In Love With the Strongest Man
Translator: Shizukuku
Editor: Helen
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Arc 3 True Identity
Chapter 8 “Will he be pleased?”
* * *
“Hahaha! You really are inexperienced!”
“Shut up. I’m just not used to physical contact…”
For some reason, Akane and I were dragged into a restaurant by Atu who said he was familiar with it. It was the kind of place where women sat between and next to me and Atu on the sofa, and entertained us.
“Haha, he’s so cute. He looks so much younger than his age. Where did you find him, Atu-san?”
“He was rolling around in a jar.”
“What, in a jar? Hahaha.”
Akane was curled up in my lap and I was unable to move. On both sides, something soft, round, warm, and big were pressing up against my arms. It was an unknown but fascinating feeling to me, but I was so unaccustomed to human contact that I had goosebumps the whole time.
It was not that I didn’t like it, but it felt too stimulating for me. The tension made my whole body feel like it was being stroked with a feather.
Ignoring my discomfort, Atu hugged a woman’s waist, poured liquor into his mouth and drank it down in a breath. Glancing at the plump and curled-up Akane, he snickered disdainfully.
“Are you stupid? There’s no such thing as a red cat.”
“Aren’t you seeing Akane, a lovely red cat…?”
“Anyway, why don’t you drink? I’m treating, you know.”
“Can’t you see that my hands are a little tied…?!”
The women were only lightly holding onto my arms, but it was difficult to shake them off. Any slight movement would make my arms press uncomfortably, right into their chests.
What if I got an accidental erection while Akane was on my lap? I couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat thinking about it.
“Hahaha! He can’t move, so give him a drink.”
“Should I give it to you by mouth?”
“Normally, I’ll just drink it normally…!”
“Oh, what a pity.”
After somehow getting my arms freed, they handed me a wooden cup filled with alcohol. I felt relieved that it wasn’t a glass and reluctantly accepted it.
I honestly didn’t like alcohol. More accurately, I didn’t like hangovers.
However, since I had accepted the cup, it would be considered impolite not to taste it.
“I can only drink a little. I’m not good with alcohol.”
“I see. If you throw up like you did earlier, I’ll throw you back outside.”
“I guess that can’t be helped…”
Reluctantly, I took a sip. It tasted stronger and more cloying than the drink Ideal had given me. There was a sweet flavor that seemed to have been added as an afterthought. Thanks to that, it was somewhat easier to drink, but the combination of sweetness and bitterness wasn’t really to my liking.
“Melty…”
“Melty?”
“It tastes melty…”
“What’s that? Come on, surely you’re not finishing with just one sip, right?”
“Well…”
I took another sip and put the cup on the table. The sweet and bitter liquid that I didn’t want to swallow stayed in my mouth for a long time. If I’d known this was going to happen, I would have planted a bag down my throat. That’s how I had prepared for poisons during my working days in the village. Little by little, I managed to swallow it.
“Melty, it’s melty…”
“…you’re not drunk already, are you? Seriously? Just after two sips?”
“I’m melting…”
“Ah— …ladies, we’re done here. This guy might seriously throw up.”
“Okay. I’ll leave some water for you here.”
My consciousness felt fuzzy for a while, and then I suddenly realized that the ladies were gone. The only people still sitting on the large sofa seats were Atu, who was drinking alone, and Akane, who was sprawled with his belly exposed, lazily stretching across my lap.
“The soft people are gone.”
“It’s your fault, you know.”
“Is that so? Sorry.”
“Sincere, huh? Jerk.”
Atu got up and sat down next to me.
“So, what do you think of Ideal?”
“Eye-deal?”
I felt lightheaded and dizzy. Was it because my stomach was empty after vomiting, or was it because that cheap alcohol made one drunk faster?
“Yeah, that’s right. You’re staying with him right now, aren’t you?”
“Eye-deal… Yeah, I bought a souvenir for Eye-deal..”
“You’re not listening to me at all, you drunkard.”
There had been more going on today than I’d expected, and I was worried I might have dropped my souvenir for Ideal. I hurriedly searched through my pants pockets. I was relieved when I felt the small package in my hand.
“It’s still there.”
“Is that so?”
“I bought it at the market today. Will he be pleased?”
“I don’t know. You should ask him directly.”
As soon as we got off the carriage, I immediately looked for a souvenir for Ideal. Figuring out what would please him, given his affluent lifestyle, was challenging, but I found a rare gem that fit the bill perfectly.
“What did you buy?”
“Salt.”
“Salt?!”
“It’s a good one, from the Land of Ogres. Very tasty. I think it would suit his palate.”
“…Wouldn’t he appreciate something more tangible?”
“Souvenirs should be perishable. I don’t want him to be bothered.”
“You probably shouldn’t say that in front of him.”
Atu looked reluctant. Would salt not be good enough?
It was a really good product. It was only distributed in a few parts of the Land of Ogres, made in an exceptionally beautiful place by the pristine sea, and it was good for all kinds of food. Finding it for sale here, given the current state of the Land of Humans, was almost a miracle.
I thought it would be perfect since salt was naturally used in Ideal’s meals. I was frustrated because I didn’t understand why it was no good.
“Is it really that bad…? I used my treasure for it.”
“Treasure?”
“Eye-deal gave me a copper coin. It was shiny, so I kept it. But because it was something for Ideal, I wanted to make it a little special, so I paid with that copper coin.”
Rare and fine salt was expensive, and more than half of the contents of my wallet disappeared. When it came time to pay, I didn’t hesitate to grab the copper coin that Ideal had given me. It was a bit of self-satisfaction, but I wanted to give Ideal something better, even if it was just a little bit.
The salt I bought with my shiny copper coin seemed just a little bit more special to me. Even if Ideal didn’t know it, it seemed kind of nice to know that something paid for with my treasures was going into his mouth.
“…………”
“Ugh… it’s melty….”
“Hey, you idiot, that’s alcohol! Water is over here! Did you get it wrong!?”
“I’m starting to feel sick.”
“You’re such a pain in the ass…! The bathroom is over there, outside, so go there!”
Atu made me stand up, as if to kick me out of the sofa seat, and pointed to the door at the back of the restaurant. While getting up, I picked up Akane and handed him to Atu.
“I’ll leave Akane to you…”
“Mrow?!”
“Ah— yes, yes.”
“Here… I bought catnip for Akane… use it…”
“Just get the hell out of here!”
“Meow!”
As if being driven away by one person and one cat, I staggered and left the restaurant.
* * *
“Ugh… I’m never going to drink again…”
After throwing up in the bathroom for a bit, my drunkenness improved considerably.
However, although my mind was clear, I had severe heartburn-like symptoms. I also had a headache and fatigue. My throat was also parched.
I should wash my face and have a drink of water… It’s almost time for the carriage to come for me, so when I get back to the store, I should pay and…
Since I couldn’t wash my face in the restaurant, I tried to go to the back square where there was a communal well. On the way there, my steps came to a halt.
“What the hell? Don’t look at me…”
A man came out of another bar. A small, fat old man in dirty clothes. He was drunk, but he was different from the man I had just met.
—No way.
I recognized his face. I had never forgotten it. How could I forget?
“Hah…”
The moment our eyes met, I stopped breathing. Unconsciously, I stepped back, not realizing there was a stack of boxes behind me, and tumbled to the ground.
In the process, the hem of my pants rolled up, revealing the burn mark on my ankle.
“Oh? That looks familiar…”
The old man, fixing his gaze on the burn mark, approached me. I hastily tried to conceal it, but my body wouldn’t move.
“Ugh… Ugh, bleh… Cough, cough.”
I wanted to run away, but my body was shaking and wouldn’t listen to me. A feeling of nausea overwhelmed me, but there was nothing left to come out and it became a wet cough. It felt like my throat had been cut, and the taste of blood spread through my mouth.
“Oh— there’s no mistake.”
The old man’s hand tightly gripped my leg. My heart shrank horribly just from that.
“You’re that kid from back then, aren’t you?”
This old man was the same nobleman who branded me with the curse twenty years ago.
