I Was Not Popular With Girls in My Previous Life, but I Was Reincarnated Into a World Where Harems Are the Norm, and a Mentally Unstable Elf Beauty Follows Me Around - Chapter 8

Normally, Men and Women Share a Room, Right?

The receptionist at the adventurer’s guild had warned me that a lone man walking at night was dangerous.

Was this a world where chastity was reversed? No, no, that was not the case. The gender ratio was about the same as in Japan.

“Understood. I’ll be careful.”

I replied with just that, and we all moved from the reception area to the entrance’s rest space.

Wooden round tables and wooden chairs. They were perfectly simple and matched the plank flooring well.

But this level of comfort was just right. If it were too cozy, we might end up lingering like at a family restaurant.

We sat around the table, the three of us. No one came to take orders. I was just sitting with two cute girls. Was that not enough to make me happy?

“Hey, hey, where are you staying, Kaito and Airi?”

“At an inn nearby.”

“In the same room?”

“Of course not. Naturally, we have separate rooms.”

“Ehh!? Why!? Normally, men and women share a room, right?”

“No, no, normally men and women have separate rooms.”

“Airi, are you okay with that?”

“Absolutely not. There is no good reason for it. It is only natural for men and women to share a room. Besides, though I hate to say it, sharing one room halves the inn expenses. But Kaito insisted on separate rooms because he was embarrassed, so I had no choice but to accept it, no choice at all!”

In a two-to-one vote, I lost. My consideration had backfired completely. When the world differed so much, did people’s thinking differ this way too?

“By the way, since Meg joined, we need to arrange new rooms at the inn.”

“Come on, Kaito, that’s exactly what you shouldn’t do. We can just share one room between two people.”

Well, with an E-rank income, we could not afford luxuries, so she had a point.

“Oh, right, the beds are singles, so it might not work after all.”

“Seriously, Kaito, you need to be more flexible. We can just sleep together.”

“Hmm, it might actually be okay for two girls.”

“No, that’s not it. I want to share a room with Kaito.”

Meg said it so casually. And we had just met today. At this point, I could not tell if the whole world was like this or just Meg and the others.

“Well, for tonight, please share with Airi at least.”

“Fine, whatever.”

What was with this flow? Even I had some sense of propriety.

But as I grew closer to Meg or Airi and developed a special relationship with one of them, I intended to do what needed to be done.

“So, what should we do today? It’s already evening, but should we take a request?”

“At this hour, the available requests are limited, so how about we head back to the inn and have some free time?”

“Yeah, got it!”

“Airi, is that okay with you?”

“Yes, that works. I will keep an eye on Meg, and Meg will keep an eye on me. Under mutual surveillance, we will ensure Kaito’s safety.”

“You have a real talent for making simple cohabitation sound so ominous.”

“Ahh! Praise me more…!”

Was this straightforward? Perhaps someone with Airi’s sensibilities enjoyed life more.

After that, we spent the night at the guild, then returned to the inn and had dinner in the dining hall.

We went back to our rooms, and the rest was free time. Though without smartphones or TVs, the alternatives were books like magic tomes or adventurer manuals.

As a reincarnated person, I found them fascinating, of course. But I had already acquired magical knowledge as a reincarnation bonus. And I had grown quite accustomed to being an adventurer.

(My stomach feels a bit empty.)

The food in this world was delicious. Right after reincarnating, I struggled with unfamiliar meats and vegetables.

But this world had cultures like animal husbandry, so once I understood that, my sense of taste returned to how it was in Japan. Food could be ample entertainment.

What concerned me, however, was the succubus the receptionist mentioned. I had cheat stats plus resistance to status ailments.

The goddess had even tested and confirmed it for me. So even if I got hit with “charm,” it would not affect me.

I probably should stay put in my room, but if I encountered one and fought, that would contribute to peace in its own way.

I even thought cheat abilities were meant for times like this.

(I should buy something for Airi and the others too.)

And so I stepped out of the inn. It was 9 p.m., but the town was far from asleep. Plenty of people were still out and about.

With streetlights and building lights, as long as I avoided back alleys, it should be fine.

This was a shopping district-like area, with many shops still open. Weapon shops, armor shops, item shops, magic tool specialty stores.

Even though I should have grown used to it, seeing these otherworldly sights made me feel like I had stepped into an anime world, and my excitement rose.

After walking for five minutes, I was almost at my destination when a strange sensation hit me.

I had not meant to enter a back alley, yet the surroundings felt dim. And there were no people in sight.

When I calmly looked around, I saw someone standing. Was that… a succubus?

It seemed I had run into the rumored succubus. And she looked familiar somehow?

“Finally, we met. I spotted you and set my sights on you.”

(Oh, I remember now!)

She was the succubus from the marriage agency’s reception. Back then, I felt like she was watching me, but I never imagined she was actually targeting me.

“Now, relax and leave everything to me.”

(How can I understand what she means when her explanation is so lacking…?)