[----------------STATUS----------------]

  [NAME: -------- Shirakiyo Hiromi]

  [ALLURE: ------------------------300]

  [TRAITS:------ExhibitionistLv. 2]

  [TITLES:------------------------None]

  [ERO POINTS: ----------------1000]

  "I had to spend three hundred ERO (abbreviation) to buy this outfit…"

  Hiromi was now wearing a very revealing white one-piece. The top looked like a short, sleeveless corset that clung to her bust, while the bottom barely covered her panties. It also had cutouts on the sides, leaving her legs completely exposed.

  [---------------EQUIPMENT---------------]

  [Tight white one-piece: -----------70]

  [High-cut panties: ------------------70]

  [Choker with a blue gem: --------30]

  [Golden bracelets: -----------------15]

  [Black babouches: -----------------15]

  "Uuuuh, I feel like I'm showing way too much… But it's the only outfit that came with panties and shoes! I need to save my ERO!"

  After finishing shouting her frustrations into the air, she wrapped her fingers around the inn's doorknob and stayed like that for a long while.

  "This kind of outfit has to be normal here… I'm sure I won't stand out… I'm sure!"

  Hiromi steeled herself and opened the door to step out into the street.

  [Exhibitionist Lv. 3 acquired!]

  [Effect: +150 Allure Points]

  "Noooooooooooo!"

  ***

  Even at dusk, the temperature was warm; overall, the days in Alasta were quite pleasant. The smell of street food, the bustle of daily life, and the laughter of children playing in the streets before heading home all blended together. In the bazaars, everything was for sale, from carpets, incense, and spices to lightsabers.

  Alasta was a wonderful city for sightseeing, and Hiromi would have enjoyed the walk a lot more if she didn't have to keep one hand clutching the lower part of her outfit. She was sure part of her butt was visible from behind.

  "There's tons of women walking around in bikini armor or tight sci-fi suits, so why am I the exhibitionist?!"

  After venting her frustrations into the air, she let out a tired sigh. "Well, it's not like I can see other people's systems (if they even have one), so maybe I'm not the only exhibitionist…"

  Look at that girl, she's trying with all her might to cover her backside…

  !!

  Once again, murmurs started up around her, so she decided to quicken her pace.

  Why dress like that if you don't want to show it?

  Shy girls are irresistible.

  Yeah, I get you, it gets boring when they just stand there naked like it's nothing.

  Totally agree! It's like the magic's gone.

  For me, the magic was gone when my wife started shitting in the bathroom with me still inside…

  …

  …

  "…"

  The murmurs were awful, but in a different way this time. "I need to hurry, I don't want to keep Ruby waiting too long."

  Even so, she kept up her brisk pace all the way to the tavern she was starting to grow familiar with. "Tavern, restaurant, cafe… honestly, it does everything. Calling it "The Tavern" is pretty modest."

  Since The Tavern was not far from the inn, she didn't have to walk much to get there, and as soon as she stepped inside, a swarm of smells hit her, spicy dishes and fresh-baked cakes, the aroma of coffee blending into the beer-scented air…

  "It's fine that this place can do everything, but maybe they should do one thing at a time, depending on the time of day…"

  She didn't have to look long to spot Ruby's brilliant red hair, easy to pick out among the tables. Of course, it wasn't only her scarlet hair that stood out. Ruby's sculpted, yet voluptuous body was covered by nothing more than one of those armors Hiromi used to see at cosplay events back in her world, the kind that covered nothing, yet somehow offered the best defense.

  In fact, Ruby had already explained the "somehow". The protection came from the magical field the armor projected over her body. Naturally, neither of them doubted the blacksmith who forged it had the same tastes as the merchant, Pinti, who had given it to Ruby as partial payment.

  "But the design doesn't affect the magic barrier's strength at all! This design is nothing but perverted wish fulfillment! But I can't complain because the defense is extraordinary! Even though I'm complaining anyway! I'm tired of yelling! Cough! Cough! Ugh…" Ruby expressed her frustration, or rather, launched into a whole speech that time, even running out of breath.

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  "Hiromi! Over here!" Ruby shouted, waving her hand when she saw her.

  Hiromi's appearance was pretty unusual too, so Ruby noticed her arrival without any trouble. Not only were there not many other Asians in the city, she also seemed to be the only Asian with light-colored eyes in Alasta.

  Hiromi walked up to Ruby's table and sat across from her, the entire time making sure her already short outfit didn't snag on anything.

  "Ugh, if I still had that quest to show my panties, I'd be a millionaire by now…"

  "A millionaire?!" Ruby asked, her eyes shining with interest.

  "Ah, sorry, it's nothing. I have a bad habit of talking to myself…"

  "It's like you're the protagonist of a story who has to voice her inner thoughts so the plot can move forward, or so the readers can get familiar with her," Ruby said with a laugh.

  "That's a pretty specific example…"

  "I'm reading one like that right now, don't mind me," Ruby said with a smile. "Also, I think it might be an erotic novel. I'm in no position to say that while wearing this bikini armor and all, but I do think your outfit is pretty daring. I admire your courage."

  "If this were an erotic novel, you'd be a character, Ruby," Hiromi shot back, flashing a wicked grin.

  "Don't say things like that, I get chills just thinking about it!"

  "You're the one who started with that tasteless joke!"

  "You're right, sorry…"

  "As long as you get it." Hiromi crossed her arms, looking satisfied.

  "Haha…"

  "Hahaha."

  "Hahaha!"

  It didn't take long for the two girls to start laughing. In such a short time, they'd become good friends.

  "And by the way, this outfit isn't my taste!" Hiromi insisted. "You know I lost my clothes in the dungeon… I'm not going into the details… The point is, this one was the cheapest!"

  "That's right! So when are you taking me to that dungeon?! A dungeon you teleport into that isn't on any map… I've never heard of anything like that."

  "And you freak out at the idea of being a character in an erotic novel…" Hiromi muttered to herself, letting out a tired sigh before answering. "Not for now. It does look like I can bring companions… but first I need to mentally prepare myself to go back…"

  "Hiromi! Think of all the treasures we could find! You need a stronger mindset! The moment you work up the courage, do tell me!"

  "I just want an audience with the Crimson Monarch. I don't care about treasures…"

  "Oh, you too?!" Ruby blurted out. "They say that if he likes you, he can grant you any wish!"

  "Is the Crimson Monarch like a genie or something?"

  "No one really knows," Ruby explained, leaning in to whisper into Hiromi's ear.

  "No one knows? Isn't he the ruler of this city?"

  "He's very mysterious. They say he founded the city, and he's existed alongside it since time immemorial," Ruby said, leaning back and crossing her arms. "Well, once I get an audience, I'll be able to see him with my own eyes."

  "And what's your wish, Ruby? Do you also want to go back to your world?"

  "Ah, right, you want to return to yours. It's true treasures won't help you much with that…" Ruby fixed her eyes on Hiromi, and a smile formed on her face. "For me it's different. You see, I was born in an orphanage. I know what it's like to grow up with nothing."

  "I see… I'm really sorry. I didn't know."

  "Don't worry! That's in the past now!" Ruby reassured her, tapping Hiromi's bare shoulder with a laugh. "I've managed, and I've done pretty well as an adventurer. It's just that… after living as a hungry orphan, a wish grew inside me."

  Seeing Ruby's melancholy gaze, Hiromi felt her own chest tighten with emotion.

  "You're going to wish for hunger to end?! For there to be no more orphans?!" Hiromi clasped her hands excitedly and leaned her face close to Ruby's, waiting for the answer.

  At the same time, she felt small. She was going to use her wish to go home to her family, thinking only about herself, while other people thought about the good of everyone.

  Ruby stared at Hiromi for a moment, stunned, as if trying to figure out what had gotten into her, then she burst out laughing.

  "Hahahaha, no way!" Ruby made a dismissive wave with her hand, then crossed her arms again and puffed out her chest. "I want to be a millionaire! I want to laze around all day doing nothing! I want to be able to buy whatever I want!"

  Now Hiromi looked at her like she was staring at a dead, foul-smelling fish that had somehow appeared in her bed right as she was about to lie down.

  "Here are your beers, ladies," the waiter said, setting a huge mug in front of each of them.

  The waiter left, and Hiromi was still staring at Ruby with that weird expression. She took a sip of her beer, but her face didn't change. In fact, she never stopped watching Ruby with those accusing eyes as she drank.

  Finally, a cold bead of sweat slid down the adventurer's cheek.

  "Hiromi! Listen to me!" Ruby protested. "First of all, if the Crimson Monarch could help orphans or end hunger, he would've done it already! And of course, with the fortune I ask for, I'll make donations!"

  "Mmmm… that's true, actually," Hiromi admitted, returning to normal as she took another sip of her beer.

  "Uff…" Ruby breathed out in relief, but at the same time she clenched her fist, irritated.

  Ruby grabbed her gigantic mug and started chugging it.

  "Buhaaa! That's what I like!" she exclaimed, satisfied after downing the whole thing. "Anyway, I need to become the best adventurer in the city to take on a mission from the Crimson Monarch. They say his rewards always come down to granting your wishes!"

  "Why doesn't he use his powers to solve his own problems instead of handing out quests…?" Hiromi asked, taking another sip of her beer.

  …

  …

  "Better not get into that, ha, ha, ha…" Ruby said, raising a hand to order another beer. "If everyone was afraid of time paradoxes, no one would write time-travel stories. Besides, we're talking without really knowing anything about him!"

  "You really do love your novels…" Hiromi commented, taking another sip from her own mug. "But it's true… and besides, if he doesn't grant the wishes of the prosti… concubines, I'm going to be in trouble…"

  "It's true you want to join Alasta's Harem," Ruby said as she accepted her new mug from the waiter. "You really are the protagonist of an erotic novel…"

  "Drop it already!"

  "Oh, by the way… didn't you say this was your first time drinking alcohol?" Ruby asked, watching Hiromi finish off the enormous mug.

  "In my country, the drinking age was twenty. Thank goodness in Alasta it's eighteen… If it weren't, I wouldn't be able to…! With all this…! Hic…"

  "I'll drink to that!" Ruby exclaimed, taking a swig from her own drink.

  ***

  The two of them kept drinking until the early hours of the morning, and of course, Hiromi not only stopped worrying about her short outfit, she also didn't notice it had ridden up and was revealing everything to anyone and everyone.

  Naturally, she only confirmed that when she read a certain message in the ERO System the next morning.

  [Exhibitionist Lv. 4 acquired!]

  [Effect: +200 Allure Points]

  "Noooooooooooo! Ugh! My head…"