Chapter 11: Long Travel
Author: Geraint
Yawning while driving through the mountains, I spotted a shallow river ahead of the road. Deciding we needed a break—especially since I hadn't slept the entire night—I parked the bus near the river and turned off the engine to let it cool.
Stretching my arms and legs as I stepped outside, I took a deep breath. Realizing none of us had eaten a proper meal yet, I went off to hunt. Taking off my coat and shoes, I left them on the ground before leaping into the trees, moving from branch to branch as I searched for prey.
"Strange..."
There were plenty of edible fruits on the trees, but I hadn't come across a single herbivorous monster. On Earth, they'd be called animals, but here in my home world, they're known as monsters.
Jumping down to the ground, I noticed several claw marks on the trees—signs that a beast was nearby and this territory belonged to it.
I walked openly, not bothering to hide my presence, until I felt a surge of killing intent in the distance.
"RAAAWR!"
A deafening roar echoed as trees crashed to the ground, and a humongous bear—five times larger than an average human—emerged from the forest.
"Hahaha! Looks like we're having nabe today!"
Excited, I readied myself. It had been a long time since I hunted a monster for food—and this one was huge.
"RAWR!"
The bear charged at me, swiping with its massive claw. I stopped it with a single foot, stepped along its arm, and kicked it straight in the nose.
"RAAAH!"
It roared in pain, blood gushing from its snout.
"Let's end this quickly. No need to make you suffer."
I picked up a small stick lying nearby, stripped off the leaves, and swung it to test its balance.
"Reforge."
Infusing it with magic, I waited as the bear lunged again. In a flash, I slashed its neck with the enchanted stick.
Blood spurted from the clean cut, and the beast collapsed with a heavy thud.
The stick in my hand crumbled into ash and vanished into the wind. Glancing up at the rustling trees, I pulled a butcher knife from my dimensional storage and got to work, dismantling the massive bear.
Several Hours Later
After some exhausting work, I was preparing skewered bear meat at the riverside camp when the female teacher stepped out of the bus, rubbing her eye. She glanced around and spotted me.
"Umm... Akatsuki-san?"
"Good morning, Sensei."
"What are you making?"
"Skewers. And a few other dishes."
Watching me work, her eyes widened in amazement.
"I didn't know you could cook."
"I'm the only one who cooks at home, after all."
"So you're the one making meals for Yuuka-san and Shiina-san?"
"Yup."
As I dipped the skewers in a sauce I had prepared, the sizzle of the meat made her drool—and her stomach growled loudly.
When I squinted at her, she turned red and covered her face with her hands.
"S-Sorry! I can't help it! I haven't had a proper meal since we got here..."
"Pffffft~"
I couldn't help but chuckle.
I went over to the pot of rice simmering on the flames. Seeing that it was done, I scooped some into a bowl and handed it to her.
"It's really rice! Where did you get this?"
"I brought some with me when we arrived."
"Wow! You're so prepared!"
She was overreacting to something so simple, but I let it slide.
When the skewers were properly grilled, I placed a few on her plate with sauce.
"Try it."
"Meat!"
She took a bite and her eyes lit up with joy, tears forming as she chewed.
"So yummy!"
"Eat slowly. I've made enough for everyone—eat too fast and you'll get sick."
"I won't! It's so good, Akatsuki-kun!"
She'd changed how she addressed me.
"Don't forget to eat your vegetables, too."
"Yes!"
Our roles had reversed—she was acting like a child now.
"Ah! Saeko-sensei is unfair! She's eating before us!"
The students had started to wake and saw their teacher eating ahead of them.
"Come and eat! Akatsuki-kun's cooking is amazing!" she called.
"Really?"
"I'm starving."
"That smells incredible!"
I had to move faster to feed everyone. They devoured the food—some even cried from how good it was. Once the skewers were done, I brought out a large pot and set it over the flames. I poured in the broth, added vegetables, mushrooms, and thinly sliced bear meat, and let it simmer as everyone watched.
"Good morning, Onii-sama."
"Seir-kun..."
Yuuka and Shiina had woken up, along with the princess. Kaho-san and Riko were still groggy behind them.
"Go wash up at the river while I finish prepping your food."
"Okay!"
The five girls headed off, with Lilith and Lory yawning as they followed.
Once everyone returned and sat on the ground, I served their meals.
"Huh? What kind of meat is this?" Yuuka asked suspiciously.
"Best if you don't ask and just enjoy."
"If it's Onii-sama's cooking, it's delicious... but it's the ingredients I'm worried about."
"Relax. The meat's fresh and normal."
"Isn't this Titan Bear meat?" Lilith asked after tasting a skewer. "It's considered a delicacy—it usually takes an entire army to hunt just one. But for Seir-sama, it's probably easy."
"Titan Bear?" Yuuka narrowed her eyes at me.
"Well, it's not like we can be picky right now."
She took a bite of the skewer—and loved it.
"Delicious!"
Shiina nodded in agreement, and soon, even the princess was enjoying the meal.
After finishing their meal, all the girls played in the river, splashing water at each other. Their uniforms were soaked, and their underwear became see-through—especially at the top.
"Ayaka! Take this!"
Yuuka giggled as she splashed water at Ayaka.
"Kyah!"
Kaho tried to splash Lilith, but she easily dodged it.
"So fast!"
"Ufufu~ You're ten years too early—"
"An opening!"
Riko splashed Lilith from the side.
"Hey! That's unfair!"
Lilith cried as she retaliated, chasing Riko as she ran off.
"Come back here!"
"Hahaha!"
The rest of the girls were laughing and talking as they soaked in the water. Suddenly, Lilith casually removed her uniform, revealing only her underwear. Everyone froze.
"Lilith! You shouldn't get naked here!"
Yuuka grabbed her clothes and tried to return them.
"It's uncomfortable. The wet clothes restrict my movement. Besides, there are no guys around—Lory is guarding them on the other side."
"But what about the guy sleeping over there?"
They pointed at Seir, who was napping on a cushion near the vehicle.
"Seir-sama needs a long rest. He won't wake up anytime soon."
Still, the girls looked uncertain... until Yuuka also stripped off her uniform, revealing her pinkish underwear.
"Yuuka-tan?!"
"If it's just Onii-sama, I don't mind."
"Eh?"
Everyone was stunned.
"As expected from the top idol. What a body! Such shape, and her skin's glowing!"
The girls admired her figure in awe.
"Ayaka? Why are you still hiding over there? Get undressed so everyone follows!"
Without warning, Yuuka yanked Ayaka's uniform off, revealing her light blue underwear.
"Kyah!"
Ayaka squatted down, blushing furiously as she tried to cover herself.
"Huh?"
The moment the girls saw Ayaka's chest, their eyes widened in shock.
"She's been hiding those huge knockers?"
"That's just unfair..."
Some of them slumped in defeat.
Riko removed her own uniform, then suddenly wrapped her arms around Ayaka from behind and groped her chest.
"I'm so jealous, Ayaka! This is your fault! Let me touch them!"
"Wahh! Hey, stop—Mmm! Riko-san!"
Ayaka moaned, completely flustered.
Yuuka smirked at Kaho, challenging her. Kaho took it seriously, closed her eyes, and sighed—then swiftly stripped off her uniform.
"Whoa!"
The girls were amazed by Kaho's body—it could rival Yuuka's.
"We won't lose!"
Motivated, the others joined in, throwing off their uniforms and splashing around. Some hesitated, embarrassed by their insecurities.
"Kyah! I can't do this!"
"No problem," Lilith gave them a thumbs-up.
"Why are you all naked? Don't you feel any shame?"
The female teacher had arrived—with the Princess behind her, blushing furiously.
"Saeko-sensei, we haven't bathed in days. Don't you feel ashamed of smelling bad?" Yuuka replied.
"I don't smell that ba—Ugh..."
The teacher sniffed herself... and didn't like it.
"I admit it. I want a bath too."
"Who wants shampoo and conditioner? I even have scented soap from overseas!"
Lilith pulled out toiletries from her dimensional storage and handed them out.
"Wow! Smells so good!"
They lathered up, rubbing the soap onto their wet skin. The teacher looked at them enviously.
"You should join us, Sensei."
"Ugh... fine!"
She stripped off her clothes and joined in.
"Eh?"
The Princess, feeling left out, hesitated... then decided to join them as well.
"Wait—"
In the end, all the girls were bathing and playing happily. Meanwhile, the boys had been sent further downstream. Lory sat on a large rock, guarding the area to make sure none of them tried to peek.
"This is unfair! The girls get to look at us, but we can't look at them!"
They glanced at Lory, who looked bored and completely uninterested.
"Why don't we show her something?"
One of them grinned, pulling down his pants to expose his... "thing."
"Hey, Demon!"
"Huh?"
Lory turned her head at the shout.
"Your name's Lory, right? What do you think?"
He wiggled his hips proudly.
"Pffffft—Pathetic!"
Lory burst out laughing.
"Huh?"
His pride took a direct hit.
"How can you mock it like that?! You haven't even seen its final form!"
"Oh, please."
Lory stood, walked up to them, and without hesitation, lifted her top, baring her chest with zero shame.
The guys stared in shock, eyes wide, noses bleeding. They dove into the water, holding their crotches in embarrassment.
The guy who exposed himself earlier had a very visible... reaction.
"How disappointing."
Lory lowered her top and sat back down.
Mortified, he hid beneath the surface.
"I'm sorry..."
After washing up, Lilith handed out clean clothes from her storage.
"Huh? Aren't these—?"
Yuuka eyed the outfits.
"Yes, Yuuka-sama. They were passed down to me by Mia-sama, since you no longer wear them."
"I'm glad Mom gave them to you. They came in handy after all."
"But... we don't have enough underwear."
Suddenly, they all froze. Their current underwear was soaked.
Lilith handed the last pair to a girl, who bowed and smiled in thanks.
"What do we do now?" Ayaka mumbled, looking at the remaining girls without underwear.
"Aren't we in trouble?"
The teacher had no idea what to do and started thinking of something shameless.
"Oh! I still have those underwear!"
Lilith remembered something.
"Anything's fine! Just no going commando!"
"That's right, Lilith!"
"But there's one problem—"
"Just lend them to us!"
They all grabbed her and shook her shoulders.
"Okay, okay..."
Lilith handed them the remaining pairs. The Princess examined hers in confusion, while the other girls blushed deeply.
"Lilith... don't tell me..."
Riko's face turned crimson as she held up a pair of boxers.
"That's right. They're Seir-sama's underwear."
"Waaahhh..."
Ayaka's whole face turned red.
"No way! Wearing a boy's underwear?! As a princess of Zelonia, this is..."
The Princess trembled in humiliation.
"Wearing Seir's boxers... It's like his thing would touch my... Waaaahh!"
Kaho blushed furiously, her imagination running wild.
"Okay..."
Yuuka didn't overthink it—she put on her step-brother's underwear casually.
"Yuuka-sama?! Are you really okay with this—"
She stopped Ayaka's words with a finger to her lips, smiling mischievously.
"It's fine. Let's surprise him."
"Eh?"
"Hey, Lilith! Got more of Onii-sama's clothes? Lend us some!"
"Sure."
Yuuka and Ayaka each put on a set. Yuuka, with her hair in a ponytail, looked boyish and cool. Ayaka, on the other hand, looked awkward—especially around her chest, since she wasn't wearing a bra.
"How about wearing this underneath?"
Yuuka showed her that she tied a small shirt across her chest like a makeshift bra.
"I see!"
"You can use a smaller shirt as undergarment."
She helped tie one around Ayaka's chest and handed her another shirt to layer on top.
"Like this, your nipples won't show through."
Ayaka put it on and smiled brightly.
"Wow! Thank you, Yuuka!"
"I should know simple stuff like this if I want to be a fashion designer like Mom and inherit her company."
"My mom's an Onmyoji... but I'm bad with supernatural stuff," Ayaka said sadly.
"Then train. We live with Onii-sama and Lilith—both supernatural. You'll get used to it."
Yuuka walked ahead. Ayaka ran to catch up.
"Wait for me!"
The other girls, including the teacher, finally gave in and wore Seir's underwear too—though not without embarrassment.
"Ugh... I can't be a bride anymore after this..."
The Princess whispered as she slipped them on.
-----------
Few hours later
"This is so good! I wonder what kind of meat this is... Seir-kun won't tell me."
Riko grinned as she happily enjoyed the hot nabe along with the group—which included their teacher, Saeko-sensei, and even the Princess herself.
"I'm thinking of adding this meat to a ramen dish," she added, picking up another juicy piece from the pot. She gave it a quick blow to cool it down and popped it in her mouth.
"Hehe... Delicious~."
While enjoying the warmth of the meal, she suddenly noticed two of her classmates slipping away from the group.
"Hmm?"
It was a boy and a girl... and they seemed to be in a hurry. Her curiosity flared.
"Isn't that Fukutani-kun and Hayakawa-san? Where are they going?"
"They're always together," one girl murmured nearby.
"Oh, I heard they've been dating since middle school," another chimed in.
"They're so lucky to be in the same class in high school. My boyfriend's in another section..."
Riko listened quietly as her female classmates gossiped.
"What about you, Saeko-sensei? Do you have a boyfriend? We'd love to hear some teacher romance stories!"
All eyes turned toward their homeroom teacher, full of anticipation.
"...I have none," Saeko replied flatly.
"Eh? Seriously?"
The girls were visibly disappointed.
"My high school days just passed by... Before I realized it, I graduated without anything interesting happening."
A moment of silence. The girls gave her a collective look of pity.
Riko, however, couldn't get her mind off the couple. Curiosity tugged at her as she slowly stood up.
"Riko, where are you going?" asked Kaho, who had been quietly eating until now.
"Bathroom," Riko replied nonchalantly, already walking off.
Kaho frowned. Something felt off.
"...I'll go check on her. It's dangerous to wander too far."
She followed at a distance, eventually catching up to Riko—who was crouched behind a tree, peeking through some bushes.
"Riko! Seir already said not to—"
"Shh! Get down!" Riko hissed, yanking her down and covering her mouth.
Kaho blinked, confused. She peeked through the bushes too... and immediately blushed.
"Nnngh... Fuji-kun, not so rough!"
"Midori-chan..."
There they were—Fukutani and Hayakawa—engaged in some very heated kissing, hands wandering freely in the secluded forest.
Kaho's face turned bright red. "I-I can't believe they're really doing this out here..."
Meanwhile, Riko was... getting way too into it.
"Seir..." she mumbled under her breath, her cheeks flushed.
"Riko, let's go before they notice—" Kaho whispered.
But Riko didn't move. Instead, she suddenly pushed Kaho down.
"I can't take it anymore! It's not fair I'm the only one who has to hold it in!"
"H-Hey! Riko—?!"
Without warning, Riko lifted her shirt slightly and started groping her own chest.
"Waaah! Don't do that here!!"
Kaho's scream echoed in her head as she panicked.
Meanwhile, back at camp...
I slowly opened my eyes to find something warm and soft beneath my head.
"Good evening, Onii-sama. You've been sleeping all day," said Yuuka, smiling. Apparently, I'd been using her lap as a pillow.
"Seir-kun," Shiina added, sitting nearby.
"What time is it?" I asked groggily.
"No idea. We are in another world, after all."
I sat up, stretching my arms and yawning. As I glanced around, I noticed something off.
"Wait... Where's Riko and Kaho-san?"
I walked over to Saeko-sensei.
"Where did they go?"
"They said they were following two students who left earlier," she said casually.
"...You guys stay here."
I followed the direction she pointed, my footsteps growing heavier the farther I went into the woods.
Eventually, I found them.
"Kaho-senpai! G-Give! I give up! I'm sorry!"
Kaho had Riko pinned to the ground in a perfect jiu-jitsu arm bar. Riko tapped furiously in surrender.
I dragged them apart and gave them both a stern pinch on the cheek.
"Ow, ow, ow!!"
"Uuugh! Seir, I'm sorry!" Kaho whined.
Just then—
"Ahh! Fuji-kun! Nnh! Aaaah!"
"Hm? What's that noise?"
I turned toward the sound and peeked through the bushes—
"Wait, Seir! Don't—!"
Too late.
There, the couple was... still going at it, totally lost in their own world.
When they finally noticed me staring, they froze in horror.
"S-Since when...?"
"From the start," I said flatly.
Riko and Kaho stepped beside me and gave the couple an apologetic bow.
"We're really sorry."
"Fukutani Fuji. Hayakawa Midori."
The moment I said their full names, their faces turned pale.
Midori yelped and scrambled to cover herself.
"Seir! Please don't tell anyone—"
"Shut up. I don't care if you two want to fool around, but not in this kind of place!"
"Wha...?"
All four of them looked confused. I sighed and raised my index finger.
A small flame appeared above it, casting light across the trees.
That's when they saw them—dozens of massive bats hanging upside down in the branches above. Each one was man-sized.
"W-What are those?!"
"Killer Bats," I said simply. "They hunt at night. Tear their prey apart and eat them. If I hadn't found you, you'd already be dead meat."
"Eeeek!"
The couple shrieked and rushed behind me, terrified.
"They won't attack yet—it's still twilight. But we're not staying here another night. Hurry up, get dressed. We're leaving after dinner!"
"Y-Yes!!"
We returned to camp, packed our belongings, and prepared to move out.
(To be continued.)