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Ryuu quietly perked up her ears to eavesdrop from the side.
Normally, if she heard a "schemy" plan like this, her righteous and stubborn self would've probably reacted with serious discomfort.
But now, just imagining Dan gaining Airmid's magic made the corners of her lips curl up under her mask.
Airmid didn't lose anything, Dan became even more versatile, and the Astraea Familia now had a powerful healer in their ranks—they could save even more people...
Yeah, nobody lost. So this was… a win-win-win situation!
Exactly! That's it!
Dan felt his heart overflowing with emotion again from the kindness these girls kept showing him. It only strengthened his resolve to protect them.
If he had been given a second shot at life, then he had to do something meaningful with it.
"Ryuu, Celty, and Neze, I'll leave all this extra loot and drops to you guys—take it to Hephaestus Familia and exchange it. Oh, and bring our goddess back while you're at it!"
Ryuu suddenly got a little flustered and couldn't help but speak up.
"Why is Lyra the only one staying with Dan… I-I'm not saying I want to go with Dan or anything! I'm just demanding fair treatment!"
Even though she tried to defend herself, her blushing face completely betrayed her, and the teasing looks from the other girls didn't help at all.
Before Ryuu could completely lose it out of embarrassment, Lyra managed to stifle her laugh and stepped in to calm things down.
"Alright, alright~ Dan's been the MVP today, and he's already exhausted. Plus, I'm just a weak little Pallum—no way I can carry those huge backpacks."
To protect Dan's abilities, they had already taken out the magic stones and items from his storage and strapped them to their backs before leaving the dungeon.
Of course, walking around with those ridiculously large backpacks attracted a lot of attention. If it weren't for the Justice Sword and wing insignias on their gear, some thugs might've already made a move.
After all, this era was anything but peaceful.
Even though they knew it might cause trouble, the girls all agreed: keeping Dan's powers a secret was top priority.
Dan himself didn't really care—after all, the "divine power" he had wasn't overpowered just because of the storage function—but the girls completely ignored his protests…
Hearing Lyra's explanation, Ryuu was still clearly unwilling, but she accepted it in the end.
She picked up a backpack taller than herself, turned back to look at Dan with a lingering gaze, as if wanting to say something but stopping herself.
Dan gave her a warm smile and waved.
"Come back soon, okay? I still wanna keep sparring with you, Master Ryuu!"
Ryuu's furrowed brows relaxed all at once, her eyes sparkled with a smile, but she still huffed a little.
"I told you not to call me that... I-I'll teach you everything I know, but don't let today's progress get to your head!"
As soon as she said that—probably out of embarrassment—Ryuu bolted off before anyone could respond.
"Ryuu, wait for us!"
Celty let out a long sigh at her fellow elf's reaction and quietly wondered if she should offer her some dating advice.
Tsundere types aren't really trendy anymore, y'know...
But then again, she didn't have any dating experience either. What now?
Should she try dating Dan herself first, then give Ryuu a proper strategy?
As the bold idea popped into her mind, Celty couldn't help but feel a little tempted. She stole a quick glance at Dan, then hurriedly grabbed Neze and chased after Ryuu, as if trying to cover up her thoughts.
The two people left behind just stood there laughing as they watched their friends disappear one by one.
A moment later, Lyra stretched lazily and suddenly spoke up.
"Alright, time to go deal with that thing that's been bugging you."
Dan blinked in surprise and looked down at her. Lyra just shrugged.
"Don't look at me like I'm some fortune-teller. I can't read minds. You just trust us too much—you weren't even trying to hide it."
She shot him a playful glance, acting like she was picking a fight.
"Or what, am I just in your way? Planning to ditch me and go deal with your 'trouble' alone?"
"It's not that bad. Just something personal. I didn't wanna get the rest of the familia involved."
Dan paused, glancing at the tiny Pallum, seeming to have made up his mind.
"But I guess with you… it doesn't feel like involving an outsider. So, come with me."
Lyra was stunned silent. After a moment, she absentmindedly rubbed her finger under her nose.
"S-sure!"
Not an outsider, huh...
She lowered her head, hiding the pure happiness on her face behind Dan's back, following along behind him like his little shadow.
You idiot... stop dropping emotional bombs like that outta nowhere! Be a little more self-aware, dumbass!
"....."