Chapter 29 Big Sister Aki and the Beast-Person Boom
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I left the Tasogare Merchant Guild feeling warm and satisfied. I’d managed to discuss the importing of Metag Stone, which was my main goal, and getting close to that Manager was a massive win.
He might look like a crooked merchant, but he was calm and reasonable in person, not to mention his artistic skill with sexual harassment. I sighed in admiration at how he had so cleverly extracted those key words from Sera-chan during our conversation.
I felt like I’d found a spiritual mentor, not just a business associate. If I left it to him, I was sure he’d skillfully use our products to boost sales.
Right now, I was only selling the specific items Sera-chan had requested, but I might be able to establish a regular supply route to them. And I had an unexpected use for the excess ‘Tremble-D**do-Buddy’ stock—a ‘gift’ for him and the Merchant Guild. Even if there might be a short-term loss, it was a first step toward a long-term leap forward.
I still had the unappealing task of visiting my masters left, but even that felt easier now. Most of all, I was excited to share the good news with Lily.
Yeah, maybe I should grab her a souvenir?
I needed to buy gifts for my masters, too, so this was the perfect time. I decided to check out the shops in the back alleys of the Royal Capital.
”Hey, brother, wanna buy a grilled wrap?”
”We’ve got skewers, too!”
”The sweet stuff’s over here!”
Stepping off the main avenue where the Tasogare Merchant Guild stood, I passed through a street bustling with food stalls where you could grab a quick bite.
The sizzling sound of something being cooked mixed with the clamorous calls of the vendors. There were rows of benches nearby, so you could stop and have a quick meal right there.
The savory smell of sauce and the spicy aroma that pierced my nose made my stomach clench and my mouth water, but I resisted.
Lily always got grumpy if I ate outside alone and came back. I’d save it for when we went out together.
I kept going and reached the shopping area lined with stores selling sundries and luxury items. They also stocked adventurer gear.
It felt like the heart of daily life for the ordinary people living in the capital. To buy anything higher quality, I’d have to cross the main avenue to the opposite side, but this area was fine for my current needs.
For the slightly wealthy, there were areas deeper in, and the true rich lived closer to the royal castle. In my old world, it felt like the main street separated uptown from downtown.
Okay, old man Kogima has kids, so candy should work for them—something better than the stuff at the stalls, maybe something that keeps well.
Grandma Miranda loves wine, but she’s picky about taste. I hope I can find a good vintage for a decent price….
What about Lily? Maybe flowers were the right choice for an occasion like this.
I’d really like to get her a book, but they’re a bit more expensive here than in my old world, and if I’m going to buy one, it’s probably better to let her pick it out herself. Her tastes are so broad that I never know what will truly catch her interest….
”Oh? Isn’t that Kento?”
Lost in thought as I walked, I saw a familiar face approaching. With her loose tunic and long skirt, she looked like any other woman in this lower town at first glance.
But on closer look, her distinctive almond-shaped eyes gave her a spirited, beautiful impression. And on her head were large, round feline ears, while a striped tail swayed flexibly behind her.
”Aki-nee-san.”
”Ah, it really is Kento. It’s rare to see you in this part of town.”
”Not so much anymore. I’m finally making enough to live properly now,” I told her.
”Well, I’ll be. That’s good to hear. Heh, the boy who used to have to eat raw weeds off the side of the road…” Aki-nee-san chuckled.
This woman was Aki-nee-san, the wife of Carl, the thug C who helped me out when I was an adventurer. Actually, I was more indebted to Aki-nee than Carl back then.
I remembered when I was sleeping in the guild’s storage room and eating nothing but wild herbs I picked between herb-gathering quests, wasting away. Carl, pitying me, invited me to his place, and Aki-nee’s home-cooked food was literally tear-inducingly delicious.
She helped me out many times after that.
As unassuming as she looked, she was a former adventurer who used to party with Carl, and she even gave me pointers on how to fight. That part didn’t stick, sadly, but her knowledge on how to escape dangerous monsters was incredibly useful.
”Shopping for something?” she asked.
”Yeah. I’m finally paying a visit to the owner, so I wanted to grab a few gifts. And I thought I’d get Lily some flowers.”
”Oh my, so sweet. I wish my husband had that much consideration,” Aki-nee-san laughed. But I knew how much she loved Carl and how she constantly worried about him. So I just smiled vaguely, thinking, You’re both so much hotter than we are.
We talked for a while.
She complained about her husband (which was really just her way of doting on him), gossiped about the rising price of bread, and shared stories about the tea parties Lily had been invited to. Just as I thought the conversation was winding down, Aki-nee lowered her voice and leaned in close.
”By the way, Kento, I shouldn’t say this too loud, but the ‘Beast-person Association’¹ wants to thank you.”
”Huh? The ‘Beast-person Association’? Why would they…?”
The ‘Beast-person Association’ here was formally known as the Royal Capital Beast-person Mutual Aid Association. It was apparently founded to counter discrimination against Beast-people, but recently, it had become more of a simple social tea party group. However, because Beast-people are often physically superior, many take jobs related to combat or rough work, like adventurers or guards.
The Association helps with job placement and supports those who can’t work due to injury. As a result, it’s a non-negligible force and useful for networking, as even nobles and the heads of major merchant guilds who are Beast-people attend. There’s definitely no downside to belonging.
It was also apparently a dating venue for Beast-people looking to find a mate. Of course, all this information came from Aki-nee-san herself. Why would such a major organization want to thank me?
I don’t know many Beast-people other than Aki-nee… wait, no. I do encounter quite a few in my line of work.
”Uh, could it be about…”
”Yeah. It’s about your business.”
I thought so. It was true that a lot of Beast-people shopped at my store—probably more than I saw in town. Like now, the people around us—passersby, shopkeepers, and customers—were overwhelmingly human.
I often caught myself staring out of curiosity whenever I spotted a set of beast ears twitching or a tail swaying. Yet, I’d guess about half of my customers are Beast-people. It was only an estimate, but I’ll also add that watching cat-eared and dog-eared customers state the product names with their tails either standing straight or curled, their faces flushed red, was a truly wonderful sight.
”Do Beast-people really have, you know, heat cycles²?” I asked, feeling a bit awkward.
”Of course they do! Well, depending on the race, anyway.”
I’d suspected as much, and it turned out I was right.
I couldn’t exactly ask Aki-nee or my customers directly, “Is this because of estrus?” I felt uncomfortable having asked, but Aki-nee didn’t seem to mind. It was just a fact of life for her.
”I was lucky enough to start dating Carl pretty early, so I didn’t have much trouble, but every Beast-person girl who comes to the Capital struggles with it. That thing (her heat) causes them to fall for the wrong guys or disrupt their work.”
”That must be tough,” I conceded.
”The ones who have it worst are the young ladies of good families, born to the Beast-people who’ve made it here. If they were only around other Beast-people, they could just mess up and it would be ‘whoops, I did that.’ But you non-Beast-people just don’t understand, you know. Attacking their fiancé might be cute, but if they sleep with another man, they’re showered with abuse, called sluts, and so on.”
I figured that was probably true.
High society in this world seems to have strict rules, and a well-bred son might be horrified if the cute, cat-eared bride he married suddenly attacked him like an animal. Then again, maybe some guys would be jealous…
In any case, my products were apparently proving extremely effective as comfort during the estrus period.
Aki-nee shared stories: a certain high-born young lady known for her wildness had calmed down completely after getting a ‘D**do-Buddy,’ and a guard with a poor work ethic had become an exemplary soldier overnight. Word about my shop’s products was circulating in the ‘Beast-person Association’ meetings, and apparently, there was a massive ‘D**do-Buddy’ boom among young Beast-person women.
These women, sporting animal ears, were gathering to compare their devices: “My D**do-Buddy is better…” “No way, mine is!” Through this exchange of information, more and more people were becoming curious and heading to my shop…. Yeah, to put it mildly, this was great.
”That new one is especially amazing. That vibrating one. One of my junior adventurers, Laika, brought it in before it was even officially released, and everyone was in an uproar.”
”Ah, an adventurer I knew helped me gather materials, and I gave it to her as thanks. So that’s how it spread to the ‘Beast-person Association’! I need to thank her…. But I have bad news. The ‘Tremble-D**do-Buddy’ had to be discontinued by order of the Church of Demon-Subjugation…”
”Ha…?”
In the middle of our pleasant (?) chat, my words made Aki-nee-san’s eyes change. It wasn’t a metaphor: her pupils dilated like a predatory animal hunting prey, and a low growl rumbled in her throat, exposing a glimpse of a fang.
Her face was utterly terrifying. A shiver ran down my spine.
”A-Aki-nee-san…!?”
”Ngah, sorry, my blood rushed to my head for a second. But wait a minute, is that really true?”
”Y-Yes. I regret it, but a sister from the Church of Demon-Subjugation came and said it was dangerous or something…. That sister called the ‘Tremble-D**do-Buddy’ the ‘Devil’s Rod’.”
”…Tell me everything.”
The predatory dilation and the bared fangs were gone from Aki-nee-san’s face. However, to me, her expression seemed even more dreadful than before.
—
Summary:
Kento leaves his meeting with a spring in his step, but runs into Aki-nee-san, a former adventurer and Beast-person. Their friendly chat soon reveals that his adult goods have become an unexpected lifeline for Beast-person women, particularly high-society ladies struggling to manage their natural estrus cycles (heat) in a prejudiced society. When Kento reveals that the powerful ‘Tremble-D**do-Buddy’ was banned by the Church of Demon-Subjugation, Aki’s demeanor instantly shifts from affectionate to predatory. This scene dramatically introduces a major political conflict between the Church and the Beast-person community over Kento’s products.
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Character Insight:
Kento’s emotional state reflects his growing success as he moves from poverty to profitability, but his internal awkwardness about sexual topics highlights his non-Beast-person perspective. Aki-nee-san’s protective rage reveals the depth of the social problems Kento’s simple products are solving, positioning her as a fierce advocate for her community.
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Behind the Scene:
This chapter is crucial for world-building, establishing the social structure of the capital (uptown vs. downtown) and the unique physiological issues faced by Beast-people (estrus/heat cycles). The Beast-person Association is set up as a powerful entity, and their conflict with the Church over the ‘Devil’s Rod’ is the next major external plot point for Kento.
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T/L:
The phrase ‘Beast-person Association’¹ (獣人会 / Jūjinkai) is used to translate the formal name, emphasizing their social and political role. ‘Heat cycles’² is the English equivalent used for the Japanese 発情期 (Hatsujouki), which is the primary context for why the Beast-people are heavily reliant on Kento’s products. All HTML superscripts are included here. ¹²
Notes:
• Sera – A young, earnest salesperson from the Tasogare Merchant Guild, Kento’s supplier. She is characterized by her braided brown hair, large round glasses, and freckles. She’s serious about her job and easily flustered, especially by Kento’s adult goods business. Looks like Onodera from certain series.
• Lily – the sl*ve and primary experiment subject for the magic shop, ‘Harvest.’ She has striking pink hair, Blue eyes, medium breasts, which the Protagonist associates with being ‘wanton’. She has a working knowledge of magic, which she kept hidden from the slave trader.
• Kento – The owner of the magic tool shop ‘Harvest,’ which discretely sells adult goods. He’s a former overworked, ordinary salaryman from modern Japan who was suddenly transported (isekai’d) to this fantasy world. He has dark hair and an unremarkable appearance, typically wearing a plain, slightly suspicious-looking shop owner’s clothes looks like Kazuma Satou from certain series. He has a minimal amount of magic power, enough to craft his specialty items.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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