Tray.
A flat surface used to carry and move objects.
It was one of the tools the sli saw most often while interacting with humans.
The very first ti it saw one was at the Ludendion mansion where it lived with Jessie.
It had watched the attendants carry snacks and als with trays.
Even after leaving the Ludendion mansion, trays were everywhere it went.
When it was with Godrick’s party, it saw trays in restaurants, and when it was at church, it saw the followers using them to carry als.
To the sli, a tray was the most frequently seen human tool—and also sothing it really wanted to try mimicking.
Most of all, all it had to do was widen its body into a circle, so the shape wasn’t even complicated.
After learning a new skill, the sli poured more mana into shaping its tentacle.
‘Big tray!’
Woooong!
As it infused mana, the tip of the sli’s tentacle transford into a tray and began to expand in size.
Of course, when the sli did this, the chat window exploded with reactions.
▶What is that lolololol
[Squishy Queen]▶ So you’ve finally acquired a skill, my kin!
▶But why’d you make it like that?
[Just Slam First]▶Hey, Squishy! Why’d you make your tentacle look like that?
Fenrir, who was watching the stream out of boredom that morning, asked, and the sli imdiately responded.
▷Tray! A tray!
[Just Slam First]▶A tray?
▶ Hold up! What’s a tray again? It’s that flat thing humans or punks like elf use to move stuff! Clarify!
▶ Ah~ That thing used to carry food?
[Noblesse Fire]▶ But why a tray though?
[Squishy Queen]▶ Tray or not, who cares! What matters is that my kin has gained a new skill!
▷I can lift!
▶Lift?
Reacting to the chat, the sli bounced up and down.
▷Alia! I can lift! Paulen! I can lift! This ti, I’m the one lifting!
The sli had always been the one being carried or mounted.
And to the sli, being carried or mounted by soone was a “good experience.”
It loved being able to see the world from a different perspective and look around from high up.
That’s why it wanted to give the people who had shared that joy with it the sa experience.
By placing a person on the tray-shaped tentacle it made and lifting them, maybe they would feel that sa joy—it was a simple and sincere thought.
That’s why the tray ca to mind first.
▶ Lololol is it for lifting humans now?
▶Is it to show the difference in strength?
▶Yeah right.
[Thread-Lady]▶ There’s no way our cute Squishy would do that.
“Kyaaa! Wh-what is that!?”
And at that mont—
Alia, who had just woken up, scread upon seeing the sli’s tray tentacle.
Bang!
“What’s going on, Alia!”
Hearing her scream, Paulen rushed into the room.
“Paulen! J-Jiggly just—!”
“Jiggly? Huh? Wait, Jiggly’s tentacle... is flat?”
‘Paulen!’
Boing! Boing!
The sli imdiately moved toward Paulen and focused even more mana into its tentacle.
And not just one tentacle.
Pop!
It brought out another tentacle, also shaped like a tray, and concentrated mana to expand its size.
Brrrrrrrrr!
As it focused its strength and mana, the sli’s body began to tremble naturally.
“What in the world...?”
Even Paulen, who was usually quick to understand the sli’s intentions, couldn’t figure out what was happening right away this ti.
‘Paulen-ta!’
Once the tray tentacle was wide enough, the sli slightly lifted it toward Paulen to convey its intent.
This ti, its gestures reached Paulen.
“You’re not saying... you want to ride on it?”
‘Yup!’
The sli bounced in place as if saying, “Correct!”
“Ha, haha! I never thought I’d see the day I’d ride on Jiggly.”
“Paulen? You’re seriously thinking of getting on?”
“Yes. Well, Jiggly is telling to ride.”
“But what if Jiggly gets squished while you’re on!?”
“Alia, the dumbbells and barbells Jiggly lifts weigh more than I do.”
With a reassuring smile, Paulen sat down on the tray tentacle the sli made.
“Oh, it’s so soft.”
The sli’s tray tentacle had more cushion than expected.
‘Height!’
Feeling Paulen’s weight, the sli used more mana to extend the length of the tentacle.
“Oh, oooh?!”
“Paulen!?”
Once the tentacle had extended beyond a certain height, the sli bent it to lower the elevation.
Then it began to repeatedly stretch and bend the tentacle.
“This is...!”
The rising and falling view, along with the soft sensation of the tray tentacle, brought back mories for Paulen.
The partner was different, and his body size had definitely changed.
– Hahaha~ Do you really like this that much, Paul?
– Yeah! Do it more, Dad!
– Alright, alright, if my son wants it, I’ve gotta do it! Higher, higher~
– Yay!
The childhood mory of his father lifting him up tugged at Paulen’s heartstrings.
“Sniff!”
“Paulen!? Why are you crying?”
“Oh, I just suddenly rembered sothing from my childhood with my father.”
“Huh?”
Naturally, Alia couldn’t imdiately understand what Paulen ant.
Unaware of her confusion, Paulen wiped his tears and fell into thought.
“I was just caught in nostalgia. Thinking about it, this isn’t really just lifting up like a ga… That’s it! Jiggly is using like a barbell right now!”
Alia was too stunned to speak at Paulen’s absurd declaration.
“Sniff! Jiggly! So you wanted to use as a barbell to work out, huh? I’m touched, but I’m too light! You should’ve told when I had my armor on!”
‘Huh?’
▶ What’s up with this human… scary.
[Gothic Luxury Bone]▶ His brain is completely ruled by muscles.
[Just Slam First]▶ Muscles again? Doesn’t this guy ever get tired of that?
▶ You're one to talk when you're always hyped up.
▶ Ah! Muscle-Geek!
[Just Slam First] ▶ Hey! Everything I do is for Squishy’s sake!
▶ Loooool unaware people are the scariest.
“Paulen, no matter how you look at it, I don’t think Jiggly had that intention.”
Having co to her senses, Alia pointed out Paulen’s misunderstanding.
“What? But he’s clearly lifting ! That ans he wants to exercise using my weight—”
“Maybe he just wants to play with us by lifting us up? Isn’t that right, Jiggly?”
Brrrrrrr!
The sli trembled in agreent with Alia’s words.
“See?”
“It… can’t be! It wasn’t for working out?!”
“No matter how much Jiggly likes exercising, he’s not as obsessed as you. Anyway, co down. I want to try riding too.”
Alia, secretly amused by watching Paulen go up and down, now wanted a turn herself.
***
Gracie Frail thought to herself.
In less than a month, how many tis had she been shocked like this?
As usual, she had finished breakfast and dropped by the villa to join Alia and Paulen’s morning walk.
And then Gracie witnessed sothing shocking.
“Jiggly can lift us now, Miss Gracie.”
“Really?”
At first, when Alia said that, Gracie didn’t think much of it.
‘Well, that’s possible. It is that kind of sli.’
This sli could lift dumbbells she herself struggled with.
So if it just extended its tentacles and wrapped soone up, lifting them should be doable—so she thought.
“Yes! Let show you! Jiggly, could you lift one more ti?”
Like a proud owner showing off a pet’s new trick, Alia called to Jiggly.
Boing!
The sli, which had been perched on Paulen’s shoulder, jumped down and approached Alia, extending its tentacle.
Pop!
‘That’s going to look kinda embarrassing.’
A saintess, wrapped up in a long tentacle and lifted—just imagining the scene made Gracie think the church folks would throw a fit.
Then—
Swoooosh!
“Huh?”
Seeing the end of the sli’s tentacle suddenly widen into a tray shape made Gracie’s eyes widen.
Alia climbed onto it, and the sli imdiately extended the tentacle and began to move up and down.
“It can lift like this now. Isn’t Jiggly amazing?”
Alia spoke with the tone of soone saying, “Isn’t our puppy adorable?” and Gracie couldn’t find the words to reply.
‘Am I the weird one? Is it strange that I can’t accept this right away? What is a sli? What is a monster?’
Gracie was on the verge of falling into a philosophical rabbit hole.
Just then, Paulen approached and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Miss Gracie, you should try riding too. It’s more fun than you’d think.”
“Huh? Ride? too?”
“Of course. Jiggly would like it too.”
“He’s right. You should give it a try, Miss Gracie.”
‘Gracie!’
As the sli lowered the tray tentacle and held still, Alia stepped down.
“Here, go ahead.”
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Absolutely. And besides, Jiggly’s… this thing… it’s surprisingly comfy to sit on.”
Unable to resist their encouragent, Gracie sat down on the sli’s tray-shaped tentacle.
“......!”
‘So soft!’
And the pillowy, cushiony softness of the sli could be felt imdiately.
It was so gentle on the lower back that it gave her the kind of support that made her think she could sit there for hours.
As a mage who lived in the Magic Tower and often sat for long hours researching or writing papers, Gracie thought—
‘If I had this sli, my lower back would never ache, no matter how long I sat!’
Her opinion of the sli improved even beyond her previous magical tool-related admiration.
While Gracie was lost in admiration, the sli began to move the tentacle up and down just as it had done for Alia and Paulen.
“Whoa! Oh, oh!”
Startled at first by the movent while lost in thought, she cald down quickly as the motion was steady.
“Isn’t it more fun than you thought?”
“Y-yeah, it is.”
“Don’t these rides remind you of childhood mories?”
“Childhood mories?”
After the sli’s tray-tentacle ride was over, Gracie spoke up.
“Saintess, could you tell Jiggly sothing for ? That he shouldn’t do this kind of thing outside.”
“Huh? Why not?”
Gracie explained to Alia, whose senses had been dulled from seeing the sli’s odd behaviors too often.
“Why do you think? Pointing directions with a tentacle might barely pass as a rare sli behavior, but a sli that creates weird tentacles and lifts people? I’ve never even heard of such a thing.”
“That… does make sense.”
“If the wrong person sees it, they might try to kidnap Jiggly as a rare research specin.”
“Kid... kidnap Jiggly?!”
“That’s definitely possible. We may be used to him now, but Jiggly really is an extraordinary sli.”
“Yes, you’re right. If sothing like that ever happened…”
“That would be dangerous. Jiggly…”
“The ones trying to kidnap him would be the ones in danger.”
“Huh?”
“W-why would you say that?”
“I an, why would the kidnappers be in danger? Isn’t Jiggly the one at risk?”
“What are you talking about, Saintess?”
Gracie looked at Alia and spoke with genuine confusion.
“Even if he doesn’t an to hurt anyone, we’re talking about a sli that can spar with a paladin. There’s no way Jiggly would go down easily. I’d be more worried about him resisting and accidentally killing soone.”
“Oh.”
“Hahahaha! Miss Gracie is absolutely right! Jiggly isn’t soone just anyone can ss with!”
Paulen smiled and gave the sli so advice.
“Jiggly, since people might get scared, let’s not do the ‘lift-lift’ outside, okay?”
‘Okay!’
Boing!
The sli responded energetically and bounced in place.
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