Chapter 19…
The Greed Arc
The First Day of Slave Life!
Underground Slave Facility
My hands were chained by some low-ranking guard, and I was led down the stairs—deeper and deeper underground.
Uh, what is this? Ka○ji? If they start talking about pelica currency, I’m out. Guess I’d better make some 456 dice just in case.
“Hey! Get in there! Number 35!”
I nearly tripped when they shoved me, but I managed to steady myself and looked around the cell.
It was pitch-dark, with only a few candles stuck to the walls. From their positions, I could tell the room was square-shaped.
“—…”
Huh? Why am I crying…? Weird. I should be in the student dorms right about now, listening to an orientation speech.
Where did my “life in another world” go so wrong?
No—maybe from the very start. Come to think of it, right after I was summoned—
“You okay~?”
“Wha—!?”
That came out of nowhere.
Just as I was realizing my peaceful otherworld life had ended, a three-meter-tall gorilla came out of the darkness.
I was so startled I made a weird sound—what was that, “Wha!?”? That’s a girl’s reaction! I’m not turning into a woman inside too!
“You okay~?”
The gorilla leaned down, looking genuinely worried.
That face though—terrifying! That’s a real gorilla face!
“I-I’m fine.”
“You’re crying, though~?”
The gorilla-san seemed worried, noticing the tear I’d shed earlier. …Maybe he’s not a bad guy?
“That’s just ‘cause you scared him, Karo! Number 5!”
From the darkness came another figure—a lizard-man. Ohh, I get it now. Beastfolk, huh? Classic fantasy setting.
“No way! Did I make her cry~?”
He actually looked hurt by it.
“Ah, no, no—it’s fine! It’s just, uh… you know, it hurt a little, that’s all! Haha…”
What do you mean “it hurt”? Like that’s gonna fool anyone!
“Oh, so it wasn’t me? Good.”
Oh. It worked.
“That so, Karo? Well, those guards are scum who get off on hurting slaves. You’ve had it rough, Karo.”
He just interpreted it however he wanted. Not that it’s true, but I’ll take it.
“Guess you’re outta luck, Karo. I’m Number 32, we’ll be sharing this cell from now on.”
“I’m Number 5, nice to meetcha.”
Seems like they go by numbers here, so I should too.
“Nice to meet you, Number 5, Number 32.”
“There’re two more of us in this cell—oh, speak of the devil.”
Just then, the cell door opened and two more came in.
One was a red-haired, medium-short-haired catgirl—cat ears! CAT EARS, LET’S GOOOOOO!!
The other was a burly lion beastman with a thick mane and muscles for days. His fur was stained with blood here and there… Wait, what was he doing? Fighting over territory?
“Got into another fight, Karo?”
That was a joke, but honestly, it might not be far off…
“It’s my fault… Number 33 got hurt because of me…”
“Gahaha! I’ve always liked a good fight, that’s all. Don’t worry about it!”
The lion guy laughed and patted the catgirl on the shoulder. He was clearly trying to keep her from worrying.
“I’ve never heard you say that bef—”
“Gahaha! Anyway, who’s that? The new one—HUH!?!?”
“…?”
He froze solid after looking at me. What’s up with him?
Uh, maybe I should just greet him?
“Nice to meet you. I’m Number 35.”
The lion-man, who’d turned to stone, suddenly started moving like a wind-up toy.
“N-n-n-nice to meet you too!”
…Now that I get a good look, he and the gorilla are in a dead heat for “scariest face.”
“N-nice to meet you too, Number 35,” said the catgirl softly.
She’s so cute—like an anime character come to life. Catgirls are cute even in live action, confirmed.
“Yeah, nice to meet you.”
Let’s see—the lion guy is 33, the catgirl is 34. Got it.
Everyone’s basically just wearing ragged cloth scraps, so the numbers are easy to see—like big nametags.
So, to sum it up:
I’m Number 35.
Gorilla guy is 5.
Black lizard is 32.
Lion guy is 33.
Catgirl is 34.
Got it.
“These four are everyone in this cell, Karo. Gotta say, you’re quite the beauty, Karo.”
Don’t talk like some weird uncle, man.
The lizard stroked his chin, eyeing me from head to toe—ah, he double-taked at my chest.
Not that I care, but dude, that’s a man’s chest. Sorry you had to see that…
“Thank you.”
“No need for polite speech, Karo. We’re sharing a cell now, so think of us like family, Karo.”
Uh… “sharing a cell” is one hell of a phrase. Only criminals say that.
“If there’s anything you need, you can talk to me,” the catgirl said, twitching her ears.
Oh no, that’s adorable.
Man, this is new. I’ve had a fear of women for so long that I’ve never felt something like this before. I wonder if that applies to beastwomen too?
Still, hearing “as fellow girls” hits hard… Feels like I’m deceiving her.
“Um, so—about the toilet? What do you do for that?”
“The toilet’s over there, in the corner.”
That corner? You mean behind that single waist-high wooden board? …Oh, I see. So that’s how it is.
“I-I see…”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. The guards will be seeing us naked all the time anyway. Bath time is just everyone stripping in front of the bars while they splash water on us with water magic.”
W-wait, seriously? That’s pretty intense.
Not that I personally mind being seen naked—back home I’d go to hot springs with my guy friends all the time. “Let’s talk man-to-man!” and all that.
Like I said—sorry, guys, but I’m a dude inside. You’re looking at a male body… that just happens to be female-shaped!
“…!”
Whoa, Lion-san!? Why the hell are you nosebleeding!?
“Number 33, are you alright?”
“I-I-It’s not what you think! I wasn’t thinking anything indecent! The guards just punched me in the face earlier!”
I didn’t even say anything!!
So that’s what that was!?
Man, I’m sorry, bro… if it helps, you can totally grope this man chest.
“33 must be tired, Karo. He should sleep it off.”
“Speaking of which, where do we sleep?”
“There’s no bedding, so we all huddle together, Karo.”
Ah, the old “warmth of the pack” strategy. Like penguins, maybe?
“Alright, so 35 and 34 in the middle, I’ll be next to 34, then 5 on the far side, and 33 can keep 35’s back warm, Karo.”
So basically, the big gorilla and lion sleep on the outside, and we three in the middle—like a super-upgraded ‘river kanji’ formation.
“Me sleepy…”
“I’m still dirty, so I’ll wipe down a bit first.”
“You never cared before, Karo?”
“S-shut up…”
He grabbed a rag hanging near the toilet partition—oh, thank god that’s not the one for wiping the toilet itself.
“Come on, Number 35,” said the catgirl.
“Come on,” she says—but the only space is the cold, dark floor lit by a flickering candle…
I lay down, leaving a space for the lion guy, and she lay down beside me.
“Hehe, we haven’t had another girl here before. It’s nice—feels like I finally have a big sister.”
She said that and wrapped her tail around my thigh—oh, it’s warm.
“Get a little closer, it’s cold.”
I did as she asked, and her warmth spread through me. It felt… nice.
The others all settled down too. The lion’s body heat warmed my back.
“…”
Everyone closed their eyes, and silence fell.
“…”
This isn’t how it was supposed to be…
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