The Freak Show Foreman

I checked the status window.

Yurakne’s affection level remained at 3.

It hadn’t increased by even a single point.

Not that I expected it to rise. I’d be grateful if it didn’t drop any further.

When I first volunteered to help her, I naturally assumed there would be some fancy gadget, like a double-edged potato peeler or something, in this world of steam engines and flying airships.

But there wasn’t.

Even when I tried explaining it to Yurakne, she seemed clueless about such things.

That’s when it hit me...

I remembered that the potato peeler was invented in the early 20th century, completely unrelated to technological advancements, born out of someone’s inspiration.

It seemed ridiculous that with all the progress in technology, there was no equivalent tool here. I struggled just to walk, let alone master the use of a knife.

I reluctantly attempted to use a knife, but the result was far from impressive.

It was downright embarrassing.

I felt sorry for Wonderstein himself.

His charisma couldn’t even peel a potato.

Trait: Finger Peeler

Applied Area: Fingers

Effect: Forms dual bone blades between the index and middle fingers, great for peeling potatoes or fruit skins!

Requires Debulroots x1

Auto-suggestions again.

I deleted the message.

It was too late.

At that moment, Yurakne emerged from the tent’s entrance.

"Master, um... Is this sufficient?" She turned around, wearing the outer coat.

The coat perfectly concealed her back and waist.

Her four arms clung closely to her body, revealing no distinction from a normal human.

With her arms hidden, she looked just like any other ordinary person.

Now I understood how she managed to shop in town.

"It’s truly beautiful."

"Uh...really?"

Even I, who was socially awkward in real life, knew that when a girl asks if her outfit looks okay, you should always offer compliments.

Let’s go, increased affection!

However, she nodded with a puzzled expression, and there was a somewhat lonely smile on her face.

Hmm? Was my compliment too bland?

But isn’t it a bit ridiculous to heap excessive praise on someone for just wearing a worn-out travel cloak?

Ahem, and to be honest...

At that moment, my mouth moved on its own.

"But I think you look even better without it."

"...Huh?"

She looked at me with a perplexed expression.

Oh, damn!

Cursed laughter!

It was a trait that maintained composure while having weak self-control, meaning it suppressed impulsive profanity and anger but allowed one to casually speak their mind.

Hadn’t I once boldly asked if I could touch something in the Vergsong Mansion?

It was the same now.

Honestly, I thought she looked better without the coat.

Is having many arms really such a repulsive thing?

There are so many people in the world who wish they had them.

But I shouldn’t have said such a thing to her.

Members of the Monster Circus were outcasts in society due to their alien appearance.

I knew how much anger they harbored, especially after transforming into monsters in TT1.

They cursed their own bodies and were disgusted by them.

Yet here I was saying that it was better this way.

Well, from Wonderstein’s perspective, it probably was.

After all, he’s the guy who takes pleasure in modifying and enjoying the grotesque appearance of others.

However, I couldn’t raise her affection this way.

"Uh, let’s hurry..."

Yurakne rushed past me and ran ahead.

I messed up.

I really messed up.

Completely messed up.

I glanced at her as she walked ahead.

She kept looking back at me, uncomfortable with me following her.

It was supposed to be a successful escort proposal, but I messed it up like this...

Fortunately, her affection didn’t seem to have dropped, but it must have been close.

We walked in silence all the way to the fish market.

"Ah, Master, over there..."

Before I knew it, we had reached the riverbank.

The intense light of the searchlights and the darkness of dawn intersected deeply.

The smell of fish and the squelching sound of boots mixed in the confusion.

Aksville was bustling with people.

"Departure of Naru No. 9! Replacement for Naru No. 3, quickly!"

"Naru No. 4 is docking! Naru No. 4 is docking!"

"It’s been a while since I visited the fish market."

She didn’t walk with me, but she didn’t walk separately either. She maintained an awkward distance.

She was worried that being too close would be intimidating, and being too far would offend me.

I had to make up for it somehow here.

I spoke first.

"Miss Yurakne, what kind of fish are you thinking of buying?"

"Well, probably... since it’s the season for sturgeon, sturgeon would be good. You can grill it or make stew. Cooking crab would also be fine. Do you have anything you’d like to eat?"

"I’m not sure. Um... do they have mackerel here?"

I mentioned a fish name that I knew.

Yurakne looked at me with a vague expression.

"Mackerel is usually salted and brought up from the sea. It’s mainly traded in large markets. It’s hard to find fresh mackerel in a small fish market like this. You might have better luck at the daytime fish market."

"I see, Miss Yurakne. I didn’t know that."

"Is that so?"

Once again, Yurakne made a somewhat awkward expression, as if talking to a Wonderstein made her uncomfortable.

She quickly moved through the auction stalls, buying items.

"Naru No. 3! 200 kg of sturgeon!"

"Naru No. 5! 100 kg of Spanish mackerel! 120 kg of sturgeon!"

"Naru No. 2! 250 kg of crab!"

As the boats unloaded their seafood, the auctioneers shouted loudly.

Aksville’s fish market wasn’t very big, so most of the customers were cart drivers and nearby restaurant owners.

Yurakne and I squeezed ourselves in among the people and watched the auction.

"5 Spanish mackerel, 12.4 kg. Starting at 100 Lotties. Yes, 102 Lotties. 103 Lotties. 105 Lotties. 108 Lotties!

Any more for 108 Lotties...? Yes! 110 Lotties. 112 Lotties! 115 Lotties! 117!119 Lotties, sold!

Anymore? No. 119 Lotties, sold!"

The auctioneer scribbled something on a note and handed it to the winning bidder.

The winner handed the note, along with the money, to the cargo handler and received the goods, loading them onto a cart.

All of this happened in less than 10 seconds.

Setting the price, exchanging the goods, bringing in the next item – these actions flowed like water, resembling a circus performance.

Even in such a small place, there was a world of experts.

Merchants examined the quality of the fish, nodded or shook their heads, clapped boards, or exchanged quick signals with the people next to them.

There was no room for beginners to intervene.

How do you even do this?

As I stood there dumbfounded, the auctioneer weighed the next fish on the scale.

His fingers quickly moved to push and pull the weights.

"Sturgeon, 8 pieces... weight... 10.5 kg!"

Yurakne had found the sturgeon she was looking for.

"It’s sturgeon, aren’t you going to buy it?"

"We should probably skip that one," she said, hesitating for a moment before continuing. "Out of the eight, two of them have bleeding. Do you see those dark spots underneath their bellies? They got caught on the edges of the net’s hooks, and it messed up their flesh. And one of them has been dead for a while now. You can tell by looking at its eyeballs.

It’s already decomposing."

I nodded in response to Yurakne’s precise analysis, impressed by her ability to assess the condition of the fish in such a short time. Perhaps it was her experience as a homeworker that allowed her to do so.

But I wasn’t the only one surprised by her explanation. The auctioneer, as well as the other participants in the area, were all looking at us. They didn’t seem to be admiring her skills; their expressions held a sense of bewilderment.

The auctioneer approached Yurakne, scolding her aggressively, "What the heck! Are you trying to jinx our luck? Don’t you know the unwritten rules of the auction? Huh? You just put a curse on us! Do you think you can bargain with just your fingers?

Where did you crawl in from, disturbing our business?"

Were there really such unwritten rules in the auction? Judging from the atmosphere around us and Yurakne’s changing complexion, it seemed she had indeed made a mistake. Her mistake... was because of me. It was my question that led to this.

How could she refuse when Wonderstein asked a question?

"What are you going to do?"

The auctioneer aggressively approached Yurakne, making her step back in fear.

I had caused trouble by following her. It seemed like my chances of gaining Favour with her were slipping away.

I sighed inwardly and stood in front of the auctioneer, blocking his path.

"Well, what is it? Who are you?"

"I’m... her husband."

Rather than offering a convoluted explanation, I chose the most convenient excuse: husband and wife. It was enough to explain our relationship and the reason for my interference.

"Husband? So what? What are you going to do, huh? Why are you interfering with the auction and making a scene? You better take care of your wife!"

The auctioneer, who had put up a defective item for sale, was shouting loudly. It was frustrating, but I responded with a calm smile. A man who laughed couldn’t be shaken by such things.

"Double the price."

"What... what did you say?"

"If paying the price will settle it, then I’ll pay double. That’s 160 Lotties."

The auctioneer looked at me in surprise. According to Yurakne’s explanation, the sellers usually bought the fish at wholesale prices after winning the auction and made a profit equal to the amount over the minimum bidding price. Since the minimum bidding price was often less than 30% of the actual value, this meant a significant profit for the auctioneer.

"No, I... I understand. Please don’t do this again in the future. I mistook you for someone sent by another trader... everyone here is sensitive to such tricks, haha."

He quickly stepped back, his earlier anger fading. Money seemed to solve everything.

The auctioneer declared the winning bid, and the workers packed the sturgeon neatly into a basket.

"Who is that man?"

"He spends money so casually. He looks noble, doesn’t he?"

"The woman is pretty too."

"They seem like a well-matched couple."

People around us murmured as they watched us. Yurakne approached me and bowed her head.

"I’m, I’m sorry. I caused unnecessary expenses..."

"It’s okay. We have plenty of money."

She glanced around for a moment before whispering.

"Um, why did you, um, insist on calling us a couple...?"

"I didn’t really plan it; it just came out. It seemed natural... I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable."

"Oh, no! If anything, it’s because of me that this happened..."

"Well, it all started when I asked you, Yurakne. Hehe, if anything like this happens in the future, just let it be. It’s okay."

"...Alright."

She looked at me with a complicated expression, seemingly confused about my intentions. I felt a similar barrier as I did with Ella.

Back then, I had helped with good intentions but ended up being doubted in return. Changing things wouldn’t happen overnight. I decided not to rush it. There was still plenty of time.

"That aside... could you come a bit closer?"

"What?"

"It looks strange for a couple to be so distant."

People around us kept stealing glances at us, and it wasn’t just because of our appearance. Her standing so far away from her husband looked unnatural to anyone who saw it.

"It’s because you were standing so far away that you had to raise your voice earlier."

"Ah..."

She hesitated, and a look of understanding finally appeared on her face. I reached out my arm.

"Come on."

"...Okay."

A couple of steps closer would be enough, I thought. One step. Two steps...

But she didn’t stop there.

Rustle.

Her purple hair brushed past my vision. Something soft touched my side. It was an unexpected surprise. She had come into my arms, pressing her body against mine, so close that we could feel each other’s heartbeats.

My outstretched arm naturally wrapped around her shoulder.

"Is... is this alright?"

"..."

"...?"

"..."

Being approached so suddenly by someone was not something I was used to. For a moment, I almost pushed her away. But the "smiling man" always maintained his composure.

I didn’t show any sign of being flustered and just smiled calmly.

"I meant for you to come only as far as my arm."

"Oh... I, I’m sorry!"

The spider-woman finally realized the situation. Her face turned bright red.