Celebrating the D-Class Promotion

Today was the final day for tournament entries. My original plan had been to keep grinding in E-Class right up to the wire, scraping my way to D-Class, but luckily I'd been able to put in my application first thing in the morning.

I brought Kanan and Adelia along to register.

"D-Class 999th place, Naoto Akai."

"999th? … Pfft."

There were even some people who openly snickered at me.

"What's with that guy?! Some NPC, laughing at Naoto!"

Kanan flared up, indignant on my behalf, but…

"The bottom-ranked guy in D-Class entering the tournament that decides the D-Class champion? Of course they're going to laugh. It's not worth caring about."

"Don't tell me not to care!"

"All I have to do is wipe the smiles off their faces, soon enough."

"…! W-well… you can say cool things like that too, huh… W-well, you are my master (provisional), so I suppose it's only natural."

She heaped strange praise on me.

After that, we headed straight for the D-Class battleground. Getting into D-Class a day early was a good thing. It meant stronger opponents and more experience.

That said, with no real grasp of D-Class's overall level, going straight for the top-ranked opponents would have been too risky. I'd already learned my lesson yesterday about taking reckless chances. My first targets would come from the lower D-Class ranks.

Once you reach D-Class, even at the bottom, you start routinely seeing HR-tier Garumon worth over 2000. Their looks have gotten quite beautiful, too.

The kind of slightly special tier you'd find among reader-models or idol-group members.

… That said, I skipped the actual battle. To be honest, this opponent wasn't all that strong.

Adelia's Flame Claw couldn't take them down in a single hit anymore, but combined with Kanan's Air Blast, they went down.

Physical attacks weren't scary as long as we had Kanan's Wind Shield.

The problem was magic attacks, which Wind Shield couldn't block.

But against magic attacks, Magic-Defense-specialized Kanan could soak the damage on her HP without taking much.

Her high-Magic-Defense trait had honestly seemed a little plain at first, but with Wind Shield giving her physical defense on top of it, her blind spots vanished and she'd become an iron wall.

… Well, without that trait, I'd have lost to Adelia at the very start and it would've been game over, so I really was grateful for high Magic Defense.

By the way, money was a secondary concern for now, but the take from a D-Class win was 40%. In other words, beating a Value 2000 opponent netted 800G per match.

… Still, D-Class really was tough. Every fight was a hairsbreadth victory, I burned through plenty of skills, and just four matches left me thoroughly worn out.

… Pushing all the way to my limit in unfamiliar D-Class would have been genuinely dangerous. I'd more than learned my lesson yesterday, so I called it a day with plenty in reserve.

Even so, I still came away with over 3000G from those four fights, so the income wasn't bad at all.

Once I got a little more used to it, if I could manage seven fights a day like in E-Class, my income would double.

It looked like I'd be able to comfortably afford even the 20,000G Spirit Garb.

More importantly, we were holding a small party tonight to celebrate my promotion to D-Class, so coming home early worked out perfectly.

"Well then… today, we're going to hold a celebration to congratulate Naoto-san on his promotion to D-Class."

Clap clap clap…

At Leone-san's announcement, the usual members, Kanan, Adelia, Lyuka, and Leone-san, applauded.

"As expected of Goshujin-sama, nya! Amazing, nya!"

Adelia praised me innocently.

"Hehe, well, D-Class is just a waypoint, isn't it? Don't get carried away over this much, and keep applying yourself from here on! Yesterday was really dangerous, you know…"

Instead of praising me, Kanan gave me a warning.

"… That's right. You should have wrapped things up earlier, with more leeway, and saved the rest of your wins for today. Hearing about it after the fact, I was honestly so scared. Please, no more reckless behavior like that…"

Leone-san, deeply concerned, also cautioned me.

"… Pushing through a certain amount of recklessness is the mark of a hero. Naoto-san may well have that quality. However, inviting unnecessary danger is the act of a fool. Please don't get the wrong idea. For now, congratulations on today."

Lyuka congratulated me in a flat, half-grudging tone. Each of their reactions was unique.

"… I'm reflecting on it. I might have been a little too rushed because of Yukishiro-san."

I bowed my head honestly. I shouldn't be making my companions worry.

"Now then, today is a happy occasion, so let's leave it at that."

From there, we shifted into pure celebration mode.

"Once again… congratulations, Naoto-san. This is a G-Class town, so it's the first time I've ever had a D-Class Master stay here."

That's what Leone-san said. I'd heard Leone-san's ex-husband had been D-Class, but…

"Even so, since we're otherworlders, we don't really have a feel for what D-Class is worth. It's the fifth tier out of eight, going S, A, B through G. Isn't that still on the lower end?"

"On Earth, would you say someone who earns 40 million yen a day isn't impressive?"

"No, that's incredible."

That made it easy to understand.

Lyuka added some context.

"This world's population is around ten million. Half of them are NPCs, so the PC Master population is about half of that, in the five-million range. Of those, there are about fifty thousand D-Class Masters. In other words, the top one percent or so of all Masters, a very select handful."

"Indeed. C-Class and above are called knight-rank, the lower nobility. B-Class and above are the lords who govern the five hundred nations, the proper nobility. That means anything up through D-Class is still considered commoner. But you'd be a magnate among commoners, so to speak."

"I see…"

Well, I didn't intend to get conceited or full of myself, but I supposed I could be a little happy about it.

"Um, does the population you just mentioned not include Garumon?"

"It does not. There are ten times that many Garumon. The world's total population is approximately one hundred and ten million. The male birth rate is less than ten percent, so Garumon vastly outnumber Masters."

That Garumon weren't counted in the population was very fitting for a world that treats them as slaves.

"From what I've seen, the culture and civilization are reasonably developed, but if all the men spend their time fighting as Masters, are the NPCs the ones building houses and maintaining city infrastructure?"

"Yes, that's right. Among NPCs, there are those born as NPCs and those who became NPCs after being Masters. When they get tired of Garumon battles, they switch to being NPCs and maintain infrastructure, run shops, or take on other work. If they've saved up enough, there's also the option of just retiring comfortably and not working at all. Garumon from past otherworlds have brought items from your civilizations with them, or made replicas here. Since this world has magic, even when the fine details of how something works aren't understood, magic fills in the gaps and apparently lets them reproduce it."

"I see… come to think of it, there are universities and research labs here too, aren't there."

So that was why this world had a half-baked level of scientific development, with cutting-edge modern products scattered here and there amid an otherwise medieval setting.

"There are also quite a few Masters who decide reaching D-Class is enough and call it a career. Even if you retire at this point, you can live out a comfortable life of leisure with a few Garumon at your side… Naoto-san, you don't intend to stop here, do you?"

Lyuka suddenly hit me with that question.

"Ah, no, I was only asking out of curiosity, that's not what I meant…"

I supposed it was the kind of conversation where it could have come across that way.

It was true that my chances of becoming a tycoon back in the original world, earning 40 million yen a day, were basically zero.

It wouldn't have been unreasonable to think this world might be the better choice.

But this world had a kind of inflation thing going on, where there was a wild gap between cheap goods and expensive ones. Food was cheap, and at that level it really did feel like 1G was roughly equivalent to 10,000 yen, but a CRT television cost 500G, and depending on the item, things could be way more expensive than on Earth, so it wasn't necessarily a clean 10,000-yen equivalent. When I made 4000G, I should probably think of it as more like 400,000 yen.

… Even so, that was an annual income of about 100 million yen.

"Are you giving up on returning home already? Even though I'm about to join your party and try to find a way back?"

Lyuka puffed her cheeks out in displeasure… Cute.

"S-sorry, Lyuka. Of course I intend to find a way home. I trust that you'll find it for us."

I tried to soothe her.

… But I should also have been considering the off chance that we couldn't go back.

"… It's just that I want to search for a way to return home… I'm not actually saying I want you to go back. If you'd settle here permanently, Naoto-san, I would welcome that with all my heart."

Lyuka added that. This girl was quite the tsundere herself, wasn't she.

The contrast made my heart skip.

"Now, that's enough heavy talk, let's get back to the party. Leone went to all the trouble of cooking. We have to eat plenty!"

Kanan changed the subject. Yeah… she was right. The table was lined with delicious-looking food.

"Yeah, itadakimasu!"

And so we relished the feast.

There was alcohol prepared for drinks, but since we were underage, we politely declined.

However…

"Oh, in this world there are no age restrictions on alcohol, you know?"

"Is that so? But still…"

"The composition is probably different from your world's, so I'm sure it's fine."

Pressed like that, I figured a small amount couldn't hurt and tried some.

It was delicious… and somehow it left me feeling fluffy and warm.

"Oh my… it's so delicious! So this is what alcohol is like… I don't know how it tastes back home, though."

"Kanan, don't you drink wine at fancy overseas restaurants?"

"I'm underage, you know. I'd never had more than a sip. But this really is delicious…"

And then Kanan apparently ended up overdoing it.

"… Even so, it's hot, isn't it…"

With that, she started peeling off her uniform.

"H-hey, Kanan…"

"What's the harm? There's nobody here but our companions… Phew… that feels good…!"

And there she was in her underwear, the first time since the day she'd arrived here.

… No, the color of the underwear was different. This pair was pink.

The underwear she'd been wearing when she arrived had been white, if I remembered right…

It looked like underwear she'd procured on this side. The design seemed every bit as good as the Japanese stuff. Beautiful…

"Hey, hey… I'm right here, you know."

I cautioned her even as my eyes kept flicking over despite myself…

"Haa? What are you saying? You were the one who ordered me to strip the very first time I got here…"

"Th-that was… because I didn't know how this world's system worked… I don't recall ordering you to do anything since then."

… Ah, during battle I'm constantly giving orders. I mean outside of that.

"… Hmm, well, that's true… Honestly, you don't even appreciate the trouble I go through changing my underwear every day so that whenever you do look, it's something nice…"

"Huh? … Kanan, um, are you drunk?"

"I'm not drunk. I'm completely sober."

… No, she seems really drunk. Saying things she absolutely shouldn't be saying…

"Nyahaha… feels good, nyaaa… I'm getting hot, nya…!"

This one over here was really drunk too!

Adelia started peeling her clothes off as well.

"It's still hot… You know what, since it's come to this, I'm taking everything off! Y-you've been taking care of me in all sorts of ways, but for celebrations like this, I haven't given you anything that could really be called a present, so… This is the all-in bonanza for your combined F-Class, E-Class, and D-Class promotions! … Burn the sight into your eyes!"

With that declaration, Kanan reached for her underwear.

Whoa, she's definitely drunk! This is the pattern where she'll regret it to death once she sobers up…!

Even as I thought that, I couldn't bring myself to issue a "stop" command. I was too entranced by her beauty.

She slipped off her camisole, leaving herself in just her bra and panties, and…

It was true, her whole body was lightly flushed and sheened with sweat, looking hot.

Maybe she really should take more off… Wait, am I drunk too…?

And then, Kanan… took off her bra.

Foosh… pwahn…!

"Aah…"

A gasp slipped out before I could stop it. So… beautiful. Large, white breasts. And at their tips, perfectly balanced pink nipples…

Soft, perky swells, bobbing gently…

"S-so… how about it… Naoto…"

"… S-so… beautiful. Kanan… you're beautiful."

"Really? I'm so glad…"

True to her words, Kanan smiled happily. A brilliant, lustrous expression, like a maiden in love…

"I-I'll only say this because I'm drunk, you know… From now on, um… if you ever want to see them, Naoto, you can give the order any time… You could've ordered me, all this time, all along. There's nothing about being seen by you that I'd find unpleasant, not one thing…!"

"… Eh…?"

"Aaagh, geez, the booze made me say something weird! Something I don't mean at all! I only said it because I'm drunk!"

Kanan started flailing.

"… But a woman's word is her bond! Even if I drunkenly let something I didn't mean slip out, once I've made a promise out loud, I'm not going to take it back!"

Bam.

So she declared.

"… T-thanks, Kanan…"

I couldn't help cracking a wry smile.

Maybe at this point I no longer needed to doubt the goodwill, or the gratitude, that she felt toward me.

"… Goshujin-sama… Adelia is hot too, can I take mine off, nya…?"

Adelia asked.

"… Y-yeah… go ahead, Adelia. Today's a no-rules occasion."

"Hanyaaa… Goshujin-samaa…"

With that, Adelia stripped off her upper half too.

Pururun…

"Oooh…"

Once again, a gasp slipped out. The size, and the splendor of the areolae, were no less wonderful than Kanan's.

Her skin was a slightly darker tone than Kanan's, almost a faint wheat color, and looked healthy. This too was magnificent…

What beautiful, magnificent breasts…

"You're really beautiful too, Adelia…"

"I'm so happy, Goshujin-samaaa… Adelia will offer her body and heart to Goshujin-sama any time, nya… But Adelia loves Kanan too, you know. So Kanan in first place, Adelia in second, that's how it should be, nya."

"… Hahaha, got it. You really love Kanan, don't you, Adelia… Thanks for always getting along with her."

"…! W-what are you saying, Adelia?! M-me, offering my body and heart to someone like Naoto… there's no way that could ever happen!"

"Nyaaa～. It'd be nice if Kanan could be more honest more often, like she is today, nya."

"Ugh, Adelia～!"

Kanan pounced on Adelia and clapped a hand over her mouth.

Two beautiful naked girls horsing around with little squeals… what a feast for the eyes…

Eventually, between the alcohol, the tension, and the exhaustion, the two of them began to breathe peacefully in sleep.

"… Ahaha…"

The two of them are so cute…

I… maybe I had never really known anything about Kanan.

Back in the original world she had been a vicious overlord… but really, she had all these cute sides too.

I hadn't understood her at all.

But maybe that was something only the man who became her master would have been able to see.

"… You're loved, you know. Your Garumon look very happy."

That was the impression Lyuka offered.

"… Y-you think so?"

"… If it were you, I'd be willing to become yours, since I'd expect you to respect a slave's autonomy. So if you think you could give me orders too, like telling me to strip, I'd like you to reconsider."

"Ah, no… it's fine. I'd never give Lyuka an order she'd hate."

"… This is absolutely not because I'm self-conscious about my breast size, or embarrassed because they're small, or anything like that."

"… Eh?"

"It is most certainly not. I do not particularly care about breast size. To begin with, my breasts are still developing. Garumon stop growing at a fixed age. Since I stopped growing at the appearance of twelve, my breasts are simply small, that's all there is to it. I'm certainly not envious of those soft, jiggly, bouncy, bobbing ones. If I grew just a little more, I'd become bouncy and bobbing like that too. It's a certainty."

"… Um, Lyuka."

"I am most certainly not envious."

"Got it, got it… You're drunk too, aren't you…"

"Hmph. As long as you understand, that's fine."

Lyuka downed another glass or two just like that, then drifted off to sleep.

"Fufufu, joining your party… it sounds like it'll be very fun."

Leone-san said that and snuggled up against me.

She was already practically a member of our party, but… for now, she was still an NPC. Not formally a companion yet.

I held Leone close and whispered to her.

"Leone-san… I want you to become a real companion soon. I'll do my best to save up."

"Yes, I want that to happen soon too… But if you win this tournament, that day will finally come."

"… Eh? Isn't it 490,000 plus 250,000G…?"

"The D-Class tournament's grand prize is 50,000G. Beat the champion, and that's another 100,000G. Then, as champion defending the title, each defense win is 100,000G. Two wins makes another 100,000G plus a promotion to C-Class. Oh, that alone is 350,000G. You'd have enough for Lyuka, with 100,000G to spare. Plus, if you keep battling in D-Class for two more months and earn…"

"…!"

D-Class brought in 800G per fight. Even at four fights a day that was 3200G, or 100,000G in thirty days. In other words, if I pushed the pace just a bit more…

"You'd also fulfill the C-Class requirement at the same time. I'm looking forward to it."

… I was looking forward to it too.

"… No, no, no. It hasn't even been decided that I'll win yet."

… That's right. I can't get cocky. I pinched my slackening cheeks and steeled my resolve.

The other Masters in this world, somewhere or other, all had a soft side.

That was why I'd been able to win as steadily as I had up to now.

But from a gamer from back in the original world, no such softness could be expected.

Noda had a name as a fairly well-known gamer.

If I lost… Kanan would undoubtedly be taken from me. That was the one thing I couldn't allow.

… Right. Don't let your guard down. Don't take it lightly.

Things looked smooth right now, sure, but I was standing on a fragile castle of sand that would crumble the moment I lost once.

I had to brace myself harder, push myself harder, and pile that sand castle higher and higher to reach the place I was aiming for.

That was what I resolved while I came inside Leone-san's mouth.

Even as I felt the relief of release, when I thought about how Noda might have been doing the same thing right then in Yukishiro-san's mouth, fury and… jealousy bubbled up seething inside me.

… That's right. I can't keep my eyes turned away from that either. I'm jealous.

Yukishiro-san, whom I've loved for so long… whom I've admired… whom I still love… that he should have her all to himself…

Unforgivable.

I'll take her back. Yukishiro-san… I'll be the one who has her.

I burned with that fighting spirit.