Boom!!!!!
"Aah fuck, I should have flash-stepped away from him before doing that," I muttered, blinking through the thick cloud of smoke and guts that now painted the inside of the cave a grotesque shade of blue. The air was thick with the stench of burning troll flesh, charred blood, and something else I would rather not identify. Looking down at myself, I saw that I was absolutely drenched in the remains of the troll king—my arms, chest, and even my legs were coated in sticky, dark blue troll gore.
It dripped down my bandages in slow globs, staining everything it touched. The icy air seemed to cling to the wetness, making it all the more uncomfortable.
"Blue doesn't look good on you," Kayda said dryly, her voice laced with sarcasm as she casually strolled up behind me, arms crossed over her chest and a teasing smirk playing at her lips.
"Naha, you're just jealous." I shot back, turning to her with a grin despite the mess. "Don't worry, come here to give your girlfriend a big old—Grugh!"
A blast of water hit me square in the face, cutting off my words and sending me flying backward onto my ass with a wet splat. I landed with an unceremonious thud, coughing up water while troll guts slid down my cheek and into the grass.
"...No," Kayda said plainly, lowering her outstretched hand with a satisfied nod before blasting me again for good measure.
"Cough, cough—I think I'm clean now, Kayda!" I wheezed between hacking fits, holding up both hands like I was surrendering to a bandit raid.
"You sure?" she asked, one brow arched in a mixture of doubt and mock curiosity.
"Yes, yes, I promise!" I mumbled, hauling myself upright with what dignity I had left.
Kayda tilted her head slightly and stepped closer, her crimson eyes scanning me from head to toe. She reached out and flicked a piece of troll intestine off my shoulder with a grimace.
"It looks like you're right," she finally said, although her nose scrunched at the lingering smell. "Bleh, the smell is still there, though."
"Yeah, no shit," I said, sniffing at my arm and instantly regretting it. "I reek like a week-old corpse dunked in sewage."
"Let's go to that river we saw on our way here," Kayda said, already heading toward the exit of the cave and turning on her heel as if this entire bloodbath was a simple Tuesday errand. "We can clean up there."
"Wait—where are you going?" I called after her, blinking. "We need to clean up here and collect everything before we can go and clean up properly."
"Use your dimensional storage," she said without even glancing back.
"What a help you are," I grumbled under my breath, turning to face the piles of steaming troll remains. The battlefield was like an art piece from hell, with blood splattered on walls and bones sticking out at awkward angles. I sighed and trudged over to begin the grim task of collecting everything worth salvaging.
(1 hour later)
Splash!
"So refreshing," I said with a long, relieved sigh as I emerged from the river, water cascading down my hair and back. The chill seeped into my skin, but it was a welcome contrast to the heat and stench of earlier. Currently, I wore nothing but a pair of black shorts, my top wrapped up in fresh bandages that clung to my chest.
"It is, isn't it?" Kayda replied, standing waist-deep in the water with a content expression on her face. Her red bikini hugged her curves in a way that made my heart flutter and my nose bleed slightly for the second time that day. The water shimmered around her like a goddess stepped out of a fantasy painting.
'I am so lucky to have a chance with someone like her,' I thought, unable to look away. Her wet hair stuck to her collarbone while her tail swished lazily behind her—it was almost unfair.
"Yes," I said dreamily. "Sadly, I'll need to dry my tail again after this, but it's worth it."
Kayda looked at me with a smirk. "You sound like you've already made peace with your sacrifice."
"I have," I said solemnly before swimming closer to her, enjoying the soft tug of the current around my legs.
"What do you want to do after this?" Kayda asked, tilting her head as she met my gaze.
"I don't know," I replied, floating lazily on my back. "We could walk around the city or get ready to leave toward the demon territory. I'm not really fussed either way."
"We can leave tomorrow ," she said, flashing me a smile that instantly made me forget how to breathe.
"Great. I can't wait to see that tomato girly again," I said a bit too eagerly, instantly noticing the sharp glance Kayda sent my way.
"Why?" she asked, voice flat, eyes narrowing.
"I never met the Anabald yet and wanted to know how they are," I said hastily, waving my hands in surrender. "Purely academic interest!"
Kayda didn't respond immediately, just nodded slowly. "Ooh, okay, I won't say anything then."
Smartass.
"How much gold do you think we'll get for the gems we got?" she asked, changing the topic with a thoughtful tilt of her head.
"I don't have a clue," I admitted, rolling onto my stomach and propping my chin on my arms.
"Do you at least know how much it weighed?"
"No, but it should be at least a ton or two. That's excluding the value of killing all the trolls." I added that with a smug little grin.
"You got every single troll?" she asked, blinking.
"Of course I did," I said proudly. "We'll get money for each corpse since we eliminated the threat."
"In other words, we'll at least get 7,000 gold," Kayda said, her eyes sparkling.
"Probably…" I said, stretching out my arms before grinning. "I think Armillian is my favorite city."
"Why?"
"Because I became rich in this city!" I declared.
"Huh? Kitsuna, this quest was under my name, so all that gold is mine."
"What?" I cried out, flailing in the water. "That's highway robbery!"
"Hehe, all that money is mine," she said with an evil little laugh.
"Kaydaaaa," I whined, paddling over and wrapping my arms around her waist. "You can't be so mean to your girlfriend."
"Stop that. Your eyes get scarier when you try to pout," she said, pushing my head away.
"Moo… Come on, Kayda. Sharing is caring."
"Will you be sharing the money you made last night at the auction?"
"Of course," I said, letting her go. "I was planning to use most of that for food."
"Hmm… And what are you going to do with the quest money?"
"Buy more food, obviously," I said, as if that wasn't already clear.
"Good. It better be a lot of juicy steaks, then," she said, crossing her arms.
"Yaya, you can have them. I'll take the bones."
"It's good to know that we are compatible when it comes to food," she said with a soft smile.
"Hmm… I never thought about that, but that's true," I said, staring at her a little too long. Her smile made my heart flutter. Her bikini wasn't helping, either.
"That bikini and your smile are a bit of an overdose," I added, trying to look away but failing.
"Aah, is my girlfriend embarrassed?" she teased, inching closer.
"No, I'm dazzled," I said, holding my expression flat despite the burning in my cheeks.
"Aah, don't lie to me," she said, standing in front of me now, her grin almost predatory. She tapped my chin gently, eyes dancing. "It's just the two of us here for quite a distance."
"Heh, you're playing the wrong game," I said. Before she could react, I looped my right arm around her waist and gently pulled her toward me. My other hand came up to the back of her neck, and I leaned in close, planting a kiss on her forehead.
Kayda froze. Her cheeks flushed bright red.
"You're playing with a fox, my dear," I whispered with a grin.
"Why the forehead?" she asked, blinking in surprise.
"We've been dating for one day. I don't know if you want our first kiss to be romantic or what," I said, stepping back.
"I guess I would prefer a romantic first kiss," she muttered. "Wait, so you don't care?"
"Not really. Former male, remember?" I pointed at myself, smirking. "Your first kiss, huh?"
"That's true… And yes, I've never kissed anyone before," she admitted, turning away.
"Aah, don't be embarrassed. I haven't kissed anyone in this life either," I said, hugging her from behind.
'Now that I think about it… I really haven't kissed anyone in this life. I haven't kissed anyone in my life, not even my family or nanny. Guess I never had the chance, huh?'
"Don't mock me. I already know you've done everything," Kayda muttered.
"Hey, don't be frustrated. Remember, this body might be yours one day," I whispered into her ear.
"Don't do that!" she yelped, elbowing me hard in the gut.
"Ugh—kay, ow," I wheezed, falling backward into the water. "That hurt like a truck."
"That's what you get. Hmph," Kayda huffed, climbing out of the water.
She was just like me back when Sensei and I... yeah. I didn't even have the guts to hit her, though.'
"I guess we're done," I muttered, standing up and healing the cracked rib. I cupped my hands around my mouth and called out, "Remember to be my gift!"
(2 hours later)
"She killed a what!?" Sara shouted, gaping at us in disbelief.
"Are you deaf? Yes, I killed a troll king," I said, not even trying to hide my annoyance.
"How did you kill that!?"
'This freakin' woman,' I thought, narrowing my eyes and summoning an icicle in one hand.
"Sara, just a warning—don't get her too mad," Kayda said calmly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "And stop shouting. It's annoying."
"Tch, can we just get our payment already?" I snapped.
"Yes, of course! You can put the materials on that scale," Sara said quickly, pointing.
"Everything won't fit on that scale," I said, eyeing the tiny thing. "Got a bigger one?"
"We do, but it's in the back."
"Lead the way."
Sara turned and led us into the back of the guild, guiding us into a room with a massive 4-by-4-meter platform.
"You can dump everything here."
"Okay," I said, walking up and casually dumping a mountain of troll parts onto the platform.
"Dimensional magic?" Sara blinked.
"It's on her guild card, Sara," Kayda sighed. "You shouldn't be this surprised."
"Oh. Right. Ha-ha," Sara laughed nervously.
"Whatever," I muttered, already walking toward the door. "I'm going to sleep. I'm exhausted."
Kayda watched me go, shaking her head and smiling softly.