The rule of going into the dungeon only about twice a week is still being maintained even after struggling to clear the tenth floor. This is because real people can't "fully recover with one night at an inn."
Rest time, commensurate with the degree of physical exhaustion, is necessary. Of course, the fatigue can be cured with magic, but mental exhaustion cannot be healed. Repeated battles to the death, even against monsters, erode the human spirit.
A certain number of Transferees simply "cannot bring themselves to kill." Compared to them, Ren and her party are quite resilient, but if they forget to maintain a semblance of normal human life, they would unknowingly break down.
Therefore, Ren and her party, despite being active in dungeon raiding, take five days off a week. What they do on their days off varies. They might visit acquaintances like the Wise Man, or they might sleep all day. Iris goes home regularly, and Furi goes out shopping. Mariabell dedicates her free time to working at the brothel, so despite appearances, she is quite busy.
And what about Ren?
"...I'm bored," she murmured, mostly just lounging around in her room.
To defend herself, the lack of entertainment in the other world is a major factor. Since they live on income gained from dungeon raiding, they can't afford to be too extravagant. Women's clothes are more expensive than men's, so saving money has become even more necessary since she became a succubus.
Takuma and his group used to drink whenever they were free, but even if they endured cheap alcohol and snacks, there's no telling how much money would fly away. Ren's preference is distilled liquor, not cheap wine. She limits herself to only one bottle of the relatively expensive drink per week, usually having about one glass during dinner or before going to bed.
This is a luxury in itself. She should be grateful, as she wouldn't have been able to drink for another four years if she were in Japan... but the topic has strayed considerably.
"Maybe I should buy a book soon."
She murmured this while lounging on the bed in just her bra and panties.
She had initially resisted "proper women's underwear," but once she wore it, it was more comfortable than she thought. The camisoles she used to favor needed a hole cut in the back and tended to shift easily during vigorous movement since they weren't fixed. This was a concern for Ren as it interfered with her wings.
A bra, on the other hand, leaves a large open space on the back and doesn't shift easily. The fact that it holds her chest, which is quickly surpassing the size of Furi's and Iris's, also became comfortable once she got used to it.
To return to the topic, books are surprisingly widely distributed in this other world.
This is due to the existence of artisans who can reproduce books from people's memories. As a result, various books, including serious literature, light novels, and manga, have been recreated.
The continuation of serialized works cannot be followed here, so some people eagerly await the new Transferees each year. The people asked "Were you reading the manga called XX?" soon after transferring must have been greatly confused, and some people are despairing over manga that haven't continued after several years.
Since the demand for entertainment is high, money is paid for providing new content. Ren also provided memories for two books before, and they are now circulating in bookstores, reproduced down to the details she didn't even remember. The reason Ren herself doesn't own a copy, despite going that far, is "because they are expensive." Making books requires paper. Wood, the raw material for paper, is also used for fuel, houses, and furniture. Since the demand is immense, the price doesn't go down.
Iris's parents, the forest administrators, apparently have great responsibility but also earn quite a lot from wood production. Despite appearances, Iris is quite the young lady.
"What should I get if I buy one?"
Since the unit price is high, she wants a book she can enjoy for a long time. That means a novel rather than a manga. She's not particularly fond of reading dense text, but a famous mystery novel, for example, would have high entertainment value and be readable.
Furi owns several shojo (girls') manga as personal property. She might as well borrow them. It would be a good test to see if her sensibilities have shifted toward feminine ones due to her succubus transformation.
She also once heard from Mariabell, "Sometimes I read when I have free time." She was slightly curious about what kind of books that woman read.
"If I didn't have this body, I'd exercise."
Due to her wings and tail, Ren's appearance is very conspicuous. She doesn't want to walk around alone much because everyone stares at her just for being on the street. Also, with every level-up, her body's balance changes, forcing her to re-acclimate to the sensation.
"Is there anything else I can do on my day off?"
The emergence of such worries was probably a sign that she finally had some breathing room. When she was with Takuma's group, the schedule was so hard that sleeping was the top priority, and even after leaving the party, she always had a lot to do one way or another. Now that she had calmed down after completing her succubus transformation and her income stabilized, she felt bored.
Ren stared at the door—not the ceiling (lying on her back is awkward because of her wings)—for a while and thought,
"Maybe I'll ask that person."
She changed into the clothes Furi and the others had chosen for going out and headed outside.
The Wise Man, the great senior in this other world and a bored man living alone, grumbled, "You've come again?" but still let Ren into his room. His indifferent treatment, which seemed to view women only as symbols, was appreciated.
Since she wasn't with Furi and the others today and the matter wasn't important, she didn't clean, but sat right down in a chair and explained her situation.
"So, how do you pass the time when you're bored like this?"
"Hmm. ...There is a traditional way to spend leisure time, from ancient times."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Sexual intercourse."
I see, it was a mistake to ask this guy.
Ren said, "Excuse me for intruding," stood up, and tried to leave immediately.
"Wait. I'm not just saying that casually. There's no doubt that the high birth rate in ancient Japan had that kind of reason."
"...Ah. Come to think of it, the protagonist of that demon-slaying manga also had many younger siblings."
"Of course, there was also the aspect of viewing children as labor. If so, wouldn't it be even more fitting for this world?"
More manpower is always useful. Iris's family, for example, has their daughters hunt, and there are countless tasks they need help with even if they don't go into the dungeon.
Ren understood the logic. But,
"Isn't there anything else?"
"How about playing kemari (Japanese ancient kickball)? Or there's kendama (cup-and-ball) or bamboo stilts."
"What era are we in?"
"It inevitably comes down to simple tools that can be played alone. Children in the old days used to run around the fields and build secret bases for fun, you know."
"Wow, a thirty-year generation gap is huge."
They were separated by more than a parent and child's age, so in a sense, it was natural.
"If games for two are acceptable, there's shogi (Japanese chess) or Go. Some eccentric fellow is producing the boards, pieces, and stones."
"Isn't that just what you want to do, actually?"
"That too."
A board was neatly placed in the corner of the room. It wasn't dusty, so he must play with someone occasionally.
Ren said, "Thank you, I'll think about it," and handed him the dried meat she had brought as a gift. Being unhygienic, he seemed happier with non-perishable food, accepting it with a smile and saying, "My bad."
"Since I got a snack, how about having a drink? I have some good liquor."
"I'll pass. Getting used to expensive alcohol costs money. ...Besides, not eating is bad for your health."
"Ugh, don't say the same thing as Iris and the others."
As she was leaving, the Wise Man called out, "Oh, that's right," and stopped Ren.
"How about sewing? If you can sew, your clothes will last longer, and if you make good pieces, you can sell them."
"Sewing, huh. That might not be bad."
When Ren asked Furi for lessons on her next day off, she turned out to have a surprisingly good knack for it, and Furi told her, "You should practice more, since you're already good." Since being able to mend her own clothes wasn't a bad deal, Ren began to spend her free time quietly working with a needle and cloth.
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