Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest: Short Stories (Premium) Page 9

  Myu looked up at the girls expectantly. There was no refusing her. Yue and the others quickly agreed to Myu’s idea. With a great deal of money and coercion, Hajime convinced a nearby tailor to make the girls’ outfits right away. Once he was finished, the girls went into the fitting rooms to change. As the store they were in was a large one, there were plenty of other customers around. Hajime stood in front of the changing rooms, waiting to see who came out first.

  “Daddy, look, look! I’m Yue-oneechan!”

  It turned out to be Myu. She was wearing Yue’s clothes. A frilly shirt, a black skirt, a white coat, and ankle boots. Hajime had to admit she looked cute. She flapped her arms, which were too short for the coat, and struck the same pose Yue did when she was casting magic.

  “Oh, it looks pretty good on you Myu. You look more like an adult now.”

  Myu grinned and blushed.

  “Myu, don’t open the door while other people are still changing.”

  Yue stepped out of the same fitting room. She’d gone in with Myu to help her change. Hajime muttered a soft, “Wow...” as he saw Yue’s outfit. He wasn’t the only one, either. The other customers and even the tailor who ran the store were impressed. Yue was wearing Tio’s kimono. The dragonman’s kimono was an eclectic mixture of western and Japanese styles. Yue looked like a refined, elegant lady in it.

  “Th-This is my first time wearing such an outfit... I must say it’s rather embarrassing.”

  “Your clothes are so frilly, Kaori-san! There’s so much cloth it’s hard to move around in them.”

  Next out were Tio and Shea. Tio was wearing Myu’s one piece. It was white, and adorned with multiple ribbons and frills. Tio blushed as she looked down at herself.

  It’s rare to see that perverted dragon ever embarrassed about anything. Still, she looks cute in that. Hajime said as much to Tio, which caused her to blush even more furiously and hide behind a clothing rack. The male customers all got nosebleeds watching her.

  Meanwhile, Shea was in Kaori’s priestess’ clothes. She found the overabundance of cloth uncomfortable, but the outfit accented her figure nicely. Hajime had to admit she looked beautiful in it. The only person left was Kaori. However, even after a few minutes she didn’t come out.

  “Hm? She’s still not coming out.”

  “Hmm. Wait here, I’ll drag her out.”

  Yue smiled mischievously and barged into Kaori’s changing room. There were a few loud thumps, and Kaori screamed shrilly, “I can’t do it! I can’t wear Shea’s clothes! They’re practically underwear!”

  “Don’t worry about it,” was Yue’s reply.

  Then, after a moment of silence, the door to Kaori’s changing room flew open and Kaori was thrown out into the wild.

  “Ugh, this is soooo embarrassing. Hajime-kun, please don’t stare at me too much...”

  Kaori tried to cover herself up with her hands as she blushed to the tips of her ears. Rabbitmen clothing was quite revealing, and Kaori’s slender legs and ample cleavage were on full display. Hajime normally didn’t notice the outfit since Shea didn’t seem to care about how much of her skin she exposed. However, Kaori’s embarrassment emphasized just how revealing it was. Quite a few of the customers fainted from blood loss after seeing how sexy she looked. The store became a sea of blood as Yue and the others swapped outfits again and again.

  Shea’s outfit looked smoking hot on anyone who wore it, and before long the customers were drowning in their own nosebleeds. Hajime made a mental note to slaughter all of the men who’d gotten nosebleeds looking at Myu in Shea’s outfit later. Once the outfit swapping was over, Hajime gave his closing remarks.

  “Yeah, I guess Shea’s clothes really are sexy.”

  Traditional clothing or not, it was rather revealing. And so, Hajime reconfirmed what he’d always known, but had forgotten.

  Fantasy World Mini-Skirt Santas

  “Come to think of it, it’s almost Christmas.”

  Hajime and the others looked up from their food at Kaori. They had stopped in a small town for lunch. Yue and the others looked confused, but Hajime nodded and said, “Oh yeah, you’re right... At least, going by earth time it would be.”

  “Fufu, the Christmas party we had last year at school was pretty fun. You only stayed for a little bit, but at least we took pictures and exchanged presents still...”

  Kaori smiled as she reminisced about the past. Hajime, too, smiled faintly as he thought back to his days in Japan. Yue’s eyebrows twitched as she watched the two of them. Shea grumbled to herself while Tio smiled knowingly. Myu simply watched them with a blank expression on her face.

  “Yeah, I definitely remember you and Yaegashi blocking the door and begging me to take a picture with you guys. Thanks to that, the whole class hated me on Christmas. After that, even though it was supposed to be a random present exchange, you only gave your presents to me. So the class hated me even more. Then, you jacked the present I’d brought for the party and invited me to an after party at your house in front of everyone. At which point I’m pretty sure the rest of the class was ready to murder me... Yeah, that Christmas is definitely nostalgic. Also terrifying.”

  “Are you sure we’re remembering the same party!?”

  Kaori couldn’t believe her ears. But all of the events Hajime spoke of had really happened. He honestly feared for his life that night. Yue tugged on Hajime’s sleeve and asked him what Christmas was. He explained that it was an end-of-year festival and left out the Christian roots. After all, what was important about Christmas was that a jolly man in a strange costume went around giving presents to all the good kids that night. That, and all the Christmas cake people ate. Kaori puffed out her cheeks and complained about Hajime’s half-assed explanation.

  “That’s not all, Hajime-kun. If you’re going to explain, explain properly. L-Like how it’s a holiday for lovers to deepen their bonds.”

  Kaori blushed at her own words. Yue and the others suddenly looked very interested.

  “Hajime, did you do anything with Kaori that night? You know, the kinds of things lovers might do?”

  “I already mentioned everything I did at that party. Back then, I just thought of Kaori as a troublemaker. There’s no way I would have ended up spending Christmas alone with her. If I had... I probably wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

  “Th-That’s mean, Hajime-kun!”

  It hurt to have Hajime denounce her as a troublemaker so casually. Worse, Hajime didn’t seem moved at all by her pleading gaze.

  “That’s my line, you airheaded troublemaker. It would have been even worse if you’d only invited me to that after party of yours, but as it was that was still a huge problem for me. Especially with the way you were dressed. I thought for sure you were out to kill me.”

  “O-Out to kill you? Why would I do that?”

  Wondering what Hajime meant, Kaori tearfully searched through her memories. The way I was dressed? What was I even wearing that day? Oh yeah...

  “U-Umm... if I recall correctly I was dressed in a santa costume...”

  Indeed, Kaori had been dressed in a santa outfit the day of the party. That in itself wouldn’t have been a problem. Santa costumes were pretty common during Christmas. Kaori tilted her head, wondering what had been wrong with her outfit. Hajime sighed. The worst part about all of this was that he knew now that Kaori hadn’t actually meant anything malicious by it.

  “Back when you asked me how you looked, I just said it suited you. That was because I didn’t want the other students to kill me. However, I’ll be honest with you now. That costume of yours was really erotic.”

  “E-Erotic!? You really thought that!?”

  “Uh, yeah? Your skirt was so short I thought I’d be able to see your panties. There was a heart-shaped pattern cut out of the shirt so I could easily see your cleavage, and it was sleeveless. Plus, with how tightly it fit, I could see all of your curves. Do you even know how many guys Yaegashi had to put down because they couldn’t control th
emselves any longer?”

  Kaori buried her face in her hands. She was red all the way to the tips of her ears. She’d worn that outfit because her friends (mostly Suzu) had told her that she’d be able to make any man fall for her if she put it on. It was only her delusions of making Hajime fall for her that had given her the courage to wear such an embarrassing costume. When she thought back on it now, she realized just how bold she’d been. But she didn’t have too long to sit there squirming, because Shea and the others chose that moment to butt in.

  “You really are crafty, Kaori-san. Really crafty. To think you tried to use revealing clothes to make Hajime-san fall for you. You’re a natural born erorist!”

  I don’t want to hear that from you. You wear even less than that normally!

  “Hmm, I understand now. You wore a revealing outfit on purpose so you could get off to everyone calling you a pervert. You are even more of a deviant than I am.”

  I am NOT! Also, there’s no way I would ever be more perverted than you!

  “You’re so red, Kaori-oneechan. You look cute!”

  You’re cuter than I am, Myu. In fact, you’re my only source of relief in this cruel world.

  Yue stood up silently, her eyes burning with fighting spirit.

  “......”

  Then, she grabbed Kaori by the collar and dragged her out of the restaurant.

  “Y-Yue? Where are you taking me? Actually wait, let me go! I can walk myself!”

  “We’re going to buy clothes. Then to fight, seduction with seduction. Santa costume against santa costume. I’ll prove that you’re not the only one that can be an erotic santa.”

  “I never claimed I was! Also I’m not that much of a pervert! Stop lumping me together with you!”

  “Heh.”

  “Hey, what was that laugh for!? Tell me, Yue!”

  But Yue ignored her. Realizing what was about to happen, Shea and Tio followed the pair out. They took Myu with them, and left Hajime to pay the bill.

  That evening, five people in santa outfits stood in front of Hajime. With the exception of Myu, all of their outfits were erotic. Mini-skirts and sleeveless shirts abounded.

  “Hm. What do you think, Hajime?”

  Yue twirled around, her skirt rising dangerously high as she did so. Shea and Tio struck alluring poses, emphasizing their massive breasts.

  “Well, they do look good on you guys, but... if I saw you on the streets, I’d think you were all perverts.”

  “Huh!?”

  Yue, Shea, and Tio stiffened. They all turned to Kaori, who was trying her best to cover herself up with her hands. Kaori averted her gaze.

  “You planned this, didn’t you?”

  “I didn’t! In fact, I’m the one who told you guys not to do this! But you kept insisting! And now I’m stuck wearing this too... It’s so embarrassing!”

  “Doesn’t matter, this is your fault. Now pay for making Hajime sigh at us!”

  Yue called forth a fierce tempest. Kaori, who had no real defense to speak of, could only watch as her skirt was flipped all the way up.

  “Stooop! He’ll be able to see my pantieeees! Ugh, fine if this is how you want to play... Divine Shackles!”

  Kaori pushed her skirt back down and sent chains of light at Yue’s skirt.

  “Hmph. Not good enough. Tio Barrier!”

  “What are you doing? Aaah, they’re twisting around me!? I’ve never experienced bondage like this!”

  Yue pulled Tio in front of her and used the dragonman as a shield. Kaori’s chains mercilessly tied Tio up, emphasizing her breasts even more. She instantly started panting heavily. Yue countered with another burst of wind. This too, was aimed at Kaori’s skirt.

  “Like I’ll let you! Shea Barrier!”

  “Whaaat!? Hey, Kaori-san!?”

  Kaori’s chains wrapped around Shea and dragged into the line of fire. Shea’s skirt flipped up past her stomach, revealing her plump thighs.

  “Kaori-san! This is far too embarrassing! Please let me go!”

  “Don’t worry, the outfit you’re usually wearing is just as embarrassing!”

  “Hey, what the fuck did you just say, you little bitch!? Are you insulting the traditional dress of the Haulia!?”

  Shea ripped off her chains and charged at Kaori. But Kaori fended her off with a barrage of Binding Blades of Light.

  Freed from her shackles, Tio squared off against Yue.

  “If you’re going to strip people, then it’s only fair for you to be stripped in return!”

  Tio grabbed Kaori’s unpowered chains and looked for an opportunity to flip Yue’s skirt. In an inn inside a small town in Tortus, four santas tried their best to strip each other.

  “Daddy, this coat is all fluffy!”

  Meanwhile, Myu enjoyed prancing around in her santa outfit.

  “Myu, please grow up into a better woman than those four...”

  Hajime patted Myu’s head while he watched the four girls try to strip each other through increasingly violent means.

  The Stands

  It was a peaceful, sunny day in the floating city of Erisen. Lately, however, the city had been anything but peaceful. Today, like usual, Hajime was sitting on the pier practicing his transmutation. One of the causes of the city’s troubles walked up to him.

  “Hajime-kun, can I sit next to you?”

  “That you, Kaori? You know you don’t have to ask permission for each little thing, right?”

  Kaori blushed, and sat down close to him. Extremely close to him. Close enough that Hajime had a hard time concentrating on his transmuting. She was also in her swimsuit.

  Hajime turned to Kaori, planning on telling her to respect his personal space, when she was blown off the pier. She flew through the sky, flipping over herself multiple times, and fell into the water with a loud splash. Yue walked up and took the spot Kaori had vacated. Though she was as expressionless as usual, Hajime could tell she was satisfied. She sat down next to Hajime and stretched her bare legs.

  “Yue, did you just...”

  “What are you making, Hajime?”

  Looks like she’s at it again today too... Yue pretended she hadn’t just blown Kaori into the water and looked curiously at Hajime’s work. But before she could do much more, Kaori pulled herself back onto the pier. She was dripping wet, and her bangs covered her face so that she looked like a certain horror movie antagonist.

  “Yue, do you have anything to say for yourself? I’ll give you one chance to explain.”

  “Huh? Who are you?” A vein pulsed in Kaori’s forehead. Invisible sparks flew as their gazes met.

  “Fufufu, you’re a funny one, Yue. I can’t believe you’ve forgotten about the person you just threw into the sea. Is your memory really that bad?”

  “Oh. I remember now, you’re Kaori. You’re so gloomy that I always forget who you are. You should try and do something about that gloominess of yours.”

  “I think you’re the one that needs to fix that leaky brain of yours.”

  Kaori and Yue both started laughing. Yue got to her feet and the two glared at each other. As always, strange creatures appeared behind both of the girls. A massive golden thunder dragon appeared behind Yue while a demon in a terrifying mask appeared behind Kaori. The dragon let out a ferocious roar while a blizzard whipped up around the demon as he tapped his sword against his shoulder. This was the reason Erisen hadn’t been peaceful in recent days. The strange apparitions that Yue and Kaori summoned were the cause of it all. Hajime knew what came next. Kaori would yell at Yue for being a bully and attack her. Yue would reply that it was Kaori’s fault for trying to be crafty and fight back. Their little catfights had become quite the spectacle, and many of Erisen’s citizens came to watch.

  “Look, they’re at it again today, too. Just what are those things behind them? They look like a dragon and a demon, but how do they appear and disappear like that?”

  As Hajime watched them duel with a troubled smile, Shea walked up to him.

&nbs
p; “Why do you look so unhappy? By the way, you shouldn’t try to understand those apparitions. Just accept them as part of life.”

  “What are you saying, Hajime-san? Those things only pop up whenever they’re fighting over you. In other words, they’re proof of their love!”

  “They better not be. What kind of symbol of love is a dragon or a demon?”

  Shea folded her ears over her head and ignored Hajime’s words.

  “I love you just as much as they do, so how come I can’t summon a spirit of love? I want one of those weird apparition thingies, too!”

  That’s what she’s unhappy about? Hajime sighed as he watched Shea scrunch up her face and try to summon something.

  “I think I already know, but what are you doing?”

  “Trying to summon an apparition, obviously!”

  I’m not sure that’s something you can bring out by force... However, force was the only thing Shea could think of to use. What happened to these things being a symbol of love?

  Sky blue mana swirled around Shea and her hair began to flutter in the breeze. She let out an earth-shattering yell that sent nearby residents scurrying to safety. The sea around the pier grew choppy, and for a moment Hajime honestly thought she might summon something. But in the end, nothing happened.

  “Well, figures that wouldn’t work.”

  “Awww... What a shame.”

  Shea sank to her knees and her rabbit ears drooped in disappointment.

  “Is my love not strong enough? No way...” Shea muttered to herself. Hajime smiled and patted her fluffy rabbit ears. He continued playing with them until he was satisfied.

  “Well, I didn’t think you’d be able to summon one of those, anyway.”

  “I don’t believe it. Do you doubt my love too, Hajime-san?”

  Shea’s mood had started to improve when Hajime began patting her, but it took a nosedive when he said that. But Hajime shook his head.

  “I don’t really... mean that in a bad way. I think those things are created from negative emotions. They’re illusions born from the negative auras those two have.”