Chapter 72

“Wait, Jess.. calm down a bit..”
“Kkiing, nging… Master..”
Jess jumped on top of me, rubbing her face all over my cheeks while making sounds like a whimpering puppy. I reflexively patted Jess’s back and asked, “Jess, why are you here?”
Seeing someone who shouldn’t be here right in front of my eyes made that question pop out first. Jess, who had been rubbing her face on mine, sparkled with excitement and seemed ready to talk.

Suddenly!
“Ugh?”
Jess’s body was lifted high in the air. When I turned my gaze, Iris was coldly holding Jess’s tattered robe and lifting her up effortlessly. Jess looked frozen, eyes wide open like a puppy being dragged by its neck.
“Brother… what is this?”
“Oh, she’s my close little sister,” I stammered, sensing the murderous vibe coming from Iris. Her expression turned even colder.
“C-close little sister?”
It felt like I could see a sound effect of ‘gugugugugu!’ behind Iris’s back. Jess, caught in Iris’s glare, frowned and murmured, “..Blood smell, grrr.”

We barely had time to wash ourselves before getting out of the arena, so Iris was soaked in blood. Jess, with her sensitive nose, seemed disgusted by the smell, growling as she bared her teeth.
Iris stared coldly at Jess. It looked like they would fight at any moment, so I quickly stood up and squeezed between them.
“Let’s put Jess down first, Iris.”
“…Okay.”
With a response slower than usual, Iris let go of Jess, who shook her body and wrinkled her nose.
“Master, who is this person?”
Well, after a lot of time had passed, Jess’s way of speaking had matured quite a bit. However, she still referred to me as ‘Master,’ which made her sound young.
“Well, this is my sister, Iris.”
“Sister…?”
“It means family.”
At my words, Jess’s tail drooped down. Her red ears, which had been perked up, fell flat.

“Isn’t Jess Master’s family?”
Before Jess could finish speaking, a cold chill settled in. I froze, smiling awkwardly. A snowstorm seemed to be blowing from Iris’s direction.
Suddenly!
Iris wrapped her arm around me and glared at Jess.
“Brother is my brother. You’re not a sister.”
“Waaah..”
At Iris’s resolute words, Jess looked at me, her eyes shimmering with tears. I wanted to say, “No, Jess is also my family,” but my instincts went into overdrive, gripping my throat and stopping me from speaking.

Like the saying goes, women have a sixth sense! Men have a transcendent instinct too! The gut feeling of, “If I say this, I’ll be toast!”
“Jess is… kinda like family!”
“Kind of…?”
I felt the cold wind from Iris getting stronger. Meanwhile, Jess perked up her drooping ears and started spinning her tail like a propeller.
“Really?”
“Yup.”
Ouch! My arm hurt. I gave Iris’s hand a quick tap and whispered in her ear, “But my real family is only Iris. This is a secret from Jess, okay?”
“…!”
My arm, which was tightening to the point of breaking, finally returned to normal. I let out a sigh of relief, thinking, ‘If she finds out we’re not family, it could be a disaster!’

Just looking at Iris’s reaction, it seemed like it could blow up into chaos. Sweat trickled down my face as I thought of a solution in case she found out. It was an easy answer.
‘… I’ll leave it to my future self!’
He will sort it out! I believe in you, future me!
For some reason, I could almost hear my future self scolding me from across time and space, but let’s just brush that off.

“Now, getting back on track. Jess, how did you end up here?”
“To find Master, I rushed over!”
The way she gazed up at me with those sparkly eyes was just too cute, and I habitually reached out to pat her head. Her perked-up ears drooped in acceptance, ready for pets.
‘So cute…’
Thinking this, I patted Jess’s head, causing her tail to wag like crazy again. I was enjoying this fluffy sensation, almost like animal therapy…

Swish.
Suddenly, my wrist was grabbed and lifted.
“Huh?”
Before I knew it, my hand was placed on top of Iris’s head, feeling her hair—hardened and crusty with dried blood—on my fingers.
“…Me too..”
Iris mumbled quietly and hung her head. It felt oddly cleansing to be squished between these cute kids, almost like my soul was trying to escape!

“Ugh…”
I bit my tongue at that sensation, jolting myself back to reality. Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth, but at least I was okay.

“Bro, brother!”
“Master!”
But apparently, the kids weren’t okay. They jumped into my arms, their faces scrunched up with concern, making me gulp down the blood.
“I just bit my cheek. It’s alright. Let’s just buy the groceries first! Oh, and Jess, you’re coming with us, right?”

Quickly changing the subject, Jess nodded, looking a bit confused. I hurried to the grocery store before they could cling to me any longer.
I bought up as many supplies as possible, considering Jess’s beast-person appetite. We practically emptied the grocery store.
‘Since food doesn’t spoil in extra-dimensional space, I should buy as much as I can while it’s available.’

The store owner stood speechless as he watched the food disappear into my bag. After I paid with gold coins, he repeatedly bowed with a goofy grin on his face.
Since Jess’s clothes were too ragged, I quickly stopped by a mercenary supply store to buy her a robe and outfit that would actually fit. After paying and stuffing them in my bag, I said to the two, “Let’s stop by quickly before we head out. We need to wash up before leaving, or we might attract monsters.”

I pointed to an inn with a flashy sign, and both nodded. Given the horrific stench of blood clinging to Jess, if we went outside like this, we’d become monster bait. It was wise to wash off first.
‘At first, I thought we’d leave as quickly as possible…’
It felt like we were taking longer and longer to get out, but I shrugged and entered the lodge. Inside, rough-looking men were gambling, shouting, and drinking while hugging women.

Occasionally, I spotted someone sprawled out after taking drugs. Just an everyday sight in this lawless zone. No other shops would be any different.

I walked right up to the front desk. Behind it was an older man with a mustache, wearing glasses, reading something like a newspaper. He rolled his eyes to look at me.
Swish.
He folded the newspaper and said, “Gambling’s over there, druggies are off to the side, and if you need a woman, just tell me your preference. Oh, look at that—already got two, huh? You’ve got some skills! Then you’ll need a room?”

“Is there a room with a bathroom? I’m planning to use it for just half a day and leave..”
“Then it’s 3 silvers. If you want to wash too, make that 5 silvers.”
Considering 1 silver is roughly 100,000 won, that was a downright robbery!

“Can you do it cheaper?”
“Nope. If you don’t like it, just leave.”
“Well, alright then.”
When I casually said I’d walk out, the man clicked his tongue and relented, “Sigh, alright, I’ll let you have it for 3 silvers since I pity you.”
“I only have 1 silver and 20 coppers, what can you do about that?”

Renting a room with a bathroom usually costs around 1 silver, so I’d seen that in the original work. The man frowned as if deep in thought, then sighed and accepted my offer.

The three of us made our way up to the reserved room. After entering and firmly locking the door, I told the group, “Wash up quickly, and then let’s…”
“Wow! A bath!”
Whoosh…
Before I could finish, Jess threw off her robe and clothes running straight into the bathroom. Her clothes drifted slowly through the air, covering her bare body.

“…I want to wash with brother.”
“Uh, wouldn’t that be a bit difficult?”
“…Really?”
“Yup.”
“….Can’t I?”
“N-no.”
Even with the puppy eyes Iris was throwing at me, I had to stand firm. If we were really siblings with a huge age gap, maybe it would be okay, but honestly, Iris and I were complete strangers! A fully grown man who could even get married!
That’s why washing together was a big no! For the sake of my survival…

Isn’t there a common gag scene in anime? Where a man sneaks into a women’s bath and dies with his last memories? Even if I come back to life, I really don’t want to experience death again!

“Now hurry and get in there and wash. I’ll wait here.”
“…Tch.”
“Huh?”
Did Iris just click her tongue? Nah, that can’t be. Our sweet Iris wouldn’t do something like that; it’s just my imagination.

Whoosh –
Maybe it was because the room wasn’t soundproof, but I could hear the water running clear as a bell.
‘Let’s get the kids’ clothes out.’
I thought as I reached into my bag…

Squeak squeak.
I heard some noise from the room next door and above us that I really didn’t want to know about.
‘I’m… not sad.’
I felt beads of sweat forming as I laid the kids’ clothes in front of the door.