So as not to make other people think something unscrupulous, we readily left the restroom.
"Parul, you only lifted your shirt, right?"
"Nothing else happened?"
"Did this guy threaten or do something indecent to you?"
Just as our footsteps were on the verge of entering back the karaoke room, we were instantly bombarded by Leo's fury of questions.
His eyes were red, breathing ragged like he had been enduring something unbearable underneath that worried expression.
Probably, after licking the blood of an old geezer spilled on the floor, the hatred between us was irreconcilable.
I don't know much, but looking at the satisfied faces of all, it seems Leo indeed obediently licked the blood on the floor according to the punishment Asuna gave!
It was not difficult to understand his poor plight: After all, which normal man would allow his girl to be alone with another person of the opposite sex in a closed room?
Acquaintances, Friends?…such things only exist in fantasies.
Men and women were made to be attracted to each other, that's the natural world order.
Concepts like acquaintances or friends, eventually, fail when it comes to lone men and women.
"He looks even more insecure than you."
I slowly whispered to Parul, who was still standing close to me.
"Huh?"
She was full of confusion.
"He is my partner, isn't it natural for him to show care?"
Parul also lightly muttered back. She was surprised by my sudden remarks, nevertheless, answered back.
In a barely audible voice that only Parul could hear, I continued,
"He is a spineless hypocrite."
"What's the use of showing such affection when everything has already happened?"
"If Leo genuinely cared about you, he would have never allowed you to be alone with me in the restroom in the first place, let alone joining others in peer-pressuring you to lift your shirt in front of me?"
My words were subtle yet factual, they carried a weight almost impossible to refute.
I don't know why I was saying all this.
Was it sympathy? Was it lust or some hidden desire I was not aware of, I just felt the need to vent out my thoughts.
Seeing that she stood in a daze after I completed my sentence, I carried on,
"I am a gentleman, therefore, I naturally did nothing to you when we were alone, but what if it was someone else? Someone that could overpower you!...Someone who had bad intentions towards you? At that time, would you still keep smiling like now?"
After expressing my concern, I nonchalantly walked ahead and took my seat beside Asuna.
As a gentleman, you should always give others time to think after you convey yourself, let them overthink.
Moreover, when it comes to overthinking, nothing can beat a woman!
Elandor's words seemed to have struck a chord within Parul.
She was forced to contemplate what he said.
Yes, in this supernatural world, fist speaks louder than words.
What if that other guy was more powerful than her and ruthlessly overpowered her?
Then would she have been a sitting duck waiting for rescue?….And the sole person to blame at that time would be Leo, her partner without a doubt, who never objected or showed any resistance to what was happening to her.
'He is right, is Leo really the right partner for me?'
Parul was forced to doubt her previous choices.
Normally, people are slow when it comes to usual matters, but when it comes to emotional matters, the mind starts running at lightning speed.
Absent-mindedly, she too returned to her seat.
Feeling that something was wrong with the quiet Parul sitting next to him, Leo took a deep breath.
He wanted to ask and clear things on the spot, but his dignity and pride as a man forced him back.
Pride- a natural sin that sometimes comes in between our relationships and causes misunderstandings, Leo unknowingly became a victim of it.
All he could do was look back at me with eyes full of hatred.
Leo clenched her fists in frustration yet he felt powerless looking at my nonchalant expressions.
"Okay, now that the first couple's rounds are over, it's time for the second individual round."
Unaware of the brewing undercurrents, Claire excitedly took back the centre stage as the hostess of the party.
"Yeah, let's start the individual round first."
"Indeed, I think Elandor won because he had a good talent in classic love songs, but if he gets a different genre to sing, I doubt he can maintain the same rhythm!"
One after another, the others started giving their opinions.
Like Claire: Beatrix, Asuna, Luther and Mark, none of them had the slightest idea of how delicate the situation was.
"Great, the rules will be the same."
"The winner will insult the loser, haha!"
Asuna laughed out the loudest.
Since it was her first time participating instead of merely spectating, the previous win alongside me probably made her feel addicted.
A typical gambler's mentality.
When you win, you want more.....you want more and keep indulging, until it's too late to back off.