Chapter 26: In Limbo

November 3rd, 2022

T/N: Again, thanks to My_Own_Worst_NPC for being my beta-reader

Also, Limbo here means in a constant state of indecisiveness, instead of the place between heaven or hell…

…. Actually, it can be taken as the latter, as a figure of speech.

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Chime ♪

Wound Medicine     Time Until Finished   00:00:00

Wound Medicine is completed. Please specify the location to appear.

While I was preparing dinner, my creation magic had completed making wound medicine, and I set it to appear inside a container just like before. This was the third time I made the medicine, so I had already accumulated 30ml of ointment.

Since Louise gave me the magic stones I had been able to make medicine, but so far I have only been able to make treatments for physical injury. Lately I’d been making a lot of it in my spare time to raise the level of my Medicine Production skill.

I don’t know how effective the medicine is since I haven’t had any wounds yet, but it’s supposed to be ten times more effective than similar medicines produced in Japan. Also, it’s a medicine that reacts to magic power, so it should be more effective for women than for men.

Men in this world don’t have magic power. I think it’s really unfair.

Well, I have magical power though, and I can use creation magic, which made me an irregularity in this world; I think the potion would work perfectly for me. I kind of want to test the efficiency of the drug, but I don’t want to do it by hurting myself. I thought about testing it on animals, but I would feel bad if I injured them.

I had thought about using the fish I caught, but the process of wounding them, treating them, and then killing and eating them seemed too horrible of a thing to do.

What about releasing the fish after healing them, you asked? No, that’s unacceptable! Every fish that I catch is to be eaten, that’s the ironclad rule for survival on this island. [1] On the days when a lot of fish are caught I must preserve them either by drying or smoking them, so I’ll be prepared for the days when I don’t catch as many fish. Until I can get a stable harvest from the field, I can’t afford to be complacent.

Now that I think about it, Leanne is here… I’m wondering if she has like a small injury or something? I’m sure she’d be happy if I applied medicine to heal her.

On second thought, she might use the opportunity to make me smear the potion in a (figuratively) dangerous area. I guess I’ll just keep it in case of emergency and consider myself fortunate that I have no need to use it.

“Good evening, Shirou-chan! Hmmm… something smells good!” Leanne, who had been taking a nap, had woken up.

“Did you sleep well? For tonight’s dinner we’ll be having bouillabaisse and garlic toast.”

The bouillabaisse was made by using a lot of seafood ingredients found in the waters around Monte Chris Island, while the toast was made by spreading butter mixed with grated garlic on the bread before toasting it.

By the way, I ended up buying all the ingredients that Leanne tried to give me at fair price. Butter, white wine, and flour; all of them are important for my cooking.

“Leanne-san, are you going to make regular trips to the island going forward?”

“Hm? Why, you want to meet me again?”

“A part of it, yes, although it’s mainly because I’m wondering if I can bother you with request to do some shopping for me…”

“I see, so that’s how it is! But hey, if it’s for Shirou-chan’s sake I wouldn’t mind bringing you goods, you know.”

“Thank you, Leanne! As thanks I’ll make tonight’s dinner a bit special for you.”

Let’s make banana cake for dessert. Since I’ve got butter and flour, it’ll be perfect.

…

“Shirou-chan, let’s eat dinner together! It feels lonely eating by myself, you know. It’s fine right?”

Accompanying her for eating dinner would be fine, I guess.

“Alright, I will join you for dinner”. I decided to eat dinner together with Leanne.

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 “Cheers!”

The sound of ceramic mugs clanking with each other echoed within the cave. Since I haven’t created any wine glasses yet, we drank our wine from baked clay mugs. The dry white wine, which had been moderately chilled by using Leanne’s magic, goes really well with the bouillabaisse.

“Drinking wine together like this, it feels like we’re a married couple, right?”

“Yes, yes. And please remember to not try anything weird if I get drunk, alright? Goku might think that my life is in danger and attack you.”

“I know, I know. I promised you I wouldn’t do anything weird, didn’t I?” Leanne grinned widely while pouring more wine into my mug. [2]

Even if this is a different world than earth, I guess the act of trying to persuade the opposite sex by plying them with alcohol is still the same. The more drunk you are, the easier it will be to lose your logical reasoning. Since I’m aware of that, I’m careful to only drink one glass of wine.

I’ll make Leanne drink the rest of the wine, so she’ll get drunk and pass out.

“Here, Leanne-san, please drink some more. And I still have more garlic toast if you want another serving.”

“Haaa…. Shirou-chan pouring me wine makes it taste even better. I’m so happy”

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Of the four bottles of wine she had brought, Leanne had almost emptied two bottles by herself. She’s now lying on the table and sleeping.

The wine wasn’t even that strong, so probably she’s still feeling tired because of her flight from the capital.

“Leanne-san, please wake up. You can’t sleep in this place”

“Uuhhnnn…. Lemme sleepp a bit mooreee….”

Ugh. Even though it’s just Leanne, how can she look so cute right now…

“Alright, I’ll help so try to stand up for now… Here we go… that’s it…”

I positioned my head just under her armpit and propped her up. I’ve always wondered, but how is it that drunk people always suddenly get so heavy? [3]

“That tickle s.”

Uwah, that reeks of alcohol… but it feels so soft…The side of Leanne’s breast was stuck on my cheek.

She’s not wearing a bra?!

But maybe it’s not like she doesn’t want to wear it. Maybe it’s more because there no such thing as a bra in this world. Now that I think about it, the time when I was peeki… *cough* I mean checking the water temperature on Captain Milano’s team, none of them were wearing bras either.

I finally managed to carry Leanne into the bottom bunk of one of the beds, but not without having an incident of accidentally stumbling and thrusting my face into the valley of her wondrous bosom.

No, it was an accident, I swear.

“Haaahh… I’m beat…”

Actually, it would have been easier if I had let Goku, or maybe Iwao, to carry her, but I didn’t do that.

No, no, it’s not because I’m a pervert. This is merely a part of the hospitality service. [4]

Well, I think I’ll go to sleep too after I give Goku and the Iwaos some instructions on how to clean up. I think…I won’t lock my room tonight.

I don’t think I want to have that kind of relationship with Leanne, but if the moment was right… maybe…

The male mind can be confusing sometimes. [5]

“Iwao No. 1 and No.2, boil some water and prepare a bath, while No. 3 prepare the torch”.

The Iwaos immediately went to work after I gave the order.

—————————————————————————————-

The water was again lukewarm. The sweat from the day was removed, and my whole body was washed clean with soap and water.

After taking my bath, I changed into freshly made underwear before going to bed.

Leanne, will she be coming tonight…? What would I do if she really showed up? Well, I’ll just leave that decision up to when and if that happens. If at that moment our feelings intertwined, then I will accept it, or if at that time my reasoning come out on top, I will reject it.

I heard that a person’s choice can change depending on the movement of electrical signals in the brain at that time. Ultimately, I don’t think Leanne would force me to do something if I really didn’t want to do it. I can trust her that much.

I fell asleep that night while feeling in limbo, torn between wanting to do it and not to.

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I woke up at sunrise as usual.

I lifted the bed sheet to check, but my underwear was still on and there was no sign that it had been taken off.

So that’s how it was. Pretty sure I would have woken up if Leanne had decided to creep in.

When I quietly opened the door, Leanne was already awake and packing.

“Good morning. You are up very early today.”

“Morning. Yeah, I’m planning to be back in the capital before nightfall”

“Alright, breakfast will be ready soon.”

I made breakfast, and although Leanne didn’t ask me to, I also made her a to-go lunch;  a simple sandwich made from bacon, lettuce, mayonnaise and pepper on a round loaf of bread. Even though it was just a simple meal, Leanne was still very pleased.

“If it’s like this, I can even eat it while riding the wyvern. Thank you, Shirou-chan.”

“No, no, don’t mention it. After all, for me, Leanne is my first customer.”

“Indeed. I certainly took your bunk bed’s first time, and your toilet’s first time…”

Although it’s true that you’re the first person to try my newly made bunk bed and toilet, why do you have to say it like that…

I went down to the beach to see Leanne off just like last time.

“Shirou-chan, I know you turned me down yesterday, but can I ask you to accept this?” Leanne showed me a small package from the top of the wyvern.

“Well…”

“If you don’t need it, you can just throw it away!”

After saying that, she threw the package at me, so I had no choice but to accept it.

“If you don’t like it, you can use it as a rag or something”. With that, Leanne turned her gaze away from me and spurred the wyvern onward. It pawed at the ground and started running down the beach, and then flew up into the sky.

I waved my hand and watched Leanne go until she was out of sight.

 When the giant wyvern disappeared beyond the clouds, the island felt strangely quiet, maybe because the lively Leanne was no longer on the island. She may be an aggressive sexual predator, but I miss her already.

Anyway, what’s inside this small package?

I can’t help thinking that it feels very light… and when I opened the package I couldn’t help but giggle.

The gift was a pair of bright red underwear. And the fabric was quite thin, lacey, and scanty.

She wants me to wear this? Would the women of this world be happy if their man put something like this on? Well, if the person important to me would be happy if I wear this, then I just might, but…

…my dry laughter echoes through the quiet island…

For now, I decided not to use it as a rag and put it inside of the chest that I had just made.

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T/N: Initially, I want to translate the chapter as ‘Uncertainty’ but based on Shirou’s state, but then I thought the word ‘Limbo’ is more appropriate since he’s ultimately undecided whether he wants to take that further step with Leanne or not, hence he’s stuck between wanting to spend the night with her and keeping platonic relationship.

1 Remember that Shirou had a period of time where he didn’t have enough food to eat and have to sleep while feeling hungry

2 well that’s kinda sus, if you ask me

3 Because they can’t support themselves, and always changing their center of gravity, making them heavier than a sack of potato. I think.

4 Yes, Shirou, you’re a pervert. Like hell it was part of hospitality service.

5 I’m feeling like Shirou is becoming more and more effeminate. Like, instead of thinking with logic (or maybe lust), he’s thinking with emotion, and going back and forth on issue that he has decided upon.