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Ryoji left the tavern with a heavy expression on his face.
A long expedition was coming up, so there was no time for part-time work. Using that as an excuse, he postponed learning Charm. Thanks to that, he didn't have to make a decision immediately.
"You really do care about him, huh?" Watching Ryoji's retreating back, the proprietress lightly snorted and shifted her gaze to the Goddess beside her.
"Do I?" Freya responded indifferently.
"You're not usually like this. Looks like it's always the ones you can't have that stir you up." The proprietress looked rather amused. She glanced at Freya. "And just now, you were smiling pretty happily. When was the last time you laughed that freely?"
Freya paused slightly.
'When was the last time she smiled so unguardedly?'
She couldn't remember.
Everyone around her had always been nothing more than collectibles; no one dared demand anything from her, no one ever dared make her angry, and everyone obeyed her every word. She was the Queen who reigned over everything.
Now that she thought about it, when was the last time she got angry so straightforwardly?
Freya fell into contemplation.
Only when the proprietress pointed it out did she realize with surprise that just a few hours with Ryoji today, and she had already experienced the long-lost, yet oddly familiar feelings of anger and happiness.
"Looks like I really can't let go of him so easily..." Freya murmured to herself, her tone growing more and more seductive.
…
"Ryoji, where did you go? You've been gone all day. Could it be that you went to the Dungeon again? Didn't they say you can't do strenuous activity for now..."
As soon as Ryoji returned to the Familia, Tiona came running over, nagging him with concern.
"Sorry, Tiona. Let me be alone for a bit." Ryoji shook his head, gently pushed past Tiona, and returned to his room alone.
"What happened to him?" Tiona looked completely confused.
He was clearly acting differently than usual, his vacant and struggling expression written all over his face. It was like he'd suffered some kind of huge blow.
No, that wasn't quite it. More like a major setback?
No, that still didn't seem right...
No matter how she thought about it, something just felt off.
Ryoji had fallen into the biggest dilemma since his reincarnation.
Even during his harsh childhood, when he endured brutal circumstances and still pushed forward without breaking, this time he was wavering, caught in a dilemma with no clear way forward.
"Do you have something on your mind?"
Morning again.
Ais didn't get the guidance she wanted during sword practice, and only then did she realize Ryoji was sitting on a bench nearby, wearing a heavy expression like he was pondering the meaning of life.
She thought about how much Ryoji had helped her, and figured she should return the favor. With the intention of helping him out, she asked:
"Ais, tell me… If you could obtain a powerful ability but had to pay a terrible price for it, would you still go for it?"
Ryoji suddenly brought up a deeply philosophical question, much like that wealthy woman Kanata used to do.
"Getting stronger always comes at a cost, doesn't it?" Ais tilted her head slightly, her golden hair swaying gently.
"Let me be more specific… For example, what if the cost was turning into a man? Would you still be willing?"
"That kind of opportunity actually exists?"
Instead of being shocked, Ais perked up.
"…?"
Ryoji was dumbfounded.
"My ability values, has Loki told you? My Strength and Endurance are stuck at D-rank. If I became male, I'd probably be way better at Strength and Endurance."
Ais touched her slender arm, looking somewhat wistful.
So that's how it is.
Because she's female, she's naturally weaker in Strength and Endurance, and her growth is capped at around D-rank in those areas. So Ais actually welcomed the idea of becoming male because it could help her grow stronger.
From that perspective, her answer was purely from the standpoint of getting stronger.
"Your resolve is greater than mine." Ryoji let out a long sigh, completely humbled.
"?"
"It's nothing. Just my own issue, don't worry about it." Ryoji shook his head as he spoke while Ais didn't quite understand.
Riveria often said that although Ais was strong, she always seemed to lack common sense in strange ways, calling her a bit of an "airhead."
What was she supposed to do at times like this? Ais tried to recall how Riveria would handle things.
Then, she extended her hand, gently placing it on top of Ryoji's head, and slowly began to rub.
"?"
"Back when I was troubled, Riveria would always do this to me…"
Ais blushed slightly.
For some reason, when Riveria patted her head, it felt totally natural. But now that she was the one patting Ryoji's head, her heart was racing, and she even had a sudden urge to flee.
"Oh… uh, thanks." Ryoji forced out a word of gratitude.
His Senior Sister, Touka, used to pat his head a lot too, so he wasn't particularly against it. After all, a head pat was often a way of showing affection.
Don't ask which head, you'll ruin the mood.
"Grrr… grr… grr…"
From behind the fountain came a gnashing of teeth. The wolf-man clenched his gleaming silver teeth so hard they made a crunching noise, his eyes bulging like copper bells.
'You come here to peep every day, don't you get tired?!'
After finishing her sword training, Ais quickly headed to the bath.
Ryoji remained seated on the bench, continuing to contemplate life while waiting for the dinner bell. He still had nothing to do today. He had to nurse his exhausted body back to full strength, or else it'd be a joke if he slipped and died during the expedition.
"Hey!"
Just as Ryoji was deep in thought, a cold shout came from behind.
He looked up.
A white-furred wolf-man approached with a vicious expression on his face.
Blood vessels popped in his eyes, looking like he'd been deeply agitated. His body leaned forward, exuding a menacing pressure.
"I don't know what you're thinking, but don't think you can keep stringing along both that idiot Amazoness and Ais at the same time! You'd better make a decision soon or don't blame me for getting impolite!"
Haiya!
'You little (stupid) adorably (dumb) cute (idiot)—'
'I'm already in a bad mood, and you just had to walk right into the muzzle of my gun, huh?'
Ryoji took a deep breath.
He glanced around.
There were quite a few girls watching his and Ais's sword practice. In fact, nearly all of them were girls.
Every morning, most of the girls in the Familia would sneak peeks at the courtyard.
It had practically become a tradition in Loki Familia.
Perfect.
Let me show you what it means to lose your mating rights.
"Stop asking me already, Bete! I don't know how to cure erectile dysfunction!" Ryoji suddenly shouted.
"???"
"???"
"???"
From behind the fountain, the spire windows, the shade of the trees, and even the busy kitchen—
Question marks burst forth from every direction.
"What? Bete has ED?"
"What? Bete's not functional?"
"What? Bete can't…?"
"…Huh?"
Bete let out a confused syllable, totally dumbfounded.
Watching the girls pouring in from every corner, whispering among themselves and shooting him weird glances. Bete suddenly realized what had just happened.
His face turned blood-red in an instant, veins bulging in his eyes, and his facial features twisted in rage.
But by then, Ryoji had already vanished without a trace.
Leaving Bete alone in the middle of the courtyard, trembling violently. A man on the verge of exploding from sheer fury.
"Awooooooooo—!!"
(End of Chapter)
PS-"For every 200 power stones, I'll release one bonus chapter (Current-02)!"