By the time Leno came back to his senses, the edge of the island cloud was already a complete mess.
Clothes were scattered everywhere, with bits of fabric, headphones, shoes, and the like piled up haphazardly nearby.
He squinted slightly as he looked up at the sky and found that the sun was shining brightly, the heavens clear and spotless.
Lying atop the island cloud, he could already feel the warmth of the sunlight.
Gentle breezes swept by, ruffling the sleeping girl's hair.
Leno slowly exhaled and tilted his head slightly. Uta was nestled in his arms, her body so soft it felt almost boneless.
The corners of the girl's lips curled faintly upward, her delicate face flushed with the lingering afterglow.
After a moment of daze, he let out a somewhat helpless, bitter smile.
He really hadn't expected the aftereffects to be this strong…
It was Uta who had it rough, though.
Ever since she was abandoned as a child, she had always carried a deep sense of loneliness. Even after boarding the ship, she had never truly felt at ease.
It wasn't until last time—when she took the initiative and formed a real relationship with Leno—that her state of mind gradually stabilized.
Seeing her grow happier day by day filled Leno with quiet relief.
This time, he'd been far too rough. He wondered if he'd hurt her at all.
As he was thinking that, his hand seemed to move of its own accord and began kneading again.
Before long, Leno noticed the girl's closed eyelids, her lashes trembling ever so slightly.
The corners of his mouth twitched as he lowered his voice and chuckled into Uta's ear.
"Uta, let's go back to the room to sleep~"
Even though no one but him would come to this spot, he couldn't just let her sleep on the island cloud all day.
If he'd known, he should've gone straight to the bedroom in the cabin back then…
Hearing Leno's words, Uta scrunched her nose and slowly opened her eyes.
Her bright, amethyst-like pupils were veiled in a hazy mist. She shot Leno a shy, annoyed glare.
A trace of lazy, mature charm naturally showed between her brows.
In that moment, the girl's transition from youthful innocence to maturity was perfectly on display, seamless and effortless.
Warm sunlight spilled across her face, making her eyes shine even more, adding a calm yet playful aura.
The unique charm she revealed at that instant left Leno utterly unable to let go.
For a split second, the figure before him seemed unreal, dreamlike, drifting just out of reach.
He lowered his head and lightly hooked the girl's nose with his finger, speaking in an indulgent tone.
"Good girl~ get up now, or the sun's going to scorch you in a bit."
"Hiss~ I—I can't get up~"
Just as she tried to move, Uta's body stiffened, followed by a sharp intake of breath.
She shot Leno an exasperated sideways glance. This bastard was like a bull—he'd worked her nearly to pieces.
Her whole body ached, and she didn't have an ounce of strength left!
"And my clothes… you tore them all up…"
This was beyond ridiculous!
"It's fine~ wear mine. Come, I'll help you~"
"..."
Blushing the entire time, Uta let Leno dress her as he pleased. After a soft rustling of fabric, the two finally got themselves sorted out.
Leno swept his gaze around once more while holding Uta, then leaped forward.
After settling Uta on the Gale, Leno instructed the maids to look after her carefully.
Thinking of what she'd mentioned that morning about Gordon, he decided to go ask what was going on.
After a bit of inquiry, Leno learned that the old man really couldn't sit still—he actually wanted to open a music academy here.
That fit Leno's plans perfectly. After all, he'd had the same idea himself; he just hadn't gotten around to arranging it since returning.
Since Gordon was already in place, he couldn't leave the other person out.
With that thought, Leno turned into a streak of lightning and flew toward the island where Acier was staying—Alchemi.
When he arrived at Alchemi, the sight before him left Leno both amused and exasperated.
Father and daughter were both fully in "lying-flat" mode, each stretched out on a lounge chair, leisurely sunbathing on the island.
"I say, you two… finished cleaning up already?"
"And the people I arranged for you?"
Leno's sudden appearance startled them both. Olga immediately sprayed out the juice she'd just taken into her mouth.
After coughing violently a few times, her face flushed red, Olga glared at Leno, baring her teeth and claws.
"You bastard! Can't you make a sound when you move?!"
"Did you forget? I don't need to walk—I can fly!"
Seeing the 200-year-old 'little girl' go berserk, Leno spread his hands helplessly, his expression as smug as it could get.
"Y-you…!"
Olga pointed at Leno with wide eyes, completely choked up and unable to speak for a long while.
In the end, she huffed and turned away, refusing to pay attention to the shameless guy.
Seeing his daughter so thoroughly angered, Acier smiled helplessly and looked toward Leno.
"Lord Leno, the people you sent to help—I've already had them return."
As he spoke, he handed Leno a chair beside him before continuing,
"Cleaning up our home was enough. As for the rest… we'll see how we feel. We'll do it when we have time~"
"..."
No, wait—are you really this laid-back?
You are at an age for striving and struggling, hey! Besides, you still have the Pure Gold. No, wait, is it because you have the Pure Gold that you've started to rot and slack off?
"Dr. Acier, have you thought about how you want to live from now on?"
"From now on? From now on, I'll just spend my time with Olga~"
Acier's expression went distant for a brief moment. Then he smiled gently at Olga beside him, his eyes filled with affection.
His daughter was now his only attachment. He didn't want anything else anymore. Spending the rest of his life watching Olga grow was enough.
"Then have you thought about what kind of life you want Olga to have in the future?"
Faced with someone who had no personal desires, even Leno found it hard to persuade him. Still, he couldn't just let a talent like this go to waste.
But soon, he had an idea. Since Acier only cared about his daughter, then he'd start with her.
At that thought, Leno's eyes lit up slightly. He looked at Acier with feigned disbelief.
"Don't tell me you plan to have her stay with you on this tiny island forever."
"Before, there weren't any options. But now there are so many kids her age on Skypiea. You really want her to stay isolated from the world?"
"Th-this…"
Acier, who only wanted to slack off, felt like he'd been hit over the head. His mind buzzed.
He really had planned to live peacefully here. After all, the place was safe, and the island's resources were abundant.
They'd had enough to live for 200 years already—another few hundred wouldn't have been a problem.
But after Leno put it that way, he realized he'd been taking things for granted.
He hadn't even asked for Olga's opinion before making the decision on his own.
Thinking of that, Acier immediately turned to his daughter with a face full of guilt and spoke softly.
"Olga, I'm sorry. I didn't consider how you felt~"
"What does it matter? You can't control me anyway. I'll go wherever I want…"
Seeing her father's face scrunch up like a withered chrysanthemum, Olga rolled her eyes in annoyance.
She'd lived alone for 200 years—this counted as a problem?
At that moment, Leno's unhurried voice drifted over again.
"I've got an idea that works out perfectly for everyone. Want to hear it?"