Monster Girl Ranching in Another World

"What time is it?" I asked, and Mati glanced over at me.

"It\'s still early. I was just going to head down to get some breakfast. Do you want me to bring you something up?" she asked, and I shook my head.

"I\'ll come down with you," I said, and Lillia started to walk up in my arms. She made several moaning noises as I kissed her awake.

"Come on, lazy bones," I said, and Lillia groaned as she slowly sat up.

"I don\'t want to get up," she said, and I chuckled as I pulled her out of bed.

"Too bad. We have things to do today," I said as I started to get dressed. Lillia did the same, and we made our way down to the inn\'s dining area, where we found Mati already sitting with a plate of food in front of her.

We sat down and filled our plates before starting to eat quietly. There wasn\'t much conversation until we finished our meal, and Mati finally spoke up.

"So, what is the plan for today, and what did you guys do after I passed out? Did you figure anything out?" Mati asked, but I grabbed a cloth and wiped her face.

"We have a shitstorm of things to do, the first is to talk to people about the stolen spear, but I want to use this time to also get a feel for how the people are and what they think of the life they have. I think we should meet back here at lunch and discuss what we have learned," I explained, and then the girls nodded.

"That sounds like a good plan," Mati said as she stood up and grabbed her bag before she headed towards the door.

Lillia did the same, but she paused when she got to me and looked at me for a moment. "What?" I asked, and Lillia shrugged.

"Nothing," she said with a smile before she leaned in and kissed me gently on the cheek. "I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?" I asked, but Lillia just shook her head.

"For everything," she said before she turned and walked out of the inn. I watched her go for a moment before I turned and headed out as well, my mind already running through everything we had to do.

Once outside, I walked down the marble path but was stopped right away by Gloria, who seemed to be waiting for me. The King\'s assistant was dressed less formally this time, wearing a cream-colored summer dress that flowed down to her feet with a matching parasol.

"I see you\'re up early," Gloria said as she fell into step beside me, and I nodded.

"I have a lot to do today," I said, and Gloria chuckled.

"That you do. If you don\'t mind, I would like to tag along with you today. We rarely get people coming into Fishbar, and you are even rarer than that. I looked, and our records do not have your species in them," Gloria said, and I frowned as I looked over at her.

"What do you mean?" I asked, but Gloria just shrugged.

"I\'m not entirely sure. All I know is that our records are not as complete as they should be," Gloria said, and I frowned as we continued down the path.

We made our way into the town square, where a few people were milling about, going about their daily business. It was still early enough that the stores had not opened yet, but a few people were setting up stalls for the market that I supposed would be held later in the day.

Gloria and I made our way over to one of the stalls, where an older woman was setting out some fresh fruits and vegetables. Gloria greeted her brightly, and the woman smiled back at her before she turned her attention to me. Her smile faltered a bit when she saw me, but she quickly recovered and offered me a basket of fruit.

"Thank you, but I just ate," I said, and the woman smiled, but it didn\'t reach her eyes.

"I see. My apologies; I did not know you had already eaten," she said, and I nodded before turning away from the stall.

Gloria and I made our way down the row of stalls before stopping at one where a man was selling various trinkets and novelties. Gloria greeted him as well, but he barely spared her a glance as he looked me up and down.

"And what can I help you with?" he asked, his voice dripping with grease.

"We\'re just looking," Gloria said, but the man\'s eyes were still on me.

"I\'m sure you are, but what is it that you\'re looking for? Maybe I can help you find it," he said as he took a step closer to me, and I could smell his rancid breath.

I took a step back from him and shook my head before turning away from the stall. "Let\'s go," I said to Gloria, who was watching the exchange with a bemused expression on her face.

"Are you alright?" she asked as we started to walk away, and I nodded.

"I\'m fine. He just made me a little uncomfortable," I said, and Gloria chuckled.

"He does that to everyone. Don\'t worry about him; he\'s harmless," she said, but I still didn\'t like the way he had looked at me.

We continued down the row of stalls before pausing at one where a woman was selling various baked goods. The smell of fresh bread and pastries wafted through the air, and my stomach grumbled in response. Again, Gloria greeted the woman warmly, but she barely spared her a glance as her eyes fell on me.

"What can I get for you?" she asked, and I could see the greed in her eyes.