If I'm troubled, then I consult Fitts-senpai for help. Lately I've fallen into something like a pattern. Fitts-senpai is knowledgable after all, and will reply properly for most problems.
"Wa-, wait a moment. Doesn't this mean that those two girls are in your room right now, Rudeus-kun…?"
"They are, huh… Please be at ease. I've properly made sure they have an excuse for missing classes today, and have contacted the school."
"Umm, that's, by catching them, that is, in other words, right now those girls are confined together in a room with Zanoba-kun?"
Oh. So you could see it like that? Two kemonomimi bishoujo are being confined, huh? I think it was on my previous life's "List of Things to Do before I Die". But what I wanted to do back in the day was a step beyond this; a step that I don't have the ability to take at the moment.
"Rudeus-kun, that, umm, after you confined them, did you umm…?"
Fitts-senpai's face was bright red and he was looking at me a bit like he didn't know me or something. No good. He seems to have misunderstood.
"No, I haven't done anything sexual, you know."
"R-, really?"
"At the most I rubbed their chest a little."
"Y-, you touched their chest…?"
"Yeah. I had something I wanted to test out, so."
"…? Umm, you didn't touch them with 'that' kind of meaning in mind?"
What kind of meaning is 'that' kind of meaning? No, in other words he's asking if I was touching them with something sexual in mind. Broadly speaking, you can certainly take it that way. However, from my point of view, in the end it's just for the sake of medical treatment, and was just an experiment.
"I don't think it was 'that' kind of meaning."
Fitts-senpai looked a little relieved.
"I-, I see. But that'll be a problem, you know. Even if they're like that, they're still the daughters of Dorudia clan chiefs after all."
"Please be at ease. The clan chief and the chief warrior are acquaintances, after all."
"Eh!? Really!?"
"Yes. As long as I say something like 'they were slacking off in school so I had to whip them into shape', I'm sure they'll understand."
"H-, how did they become your acquaintances!? The Dorudia clan are really seclusive so it's rare to be able to meet someone like the clan chief, you know."
I told Fitts-senpai about the incident in the Great Forest. It was a pretty shameful episode of my life if you ask me. Saving children and then being caught, and after that being liberated and spending each day playing with a dog and such, or making figurines. It was that kind of lifestyle after all.
"Hahh, you're amazing aren't you, Rudeus-kun…"
Thought it was a shameful story, Fitts-senpai let out a breath of admiration. Just what part of that story was amazing exactly?
"For the sacred beast to become attached to you…"
I see. Now that it's mentioned, just why did Holy Beast-sama come over to me anyway? I get that it was Gisu's fault, but… There's no way that it really came to like me.
"Even though it's just a mongrel, it seems to at least understand that I saved it, huh?"
"You can't let a Beast Person hear you talking like that, okay?"
Obviously, if someone called Roxy a filthy demon or something and made fun of her in front of me, I'd get angry after all. I intend to clearly avoid crossing the line.
"Anyway, please lend me your wisdom again, Fitts-senpai. A punishment that'll satisfy me and get rid of my resentment, but isn't so harsh so that they won't seek revenge from me. Do you have any ideas?"
"That's a difficult question, huh?"
Even so, Fitts-senpai went 'mmmmm' as he was thinking. I had thought that he'd have asked me to release them immediately though.
"I'm the same, you know. I can't forgive people that gang up on others, snatch away their belongings and destroy them."
Or so he said. I completely agree.
Incidentally, he and Zanoba have become close enough to greet each other when passing by. Hearing about what happened to an acquaintance, he got angry as well. I had thought so while we were buying slaves as well, but Fitts-senpai might have a strong sense of justice.
"Alright, I've got a good idea."
"Hohh."
Since a line like that is usually bad news, I decide it best not to say anything. Well whatever.
And so our investigation finishes early that day, and Fitts-senpai and I head back to the room together.