Pleiades Day

Part 4

After emerging from her Master’s chambers, Yuri thought: Now then, how should I proceed?

Yuri had to meet Shizu and Entoma. The Supreme One would check on Lupusregina and Narberal by himself.

Of course, Yuri balked at the thought of troubling her Master with such things, but since her master had already said so, there was no need to say anything else.

Ahh… Please don’t do anything weird.

After what Solution had done just now, if Lupusregina did something weird again, the overall reputation of the Pleiades would assuredly drop. No, it would be good enough if the problem could be settled by a mere lack of approval. Her gut ached despite the fact that she was undead.

“Let’s finish this as soon as possible.”

If she finished this quickly and returned to the two of them, perhaps she might be able to prevent any fatal situations from developing.

However, she did not know where Shizu was, though she knew Entoma’s location.

Therefore, Yuri activated an item which only she possessed as the assistant leader.

“Can you hear me?”

『—Ara? Yuri-nee, what’s the matter?』

A quiet, gentle voice spoke in her head.

“Au-chan, I’m sorry to bother you, but I need a favor. Could you help me find where Shizu is?”

She was one of the Pleiades Seven Sisters, Aureole Omega.

Yuri was in communication with her little sister, the Area Guardian of the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary. Usually, she would know the movements of all of the Seven Sisters.

『Shizu-neesama? I understand…Ah, she’s on the 6th Floor…Do you need me to send out one of my servants, the Uka-no-Mitama, to lead the way?』

The Uka-no-Mitama was a level 85 monster who was adept in the use of mental-type magic. She had two forms — a short-haired girl in a fox mask, and a bestial form which sacrificed the ability to use all magic in exchange for a tremendous boost in her physical combat ability.

There was also a young man who wore a sun-motif mask within the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary, a servant known as Ootoshi.

(TL Note: Uka-no-Mitama-no-Kami is a Japanese god of food and the patron of Inari Taisha, while Ootoshi-no-Kami is Uka-no-Mitama-no-Kami’s elder brother)

“No, there’s no need for that. I just need to ask the Guardians of the 6th Floor, Aura-sama or Mare-sama, and I’ll know where she is.”

『I understand. Then, if they don’t know either, please contact me again.』

“Mm, I shall leave it to you when that time comes. Still, the Uka-no-Mitama are your servants, so do they not have the sacred duty of defending your domain? While you’re only lending out one of them, is that really alright?”

『Yes. When Ainz-sama graced me with his presence, I received permission to send up to two of them outside the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary at any one time.』

“Is that so? Then that should be fine.

Her youngest sister was currently on the 8th Floor, and she could not go there directly. Even the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown would not be able to travel directly to the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary. Instead, it would teleport one some distance away from it. With her servants as shields, she ought to have enough time to flee to the 9th Floor.

『Thank you for your concern. However, I have other defenders in addition to the Uka-no-Mitama, so it is fine.』

“I see.” Having said this much, going on any further would just be rudeness instead. “In that case, I’ll be counting on you when the time comes.”

『Yes, please leave it to me.』

Her giggling voice made Yuri think of her littlest sister crossing her arms with an adorable smile on her face.

With a smile that cut through all her previous unease, Yuri ended the conversation.

“Now then — let’s go.”

Yuri permitted the demons to escort her through the searing-hot world of the 7th Floor, and then she passed through the door leading to the 6th Floor.

Right after that, a Dark Elf came towards her, back facing the arena.

It was Aura.

Floor Guardians could sense the people who entered the floors which were their responsibility. However, it would be more accurate to say that they could sense the activation of the teleport gates, but there were conditions which had to be met and some restrictions.

After learning that the person teleporting over was Yuri, Aura slowed her pace. Still, even though she had slowed down, she was still a level 100 NPC and thus far swifter than Yuri.

“Are~ what’s wrong, Yuri? Heading out to the first floor to work as usual? Or did you come to play?”

“No, I came here today to find you, A—”

I can't do that, Yuri scolded herself.

“—Aura-sama.”

Aura’s eyebrows shifted. The change in the way she was addressed told her whether or not Yuri had come on personal or official business.

Aura, Mare, Pestonya, Eclair and Yuri were close enough that they could refer to each other with nicknames outside of work. That was because the Supreme Beings who had made them were close to each other, and they felt similarly close to each other. They would occasionally gather on this floor. The fact that she had not addressed her by a nickname meant—

“I see. So its work today? Were you passing through? Or is there something important you have to do here? Oh, and sorry Mare isn’t around.”

While she was curious as to where Mare — who rarely wandered outside — had gone, that was not the first question Yuri should be asking when she was carrying out a task.

“Yes, it’s fine. I did not come here to seek out the two of you, but I have business with Shizu, who should be here.”

“…Shizu? Ahhh, yes, she’s on this floor.”

The tone with which she said those words turned Yuri’s mood dark.

Had her little sister been causing trouble for people here too?

Yuri felt her gut ache again. How many times had she experienced this sensation in less than an hour? Perhaps she ought to gather all her sisters and train them up properly.

Yes — I have to be strict!

Yuri struggled to to keep her eyebrows from knitting up, and she asked Aura a question with an unnatural-seeming smile on her face. While she did not want to ask it, she had to. Then, if it turned out that something had happened, she was prepared to apologize on behalf of her younger sisters as their eldest sibling.

“Eh, ah, d-did something happen?”

“H-m~ well, I suppose we do have something to talk about. Could you come with me for a while?”

I hate this, Yuri thought as she followed Aura’s lead.

They left the Colosseum and entered the forest.

Walking in primeval jungles was extremely annoying. In particular, Yuri’s long skirts meant that she had to slow down in order not to get them caught onto things. Of course, the maids’ uniforms were magic items and would not be torn by mere branches. Even so, she had to take care of the clothing which the Supreme Being Yamaiko-sama had bestowed upon her.

Aura seemed to have understood this, given that she was leading the way at a pace slower than her usual speed.

We would be fine if we were riding Fen…

The mighty beast with the comfortable pelt had the ability to pass through the earth, so he would not get caught up on thorny paths or environments like this forest, and that effect also extended to his riders and their possessions. She held the idea in her heart but did not give voice to it, because that would be too wilful.

Eventually, she was led to a corner of the forest, where was a lifeform which looked like a two meter-wide ball of white fur, in the shadow of a tree. There was no sign of Shizu at all. There was nobody else besides the furry ball lifeform. However, Aura had brought her to this place, which meant that there was something here which was connected to Shizu.

No—

If it was Shizu, isn’t it possible that she could be hiding? Or is she invisible?

Shizu was not on the level of a professional, but she could conceal herself and turn invisible. In addition, there was also—

Yuri took off her ornamental glasses and changed them for another pair.

These glasses could see through invisibility.

“—Ggh!”

Yuri’s eyes went wide as she discovered Shizu.

Aura must have seen Yuri’s expression. She went “Mm, mm” and nodded, her expression seeming to say, “that’s how it is.”

“I am very sorry,” Yuri apologized.

Shizu was on top of the white ball of fur — a Spear Needle. She was buried face down in the fur of what resembled an angora rabbit. If one considered Shizu — whose arms and legs were spread wide open — to be a giant hand, it would be tightly gripping the white ball of fur.

“Yup, that’s how it is. This poor kid was calling for help, saying ‘ahhhh, she’s doing it again’ or something.”

“Doing it again? Ah, no, has it always been like this?”

“Always, Well, this is the first time she’s clung so tightly, though.”

“I shall immediately recover her.”

Yuri reached out, grabbing Shizu by the collar and planning to pull her out of the Spear Needle’s fluffy fur. However, she could not budge her. Shizu was clinging tightly to the Spear Needle, as though she were hugging it.

“Shizu! Let go at once!”

“…Denied. Denied. Denied.”

“What do you mean by ‘denied’?”

Though she planned to use force to pull her away, she ended up grabbing the Spear Needle’s fur too, and the magical beast yelped in pain.

“Mmm, it hurts.”

“Really now…” Yuri let go as she heard Aura speak on the beast’s behalf. “Shizu, I‘m going to get mad at you.”

“…Yuri-nee, you are already angry.”

“I’m serious. I’ll tell her that you’re not allowed to come here any more.”

“…if you do that by yourself, Ainz-sama will be angry.”

“I am here to see you on Ainz-sama’s orders. I trust you understand my meaning?”

Shizu hopped off the Spear Needle in the blink of an eye.

Shizu had probably imagined something other than what her master had intended from Yuri's words. While she had misunderstood, there was no need to correct her.

Shizu touched her scarf and deactivated her invisibility spell.

Her scarf was a legendary-class item imbued with several specialized stealth and ambush-type spells. It could even turn her invisible for a short while.

In the moment Shizu jumped off, the Spear Needle ran off, as though to say “so long, I’m out of here.”

Shizu watched it leave with regret in her eyes. While her expression had not changed much, as her elder sister, Yuri could pick out the minute differences on her face.

“…Shizu, why did you do that?”

“…”

She looked aside, like a kid. It would seem she did not intend to answer.

Then what should I do? As Yuri thought that, someone extended a helping hand from the side.

“Well, Shizu often comes by and plasters herself to the magical beasts. Do you like them?”

“…Mm.” After Aura said that, Shizu looked Yuri straight in the eye. “…They’re cute, so I like them.”

“Yes, that’s how you are.”

That was the kind of girl Shizu was. She liked cute things and furry things.

“Ah~ It’s as I thought~ Well, I figured it’d be this way~”

“…I want to raise one. Recently, Eclair’s been running away whenever he sees me.”

“Umu~”

Yuri looked into the sky. The 9th Floor had no cute creatures.

For a moment, she wanted to ask Eclair to offer himself up here as a sacrifice, but that would be too cruel.

How about something like Ainz-sama’s pet, Hamsuke? While its fur stiffens on impact, said fur was quite soft under normal circumstances — yes, in that case, once I report what happened here to Ainz-sama, he’ll be able to come up with a good idea, I’m sure!

In that case, one task was dealt with.

Shizu’s discontent stemmed from her desire for cute pets.

Is that really alright? She had considered whether or not she should ask questions related to work like how the Guardians had been questioned, but she could not think of a way to allay Shizu’s frustration, so all she could do was ask her Master for help.

“I understand. I will discuss how to satisfy you with Ainz-sama.”

“Ahh, that’s right. If it’s Ainz-sama, it’ll be fine.”

“…Mm.”

The name of the Supreme One was very powerful. While her expression had not changed, her mood seemed to have changed from overcast to a sunny day.

“…Ainz-sama. In that case, I want Hamsuke.”

“I understand~ that fur is great.”

“…Mm.”

While Hamsuke might be a rarity in Nazarick, there might be many of her kind in the outside world.

“…After Ainz-sama has finished what he’s doing, I’ll be able to go outside too.”

“I do look forward to that. When the time comes, shall we visit the city which Ainz-sama rules together?”

After smiling to her seemingly excited little sister, Yuri’s expression turned serious.

“Come with me, Shizu.”

“…Where are we going?”

“To Entoma… Aura-sama, I apologize for the trouble Shizu has caused you.”

“Hm? Oh, it’s fine. It’s not like when she pasted the one-yen stickers from before.”

Yuri sighed, “Haaaaaah.”

“Please paste the stickers which show you like something on your own things… Then it would seem she also gave you trouble back then. I do apologize.”

“It’s fine, she didn’t paste any more after that. That stuff doesn’t come off with water. I thought it’d be easy, but it gave me quite a surprise.”

“…Specially made by the Professor. They’re gone once they’re used, but Ainz-sama said he would mass produce them for me.”

“Is that so, how nice.”

Ainz-sama is really kind, Yuri thought as she sighed, and then she noticed the same look on Aura’s face. After that, it appeared that Aura had noticed her noticing, because they ended up looking at each other.

“Ainz-sama is truly compassionate.”

“Mm, mm, I think he’s the nicest person after Bukubukuchagama-sama.”

“…Shouldn’t that be after Yamaiko-sama?”

“…It’s Bukubukuchagama-sama.”

Yuri glared at Aura, and Aura did not shift her gaze.

“…Right now, Ainz-sama is the nicest of all the Supreme Beings because he stayed behind.”

They stared dumbly at Shizu after she said that. Nobody could object to her words.

“Indeed.”

“Yeah, er — hm? Looks like someone came in from above through the door. I didn’t get an intruder notification, so it should be someone from Nazarick, which means I can probably ignore it… But it wouldn’t be good to let them wait, so I’d better go over and take a look. How about the two of you? Entoma’s topside today, right? Shall we go together?”

There were no objections to Aura’s suggestion.

Both of them nodded and followed behind Aura. A glance behind the door that led to the 5th Floor revealed that there was someone — something — there.

“A-ra~ It’s been a while, Aura-chan. Yuri-chan and Shizu-chan too.”

While the tone made people think that each sentence ended with a <3 symbol, the voice in which those words were spoken defied easy identification as male or female. This being truly deserved to be described as “monstrous”.

It had a humanoid body, but its head resembled a distorted squid. Said head sprouted six tentacles which reached all the way down to its thighs, and they writhed and twitched.

Its body was the ghastly white of a drowned corpse. Its body was similarly swollen up like a drowned corpse and wrapped in many black leather straps in lieu of clothing, cutting deep into the skin like the string used to tie up sides of meat.

The monster had four slender fingers on each hand, with webs between each finger. Its fingernails were very long and painted with pretty lacquer, and further decorated with bizarre nail designs.

This was the Special Intelligence-Gathering Officer of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick — known as Neuronist Painkill.

“Huh~ it’s rare to see you here, Neuronist. Is something the matter?”

“Ufufufu, someone mentioned that it had been a long time since the Worsts had met up, so I came here. I believe Kyouhukou will be coming along too.”

“Ugeeehh~”

A look of clear disgust crossed Aura’s face.

“Worst Job, Worst Personality, Worst Homebase, Worst Looks and Worst Lewdness?”

“That’s right. Yuri, you’re — on — the — mark.”

Neuronist nimbly closed one of its slimy-looking eyes. Had it come from someone better-looking, that movement might have been taken as a wink that discharged a flying heart symbol.

“…What are you holding there?”

“Aran~ Shizu-chan, you’re interested in this? Ufufufu, it’s an essential item for a lady. It’s perfume~”

Neuronist waggled the cute bag in its left hand.

“Well, this one’s for men. Did you notice Gashokukochuuou built a new home? This is a housewarming present.”

“Perfume is essential for ladies? Isn’t it just for stinky people?”

Yuri concealed her smile at Aura’s childish reply.

“Ufufufufu, that’s still too early for you, Aura. But should the day come when you need it, onee-chan will personally impart all sorts of essential knowledge for ladies to you. That ugly freak won’t teach you that sort of thing.”

“Really?…Ah… Well, I don’t quite get it, but is it stuff that’ll make people happy?”

“…Aran~ Make who happy? Ufufufufu, it feels like things are more interesting now. Say, Aura. Want to chat with onee-chan?…There’s some time before the meeting.”

Neuronist brought its massive face close to Aura’s, which twitched. Aura raised her hands to Yuri and the others, and then ran like a fleeing hare. The others could not help but be impressed by her speed, which was to be expected of a Floor Guardian.

Neuronist could not possibly catch up to her, and so it rested its chin on its slender fingers as it muttered to itself.

“Ara aran~ I’ve been dumped.”

After saying so in a voice that did not seem particularly disappointed, Neuronist shrugged to Yuri and Shizu.

“…Well, I’ll be going, then. See you next time.”

“Yes, see you next time.”

They watched Neuronist wave lightly as it turned to walk off, and then Shizu asked a question.

“…Neuronist is androgynous and thus has no gender, but why does it call itself ‘onee-chan’?”

“Who knows? Perhaps the Supreme Beings decided that it should be that way.”

“…I see, I can accept that.”