Chapter 148: An Indulgent Person
“But, you know, Shio, you’re cute, right?”
I offered that follow-up.
At that, Shio looked blankly for a moment, and then…
“Ahahahaha!!! You’re the only one who’d call me ‘cute’, Dru~!!!”
She laughed, genuinely…
Eh…?
B-But she is cute, isn’t she…?
Shio has tanned skin and short black hair.
She’s a sporty, boyish girl with enough muscle for defined abs.
Sure, she’s flat-chested, but I’m of the opinion that small breasts are a rare and valuable status symbol.
And she has a good metabolism, so she’s always warm, and her body odor isn’t unpleasant.
Her personality is a bit rough around the edges and optimistic, but that’s exactly why she’s a good kid who’s easy to be around without causing stress, a wonderful girl you can hang out with like a friend.
That’s how I explained it, but…
“Dru, you really are weird! I’m the type of girl guys hate the most, you know~?”
Shio laughed heartily.
“First off, I’m what the townspeople call a Barbarian, right? That’s bad enough, but I’m not graceful, I’m strong-willed, and to top it off, I have small breasts and butt but tons of muscle~”
“But that’s what’s good about it.”
I said that with a kabuki-like expression, as if my spirit was soaring beyond the clouds.
Well, speaking of that, Shio, who lives by the principles of “Why do you think tigers are strong?” and “Do tigers or wolves train daily?”, has a more eccentric way of life. She’s much more of a warrior than I am.
“A ‘cute girl’ is someone like her, right?”
Shio pointed towards Annemarie.
The daughter from the Bakery, a townsperson.
Annemarie certainly has a huge butt and breasts, and she’s well-built.
Her personality is also reserved and ladylike, and she can bake delicious bread.
By this world’s standards, she’s probably considered beautiful.
But still…
“Is being able to embroider or cook delicious food really that important? If it’s necessary, I’ll do stuff like that myself.”
That’s the only way I feel about it.
My Reiwa sensibilities, no, my Reiwa preferences, tell me that a sharp-edged girl like Shio is actually more appealing. Zero doesn’t answer me, but my preferences are screaming “She’s the best!”
“Then, what should I do?”
“Shouldn’t you just do whatever you want?”
“Hmm… Dru, you’re bad at disciplining children, aren’t you?”
Oof… my heart is made of glass.
“Why’d you suddenly stab me like that? Well, you’re right, though.”
“You’re good at spoiling people, Dru… It’s really toxic for children. …You know, it’s not good for me either, if I’m just constantly receiving things one-sidedly, okay?”
Is that so?
Does that kind of give-and-take thing exist in this era?
“In my tribe, if you can’t work anymore, you get abandoned, you know? But you tell me ‘You don’t have to work’, Dru… It throws me off!”
Ah.
So there’s that too.
“Well then, maybe you could just carry a sword under the pretext of being a guard…”
“Hmm, well, if it’s that…? But Dru, if there’s something you want me to do, you can just say it, okay~?”
“I have been saying things, though…?”
Like oral sex or certain positions considered taboo in this world… Shio does them for me…
“…Indeed, Dru is kind. Or rather than kind, he’s indulgent.”
Oops, Margot chimed in from the side.
“Isn’t being kind a good thing…?”
“Mm, not necessarily. Your kindness, Dru, doesn’t seem to be simple kindness, but rather a mental mechanism trying to maintain superiority by appearing kind.”
…Ah.
So everyone understands, after all.
“…I feel that you act as if anyone could become your enemy at any moment, Dru. Even though I won’t become your enemy.”
“…Yeah, I know. But this is just part of my nature.”
I can’t stop trying to score points, trying to get even the slightest advantage, like during divorce mediation.
Of course, I know that in this world… or rather, according to the state religion of this country, divorce is basically not permitted unless under extreme circumstances! Or that if a divorce happens, the woman is held responsible! I know things like that.
For example, most teachings in this world are equipped with shitty gimmicks where, like in Islam, if a man cheats, it’s “the fault of the woman who tempted him!”
In a world like that, what damn divorce mediation could there even be?! I get that.
But you know, this one thing.
It’s really, really a trauma from my past life…!
Even though I worked as an emergency physician, earning money not just from morning till night, but from night till the next morning, I have experience living in a society where that was counted against me as “It’s your fault for neglecting your family!” That’s me!!!
That’s why I inevitably end up scattering the type of kindness that isn’t genuine goodwill, but more like, “If you betray me, you’ll be the villain!” That’s just how I am.
“Mm, it’s not a bad thing. Everyone wishes others would listen to them, wishes they could make others move as they please. Your way of moving others is by binding them with goodwill. There’s no harm done.”
“It helps to hear you say that. Ah… um, sorry for not trusting you?”
“No, it’s not bad. You are someone who could originally live without needing anyone else. Yet, you chose to keep us by your side. That alone makes me happy.”
I see…