Tilea's Worries

"Reika-chuwaaan♪"

"Enough already, you pest!"

"Yeowch!"

A crisp slapping sound echoes through the bustling street. The slapped man rubs his cheek, but undeterred, moves on to call out to another woman. And gets slapped again.

This same scene has been repeating for about two hours now.

The man, with maple-leaf-shaped red marks on his cheeks, persistently approaches women.

This pathetic, spineless man's name is Melanco Mucha. He's the son of a kimono shop owner. Mucha's family business is a long-established wholesale store that has lasted for five generations. The clothes they make are used by the royal family. It's a high-end shop that common people can't easily enter.

Born into such a wealthy family, Mucha is a big spender. But he has a bad habit with women. He's a prodigal son who thinks of nothing but playing with women.

Really, wandering around playing in broad daylight without working... Well, this isn't just about Mucha.

Recently, picking up women has become popular on the west street. Sleazy pick-up artists like Mucha gather and call out to women incessantly.

It's just like Harajuku from my previous life.

This situation is partly due to the restaurant Belm becoming so prosperous.

Thanks to Dryas-kun's innovative management reforms, Belm has been bustling with customers day and night.

Not to brag, but the food is delicious. Plus, there's a beautiful poster girl. The foundation for popularity was already there. Furthermore, with Myu, Edim, and the other vampire squad members on guard, delinquents and thugs don't come around. The security has greatly improved.

Once, Myu, Edim, and the others beat up some villains who tried to cause trouble at the shop. Rumors spread, and those with ill intentions stopped coming near the shop.

Now, Belm has become one of the top restaurants in the royal capital where customers can enjoy their meals in peace. It's become a popular spot for women and children, offering not just delicious, nutritious food, but also peace of mind.

And as female customers increase, beautiful women gather in droves.

As a result... this west street has also become famous as a pick-up spot.

I'm happy that the shop is thriving. But I'm not happy about this side effect. These sleazy pick-up artists gather here daily.

Whenever Edim sees such shameless pick-up artists, she asks, "Shall we sink them in the sea?"

Edim must have her own thoughts about these pick-up artists who chase after women without working even in broad daylight. She feels angry. I feel the same way as Edim. But they're not being violent or causing trouble for the shop's customers.

It's just picking up women~ It's their personal freedom.

I've strictly ordered to leave them alone as long as they don't go too far. Anyway, these playboys will leave if they succeed in picking someone up. If they fail, they'll give up and go home.

Leaving them alone is the best option.

We've been compromising like this for the past week.

However, Mucha is in a league of his own.

He's been chasing after women's behinds for hours almost every day.

This has really reached its limit.

Because of Mucha, female customers haven't been entering the shop at all for a while now. Women are leaving with obvious disgust at Mucha's creepy stalker-like behavior.

It's obstructing business.

Edim keeps glancing at me, her eyes pleading, "Shall I throw him out?" Even the fragile Casey-chan is cracking her knuckles.

You want to throw him out too? How cute.

But wait. If you all go out, things will get complicated. As the manager, I'll handle this.

Leaving the shop's operations to Edim, Casey-chan, and the others, I head towards Mucha, who's still persistently trying to pick up women in front of the shop.

"Mucha."

"Ah, Tilea-chan♪"

Mucha notices me and tries to hug me.

I immediately sidestep him.

Mucha loses his balance and falls. He seems to have hit his face on the ground and is groaning.

"Ow ow. Tilea-chan, you're so cold~"

"Mucha, stop this pick-up nonsense and go home already. Isn't your family's kimono shop busy?"

"Tilea-chan, I get enough of those lectures from my old man. More importantly, let's go on a date? Come on, come on?"

"Sigh~ You really don't change, do you?"

This guy asks me out on a date every time he sees me. No matter how many times I refuse, he doesn't learn. In a way, he has nerves of steel.

"Tilea-chan, please. I'm begging you. When I first met you, I was shocked. I couldn't believe such a beauty existed in this world. You moving to the royal capital is one of the top three events of my life. Please, my angel of beauty. Just one date with me? Just once is fine?"

Mucha bows his head repeatedly, pleading in a way that invites pity.

Geez, he's such a softie.

"Mucha, stop acting like a child and grow up already."

"Tilea-chan, I don't want to hear such lectures... Ah, that's right! Hehehe. I'll become an adult. So, Tilea-chan, won't you make me an adult? Give me some memories. For you, Tilea-chan, I'd pay up to 500,000 gold."

This guy is really hopeless.

He's trying to buy me with money?

I let out a big sigh and glare at Mucha.

"Do you want to be hospitalized again? Bizef-san might beat you until you can't recover next time."

"Eek, the mad dog Bizef!?"

That's right, Mucha has been beaten to a pulp by the wimp before.

When he tried to hit on me once, the wimp happened to be there. And the wimp threw his fists without mercy.

Mucha suffered injuries that took about a week to heal, I think?

Since then, Mucha has been terrified of the wimp.

Perhaps remembering the wimp, Mucha is shaking like a puppy. At this rate, he should go home quietly today.

"Well then, Mucha. Do some work instead of just picking up women all the time."

As I say this and try to return to the shop,

"Ah, wait! Tilea-chan, are you free tonight?"

Mucha, who has recovered from his trembling state, calls out to me.

He still wants to pick me up? He's too persistent.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'll really contact Bizef-san."

"Stop, stop it. That mad dog threatened to kill me if I hit on Tilea-chan again. He'll seriously kill me."

Oh, the threat is completely effective.

The wimp has returned to the royal capital, and his broken fangs have fully recovered.

He seems to be throwing his weight around. Well, it's not much to brag about just for taking down someone like Mucha. To be honest, I'm confident I could knock this guy out with one punch.

"If you're that scared, stop hitting on me already. And let me be clear, I'm not interested at all."

"I know, I know. Tilea-chan likes girls, right?"

"Well, that's not entirely..."

"Especially the elf, Remilia-sama, right?"

"That's true, but don't go spreading it around carelessly."

Yes, because he was so persistent in hitting on me, I honestly told Mucha about my feelings for Remilia-sama. I rejected him, saying I had zero percent interest in becoming involved with a man, but Mucha was delighted, saying "Yuri is good too."

I guess he thinks it's better for me to be with a girl than to be taken by another man.

"I understand. I get your preferences, Tilea-chan. Let me give you some exclusive information that might interest a yuri-loving Tilea-chan."

"What is it?"

"Actually, there's a really naughty shop in the Evil district. Want to go together?"

A naughty shop!?

I'm a bit interested.

But don't get hasty. The Evil district is very dangerous. It's not a place a beautiful girl like me should casually visit.

"Mucha, there's no way I can go to a dangerous place like the Evil district."

"Tilea-chan, the Evil district has good security these days. It seems the top boss controlling the district has the bad guys completely under control."

"The Emperor of Darkness..."

"That's right, everyone behaves because they don't want to catch that person's attention if they cause trouble in the Evil district."

"But still, it's not a place for women to go..."

"Tilea-chan, the Evil district is where women work. There are lots of girls in the Evil district. I've gone out with girls many times. Well, I had to pay an escort fee though."

I see... If that's the case, maybe I won't get hassled much. It's annoying to be mistaken for Mucha's companion, but if it means I can move around safely, it can't be helped.

The naughty shop Mucha recommends. I wonder if it's like a cabaret club.

In my previous life, I went to such a place once. I never set foot in such places again due to the trauma of being hit with a combo of overcharging, extortion, and assault.

In the end, in my previous life, I couldn't even change from a virgin to a technical virgin.

It might be a good opportunity, maybe I should go...

No, no, even if the security has improved, it's still not a place a girl should go.

"Mucha, I appreciate the invitation, but go by yourself."

"There are elf girls there."

"Huh!?"

W-What did this guy just say!?

"Um, what did you just say...?"

"Hehe. I'll say it again. Apparently, it's a shop that gathers elf girls."

"I-I see... B-But I'm not going. Yeah, not going. I have Remilia-sama, who I've decided on in my heart..."

While trying to suppress my agitation, I can't stop trembling.

A shop with elf girls!

I wonder if they'll do this and that for me?

Elves have a strong sense of racial identity, so it's quite outrageous that they would offer such services.

How envi... how outrageous.

"What a waste. I'm sure there are various types, from busty elves to dark-skinned elves. Don't you want to meet them, Tilea-chan?"

"W-Well, I'd like to meet them, but..."

"Then let's go~ Besides, you need practice. If you don't experience it once, you might mess up when it really matters. You don't want to look pathetic in front of Remilia-sama, right?"

"T-That's true..."

I have no experience at all. At this rate, I might be scorned by Remilia-sama in an important moment.

But is it ethically okay for a girl to go to such a place...?

"But, is it okay to engage in such play..."

"Tilea-chan, there's no need to think about it so seriously. Think of it lightly. We're just going to have fun conversations with cute girls."

"I see. If it's just fun conversations, that's fine, right?"

"That's right. Besides, many girls who work in these places are in financial trouble. I'm going to help them. It's charity work."

"I-I see..."

If there are elf girls in financial trouble, I could hire them at the shop.

Yes, we're going to save elf girls in need. W-Well, if we hit it off and develop an adult relationship afterwards, that's just free love. Yeah, yeah, you never know where you might find love.

I decided to accept Mucha's invitation.

I return to the shop first, and we agree to meet at night.

Then at 9 PM...

I head to the meeting place. The normal shopping district is closed. This is where the entertainment district of the Evil area really begins.

"Ah, Tilea-chan."

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

I peek out cautiously from behind cover, surveying the surroundings.

Good, it doesn't seem like I was followed.

It was tough since I didn't hear that the Evil God Army members would be escorting me.

Phew, I really shook them off. I think I broke the sound barrier.

The Evil God Army members are surprisingly sharp. When I tried to sneak out in the middle of the night, they found me right away. It was a struggle to deceive them.

"Tilea-chan, how much war funds did you bring?"

"I brought 100,000 gold just in case. Is that enough?"

"It's enough, enough. We can play all night. We'll even have change left over."

"I see. What about you, Mucha?"

"I always keep 300,000 gold in my wallet. Plus, I brought some jewels as gifts for the girls today."

Hey hey, you're really fired up.

Aren't you spending too much, even for the young master of a long-established shop?

Geez, you're going overboard, Mucha.

"Well then, shall we go?"

I follow Mucha's lead, walking through the Evil district.

The neon lights are dazzling.

Even though the security has improved, men on the street turn to look at us. Some even whistle.

But while we're attracting attention, we don't stand out that much. It's just as Mucha said. There are lots of girls here.

It seems that even a beauty like me doesn't stand out too much. Still, there are many women walking arm in arm with men, seemingly heading to work.

They'll probably get cozy later.

The whole street seems to be covered in sensuality.

It's been a while since I came here, but it hasn't changed. Incredibly sexy women stand in front of shops, provocatively enticing passing men.

It's bad for the eyes. Everywhere I look, it's pink, pink.

Whoa! I found something even more incredible. A woman in see-through clothes is dancing seductively.

T-This is... *gulp*?

I swallow involuntarily.

I want to keep watching, but that's not the purpose of today's visit.

We walk on, shaking off several temptations. Then, Mucha points to one shop. It's one of many in an old, multi-tenant building.

It looks suspicious.

A seedy cabaret club?

It reeks of a potential scam.

"Hey, doesn't this look suspicious?"

"That's why it's a hidden gem. It'd be a big deal if it got out that they're legally employing elves in a night establishment, right?"

That's true, the captain of the security forces is the elf Remilia-sama. I forget which generation, but one of the Arcdas royal family's queens was also an elf. So the current royal family has elf blood too.

If such a royal family found out about a shop employing elves like this, they'd surely shut it down immediately, or even throw the management in jail.

So it's not strange for them to operate in secret... yeah, it makes sense to some extent.

"It's supposed to be amazing. Rumor has it that, hehe, the elves serve drinks wearing nothing at all!"

"Whoa!"

What kind of no-panties shabu-shabu is this? The manager is really something.

I desperately try to suppress the grin trying to spread across my face. I'm trembling with excitement.

I take a deep breath.

I need to calm down by taking deep breaths repeatedly.

Dad, Mom, Inoue, the time has finally come for me to become an adult.

After relaxing a bit, I open the door.

"Welcome~"

"Ugh!?"

I can't help but grimace.

Five people greet us. Grotesque monsters are waiting with smug smiles.

W-What kind of creatures are these?!

First, the person in the middle. It's a woman past her prime. Maybe in her 40s?

That's still okay. I can accept that.

But what about the monsters on both sides?

First, the monster on the left. Its muscles look like they're about to tear through its clothes. Aren't its arms about as thick as my waist?

Is it an ogre?!

The monster on the right is also incredible. Isn't it a cross between an orc and a goblin?

They could pass for monsters without any costume. Wait, there's even a completely male person. He's got chest hair. His face has stubble, or rather, a full blue beard.

The fact that they're wearing cute clothes and ponytails is just... wait, I can even smell their aged scent from here!?

I shoot a protesting glance at Mucha, saying "This isn't what you promised!" Mucha returns a look saying, "Don't worry, I'm sure the real deal will come out in the premium course."

Hmm. I want to trust Mucha.

But the interior is dirty, and the members are at a level where you can't even use the expression "girls"... no, it's at a level where you need to judge whether they're human before deciding if they're female.

What kind of monster house is this?

Reason is telling me that I should turn around and leave right now.

Hmm, but there's a possibility that these people are camouflage and elf girls are waiting in the back. Putting these creature-like people up front could also help deceive the authorities.

A faint hope swells.

Ugh, I'm torn.

What is Mucha thinking?

I look at Mucha, and...

"Ah, that idiot, he sat down."

Mucha was being guided to a seat as the mature woman instructed.

Looking closely, Mucha has his arm linked with the mature woman, and her chest is pressing against him. Mucha doesn't seem to mind at all. How perverted can he be? His strike zone is too wide.

Geez, we can't cancel now.

Once you sit down, they'll charge a seating fee.

Can't be helped. I'll have to steel myself too.

Hoping for elves, I also take a seat at the table.

"Sir, coming from work?"

Mucha was being served drinks by the mature woman, who was saying the usual lines. Mucha is the young master of a long-established shop, but he doesn't work. He's always just playing around.

How is he going to respond?

Mucha was brazenly telling lies with a smug look on his face.

This guy is used to this. He's not new to playing around. Mucha is saying things like "This month's purchases are excellent" and "We're opening a branch next month" as if he's some capable businessman. I've heard that they are actually opening a branch, so that part is true.

But you... that's your father's achievement, isn't it!

And why are you telling the truth? I think it's questionable to talk about your background in detail in a place like this. People in this world seem to be careless about personal information.

Well, never mind about others.

Now for my table. The orc girl and ogre girl are sitting next to me.

"It's rare to have a girl customer-- ! At first, I thought you came for a job interview!"

"That's right, that's right! Is this what they call a rival appearing? Nahaha! Kana was so nervous!"

"Haha..."

The orc girl and ogre girl have surprisingly girlish voices despite their appearances. Their hearts seem girlish too. With their hulking bodies that make the floor creak when they walk, their gestures are completely maiden-like.

If you could ignore their appearances, these people are just girls. I'm surrounded by two girls.

If I could convince myself of that, this place might look like heaven... sorry. It's impossible.

There's a limit to human imagination. With these creatures flanking me on both sides, my whole body is breaking out in goosebumps. I'm even getting chills. I involuntarily shudder.

"Huh? Are you nervous? You're trembling."

The orc girl looks up at me.

S-Scary.

Those are the eyes of a carnivore in front of its prey. Please don't eat me.

"Is this your first time in a place like this? How cute~♪"

The ogre girl says girlish lines and keeps rubbing my thigh. With such muscular arms touching me, I feel like my legs might break. Please stop.

"Um, please don't touch me too much..."

"What, are you holding back because we're both girls? It's okay. There are quite a few people with that preference. I'm fine with either men or women. Ufu♪"

"I-I see..."

Unable to directly face the ogre girl's wink attack (paralysis x100), I avert my gaze.

I can't look at her face. At least if I could see some cute clothes--

"Oh my!"

"Huh!? What?"

"You know I'm not wearing anything down there, don't you? You p-e-r-v-e-r-t!"

Blergh!!!

S-Someone, help me!

The ogre girl is flashing her skirt, showing off her dark matter.

Warning signals are blaring loudly in my brain.

For me, who's used to being around beauties like Remilia-sama, Timu, Edim, and Casey-chan, this is hell.

I-I feel like I'm dying from lack of oxygen.

As I'm gasping for air, feeling like I'm suffocating, the orc girl goes even further:

"Hey, it's extra, but... want to do it?"

She loosens her shoulder strap and shows her cleavage.

In front of the orc girl's wonderful (terrifying) body, with bust, waist, and hips all exceeding three digits, my SAN value plummets, hitting the ground and burying itself deep underground.

P-Please spare me.

I'd rather look at myself in the mirror while doing it at this point. Besides, why are these creatures so full of confidence?

Did they come from a world where beauty standards are reversed or something?

Anyway, I want to escape from this hell.

Let's try to achieve our initial goal.

"Um, I heard there was a special plan..."

"Special?"

"Y-You know, with elves..."

"Ah~ That's right. The special course costs 30,000 gold, is that okay?"

Ugh, it's subtly expensive.

But having come this far, there's no turning back. After going through all this, I'm going to see those elf girls no matter what.

"Yeah. It's fine if it's extra, just switch quickly."

"Wait a moment, please."

The creature ladies retreat to the back.

At the next table, Mucha seems to have been switched from the mature woman to the blue-bearded girl. He looks dejected. This change to the special course seems to have been a lifesaver for him too.

Mucha gives me a thumbs up, signaling "good job."

And then, after a while...

What appeared, filled with expectations, was...

The same creatures from before, now wearing elf ear decorations.

The ogre girl is howling with fake elf ears. The orc girl is dancing with fake elf ears. Her dancer's outfit is so sexy (not). The blue-bearded girl is tap dancing with fake elf ears. The outfit emphasizing his chest hair is somehow profound (not).

Ugh, what kind of den of evil is this?

...

......

.........

This is terrible, just terrible.

Deep down, I had admitted that there probably weren't any real elf girls. Given the kind of place this is. It was stupid of me to have even 0.1% hope.

But you know what? At least change the staff members!

Even fake elves would be fine. You could have fooled us with humans wearing ear decorations, but this is just... well, there's no point in saying it now...

Still, this is awful. Even if you're going to deceive customers, at least put some effort into it. The elf ear decorations are falling off. They're at the level of a kindergartener's craft project. The sloppiness is undeniable.

Mucha seems shocked too, his mouth hanging open. He's spilling the drink he was about to sip.

As we're reeling from the shock, the mature woman appears and declares:

"That'll be 50,000 gold."

Something in me snapped audibly.

I stand up slowly, looking down.

"Tilea-chan, why did you suddenly stand up--"

"How dare you trick us! You've really done it now!!!"

This is a typical scam. What do you mean 50,000 gold? Don't be ridiculous! We should be the ones demanding compensation for emotional distress.

"We're leaving!"

"Huh!? Tilea-chan?"

"Mucha. We're going. Unless you want to be fleeced down to the last hair on your behind."

Not hiding my fury, I head straight for the exit.

"There's a penalty for leaving early."

The mature woman calls out from behind, but I ignore her.

I walk briskly, taking Mucha with me.

"Well then. The customers are leaving."

As the mature woman says this, someone appears at the reception.

I wanted to leave quickly, but we can't dine and dash. They did serve us some drinks and snacks, poor as they were. Even though we were made to eat bad food while freezing, there's no helping it.

Feeling dissatisfied, I open my wallet.

"How much is it?"

"It comes to 437,000 gold."

"Excuse me?"

"That's 437,000 gold per person."

"No, I heard you. We just had some distilled liquor and some snacks. Isn't the number of digits off by one, or even two?"

This is extortion. This is way too much no matter how you look at it.

Mucha is complaining too.

"Customers, the alcohol and food we served are of the highest quality. It also includes the service fee for the women. It's a fair price."

"W-What are you saying!? Don't underestimate me! The alcohol and food were barely third-rate, if not worse than what even a dog would eat. And, and! Even worse than the food was the women's service. W-What was that? It was terrible, just terrible!"

"...Customer, are you picking a fight?"

"W-What do you mean picking a fight!? You expect us to pay 437,000 gold for this experience? Don't be ridiculous. We absolutely won't pay."

"This is troublesome."

As the receptionist sighs, thuggish men appear from somewhere behind the curtains. There are more than a dozen of them. We're surrounded in an instant.

This is bad.

I try to escape immediately, but...

"Are you stupid or what!? You think we'd let you escape?"

The mature woman from earlier puts a knife to my throat.

Abababababababababa!

W-What should I do? I'm such an idiot, a fool, a numbskull!

I've fallen for the worst pattern of scams.