Chapter 372: Ahem!
Luke looked at Edelweiss, who was beneath him with her gaze slightly avoiding his, and immediately felt heat burning inside him.
Different from her usual strong and dignified posture, during her relationship with Luke over this period, whenever it involved "intimate contact," Edelweiss would act unusually timid.
Fear, shyness, softness—this contrast, completely opposite to her usual Valkyrie-like appearance, very easily stirred Luke's desire.
It had to be said that Edelweiss in this state was truly too alluring.
Without hesitation, Luke kissed her directly.
"Mm…"
Faced with Luke's assertiveness, Edelweiss was like a delicate young woman, unable to resist as her lips were sealed.
In truth, this was no longer the first time the two had kissed, but no matter when it happened, Edelweiss always felt very shy when facing this kind of intimacy.
Although she did not reject it because of that, she would become completely powerless to resist, as though all the strength in her body had vanished in an instant.
Even if she wanted to resist, she could not.
She could only let him lead her.
At the same time, Luke's hands were not idle either, gradually climbing up those two soft peaks...
Their closeness deepened little by little, and the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly heated.
…
After a long while.
"…Mm!!!"
Following the movements of his hands, Edelweiss's body suddenly stiffened for a moment before quickly going limp again.
Only then did Luke release Edelweiss's lips, quietly admiring the seductive beauty of the pure white Valkyrie beneath him.
Edelweiss could only turn her head away bashfully, breathing silently.
The rosy flush covering her entire body stripped away a bit of her original, flawless sanctity, adding a hint of allure instead.
Normally speaking, what came next should have been the "formal step."
However, Luke had no intention of continuing.
It was not that he did not want to.
The one who still hesitated about it was Edelweiss.
During their time together, the two had reached the door of the final step more than once, but in the end, they had always stopped because of her hesitation.
This time, Luke did not ask again.
He planned to wait as usual until Edelweiss recovered a little, then use "other" ways to calm himself down.
However, just as he was about to let go of her, he discovered in surprise that his hand had been pulled.
A fair little hand gently held Luke.
The strength was not great, and at the same time, Luke could feel it trembling slightly.
He looked at Edelweiss in surprise, only to find that she had nervously closed her eyes.
Edelweiss was truly very afraid.
She no longer knew how long it had been since she last experienced this feeling.
Nervousness, fear, helplessness, worry and confusion about the future—all of these were the reasons she had never dared to take the final step with Luke.
Because she knew that if she stopped now, there was still time.
But once she truly gave everything of herself, then for Edelweiss, there would be no way back.
At that time, she would officially be engraved with Luke's mark.
Edelweiss could never give herself to a second person in this life.
At that time, even if Luke betrayed her, she would still love him as always.
But in truth, Edelweiss also understood in her heart that even without taking the final step, there was already no room for a second person in her heart now.
It was only a trace of uncertainty that had kept Edelweiss from making up her mind.
Today, after seeing Sara and Kiriko's attitudes toward Luke, she understood.
She could not keep waiting.
She did not dare hesitate anymore.
And after figuring it out, Edelweiss found it somewhat funny.
She really had been worrying blindly.
She knew it.
She clearly knew it.
Luke could not possibly abandon her.
So she held onto him and spoke softly in a trembling voice.
"P-please, be gentle... I'm scared..."
It was precisely in that instant that Luke's reason snapped.
The night… began just like that.
…
(You can watch the NSFW part in my p-atreon.)
(PS: winkwink! You didn't think I would write lemons, right?)
…
"Ugh... it hurts..."
"Wait... no... ah!"
"Ah! Ge-gently..."
"We can't... let, let me rest... Eh... Wai-wait!"
"Ugh... how can you still... ah!"
The rest of the night passed in a haze of tenderness, nervousness, and warmth.
For Edelweiss, it was a step filled with fear, trust, and the courage to entrust herself completely to the person she loved.
…
The next day.
Today was the day before the Seven Star Sword Art Festival's opening ceremony.
The time had already reached the dinner hour in the afternoon.
At this moment, Luke was gathered with Ikki, Touka, Shizuku, and Arisuin in the lobby of the inn being used as the competitors' dormitory.
The reason they had gathered here was because they planned to go out for dinner.
The trigger was an invitation Moroboshi Yudai had made when the banquet was about to end yesterday.
"It's rare to come to Osaka. How can you not eat the local specialty?"
"And when it comes to a proper Osaka meal, of course it has to be okonomiyaki!"
"All right, it's decided. Tomorrow night, I'll take you to the best okonomiyaki restaurant in Osaka!"
Just like that, Moroboshi Yudai had unilaterally decided the invitation before Luke and the others even had time to refuse.
However, afterward, Luke, Ikki, and the others discussed it.
In the end, following Touka's suggestion, they decided to accept.
After all, according to Touka, as an Osaka local, the restaurant Moroboshi Yudai recommended was indeed very good.
Among them, the happiest one was Arisuin.
"Because I've never eaten okonomiyaki before. Since I finally came to Osaka, I was already planning to try it once."
"And your matches all begin tomorrow, so today is just right, isn't it?"
Hearing Arisuin say this, Luke raised an eyebrow.
Because he realized that he had never eaten this so-called okonomiyaki either.
In fact, he did not even know what kind of dish okonomiyaki was.
Seeing Arisuin praise it so much, Luke also became interested.
After all, when it came to food, drink, and fashion, Arisuin, this pseudo-girl, was far more knowledgeable than those real girls.
A dish that could make him praise it should not be bad.
"But still… being invited out for dinner by tomorrow's opponent is really a fresh experience."
These words were spoken by Ikki.
If Luke and Arisuin were looking forward to it, then Ikki's feelings were complicated.
No matter what, Moroboshi Yudai was his opponent tomorrow, and the two of them could not be called especially familiar.
The Seven Star Sword Art Festival was not a round-robin tournament, but a cruel knockout competition.
As long as one lost a single match, the tournament would end there.
Therefore, tomorrow, between Ikki and Moroboshi, one of them would definitely be eliminated.
Under these circumstances, inviting one's opponent…
Leaving aside what Moroboshi thought, Ikki felt rather awkward.
"Well, you don't need to think too much about it."
"Since the other side dared to invite us, then he definitely won't feel awkward about it himself. Otherwise, he wouldn't have done it."
"In any case, the match is tomorrow. Isn't it nice to eat properly today?"
Looking at Ikki's conflicted face, Luke spoke with a bright smile to persuade him.
…
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