After leaving the Inn in the middle of night, I unexpectedly run into the slave I saw the other day, Iwa. With Iwa seeing my face, she got flustered and said, “Y-you…you’re…the…b-bumper boy.”

“B-bumper…boy?” I repeated, surprised from the weird call.

“A! Sorry about that!” she said and bowed.

“My name is Raiki. Nice to meet you--”

“M-my name is…Iwa,” she immediately followed.

Well, I already know your name.

“Can I ask the reason why you’re here this late?” I asked with a smile.

She then looked at the sky and said, “I’m here because…I can’t sleep.”

Her eyes…became sad again.

“I can’t sleep too, you see. Want to take a walk with me for a bit?” I asked with a smile.

“Uhmmm…” she whispered with a hesitant look.

“You…can’t?”

“O…kay,” she replied with a shy nod.

We then walked around the streets and all houses and shops are now close. You can’t hear anything except the zephyr blowing on the area.

“Isn’t this scenery…looks amazing?” she suddenly asked with a slight smile while looking forward.

“This scenery?” I asked and looked around.

“The moonlight from above, the empty streets without any people and the silence that echoes endlessly. Isn’t this too peaceful?”

“You’re right,” I replied with a smile and looked at her.

“If only…this silence can last forever,” she continued and her smile disappeared.

Her [wielder]…I wonder if he’s a bad person. He even called Iwa useless even though she’s doing her chores.

“Iwa…are you a [weapon]?”

“Yes...I am. How about you?”

“I’m a [wielder],” I responded confidently.

“Really?” she asked with a slight surprised face.

“That’s right. I don’t look like it but I’m quite strong, you know,” I replied with a big smile.

Suddenly, she chuckled.

“So you finally laughed,” I muttered with a gentle smile.

“!”

“I think…you’re cuter when you smile.”

After hearing those words, her face blushed and she immediately averted her gaze.

“I-I’m not cute at all,” she responded shyly.

“Of course you are,” I responded seriously.

“…”

After that, she avoided looking at me straight in the eyes. We continued walking without saying anything to each other. When we arrived in front of a closed [weapon shop], Iwa decided to ask me something.

“Raiki, why did you…become a [wielder]?”

“…”

She then looked at me with a flustered expression and continued, “S-sorry about that strange question. Please forget that I ask it.”

“Well, to earn money for my family and also to fulfil my childhood dream I guess. It’s been my dream to become a high class soldier you see,” I said and smiled.

“I see,” she muttered with a gentle smile.

“Can I ask a question too?”

“What is it?” she asked with a sudden nervousness.

“Do you...hate [Katzens]?”

After hearing that, she got silent for a couple of seconds and replied, “Well, it’s true that at first, I really got scared of all the [Katzens] because of the treatments I’ve experienced after becoming a slave but...”

“...”

She then smiled and continued, “I met some good [Katzens] too so I know that not all of you are bad people.”

“Iwa...”

“How about you...Raiki? Do you hate...[Hunds] like me?” she asked with an anxious look.

“Well, you’re the first [Hund] that I met so if I’m gonna based it on that, I’ll definitely say no. I like you after all,” I said with an honest smile.

She then blushed and immediately looked down.

“I can see that you’re a good person after all,” I followed. “Can I ask another question again?”

“G-go ahead,” she whispered shyly.

“What kind of person is your [wielder]?”

She then got surprised and immediately held her left wrist. Only then did I saw the bruise there.

“Your [wielder]…is he hurting you?” I asked with a serious face.

“…”

“Iwa!” I said and placed my hands on her shoulder. Because of this, she twitched and her entire face turned red. “If your [wielder] is hurting you, tell me. If you don’t want to become a slave anymore, tell me. I’ll do something about it.”

Despite hearing those words, she continued to stay silent.

“But…but…if you don’t say anything…I can’t help you. Tell me, Iwa. What do you really want to do?”

“That’s…” she whispered and averted her gaze away from me.

“If you want, you can even come with us…so…so…”

She got surprised after hearing that and looked at me with tears welling up on her eyes.

“I’ll protect you no matter what happens,” I replied with serious eyes.

"Rai...ki..." she whispered, now confused on what she should say.

"..."

“S-so...rry…” she said and turned around, making me let go of her shoulders.

“Iwa…” I muttered, slightly surprised.

“Y-you don’t need to worry about me. Even though I look weak, I’m quite used on being mistreated so I’m sure…I’m sure that I can take it…no matter how long it takes,” she said and forced a smile.

What should I do? What should I do in order to help her? I…I…

“…can’t do anything,” I whispered and bit my lip.

“?”

I then grabbed her hand and said, “Come with me for a while.”

“W-wait. Raiki?”

As we head towards our destination, the sky is now slowly turning into blue. I think it’s now before 6 in the morning. After a while, we finally reached the [clothing shop].

“Raiki? What are we doing here?” Iwa asked, confused.

“It’s still close…” I whispered after seeing that the shop is not open yet.

Suddenly, the door opened and a tall girl with a build of a man came out while stretching her arms upward.

“Ma’am, are you open now?” I asked to her.

“Huh? We will open at exactly seven so come back at that time,” she replied seriously.

“Can’t we look at some clothes now?” I asked.

“Of course not! Didn’t you hear what I’ve just said?”

“Please! I’m begging you! I promise that I’ll buy at least one so can you let us enter,” I asked after bowing.

She then looked at Iwa and looked at me once again. “Jeez. You better buy something, brat,” she replied while scratching her head.

“Thank you! Iwa, let’s go,” I said with a smile and once again grabbed her hand.

“Raiki? What’s the meaning of this?”

“Treat it as a gift for walking around with me the entire night. Just pick anything you want,” I continued and we entered the shop.

“Huh? We’ve already got a customer?” a girl in ponytail asked to the Owner after descending the stairs at the corner. She is still wearing some sort of pink night clothes.

“Yeah. So hurry up and do your work.”

“Okay,” she said with an irritated face but just after a split second, her expression changed and a very bright smile appeared on her face.

“Welcome~.”

So this is a smile of a professional sales lady! How blinding!

She then looked at Iwa who is looking around with a flustered expression.

“You want some clothes for your [weapon], right?” she asked.

“That’s…”

“Then, please follow me, Miss,” she said and yanked Iwa towards the fitting room.

“Raiki, I can’t wear anything other than a maid outfit. So...” she explained with a sad expression.

“Then, how about a scarf instead? The season is now cold you see and you can also cover that collar, right?” I suggested.

“But—”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got money here so just pick anything you want,” I said with a smile. “Miss, can you assist her so she can pick a good scarf?”

“Yes, sir. Now, let’s go to the scarves,” the girls said to Iwa and pushed her towards the location.

Wait…money? I forgot all of my money in the Inn! I’ve only got 1000 EC here!

“That girl…is she your [beast weapon]?” the Owner asked after standing next to me.

“A…she’s…not.”

“I see,” she replied and made a serious face. “So you’re friends with a slave. Now that’s a rare case. Why are you doing this then? You’re not even her master, right?”

“It’s just that…I want to do something for her…even if it’s little,” i responded with a sad expression.

“Let me tell you something, brat. [Trust is always stronger than Fear]. If you remember that, I’m sure that it will work out in the end. So…hurry up and go to her,” she said and pushed my back. Because of its strength, I got sent in front of Iwa that just arrived.

Right now, she’s wearing a cream-colored scarf. It is fitting to wear together with her maid outfit.

“D-does it…look weird?” she asked with blushed cheeks.

“It really looks good on you,” I replied with a smile.

“This scarf enhances the magic power of the wearer. The total cost is 500 EC. Would you like to purchase it?”

500 EC? That’s expensive for an ordinary scarf but I think the price is just about right considering its effect.

“Sure, we’ll take it,” I replied and gave her the money.

“Thanks for the business,” the girl thanked with a smile.

After we finished buying, the sky is now completely light blue but the sun is still not present. We then started to walk on the streets. This time, you can see few people around, some preparing to open their shops and some walking while carrying lots of bags (probably headed outside [Sagittarius Empire]).

“Thank you very much…for this gift,” Iwa said after placing her hand on the scarf.

“It’s no big deal. It’s cheap anyway,” I said and smiled.

Suddenly, I felt a soft sensation that touched my cheek. After that, she ran away and stopped after gaining some distance.

“I’m going this way so goodbye, Raiki.”

“Y-yeah,” I said with a surprised expression.

So that’s what a kiss…feels like.

“Goodbye, Raiki,” she whispered with tears in her eyes.