Survive in the parallel world, please!

208 I told you not to date the crazy one, please! part Ryu’s first thought after going back home had nothing to do with dating. Bardun had been missing for a while and there had been no news of him, he tried to do his best leading the goblins but he felt out of place.

Even though goblins revered him and treated him with respect, he knew this wasn’t a place for humans.

Lying on his bed, he found himself thinking back on the good old times with his friends. Anne, Ayumi, Bob, Hiraku, Luke and Helena. Of course he wanted her back, just as much as Anne did, but there was nothing he could do if she didn’t want to come back.

“What are you thinking master?”

Mia said as she lied next to him, leaning her head lightly on his chest.

“I don’t know, I’m not sure myself. This place is wonderful and everyone respects me, but I feel stagnated. There’s so much that needs to be done and I’m not getting any stronger”

“Why don’t you simply go out and hunt beasts?”

“Because they’re living beings! It’s not ok to just barge in and kill needlessly just to become stronger”

“But everyone does it”

.....

“Does it make it ok? Do you think it would have been ok to kill you just because you’re not human?”

“I can’t say it’s ok, but that’s how things are. I was a succubus living among enemies, they weren’t supposed to be my friends but my food”

“But you befriended the people in Celarent and...”

Mia tapped on Ryu’s chest and shook her head.

“That’s not true, I did my best to fit in, but by the end of the day I knew I was alone. You are the first friend I made in my life”

“That sounds lonely”

Ryu said as he stroked her soft pink hair and patted her head.

“To be honest, I’m really happy about my life. I have friends now and you take good care of me, that’s why I’m doing my best to repay you. By the way, how did things go with Sera?”

“Fine, I guess... I took her to the shrine, we chatted for a while, then we grabbed a bite, nothing out of the ordinary. We also agreed to date from time to time”

“You don’t sound so excited”

He sighed at Mia’s remark, what drove Ryu to start dating was little more than lust and he knew it well. Rina left a deep scar on him and there was nothing he could do to change that fact. He felt as if his heart was closed and couldn’t find a way to open it again.

“I don’t want to hurt Sera, I wanted to be just friends, I think that things might get complicated”

“Things are always complicated, but that doesn’t mean you don’t get to enjoy yourself. Just be a little more selfish”

“What if things don’t work out with her?”

“Did she ask you to marry her like Athela did? did she ask you to go on an impossible quest? maybe she made some strange demands?”

“Not really, she said it was fine to just date as long as I gave her some ‘relief'”

“What does she mean by that? Ohhh! I like her!”

Mia had a coquettish look on her face, she was already looking forward to the tasty energy that would emanate from her master.

“Don’t make a perverted face like that!”

Ryu swatted Mia on the back of her head and she was left pouting.

Life in the goblin village became more comfortable as days went by, Ryu stayed in Bardun’s house performing his role as the village leader. He worked long hours in front of his desk piling up paper sheets with important information, with only Mia by his side. Humans were not allowed into the goblin leader’s house. Of course Ryu could have made an exception, just as Bardun did with his human servant, but there was no real reason to do so.

Even after agreeing to date Sera from time to time, it didn’t happen as often as Sera would have liked and she didn’t hesitate to share her concerns with him.

Meanwhile Sera was on Ryu’s house in the ground level, her face was bright with joy and she held a genuine smile that couldn’t hide her emotions. The instant Anne saw her face, she knew she had already lost.

“Judging by your mood things went well with Ryu, are you boyfriend and girlfriend now?”

Anne inquired but Sera limited herself to shake her head.

“No, but I got him to promise me that he would show some affection to me and date me from time to time”

“Uh? are you stupid? why would you agree to something like that?”

“Don’t you get it Anne? Mister Ryu has been through so much, I don’t want to keep him for myself, I just want him to be happy. If I can make him forget about his sadness for just one minute, that’s more than enough for me”

“Can’t you remember how things were when we lived together in the tavern? it will be more than one minute, it might be more than you can handle”

Anne’s comment made Sera chuckle, but also got her hopes high. Being inexperienced, Sera didn’t really know what to expect, all she knew about intimate relationships came from what she was able to overhear in the widows barracks, which wasn’t that explicit, most women would keep the details from young girls out of decorum, but it also caused them to lack any kind of sexual education.

“Anne, do you have any experience with men?”

Anne blushed at Sera’s question, she did know the theory, but only because she came from a world where sex education was common and people would discuss such matters openly.

“Not really, I just know how it works... there’s also what Helena taught me”

Sera’s eyes became wide and she put her hands together in a pleading manner.

“Can you teach me please?”

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea, are you sure you want me to spoil it to you?”

Sera nodded rapidly, Anne sighed and sat down next to Sera and taught her all she knew.

She told her in detail all the basics she had learned from school and some facts from popular culture, but when she went in to explain what Helana taught her Sera’s face went from disgust to shock, she blushed and squirmed in her seat but Anne wouldn’t stop.

They both giggled and blushed heavily so many times it was ridiculous. This could have been considered an educational speech, but Anne’s facts were a little off. She mistook Helena’s tales and ‘experiences’ that she learned from a certain type of novels she enjoyed in her world, for actual real life experiences.

Things were going well until she happened to mention Bondage and sadomasochism practices. At first Sera was a bit confused about people showing affection through pain, but then a wide smile formed in her face, sealing Ryu’s fate.