"Oh my god! Mr. Shimo! What are you doing?!"
"Hehehe. How about it? Although it's not completely finished, is this my human form?"
As soon as I entered the management office, Sera walked towards me with a surprised expression. I was inexplicably in a good mood, so I proudly displayed my bare upper body.
"Wow, wow... Wow, that's amazing. You were amazing in your monster form, but this..."
Hmm... I didn't quite understand what was so amazing about it, but her blushing expression didn't seem like a bad reaction.
While enjoying Sera's reaction, I gathered with the adventurers to write a report on the Hero Devourer subjugation quest.
Sera, listening to the adventurers' comments and reviewing the report, again showed a surprised expression and said to me.
"Oh my god... So Mr. Shimo really played a big role in the end! For something like this, the Lord should personally reward you, right?"
"Oh... Lord..." Hmm... I don't really want to spend time seeing the Lord right now.
This body has more than one or two things to do right now.
First, I need to check my clothes, and then I need to find my future dormitory.
After telling Sera this, she replied with the idol-like smile of the guild management.
"If you attach that information, they'll consider summoning you in a few days. It's not an emergency summons, but rather for a reward, so don't worry too much!"
Should I meet them?
The first time I came to the city, I didn't meet the lord directly, only someone like an assistant officer… But thinking about it, I'll have to meet them sooner or later anyway.
After all, those summoning annihilation will keep appearing, and to obtain information about them, I need to negotiate information sharing with higher-ups.
Thinking this through, after reporting to the adventurers, everyone seemed ready to disperse.
Some packed their bags and left the management office, while others filled the tables in the restaurant next to the guild management office.
Lisbeth, who was writing a report nearby, came over and asked me.
"Shimo, is everything finished? It's so late, let's have dinner together before you go."
"Oh. Liz. Is it alright if Ars doesn't come along?"
It's said that although Ars broke his arm, everything else has healed. Even his severed arm was almost fully healed when Claire's Aether suddenly stopped, so his condition is relatively good.
However, just in case, he went to the church with the wounded, planning to spend the night there.
Speaking of which, perhaps because of my changed appearance and what happened today, I feel like I've no longer built a wall around my heart against Lizbeth.
In fact, I feel that Lizbeth's smile is more capable of breaking down that wall than before.
What initially seemed like an extremely difficult situation now feels much clearer.
Lizbeth and I moved to the dining room together and sat facing each other at the table. It was the first time since arriving in this other world that I felt like I was sitting in a chair… I was so moved I almost cried.
"Ugh... I can use my hands and sit on a chair... I'm about to cry..."
"Pfft, so happy? That's a bit much, isn't it?"
Just as they were praising Lisbeth's ability to use hands, a shop assistant, busy with the sudden influx of adventurers, came over to take an order.
"Ha... really... even though it's only a half-baked human form, it's amazing... so many things to do are popping up, I'm even struggling to know where to begin."
"Looks like I have a lot to do in the near future. I need to buy clothes, and find a place to stay..."
I'm currently naked from the waist down, wearing only a piece of cloth.
Luckily, this cloth was originally meant to cover a horse's body, and it's long and wide enough that I can barely cover my lower body by tying it up, but it's still a bit awkward to walk around like this.
Fortunately, everyone gathered here is an adventurer dressed in various outfits, so I'm not too conspicuous. If I were in front of ordinary people, this outfit would be a bit...
And a place to stay!
Just as I was feeling increasingly miserable living in the warehouse, I thought of the room Lisbeth used to live in, and it seemed like a place to stay in this other world would be quite comfortable.
The thought of sleeping in a comfortable bed and taking a refreshing bath made me smile.
"Mmm... I can't wait..." As Lisbeth and I smiled at each other, the food was laid out on the table.
There was a fried meat dish shaped like fried chicken, a salad with several steak-like pieces of meat, and triangular slices of potatoes drizzled with sauce.
I poked at the piece of meat that looked like fried chicken with my fork, staring at it intently.
"...Could it be that because of this half-humanized state, I still can't taste anything?"
"Ah, speaking of which, I did say I couldn't taste anything? That's intriguing...Try it." Lisbeth watched me intently with a curious expression.
Please...I've had enough of not being able to taste food and only being able to chew on grass...My body has changed, but my brain is still the same, at least my sense of taste...Thinking this, I put the fried meat in my mouth...
"...Delicious...! It tastes like meat!" I tasted the unique juices and umami flavor of meat in my mouth!
Although it had a slightly gamey smell, this level should be considered part of the meat's flavor, right? The aroma of oil and salt, though not quite chicken, was surprisingly delightful.
I grabbed a beer-like drink from the side and gulped it down.
It wasn't beer at all, just a fruit liqueur with added alcohol and flavoring!
But the stimulating, refreshing taste was exhilarating!
"Aaaaaah! Delicious!!!"
"Pfft. That's great. This is probably the happiest look I've ever seen on Shimo's face."
I felt like the chef deep in the kitchen was smiling.
The chef who's been preparing feed for me like fodder all this time…!
Thank you…!
Seeing Lisbeth's touched and joyful smile, I thought I could get this done today, but ultimately decided to put it off for now.
After all, there are other things to confirm, and it suddenly felt a bit wasteful to push it off today.
With that decision made, the rather lavish meal for two was devoured in no time as Lisbeth and I chatted and laughed.
"Ha...this is so satisfying..."
"I'm glad you like it. The food at the guild hall restaurant is just average."
But for someone like me who's been eating grass for four months, it's a feast.
As I walked out of the guild hall, smiling, dusk had fallen.
The vendors seemed to have packed up and gone home, and most shops were closed.
The only things still open were probably late-night taverns or entertainment venues.
"But...what about accommodation tonight...it's a bit of a waste to just go back to the warehouse to sleep."
"Hmm...I've heard there are inns or hotels that charge by the day, but I don't know where they are...Ars and I were introduced by the guild, and we stayed at a recommended place for two months before moving to our current place. So...we've never been to such places..."
Hmm...even though it's dark at night, walking around wrapped in this cloth is still a bit...I might as well change my plans and go check out Lisbeth's room again while satisfying my lust.
"Liz... um... if it's convenient, could you let me stay tonight... while we're at it for some sexual gratification?"
"...No. Now that you've already taken human form, the sexual gratification should be over." Lisbeth blushed and panicked, then murmured in a weak voice.
Damn it.
So it was only meant to last until she could take human form!
Reluctantly, remembering she had to carry out the plan she'd conceived during dinner, she parted ways with the silent Lisbeth, her face flushed.
Judging from Lisbeth's reaction, the plan seemed likely to work, which was exciting, but it was a shame to have to let it go like this today.
Unable to find a hotel even though she didn't know its location, she returned to the warehouse. In the dimly lit warehouse, where only moonlight seeped in through the window cracks, she removed the cloth wrapped around her and checked her little brother, whom she wanted to confirm.
"...As expected..." Although the heavy feel gave me a general idea, I couldn't be sure without seeing it for myself... My little brother was still in his horse form, with the same dangling member and testicles.
When I pulled out the rather heavy member, the grotesque horse penis was clearly visible in the dim moonlight.
"Hmm... I thought it would shrink a bit when I turned into human form... but it doesn't matter now..." The problem is, are there really any clothes in my size that can cover this thing?
I feel uneasy... Anyway, I have to rush to buy clothes as soon as the shops open tomorrow.
Having made this decision, I felt it wouldn't be right to just sleep, so I transformed back into my horse form and lay down on the haystack to sleep.
...The next morning, as people went to work and shops opened one after another, I immediately transformed into human form, wrapped my lower body in a cloth, and headed straight for the clothing store I had previously looked into.
The looks that used to exclaim "Ah, it's that divine beast master!" when they saw me lately have all turned into expressions of shock.
The women, in particular, are blushing furiously… I guess I need to buy some clothes right away.
Thinking this, I went into a clothing store to look for underwear… but the clerk said they were out of stock!
"Oh dear, divine beast master. We don't have any clothes that fit your size. Other stores are probably the same." After explaining the situation to the shopkeeper, who was looking at me with surprise, she said she didn't have any clothes that I could wear.
No way!
This isn't like Leona's high-end clothing store; isn't this just a place that piles up clothes to sell?
They don't even have clothes that fit in this kind of place?
"Divine beast master's size is larger than any of the burly adventurers I've seen since I started running this clothing store… Your arms and thighs are far too thick; it'll be difficult to find clothes that fit. It seems… you'll have to have them custom-made." After comparing my size with the elderly shopkeeper who said this, I suddenly realized.
Accustomed to the elevated field of vision afforded by a horse's body, I hadn't even noticed that my current height was at least a head taller than the average person in this other world.
Plus, my arms and thighs were bulging with thick muscles, making it difficult to find ready-made clothes that fit.
"The shops that offer custom-made services are all high-end clothing stores located below the noble residential area… If you don't know a shop there, it will probably take quite a while. Those places only start making clothes after an appointment is made, so you'll have to wait some time." High-end clothing stores below the noble residential area… that reminds me of Leona's shop.
But… do I have to show Leona my entire lower body?
When I was a horse, I couldn't, but now that I'm half-human, I still have to show her… but there's really no other way.
If I don't hurry up and prepare some clothes, I'll become a freakish horse wrapped in just a piece of cloth.
Oh right, if Leona's husband were a hero… wouldn't it be better to just turn Leona into my female?
Thinking this, I quickly walked towards Leona's shop.