SIAW Vol. 2 Chapter 3
Chapter 3 – Preparations
In the workshop, I started thinking about the direction I could take in the future.
Once in Ronda, I was going to start my adventurer life in earnest…but first, I needed to gather enough information to ensure I could keep my lifestyle as safe and danger-free as possible.
Based on the stats of the citizens I had seen during my last visit in Ronda, there was no urgent necessity to train myself, but who knows what could happen if I bumped into someone with natural talents different than mine.
For that reason, for starters I was going to act alongside Misha, since her natural talents were different, and gather as much data as possible.
I absolutely was NOT motivated by my desire to raise a cute fox girl…probably…
I wanted to keep my raising…ahem, training methods secret, hence the creation of my ALA. Well, the comfort of living here was appealing too, of course.
If anything happened, I could always escape to another country, anyway.
More than that, I needed to think about how I was going to sustain my lifestyle from now on.
In regards to clothing, I was going to use materials obtained from monsters to craft clothes and equipment, borrowing ideas and inspiration from what I saw around town.
I used elastic materials to make underwear and attached self-cleaning, self-repairing and automatic adjustment of smell and size enchantments to it. As for my trousers, shirts and jackets, I kept their appearance the same, but added small touches such as stitching.
Wearing all sorts of armor would make it hard to move, so I was going to use just a breastplate, like I had been doing until now. The one I used was made from high tier monster materials, but I made it look like it was beginner grade gear.
I also made robes, shoes and other necessary items, attaching all sorts of effects to them.
The clothes I was wearing were easy to move in, but still a bit too stiff to relax in, so I also made a pair of comfy pajamas with a simple design. With that, everything I personally needed was pretty much ready.
Next up, Misha’s clothing and equipment. I started with the underwear.
I opened a hole in it for her tail and made sure it was easy to move in. Then I added various enchantments, as I had done with mine.
The design ended up being pretty cute…I couldn’t help it.
Next, I made her clothes, starting from everyday wear.
Tight-fitting pants, with frills around the waist, with a simple high neck long sleeve t-shirt to match. I also made a large belt and breastplate to go with them.
I made five copies of this set, tweaking the colors and design a little for each.
After that, I used the design I liked best as a base to make two sets of clothing and gear as a present for Mei, to give her whenever we’d go back to the Pioneers’ Village.
For her roomwear, I put in even more effort.
I decided to make two types: some fluffy pajamas and a loose-fitting outfit, more fit for wearing everyday.
I was going to be very particular, especially with the fluffy one!
I tried various colors, looking for the best combination.
The one I ended up liking the best was a color close to Misha’s fur, based on yellow.
With roomwear of the same color, she was going to look fluffier than ever!
Just imagining it made me feel ecstatic.
There was one serious problem, though!!
Was I going to be able to resist my urges, living together with a fox girl wearing the cutest roomwear ever….? Of course not!!!!
“I screwed up!!!!!”
For starters, I had to give the roomwear to Misha!
She was a pretty fox girl, but I still didn’t understand her completely. Thus I wasn’t attracted to her as a member of the opposite gender.
In this world, however, caressing a beastman’s tail apparently meant having to take responsibility in their regards.
I had to make sure I didn’t lose to the impulse of sinking my hands in her fluffy tail!
In order to cool the excitement down, I decided to make clothes for Mei first.
After a while…the room was scattered not with roomwear, but with maid outfits and frilly idol-like outfits.
“My delusions got the best of me….!!!”
I couldn’t help but shout.
The furry lover inside me was more powerful than I imagined.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
I put away the clothes, then moved to the smithy.
Before starting to work, I put up a barrier, so that I wouldn’t wake Misha and Sil up.
First, I started by making a short sword for myself.
I used a Mana Iron and Mithril alloy as material. Mana Iron was a blackish metal, but fusing it with Mithril added some white, making it look more like regular iron. It was going to help hide its special properties and also make it easier to funnel magic power in it: two birds with one stone.
I thus shaped the alloy in a slightly curved single-bladed short sword, with higher than average width and thickness.
The result was rather nice looking, so I wanted to add some decorations…but they would make it stand out too much, so I resisted the urge. In exchange, I attached not only slash boosting and self-repair, but also penetration and weight reduction enchantments.
…okay, that was too much! If this short sword clashed against a regular sword, it was going to easily break it into pieces!
I decided I was going to keep the new short sword to use in emergencies, and made two more. One was for everyday use, so I gave it self repair and hardening enchantments, while I attached the other with damage reduction: I was going to use it for training.
Next, I made two more short swords, slightly smaller than mine. They were for Misha: for here too, I made one for regular use and one for training, with different enchantments.
I also made sheats for all the short swords: they looked a bit cheap, but were enchanted with self-cleaning.
I also made knives for butchering prey, a few throwing knives…and I was done with the blades.
I should proceed on to the accessories next.
I thought about the bracelet I gave Misha the first time I invited her into my Room.
The bracelet was an excellent piece of craft, which allowed the user to use the Status Magic spell that displayed your status and Storage Magic. I made it during training, however, so now I needed something with better functions and more intricate design.
I should also attach user restriction enchantments to it, in case it gets stolen.
For starters, I picked Mithril and other materials that conducted magic well and made about five simple bracelets, then used the Engraving skill to decorate them.
I carved a fox face and tail on the bracelet for Misha, then added emeralds for eyes, since they were the same color as her eyes. The bracelet I made for Mei had a similar design, but I put aquamarine gems as eyes — for the same reason.
I made a bracelet with a simple design for myself too, so I ended up with two spare ones: I decided to put them away in storage for the time being.
Since I was at it, I also made a mithril collar for Sil. It was made in metal, but I gave it automatic size adjustment and various other enchantments, so it should work just fine.
～
I was done with the smithy, so I went to the alchemy workshop next, to craft potions to use during training.
I made large amounts of low grade training potions and magic power recovery potions, suitable for Misha’s stats. Using such potions was essential to raise one’s abilities efficiently, after all.
After a while, I finished crafting the necessary potions…and realized that I was running out of materials.
Most of the materials I had stocked in my Room were for medium and high grade potions. I could use some of them for low grade potions too, but if I planned to make them regularly, I needed to stock up.
I had to make some room for gathering materials in the schedule, I guess.
As I made this mental note, I used the Lifestyle Magic spell Time…and saw that it was already past 5 in the morning. No time to sleep, after all.
I should go to the kitchen and make breakfast…wait, I still hadn’t crafted the swimsuits!
I made a U-turn back into the crafting workshop and started making the swimsuits.
I had made one for me during training, though, so I only needed to make one for Misha.
I made two types, a one piece and a bikini, then also made one with the least cloth coverage possible, to use when bathing.
“T-This needs to have so little coverage, since you wear it when you wash your body…”
I was making such excuses — to no one in particular — when I noticed something.
“You can use Clear to wash your body first, so there is no actual need for this swimsuit…”
That very moment, a devil and angel started fighting inside me.
Ultimately, I made two swimsuits: an angel version and a devil version. The final decision was for Misha to make.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
(POV: Misha)
After leaving the village with Tenma, I couldn’t be more excited: I was really going to become an adventurer, as I always dreamed to! Even if all the running made me tired, I was never going to give up!!
After we left, though, Tenma showed again and again what incredible things he could do.
He gave me potions that healed my stamina in one second, pulled out a space? thing called ALA out of nowhere…
So when he told me to practice Throwing, I gave it everything I had: I wanted to keep up with him, no matter what.
Eventually, it got dark, so I went looking for him…and, where just a little while before there was only grass, two buildings were standing now.
“Eh? What happened here…?”
Confused, I peeked inside the one-floor building and was speechless.
Because Tenma was touching and stroking Sil all over.
I had seen Sasha and Ranga stroking each other before, but it was normal: they were married, after all.
I could understand petting your familiar…but what Tenma was doing seemed different, somehow.
I called his name many times, and when he finally turned around I told him that Sil was a boy, but Tenma didn’t seem to understand what I meant.
(I suppose I’ll have to take care of things myself around here…)
Or so I thought at the time.
～
After that episode, I expected Tenma to be unfamiliar with house chores…but the dinner he made was more delicious than everything I had ever eaten. Why was he going to take a bath anyway, he could use Clear!
Tenma quickly took care of the dishes and went to the bathroom with Sil.
I was left there alone, and remembered what my sister told me.
“Listen, Misha. You don’t have to force yourself to start liking him, but at this rate, once you become a first rate adventurer he might leave your side.”
“So I want you to do your best, so you can become a suitable partner for Tenma. If you really want to be with him forever, you have to put in effort to win over his heart. You also have to think about his feelings more, okay?”
I hadn’t taken her words seriously enough, I thought, and felt a little down.
Maybe Sasha was right, and Tenma really doesn’t need me…
I was sulking with such thoughts when Tenma and Sil came back.
Tenma’s hair was silky and smooth, almost glowing; Sil’s fur too looked even more glossy and fluffy than before.
Tenma told me about the bath and conditioner: he had even more amazing things to surprise me with, it turns out.
He then told me I could go to sleep in the bedroom, so I was a bit shaken.
I hadn’t done any work, after all, so for me to use the bed while Tenma was going to sleep on the sofa…I would end up being not just useless, but a nuisance too!
I tried to refuse, but Tenma softly stopped me, said he had things to do and went out of the living room.
While petting Sil, I fell deep in thought.
(Is there anything I can do…? Other than l-lewd things…?)
Such a thought crossed my mind for a second, but that didn’t sound right either.
I thought I should go to the workshop and ask him directly…but I was afraid I wouldn’t find the right words, so I didn’t go in the end.
Eventually, I decided I was going to talk about it the next day and went to sleep early.
I was thinking stuff like what to say the next day, and that if he came back I should give the bedroom to him, so it took some before I fell asleep.