AN: So, it's that time again... Time for a little Pink Sugar in your Apocalypse.

Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Masculine Innocence

Voices bantered freely inside a small locked room. Scott, a surprising creature who proved to be both male and capable of increasing his level, picked the brains of his lovely companions. They, in kind, tried to figure out why he was able to do something that common knowledge dictated to be impossible.

"It's still strange, are the men where you come from all able to raise a level?" asked Mitsuki.

"I'm not particularly special, for where I'm from," he hedged. How did he answer that without sounding like a special snowflake? He did not know if he could beat either of these girls in a fight if they were to seriously attack him here. The less of a prize that he seemed, the more likely that they could continue to be on friendly terms.

"I do not understand," said Amelie. "If it's normal for men to be like you where you're from, then why do you have no class?"

"Gee. Thanks. Mom will be thrilled to know her son is classless," remarked Scott with a wry smile.

Amelie snorted briefly then shook her head. "Amusing, but not what I meant. You need to have some sort of profession."

"Yeah, no kidding. You're wasting your potential otherwise," said Mitsuki.

"Sorry, I don't know much about how things work in the part of the world. I know basic stuff, but the finer details elude me," said Scott after a brief moment of consideration.

"This is more problematic than you know," said Amelie. She lifted one hand then waved it lightly. "Without a class, you are missing out on special abilities and free status upgrades."

Did he admit that he already had the ability to acquire feats and improve his stats greatly even without a class? No, it was probably not a good idea. Coming to such a conclusion, Scott shook his head, "I don't know much about that. I'm not even sure if I'll keep fighting."

"You will," said Mitsuki.

"How do you know? I don't even know," said Scott. The only real restrictions placed on him revolved around not trying to conquer the world, and doing heroic things. He could easily become a heroic baker, or candle stick maker. Fighting was the most likely path for him, but he refused to kill his options at this point.

The assassin shook her head then leaned forward. The motion gave him a perfect view of some of her other skills. "You're currently worth a minimum of six hundred experience points. That's why."

Amelie blinked then looked at Scott in a whole new light. "Really?"

The princess knight wannabe's lips parted gently and her face became slightly red from her sudden insight. "I would not have guessed that..."

"He's level two and undefeated. You know that the first girl to kill him will get a nice bonus compared to beating a normal man," said Mitsuki. She looked back to Scott. "All it would take is some random fighter with discerning eye to check your level. You'll fight, and have a night to remember if you aren't careful."

"Why don't you take it first?" asked Scott curiously.

Mitsuki's eyes widened and she bit her lower lip. "So bold... I—"

Amelie made a polite cough into her fist. "Mitsuki, you know he's not offering it to you, right? He's obviously far too innocent of the ways of the world to be so brazen..."

"Innocent?" asked Mitsuki.

"Yes," said Amelie before looking at Scott. "Can't you see that he is unsullied by the ways of the world..."

Scott blinked at her and tilted his head to the side. "Wait, are you saying that you think I've never...?"

Amelie's cheeks reddened and she looked to the side. "It is fine not to admit such things..."

"What are you talking about?" Mitsuki asked her.

"Can you not see his purity and innocence?" asked Amelie before pointing at Scott. The light began to shimmer in her eyes as she continued, "He's like a sweet and delicate baby bird who knows nothing of the world outside of his homeland..."

Scott blinked at the knight-to-be and then quirked his eyebrow upward. No one had accused him of being pure and innocent for quite some time. There was also the delicate bit that she mentioned. Somehow that did not seem flattering.

The assassin frowned at Amelie briefly then sighed before turning back to Scott, "While I would love to have your beautiful EXP burning inside me, you did spare my life."

"Is it really that big of a deal? I didn't know that you two knew each other, but still..."

"It's a very big deal. Had you killed me, you could have earned four times the experience. That's nearly eight hundred points. At your level that means a lot of upgrade potential," said Mitsuki. "For something as ridiculous as a man who can actually gain levels, acquiring experience would be incredibly important, I'd think."

"No life is worth taking a few points... surely," said Scott. He did not think he would ever kill someone needlessly for a few extra experience points. Of course, he knew what they really meant by kill, but it was hard to think of it as anything but the deadlier form of the word.

"Let us hope every opponent that forces a confrontation with you believes the same," said Amelie thoughtfully. She offered him a nod and a soft smile. "I certainly like your combat ethic. Perhaps you are suited to become a knight?"

"Good luck," muttered Mitsuki.

"Do you think he lacks the qualities?" asked Amelie, a hint of anger in her tone. "He has shown great courtesy and resolve."

"Nah. I'm sure he'd make a great self-righteous tin can," said Mitsuki with a snort. Before Amelie could reply, the assassin continued. "The problem is getting a trainer to take him on. Most class trainers would laugh him out of the training yard if he showed up. They might not even bother to check his level," said Mitsuki.

"Why?" asked Scott.

"You're just a man, silly." The assassin glanced down at his underwear, "Two whole levels of man."

"That really matters?" he asked, incredulously. "Don't men have to protect themselves out in the wilderness?"

"Most men don't travel alone. They move in groups, sort of like a herd of wild animals. Otherwise, they hire a proper woman to protect their innocence and masculine virtue," said Amelie.

"When you say it like that, it sounds like virgin farming, or something," muttered Scott. "Keep the wolves away while the sheep grow fat and wooly."

Mitsuki laughed at him a little then waved him off with one hand, "You're probably the strongest man on the planet, but it won't matter if you don't have tits."

"Well, I'm a little fat. Doesn't that count?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Nope," said Mitsuki, clearly amused.

"You are not fat, you..." began Amelie. She thought briefly then gently said, "...merely have a little more to respect."

A smile arose on Scott's lips. Amelie seemed nice. Mitsuki seemed to be in good spirits. He knew neither of them, but that much seemed to be true at least.

"Well, I suppose I will still have to try," he said after a moment.

"Sure, just scrape up twenty gold and give it a go," said Mitsuki.

"Twenty gold? Why that amount?" he asked.

"Class training fees. It's a traditional amount," said Mitsuki.

Amelie entered into the conversation once more with an interesting proposition. "You might also try checking into an ancient legend."

"This again? You already went there didn't you?" asked Mitsuki with a snort.

"Yes, this again. Some legends are true, you know," said Amelie.

Mitsuki snorted once more then glanced over to Scott. "Some legends are just old husbands tales. They do love to gossip."

"What legend are you two talking about?" he asked them then, as he suspected that they could banter back and forth for quite some time if he allowed it.

Amelie turned toward him. "The legend of the sword goddess' tomb. It is said that one who is worthy might wield her awesome power."

"Right, and no one has been worthy in over a thousand years," remarked Mitsuki sarcastically.

"Well there is that other part of the legend..." began Amelie. Mitsuki interjected, "Old husband's tale," before Amelie finished without paying her any attention, "Since no woman has managed it, it's been rumored that only a man might receive her blessing. Even then he has to be the strongest in the world!"

"What sort of blessing is it?" asked Scott. What did this have to do with acquiring a class anyway? He was not certain that he even wanted to fight, but he had to admit that life might not allow him to become a pacifist. The fact that it was sort of fun to gain levels was also an important factor. It would be something of a waste to get an awesome new life in an RPG fantasy world and not try to level up.

"The blessing of the sword goddess!" proclaimed Amelie, light shimmering in her eyes. "In times of old, it was said that a certain warrior maiden became so powerful that she was heralded as an incarnation of the goddess of war. It is also said that the one who is worthy might receive her awesome might and learn her warrior wisdom."

"Really?" asked Scott, intrigued by the legend.

Mitsuki snorted. "Yeah, she was so respected that no one can even remember her name, and her tomb is falling apart in the middle of a swamp. Come on, it's just a story."

"Maybe so, but still..." said Amelie, her eyes aglow, "If it were true, then think of the wonders of the ancient days that might come again."

The assassin rolled her eyes then looked over to Scott. "Do what you want, but my advice would be to save up enough coin to convince a trainer to accept you. One of them might do it out of morbid curiosity if nothing else."

Advice given, they spoke of smaller things for a time. Scott gleaned a few more tidbits of information about where he was and what he might be able to do. They had come to visit him at dawn, and now the sun rode low in the sky. It was time for the world to awaken anew.

"We should probably head out, soon," said Mitsuki after the conversation reached a natural stopping point.

"So soon?" asked Scott. The ability to chat with people who knew a little of his condition and status in the world was nice. He would need to keep his secret as best he could outside when it came to other people.

"Oh? Have you fallen for me, already?" asked Mitsuki before pushing her chest toward him in a casual way. "I know innocent young men do fall hard for their first—"

"You weren't his first," said Amelie haughtily. "He might have hurled himself into the sea otherwise."

"Well, one of us would have been wet at the end of the day," replied Mitsuki without a hint of shame or hesitation.

Scott looked back and forth between them then sighed. Were the ladies really this hard up? He couldn't be the only man they'd ever showed an interest in, but they acted like a couple of starving dogs fighting over a steak.

The girls bickered and bantered playfully for a while then prepared to leave. Still in nothing but his underwear and chest armor, Scott walked with the girls to the edge of town. They wanted to continue on to the capital, though the trip to the edge of the area took a while due to the slowness of their steps.

"Remember the offer to share a meal with me once you arrive at the capital," said Amelie with a gentle smile.

Mitsuki grinned at him then offered an exaggerated wink and a slightly fanged smile. "Forget her, come see me and we'll work up an appetite instead."

"Wanton harlot," muttered Amelie.

"Self-righteous tin can," replied Mitsuki lightly.

The girls smiled at each other in an outwardly friendly manner, but even Scott could feel a strange sense of pressure between them. There was a wasp's sting hidden in those smiles. After a moment they said good bye again and began to walk away. Scott could hear them talking quietly as they did so.

Amelie stopped for a moment then softly said, "You have no reason to be so brazen with him."

"Of course I do. I owe him..." Mitsuki half-turned back toward Scott and smiled. She placed two gloved fingers to her lower lip then swished her hips to the right, "Com—" back to the left "pen—" and then rotated her posterior lightly before thrusting her hips back. "sa-tion." She was left in a pose that caused her breasts and rear to be prominently displayed. She offered a saucy wink once more, one that Scott almost missed due to the distance between them.

"You..." said Amelie in annoyance. Her fingers curled into fists and her body began to tremble.

"Yeah, it'll be me," said Mitsuki confidently.

"You..." began Amelie once more. Finally, unable to hold back, she flailed her arms around and blurted the first thing that came to mind, "Silence your face!"

Mitsuki tilted her head sideways and arched her eyebrows. "Wha—?"

"You heard me," said Amelie before unleashing an annoyed scowl.

"Silence your face?" asked Mitsuki, testing the words on her lips. "You really said that?"

"Yes. What of it?" asked Amelie. She then huffed and strode off down the road.

Mitsuki snickered, then began to laugh loudly, tears streaming from her eyes, "Wow, I knew you were a little corny, but that's just lame."

Amelie spun around quickly. The heat of her words matched the obvious heat in her bright red cheeks, "It is not lame!"

Mitsuki pointed at Amelie and laughed even louder. After a moment she made little hooting noises when she began to run out of air.

Amelie made a disgusted noise then moved forward again, this time more quickly. What she said in response was lost due to her quiet voice and the distance that had grown between them.

Scott watched the girls walk away for quite some time before turning back toward the center of town. He possessed only a handful of silver coins, but he needed provisions and hopefully a pair of pants. The underwear he'd been granted as a courtesy by the inn, a strange but useful custom for this world apparently, was nice but he wanted something a bit more substantial to cover his masculine innocence.