After giving Lili a Divine Envoy Piece and letting it fuse, Takumi listened to her inner thoughts and couldn't help quipping, "Hey now, I'm not some demon. For the record, I'm a teenager, fair and square. That attitude earlier is for outsiders—I've always been generous with my girls."
While he was ribbing her, he also walked her through what the Divine Envoy Piece did. With the fusion complete, Lili's strength surged as well. From a mere Lv.1 baseline, she rocketed to nearly Lv.3 combat power in one go.
Feeling the power coursing through her, Lili burst into tears—tears of joy. It was because she'd been weak that she'd been trampled all those years. From this moment on, it would be different. She would stand up.
Eyes bright with worship and affection, she lifted both hands high, the energy of a renewed girl bubbling out of her. "Takumi-sama, what are we doing next!?"
"Cash these magic stones," Takumi said, patting the heavy sack in his hand. His gaze met hers. "Then we go make trouble for the Soma Familia."
Her expression stalled; tears welled again. "Takumi-sama… you don't have to do this for me…"
"I won't let you say that again. As my slave and my divine envoy, I do not permit the people who bullied you to keep breathing."
"Understood!"
Lili drew herself up, chest lifted, chin raised; the timidity of the past was gone from her eyes.
First stop was the Guild, where they turned in the magic stones to Eina. Seeing that Takumi had made it back safely today, Eina's smile was bright. While counting the stones, though, she caught sight of Lili at his side.
"Takumi-kun, about supporters… it really is best to work with someone from your own familia. Independent supporters are all over the map in quality. It's all too easy to get swindled—or worse."
Eina didn't know Lili personally, but she'd heard the stories. Among the adventurers she'd advised, quite a few had died thanks to a supporter's treachery.
Lili knew Eina was shading her and had no way to rebut it. She had been that kind of supporter. Eina's warning was fair.
"She won't," Takumi said, setting a hand atop Lili's head and ruffling her hair—proof enough of his trust. "Lili is mine."
"Takumi-sama~~~" Lili chirped, trembling with gratitude. If it weren't such a public place, she'd have thrown herself at him in offering on the spot.
Realizing she wouldn't sway him, Eina sighed and chose to trust. "All right. That comes to two hundred thirty thousand valis." She handed him a money pouch. Then, as if recalling something, a soft sweetness lit her face. "By the way, I heard what you did last night—helping the Astraea Familia take down those Dark Faction members. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for what you did for the people of Orario."
The praise made Takumi a little sheepish. He'd only stumbled into it. "Hahaha, just doing my part. Really, you've helped me a lot, Miss Eina. I should be the one thanking you. If you've got time, I'd like to ask you out for a drink."
A date? Is that… a date!?
Eina's cheeks flushed in an instant; shyness swept over her features. She felt no urge to refuse—quite the opposite. She nodded, small and quick. "If I'm free… this Saturday, I'm free."
"Then this Saturday. Eight in the morning. I'll be waiting at the Guild doors, Miss Eina."
He nailed down the time and place in a heartbeat. Next to him, Lili swallowed her opinion; the urge to roast him was strong. He moved fast with girls—too fast!
They didn't have the right scene for heckling, though. Only after they stepped out of the Guild did Lili finally exhale.
"I never dared go to the Guild before—too scared of being pushed around. First time I went I barely breathed. Takumi-sama, you're incredible. You even… hooked the Guild staff."
Takumi's palm landed on her head. "Bold of you. Hooked? That was an upright exchange of feelings between friends."
"…"
She stared at him for a few beats, then, all at once, her face flushed and she whispered, "Then, Takumi-sama… when will you be… exchanging feelings like that with me?"
"Uh…"
"I'm free… anytime~~"
"You dare tease me? If we weren't busy right now, I'd see whether that mouth of yours is still this confident."
He took one step forward, broad shoulders blocking the sun. Lili got a very real sense of his height—and of his size. Her lips parted as she ducked her head in a panic. Her eyes flicked to her own tiny fists—clenching, unclenching—then she very nearly tested a nibble.
"Mm… it looks… bigger than my fist…"
She looked at her slender arms and legs and felt a little like crying. Seeing she was nearly spooked by a silhouette alone, Takumi dropped the game. He turned his eyes toward the Soma Familia's base, and his expression cooled.
The Soma Familia's reputation on the streets was abysmal. If Eina had known Lili belonged to them, she likely would have fought tooth and nail to keep them apart. The reason was simple: the Soma Familia were a pack of trash who'd trade lives for cash.
And the root of it lay with their god, Soma, the god of wine—capable of brewing peerless liquor. A single taste and mortals fell headlong into the pleasure, mind drowned, passion twisted into mania and self-abandon.
Seeing his followers like that, Soma grew disappointed and handed authority to his captain; he himself hid in his room, demanded money, and kept brewing. Knowing the backstory, Takumi felt Soma was the very picture of a scumbag.
You brew something that potent, mortals can't control themselves, and you blame them for weak will? Then you shrug off responsibility and ignore your familia's suffering until the whole thing becomes a drug cartel in all but name—without once asking whether the problem starts with you.
The more he thought, the hotter he burned. He strode straight for the Soma Familia's compound.
"Please, just a sip!!"
"Me too—just a little sip of Lord Soma's wine!"
"I've got money! I've got money!!"
At the gate of the Soma Familia's base, an absurd scene was playing out. Groups of people howled and begged for a mouthful of Soma's wine. Lv.1 adventurers from the familia held the entry, forcing them into neat lines.
....
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