The next day, a young peddler arrived in tow with a covered wagon.
"H-h-h-hello! I-it's a pleasure to be working with you!"
"Yeah, likewise."
It seemed the merchant we usually dealt with had prepared both the wagon and its cargo. There appeared to be just enough space inside for us to sit.
...
"Actually, if I just shove all this into my inventory, wouldn't it be spacious enough for us to lounge around in here?"
"It’s decoy cargo, though. Wouldn’t it be bad if it wasn't packed properly?" Alto asked.
"Surely a little bit wouldn't hurt, right-ssu?" Penpen added.
For this trip, I was inhabiting Miti-chan, Alto was in her own body, and Penpen was using Gin-chan’s.
In my case, it was because Miti-chan was the owner of our Home. If she didn't come along, we wouldn't be able to use the warp feature. Alto was here because her sharpshooting was essential to ensure no bandits escaped. As for Penpen, Gin-chan’s body was better suited for combat, and Penpen herself was also a Home owner. Those were our reasons for the current setup.
"...Toria wanted to go too, she did," Toria muttered.
"You're on house-sitting duty, okay? You and Nika-chan," I told her.
"That’s right, Penpen-chan. Lord Spirit, have a safe trip!" Nika-chan added.
And so, seen off by the three of them, we boarded the wagon and set off immediately.
The interior was narrower than I’d expected, so I promptly moved some of the cargo into my inventory. Regardless of the mission, I prioritized comfort.
The wagon was a tight fit with a cat-eared beastman slime (me), a fox-eared maid (Gin-chan), and a black-haired girl in twin-tails (Alto), but it was eventually spacious enough for us to sit on the remaining crates and relax. In a wagon like this, vertical space was a precious commodity.
"If we just used the inventory, we could transport massive amounts of supplies with ease, right?" Alto mused.
"To begin with, if we use the Home, the transport distance is practically zero," I replied.
"Ahaha! If we did this in the real world, it would be more than a logistics revolution-ssu. We could offer free shipping to Mars!"
"True enough. Then there’s no real need to show off right now, is there?"
We rumbled along, lounging inside the wagon. Since we were on a well-maintained highway, the shaking wasn't too bad.
Meanwhile, the young merchant acting as our coachman had a strangely stiff expression. Why was he so nervous? Oh, could it be because he was traveling with such beautiful girls? I wondered if we’d be able to break the ice by the time the journey ended.
"Oh, I'm going to turn into a slime for a bit. I can get smaller that way."
"Wow, come to think of it, Miti-chan's slime form is a rare sight-ssu! It's so jiggly and cute!"
"Oho, can you extend tentacles in that form? Like the naughty kind?" Alto teased.
"It’s not the naughty kind. There's an ethics filter, remember?"
I shifted into a jiggly, bun-shaped slime. ...Wait, then it clicked. I realized why the young merchant was so stiff.
"Hey, Mr. Merchant."
"Hie—! Y-y-yes! What is it? Is something wrong? Are you dissatisfied with something...?"
"No, it's just that I realized that seat is dangerous, isn't it? Come back here. We'll handle the driving. You can just stay inside the wagon and give us directions."
Exactly. The driver's seat was the most likely place to be targeted first by bandits—it was a life-threatening position! I’d heard that from the senior merchant but had completely forgotten. If his life was on the line, it was no wonder he looked like he was at a funeral.
"Oh? But if the Halo is visible, won't that ruin the decoy?" Alto pointed out.
"The split version doesn't have a Halo. I'm counting on you, Miti-chan."
"Okay! I'll do my best, Lord Spirit!"
"Oh, that's convenient-ssu!"
"I see, she has uses other than just looking pretty!"
I had Miti-chan's double sit in the driver's seat.
"Now then, please switch places with her."
"Hieee?! U-um, i-it's fine! Really! I don't mind being out here!"
"Huh?" Miti-chan's double tilted her head. "The Lord Spirit told you to get inside the wagon, didn't he? Are you refusing? Are you... an enemy? Should I just munch on you?"
"She's not an enemy, Miti-chan. Play nice."
"If the Lord Spirit says so, I'll be nice! ...Hey, teach me how to handle the horsies? If I learn, I can be even more useful to him!"
"Y-yes... I'll teach you."
Our first impression might have been the absolute worst, but that just meant things could only improve from here!
"...They will improve, right?"
"I bet on things getting even worse!" Alto declared.
"No, Miti-chan is cute, so I'm betting he'll be won over-ssu!"
"Don't go betting on my kid... Fine, I'll bet on things improving. If I win, you guys have to treat me to a Reward Pancake, okay?"
"Wait, give me a break on the SP items! Home acquisition has to come first!"
Since that was a fair point, we changed the stakes to minor items. It was just a bit of fun to pass the time.
"...Hmm?" Miti-chan's double looked at the young merchant.
"U-um. Miss?"
"Oh, it's nothing! I just thought it was nice that the Lord Spirits are so close! ...Hey, let's get along too, okay?"
"Y-yes."
"Listen. I'm going to make sure the Lord Spirit wins, so if you end up hating me, I won't forgive you... got it?"
"Hieee!"
Miti-chan, that’s definitely going to have the opposite effect.
This was shaping up to be quite the heated bet. It turned out to be a great way to kill time.