe she's giving him a 'helping hand', if you know what I mean…"
Rorisa-san made lewd motions with her hands.
"I-I thought you said this was just a prelude date?!"
"Well, I don't claim to be a relationship expert, you know. I'm also single."
...That's right. Just because she's a succubus, I always assumed Rorisa-san is experienced when it comes to these things.
Wait, does that mean that I've been taking advice from a fellow virgin?!
"Hm, I wonder what they could be doing in there… Ow! Um… why did you pinch me…?"
"Punishment for making me overestimate you…"
"Ehhh… It's Iris-san's fault for assuming, you know? And as a succubus, I have natural inclinations that would make me better equipped, and knowledgeable, regarding such matters… at least, more so than Iris-san who was a sheltered princess."
She teasingly stuck her tongue out at me.
"Wait, so even though you're a virgin, you still have the skills and talent of someone who has experience? How is that fair?!"
"Says the royalty who inherited the skills and powers of former heroes…."
I… couldn't really argue against that.
Leaving aside the topic of genetic advantages, we continued to spy on Revi.
But there wasn't much we could see from outside the stall. If the store had other stalls, we could have entered the one next to Revi's, but we had to make do with observing from afar.
"Oh, she turned around! Could it be she's asking Revi-san for help in putting on the bikini top, just like I predicted?!"
"Rorisa-san, we need to see what's happening. Ah, you can fly, right? Why don't you take your wings out and you can fly over and look…?!"
As I proposed that idea, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw the face of the sales clerk lady.
"Look, if you two aren't going to buy anything, I'm going to have to ask you to leave…"
"...Hai." x 2.
The sales clerk lady got tired of our antics and kicked us out of the store.
Part 4
We were forced to wait outside the store until the two came out. They took their time, but they eventually came out. The sales clerk lady followed them out and bowed, but she looked very frustrated. That might be because Revi and the girl didn't end up buying anything in the end.
The mystery girl didn't come there for clothes. She probably just wanted to show off her body to Revi…
Is she playing the long game, or is she actually interested in the dork?
I mean, look at him. He's walking around with a clear bulge in his pants after the changing room incident!
How can a girl this cute end up liking such a pervert?!
Well, at least he obviously didn't get help with that.
We followed them around some more, but the afternoon crowd filling the streets made it too hard to keep track of them.
After we eventually lost track of Revi and his date, we went home before Revi arrived.
He probably didn't see us, but I didn't want him to get suspicious.
Komekko-chan was already home when we arrived, and she had several boxes around her, as she sat on the living room carpet, cross-legged.
During breakfast, she said that she had to go to her village to pick something up. These boxes must be that something.
"What are these boxes for, Komekko-chan?"
I said, as I looked at the boxes that surrounded her, like a cardboard fortress.
"Hehe. Allow the Devil to explain! Inside these humble boxes are relics from the Crimson Demon village called video games. Onii-chan taught me how to play them!"
Wait… Could these video games be the same ones onii-sama told me about in his stories?!
"Let me see, let me see!"
My thoughts had been filled with Revi and his date until I saw this treasure trove.
"These are the consoles onii-sama told me about! Game Girl Advance Payment, PayStation Fee, Tax-Box Series $, Yentendo Rich…"
I took out the treasures one-by-one, adoring them.
"Oh? Iris knows about these things? They were a closely guarded secret of the village for a long time until onii-chan brought them out of the secret base…"
Komekko-chan put a finger to her bottom lip in wonder as she looked at me squealing at the items she brought with her.
"I'm back… Ugh, what's with this mess?"
Revi came back and showed an annoyed look at the boxes scattered around.
Back from his date, he seemed to be in a good mood until he saw the mess.
"You'll see. Komekko-chan, onii-sama told me about this big picture box that consoles can connect to…"
"Oh, yeah. You mean a tee-vee, right? I brought that, too. It's in that box over there."
"It's pretty big…"
"Don't worry, Hoost can get it. Get out, you Big Goblin!"
At Komekko-chan's command, that devil she uses in battle came out from her shadow in its incorporeal form. It looked a bit exasperated as Komekko ordered it to pick up the tee-vee from its box and set it up on the living room table.
As the ghostly image retreated into Komekko, I asked,
"I read about devil summonings for a bit, since Komekko-chan uses them a lot in combat. Normally, devil summoners can summon actual, physical devils, right? And they need to perform a ritual to do so…"
No matter how you look at it, the way Komekko-chan used that magic is a bit weird. Well, the whole practice of devil summoning is esoteric, and technically taboo, anyway.
"Normally, I use a rat or a chicken to summon the big goblin, but that takes a while to do. If I need to summon the big goblin in an instant, or in the heat of battle, then I use a technique I created called [Devil Trigger] to summon him in spirit form! It's kind of like splitting an aspect of him and projecting him into the world… I don't really know how it works…"
"...You invented such a ridiculous skill and you don't even know how it works? And what was that about summoning powerful devils using rats and chickens as sacrifice?"
Komekko-chan just shrugged, and said,
"I dunno. I don't think too hard about my magic. I just kinda do it. Even with my signature [Fireball], I just imagine my hand getting really hot and then I throw the hot thing on my hand, like a hot potato!"
This girl… I can't figure out if she's a genius, or actually kind of stupid.
Well, let's put that aside for now.
I have a feeling that if a proper mage heard what Komekko-chan just said, they would have an existential crisis on the spot, but I'm not a proper mage. Let's just play video games.
We set up the PayStation first, hooking it up to the tee-vee. The concept of hooking up consoles to tee-vees was foreign to me, so I relied on Komekko-chan to set it up.
"Iris can play on her own first. We can play games later, but I want you to get that single-payer experience."
"Don't you mean 'single-player'?"
"Onii-sama said that people who play these games are payers before they're players. Apparently, these games are expensive products in his homeland. Also, most of the people who play games are single. So, single people who pay a lot for games are called single-payers!"
I don't really get it, but let's just leave it at that.
First game I tried out was a game called 'FantasyGame 2076'.
"Oh, that's cool, I can customize the size of my sword."
After designing my knight character, I started my adventure…!
...Only for a yellow screen to pop up on the tee-vee.
Dear PayStation Single-Payer,
You know the rules, and so do I! This game is a major projekt (haha see what we did there? UwU) in the undertaking, so please have patience while we work on the rest of the game, tee-hee! Meanwhile, I hope you enjoyed the character customization feature! Did you know, you can change the shape and size of your character's sword? Or, if you don't want your character to have a sword, you can even remove it!
Again, thank you for being patient and I hope you enjoyed our preview of what's to come. Remember, you're breathtaking!
-Cee Dis Projekt Ded
…
"Haha, I had fun customizing my character."
"Yeah, this dress up game is pretty fun isn't it? Try this one next."
She handed me a game called 'Call of Booty: Modern Seafare'.
It's a game where you play as pirates. The main character is a pirate ship captain called Cap'n Soap.
The goal of the game is to kill as many enemy pirates possible and get loot and booty.
I got really into it, especially when I was able to get kill streaks.
"Oh, baby, a triple! Revi, get the magic camera…!"
Komekko-chan and I excitedly squealed at my achievement, hugging each other and jumping on the couch. Revi didn't seem as excited, even as he brought a magic camera and took a picture of the screen.
"You weren't even playing against a real person. Why are you so excited?"
"Oh? Is that a challenge? Should we move on to multiplayer games, then?"
Komekko-chan said, as she took out four controllers. At this time, Rorisa-san came down to see what all the noise was about. We recruited her as a fourth player.
We tried out another console called 'Yentendo Rich'. Komekko-chan suggested we play a party game called Supa Mash Hoes. It's about two female farmers named Maria and Louise and other characters who fight each other.
I picked Maria while the others picked among the large roster of playable characters.
"So, how do I play? I just press these buttons?"
Rorisa-san said, as she held her controller upside down.
Komekko-chan had to spend a few minutes teaching us the controls in the first few practice matches.
"This is how you Up-Mash and Down-Mash… ah, I should probably teach you how to Mash-Cancel."
My head started to hurt. This is supposed to be a party game, right?
Just let me mash a hoe…!
We played some real games after learning the basic controls. Komekko-chan kicked our asses every round, but that's a given due to her familiarity with the game. Rorisa-san was by far the worst player. The poor girl just couldn't quite get the purpose of the game, and she wasn't a competitor by nature. Revi and I were pretty even in skill, and the only variance in match results ended up being who would take second place between the two of us.
Revi is using a character named Cowsette, a gargantuan, bipedal cow who regularly kidnaps Prince Patch, Maria's main love interest. Cowsette is the main antagonist of the Supa Maria Sisters games, which were the parent games that Supa Mash Hoes is based on. By the way, Rorisa-san is playing Prince Patch, because she finds him dreamy. Komekko uses the random character feature in an attempt to make it interesting for herself after consecutive victories.
"Since Revi and Iris are both even in skill, maybe you two should try playing 1 v 1…"
Komekko offered, as she smiled sheepishly after winning for the tenth game in a row.
Rorisa-san put her controller down and sighed,
"I'm just not very good at these… What do you call them? Vidya games? I think I'll sit this one out. But I'd like to see Revi-san and Iris-san play against each other!"
My competitive spirit flared up as I glanced at Revi.
"Hmm… To make it interesting, why don't we have a punishment game?"
He replied, while grinning lewdly at me.
"I can already guess, but why don't you tell me what you have in mind?"
"Heh, the loser has to go strip down to their underwear for the rest of the night."
"What a pervy request…"
"And don't even think that you can hide in your room for the rest of the night. You have to at least come to the dinner table and eat while in your underwear, fufu…"
To be fair, as far as punishment games go, this one is fairly common, isn't it?
Not like I claim to be an expert on such things.
Whatever the case, I didn't abandon my closed-off life as a princess to back down from challenges like this.
Living this kind of exciting, unpredictable lifestyle, taking on all kinds of risky challenges, is what an adventurer is all about.
"You're on, pal. I can't wait to see you embarrass yourself walking around with that scrawny body of yours."
"H-Hey! I put on a bit of muscle ever since we started adventuring. Try not to drool over my abs later, you closet pervert!"
After the fighting words were exchanged, we picked up the controllers and started our duel.
As usual, he picked Cowsette and I picked Maria. After choosing the map, the match started.
The fight was even at first. We were both equally skilled in the game, considering our limited experience, but at least we were used to the controls and basic inputs, unlike poor Rorisa-san, who was holding the controller upside down at times.
Mashing the buttons blindly yielded some results during the first few matches, but now that we both knew some basic combos, as well as how to block and time counter attacks, some strategy was actually necessary now.
"This damn tryhard princess, stop playing defensively…"
"Do you really think I want to spend the rest of the evening wearing nothing but my undies? Sorry, mister, but I'm not giving you jack off material that easily."
"Does that mean you want to see me in my underwear all night?"
That comment took me off guard. He got off a decent combo that knocked me off stage, but I managed to recover with some mid-air flips.
"Distracted are we, Iris?"
I didn't need to look at him to know that he had the smuggest grin ever right now.
"Your comment was so creepy that it distracted me for a bit."
"I mean, it makes sense doesn't it? Why are you trying so hard to win if you don't wanna see me in my undies, hm?"
Where is this guy getting this sudden, unfounded confidence from?
I guess that date with the mysterious Crimson Demon beauty gave his ego a massive boost.
I evaded a grab attempt and launched a mini combo that warded him off, gaining me some distance.
"How conceited. I simply don't want to serve as your free eye candy for the night. It has nothing to do with me wanting to see your noodle arms and legs."
"Is that so? By the way, did you know that Regina-sama has a guest coming over tonight? One of her followers will join us for dinner, I believe."
I didn't hear about that.
As the leader of this party, Regina-sama should have told me about this. Why did she tell Revi?
"...What are you trying to say?"
I tried to focus on the match, but Revi's antics were starting to split my attention.
"You haven't figured it out yet? The loser will have to greet the guest in their undies."
"Then that's even more incentive for me to win this thing. I'm not embarrassing myself in front of a guest by only walking around in my underwear all evening…"
"No, no, you're missing the point here. Think about it this way, the guest will surely ask the loser why they're in their underwear, correct? If the guest asks me why I'm in my underwear, I'll surely say something along the lines of 'I lost a punishment game, and this is my punishment'."
"I still don't see where you're going with this."
"I'm the only man in this household. The fact that I lost a punishment game and was made to walk around in my underwear will make you look like a female pervert who wants to see the sole male in the household walk around in his undies!"
"But the punishment was your idea?!"
I turned to glare at him, but I snatched my head back as I remembered that I was in the middle of a match. He managed to knock me off the stage again. This time, I lost a life. I had one more life left…
"Sure, it was my idea, but you're the one who tried your best to beat me. A guest who doesn't know your personality will assume that you wanted to beat me so you can see me in my underwear, no?"
"That's ridiculous! I only want to win because I don't want to lose and get the punishment!"
"If you don't want the punishment that badly, then why did you agree to the terms in the first place?"
"..."
I found myself unable to retort.
This guest has no idea what my personality is like. I'm someone who never backs down from a challenge. But from an outsider's viewpoint, all they'll see is a girl who accepted a stripping match, tried her hardest to beat the guy, and then made him strip.
"Wait, was this all planned from the start?! Where the hell did this resourcefulness come from?! Why are you only smart when it comes to useless, perverted situations?!"
"So you finally recognize my genius? Let's just say that my brain is as big as my…"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence. And something just occurred to me, if I lose, you'll be seen as a pervert, too."
He only laughed at my counterpoint as he pressed his advantage over me. He can play more aggressively now that he has one life over me.
"No, I'll only be seen as a healthy young male who wants to see a half-naked girl. On the other hand, you'll be seen as an exhibitionist who agreed to a stripping match because she secretly wants to lose and show off her body."
That's exactly what it'll look like, isn't it?!
I can't believe how many layers there are to this stupid plan of his.
I want to decry the double standards of all this, but now's not the time.
I don't know which is better, winning or losing.
But if I'm going to lose the war anyway, I might as well win the battle.
"If you're going to play that aggressively despite being down in lives…"
"...!"
He got me with a well-timed counter attack. I watched Maria fly off the stage as the game awarded Revi with the victory.
"Heh. In the end, you lost the mental game and the game itself. Tsk, tsk. You'll have to get better than that if you want to defeat me. Now hurry up and strip. Do it in front of me."
This time, I got a full view of his smug grin as he watched me expectantly.
"Revi, that was kind of brutal…"
"I didn't know Revi-san had this kind of personality in him. Reminds me of someone…"
Komekko-chan and Rorisa-san looked at Revi with judgmental eyes. Yeah girls, chew him out!
"But girls, a deal is a deal, and Iris herself consented to it."
"That is true… A Crimson Demon never goes back on their word."
"A princess shouldn't turn their back on deals they made. I read that in a fairy tale book once."
These two aren't my allies, in the end.
In fact, don't they kind of seem excited about this?
Is it really that fun to see me suffer?!
I sighed, accepting defeat. I have no choice in the matter, anyway. Like they said, I'm the idiot who accepted the terms. Revi used what he knew about my personality to get me to agree to this stupid punishment.
And anyway, this kind of thing, doing slightly pervy punishment games among friends…
It feels like the kind of thing friends do.
How should I say this without coming across as a complete pervert?
There's an odd sense of companionship I felt as I gave in to the consequences of this punishment game.
Sure, the girls are giggling and teasing me as I hesitate on pulling my top off. Sure, Revi is drooling as he commands me to strip.
This kind of reckless, unsupervised fun is the kind of teenage atmosphere I've been seeking, ever since I pursued my independence.
I don't have Claire or Rain or any of the strict adults in the palace telling me what I should or shouldn't do.
So… What the hell. I'll strip.
The top came off first. The room went silent as I went from hesitating to suddenly pulling my top over my head. They can see my white bra now, with blue trim, one of the sets I had Claire send me from my personal wardrobe.
It was a bit amusing to see Revi's eyes bugging out. Rorisa-san was still giggling and teasing me, but Komekko-chan was blushing a bit. I guess this situation is a bit too much for her.
Next, the skirt came off, revealing the matching panties. I folded my clothes up and stood in front of them, wearing only my underwear.
"G-Gulp…"
Revi's audible gulp could be heard throughout the room.
An awkward silence filled the room for a bit, filled only by Rorisa-san's giggling.
"Hey, boya, did you tell the others that I have a guest coming over… Sorry to bother you."
Regina-sama entered the room, but turned around and left as soon as she came in.
I chased after her to explain the situation before she could get any weird ideas.
Part 5
The dinner guest came over an hour later.
"My name is Serena, a long-time follower of Regina-sama. Pleased to… meet you."
Serena-san stumbled at the end of her greeting when she finally noticed a half-naked girl among her hosts.
"Don't mind Iris. She's a bit of a head case. Instead, Serena-san, why don't we get properly acquainted…"
This thirsty prince is already putting on the moves on Serena-san before she could even step inside the house.
Well, not like I can't see why he's already drooling for her. Serena-san is a sexy, mature woman in her mid twenties. Unlike the young girls in this house with petite bodies, Serena-san had a curvy figure, the kind men like.
She wasn't quite Lalatina's level, but it was enough to make us small girls step back self-consciously.
...Rorisa-san, I understand why, but please don't pat my shoulder in solidarity like that.
Also, Komekko-chan, you were feeling self-conscious just like me, but why has your confidence returned so quickly? Why are you looking down at your chest and shrugging so confidently? What's with that face you're making, as if you're saying 'it's only a matter of time'?
And why are you looking at me in pity?
I haven't stopped growing too, you know?!
Regina-sama giggled knowingly as she gestured for the confused Serena-san to come in.
"Can I get you anything, Serena-san? Water, wine…?"
"I think you need the water more than her, you thirsty playboy."
Seriously, he already has that mystery girl from earlier, and he's openly flirting now?
He might be experiencing an inexplicable popular phase right now, but if he screws up, it's all over for him.
Well, that will be entertaining to watch, personally, so keep it up, Revi.
"Any kind of refreshment is fine, thank you. Rather, about that girl…"
"Ah, don't mind her. She's just an exhibitionist pervert. The living room is this way."
"Don't say things that will be misunderstood!"
I explained the situation to Serena-san before Revi could say anything else.
"I-I see. But if Iris-san agreed to the punishment in the first place…"
"I assure you, I didn't do it for such a reason."
"If you say so."
Just like Revi said, in the end, I'm the only one who loses.
I'll pay him back for this.
The dinner time mood was a bit strained with me sitting there, naked. That damn Revi keeps looking at my exposed cleavage any chance he gets.
I'm surprised he didn't start jerking off under the table by now. I guess he's starting to regret insisting that he sit beside Serena-san now.
After dinner, Regina-sama took Serena-san to her laboratory. She brought Serena-san in to help with her research into returning me to my original body.
"Well, I guess I'm gonna go to bed now."
"You can't leave so soon…"
Revi said, stepping in front of me as I tried to head upstairs.
"Hah? You said that I only had to stay for dinner. Didn't you embarrass me enough tonight?"
"I haven't had my fill yet. And this and that are different things. Aren't you forgetting that it's your turn to wash dishes today, Iris?"
"...You actually planned everything to this extent, huh, you bastard?"
I couldn't even be mad anymore. At this point, I can't help but be a bit impressed.
I sighed in resignation and headed back to the kitchen. Revi smirked as he took a seat behind me, watching me wash the dishes.
"So this is why you insisted on ordering catering tonight. I thought that you wanted to serve a feast for our guest, but…"
"Two birds with one stone. I impressed Serena-san with my hospitality, and now I get to watch you wash those dishes for at least thirty minutes. There's a lot, so make sure to take your time~! Ah, maybe I should take out that bubbly I've been saving…"
He left for a bit and returned with a bottle of liquor.
"Oi, where the hell did you get that?"
"This? I bought it. It's not exactly that hard to get liquor in this town, you know."
He popped open the bottle and poured himself a glass. Now that I look at him, he's also wearing a red, silk bathrobe while watching me.
...I kind of feel like an escort in front of a V.I.P. client.
I resumed washing, trying to wash as fast as I could to get this over with.
The whole time, I felt his eyes drifting all over my backside.
"...You've got a nice ass, Iris."
After a few sips, he's already drunk.
This kid is already quite the pervert when he's sober, but now that he's got some liquid courage in him, he's saying some outrageous things.
"Would you kill me if I bent you over that sink now and spanked those cheeks?"
"...Oi, there's a limit to the things you can say, you know?!"
He stood up, and I felt him standing behind me.
"If you touch me, I'll cut it off."
"I'm not going to do something so ungentlemanly! I'm only coming to help you wash dishes. Geez…"
After saying this, I felt his arms slip past my waist.
He grabbed a dirty dish from the sink and started washing it from behind me.
He leaned in and whispered in my ear. I could smell the alcohol in his breath.
"See? I'm just helping."
"..."
Where the hell did this side of him come from?
This assertive, seductive side is both infuriating and at the same time, intriguing.
Rorisa-san's words came back to me.
We both have temporary bodies, so even if we do it, it won't count.
This jerk will probably do me without a second thought if I offered it.
And I can't deny that I'm curious about that kind of thing.
So, what's holding me back?
I've been avoiding this question for a while, but what is Revi to me, exactly?
The fact that I don't know, the fact that his breath drenched in the intoxicating stink of alcohol is making my head spin...
The uncertainty of it all means that I don't have the proper answer right now.
In that case,
"Oof!"
I stuck my butt out and pushed him off with it. He stumbled backwards and fell.
"OK, I think you'd had enough fun now. Finish the rest of the dishes."
He opened his mouth, but closed it again.
"Yeah, I guess I did go a bit too far. My bad."
He rubbed the back of his head and got up, taking over my dishwashing duties.
From around the corner, I could see Rorisa-san peering at us.
She giggled and withdrew her head.
Yeah, she's having way too much fun with this.