Shou was born in the small world that adults called "the other world" or "this world." Outside the town, darkness stretched out, impassable. In the center of the town was a temple, and that temple connected to the dungeon.
Since this was all he had ever known, the country of "Japan," which his parents called their homeland, seemed like a storybook place. He could mainly feel Japan when he read books. In those stories, there was a vast world with no darkness blocking the way. The idea that he could walk straight in one direction for a long time and eventually return to his starting point seemed amazing to the boy.
How can I get to Japan?
It was natural for him to start asking this question, and one day, he asked his parents. The answer he got was:
"Maybe if we clear the dungeon."
The dungeon. That was also a place full of unknowns for the boy. Adults and new residents who came from Japan once a year all challenged it to earn their daily sustenance. It was exactly like the "adventure" he saw in stories.
Shou wanted to enter the dungeon too. However, the adults wouldn't allow it. It's dangerous. They repeatedly said he shouldn't go, and even if he tried to sneak in, someone would always stop him before he could reach the temple.
Only the Japanese get to go. That's unfair.
As a child, Shou didn't quite understand the difference between those born in this world and those from Japan, so he felt left out. He sulked but spent his days swinging a wooden sword, dreaming of adventure someday.
Fortunately, he had a comrade: Ken, a boy whose parents were mages. Unlike Shou, Ken was weak in a fight, but he shared the same dream of adventure.
And Ken taught Shou about a new "world" as well.
"You want to defeat monsters, expand this world, earn money, and eat delicious food, right?"
"Y-yeah. But I want to do more than that."
"More? Like what?"
"Maybe... romance."
Until then, it was a part he had breezed over in manga. Ken taught him that marriage in the world of adventure meant "deepening your bond with a girl and forming a strong connection." Before that, he thought his future was simply marrying some girl close to his age and starting a family.
So, Ken's story was a shock, and the secret manga he had received from a neighboring older man was an even bigger shock. From then on, Shou's dream changed slightly.
"I want to make a name for myself in the dungeon, be praised by everyone, and marry a cute girl!"
Progress on the crucial dungeon exploration stalled, with the answer always being "no" no matter how many times he asked. But one day, that suddenly changed.
"It's been a while. I have something I'd like to discuss regarding your son—Shou. Do you mind?"
The Sage, the man in charge of the town, came to their house with a dream-like proposal. There was a suggestion to let children born in "this world," like Shou, gradually start venturing into the dungeon. The Sage wanted to nominate Shou and Ken to be the test cases.
His parents were hesitant, but the boy immediately said, "I'll do it!"
He learned that two girls were already exploring the dungeon. If they could do it, there was no reason why Shou and Ken couldn't. It was precisely because he hadn't given up and had continued training despite being told no that this opportunity had come his way.
Eventually, his parents relented, and Shou and Ken were introduced to a certain party.
And then...
"Ren-san is still so incredibly beautiful..."
"Yeah, and she smells nice, and she's just so... sensual."
The party they were introduced to was a four-person group, two men and two women. Unfortunately, a romantic relationship was already established between the members. They were all kind and treated them politely. Shou was grateful and respected them for that, but this meant there was no hope for romance at all.
Frustrated, Shou and Ken decided to try talking directly to another party. It was a dream-like party that already accepted "children of this world" and was composed only of girls. The fact that the leader was a former male was a "???" moment, but if they were going to get in anywhere, it had to be there. They easily found out where their house was by asking people in town that they "had questions about adventuring."
They had briefly seen Ren in town, but this was the first time they spoke properly. Ren, whom they met, was more womanly than they had imagined.
Her purplish, mysteriously beautiful hair and eyes were different from the black hair and eyes that dominated the women in town. Her skin was fair, and they could tell just by looking that it was smoother than they thought possible for a human. Her eyes were deep, and they felt they could be sucked right in just by gazing at them. The wings spreading from her back and her tail were also features no other woman possessed. Her tail, flicking like something other than a dog or cat, held a devilish allure that made them want to pounce.
As they got closer, there was a faint sweet scent. Her moderately sized chest and the shapely line of her hips were irresistible to boys their age. Despite all this, Ren herself had a very unguarded and unadorned attitude. Being a former male seemed to be true, as she talked to Shou and Ken in a friendly manner.
Unfortunately, their request to join the party was rejected.
"But she said she'd go on a date with us!"
"Yeah. A date with Ren-san...!"
Ren was kind to Shou and Ken, who had tried too hard and failed to get her approval. Shou still hadn't forgotten the feeling of her hand gently placed on his head to comfort him. If his parents had done that, he would have angrily yelled, "Don't treat me like a child!" but he felt nothing but happiness from Ren.
In the end, they returned to the house of the couple party, to whom they would now be indebted, and recalled their conversation with the girl in the room they shared. She was only about two or three years older than Shou and Ken, yet she was mature and beautiful, but still felt approachable.
"Wait, Ken. Are you aiming for Ren-san too? Go for someone else."
"You too, Shou."
The other members of Ren's party were all beautiful, too. With a golden-haired girl and a silver-haired girl, the sight was dazzling, and they were more than enough to fall in love with. However, they were too beautiful, making Shou and Ken feel a little intimidated. In that respect, Ren...
"If it's Ren-san, she looks like she'd forgive us with a 'Well, I guess I have to' even if we're a little unreasonable."
"I know. She looks like a woman now, but I guess it's because she was a guy before."
It was a small town. They knew most of the girls close to their age who lived nearby, but as the girls grew up, they started to treat Shou and Ken coldly. It was natural for them to find the gradually swelling chests and softening skin erotic or mysterious, and it couldn't be helped that they stared. But when the girls noticed their gaze, they would glare and say things like, "Pervert." No, isn't it their fault for having such sexy bodies?
"I wonder if Ren-san would let me touch her chest if I asked?"
"Don't rush it, Shou. You have to ask only after you've become properly close."
"I know. It's about 'techniques to turn a woman on,' right?"
However, just imagining it made them excited. They might not be able to sleep tonight. Shou and Ken, who had never had a chance to get close to girls, could suddenly talk to such a beautiful person. It was understandable that they were slightly emotionally unstable. Since Ken was in the same room anyway, they decided to be as noisy as possible, as long as it couldn't be heard in the other rooms.
"But, how much do you have to 'turn a woman on'? What does that mean?"
"Huh? Uh... until Ren-san says, 'You can touch me,' I guess?"
"We don't know when that will be!"
There was an area in town that children were told to avoid, and apparently, there were "shops where you could do erotic things for money" there. It felt uncool to save up their pocket money to go, but now they could earn money themselves if they worked hard. Getting close to Ren was a priority, of course, but if they couldn't endure it, visiting that place might be an option.
"Oh, but how much does a date cost? Do we need gifts, too?"
"Apparently, it's common for the guy to pay for everything on a date."
"Are you serious? Since we're going to combine our wallets when we get married, doesn't it matter who pays?"
"But Ren-san would prefer a rich guy over a poor one."
"Then we can't spend money on anything unnecessary! ...Damn it. But it's Ren-san. She can definitely choose any guy she wants."
The two boys counted the contents of their wallets and brooded. Their night, and their adventure, had just begun.
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