Chapter 75 The Fight with the Fake
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I had to run, but my body would not move. When the door opened all the way, my breath caught.
I froze, the same way someone might if they suddenly saw a person on the road who should already be dead. It was not because a strange creature stood there. It was because Trash-san was there, looking so normal that it took the strength out of me.
From the top of her head to the tips of her toes, she was exactly the same. Even the small scars, and the dark fingertips from when she once tried to copy coins, were just as I remembered. Her calm air and the way she held herself were no different from usual.
No simple disguise or makeup could explain it.
It was not a look-alike. It was simply her, standing there.
For a moment, I almost forgot my talk with Maggot-san.
”Please look. It seems the lock was broken. Really, what were the maids doing,” she said.
”Ah… ah, yeah. Um, right,” I answered.
”If a rude person had entered a male’s room, what would we do? The workers who cared for this place must be punished,” she said.
Trash-san put her hands on her hips and showed her clear dissatisfaction. Even her angry look was the same. She did not seem fake at all.
”Um… you are Trash-san, right?” I asked, standing stiff and trying to find the right words.
”What is wrong?” she said.
”No, nothing. I was just a little surprised,” I said.
The strange feeling and fear from before began to fade. Even though I knew it was bad, I felt myself pulled in.
”Why are you here? You were caught by the enemy,” I said.
”Yes, about that. I found a chance and escaped. It was close,” she said.
”I see. I’m glad,” I replied.
It sounded like I was saying she had done something wrong by coming back, but she did not mind. She spoke as lightly as someone who had stepped out for a small break. Could she really sum it up with ‘it was close’?
Still, a simple report was enough for a male. She was here now. That much was true.
”I’m really happy you’re safe, Trash-san. I was worried you might never return,” I said.
When she saw my shaken face, she gave me the gentle smile I knew well. Her thin lips curved with grace, and her warm eyes touched my heart.
She went down on one knee before me. It was the pose for reporting to her master. I still was not used to feeling like some kind of lord.
”I have returned,” she said.
She said ‘I’m home’. The thing shaped like the woman named Trash-san said it.
…No. Just those words pushed up a feeling inside me. I tried to deny it, but I could not stop the joy.
No, this was only a trick.
I did not know what this thing really was. I must not be fooled.
But my mouth moved on its own. Days of tired nerves and little sleep made her image shine too bright.
Trash-san had come back. I thought she might be dead, yet she had returned to me.
She was alive, close enough for me to reach. Nothing else seemed to matter. Whether she was real or not felt small.
”Welcome back,” I said.
The words left my mouth, and I regretted them at once. She had spoken so normally that my lips moved before I could stop them.
She smiled at my words and stood up by the door.
”May I come in? I have an important report,” she said.
”N-no… you can’t. Now is not a good time,” I said.
”Forgive me. Even if this is a hospital room, it was careless to enter a male’s private space. But may I have your forgiveness just this once?” she asked.
”Well, that’s…” I began.
She was still outside the open door. She had not taken even one step past the line into the room.
Fear crawled up my back like Maggot-san warned, but when I looked at her face, my eyes grew hot.
My heart and body did not match, and would not listen to me.
…Ah, that scent.
A little dusty, with a healthy smell like someone who trains often. Mixed with it was the neat, busy scent of my room full of her collected things.
All of it was the same. I wanted to speak more. I wanted to feel her more.
This was wrong.
There was no way this was the real Trash-san.
Yet if I denied her, I feared she would vanish like a castle of sand. It reminded me of the strange Evening Calm Beach, where the things I wanted appeared one after another. I tried not to think about it, but back then, I picked up nothing.
Even so, Maggot-san’s warning held me in place.
”I’m sorry. But you can’t come in. Please close the door. It looks bad for a male to let a female into his room,” I said.
I refused her soft request.
”…You are right. I am sorry,” she said.
She did not push. She lowered her head, and her sad face stirred guilt in me. I hoped she would leave just like that.
She stayed calm and watched me.
”This smell…” I began.
At that moment, I caught a strange raw smell. I did not have a good nose, but this odd scent from Trash-san felt wrong. It was like passing a fish market for a second.
I asked her with care.
”…Your clothes are different. What happened to your Imperial Guard uniform?” I asked.
She was not wearing her normal clothes. She wore a rough yukata like a poor town person.
”This? My uniform was in great pain and had to be thrown away. Someone kind on the road gave me this,” she said.
”I see. You met a good person. I just wondered because it’s not your white uniform,” I said.
”Yes. I am thankful,” she replied.
She now looked like a poor girl who could blend into the town.
The last time I saw Trash-san, her clothes were torn beyond use. It was not strange she changed, and nothing in her story sounded wrong.
A normal male might not notice. But I had grown used to the smell. I sensed a tiny smell of blood mixed with her body scent.
There was a small stain on her collar, red-black, easy to mistake for mud.
I wondered what had happened to that “kind” person. How had she received the clothes?
”Did you thank that person?” I asked.
”No. A town person does not need thanks,” she said.
The thing that looked like Trash-san gave the answer most males liked to hear. A female with no status did not need care. A town person should serve for free.
I gave her a polite smile. This was the correct pride of a male.
”Thank you for your hard work. Since you came back, I’d like to hear your report soon, but…” I said.
”I failed my task and have no excuse. It is not good to speak in a hospital room. May you come to another room?” she said.
”Not here? And I want the others to know too,” I said.
”I have news that will make you happy right away,” she said.
I wanted to keep her out, and also avoid leaving my room.
But she wanted to take me out.
For a moment, her pretty face looked strange and cold.
”I think everyone should hear the report. They were worried too,” I said.
”There is no need. Come,” she said.
”Ow… don’t pull,” I said.
”Those two are waiting as well,” she said.
”N-no. I don’t want to go,” I said.
”You may scold me later. Come now… come…” she said.
An arm grabbed me.
I had been careless. I had come too close.
It was not a ghost or an illusion. Something actually gripped my right arm and pulled hard.
She had not stepped into the room, but I had reached the entrance.
”Young Master. Hurry. There is no time, please go quickly,” she said.
”Ow. Stop it. Let go!” I cried.
When I spoke sharply, she let go of my arm.
She laughed.
She sounded too happy. It felt wrong, as if something that was not human forced on a human skin. The way she was pleased seemed strange and not natural.
For a moment, the mask seemed to slip.
”Excuse me. No, a male who talks so kindly to a female… Ah, Young Master, you have always been like this,” she said.
”Y-yes. You know I have never hated talking to women,” I answered, choosing words that sounded flattering without meaning to.
She did not seem suspicious of that.
…I was scared.
The joy and shock of our reunion were gone. Only a cold, awful fear stayed.
Maybe it was not a monster.
Monsters that speak exist, but they would not come to low parts of a dungeon like this. They do not deal with people.
Could it be a ghost or some mystery? Was Trash-san already dead and returned to drag me into a world I did not know?
I stood there as if watched. My body felt cold, and everything around me felt too quiet.
Was the white corridor outside really the same as always? If I stepped forward, would I walk into a place I did not know?
That thought crossed my mind.
”Young Master, will you please come with me quietly?” she asked.
The thing like Trash-san looked at me with blood-shot eyes and spoke in her voice.
There was no room to refuse.
”Do I have to go?” I asked.
”If you truly refuse, there are other ways…” she said.
Maggot-san had warned me over the phone.
Do not provoke it, he said. But not moving might also be bad.
I was sure now.
This was wrong. This thing was not Trash-san.
She would not hurt me, and she would not force me to do what I did not want.
Even the most tired Imperial Guard would not drag a master against his will; they usually came to me for any matter.
She was a liar. She had no real report. Her words that the two others were safe were probably a lie.
If I followed her, I did not know where we would end up.
”All right. But explain it properly later,” I said.
”Of course,” she answered with a smile.
This creature was all wrong.
It copied Trash-san well on the outside, but its values and behavior were not the same. It was only a shell.
I decided to obey for now.
I do not believe in ghosts.
Rather than fear some vampire that can enter only if I let it, I feared this thing switching to a more forceful method. After all, it could break locks easily.
I did not trust ghosts, but I trusted Maggot-san. I would follow and buy time.
”I am sorry we have no basket ready,” she said.
She led me down Kujukuri Town’s white corridor.
It was evening.
The siren that marks the end of day echoed down the hall. It was almost my first time walking the south town streets on my own feet. Usually a man would ride in a basket to move about.
”Everyone is gone…” I muttered.
Something felt wrong.
There were far too few people in this area.
Normally, many guards would stand between the Imperial rooms and the town people, but the section that divides the high rooms and common rooms was empty.
It was as if people had been moved away in advance.
Soon we passed a few guards from other places.
”Ah, um… Imperial Guard,” I called.
”Excuse me. We are in a hurry. Please make way,” one said.
I tried to speak up.
But it was cut off. When the thing like Trash-san looked at them, they bowed and left quickly.
Help me, I thought.
But I did not know how to call for help. Should I cry out and hide behind their backs?
If I acted oddly, I did not know how that thing would react. It must not know I suspected it was fake.
It would not be strange if the next moment it crushed my heart.
If things got bad, I thought I would shout and fight as a last hope. That chance still existed.
We moved into an area where many town people walked. Here dozens passed by.
This route was the one you must use to reach the outside door. A few hundred meters more and you would find the dungeon gate standing alone by Kujukuri’s shoreline.
The sun was probably setting, painting sky and sea with red.
When we entered, the town people noticed me and all bowed their heads.
An older woman who knew me found my face and came close. She smiled kindly and knelt.
”Oh! Your Lordship!” she said.
”Ah, hello,” I answered.
She was an acquaintance.
I often visited festivals and meetings in the south town, so many people knew me. They liked me a lot.
I do not forgive rudeness, but I do not get angry at a friendly bow, so they knelt before me.
”Welcome back. While you were away, we worried day and night to see you,” she said.
The city people had been very concerned while I lay ill.
A woman of about forty, dressed well for the poor south town, smiled warmly.
This was a good chance to buy time.
If I could hold on until Maggot-san came, we could draw more people in and grow the crowd. This place was the town’s lively center; the crowd would not thin.
People who saw me stopped and bowed one by one.
I was glad for my usual friendly face.
”Move, drunkard,” someone snapped.
A dry snap sounded in my ears.
”Ah.”
”Oh? He seems to have fallen asleep. What a bother,” another voice said.
The woman who had tried to speak to a rude man sank to the ground.
The fake moved the trouble-making woman away as if she were a nuisance, breaking her neck in the process.
Then, the thing like Trash-san easily broke that woman’s neck and killed her.
”Ah, what— She was just sleeping, why—” people murmured.
The town people near the fallen woman were confused, but because I was there, they did not raise their heads. No one had noticed the swift move.
I stood without words and watched.
”Do not worry. We must not catch strange sickness from the town people. Let us hurry,” the fake said.
She pushed me forward with a strong tone, and we passed the still body as we moved on.
…She killed. She killed a townsperson with ease.
She had done it so simply, only because the woman got in the way of taking me out.
To me, it only looked like a drunk had fallen asleep on the spot.
A shiver ran through me.
I must not let it know. It must not learn that I knew it was fake.
I thought of slipping into the crowd and running, but if I tried too soon, something like that might happen again.
”This is… too cruel,” I whispered.
”What is wrong?” it asked.
”…Nothing,” I said.
It had worn Trash-san’s face and killed a passerby.
That woman was still in her best years. She must have had many things she still wanted to do.
Trash-san herself came from poverty. As an Imperial Guard, she acted strict toward the town people, but deep down she understood poor women. She and I never scared the south town people for no reason. The trust we had built with them would vanish the moment they learned what really happened.
Of all people, it had killed someone who felt close to Trash-san because of their shared roots, and it did so while wearing her form.
”If town people greet us again, don’t mind it. You can just ignore them,” I said.
”Yes. Still, how should I say… it is troubling,” it answered with a displeased tone.
Then children came near.
A few kids had that rude curiosity toward me. The fake blocked them, and before they reached me, they ran away crying.
One little girl’s arm was twisted unnaturally, clearly broken.
The fake had broken the child’s arm to drive them off.
I almost screamed.
”This will teach them. Many around here act rude to Young Master. Really, what do they misunderstand about a noble…” it said.
”S-stop. You don’t need to bother with the town people! Let’s just go!” I said.
Yes. It was copying an Imperial Guard. It looked like a woman so well I could not tell the difference.
But it did not know my bond with the south town people.
This meant it knew the usual distance between a male and town people in society.
A simple look at a noble’s face could lead to a head cut off in some cases.
If it truly saw itself as a woman, then I could try something. If I let it roam free, who knew who it would kill next.
If it was really a woman—if it was fully female, then I had a way. Even if it was a monster, if it wore a woman’s body, a male’s touch might be a weakness.
I steadied myself.
The real Trash-san knew how much I hated pointless killings. The insult to her gave me courage.
We had just begun building trust with the town people, and now it was ruined. By now they would be terrified by that sudden death.
”Hey, let’s hold hands. Like we always do,” I said.
I took the fake Trash-san’s hand.
”Hehe. It’s been a while,” I said.
”Young Master?” it asked.
The fake looked confused.
I linked our fingers and pulled her arm close to my waist, then wrapped my other arm around hers. I pressed my cheek to her upper arm.
It looked like a girl holding her lover’s arm.
The fake’s body tensed a little.
”This is…” it began.
”What is it? We always walk like this. Or is today no good?” I asked.
”No, you are right,” it said.
I did not know what it really was.
But no woman in this world could ignore a male’s charm. Even mad ones were the same.
”Hold my hand tighter. Did you start to hate me?” I asked.
”That is not so,” it said.
”Then… may I get even closer?”
”Yes. Of course. I would be thankful,” it said.
The fake stayed calm.
Like Big Sister, it watched me with a cool and kind face.
”Great. We finally met again,” I said with a smile.
I honestly had no idea what it was thinking now.
But in a world where most males never smiled at females, my smile was like poison. A single dose could steal a person’s reason.
Especially for a young male at this age, when he was just starting to pull away from women.
No woman could stay calm if a boy at this stage showed kindness to her. It was a dream no money could buy.
Yet the fake’s face did not change. It was not the face of a woman being touched. Her skin felt smooth, but more and more, it felt like touching a monster.
I was scared.
Holding back tears, I kept showing false affection.
I could not tell what might please it or anger it.
”Touch me more. Stroke me more,” I said softly.
I used a sweet voice and guided our joined hands under the edge of my shirt.
Even that terrifying psionic woman, the demon like one, likely had no defence against a male.
This was not about strength. It was about nature.
So I had to believe this would work.
”Young Master, there are people here. Could it not wait?” it asked.
”Now. Please, I feel safe when you touch me,” I said.
”…But—”
”Mmm. That feels nice,” I said.
I pictured a young boy, a noble master, loved by his servant across class lines.
I let her fingers slide under my shirt, over my thin skin.
If I said so myself, my skin must feel nice. Clear, without marks.
Even a bit pale and thin, my skin still had a kind of sickly beauty.
My hands shook with fear.
Letting a monster’s hand near my chest scared me so much I thought it might tear me open.
As we walked holding hands, the town people we passed looked shocked. A man and woman walking so close was unthinkable. Such open touch was not allowed.
Yet the stares full of envy could not be hidden. The fake seemed a little pleased.
Before, it had hated the town people’s rude gazes, but now it did not scold them.
I locked my arm around hers and walked.
With a sweet, soft voice, I said,
”You always gave me massages, remember? The good kind. Just the two of us, in secret. I suddenly want it again.”
”Yes. But not now, surely,” it said.
”It won’t take long. And today is to celebrate your return. I can even go all the way for you,” I said.
Her hand, which had only been stroking because I guided it, began to move on its own, searching over my body.
Then, with my words, the monster’s fingers froze like ice.
I felt sweat on the palm touching my chest. A crack ran through the fake’s calm face.
It asked me,
”What do you mean… go all the way?”
”Oh, you know,” I said.
I rose on my toes and whispered into her ear. I let my breath touch her skin, like a secret shared only between two people.
”You wanted it for a long time, right? Tonight, in secret, let’s finish the duty,” I whispered.
The fake grew stiff. All smoothness in its movements disappeared.
This closeness and my tone must have reached it.
”Duty” meant the male obligation.
In other words, sex. If it was female, that would shake it for sure.
”…No. A single, unmarried male should not joke about such things,” it said.
”You know, I finally had my first release recently. I’m an adult now. You always said an Imperial Guard dreamed of taking a male’s first time, right? It’s fine—let’s do it,” I said.
In my heart, I apologized to the real Trash-san as I spoke.
This was a fake. It did not know that I had long lost my chastity.
I guided her hand under my shirt lower.
”Gh… wh—”
”I want my first time to be with Trash-san,” I said.
My heart felt like it would tear.
I was so scared I felt dizzy. Even if she were human, she had killed without hesitation right before me.
Someone I knew, with a voice I knew, said things that did not belong to her. Seeing it, I felt as if a horrible creature was stuffed inside her skin.
Maybe that was exactly the case.
”You always said it was your dream to steal a young boy’s first time away from those stuck-up noble families,” I said.
”That is…”
”You said you’d betray those rich brats who never knew hardship one day.”
I was sorry, Trash-san.
I made you sound awful. If what I said were true, she would be the worst Imperial Guard.
Thinking calmly, any man saying this out of nowhere would seem insane. I did not know how long I could keep this up.
But when the opposite sex gets close, logic and context fall apart.
I understood that feeling too well as a male.
”If you don’t want to, then forget it. I won’t let you ever have me,” I said.
I turned away on purpose but pressed my body closer.
I slipped my hand around the fake’s buttocks. Soft, firm, heavy—her hips had real weight.
There it was. This was not Trash-san’s body. She was slimmer.
This was the body of a grown woman in her twenties, her hips fully developed.
Only the part I touched seemed to shift briefly, as if the shape was maintained by some mystic tool or psionic ability.
”So… how about now?” I said.
Damn it. Too scary.
Probably—this was a human. Using some mysterious power. Whether shapeshifting or wearing Trash-san’s skin, I did not know.
”…”
The fake’s silence frightened me.
Still stroking, I moved my hand toward her hidden area. I slid my hand along the crease between her thigh and hip through her clothes.
”Come on. I can’t hold back anymore. I don’t want the usual stuff. I want you to touch me somewhere else,” I said.
”Somewhere… else?”
Its voice trembled. The mask of calm did not break fully, but I felt the tension.
No young male would ever let a woman touch his private place. Nor offer to touch hers.
Because I knew Trash-san’s normal expressions, I could see the fake’s confusion.
”You want me to say it? I can, if you want,” I whispered.
”Later. Please, later. I beg you. But for now, the report must come first,” it said.
Flustered, the fake sped up.
It pulled me, and I dragged my feet like a child throwing a tantrum.
”Eeh? I want it now,” I whined.
”Later, please. Understand my suffering. Once the report is finished, immediately. It will not take long. I beg you,” it said.
Her skin felt hot.
Even walking beside her, I smelled a female’s arousal through her clothes. I was right—this was a real woman.
A spy or kidnapper. That made sense.
Someone who knew Trash-san and I were closer than a normal squad and master. Someone who thought she could lure me out. Someone who hated me—whose comrades or family died because of a strategy I ordered.
The people of Isumi Town.
The consequences of what I had done had come back. The assassin wore my Imperial Guard’s face.
How did she steal Trash-san’s form? And what of her and the others now? Captive? Already dead? Thinking of it hurt.
”Young Master being like this… no, but—however…”
”It can’t be helped. I hate forcing anything. It’s important to me too. I’ll let you do it later, okay?”
”Yes. Please, I beg you,” she said.
I did not fight her too hard.
”I’m excited already. Maybe I’m ready,” I said.
My sick, weak body barely held up as I acted. I had hardly eaten in days. There was no way I was truly excited.
But I smiled sincerely.
I became the fantasy—a boy happy to sleep with a woman. Only one person had ever endured that before: Cult Slut-san.
I still did not know if this was right.
Maybe she had already figured everything out. Maybe once we were out of sight, she would knock me out, tie me up, and smuggle me away.
But the section with the gate leading outside was close. If we left town, the terminal to Maggot-san would lose signal. I needed to end this inside the town.
I clung to her arm as we walked.
There were still many town people around.
This was a terrible scandal for me. It could affect my marriage prospects. But if I held her here, no one else would die.
If I screamed and resisted, the town people would get dragged in and I could be killed. If she was a psionic user, people might die for nothing and I would still be taken.
Better to let them think I was shameless.
We passed a storage room near the south town exit.
The door was left open. Dried vegetables and fish were stacked inside. Bottles of water. A huge locked wooden box gave off the scent of rations.
A chance.
I suddenly pulled the fake inside.
”Young Master. What are—”
”Let’s kiss,” I said.
”Wh—what?!”
I dragged her into the room and kissed her deeply.
Her lips were soft and moist.
I pushed my smaller tongue into her mouth and tasted her. A sweet female fragrance filled my nose.
”Sorry for being sudden. I couldn’t hold back when I saw your face,” I said.
”Wh-why? I—I, this is impossible. Why would a male do this to me?!” she gasped.
I quietly pulled back and wiped her saliva from my hand.
But the one really dizzy from the scent was probably her. A male’s bodily fluids, to a female, were a mix of flowers, oils, and addictive poison.
It had to work. I convinced myself, staring into her eyes. Sweat dripped from her forehead, ruining her elegant expression.
I leaned close and whispered,
”I don’t want to do it outside. I don’t want anyone to see. Just our secret.”
I closed the door. The room was empty.
There was no turning back.
I had no intention of keeping the “later” promise. When it came to men and women, there were plenty of promises meant to be broken.
”Let’s stay together. Become one with me. Please… I want you to have my first time,” I said.
”Young Master, wait—please! I have a mission, and m-my comrades’ sacrifice—! I—I…”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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