"We worked pretty hard today."
"Yeah. It was so much easier without those annoying guys, and we earned enough to turn a profit."
They left the dungeon and arrived home around evening. Although they had stayed longer than intended, they had managed to explore almost the entire first floor. Converting the monster drops and items from the treasure chests would cover their living expenses for the time being.
"Well, Iris-chan. Welcome to our home."
"...Yes."
When Fuuri turned around and said this outside the house, the newly joined girl replied with a somewhat dejected look.
It didn't seem like she disliked the house because it was small. Living with her companions while actively delving into the dungeon was something she and her parents had discussed and agreed upon. Iris's family house was just a small hut near the forest, so in terms of size and luxury, there wasn't much difference.
"You must be tired. Fuuri is going to make dinner, so why don't you rest until then?"
"Ren. Shouldn't we take a bath first?"
Ren ushered her into the living room and had her sit down, but Iris shook her head, saying, "That's not it."
"I... I didn't feel very useful..."
"Is that right?"
"You were incredibly useful, though?"
They both tilted their heads in confusion. With the addition of a ranged attacker, it was easier to take down monsters, and there were also times when they needed her to use her knife in close combat. Since she hunted animals and had been taught cooking by her mother, they also hoped she could help with household chores alongside Fuuri.
"But my bow couldn't even take down a Goblin easily."
"They don't die easily, you know. Even Goblins are humanoid monsters."
Moreover, they were the aggressive type. Even if you shot one through the heart with a gun, it might not fall immediately, and it might still try to land one last attack.
"Cooperating with Ren makes it easy to reduce their numbers before they get close, which is great. I don't have a ranged weapon."
"I could throw my knife, but if I lose it, we'll be in the red."
Perhaps due to her long ears, her hearing seemed sharp, as she picked up even tiny noises. She might even have a knack for being a thief.
"So don't worry about it. Let's keep working hard together."
"Th-thank you...!"
Seeing tears well up in Iris's eyes, Ren and Fuuri began to fuss over her. They decided to start preparing the bath and dinner and began moving.
"Um, Ren-san. I'd like to help you."
"No, I can do it alone. I use magic, so I don't need help fetching water or anything."
"In that case, I think I can be even more helpful."
The bathtub installed in the house was made of sturdy wood. Since scientific materials were hard to come by, they used traditional methods, but for Ren and his friends, it was more like "a luxurious bath only found at a ryokan (traditional inn)." Being Japanese, both the furniture makers and the users were particular about their baths.
Iris stood in front of the tub, which was about half-full after a few of Ren's spells, and let out a soft chirping sound. Water appeared from thin air and poured out. The amount created was more than Ren's magic could produce.
"What was that?"
"It's Spirit Magic. I'm not as good as my mother, but I can do this much as long as there's water nearby."
"So you were talking to a spirit just now."
According to Iris, a spirit dwells in everything in this world. Spirit Magic is the art of calling on them for cooperation. A Water Spirit can produce water, and a Fire Spirit can throw flames. The weakness is that the magic cannot be used without the presence of that spirit; she can't use fire or water magic where those elements aren't present. It was originally her mother's skill and had been passed down to her.
"If I produce water with magic, Iris can talk to the spirit. That's convenient. ...Wait, so there are no spirits in the moisture in the air?"
"Um, my mother says 'they are,' but I can't sense them very well."
"Ah. It might be hard to feel them even if you're told they're there."
They didn't have science textbooks or morning weather forecasts here. Compared to visibly present water, it might be difficult to sense what "is there."
Working together and chatting, they finished the task in less than half the usual time. After firing a few blasts of fire magic into the tub, the water heating was complete.
"Alright. I'll go help Fuuri now, so Iris, why don't you jump in while it's hot?"
"No, I'm fine going last."
"Don't worry about it. I can reheat the water as much as I want."
In fact, it would be more helpful if she got in while he was free. When he said this, she reluctantly agreed, saying, "Understood."
Just as he was about to leave the bathroom, he felt a touch on his cheek from behind.
"Then, at least let me restore your magic power with this."
Life force flowed gradually from the point of skin-to-skin contact. Since he had used a fair amount of MP, he was genuinely grateful.
However, having a beautiful girl right behind him was bad for his heart. Iris had taken off her leather armor and was only wearing her clothes. Perhaps it was her Elven blood, but she smelled surprisingly nice for someone who had just returned from an adventure.
After spending the day with her, his impression had changed significantly from when he was told she was twenty. She felt less like an older person and more like an affectionate younger relative.
"Um, Iris? It's not a good idea to casually touch a guy."
Reluctantly, he brought up a comparison: "You wouldn't want to take a bath with your father, would you?"
The girl paused for a moment before answering, "My father is sweaty, and I'd be embarrassed to let him see me naked... but I think I'd be okay with Ren-san."
Well, it's a good thing she was entrusted to us.
She probably hadn't had much contact with men other than her father. In that case, he needed a shock treatment.
"Then, why don't we take a bath together?"
"Yes. Then I'll go get my change of—"
"Ren? If you're going to do that, I want to join too, you know?"
"Whoa!"
Fuuri, wearing a somewhat scary expression, was standing by the open door.
"Wait, it's not what you think! I only said that because I thought a threat would finally make her understand!"
"Really? After you kissed me this morning?"
"You were the one who initiated that!"
The shock treatment was proving ineffective on Iris, so it was good that Fuuri stopped them, but the girl seemed determined to use that incident as blackmail. As they glared at each other with frustration, Iris tilted her head.
"...Are you two dating?"
"Don't say weird things."
"Exactly. We're not 'that' yet."
In the end, the junior girl had to take her bath alone.
--------------------
After dinner, Fuuri took a bath, followed by Ren. When Ren came out to the living room, the two girls seemed to be chatting happily.
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, nothing much. Just the time Ren tripped and fell spectacularly on the floor during his first time in the dungeon—"
"You...! If you bring that up, I'll tell her about the time you covered yourself in flour and made a huge fuss!"
"Ah, that's not fair!"
If left alone, they really wouldn't do anything good. However, since they had clearly bonded, he couldn't complain too much.
Ren chuckled and turned to Iris, who was looking at his back.
"Ren-san, your succubus wings really look like bat wings."
It was hot after the bath, so he was only wearing his innerwear and clothes. Ren's clothes had two slits in the back and one near his hips, allowing his wings and tail to stick out. The reason he usually wore a robe was that some people openly called it "weird," but fortunately, Iris's attitude was one of pure curiosity.
He wondered if Iris had ever seen a real bat.
"Um, Ren-san. Could I touch them for a moment?"
"Ah, sure. Just for a moment."
"Thank you! Then..."
"Nngh."
A tingling sensation ran through him when her thin fingers stroked the underside of his wings.
"Wow, they're smooth. They're not feathered. And the top... is this side softer?"
"Ah, Iris. That's enough, please."
"Oh, I'm so sorry! Did it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt, but it feels kind of ticklish."
Fuuri watched the two of them, smirking.
"Ren-san, what does it feel like to have wings and a tail?"
"Hmm... it's hard to explain, but it's close to the sensation of having ears."
He was vaguely aware of them being on his back. Touching them made him ticklish, and he could move them if he concentrated, but precise movements would require practice. Grasping things with his tail was impossible right now.
Besides, both his tail and wings were still too short.
"Your wings and tail get a little bigger every time you level up."
"That's not exactly good news."
If his wings got bigger, he might be able to fly, but by then, his chest would probably have grown as well.
"Getting bigger gradually... Ren-san, can I touch your tail, too?"
"Spare me that. It's even more ticklish than the wings."
It seemed to have a high concentration of nerves, much like how some animals get angry if their tail is grabbed. It was annoying that the sensitive organ in the back made it difficult to sleep on his back. Since his wings were small now, sleeping on his side was fine, but his posture was unstable, so he was considering buying a body pillow. Since the guys who would tease him for buying a body pillow (Fuuri would call it "cute" but wouldn't mock him) were gone, perhaps he should just buy one.
"Oh. Speaking of leveling up, my clothes have started chafing and hurting."
"Ah, your chest?"
"I understand. I've been bothered by it while hunting, so I consulted my mother."
When he shared his recent troubles, the two girls immediately understood what he meant, even though he tried to be vague.
"Even men experience that?"
"No, no. Ren is special."
"Why are you answering? Well, I was totally fine before this happened."
Becoming a succubus made him delicate, and his skin became smoother and more sensitive. Combined with the ongoing feminization (succubus-ification) due to leveling up, he seemed to be experiencing a phenomenon similar to what girls face during puberty.
"Maybe you should switch to girl's underwear?"
"It's distracting, so it's better not to ignore it."
"Underwear, huh."
He understood the logic, but he wasn't keen on it. After living his life as a man without issues, wearing cute underwear now felt too embarrassing.
"I want to change jobs from Succubus to Human..."
"Can you do that?"
"Race isn't a class, so you can't just switch easily. They've only found two or three ways to change it in the last thirty years."
"That sounds impossible..."
He had consulted the senior transfer students before, but they told him, "You shouldn't do it."
There are many unknowns regarding race change. Even if we could provide an item to turn you into a 'Human,' there's no guarantee that the 'Human' in this world is the same as the original Japanese. How much of your changed appearance would revert is also unknown.
After being told that, he had no choice but to give up.
"It can't be helped. I guess I'll go buy new underwear tomorrow. ...The plainest ones possible."
"Aww. You should get cute ones! Right, Iris-chan?"
"Yes. I think they'd suit Ren-san."
"No one's going to see my underwear anyway."
"We will."
Or rather, they were going to look at it.
"...Fine. If you insist, help me choose. No, just choose for me."
"Yay! Iris-chan, you're coming too, right?"
"Yes, absolutely. I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
The next day, Ren was dragged along by the two cheerful girls to buy women's underwear. Fuuri insisted he get a bra, but Ren persuaded her, "I absolutely refuse that," and they ultimately settled on a simple camisole-type item. It might have helped that the shop owner agreed, saying, "If you're going to grow bigger, buying a bra now will just mean you have to replace it later."
This is fine. It's just a slightly different shape, like an undershirt, he thought with relief.
"Hey, Ren. Since we're here, let's buy panties, too."
"Absolutely not."
He felt that no matter how he rationalized it, that would definitely feel like cross-dressing. However,
"But won't underwear that fits your body make it easier to move?"
Iris's point had merit, so he decided to switch from the boxer shorts he had been wearing to boxer briefs. As a result, he was less bothered by minor discomfort, and his concentration while exploring the dungeon improved.
With the help of the new underwear, their second exploration proceeded smoothly. The three of them reached the final area of the first floor—the boss room—with plenty of energy to spare.
============
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