Night fell, and the city lights came on. Everyone gathered in the spacious and bright living room, enjoying the rare leisure time after dinner.
At this moment, the group was leisurely digesting the delicious food they had just eaten while chatting about various topics in a relaxed and happy atmosphere.
In this warm ambiance, an exquisite tea set was placed on the coffee table, filled with new tea leaves gifted by a divine friend of Astraea.
Astraea, wearing a smile, warmly poured a cup of the fragrant tea for everyone present.
Kaguya gracefully picked up the teacup in front of her, brought it close to her lips, and took a small sip.
Instantly, a fresh and sweet taste spread across the tip of her tongue. She couldn't help but close her eyes to savor the flavor.
Moments later, she slowly opened her eyes, a charming smile blooming on her face, and said softly, "This tea is sweet upon entry, with almost no bitterness. It is truly a rare and delicious tea, Lady Astraea."
Hearing Kaguya's words, Alise, who was sitting aside, looked suspicious. She thought to herself, Is it really that good?
With a hint of doubt, she picked up her own teacup and carefully took a sip. She paused, letting the tea stay in her mouth for a moment before slowly swallowing.
Then, she frowned, thoughtfully recalling the taste, and said, "Hmm... It does feel a bit sweeter than what we usually drink, but I don't feel much of a difference."
Hearing this, Roland, who was sitting to Alise's left, first grabbed a cup placed slightly further away in front of Ryuu. Then he picked up another cup, took a sip, savored it for a while, and swallowed. Finally, after thinking it over, he squeezed out a sentence:
"It really doesn't seem any different."
Kaguya put on a look of disgust and said, "Hah! It's clearly just you two who don't know how to appreciate tea. What a waste of such good leaves... Log Elf, you try it. As an elf, you should be able to taste the difference, right?"
As she spoke, she lifted her chin provocatively toward Roland and Alise.
"Kaguya! What do you mean by 'Log Elf'?!" Ryuu's eyes widened, and her brows furrowed as she asked. Eventually, she sighed helplessly, reached out for her teacup, and took a small sip.
"Hmm? It is indeed different from before, Lady Astraea."
Hearing Ryuu's verdict, Kaguya covered her mouth with her long sleeve and let out a mocking laugh. "Heh heh heh, how surprising! Even Lion can taste the difference, yet you two didn't feel a thing. My, oh my, aren't you even more useless than the Useless Elf?"
Roland and Alise looked at each other, pointed fingers, and silently mocked one another.
Astraea maintained her elegant smile and said softly, "Hehe, alright now, Kaguya, don't say that. Everyone's perception of things is different. Perhaps Alise and Roland just happened not to taste it this time."
"Exactly! How could I, the perfect Captain, fail to taste the difference?" Alise immediately pushed her luck, smiling as she squeezed toward Kaguya.
Kaguya, squeezed against the arm of the sofa, immediately counterattacked, shoving back against Alise while saying, "You idiot Captain who can't understand human speech! Lady Astraea was clearly just saving face for you."
As the two pushed and shoved playfully in the small space, Roland was involuntarily swayed left and right by their movements.
Gradually, he was squeezed forcefully to Ryuu's side, pressing tightly against her.
Feeling Roland's warm body pressed against hers, Ryuu's cheeks instantly flushed red, like a ripe apple. She lowered her head shyly, trying to gently shift her body to get away from this "awkward spot."
"Alise, Kaguya, stop messing around!" Ryuu shouted with a flushed face, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, Celtie, sitting on a nearby chair, was reading a thick book with gusto. Hearing the noise, she looked up to watch the hilarious scene unfolding before her.
Iska, who had been holding several clothes of different colors and novel styles, worrying about which combination was more fashionable, was also attracted by the amusing scene. She temporarily put aside her worries and laughed along with them.
Roland, squeezed into helplessness, locked his gaze precisely on Alise beside him.
She looked triumphant about the chaos she had caused, seemingly unaware of the "disaster" about to befall her.
The corners of Roland's mouth turned up slightly, revealing a sly smile. He quietly reached out and accurately targeted Alise's sensitive tickle spot.
"Hahaha—" Taken completely off guard, Alise was hit by the sudden attack and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
While laughing, she pointed at Roland and shouted coquettishly, "Oh my! I didn't expect you, Roland, to dare betray your Captain! Just wait until I deal with you! Take this!" Saying that, she waved her hands, attempting to counterattack.
Roland pushed off the sofa with both hands, scrambling quickly toward Ryuu to dodge Alise's pursuit. However, just as he moved, he felt a strong hand tightly grab his ankle.
"Not good!" Roland cried out internally. Before he could react, he lost his balance and fell backward, landing straight onto Ryuu's warm, soft thighs.
"Eh? Are you okay, Roland?" Ryuu's anxious and concerned voice immediately reached Roland's ears. She was just about to reach out to lift him up.
However, Roland had no time to respond to Ryuu's concern, because in that instant, he felt Alise pounce on him like a ferocious little beast.
In the heat of the moment, Roland instinctively reached out and wrapped his arms around Ryuu's waist—so slender it felt like a single grip could encompass it—trying to use her as leverage to pull himself up.
Despite Roland's best efforts, Alise sat directly on top of him. Immediately, her nimble little hands began to tickle him relentlessly.
"Hahahaha..." Roland couldn't hold it back anymore, and a burst of hearty laughter escaped his lips.
He laughed and twisted his body, trying to avoid Alise's attacks. But Alise refused to give up, increasing her intensity, forcing Roland to bury his face in Ryuu's embrace as he laughed.
Meanwhile, Ryuu felt a warm breath constantly blowing against her stomach. The sensation was both unfamiliar and flustering. Her cheeks turned crimson instantly.
Not only that, due to excessive nervousness, Ryuu's body began to tremble involuntarily, and her legs went stiff.
Uwaaa... Ryuu screamed internally, unsure of how to handle the chaotic situation before her.
Although Ryuu usually refused physical contact with strangers due to her severe mysophobia, once she became familiar with someone, she no longer resisted normal physical interaction.
As her relationship with Roland deepened day by day, even with such intimate actions, Ryuu felt no desire to reject him. Did this mean some changes were quietly taking place within her?
Finally, when Roland was almost out of breath, he had to beg for mercy: "Hahaha... I give up, haha, let me off, Alise!"
Hearing this, Alise stopped her hands with satisfaction and stood up from Roland.
Alise stood on the sofa with her hands on her hips, laughing loudly, her cheeks flushed from the play. Roland, looking as if he had been violated, lay stiffly in Ryuu's arms without making a sound.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Danmachi : Mage's Infinite Journey (168 Chapters – Ongoing)
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Usually, Astraea was the one to wrap up their play sessions. She clapped her hands and smiled, "Alright, alright, stop playing. Everyone come closer; Roland has something important to tell you all."
Roland wiped the corner of his mouth, climbed up from the embrace of Ryuu—who was pretending to be calm—and settled his emotions. He then repeated the details of what he had seen and heard to everyone.
Then, moving slightly away from the group, he took out all the Fire Stones, ready to prevent any explosion at a moment's notice.
Looking at the evidence, Alise spoke with a serious expression, "Looks like we need to warn Shakti and the others to be careful when arresting the Evilus members later."
After all, they were going on an expedition the day after tomorrow. Not only had the Guild issued clear orders, but the Astraea Familia had also invested huge amounts of manpower, resources, and precious materials into this venture.
If they abandoned the expedition now, all their previous efforts would be wasted, and the burden they would have to bear in the future would be incredibly heavy—they might even have to go back to the days of eating plain cabbage.
"So, what exactly does the Dark Faction plan to do with so many Fire Stones?" Noin asked, scratching her head.
Lyra spoke with disgust, "Well, they're definitely going to use them to attack people. Hah! I don't want to get hit by Fire Stones in the coming days."
Hearing this, Roland looked as if he had just realized something. I knew I forgot something. He then took the Magic Sword out of his [Backpack].
"Here, Lyra-nee, this Magic Sword is for you." Roland handed the flame sword to Lyra.
"Paired with your secret bombs, it will definitely bring a surprise to the enemy. Although, it can't be used many times."
"Hmm? How do you have this Magic Sword? You didn't go spending money recklessly again, did you? Buying it just to use yourself... even Lion knows how to use money better than you," Lyra said grumpily.
Ryuu, who was often used as a negative example, was used to these jokes. She didn't react to the slander, merely curious about where Roland had bought the sword.
Roland explained, "This Magic Sword was the reward for that request just now. Miss Tsubaki gave it for free."
"Ho? Since it's free, I'll take it." Lyra didn't refuse again. After all, everyone in the Familia except her and May were Level 3, and since she often faced enemies head-on, the Magic Sword would be useful to her.
After the Q&A ended, everyone discussed the precautions for the expedition. Although most of it was directed at Roland—after all, despite their team previously having only 11 members, they had been on quite a few expeditions.
...
Roland was about to turn off the Magic Stone lamps in the hall when he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Lyra walking over. He asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Lyra-nee? Did you forget something?"
Lyra, with her hands behind her back, hopped a few steps closer to Roland and said, "I did leave something behind... I left you behind, little guy."
Thoughts flashed through his mind, and Roland understood, but he pretended to be nonchalant. "Hmm? I haven't been left behind by Lyra-nee. Do you want me to help you find it?"
Having lived together for a long time, Lyra, whose IQ returned to high ground when facing Roland, saw through his disguise at a glance. She smiled, "Heh, you're really skilled at pretending not to understand... Squat down a little, I can't reach you!"
Roland obediently squatted down, looking up at Lyra.
Placing her hands on Roland's face, Lyra said grumpily, "I didn't expect you to really plan on keeping everyone living together forever, and to do so many things to make everyone fall for you."
"...Is that not allowed?" Roland whispered.
"...I have no reason to stop you. After all, everyone is very happy to be close to you... and I'm no exception." Lyra's pink eyes, filled with tenderness, met Roland's gaze. "So, you should know what to do."
Roland held the small hands on his face, slowly stood up, bent down until his nose touched Lyra's, and asked, "You can't regret this."
"You're so troublesome. But... falling for a troublesome guy like you is my own fault too," Lyra smirked, then answered Roland firmly, "I won't regret it."
Hearing Lyra's answer, Roland gently held her shoulders, meeting her slightly raised head and her moist softness.
"Mmph... Mn..."
Her shoulders trembled noticeably, then, as if losing strength, she relaxed completely.
Roland brushed away the bangs covering Lyra's face. His eyes remained open, locking with hers, eyelashes fluttering slightly. At this moment, words became irrelevant; all emotions were conveyed through their eyes.
Releasing his hands from her shoulders, he used a little strength to cup her cheeks instead.
Roland leaned in again, extending his tongue to pry open her tightly closed softness.
After a while.
"...Hah, hah, you guy... why are you so skilled at this? exactly how many times have you kissed?" Lyra panted.
Roland also panted as he responded, "Do you remember how many breads you have eaten?"
"You... making jokes in a situation like this. What an awful child." Calming her racing heart, Lyra complained grumpily, licking her lips.
"But forget it. Considering it felt pretty good just now, I'll let you off this once."
Roland grabbed Lyra's slightly calloused small hand, interlaced their fingers, and said, "Let's go. After I turn off the lights, I'll walk you to your door."
Snap—
The originally bright and brilliant hall instantly plunged into darkness. All the Magic Stone lamps seemed to be extinguished by an invisible hand at once, leaving only endless blackness and silence.
Roland and Lyra walked slowly out of the door. Their footsteps sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet environment, as if every step tread upon each other's heartstrings.
Along the way, neither spoke, simply silently feeling the warmth transmitted from the other's hand.
Unknowingly, they arrived at the door of Lyra's room.
At this moment, Lyra, who had been silent, suddenly looked up. scratching her cheek, she asked somewhat shyly, "Um... can we do it one more time?"
Roland smiled silently, bent down again, and kissed Lyra.
A moment later, they parted. Lyra pushed open the door, a trace of sweetness flashing in her eyes, and waved goodbye to Roland with a smile.