As the sun finally set, Sairi and Hilvia arrived at the town to the east. Watching the city gate grow nearer, Sairi couldn’t help but start imagining her future adventures in this new world.
“Wow! So this is a town, huh? It’s actually my first time seeing one here. I can’t wait to see what kind of delicious food and fun stuff there is!”
“Alright, alright, but first I’m going to take you to the inn where I’m staying temporarily. I’ll use Healing Magic to heal all your wounds, then we can go exchange these pelts for money and buy some food, okay?”
“Mm! I’ll listen to you, Hilvia-neechan!”
“Haha, why do you sound like some silly innocent kid? But I do kinda like that.”
Hilvia carried Sairi through the city gate, explaining that this girl (Sairi) had been saved from the wild during a hunt and was now allowed entry into the city.
Inside the town, Sairi examined the buildings on both sides with a sideways glance. They were certainly not made of reinforced concrete and neon lights but rather of stone and wood planks.
“Wow, just like I imagined—houses built from wood and stone. Hey, look! There’s actually something called the Adventurers’ Guild over there! Hilvia-neechan, are you a member too?”
“Oh no, not really. I travel a lot between different countries. Every time I arrive somewhere, I have to show my credentials at the local Adventurers’ Guild, which is pretty annoying. Besides, Adventurers’ Guilds vary from place to place, and some have rather unfriendly attitudes.”
“Is that so?”
Though Sairi did see the kind of Adventurers’ Guild building she expected, Hilvia seemed to like taking detours… Huh?
Right after entering the city, they walked a bit on the main road, but then Hilvia kept leading Sairi through all sorts of remote alleys.
Because of that, they barely saw any other people from this world along the way. Sairi was wondering if she might get lucky and meet a cool older sister-type magician or fortune teller.
“Um… Hilvia-neechan, is there a reason you’re avoiding the main roads? Why do you keep taking these out-of-the-way paths?”
“Well, I prefer quiet places and don’t like running into people. You know how it is—if you meet an acquaintance, they drag you into a conversation. Plus, with everything going on today, if I ran into someone I knew on the main street, they’d keep pestering me for info and then spread rumors.”
“That makes sense…”
“It really does. Hilvia-neechan, you’re so thoughtful.”
“Haha, no need to say that. You just get used to things after living a while.”
After some time, the two finally stopped in front of a modest inn. Hilvia set Sairi down and led her inside to her own room.
Though, honestly, Sairi thought she only still had some wounds that hadn’t fully closed yet, and no need to carry her all the way.
Opening the door, Sairi’s first impression was of a large yet simple room: a big bedroom, a dining area, a storage room, and even a bath.
There was even a small kitchen! What kind of VIP treatment was this? Usually, people staying at inns just get a single bedroom, right?
Hilvia seemed quite well-off. Not exactly rich, but at least well enough to never worry about food or drink. Yes! Looks like I really picked the right person to stick with!
The simplicity came from the room being very plain—almost no decorations, just necessary furniture. After all, it’s an inn; Hilvia probably didn’t bring furniture of her own.
Sairi noticed the large, neatly made bed, an old clock hanging on the wall, and a bookshelf full of books standing in the corner.
“Hmm, it’s pretty simple. Sorry if it’s not much.”
“Not at all! I really like this style. Hilvia-neechan, you’re a pragmatist! And I don’t think it’s simple—everything a home should have is here.”
Sairi followed Hilvia inside and sat down at a square table meant for dining.
“Alright, let me use Healing Magic to fix your wounds.” Hilvia placed the pelts and the wild rabbit on a small table in the corner. “Let me take a look.”
Once Sairi sat, Hilvia leaned in and examined her roughly all over.
“No big problems. The bite on your leg was stopped earlier; now I’ll heal it completely!”
With that, Hilvia raised her hand and summoned magic. Her palm glowed green, gently covering each of Sairi’s wounds.
“Hmm… strange feeling. Not painful, just a little itchy, like being tickled by the fuzz of Lantern Grass.”
“Eh, um… hehe, it does tickle a bit.”
“The person receiving Healing Magic often feels that way. I used to treat a friend often, and she said the same.”
“Is that so?”
As the treatment ended, all of Sairi’s wounds were completely healed. She stood and bounced lightly, feeling no discomfort at all.
“As expected from Hilvia-neechan! I feel reborn! Everything’s completely better.”
“Haha, it’s just some basic Healing Magic. It’s already late; there probably won’t be much food to buy now. And look at your clothes—they’re all torn to shreds.”
Sairi couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly, scratching her face.
“Alright, I’ll cook some mixed vegetable and shredded meat porridge for you. Eat it here and don’t go wandering around. I’ll go exchange the pelts and rabbit for money and find you some new clothes. Tomorrow, we’ll hit the market and eat some good food. You can’t wear such tattered rags.”
“Okay, okay!”
Hilvia went into the small kitchen and started rummaging around.
Sairi watched, bewildered. Using magic just to make porridge? And the magic looked like it was being cast chaotically, like in battle. Looks like Hilvia isn’t much of a cook…
Not long after, Hilvia brought over a steaming bowl of rice porridge with some meat shreds and vegetable leaves on top, placing it on a cloth.
“All done, be careful, it’s hot. I’ll be out for a bit!” She gently stroked Sairi’s hair and poked her cheek.
“Mm, okay, I promise I’ll behave!”
Yeah right!
Hilvia left with the prey, leaving Sairi alone in the room for now.
“Ssshh,” Sairi blew on the porridge to cool it down and swallowed a spoonful. Honestly, it was quite tasty—salty and fresh.
She started zoning out, replaying her situation in her mind.
“Hmm… Does this mean I’m basically riding on a big brother’s coattails now? Feels pretty good. And Hilvia’s such a cute pretty girl, hehe~”
But Hilvia seemed strong. I better not mess around and just wait obediently for her to come back. Right! First, I have to earn her trust!
The rest of the time was just Sairi battling the boring porridge.
“Ding~ ding~” The old clock on the wall chimed.
“It’s already 7 o’clock. Why isn’t Hilvia back yet? Maybe she ran off secretly?!”
Sairi’s eyes were drawn to the bookshelf. She had noticed it when drinking the porridge but was afraid to peek at the books in case Hilvia came back and caught her.
But Hilvia had kept her waiting too long. Curiosity eventually won out, and Sairi crept closer to see what was there.
“Hm? Human Kingdom History Top Journal?” Sairi flipped through a few pages but quickly lost interest. It was all text and boring.
“What’s this?” She spotted a book with a glowing sword on the cover and picked it up. That sword looked so familiar somehow.
***
Suddenly, a system interface popped up, showing the book’s title as Holy Sword Magic. Ugh, sounds so cheesy, like something kids would beg their parents to buy.
“Detecting learnable skills: can perform Sword Qi Wave and Empowering Slash.”
“Huh? What’s that mean? Does the system actually teach me combat techniques? So strong! I’m gonna become the ultimate hero! No wait, it’s supposed to be a phoenix hero? Ah, whatever. Let me learn them!”
Following the system’s instructions, Sairi quickly mastered those two techniques.
Excitedly, she flipped through other books but found little useful besides a bit of Healing Magic and some body enhancement refinement techniques.
Sigh, looks like most of these books are dry stuff. Better stop.
Sairi put the books back carefully and sat down again.
She felt lucky. Usually, her luck was terrible. In the past, if she had tried reading books, either Hilvia would come back too fast and catch her or she’d hesitate for a long time and get caught anyway.
But this time, she got away with it. Was her luck finally turning?
She was really looking forward to what the system could do for her future. With its help, she could rise quickly and reward Hilvia properly.
After all, in anime and games, the “first companion” who helps the protagonist is basically the poster girl.
Still, what did the goddess mean about not relying too much on the system? Could it disappear or betray me later? No way.
“Oh right! I almost forgot the flower petals! I collected so many today and didn’t exchange them with Hilvia.”
Sairi released the item, and a pile of petals taller than herself appeared on the floor.
At that moment, footsteps sounded at the door—Hilvia was back. Good thing Sairi was quick and had put the books away.
“Whoosh!” It was indeed Hilvia, carrying a small bag in her left hand and a larger bag in her right—probably clothes.
“Phew, Sairi-chan, look what I brought back! Eh, where did this pile of petals come from?”
“Uh (○○), Hilvia-neechan, I picked these from a cluster of Lantern Grass by a forest river just now. I heard they can be used for healing or exchanged for money, so I collected a lot.”
“I did see a big patch of Lantern Grass during the day and wondered why all the petals were gone. But why didn’t I see you picking them when you were by my side? Where did you hide so many?”
“Uh, uh, um…”
Hilvia looked puzzled at Sairi’s shy and hesitant manner. She set the clothes and bags on the table, then leaned in close, face to face.
Sairi felt Hilvia’s cute face getting closer and closer, as if they were about to kiss. If either of them lost balance, that would have been an accident!
“Tell me honestly, I won’t tell anyone.”
Seeing Hilvia’s serious and calm face, Sairi finally gave in.
“I actually have a magic storage item on me. I put all the petals I collected inside it.”
“Oh, I see. Don’t worry, I won’t steal from you or hurt you.”
“Yay! Hilvia-neechan is the best!”
“Oh, by the way, no one’s come knocking or bothering you here, right?”
“Nope, nobody’s been here at all.”
“That’s good.”
“Why? Are you worried about something, Hilvia-neechan?”
“Hmm, not really. This is a frontier town, so I worry about bad security and troublemakers bothering us.”
“Don’t worry! I’ll always stick by Hilvia-neechan and get stronger! I’ll protect you!”
Pfft, Hilvia burst out laughing. “You protecting me? Who was the little cutie I saved from a pack of wolves today? Who was it?”
“It’s not like that! Maybe I was weak during the day, but now I’m different!”
“Hm?” Hilvia looked puzzled.
That annoyed Sairi. How dare she look down on me? As the saying goes, everyone wants to prove themselves! Am I going to just take this lying down?
“No laughing! Watch this! Rainbow Sword!” Sairi summoned the Rainbow Sword in her hand, then, imitating what she’d read, channeled her energy into the blade. The sword started glowing.
“See? I can use Sword Qi Wave and Empowering Slash just like in the book!”
“Hm? Where did you learn those? You clearly couldn’t do anything before coming here.”
“Uh, um, that’s… that’s…”
Crap, I slipped up. She found out I was sneaking a look at her books. Will she be mad?
“Ow, Hilvia-neechan, that hurts!” Hilvia suddenly grabbed Sairi’s ear and pulled it up like a mother scolding a child.
“This is just the first day, and you’re already lying? Be honest with me.”
Hilvia’s grip was strong—not painful because she pulled up, but because she pinched the ear. Sairi nearly burst into tears.
“I’m telling! It was your books—the ones on the shelf.” Sairi pointed at the bookshelf.
“Oh? What did you read? Remember anything?”
“Just the sword technique book. The other books were all text and boring.”
“Hehe, looks like you didn’t discover much.” Hilvia muttered quietly.
“Hm? What did you say, Hilvia-neechan?”
“Hehe, I said Sairi-chan really is full of surprises. You seem clueless and dumb but have such talent.”
“What do you mean by clueless and dumb? Don’t look down on me! When I get stronger, I’ll hit back hard!”
“Future’s future. For now, I’m under your roof and have to keep my head down.”
“Hahaha, fine, I’ll wait for Sairi-chan to soar and pull little me up along the way.” She kept stroking Sairi’s head.
“Enough, enough. The pelts and rabbit have been exchanged for money. Not a lot, but enough—10 silver coins total. That should last us a while. Tomorrow I’ll take you to the morning market for some good food.”
“Yay! Hilvia-neechan is so nice!”
“Also, after you wash up, I bought you two new outfits. Look at these rags you’re wearing.”
Hilvia pulled out the clothes: first, a short-sleeved undershirt with little floral embroidery, then a long-sleeved outer jacket matching Hilvia’s style but white and understated—nothing flashy.
But the next two pieces were not so normal.
“What… what is this?!”
Sairi held up a white pair of panties with a small bear pattern, surprised. White, soft, silky smooth to the touch, even trimmed with white lace.
“Are… am I supposed to wear these? How would it feel? After being a tomboy for so many years, can I even endure this humiliation?”
“What’s wrong? Don’t like what I picked? Or would you rather go commando?”
“Of course not! I just… I just feel a bit… shy.”
“Shy? Wearing underwear is perfectly normal, plus there’s more.”
Sairi saw Hilvia pull out the last piece of clothing—a bra?!!
“Sigh, I originally wanted to pick something sexier or cuter for you, but you’re really flat-chested. So I got you a plain sports bra, stretchy, soft, breathable, and sturdy.”
“This… this… I just… I don’t think I can handle this…”
Why not? It’s just normal underwear—not the mature big sister’s sexy lace or something risqué. Unless you’re a guy cross-dressing?
“I… I’m a girl! I just feel shy wearing clothes and underwear someone else picked out.” More accurately, this was the first time Sairi had truly experienced putting on female underwear herself.
But she couldn’t say all that.
“So, will you wear them or not? If not, you can wear mine.”
“I’ll wear them!” Compared to used underwear, wearing these was the lesser shock. Sairi’s little heart couldn’t take the bigger blow, so she chose the more acceptable option.
People always prefer a compromise.
“Good. Don’t hesitate. I’ll go take a hot shower now.”
“Okay, okay!” Sairi started carefully examining the outfit.
To be honest, when she was reincarnated into this world, she already had a set of underwear on, and it felt pretty comfortable.
When she found out her brother was gone and she was a socket, she noticed the panties were different. But her ‘strong’ self-control stopped her from closely examining the panties and bra she had on.
After all, even though she used to be a boy and blind, she still had some understanding that male and female physiology differ.
Those places were sensitive, and if she had been too curious about the texture and feel of the panties, who knew if she’d be able to catch that rabbit later.
That also explained why Sairi never really faced the fact she was already wearing the bear-patterned bra and panties.
She kept telling her brain not to see or think about it. But now, thanks to Hilvia, it was impossible not to imagine…
Damn you, Hilvia! You female pervert!