Chapter 44
Gilliam had said Maron looked good in a bunny-girl outfit, while Lucy was devastating.
Lucy was happy to hear that, but someone else wasn’t.
“U-uuugh…! Does that mean I’m not sexy…?”
Of course, that was Maron.
“No, it’s true that the outfit suits Maron better.”
“Then why is she the one who’s sexier!?”
Still with tears glistening in her eyes, Maron tried striking a few poses. She even propped up her breasts with her arms.
“L-look. I can do it too if I try—”
“Well, Maron’s wearing an outfit, but no outfit can contain Lucy.”
“….”
“….”
“If she stood up like that, th-things would… spill right out, wouldn’t they?”
Her breasts.
Yeah.
In fact, they looked like they might spill out at any moment even now.
Maron and Lucy thought to themselves.
‘Wow… Liam-kun really has a talent for saying nothing but the truth and still making people angry….’
‘Was that a compliment? Then why am I mad…?’
“By contrast, Maron looks just right and secure, at her prettiest. You look really sexy, too, and it suits you well.”
“…I-I don’t know.”
【The target is happy, blushing】
<Praise Points: +1500(28900→30400)>
*A ×3 multiplier is applied
Finally, I’d broken into the 30,000s.
I wasn’t far from 50,000 now.
Yuru Lapin pointed to an area with slightly different lighting.
“Now, now! Would you two come over here?”
“…Why?”
“Would you like to take some pictures?”
Apparently, it was a photo spot.
“Pictures!? N-no! Absolutely not!”
“R-right! If there’s a record of us wearing these…!”
“Of course I understand how you feel! But….”
Lapin whispered into their ears.
“Wouldn’t you like to give Lord Everchess a picture of how you look right now?”
“!”
“!!”
That was… persuasive!
“I’ll just take one! All right!”
“W-wait, all of a sudden—”
“Why don’t you two press your bodies together!”
“L-like this?”
Still with tears of embarrassment in their eyes, Maron and Lucy pressed their bodies together.
The moment their large breasts pressed together, one pair crushed against the other.
Click!
And then—click! Clickclickclick!!
.
.
.
After taking pictures for a while, they took a short break.
“Haaah….”
“Ugh… I-I think I’m getting a little used to wearing it….”
Gilliam handed the exhausted Maron and Lucy some tea.
“Want some?”
“Thank you….”
“Give me some too, boy….”
Lapin had gone to get the photos developed.
The three of us enjoyed a leisurely moment in the back of the shop.
“Haaah….”
“Phewww….”
“….”
Even with a bunny girl on either side of me, I felt strangely sentimental sitting here like this.
“Thanks so much to both of you for today.”
Maron.
Lucy.
Maron had been the one to find this shop in the first place.
And Lucy had gone along with it.
They did it to make me happy.
‘By this point, it’s pretty clear, isn’t it?’
Even with how oblivious I was.
Honestly.
Couldn’t I be sure by now?
“Maron, Lucy.”
“Yes…?”
“Hm?”
It seemed like…
These two…
“The pictures are rea—”
“Do you two… maybe like me?”
“….”
“….”
The atmosphere turned frigid in an instant.
Lapin, returning with the pictures, froze as if hit with a sudden deep freeze.
What was that?
A new way to commit suicide?
‘What on earth did he mean by that?’
Did Maron and Lady Lucy perhaps like Lord Everchess?
Why, of course.
We obviously do?
From the very first time Lapin met them, both of their eyes had been practically dripping honey with how much they liked him.
Seriously, what woman would put on a bunny-girl outfit despite being embarrassed, just for a man she didn’t even like? It wasn’t even work.
Lapin herself was a little guilty if you put it that way, but she’d set that aside for now.
‘What on earth is he trying to do?’
Lapin wasn’t a noble.
But she’d met a lot of nobles, so she was well-versed in noble speech—in other words, romance-fantasy-style speech.
If Lapin were to make a guess…
‘I-is he deliberately trying to make them draw a line between them…!?’
He was trying to get the women to draw the line themselves!!
‘G-good heavens…!! I knew he was a delinquent, but… how can he be so cruel!!’
Ah, right.
He was also the man who’d made Lapin change into a bunny-girl outfit first, just so she could be compared to those two big-breasted women.
“Ugh….”
Suddenly conscious of it again, Lapin covered her modest chest with her hand.
And.
Maron and Lucy reached the same conclusion as Lapin.
‘He wants… us to be the ones to draw the line….’
‘…That’s so cruel.’
Still.
‘If that’s what Liam-kun wants… then I should do it, right?’
Maron tried to smile.
“Ah… n-no….”
But she couldn’t.
“I… I just….”
I have to say it.
That I don’t like him.
Hurry.
…Drip.
“…Huh?”
Her eyes felt warm.
Maron realized it was a tear.
‘…Ah.’
I can’t.
Even if that’s what Liam-kun wants.
I can’t do that.
I can’t even lie and say I don’t like this man.
“M-Maron?”
Gilliam was startled and hugged Maron.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I-I’m sorry. But—”
It was then.
One of the bunny girls hurried in.
“O-owner Lapin!! A very important person has come to see you!?”
“Someone important…!? Has the mayor come!?”
“No! Someone much higher up than that!”
Who could it be?
It was—
“T-the Imperial Princess suddenly came to see us!”
“The princess…!? Why would someone like that come here!?”
“She said there’s someone among the customers here she absolutely has to see!?”
Lapin didn’t know about Elettra.
Even so, she could guess.
‘Ah, Lord Everchess’s fangs have caught her, too, huh?’
It was a regular occurrence at this restaurant for a man with a girlfriend or wife to come flirt with the bunny girls, only to be dragged out by the hair by said girlfriend or wife.
“Oh, Owner, that outfit suits you.”
“Is this really the time for that!?”
〈Next Praise Recommendation (LV.3)〉
【Automatically identifies the target → Yuru Lapin】
Recommended line: 「Yeah. It suits you.」
Mood: nonchalant
“Yeah. It suits you.”
“Ugh…!”
Gilliam’s compliment sent a shiver through Lapin’s body.
【The target is extremely happy】
<Praise Points: +800(30400→31200)>
‘You didn’t say that earlier, though!’
Just now, right after she’d changed, Lapin had asked:
—H-how does it look…!?
But Gilliam hadn’t answered then.
It wasn’t malicious; he really just hadn’t heard her.
But Lapin had interpreted that action like this, too:
He’s deliberately ignoring me to embarrass me, she’d thought.
And then, all of a sudden, he complimented her at an unexpected moment.
‘Ugh… so even women far more impressive than me can’t escape once they’re caught in those fangs…!!’
Lapin’s ears turned bright red.
They stood out in vivid contrast with her white hair.
“A-all right. First, I’ll go see the princess—”
But it was already too late.
“Gilliam Everchess! You’re in there, aren’t you!”
The princess marched in boldly as if she owned the place. As expected, it was Elettra.
“And Maron Clearias and Lucy Merhantia, too!!”
“Ah….”
“Ahaha… I guess we got caught….”
“Caught doing what?”
“You know, the scheming and backstabbing between women.”
“?”
Elettra strode in, saw Maron and Lucy in their bunny-girl outfits, and raised her eyebrows.
“You two…!”
The situation was obvious to Elettra at a glance.
Right, he was having fun in the back of the shop, dressing up only his women in bunny-girl outfits!
And on top of that…
‘Even the shop owner!? How could he do something like that!?’
At this point, there was only one thing for Elettra to do.
“…You’re the owner, right?”
“I’m sorry!! I’ll do anything, just please don’t shut us down—”
“I’m going to wear one, too.”
“Pardon?”
“I said I’m going to wear one too, so lend me that bunny outfit!!”
“Th-that…!”
Lapin was flustered.
To be honest, she really, really wanted to see Elettra in one.
But was that all right?
She was a princess, after all.
Besides…
‘Would Lord Everchess… even let me…?’
Men like him were fiercely protective of their women.
If Lapin went ‘Hehehe, then let’s get you changed!’ on her own, he might say, ‘Who are you to dress my woman without my permission?’
What mattered was Gilliam’s permission.
“…If Elettra wants to.”
“Right. I want to, so I’m going to wear one!”
Wow, he really just shifted the responsibility onto her.
As if to say, I didn’t force you. You did it because you wanted to.
“Th-then this way…!”
Lapin led Elettra inside, and a little while later…
Their conversation drifted out.
“Y-you really expect me to wear this!?”
“Everyone’s dressed like this, though…?”
“E-even so… don’t you have anything a little different!?”
“Different… Oh! How about this? You seem to like white.”
“W-white…?”
And.
“U-uuugh…!”
Elettra came out.
The glossy top characteristic of a bunny-girl outfit.
Fishnet stockings.
A design that exposed the upper parts of her breasts.
Wrist cuffs.
A white tail.
And even a headband with bunny ears.
It was exactly like everyone else’s, but there was one clear difference.
The top was white.
“….”
But everything else was the same?
The amount of skin it showed.
The outfit pieces.
Weren’t the parts that actually mattered exactly the same?
“W-what are you looking at!”
“…Because you’re beautiful.”
“You think I’d be happy to hear that!?”
【The target is enraptured】
<Praise Points: +1800(31200→33000)>
*A ×3 multiplier is applied
She wasn’t happy.
She was just enraptured.
“…Hey, you guys.”
“What now…?”
“What is it…?”
“Why!”
Maron, Lucy, and Elettra each reacted.
“I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done for me. Is there any way I can repay you?”
Seriously.
‘If they aren’t doing all this because they like me, after all.’
They were simply doing this for a friend.
In a way, that made it all the more meaningful.
Then Elettra said, trembling.
“I-I’ve thought of it. A really good way to repay you…!!”
Huh?
Did the inside of Elettra’s eyes just glow in the shape of stars?
Just like when Maron’s chance of becoming a villainess had risen before—
【Warning】
〈Fate: The possibility of <Tyrant of Ruin> has increased by 10%〉
【77%→87%】
‘What did I do wrong this time!?’
“Owner… you seem to have a rather unusual hobby, don’t you?”
“Th-thank you for the compliment.”
“That wasn’t a compliment! Anyway… in that case…!!”
Elettra whispered something.
Lapin was startled, then nodded vigorously.
“Yes! I can make it right away!”
“?”
Make it?
What?
“W-what are you planning?”
“Right. Tell us too.”
Elettra whispered something to Maron and Lucy as well.
“Huh…!?”
“The b-boy’s…!?”
And.
The two of them looked at me.
“He… hehe…♡”
“Hehe…♡”
Strange?
I’m getting more and more nervous?
“Th-then I’ll go make it! No need to take your measurements, I’ve already got them all!”
Since when?
Wait, why would she suddenly need our measurements?
“Wait, Lapin, what exactly—”
Grab, grab, grab.
“Liam-kun.”
“Boy.”
“Gilliam Everchess…! Why don’t you sit tight and let us take care of you for a while…!”
Trembling.
The three women grabbed me, trembling with embarrassment and delight.
At this point, I was genuinely nervous.
I swallowed hard.
“…What exactly did you ask Lapin to make?”
“A men’s bunny-girl outfit.”
“….”
Crash!!!
“Don’t even think about running!”
“This is insane! I have to get out of here!”
“Where do you think you’re going!! We wore the same outfit for you, too!!”
“If you’re a man, stand and fight! Don’t run!!!!!”
“Want us to cut your cock off, boy!?”
“Aaaaaaagh! No! Noooooooo!!!!”
.
.
.
Late at night.
Roy Edgers was sitting alone on a park bench at the academy, gazing at the moon, when Gilliam trudged over to him.
“…What is it, Everchess?”
Translation: Why is this annoying bastard, who’s usually busy hanging around women, alone?
But Gilliam didn’t answer Roy, instead plopping down beside him.
“…Hey, Roy.”
“…?”
“Women are scary.”
“….”
“Don’t go getting too close to women.”
“….”
“Do me a favor and die.”