Chapter 5 – Nellie and a Sleepover

Author: I have been trying to add more spaces between lines since the previous chapter.

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“Please wait a moment!” the lady at the reception desk called out to me just as I was turning to head back, “I have yet to return your guild card.”

… I had completely completely forgot. All that was on my mind was the sweet nighttime I would be having with Nellie.

“Following the neutralization of the aforementioned scale vipers, you have secured enough points to proceed directly to D-rank. Congratulations.”

“Eh? I jumped two ranks in one go? That’s a thing?”

“Indeed. Normally, to defeat even a single scale viper would necessitate a party of C-rank or greater… a party such as Govack-sama’s for example. To have accomplished that single-handedly, and neutralizing five no less… On the contrary, it would be more difficult to keep you at F-rank.”

“Think about it this way,” Govack interjected, “if anyone were to hear that you were F-ranker, what would that mean for us? We’d just be an embarrassment and have looked like we tried to steal a rookie’s job no… Accepting your promotion in earnest would be for the best, don’t you think?”

Ah, I see… there’s certainly some weight to that. “Understood. I’ll accept it graciously.”

“Also, you can take requests one rank above or two ranks below your current rank, Shino-dono. Since you’re rank D currently, you may accept requests from ranks C to F.”

“Thank you for letting me know.”

The receptionist is glaring at you, Govack. Stealing her job.

“Well, I’ll leave any questions if I have any for tomorrow when I’m looking to take on any jobs… For now, I’d just like have a bath and take it easy.”

“Mm? A bath you say? An inn with a bathhouse… They’re all a tad self-important. But you could try the one around…”

Govack’s party headed to their lodgings under the Guild’s direct management. Parting with them, I headed to one of the so-called ‘self-important’ inns he recommended with a Nellie in tow.

“What do you mean we can’t enter the bathhouse?” I pressed the employee who clearly had moved to block the entrance upon laying eyes on Nellie.

“Uhh, that is to say… some customers may worry about the cleanliness of the facility should they learn that they’re together with slave.”

“Hou… You trying to imply that my Nellie is dirty?”

“N-n-no, it’s just… ”

Frankly, nevermind disease, feeding her some panacea had even eradicated all trace of age, putting the state of her clothes aside. To not even be able to appreciate such perfection?

“Uh, uhm, Shino-sama, if it’s just me, then I do not mind…”

“I’ll have none of it. Even if I have to do it myself by my very own hands, I’ll have you sparkling from your nails to the tips of your fur!”

“I-If, if that’s the case… how about a compromise?”

“Hmm?”

“The price may be on the higher end, but perhaps consider a suite… Rather than the public baths, they come with a bathtub comes attached.”

A bath for just the two of us. In a place no one can interrupt us.

“Well there’s no helping it then. I’ll take the it.”

There was no reason to hesitate.

“Funfu~n♪” I hummed as I brushed Nellie’s hair. “Despite not being fed properly, your hair is still so glossy… And done. Ahh, so lovely.”

At the end of a dreamy bathtime, we sat in front of the bronze mirror¹ in the dressing room, and I began playing with Nellie’s hair.
It seemed Nellie was the type to look thinner with in clothes on. As unassumingly short as as she seemed… other places were certainly bursting full of life, somehow hidden subtly yet seemingly about to overflow.

A single night for 500 kuramu, and I’d already got my money’s worth!

“Tha-thank you very much. But! Shino-sama, you are the one who is beautiful…”

I giggled and said, “Thank you.” Those definitely weren’t words of flatter from a servant, Nellie.

For the first time since coming into this world, I had yet to see myself in a mirror. Despite there still being traces of my former self, I seemed to have taken quite the turn towards beauty.
This was likely another example of “Kagura Shino,” my in-game character having influence on the real me.

“They should be just about done preparing our meal. Shall we head over to eat?”

“Yes.”

This was to be my first proper meal since arriving in this world. I was really looking forward to it.

“What is the meaning of this?”

They definitely screamed expensive. Extravagant dish after dish of impossible quantities that lined the table… were all my portion.
Nellie’s portion lay on a tray beneath the table: half-eaten bread, soup, and grilled fish.
Clearly leftover scraps. And not even a spoon or fork in sight… Was she meant to eat with her bare hands?

But above all else, was Nellie suppose to sit on this cold hard floor?

“I can’t believe it,” said Nellie, seemingly deeply moved by this reception. “White bread… and even fish.“

Just what kind terrible conditions had she been living in thus far.

“Nellie, you needn’t sit on the cold floor. Let’s eat together at the table, okay?”

“I-I’m not worthy… For a slave to eat at the same table as her master, I couldn’t possibly.”

“Hmm, really now… No matter what?”

“Y-yes.”

“… Then in that case.”

I opened my inventory and selected tatami mat.² It was one of the in-game items that allowed the player to customize their personal residence should they own one.

“Choose target location, place six mats… also add a tea table, place one… zabutons³

for sitting too, place two.” And in a flash, the simple but familiar six-tatami floor room covered stone-cold floor.

“Eh? Where… Where did all of this come from?”

“Mmm, I’ll tell you after the meal alright?”

I browsed through my inventory again and then took out some food. Sengoku Online had all the local specialties found throughout Japan registered as items so there was a wealth of options.

“Tsukimi udon, hegi soba, bamboo-leaf-wrapped dango, red bean mochi, okesa persimmons, hamaguri sakamushi, oyaki, houtou, chan chan yaki, nankou ume rice balls, and chicken mizutaki.”⁴ Taking one out after another, I arranged them on the tea table.

“… They’re all dishes I’ve never seen before. Are these from your country, Shino-sama…?”

“That’s right. Now, let’s eat together.”

“Eh, b-but-”

“Where I live, we sit on the floor on these tatami mats all the time. During meals too of course.”

After some fussing, Nellie finally began eating. Extremely timidly at first but steadily, she grew faster and faster… By the end of it, she was wolfing down the food, tears pouring.

It’s alright, Nellie, eat for as long as you like.

About an hour later, having finished eating, I decided to tell Nellie about our plans, “Our most highest-priority goal is… to buy land and to free you from slavery.”

“Shi… Shino-sama! H-have I overstep my bounds!? I… beg of you, p-please don’t throw me out.”

Aww, Nellie-san, don’t look up at me with those teary eyes. I, won’t be stop myself.

“Dummy, of course I won’t… It’s just that I can’t stand hearing the word ‘slave’ together with my Nellie. And besides, just who was it that declared with such passion, ‘Even if I’m no longer a slave, I still belong to Shino-sama’?”

“Ah, ahh…”

Her face flushed red. A silent Nellie, so adorable.

“So land… we’ll need some to build a house. As long as we have land, we can leave it to the Foundation system to take care of the actual construction.”

In Sengoku Online, the Foundation system was used to construct the player’s personal residence.
Though it required the player to have appropriate social rank in addition to a large sum of money, I of course had both.
Once we had found a suitably open and convenient location, all I had to do was select it in the system and we’d have a finished house in an instant.

“Hmm… If I wanted enough land for a noble’s mansion within the city, how much do you think it would cost?”

“I struggle to even imagine it… but If I were to guess, I think even 100,000 kuramu would be insufficient.”

“I see. Then 300,000 kuramu it is for some leeway… Let’s see, about… thirty gold to aim for.”

Since one C-rank monster was worth fifty silver, it wasn’t too out of reach.

“Then next would be freeing you from slavery, but how to do it? If I, as the master, tell you that you’re free to do go now, do you stop being a slave?”

“To dissolve my public social rank of slave, that would work. Similar to what you did earlier in the morning, touch this collar of compliance and declare me released under the name of God of Contracts, Promys-sama.”

“I see, I see. So something like, ‘God of Contracts, Promys, I implore thee. I, Shino Kagura, kunoichi and master of the slave Nellie, release her and desire no compensation.’ ”

Oho, her collar is glimmering. I had just blabbered stuff that seemed appropriate, but it looked like it was actually working…

“As of now, my public social rank has changed from a slave to a commoner… I cannot express my thanks enough, Shino-sama… But…”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Even if I’m no longer a slave, I, still want to serve you. This time of my own volition… if not as ‘slave’, would you take me in as an ‘attendant’?”

“If, that’s what you want Nellie…”

“Thank you so very much, Shino-sama…”

No. Thank you.
Thrown into alternative world, alone and weak—to already have someone care for me this deeply… What short of blessed could better describe me?

“Ah, about what you were saying earlier… What did you mean by your ‘public social rank?’ ”

“Uhm, in the Adventurer’s Guild, my class is still set to basic slave, and that hasn’t changed.”

“Ehh?”

“Well, it is not really that much of a drawback…”

“Unacceptable! We must take care of that too!”

“Even if you wish it so… a class change requires a class level of 15 or higher.”

“If you do change… what can you become?”

“If I recall correctly, I believe the options were maid or attendant—”

“Yes! That’s exactly it!”

At last, my long-awaited maid with cat ears!!

“Starting tomorrow, we’re off to earn some gold and speed level you… Operation ‘Power Leveling’ commence!”

“Y-yes!”

“By the way… would it be alright if I take a look at your status for reference? I’ll show you mine as well.”

“Yes, of course! Um… here you go.”

Out came a guild card as pure white as the very hair on her body:

*karma*
Name: Nellie Savan
Sex: Female
Age: 14
Total Level: 1
Guild Rank: F
Class Level: Basic Slave – 1

*karma*
Titles
‘Celestial Maiden of Mana’

Special Skills
Beastkin Body

Type Affinity
Shadow +10%
Light +10%

Blessings
Shino Kagura
*karma*

“Mhm, aren’t you quite the catch! 800 MP, isn’t that really a lot?”

“A-about that, last I checked, I only had 10 MP… ‘Celestial Maiden of Mana’ title? Shadow affinity +10%… And, isn’t that your name under blessings!?”

“Ah, ahaha… I wonder why…”

Whoops, it was because… I had hugged her that I had passed on a large amount of mana. And fooling her this late was already of the question… I guess I should disclose a bit.

“So here’s mine.” Setting everything to revealed, I handed my card to Nellie.

“Le-… Level 85…? I thought the limit was 50…  and your MP is N/A!? Under your status… You have three stats maxed at 18, and the rest are all above average… A-a 50% affinity, even heroes from legends didn’t have that!!”

I was left with no choice; I would have to explain coming from another world and serving as an mana intermediary for two worlds.
Even if it scares her away from me for good.

But after hearing everything, Nellie just smiled at me cheerily and said, “As expected of the one whom I serve.”

Before I realized it, I had shifted Nellie down onto the bed… and had plunged into those fluffy cat ears and mushy tail…

“Ah, ahh! Shino-sama… I-I’m… sensitive there…”

At some point, I noticed her breaths had turned to gasps and her voice had taken quite a turn to the seductive. But I decided to think about it later.

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Author: Up next is about power leveling.

For online games, power levelling is when high-level players take low-level players to areas filled with higher level monsters to quickly raise their level. Probably

¹ Bronze mirrors preceeded glass mirrors.

² Tatami are mats traditionally made of rice straw and are used as flooring in traditional Japanese-style rooms.

³ Zabuton is a cushion that typically serves in place of a chair for sitting or kneeling usually on the floor.

⁴ Rip.
Tsukimi udon or moon-viewing udon is a soup udon that pouches an egg.
Hegi soba is seaweed flavored soba.
Dango is a kind of dumpling made from rice. Mochi is similar but more of rice cake.
Hamaguri is a type of clam. Sakamushi is a type preparation that involves steaming with sake.
Oyaki is a dumpling made from fermented buckwheat.
Houtou is an udon miso soup originating from the Yamanashi Prefecture.
Chan chan yaki is a grilled fish and vegetable dish from Hokkaido where chan chan is the onomatopoeia likely for the tongs and spatulas, etc.
Nankou ume or nankou bai are Japanese apricots mainly from Wakayama Prefecture in the south.
(Chicken) Mizutaki is a type of hotpot that is accompanied with a Ponzu sauce and comes from Kyushu.

 

 

 

 

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