Chapter 2: Dogezas, Maidens, and Autumn Skies.

――Dogeza.

The ultimate form of apology in certain circles.

A move that borders on cheating — sacrificing one's dignity to beg for forgiveness.

Of course, whether it holds any value depends entirely on the person's usual behavior.

In my case? It probably depends on the situation.

If I were to do a dogeza after drunkenly breaking a window at a bar, it wouldn’t mean much.

I do that kind of thing all the time, after all.

But if, say, our party was in crisis and I had to beg another party for help with a dogeza? They’d be shocked.

Basically, when I’m fooling around, nobody trusts me at all — but when I’m serious, I’m just reliable enough to be taken seriously.

On the other hand, there are people who’d shock — and even worry — others if they ever did a dogeza.

Case in point: Yous.

Despite being a rigid, overly serious guy who’s somehow great with people and popular with women, Yous rarely ever lands in situations where a dogeza is necessary.

If he’s apologizing, it means he already consulted the person he wronged, tried everything to fix things, and only resorted to this when it was truly hopeless.

In other words, it’s when everyone else already knows there’s nothing left to be done.

Being sincere really does have its perks.

——So, what do you think happens when a guy like that suddenly drops into a dogeza in public?

---

Early morning.

Still reeling from that thing, I was distractedly munching on a sandwich in the inn’s dining area when Yous came downstairs.

He looked like death warmed over—enough that people around him were concerned—but since I’d seen him like this before, I didn’t pay it much mind.

That face only appears when he’s made some unbelievable mistake, one so stupid even he can’t believe it.

Which means he and I totally did it.

…Hmm. Even as I say it, I can’t quite process it.

Me and Yous? Is this some kind of mistake?

But then again, I’m still sore all over—what the hell was he doing, manhandling me like that?

Anyway, Yous marched straight up to me and immediately dropped into a dogeza.

I couldn’t help but laugh. This was only the second time I’d ever seen him do this.

And in a place like this? Honestly, it was kind of hilarious.

“……Uh, Yous?”

I stuffed the rest of my sandwich into my mouth, chewed, swallowed, and then called out to him.

Ugh, the stares from everyone around us are unbearable.

Somehow, the atmosphere makes me look like the bad guy here.

Half the people here are from our party, and the other half are acquaintances, so I guess it can’t be helped.

“At least lift your head, yeah?”

“……I’m sorry!”

“C’mon, I get it. If you really feel bad, get up already. You’re making me look like the villain here.”

——But Yous didn’t move.

Which meant his guilt was overriding everything else.

Being too serious—to the point of inflexibility—was one of Yous’s few flaws.

Hmm. What to do?

Honestly, I’m still kinda drowsy. After breakfast, I just wanna go back to sleep.

Oh, right—gotta clean the room first.

Can’t leave the innkeeper with that mess.

As I was lost in thought—

“Well, well! What’s going on here, you two~?”

A high-pitched, presumably male voice rang out.

At the same time:

“Seriously, Rina, what did you do to Yous this time?”

A familiar voice scolded me from the side.

I turned with a half-smirk and, just as expected, saw the usual faces.

One was a brown-haired, softly curled semi-long-haired girl. She looked more mature than me, but we were the same age.

Anna Reinne—a member of our party and my best friend.

The other was… well, a very striking stone statue.

Golem Randolph—our party’s leader, the fabulous cross-dressing golem.

——This world was home to all kinds of races.

The fact that golems lived as an accepted race just like humans was one of its defining traits.

Golem (the person) was one such golem, and golems as a race had no gender. Despite his muscular, masculine appearance, many golems spoke in a feminine manner like he did.

“I’ve never seen Yous do a dogeza before~ Teehee. He’s still handsome even like this!”

“Yeah, agreed. This guy’s photogenic no matter what.”

Anna, on the other hand, was a rarity in this world—a pure human.

I had a bit of elf blood (though very diluted), and Yous’s lineage supposedly included descendants of humans who’d married angels.

Anna’s defining trait? Normalcy. Not mediocrity—just genuine, unremarkable, baseline human sensibilities.

If I had to compare her to something from my past-life knowledge, she was like a mobile game protagonist.

“Yeah, pretty much.”

I picked up the other half of my sandwich and casually dropped the bomb:

“Last night, after I got wasted, seems like I did it with this guy.”

——And in that moment.

Every single gaze in the room locked onto us.

……Huh?

That’s not the reaction I expected.

Wait, even Yous looked up in shock.

Dude, if you’re gonna get up, just stand already.

“Huh? W-Wait, ‘did it’…? You mean, that?”

"Yeah, like, all the way... Ugh, it still hurts like hell. What the fuck happened?"

I made a questionable hand gesture—you know, the classic circle-and-finger motion.

Anna’s face turned ghostly pale as she stared at me in shock.

Whoa, even Yous’s making some kind of insane face over there.

"...Wait, for real?"

Why are you looking at Yous with those desperate eyes, Anna?

"………………I am deeply ashamed."

"…………I see."

"Honestly, I’ve got a lot to say about the way you two are reacting right now."

I let out a sigh.

After finishing my sandwich, I turned my gaze to Anna and the others.

"Look, if you’re a woman working as an adventurer, it’s bound to happen eventually. Honestly? I’m just glad it was him—could’ve been way worse."

The adventuring world runs on merit.

Men, women—if you’ve got skill, you’ll get respect.

But being a woman also means dealing with creeps, and being a guy means getting hit on for money or looks.

If you’ve been an adventurer long enough, it’s rare not to have some kind of experience.

In our party, the only ones who could honestly say they’ve never been through it are me (until yesterday, anyway) and our leader—who literally doesn’t have the equipment for it.

"C’mon, Anna, you’re always bragging about your conquests. What’s the difference between that and this?"

"Huh? W-W-Well, I-I am pretty popular, so—"

……Yeah, and here we have another virgin putting on airs.

With her looks, she could have her pick if she wasn’t so damn choosy.

Maybe it’s because I’ve "graduated" first, but I’m starting to feel kinda bad for her.

"Anyway, Yous. You’ve gotta have—"

—You’ve gotta have some experience too, right?

With how popular you are.

I was about to say that—when someone cut me off.

"Ohhh, you did it, Yousieee!!"

Our previously silent leader suddenly tackle-hugged Yous.

The infamous "Golem Embrace" is strong enough to flatten an average person.

He holds back with amateurs, but with Yous? Full force.

Sure enough, Yous let out a choked "Guh—" when it landed.

Too damn careless, idiot.

"You finally crossed the line with Rina! Ohhh, this calls for celebration! Congraaats!"
"Whoa, let’s not jump to congratulations just yet, Leader."

I mean, it’s possible.

If it happens, I’ll deal with it.

I couldn’t care less about sex, but kids? Mildly interesting.

With this job, I never thought I’d get the chance—but if it happens, it happens.

"Oh, don’t be such a spoilsport, Rina! You should be happy!"

"Nah, nah, nah—this was a mistake. You know how it is. Classic adventurer stuff."

Right? I looked around for backup—only for some people to awkwardly glance away.

Looks like last night’s chaos left a few others in the same boat.

Ugh, quit acting all shy! You’re making me look like the weird one here!

"That’s exactly why you shouldn’t say things like that! …Alright, I’ve decided! Rina, Yous!"

Still squeezing Yous like a stress toy, Leader started slapping my back with terrifying force.

I braced myself, so it didn’t hurt—but the wind pressure alone was insane.

At this rate, the breakfast table might go flying.

"Here—go buy these for me!"

"Huh? What’s this?"

He shoved a note into my hands.

Guess this is what he was scribbling earlier?

Just a regular shopping list—daily necessities.

"Oh, wait—is this…?"

Anna suddenly seemed to realize something, glancing at Leader.

Wink.

…Yeah, I get it now.

This is basically—

"Your mission! Go on a date together! Just the two of you!"

—A date.

One of those romantic outings couples do.

---

——That’s fine, but can we make it in the afternoon?

I’m sleepy and wanna take a nap.

My request was granted, and the date was rescheduled for the afternoon.

I went back to my room, ripped off the filthy sheets to wash them, remade the bed, and then flopped face-first onto it.

Man, I’m exhausted.

I figured I’d just pass out right then and there—but.

…I can’t sleep. My mind’s wide awake.

This is bad.

My brain is tired, but sleepiness is nowhere to be found.

When it gets like this, it takes me an hour or two to actually fall asleep.

And you know what happens then?

I start overthinking.

First thing that crossed my mind was, Wow, guess I’m a grown woman now, huh?

The general rule among adventurers is that virgins are kids, and non-virgins are adults.

No matter how strong or accomplished you are, if the guys find out you’re untouched, they’ll razz you mercilessly.

Some, like Anna, try to play it off and end up making fools of themselves, but most just keep it under wraps to avoid the hassle.

In my case, I never had any interest in sex—never even considered it—so it never showed in my attitude, and nobody ever called me out on it.

Which, honestly, just means they never saw me as a woman to begin with.

In adventurer society, non-consensual stuff is an absolute no-go. Get caught, and you’re exiled, ostracized—done for.

At the end of the day, it’s a world where you’re responsible for yourself, which is exactly why nobody tolerates those who shirk that responsibility.

Honestly, what happened yesterday was pretty borderline.

If it hadn’t been Yous, if I hadn’t been the one it happened to—well, I could brush it off as just my childhood friend acting like a dumb dog and move on. But what if it hadn’t been him?

Pretty sure the leader would’ve lost his damn mind. And I might’ve, too.

…What if I had been the one attacked?

Or worse—what if yesterday’s partner hadn’t been Yous?

Suddenly, just thinking that far made me feel… scared.

Like, up until now, I’d convinced myself I had everything under control.

That kind of thing would never happen to me—or so I thought. But reality begs to differ.

I did it. I brushed it off as just a dog bite, but the moment I imagine that dog being someone other than Yous, I’m terrified.

Wait, wait, wait—this doesn’t add up.

I’ve always had this vague sense of gender, figured none of this stuff mattered to me.

But was that just me lying to myself? Some kinda defense mechanism?

Would I not have been this calm if it had been anyone but Yous?

Which, in other words—

…Did I subconsciously think I wouldn’t mind if it was Yous?

Wait, no, no—that’s jumping the gun.

Sure, Yous’s handsome. He’s my childhood friend, my partner.

We’ve been together since before we were even adventurers.

But even so—even so—!

I was born male! I’ve got zero interest in romance, let alone men!

This is wrong, wrong—it doesn’t make sense!

It can’t be true. It just can’t.

It can’t… and yet—

GODDAMMIT, NOW I’M GETTING EMBARRASSED!? HOLD ON, CALM DOWN, ME!!

…Oh, right. The leader told us to go on a date later.

How the hell am I supposed to face him now?!

No, no—this isn’t it!

This isn’t who I am!!

And so, for a good while after that, I squirmed under the covers, face buried in the sheets, even more unable to sleep than before.