ISEKAI? More like I See Crap!

"Hazuki?"

"Mm? Yes, Ellyn?" Hazuki replied, voice muffled as he stuffed another bite of grilled meat into his mouth.

He barely had time to chew before Ridan floated down with a sly grin and tried to snatch the next piece from his hand.

"Oi—Ridan," Hazuki muttered, keeping the skewer out of reach. "At least let me eat first."

"Nope. No can do," Ridan smirked. "Tastes better when I steal it. You're basically our food delivery system now."

Then came Syaria, floating in from the side, her eyes shining with delight.

"Waaah~!! It's been so long since I've tasted anything! Ridan~ look! Look! I can actually chew this!"

She chomped down on a chunk of meat that had just passed through Hazuki's hand, her spirit form pulsing briefly with warmth.

Hazuki stared at the two mischievous spirits swarming his food.

He sighed. "At least don't take it straight from my hand..."

Ridan just grinned wider. "You're sharing your love, meat, and warmth with us, Hazuki. That's what true partnership is."

Hazuki didn't even respond this time.

Instead, he looked up at Ellyn, who was sitting on his shoulder with a half-eaten skewer in her hand, her golden eyes still watching him quietly.

"Ellyn?" he asked, voice a little softer. "What was it you wanted to say?"

She blinked.

Then quickly looked away. "Umm… maybe I'll talk after we finish eating."

Hazuki nodded once. "Mm? Okay. If you say so."

He reached over to grab another stick of grilled mushroom. "So, what's next? Fruit stall?"

Ellyn looked down at him.

Then smiled.

Hazuki walked through the market path at an unhurried pace, a small tied-up bundle of grilled meat swinging lightly from his hand.

Above the bag, Ridan and Syaria hovered like oversized, floating moths, both casually plucking bits of meat from the edge of the cloth with visible satisfaction.

"Mmm~ Ridan… this meat is so nice…" Syaria cooed, her cloudy form pulsing faintly as she chewed. "How long has it been since I tasted something this good? I didn't know we could still eat after becoming spirits."

"Yeah," Ridan replied with a lazy grin, stuffing another piece into his mouth. "It's not like we get hungry anymore. But hey, the taste still hits."

Hazuki sighed quietly as he walked, eyes half-lidded.

He glanced up at the two floating forms—one a drifting white mist, the other a smug purple haze.

Inside his mind.

Heh… this so-called "ancient spirit" used to grumble that she was annoying.

And yet now, look at him…

Floating around like a lovesick cloud. Clearly enjoying her company.

He looked at them again, Ridan spinning once midair as Syaria gently bumped his side with a giggle.

What a weird pair of clouds…

He tightened his grip slightly on the food bag, then turned toward the next stall with Ellyn still seated on his shoulders, silent but smiling.

They stopped near a modest fruit stall tucked between two stone pillars. Wooden crates overflowed with sun-warmed apples, citrus bulbs, and small, oddly glowing berries unique to the dwarven region.

Hazuki looked up, hand casually resting on the bag of grilled meat still being picked apart by floating clouds.

"Anything you want to eat?" he asked, voice even, eyes on Ellyn.

She opened her mouth to answer.

But before she could speak.

"I want those," Syaria whispered softly to Ridan, her eyes fixated on the glossy red fruit shimmering in a wooden tray.

Ridan's grin widened like a mischievous flame catching wind.

"Well then," he said smugly, floating behind Hazuki's neck. "Let's go shopping."

Without warning, Ridan surged forward and forcibly possessed Hazuki's body.

Hazuki blinked. "...Wha—?"

His hand shot up with practiced flair, flipping a silver coin from his pouch and slamming it down on the stall's stone counter.

"Oi, brat!" Hazuki's mouth spoke in a voice that was not his own. "Give me fruit worth of this!"

The dwarven vendor looked up in confusion.

"Brat…?" he mumbled, clearly unsure if he should be offended.

Then again, this tall black-haired human had the dead eyes of a man who hadn't slept in three days. The dwarf decided not to argue.

"Coming right up…" he muttered, reaching for the berries.

Oi… Ridan.

Possessing me just to buy fruit? Really?

Ridan's voice echoed smugly in the back of his skull.

"You weren't moving fast enough. Besides, I'm older than that vendor's entire bloodline. I earned the right to call him brat."

Syaria giggled, hovering nearby. "Eee~ Ridan, that was smooth~"

Hazuki just sighed internally.

This world really doesn't believe in personal space, huh…

Hazuki, regaining partial control, tilted his head and spoke in his normal voice.

"Old man, give me that one… and that one too," he said, pointing toward two baskets of sliced fruits. "They're for the catgirl."

The vendor blinked.

Same person. Different voice. Different tone.

"Uh… okay," the dwarf said slowly, already picking through the fruit.

Then Hazuki's expression shifted slightly—his posture a bit sharper, his grin no longer tired.

Ridan's voice came through again.

"And that one! And that one too! Pack it up, brat!" Hazuki barked with a completely different attitude, pointing at another row of fruit like royalty demanding tribute. "And count how much this guy paid."

He casually pointed to himself.

The dwarf just stared for a moment.

First one voice. Then another. Now talking about himself in third person?

But then it clicked.

Ah. This was the guy.

The black-haired human Old Girem called that crazy one. The guy always seen talking to the air, muttering things no one understood. Weird, sure, but never caused any trouble. Carried himself fine. Paid on time.

The vendor sighed.

"…Right. Got it," he mumbled, already packing the fruit into a small satchel. "Crazy, but rich. Ain't my problem."

Inside the dwarf's thoughts…

Yeah… this was definitely the guy.

The one who treated half the tavern to drinks the day he arrived—then got so drunk he passed out in the middle of the road like it was normal.

Even the guards didn't say a thing. Just let him sleep it off. No one dared disturb him, either.

He was weird, yeah. But not dangerous.

And if the rumors were true, he even helped Old Man Kuran's granddaughter get that rare Seraphis Flower. For free.

What kind of human does that?

The dwarf quietly packed the fruit into a tied cloth pouch, then placed it gently on the counter.

"That'll be two silver and fifty-five copper," he said.

Hazuki reached into his pouch and handed over the exact amount without counting.

"Thanks, old man," he said with a quiet nod, back in his usual calm voice.

The vendor just nodded back, watching as the black-haired human walked away with a cat-eared girl still perched on his shoulders and two glowing spirits lazily circling his food bag.

What a weird human.

Hazuki walked slowly through the town square, his pace relaxed, though his hands were far from idle.

One hand held the fruit satchel, what was left of it.

The other kept batting away Ridan and Syaria, who hovered like greedy birds snatching pieces of fruit mid-air.

"I bought that for her," Hazuki muttered.

"You touched it," Ridan said while munching. "That makes it spirit-accessible."

Syaria floated behind him, mouth full. "Mmm~! He's right! Shared mana counts as shared food~!"

Hazuki sighed again and kept walking.

Meanwhile, Ellyn, still seated comfortably on his shoulders, let her eyes wander toward the crowd.

Dwarves filled the square.

But all of them shared one thing in common

Their eyes trailed to Hazuki.

And the whispers followed.

"Ah… the Heelsman's movin' again…"

"He's lettin' a catgirl ride on his shoulders now?"

"Wonder where he picked up that little one…"

"I heard that's his pinky promise couple…"

"Poor girl… I heard he forced her into the contract."

Ellyn's ears twitched.

She looked around, no hostility in their tone. Just assumption. Idle gossip. Whispers born from a lack of understanding.

Inside Ellyn's mind…

What Ridan said... it's true.

I've been hiding behind this for too long.

Pretending. Lying. Letting people assume I'm just a kid…

Her fingers tightened slightly around Hazuki's head, just enough for him to notice, though he said nothing.

But he's not like the others.

He never treated me like a child. Not really.

He listens when I speak. Carries me without asking questions. Buys food I point at. Lets me sit here, like it's the most normal thing in the world.

She exhaled softly.

For how long am I going to keep this from him…?

At the very least... I should be honest about one thing.

Her golden eyes lowered slightly.

I'm not a child.

I'm an adult.

And I'm his fiancée.

She stayed quiet, resting her chin on his head as he walked.

Then, just ahead, they passed a colorful stone building—lanterns swaying at the entrance, soft music playing inside. The voices of women laughing gently drifted out with the scent of perfume and wine.

A brothel.

Not loud or gaudy. Just part of the town.

Ellyn's ears twitched slightly.

She glanced at Hazuki.

He didn't say anything.

Didn't react.

But she saw it clearly, his eyes, shifting the other way. Not hurried. Just... avoiding.

Like he'd trained himself to.

Her gaze shifted.

Ridan was floating nearby, hands behind his head, wearing a smug little smirk on his cloudy face.

Then his voice brushed through her mind in quiet telepathy.

See that?

This guy… he's normal.

He has desire. Curiosity. The same as any man would.

Ridan glanced lazily at Hazuki from the corner of his eyes.

But he can't even look inside.

Not because he doesn't want to.

But because he made that promise.

To you.

His smirk faded slightly.

For a normal guy like him... that's not just restraint.

That's sacrifice.

Ellyn didn't respond.

She just looked down.

At the man quietly carrying her through the street—grilled meat in one hand, fruit in the other.

Still walking like nothing bothered him.

( End Of Chapter )