“Isn’t this a bit too close!? And what even is a dragon! A divine beast? If so, then hurry up and defeat the evil dragon on your own!”
I ended up crushing the cup in my hand, but my anger still wouldn’t subside.
The cause of it all was the carefree message sent to me on my phone.
Every day, my cousin sends me emails and pictures through an app tailored for this otherworldly place.
Usually, it’s pictures of delicious meals or his beloved cat fairy, Kett-Si, but recently, there have been more photos with the person staying at his house.
The image he sent today was of the two of them wearing matching sweatshirts in different colors, leaning in close and smiling with peace signs.
(I can’t believe he used to hardly take pictures with me! Damn you, brother Tohma !)
I understand that he’s sending them to keep me updated, but the choice of photo really rubs me the wrong way.
From my cousin’s perspective, it’s probably just like “Hey, look, it’s a dragon! Isn’t it cool?” But from the side that receives it, all I want to do is shout “Don’t get all lovey-dovey, you jerk!”
“Calm down, Natsuki . It’s a selfie, so it’s natural for your faces to be close. According to Tohma ’s explanation, it seems like the golden dragon can’t get involved in the gods’ battles, but it doesn’t seem like it’s planning to oppose us.”
With a sigh, Akimi pours me more tea. It seems like my brother Haruto cleaned up the pieces of the broken cup on the floor.
In the dungeon’s safety area, any trash left behind remains where it is, so it’s considered proper etiquette to take it with you when you leave.
After taking a few deep breaths, I gradually begin to calm down.
“…Sorry, I just couldn’t hold in my frustration. And thank you, Haruto , for cleaning up.”
“Don’t worry about it. Well, I get how you feel. Tohma ’s living with such a beautiful woman, and we’re over here worrying about him.”
“…Beautiful woman, living together…”
“Don’t say anything unnecessary, stupid Haruto ! Natsuki , that’s a male dragon, calm down. I wouldn’t call it beautiful. He’s just a handsome guy. And it’s not living together, it’s cohabitating.”
The young man in the photo beside Tohma , looking confused, is supposed to be the golden dragon.
He seems to have transformed from a dragon into a human, with long golden hair down to his waist and purple eyes, an unbelievably handsome beauty.
He looks so stunning next to Tohma , who’s also turned into an extraordinarily beautiful high elf, that even Tohma seems to fade into the background.
(I can’t help but be jealous! How could I not feel this way!?)
Natsuki , who had been hailed as a cool beauty in Japan with her glossy black hair tied in a ponytail, was raised in the elite sports family of the Date household, boasting a healthy, toned, and graceful beauty.
Her relatives, including her parents, always doted on her.
And Tohma , whom she adored, also treated her with kindness.
(But he never let his guard down, always keeping a proper distance. He never saw me as anything more than his cute younger cousin.)
Still, she was closer to him than other cousins, and she had accepted that.
(Once I become a woman, surely he’ll notice me. So, I’ve worked hard to become a good woman.)
She knew exactly what type of woman he liked.
Older, calm women. He preferred beautiful older women over cute girls, and intelligence was a must. But a kind, natural personality was a big plus.
She remembered how, while visiting an apartment with Haruto and Akimi, Tohma had drunkenly spoken about this.
At the time, she had thought he was being a bit extravagant, but now she understood.
He had always been taking care of his younger relatives, not seeing them as potential romantic partners. It made sense that the cousins who had admired him never stood a chance.
He liked older women, so it couldn’t be helped. It wasn’t that she wasn’t attractive enough. She’d come to understand that, and it felt somewhat better.
(Though age can’t be helped, I could still work on my looks and personality to get closer, right?)
She hated the idea of giving up on her first love.
So, she decided to work hard.
She aimed for excellence in both academics and athletics, took care of her skin and hair, and while she couldn’t change her dislike of men, she made sure to be kind to women, the elderly, and children.
As long as she was still a minor, it couldn’t be helped.
Once she became an adult, she would be able to properly confront Tohma . That was the plan, but being summoned to another world had complicated things.
“I’ve been trying so hard to revive Tohma and return to Japan with him, and now he’s over there getting all cozy with a beautiful non-human woman. I can accept the cat, she’s cute! But a humanoid? No way!”
“Look, that’s a male dragon—”
“Akimi, shut up.”
“…Okay.”
When she glared at him, Akimi fell silent, sensing the tension in the air.
“Well, I kind of get why Natsuki feels this way. This dragon, Rey, is male, but dragon girls are every guy’s dream, right? Strong and beautiful wives—sounds like the best thing.”
She glared coldly at her brother, who was grinning and sliding through the photos on his phone.
“If you can change into a humanoid, why not just turn into a woman, Tohma ?”
“Haruto , don’t say something like that again or—”
“Shut up, stupid brother.”
“Ah, yes.”
Natsuki murmured under her breath as she crushed the cup that Akimi had just refilled for her, and Haruto fell silent.
(If that dragon changes into a female form… that’s bad. It’s exactly Tohma ’s type!)
She had heard that Tohma liked older, beautiful women, knowledgeable and curious, with a gentle and kind nature.
And on top of that, the personality he liked was the natural, airheaded type!
“…This is too dangerous. Haruto , Akimi. Let’s clear this dungeon and move on. We’re going to retake the fortress that was taken by the demons.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Right.”
Currently, they were in the middle of tackling the second advanced dungeon. It was both for leveling up and earning money, but there were rumors that demons were lurking on the dungeon’s lowest floor.
“If there really are demons here, we’ll need to capture one and force it to spill its secrets. It would be great if it had useful information about the fortress and the demon’s kingdom.”
She firmly vowed to direct her pent-up frustration at the demons.
“Anyway, we need to reunite with Tohma as soon as possible. If he’s taking pictures like that, it’s clear he’s feeling lonely. If he comes into contact with an older, beautiful woman, he’s in danger of falling for her!”
“That’s your focus?”
“Well, if Natsuki ’s motivated, I guess it’s okay… probably.”
The two men whispered to each other nervously as Natsuki shot them a glare.
“We’ve had our break, so let’s move. Do you think there are any dragons in this dungeon? I’d love to study how to defeat dragons, so it’d be great if one showed up.”
She muttered under her breath.
The two men, who overheard her, turned pale and started shaking, but Natsuki ignored them.
“N-Natsuki …? You can’t attack divine beasts, okay? Tohma ’s been feeding it and looking after us…”
“That’s right, Natsuki . Tohma ’s been trying so hard, taking care of things for us…”
The two of them cautiously tried to reason with her.
Turning around, she gave them a smile.
“Of course, I won’t do something like that. Not unless a female dragon gets all lovey-dovey with Tohma .”
For some reason, a startled scream was heard, but she ignored it and headed deeper into the dungeon.
(Once I reunite with Tohma , I’ll definitely ask for matching outfits and a photo together!)
With that small hope in her heart, she charged forward at a giant snake monster.
