Leveling Up With Monster Girls

Chapter 27: Ahhh

Yumiko recounted the events of the day as she headed back to the Inn. Julius had gone to the worker’s guild that morning while she remained behind. She had offered to follow him but he declined without giving her a reason.

The hug from the previous night was still fresh on her mind. She had been feeling sad, and seeing him offer a hug even after refusing to help her find her sister had given her mixed feelings.

She could still remember the feel of his touch, his arms around her and his scent. If only she could recall how she fell asleep in his arms while standing.

A tinge of embarrassment flushed her face. That was the first time she had hugged a guy.

Ahhhh...what was I thinking?

Yumiko had a boyfriend back when she was younger but the most they had done was held hands. Hannah had told her that hugging a guy would get her pregnant.

It was a story Nekaris told young kittens to keep them in line and it wasn’t until she was older she discovered it was all but a lie. But by then, the habit had set in and she didn’t exchange hugs.

Remembering she had hugged him and even fallen asleep during it, made it all the more embarrassing.

By the time she had woken up, she found herself on the bed. She didn’t know how she got there and she didn’t ask out of shame and nothing happening out of the ordinary to her.

Julius was sitting on the bed, staring into space like he usually did. He mentioned his eyes irritated him.

She gave him a vial of herbal droplets to help with the irritation and he thanked her. She hoped that was more than enough to cover up for the incident but her mind had other thoughts.

What if that’s why he didn’t want me to follow him today? Because I turned his kind gesture into a joke?

She also recalled how she led the bear to him. She didn’t know if she apologized about that. She wondered if it was another reason he didn’t allow her to follow him.

Ahhhh, she thought as she ran her fingers through her hair.

There was still a lot she didn’t know about him, his magic cube he called a phone and about his world. The lack of knowledge intrigued and bothered her.

After he had left this morning. She and Mudgob chatted a bit. The old goblin seemed to be in good spirits for some reason.

He still didn’t have any new leads on Hannah and so they talked about Julius. The goblin had doubts on who he really was but she didn’t tell him anything and he didn’t press any further.

The door of the Inn opened and three orcs walked in. Collectors.

The hairs on Yumiko’s body stood up. The Black Dogs. A crime syndicate who took over the collector system long ago.

The biggest of them wore dark shades. His name was Gorak Bonesaw. He walked up to the desk and sat on the stool, turning his attention to Yumiko while his accomplices stood like logs.

"Hello Kitten. What’s a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this?" the Orc asked. frёewebηovel.cѳm

Yumiko didn’t answer, opting to drink her cup of Mudmilk. She disliked Orcs for various reasons and this particular one even more.

The Orc however did not let up. He leaned in closer, until Mudgob’s voice interrupted him

"What brings you to my fine establishment?" The goblin asked as he poured a cup of Mudmilk for himself.

The Orc grimaced and shook his head. "Fine? You call this falling heap, fine? We are here to close this place down as per the regulations: any business without customers for a certain duration of time is a property of the free city."

Yumiko knew of the rule. The city would provide compensation for the business but knowing the history of the Inn, she doubted Mudgob would let it go without a fight.

A wide grin plastered across the goblin’s face as he spoke. "But I do have a customer."

"Oh?" The Orc leaned in to speak. "Who? The Nekari?" The Orc laughed as he jeered his thumb at Yumiko. "The last time we visited she wasn’t here. And if memory serves me well..." He turned to address her. "...aren’t you the cat burglar, Yumiko?"

Yumiko grit her teeth. Her past had led her into a problem with the black dogs. They would not let Mudgob use her as leverage for keeping his Inn open and the goblin knew it but Mudgob’s expression did not betray a hint of sadness or unease. If anything, his grin only grew wider.

"No, I have another guest." The goblin said as he slid an agreement Julius had signed yesterday, an advance payment receipt and slid it to the Orc.

The Orc picked it up and read it, twice. Then his nostrils flared. He slammed the paper on the desk. "This is Tyhull shit. There’s no way this is legit. Your kind has a reputation for scams and forgery."

"But it is," the goblin replied and proceeded to sip from his cup, looking at the Orc through his glasses.

Silence filled the air as the Orc considered his options and in a moment, his demeanor shifted into calm. "Very well, you may keep your Inn for now but the moment I find out this is all fake. You and this fellow called Julius will pay."

"Of course," the goblin replied, unbothered as he dropped his cup for effect.

Gorak left, followed by his companions. One of them slammed the door behind them. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that Mudgob exhaled and placed both hands on the table. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

He had been keeping up the farce of confidence but in truth, he was terrified. The black dogs could be ruthless if they wanted to make an example of him and Julius.

Julius...

His thoughts had filled Yumiko’s head for a moment before the encounter with the Orcs made it fade away.

She told Mudgob she wanted to take a stroll and left. She walked through the streets, passing the bakery near the Inn. The smell was too good to ignore and she went in. By the time she had left the bakery, and gone to do other things. The day had faded into evening.

---

When she came back. Mudgob mentioned Julius had returned some hours ago and was resting. She nodded and climbed up the stairs.

The door was locked and her key was inside. She didn’t want to ask Mudgob for the spare so she moved on to her second option.

Picking the lock.

For Yumiko, lockpicking was easy, it was a skill she had honed for a long time. But it was time consuming, depending on the kind of lock.

Most Inns used standard key locks with a simple mechanism.

Click!

The lock gave way and the door opened. A thought intruded about why she didn’t just go back down the stairs and get the goblin’s spare key but she brushed it aside.

If she were a mage, it would have been much faster but magic was not one of her strengths.

She pushed the door open.

Her nose twitched as his scent greeted her first. He was lying on the bed, wearing pants. His shirt was off and there was no movement from him.

Yumiko drew close. She took note of his frame. Slim, the kind fitting to someone who sat at a desk all day, there wasn’t much skin on him. She didn’t know why he went to the gym, the action only served to increase her curiosity even more.

But that wasn’t all she noticed about his body. His back, there were scars on it. Various types, from different sources she reasoned. Some were slashes, others were burn marks and others she couldn’t place.

Her heart grew heavy. She recalled the elf and the lycan slave at the market and wondered if Julius had been through such treatments back in his world. There were so many things she wanted to ask him.

Her hands hovered over his back, a swirling temptation grew within her to trace the scars. A temptation she did not try to resist.

Her fingers moved before she could think it through. They glided over his cream-coloured skin and before she knew it she was tracing the scar patterns with her fingernails. She bent down a bit taking in his scent as she did this. Her slitted pupils dilated slightly as she went into a daze.

"What are you doing?"

The sound of his voice startled her, causing her to step back quickly, her yellow eyes had returned to their slits. She didn’t expect him to wake anytime soon and had assumed she had been gentle with her motions.

Julius sat up, turning to look at her. Yumiko took note of his eyes. At a certain angle, she could see a tint of bluish green in them. He folded his arms, glancing at something before speaking again.

"Well?"

Yumiko’s heart raced as she thought of various excuses she could give but all that came were her rushed thoughts. "I was...well...you..." She looked away.

A moment of silence hung in the air as she considered something else. "...Would you like a massage?"

She had never massaged anyone. They were one of her favorite things but she didn’t know how to give one. She had expected Julius would decline but his answer dashed her hope to pieces.

"Sure thing."

Ahhh!!!