Niku's Misguided Common Sense

"Oh, come to think of it, we're getting new clothes, but what about you, Kehma?"

"I'm going with the setting of being an adventurer who leaves his slaves with Rokuko to work while I rent out a room at the inn and just lounge around sleeping. So I don't need any."

"Uwah, that just sounds like a total failure of a human being. Though I guess it's pretty common among slave owners, yeah?"

Yeah, I think I'm a failure of a human being too. It's a fact, so I won't deny it.

"As long as I can sleep, I don't care about appearances. My reputation in Tsuia probably isn't great either, right? I leave Niku alone even on the toilet-cleaning commissions."

"Making slaves work is pretty normal, so I don't think it's that bad… But Niku-senpai cleaning toilets all by herself, huh. That's pretty rough work. Well, I guess it's only natural for a slave."

"Well, actually I clean everything in one shot with [Purify], so there's no reason for Niku to resent me… and so I can sleep comfortably. Perfect."

"I-I would never resent Goshujin-sama!"

Fufufu, that's right. I'd never get a good night's sleep if my hug pillow resented me, so I'm putting in the effort here, you know?

I patted Niku's head. Her tail wagged adorably.

"So yer own reputation doesn't matter to ya as long as ya get yer peaceful sleep, huh… So Niku-senpai's actually just standing around in the toilet holding cleaning tools? What an easy job."

"Yeah yeah, holding the cleaning tools and all."

… Huh? Come to think of it, I never gave her any cleaning tools.

"… Niku, someone must have come by while you were waiting, right? Did anyone ask you about cleaning tools?"

"Yes, they did."

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them I properly clean everything with my hands, mouth, and feet!"

Niku answered with a proud, satisfied huff. Hold on.

"Wait, that answer is really not good. How did that happen?"

"Feh? W-Was that wrong? I'm so sorry!"

As Niku's face turned pale and she started panicking, Ichika seemed to have realized something.

"Ah, Goshujin-sama, can I have a word? … Could Niku-senpai perhaps be… from the underground slave dealers in the slums?"

"… … Yeah, she was originally a slave bought by bandits, so she probably is."

"That explains it…"

Ichika was the only one who understood, and her expression turned a little sad. Then she faced Niku directly.

"Niku-senpai! … Normally, ya use brushes and stuff to clean toilets! Ya can draw water from the well to use! And yer own body ain't a cleaning tool!"

""Eh?!""

I was shocked that Ichika was saying this with such deadly seriousness. But Niku genuinely didn't seem to know this. A double shock! Just how terrible were those slum slave dealers?!

"Yeah, since yer in one piece and cleanly dressed, I didn't notice. But slum slave dealers treat their slaves the absolute worst… A young beastkin slave in that situation gets the worst of the worst. Most die before they're even sold. Livin' in conditions like that, of course ya wouldn't pick up any common sense… Niku-senpai, ya really did yer best to make it through."

Ichika hugged Niku tightly and stroked her head.

… Her face was buried in Ichika's chest and she looked a bit like she was suffocating.

"Plenty of slaves die from ruinin' their health or gettin' sick from things like toilet cleaning. Even if they're beastkin, they're still kids, so their vitality only goes so far… On top of that, gettin' punched and kicked just to pass the time is a given, bein' used as targets for skills, havin' their limbs or ears cut off on a whim. A beastkin child is worth just a few copper coins. They're nothin' more than toys, plain and simple… Even if they're lucky enough to survive, there ain't no decent master among the kind who'd buy slaves from the slums. Nothin' but hell awaits 'em no matter where they end up. That's the world they live in."

Even just hearing about it, I could tell how utterly brutal it was.

"… Niku, you've been through even worse than me."

"R-Rokuko-sama?"

From the opposite side of Ichika, Rokuko also hugged Niku tightly.

"I was a dropout among Dungeon Cores too, and I got bullied in all sorts of ways, but it wasn't the worst because I had Haku-neesama. Yeah, well, I'll be a bit kinder to you from now on."

"Rokuko-sama…"

"I-I'll even share my melon bread with you. A bite or so!"

… Is that a considerable show of kindness by Rokuko's standards?