In a delicate little house that was filled with a sweet scent and a lazy, peaceful atmosphere, Lucian sank deep into the soft sofa in the living room, looking as if he had no bones.
Robin leaned against his shoulder, gently rolling a crystal-clear grape between her fingers before lifting it to his lips.
"Try this one—it's super sweet."
One had to admit that her voice, as she spoke, was so soft, sweet, and heavenly—as expected from a galactic singer idolized by countless people across various star systems.
Lucian opened his mouth and took the grape in, but his tongue accidentally brushed lightly over her fingertip, making her ears turn red.
"Umu, it's sweet..." Lucian mumbled, his lazy humor showing in his eyes. "But sadly, it's not as sweet as you."
Hearing this, Robin gave him a light push, her cheeks flushing cutely.
Seeing her shy reaction, the corner of Lucian's lips couldn't help but curl up, forming a teasing smile.
"Little bird..." Lucian leaned close to Robin's ear and said in a low, magnetic voice, causing his warm breath to brush against her sensitive skin. "I heard that boutique, Starry Dreamwear, just released some new designs. Wanna try one?"
"What kind of design?" Robin asked curiously.
"A set of... Hmm..." Lucian deliberately let his breath fall against her ear. "Designs with lace and tiny strings… You know, a cute, sheer outfit wives wore at night for their husbands."
As soon as she heard this, Robin's already flushed face turned bright red, like a ripe apple.
"You... You..." Robin, blushing and flustered, gave Lucian a soft punch on the shoulder. "Go buy it yourself!"
"Well, I would if I could, but sadly, it's a ladies-only store, so I can't go in." Lucian said righteously, pulling Robin closer. "Y'know, you'd look amazing in it. Maybe buy one for your mom, too."
Robin, feeling her heart race as he held her and spoke so bluntly, struggled a little to escape his grasp, but when it proved useless, she ultimately buried her burning face in his neck.
"Fine..." Robin said in a muffled, soft voice. "If you insist... I'll go and buy one..."
"Love you." Lucian said with satisfaction, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Don't take too long, okay."
Robin, her face so red it felt on the verge of burning, quickly sprang up from his arms and rushed out of the house with her head down.
As soon as the cool breeze from the outside brushed against her face, the heat on her cheeks finally eased.
Now, her mind was filled with the image of that 'sheer outfit' Lucian had described, along with the mischievous smile on his face.
"So embarrassing..." Robin muttered quietly, covering her hot cheeks. "Th-That kind of outfit... It's too shameless..."
While muttering non-stop to keep her composure, she hurried along the neon-lit streets of Penacony, her flushed face reflecting the vibrant lights all around her.
"But still..."
Biting her lower lip, her steps unconsciously carried her toward Starry Dreamwear, the boutique Lucian had mentioned.
"If he likes it..."
Robin took a deep breath, her eyes shining with a mix of shyness and determination.
"It's not... impossible to wear it for him—I mean... if it's just at home, for him only..."
Her whisper was so soft that it was barely audible as she pushed open the shimmering door of the boutique.
===
Not long after Robin left, Lucian stripped off his clothes and walked into the bathroom to wash up.
Just thinking about the galaxy-famous singer, who always dressed modestly and elegantly, yet wore that kind of indecent outfit for him, made him a bit excited—he truly wanted to see it as soon as possible.
Wasn't coming to this world all about enjoying something new?
*Pssss—*
Right after turning on the shower, Lucian hummed a tune, looking leisurely and relaxed as he rubbed his body with soap.
Needless to say, this was exactly how a good life in another world should be—wealth, power, strength, and nothing to worry about.
===
Meanwhile, somewhere in the residential area, in front of an unoccupied house, Acheron had been led by the male hotel attendant to this not-so-fancy house, with no one else around, looking desolate.
"Here we are! He's waiting for you inside! Go on in~!"
Still wearing a wide grin, the attendant stopped and pointed at the door carved with intricate patterns, his voice carrying an odd hint of allure.
"He's got the answers you want. Any strange things happening in Penacony—he knows them all—one-hundred-percent~"
He gestured invitingly and gave a slight bow.
Acheron, sensing that the atmosphere emanating from the house was far too ordinary, hesitated for a moment as she looked at the door.
In the end, left with no other choice, she reached out and grabbed the cold brass handle, but the moment her fingers touched it, faint spatial ripples spread outward—something she did not notice.
Unknowingly, the space beyond the door had already been folded and linked by some delicate force—connected directly to somewhere else.
Acheron pushed the door open, stepped inside, and then took in the scene beyond it.
However, what came into view was not the foyer she had expected, but a bathroom filled with warm steam.
More importantly, inside the bathroom, there actually stood a naked man taking a shower.
In that instant, time itself seemed to freeze.
Acheron stood in front of the door—her hand resting on her sword tightened ever so slightly, while her face, usually so calm and emotionless, showed the faintest, nearly invisible flicker of surprise.
*BANG!*
In the next second, the door behind her slammed shut by itself, then vanished as if it had never existed at all.
At the same moment, Lucian, hearing the sound of the slamming door and sensing a chilling aura behind him, instantly realized that someone was there.
He instinctively turned around, already preparing to use the power of two Paths to restrain the intruder.
*Whoosh!*
A surge of powerful energy swept up a powerful wind, blowing the intruder's cloak open, but she didn't fight back at all.
However, upon seeing the intruder's appearance, Lucian immediately withdrew his power, causing the bathroom to fall silent.
Before him stood a tall, purple-haired beauty.
Now that the wind had blown her cloak aside, revealing her appearance underneath, he instantly recognized the woman who had just intruded into his bathroom and 'peeked' at him while he was bathing.
Her cold expression, the tattoo on her left thigh, and the long sword at her waist—she was none other than Acheron, one of the characters in the game whose Eidolons he had maxed.
With just one glance, Lucian took her all in.
A sexy yet powerful figure—without the cloak, he could clearly see her collarbones, thighs, slender waist, pale skin, navel, tempting belly button, and curves in all the right places.
In short, Acheron was a beautiful woman with perfect, model-like proportions.
If he hadn't accidentally blown her cloak off, he wouldn't have gotten such a lucky view of her alluring body.
"So... why are you here and peeking at me while I'm taking a shower?"
Lucian asked calmly, taking the initiative.
He wasn't nervous at all.
Getting seen naked by Acheron?
No loss.
He could always return the favor someday.
He trusted in the strength of his lucky pervert trait.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to..."
Acheron replied while unconsciously glancing, for a moment, at Lucian's 'little brother that actually was not so little,' before quickly turning her gaze away and fixing it on the wall beside her.
Even though her voice remained steady, it was a bit faster than usual.
"You think just saying sorry works? What if our positions were swapped? Would you forgive me if I just said sorry?" Lucian questioned lazily, calmly grabbing a bathrobe hanging nearby and wrapping himself up. "Still, sneaking past my perception and getting in here—you've got some skills."
He couldn't help but praise Acheron because, despite being a double Emanator, he hadn't even noticed her arrival.
Was it because she was an Emanator herself, or because there was some other force involved?
Acheron glanced at the nonchalant Lucian from the corner of her eye, only turning to face him once he had finished putting on the bathrobe.
"Someone outside—a man claiming to be a hotel attendant—said you were waiting for me." Acheron explained with a flat expression. "He led me here, and when I opened the door, this happened..."
She paused for a moment, then continued.
"As soon as I stepped in, the door disappeared by itself. I don't know where that man went."
A hotel attendant?
A door?
Leading her straight into this bathroom and locking them in together?
Lucian couldn't help but roll his eyes as he realized who the culprit was.
No need to guess.
Such bullshit mischief—who else but that trouble-loving Aeon of Elation?
Only Aha could pull off this kind of sneaky spatial trick, perfectly masking his senses and finding amusement in exploiting Acheron's legendary Zoro-like sense of direction like this.
"You've been pranked by the Aeon of Elation..." Lucian said with a sigh. "THEY're probably hiding somewhere right now, laughing THEIR ass off."
"Aeon of Elation?" Acheron said with a frown. "No wonder I couldn't see through that hotel attendant... Guess what THEY said about you liking beautiful women was a lie, too, then."
Right after saying this, she turned toward the bathroom exit.
"I'll wait for you outside."
Acheron spoke curtly, then left without hesitation and shut the door behind her.
*Click—*
As the soft sound of the door closing echoed in the bathroom, Lucian chuckled to himself.
"Well, Aha wasn't lying about me liking beautiful women, though."
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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