Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 9: The Reopened Dump (Part 2) – You, the Pale Red-and-Black Child
For a while, I couldn’t move. I stood frozen, staring.
What… is this? What’s happening?
Sweat trickled down my face.
The relic [Wheel of Fortune] only ever displayed three colors to my eyes:
Green. Yellow. Blue.
I’ve used it for a long time, and it has never shown anything beyond those three.
“…And yet, of all things, purple…?”
Snapping out of it, I deactivate [Wheel of Fortune] and switch to [Crisis Detection]—
White means safe.
Red means dangerous.
Black means certain death.
“……”
I see countless white and red points.
No black—for now.
Other than that, there are no unfamiliar lights.
Maybe it’s a malfunction? But no—if my relic was malfunctioning, that would be a whole different crisis.
I feel relieved.
“……”
I deactivate [Crisis Detection] and re-engage [Wheel of Fortune].
Green and yellow lights are scattered around. No blue.
And that one purple light…
It’s still there.
No matter how many times I turn it off and on—it’s still there.
“…What the hell is that?”
What should I do?
What should I do?
“……”
Thinking won’t give me an answer.
But can I really ignore it?
No. I have to check.
I have to see what’s there.
I activate both [Wheel of Fortune] and [Crisis Detection] at the same time.
This is my dump-site mode.
“Over there.”
The purple light is faint.
It’s some distance away.
Cautiously—carefully—I navigate around the red markers, making my way forward.
—And then.
“Hey! You dare defy me!?”
“You, girl! Do you even realize who you’re talking to!?”
“Show some respect!”
“This is the great commander of the 37th Hireling Squad of Coon Hunt!”
…What now?
I glance toward the source of the voices.
Three boys are cornering a single girl against a heap of garbage.
The arrogant-looking one in the center, with blond hair and white horns, must be this so-called “commander.”
His outfit—military-style—sets him apart from the other two.
That uniform…
It reminds me of something.
Ah—right.
It looks just like the Imperial Guard’s attire.
A sword hangs at his waist.
“Be a good girl and become mine.”
“Umm, umm, umm—absolutely not. That’s disgusting.”
The girl states it firmly, in a voice as clear and delicate as ringing bells.
Ad
She’s… different.
Visually, she looks about my age—maybe a year younger.
Long, flowing black hair cascades down to her waist.
From her head sprout black, wolf-like ears.
Her big, expressive hazel eyes look straight out of a shoujo manga.
Her dainty features are almost too perfect—
Her expression radiant, like a blooming flower.
She wears a black jacket over a white apron dress with red frills, resembling a uniform.
A black belt secures a pink pouch at her waist.
A wolf tail peeks from beneath her skirt.
She carries no visible weapons.
Her appearance is clearly that of a wolfkin—
Yet, her presence…
It’s different.
It makes you want to protect her.
If I had to compare—
Yes, she’s like an idol.
Her looks are undeniably cute.
She’s an adorable, delicate beauty.
Which, of course, makes her a target.
“You dare refuse him!? Do you realize who you’re dealing with!?”
Ad
“Just shut up and accept it! This is the commander of the Hireling Squad!”
“Girl… don’t make me angry.”
“Umm, umm, umm… No means no.”
The lackeys spit their threats while the so-called “commander” trembles with rage.
The girl, however—
“……”
Hesitation.
Should I intervene?
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t even hesitate.
I would jump in immediately.
But…
Something feels off.
And it’s not the boys.
It’s her.
Ever since the Witch taught me self-defense, I’ve become more attuned to body language and stances.
I can now sense differences in skill levels among explorers, even from how they walk.
Ad
And from that, I can gauge their strength—roughly.
The Witch once told me:
“First things first, boy. You need to learn to recognize the strong.”
“That’s something you severely lack, you know?”
Recognizing strength—
That girl—
She’s keeping distance from them.
Not just because she dislikes them—
She’s maintaining her range.
Her stance—subtle, but telling—
She looks like she’s shrinking back, but her waist is slightly lowered.
Her feet are shoulder-width apart.
Her arms—they look like they’re just trembling in fear—
But I know better.
I recognize that posture from my past life.
Both arms bent, raised slightly in front of her chest—near her face.
—A boxer’s blocking stance.
A chill runs down my spine.
The moment anyone lays a hand on her—
They’re done for.
Her weight is subtly shifted back—her waist coiled, prepared.
If one of them attacks, she will counter instantly—
With a straight punch.
Ah… I see.
She’s waiting.
She’s baiting them.
A wolf waiting for prey to step into its trap.
Not only that—she’s wearing fingerless gloves.
That black belt isn’t just for fashion—it’s a battle belt, built for durability.
Her black shoes—
Thick-soled.
No doubt reinforced with metal plating.
On the outside, she’s a delicate, innocent beauty—an idol-like girl who wouldn’t harm a fly.
But on the inside—
She’s a ravenous beast, eagerly waiting to strike.
Oh.
Our eyes just met.
Crap.
The moment I realize it—
She moves.
Swift. Efficient. Zero wasted motion.
In an instant, she’s standing right in front of me.
And naturally, the “commander” and his lackeys follow her gaze—
Now staring directly at me.
“…Who the hell are you?”
When Pies spoke in an irritated tone, one of his followers narrowed his eyes and said:
“That’s Wof.”
Huh? They know me?
“Who?”
“Pies-san, that’s Wof.”
“And who is that?”
“Seriously? That’s Wof?”
Ad
Another one of the followers nodded in agreement.
Why… Why do they know about me?
“Pies-san, do you remember Bobbis?”
“Bob… Oh, that obnoxious explorer? He was a disgrace to Coon hunt.”
“Bobbis and his group followed Wof into an alleyway and never came back. When we checked, there was nothing there. Right? Wof…”
Ah. That time. I had completely forgotten about it.
So they saw it happen? Well, whatever. I decided to play dumb.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You bastard!”
“This isn’t important right now!”
“Y-you…”
Two of the followers who recognized me…
I see. They’re afraid of me. I can ignore them.
“What do you mean? Sure, Bobbis hasn’t shown up in a while, but…”
I can ignore Pies, too.
The real problem is this girl.
She’s terrifying. Even though she’s right next to me, she’s maintaining perfect spacing.
It’s probably unconscious on her part. Which makes it even scarier.
The gap between her appearance and presence makes it even more unsettling.
But what’s even more terrifying is what I just realized when I reflexively used [Crisis Judgment].
She—She’s looking at me.
“Um, you’re called Wof-sama?”
“Yes, but you don’t have to add ‘sama’.”
“Ah, I am Juicy. My name is Juicy=Tasan!”
At that moment, the atmosphere changed.
Pies and his followers’ expressions completely shifted.
“Huh? T-Tasan? You mean that Tasan?!”
“N-no way… You’re kidding!”
“H-hey, impersonating a noble is a serious crime, you know!”
“Um, um, here’s proof!”
Juicy-san showed us a ring.
A dull bronze ring.
Hmm? I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before…?
Pies and his followers stared blankly.
“So what? It’s just a cheap-looking ring.”
“That’s no proof you’re a Tasan.”
“You realize pretending to be a noble is punishable by death, right?”
“Ah, ah, I made a mistake! This one!”
Juicy-san pulled out a pendant from her pocket.
A round, medallion-like metal plate engraved with a crest.
The crest depicted a hooded, androgynous boy cradling a young wolf.
Above the image, the ancient characters spelled out “Tasan.”
For some reason, the design reminded me of Misha.
Upon seeing it, Pies and his group turned pale as sheets.
They sure go through a lot of emotions.
“W-we’re so sorryyyyy!!”
Pies screamed an apology and bolted.
“F-forgive usss!!”
“S-sorry, sirrrr!!”
His two followers shouted their apologies as they ran after him.
They fled as if their lives depended on it.
Must be nice. I want to run away too.
“Um, you really saved me. Thank you so much!”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Ah, but I can tell, you’re strong!”
“No, I am a weakling, my lady. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”
I gave a slight bow and made my escape.
I didn’t run, of course. That would be too obvious.
I just walked away. Briskly.
Good. I managed to escape naturally.
No way. And she’s a noble, too.
It’s best if I just part ways with her here.
Now, to the source of the purple light.
Almost there… I made it.
“This is…”
I can see the faint purple light. It’s coming from a very small hole.
A tiny opening in the middle of the garbage heap, glowing with that strange purple hue.
If I try to dig into it, the whole pile might collapse.
Wait, am I really thinking about digging through all this scrap metal—swords, armor, shields, and other junk?
“……”
“Um, um, um—”
“Whoa!!”
Juicy’s face suddenly appeared right in front of me, startling me so much that I fell back onto my butt.
“Um, um, Wof-sama, are you alright? You seem alright!”
“…Why are you here?”
Why did she follow me?
This girl—the idol wrapped in white, red, and black.