Inside the Palais Mermonia, it was only after stepping out of the elevator that Furina reluctantly let go of Airi's hand.
That small, soft hand had been so nice to hold...
Then she turned her head and told him to stay close so he would not get lost.
Airi nodded obediently and followed right behind her. Still, he could not suppress his curiosity and kept looking around as they walked.
Maybe because it was already late at night, aside from the guards at the entrance, there was no one else working inside the Palais Mermonia.
Everyone had probably gone home long ago.
Following Furina, he arrived at a room on the top floor.
The moment the door opened, a rich scent of desserts rushed toward him.
It was so strong that Airi's throat bobbed, and his brain nearly stopped functioning altogether.
But the sound of the door opening had already alerted the things inside the room...
Three blue-and-white creatures floating in the air came flying toward the two of them.
Only when they got closer did Airi recognize them.
They were Furina's summons...
Airi quietly took a step back and hid behind Furina.
Because compared to how they looked in the game, these three summons were at least twice as big in real life...
From the way they flew over, they seemed to have come specifically to greet Furina.
"Good evening, everyone~"
"Let me introduce you. This is Airi, a new friend I made. He'll be staying here for the night."
"So be sure to treat him well."
As she spoke, she pushed Airi out from behind her.
Then she pointed at the three aquatic companions one by one and introduced them:
"This is Mademoiselle Crabaletta, the cutest little maid."
"This is Surintendante Chevalmarin, the dependable steward."
"And this is Gentilhomme Usher, who handles matters of etiquette."
"Everyone should get along, alright?"
Airi looked at them, then looked back at Furina, his eyes full of caution...
He had known Furina had her Salon Members.
He just had not expected them to be this big...
In the game, those three were basically little tyrants.
The kind that would probably slap even a passing dog twice for no reason.
So Airi was extremely wary.
After all, the saying that the three of them together were worth three Ayatos was not a joke...
But unexpectedly, the aquatic companions did not attack him after seeing him.
Instead, they circled around him excitedly and even started touching him.
It was exactly like the way people acted when they saw a cute pet in a pet shop...
Even Furina was a little surprised by the scene.
Her three Salon Members all had minds of their own, but they had never acted this intimately toward a stranger before...
Meanwhile, Airi was struggling toward the dining table.
His stomach had already sensed the food ahead and was urging his brain to hurry over.
The desserts laid out on the table tempted him every second, but every step he took was unusually difficult...
Gentilhomme Usher had wrapped a tentacle around his back, Mademoiselle Crabaletta was hugging his right leg, and Surintendante Chevalmarin was nuzzling affectionately in his arms, looking as though she wanted to climb straight into him...
In the end, he could not move any farther and could only look pitifully toward Furina for help.
When Furina met that gaze, her heartbeat started speeding up too.
It was almost too much for her to bear...
Inside, she was screaming wildly:
I want to pet him! I really want to pet him!!
But for the sake of the Hydro Archon's dignity, she could not do something that rude, so she could only watch the others playing with him with wide, longing eyes...
She was a little jealous of them...
"Alright, everyone, let Airi eat something first before you keep playing."
Only after hearing Furina's command did the Salon Members reluctantly let him go...
At first, Airi felt a little embarrassed to eat.
After all, he was already staying at her place for the night, and now he was eating her food too. It really made him feel awkward.
But his growling stomach kept protesting...
With Lady Furina's approving nod, she successfully gained another believer.
After he had eaten his fill, Gentilhomme Usher led Airi to the room next door.
He had even thoughtfully prepared hot water and invited Airi to bathe.
Airi did not refuse. After undressing, he sank into the bathtub and began soaking.
But unsurprisingly, all the Salon Members barged in...
Apparently, they wanted to help Airi bathe.
Even though Airi politely declined, each one of them wore the same expression...
The kind that plainly said they did not understand human language.
Then they jumped into the tub on their own...
Airi could only look at them helplessly.
He did not particularly mind being seen naked, but their enthusiasm still made him feel embarrassed.
They were completely different species, after all. They probably did not have any strange thoughts, right...?
In the end, he could not resist their enthusiasm and simply accepted their service...
Gentilhomme Usher washed his clothes, Mademoiselle Crabaletta helped scrub his back, and Airi copied Furina by hugging Surintendante Chevalmarin and blowing bubbles with her, having the time of his life...
After the bath, he flopped down onto the soft bed.
So much had happened today that his eyelids felt impossibly heavy...
Unable to resist his drowsiness, he soon fell fast asleep.
In his sleep, Airi vaguely felt someone entering the room.
Then...
Something was crawling over him...
And not just one thing, but several...
Furina quietly opened the door and slipped inside. She only wanted to check whether Airi was adjusting well. She definitely did not have any other thoughts.
But the moment she saw the sleeping Airi on the bed, an improper thought rose in her heart...
After his bath, with only a towel wrapped around him, he looked far too tempting...
And the room still held that wonderfully pleasant scent drifting from his body...
Furina slowly approached...
The Salon Members tactfully moved aside and left her a space.
So her fingers slowly reached out...
A soft touch.
A sweet scent.
Furina felt a strange sensation rise in her body, something incredibly comfortable...
After these few moments of contact, she could clearly feel the mental pressure that had built up over centuries easing by quite a lot...
It was really...
A little addictive...
Furina's face flushed red, but she did not dare do anything more excessive. Afraid of waking Airi, she quietly slipped back out of the room...
The next morning, Airi was woken by something wriggling in his arms.
He slowly sat up.
Looking at the unfamiliar room around him and the Salon Members sprawled across his body, he shook his head and gradually came back to himself.
After tidying himself up, he walked to Furina's door and knocked.
"Lady Furina, I'm heading out now. Thank you for your hospitality."
There was no answer from inside.
She was probably still asleep...
Which fit Furina's personality perfectly.
Airi did not linger. Before the staff arrived for work, he quietly left the Palais Mermonia.
...
Not long after Airi left, Furina woke up too. She quietly pushed open the door to the room next door, wanting to sneak a look at Airi's sleeping face in the morning.
But what she saw instead was an empty room...
A trace of disappointment inevitably rose in her heart.
"So he already left..."
After sighing, she walked into the main hall to eat breakfast, only to find the Salon Members fighting over something...
In the end, Gentilhomme Usher won.
Delighted, he lifted his spoils high above his head with two tentacles...
A pair of black boxer briefs with white trim.
With just one glance, Furina knew exactly whose they were...
And something that could drive the Salon Members this crazy did not need much thought.
It had to belong to Airi.
"What are you all doing over there?!"
"How can you just take someone else's things!"
"Hand it over. I'm confiscating it. We have to return it to him later."
After Furina took the prize from a deeply aggrieved and unwilling Gentilhomme Usher...
Seeing the smile on Furina's face, he immediately realized he had been tricked.
But he did not dare say anything.
He could only watch helplessly as Furina carried away that article of clothing still carrying Airi's pleasant scent...
Meanwhile, outside, Airi knew nothing about any of this.
He had only opened his Adventurer's Handbook and was currently searching for a simple commission.
Still, he could not shake the feeling that something was missing.
Below the waist, it felt oddly breezy, but he could not quite remember why...
"Defeat rampaging monsters in the wild. Destroy Hilichurl watchtowers..."
These combat commissions were clearly beyond him right now.
If he forced himself to take them on...
He would probably get pinned down and beaten by monsters within minutes...
But as he kept reading, Airi's eyes suddenly lit up....
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