Despite the rumors about her being arrogant and temperamental, Alfia was not the kind of woman who would publicly share something that might humiliate her. Especially not with these two.
Her tone was cold and flat as she spoke. "I was observing him from the shadows on the 17th floor. After that brat finished off Goliath, he noticed me and took the initiative to provoke a fight. His attacks were trickier than I expected. I was careless for a moment, and he knocked my gauntlet off."
"He took the initiative to provoke you?" Zald raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "That takes guts. Sounds like he's pretty confident in his own strength."
"But if he managed to make you drop your guard…" Zald's voice trailed off, his eyes sharpening. "Then his strength really might be something."
He rubbed his chin, eyes gleaming. The itch to test Akira himself was growing stronger by the second.
Just then, a faint noise came from outside the church. It sounded like a group of people moving quickly and closing in. The three instantly tensed.
Alfia raised her hand slightly and motioned for Zald to check the situation.
Zald moved swiftly to the window, peeked through the crack in the wooden shutters, and muttered under his breath, "A group of adventurers. They've got elephant masks… Looks like Ganesha Familia. They're armed and moving with urgency."
Erebus let out a dry laugh and threw up his hands. "Hah, and here I thought it was strange that no one came after all the racket we made."
"True or not, we can't let them find us here." Alfia said flatly, her brows furrowed. "I don't want another pointless fight."
Without another word, she sprang lightly out of the broken church window, vanishing into the shadows with a swift leap.
Zald and Erebus exchanged glances. Without hesitation, Zald grabbed Erebus and tossed him over his shoulder like luggage before dashing out after Alfia with a nimbleness that defied his size.
Meanwhile, heavy knocking rang out on the church's battered doors.
A commanding voice boomed from outside. "Attention! We are the military police of the Ganesha Familia. We are conducting a search for suspicious individuals. Open the door immediately!"
Moments later, the door creaked open. A team of adventurers surged inside, only to be greeted by the sight of shattered benches, broken furniture, and dust. There wasn't a single soul in sight.
They all looked at each other in confusion.
The next morning, golden sunlight filtered through the cracks in Lyra's bedroom curtains.
Lyra stirred in bed, her long lashes fluttering. She reached out instinctively with one hand, searching for warmth beside her. But her fingers touched only empty sheets. Her brows furrowed slightly.
"Did Akira leave already…?" She murmured sleepily.
Memories of the previous night drifted back to her hazy mind.
The fierce "duel" that lasted deep into the night, her body gradually giving out as fatigue overwhelmed her, her vision fading into darkness…
Before she blacked out, she vaguely remembered Akira carefully carrying her back to her room, tucking her in, and lying quietly beside her.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes. A faint drowsiness still clung to her, her expression soft and lazy. But as the memories replayed in her mind, her cheeks turned pink. The rosy blush bloomed like spring peach blossoms.
The feeling of last night still lingered in her body, and the images wouldn't stop replaying.
A while ago, Akira had already woken up. He lied there silently, gazing at Lyra's peaceful sleeping face.
Golden light spilled over her delicate features. She looked serene—beautiful beyond words.
He couldn't help but smile. A warm, content smile spread across his lips. Then, carefully, he lifted the blanket and slowly sat up without making a sound.
He gathered the clothes that had been tossed aside and began to smooth out the wrinkles, his fingers brushing gently over the fabric with care.
His movements were meticulous and deliberate, revealing a gentleness most wouldn't expect from an adventurer.
Then he spotted a pair of black stockings, torn from the prior night, and quietly slipped them into his [Backpack].
Just as he was about to leave, he felt a presence behind him. Turning slightly, he saw Lyra propped up in bed, smiling slyly at him. Her eyes sparkled with teasing mischief.
She looked him over—his stiff movements, the slightly rumpled collar—and then leaned on her elbow, smirking.
"Hey, Akira." She purred with a foxlike grin. "Want to sneak away now that you have eaten everything?"
Akira ignored Lyra's teasing and replied gently, "You looked like you were sleeping so soundly… I didn't want to disturb you."
Lyra blinked, slowly sitting up in bed. She pulled the quilt over her chest with a lazy stretch and gave him a mischievous grin. "Oh? But with how sneaky you looked just now, it's like you were feeling guilty about something."
Akira chuckled, scratching his head with a wry smile. "Really? I was just worried you'd feel embarrassed waking up next to me."
His gaze softened as he looked at her, eyes filled with warmth and tenderness.
Lyra lightly smacked him on the arm, her expression playfully annoyed, yet there was a touch of coquettishness in her motion. "Stop being so serious, dummy. But… I'll admit, that battle last night—it really got my heart racing."
"Mm." Akira nodded, his mind briefly flashing back to their "duel."
A grin tugged at his lips as he said, "You picked up the rhythm really fast. Your technique kept improving. If it weren't for my stronger physique, I might not have been able to hold you down at all."
Their eyes met, laughter glinting in their expressions as they recalled the night's chaotic, but intimate skirmish.
Lyra let out a soft snort and stretched out her hand from beneath the covers. With a quick motion, she tried to squeeze Akira's waist—only to recoil slightly in frustration.
"What the heck is this physique?" She muttered, pinching him again and feeling like she was trying to bend alloy.
Akira smirked in response and counterattacked with precision. But just as the two were about to engage in another friendly bout—
"Lyra? Are you awake? Why are you so late today?" Alise's energetic voice echoed through the door with zero warning, instantly snapping the moment in half.
"Ah—!" Lyra froze. Her hand jerked away from Akira like she'd touched fire, and she scuttled to the far side of the bed, her cheeks flushing crimson.
She hurriedly shouted back, "I-I know! I'm getting up right now."
As she responded, she darted a sharp look at Akira, clearly signaling with her eyes.
Don't you dare touch me right now.
Unfortunately for her, Akira had no intention of playing along. With a devilish smirk, he silently reached out again, targeting her weak spot with pinpoint accuracy.
"Y-You little… bastard." Lyra hissed in a suppressed voice, trembling under the quilt.
Okay." Alise's voice gradually faded as her footsteps grew distant.
Lyra let out a long sigh of relief, her chest rising and falling as if she'd just avoided a disaster.
But when she turned around, she saw Akira looking at her with a grin that screamed mischief.
Her expression froze. Her eyes darted left and right in embarrassment, her lips twitching as if weighing something in her mind.
After a short pause, she seemed to come to a decision.
(End of Chapter)
Naruto: Reborn With a Template System
New Book
Satoshi transmigrated to the world of Naruto and became an ordinary Uchiha.
Facing the night of genocide three years later, he had a headache.
Thankfully, at the critical moment, he successfully activated the Template System, acquiring Tobirama's Template at the start.
Flying Thunder God, Master of Forbidden Techniques, Ninja World Scientist, and even Sage Arts, all of them were mastered.
[Tobirama has become the head of the Uchiha clan.]
[Reward: No side effects when using Mangekyo Sharingan]
From then on, Satoshi bore the surname of Uchiha, but became the splitting image of the Second Hokage.
Until one day, when Orochimaru used Edo Tensei...
Tobirama was stunned when he saw the white-haired, red-eyed Uchiha kid who was skilled in all kinds of forbidden techniques.
"How come this naturally evil Uchiha brat looks exactly like me when I was young?!"