3
After a highly fulfilling evening, in more ways than one, it’s now the next night.
With no skirmishes along the border recently, Rose and I, who don’t have much use outside of combat, are wandering around among the festival stalls…
I find someone leaping over a line that shouldn’t be crossed.
“Aww, how cute! A tiger!”
“Is there someone inside? Is it you, Grandpa?”
“I think it might be Misha’s grandma.”
A happily smiling Tiger Man is surrounded by three children.
The tiger mutant and proud lolicon appears to be masquerading as a stuffed animal for the festival.
“Rose, be ready. We encourage all sorts of villainy at Kisaragi, but touching children in a sexual way is an automatic death sentence. Russell’s situation skirts the line because of his age. But that? That’s way out-of-bounds. Rose, draw his attention from the front. He’s an old comrade, so the least I can do is put him down myself.”
“Boss, please calm down. The kids are clearly the ones approaching him, not the other way around.”
Rose, who usually gets candy along with Russell, tries to plead Tiger Man’s case.
But that’s exactly what a predator wants.
The only good lolicon is one who stays far away from kids.
“Die, you damned pedophile!”
“Whaaat?! The hell is wrrrong with you, Six?!”
Realizing that Rose won’t help me, I draw my R-Buzzsaw and slash at Tiger Man from behind.
But he’s still a mutant, so his instincts are able to alert him to the attack.
“I’m sorry it’s come to this, Tiger Man. I knew you were attracted to children, but I figured you were a gentleman. All pedos must die. That’s an ironclad law of Kisaragi.”
“What the hell are you talking about?! I haven’t done anything! I’m an upstanding lolicon who’s going to be modified into a little girl! Don’t put lolicons and pedophiles on the same level!”
Tiger Man—no, Mr. Tiger Man—speaks with such conviction that he forgets to purr while speaking.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Tiger Man. My mistake. I suspected you for a moment because of all the vicious rumors claiming you became a mutant so you’d look like an animal plushie that kids would like. I’m sorry for doubting you.”
“All is forrrgiven. Um… So who was saying that exactly? Lady Lilith should be the only one who knows that was the reason I became a mutant.”
On second thought, maybe I should kill him right now.
Maybe I’ll just put a strike on his record for now and wait.
“Tch, you scared all the kids away with your attack. I’m worrrried about the kids, so I’ll watch overrr the city from the shadows. My mutant senses tell me something might happen.”
“It’s fine for you to protect the brats, but could you avoid getting near them? For appearances’ sake?”
As Rose and I watch Tiger Man leave, I hear something approaching at high speed.
Turning to face the sound, I see Grimm with a desperate expression on her face.
“THERRRRE YOU AAAARRRRE!”
Grimm shouts obnoxiously, sprinting in our direction.
“That was some stunt you pulled yesterday! It was awful! She was so intent on seducing me that I started to think maybe I’d be fine with a woman if she could make me happy. That was close!”
“Oh, you came all this way just to brag? Hey, Rose, that stall’s food looks pretty good. Mind grabbing us some?”
“I always blow my salary on food whenever payday rolls around, so I’m broke. But we can still enjoy the smells.”
The owner of the stall looks at a loss as we hang around to enjoy the appetizing aromas. Grimm takes out her wallet.
“Stop that; it’s embarrassing. I’ll buy you some! Sigh… Ever since the commander showed up, my precious wedding savings have been dwindling.”
As Grimm sobs, I start munching on the grilled-meat skewer…
“Wow, Boss, look! It’s the undead parade! The spirits that couldn’t wait till the festival showed up early and wander around the city like that. Grimm made all those dolls.”
“Pretty impressive, hmm? Not only am I a good seamstress, I’m pretty good at domestic chores in general.”
At Rose’s encouragement, Grimm starts singing her own praises.
“I’m impressed and all, but can’t you make something other than stuffed animals for them to possess? I mean, aren’t the spirits mostly old men and women?”
“Well sure, there tend to be a lot of older people, but watch what you say. There are plenty of young ghosts, too… Besides, it’s kind of cute when your grandpa shows up as a stuffed animal.”
It looks like there are only older spirits among the dolls assembled here.
The procession of human-size stuffed animals marches along in front of us—cute, except they’re all possessed by the dead.
There are a few mischievous kids wandering among the dolls, following them around and occasionally kicking them.
Hey, that’s that damned brat who keeps calling me the Fly!
I approach stealthily, hoping to pants him in public…
And suddenly, the dolls decide to dogpile me.
“Whoa! What the hell?! I haven’t done anything to you! I was just gonna pants this kid!”
“Boss, why were you trying to do something so stupid? The spirits in the dolls are from this city. They could be related to that boy!” Rose shouts as the dolls assault me.
I could handle one or two, but there are way too many.
I resolve to absorb the blows and instead look for a chance to land a counter…
“Boss, this whole thing kind of makes me happy. Can we just stay like this for a bit?”
“Yeah, this is the first time I’ve felt at peace on this ruthless rock.” I feel a warm tranquility at the center of this mob of stuffed animals. Even if they’re ghosts on the inside, this is still pretty nice.
“Be careful, you two! There’s something wrong here! The spirits are supposed to agree not to attack the living when they possess my dolls. But they’re attacking the commander without any hesitation. Which means there might be a necromancer nearby…”
As the dolls surround the two of us, Grimm raises the alarm.
Honestly, getting attacked by these adorable things just feels like they’re trying to play.
Just then, Grimm suddenly points her finger at the dolls. “I am Grimm, Archbishop of Lord Zenarith, the one who provided the bodies you currently possess. Cease your attacks at once. If not, I shall remove the blessings of undeath and send you back to Lord Zenarith…,” she declares with a fierce look in her eyes.
“Don’t, Grimm!” Rose warns. “If you’re going to remove the blessing of undeath, you have to be really careful how you word it…”
Just as Rose starts her warning…
“O Great Lord Zenarith! Remove your blessing from the foolish undead assembled in this space!”
With her grand pronouncement, the dolls who had continued their attacks collapse in a heap at once.
And then—
“…Maybe we should just skip reviving her until the festival’s over.”
“…Well, I guess we have to gather more offerings…”
We spend a bit of time debating whether or not we should revive the foolish undead slumped in her wheelchair like a puppet with its strings cut.
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