Chapter 227 - I'm not exactly a pushover myself!
"No, it's not that..."
Ayase lowered her head even further, as if she wanted to bury her face under the table.
Her smooth, long hair completely covered her cheeks, but through the gaps in her hair, Roy could see that her face had turned a deep shade of crimson.
Seeing Ayase's shyness, Roy smiled. He decided to quit while he was ahead and didn't tease her further; pushing too hard would be counterproductive.
He could tell that her goodwill toward him had already increased significantly.
"I'm almost done eating. Do you know where Kuraudo is right now?" Roy asked, changing the subject to spare her further embarrassment.
"Are... are you really going to duel him?"
Ayase was silent for a moment. After calming the fluttering in her heart, she raised her head to ask, though the blush on her cheeks hadn't fully faded.
"Of course. It's better to end this kind of trouble early," Roy nodded.
"I don't know his specific whereabouts, but sometimes he stays at my dojo for a while," Ayase explained, a trace of apology on her pretty face.
"When I went to challenge him before, he was always there, but I don't know if he's there right now."
"I see. I should have asked him for his contact information before he left," Roy shrugged, sounding slightly regretful.
Hearing this, Ayase hesitated for a long time. Then, as if making a major decision, she reached into her pocket, took out her phone, and slid it across the table toward Roy.
"Um... my contact information..." Ayase muttered nervously.
Roy smiled, naturally understanding why she was doing this.
It seemed this girl really wasn't good at communicating with boys. She could handle ordinary topics fine, but the moment things became slightly intimate, she turned extremely shy.
Even maintaining eye contact seemed to drain her energy.
Roy readily exchanged numbers with her.
After getting Roy's contact information, Ayase breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had just finished a marathon.
She carefully took back her phone. Seeing the new name in her contacts, she lowered her head, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily curled upward.
"Where are you going now?" Ayase asked.
"I need to find a hotel. I just arrived in this city today, so I don't have a place to stay yet," Roy smiled. "Do you know any suitable hotels nearby?"
"If... if you don't mind..." Ayase hesitated for a moment.
...
Ten minutes later, Ayase led Roy to the front of a relatively luxurious apartment complex.
"This is my home. I usually live alone," Ayase said, opening the door and inviting Roy inside.
Despite Ayase's miserable life over the past two years, it didn't mean she was struggling financially.
Her father was the famous Last Samurai who ran a successful dojo; their family was quite wealthy.
"So, you own this place?" Roy glanced around the spacious apartment in surprise.
"Mhm... My house is quite big, and I have extra rooms. It must be more comfortable than staying in a hotel. Plus, you can save some money since you just arrived in Tokyo," Ayase said, her voice trembling slightly.
She rattled off a list of reasons that sounded logical but were clearly just excuses to justify her boldness. She felt she was being incredibly forward by bringing a boy she just met home.
"Thank you," He sensed she was at her limit; if he teased her about it, she might overheat and faint.
Putting on the guest slippers Ayase provided, Roy followed her inside.
"Don't you have a change of clothes?" Ayase asked curiously. She knew Roy had come from overseas, yet he carried no luggage.
"I originally planned to buy new ones when I got here. Lugging a suitcase around is too much trouble," Roy lied smoothly.
"Then... you can use my father's pajamas for tonight. I bought them for him before, but he never had the chance to wear them," Ayase said softly.
She tidied up the guest room and brought out a set of men's pajamas with the tags still on. Roy, naturally, had no reason to refuse.
After taking a shower, Roy went to sleep in the guest room. The night passed peacefully, with nothing happening beyond a few awkward, shy glances from Ayase.
The next day, after breakfast, Roy asked Ayase to take him to her family's dojo.
"Is this really a good idea? Roy, I'm truly grateful that you want to stand up for me, but Kuraudo is not an easy opponent. I'm worried..." Ayase's face was full of hesitation and fear.
Although she had been comforted by Roy's words yesterday, after thinking about it all night and recalling the terror of Sword Eater, her fear had returned.
She worried that Roy, like all the others, would be hurt by Kuraudo or worse, end up like her father, lying in a hospital bed, never to wake up.
Over the past two years, being defeated again and again, and watching Kuraudo reach the Top 8 in the Seven Star Sword Art Festival, had driven Ayase to despair.
She knew the gap in strength between them was massive.
"I'm not exactly a pushover myself," Roy smiled. There was no worry on his face, only a calm confidence.
His composure helped relieve some of Ayase's anxiety.
"Besides, I briefly clashed with him yesterday," Roy reminded her. "Although it was just a simple exchange, I could judge a part of his strength. You can rest assured, he is well within my ability to handle."
---
Read 20 advance chapters at:
patreon.com/verse7
PS:
200 Stones = 1 chapter
400 Stones = 2 chapter