Ain covered her eyes and stammered, "I-I didn't expect you two to be in that kind of relationship. I-I-I didn't see anything! Please don't kill me to keep me quiet!"
Hera immediately retorted, "What 'kind of relationship'? We're just friends! I'm a normal person." Then she suddenly woke up to reality. *Wait, in my past life I was a guy who liked girls. In this life, even though I'm a girl, I still like girls. It's hard to say if that's 'normal' or not.* Her voice grew much quieter, and her face began to redden.
Seeing Hera stammering, Ain became even more convinced that their feelings were out of the ordinary. She immediately said, "I'm sorry! I'll apply to leave the dormitory right away. I'm truly sorry for disturbing you." With that, she tried to leave.
However, she was stopped by Kuina. Having practiced swordsmanship since childhood, Kuina didn't feel anything was amiss. She excitedly told Ain, "Let me tell you, Hera's Devil Fruit comes with a spirit dress, and it can freely transform into different clothes."
Then she asked curiously, "What'special relationship' between me and Hera? We're best friends! Why are you leaving? I think this place is great, and it's big enough for three people. Such a large room would feel lonely with just me and Hera."
In her panic, Ain said, "Don't hold me! I'm a Devil Fruit user!" and tried to activate her Rewind-Rewind Fruit. Feeling the churn of time in Ain's hand, Hera quickly used City of Devouring Time to swallow up Ain's ability.
Ain realized something was wrong immediately after instinctively using her power. She quickly retracted it and apologized frantically, "I'm sorry! I got too excited. This effect will disappear soon." But to her surprise, she found that Kuina hadn't been affected by her ability at all.
Hera said, "Honestly, Kuina and I aren't in the kind of relationship you're imagining. Calm down." Then, her face flushed as she added, "Kuina just wanted to see me use my power to change clothes. You've misunderstood. And the Garter belt was an accident!"
Ain also calmed down, realizing she had just overthought things. Her roommates were only in their teens; how could she think like that? Still, she was curious why her ability hadn't worked. She touched a nearby piece of clothing and activated her power, turning it into a pile of scraps.
Hera said, "I noticed your ability is related to time. Mine is too. Just now, seeing how panicked you were, I used my City of Devouring Time to swallow your ability."
Ain finally understood. It wasn't that her ability had failed. She breathed a sigh of relief.
After relaxing, she became curious. "Hera, what exactly is your ability? I feel like my power is just a lesser version of yours. In front of your ability, I can't even release mine."
Hera brushed it off and said, "My ability is very special, but it's related to time. My City of Devouring Time devours time."
Kuina said with some surprise, "Ain's ability is a bit like an enhanced version of your Fourth Bullet. But while you rewind a single moment for healing, Ain's ability can rewind much more time."
Upon hearing Kuina's words, the number representing the Fourth Bullet on the clock face flickered, as if it were a bit indignant, even wanting to proactively absorb more time energy.
Startled, Hera quickly explained, "Although her rewind lasts longer, it can be broken by Haki. As for the Fourth Bullet, once the ability takes effect, even Haki won't cancel the reset of one's state. It can only be blocked by Haki before it hits."
Kuina said, "Since we both have time-related abilities, it proves we're destined to be together. Let's get along well from now on."
As she spoke, she reached out and took Ain's hand.
Hera finally breathed a sigh of relief seeing that Ain was no longer talking about leaving. She felt like she had dodged a bullet. With a third person present, Kuina surely wouldn't be able to force her to change into all sorts of clothes anymore, right?
Who would have known that Kuina hadn't forgotten Hera's mockery during their run? After making friends with Ain, she was still obsessed with dressing up Hera. She looked at Hera again; her height, being 20cm taller, was quite imposing as she pinned Hera against the wall with a Kabedon.
Hera curled into a ball, looking pitiful. "There's no need for this, right? Ain is still here."
Kuina leaned in close to Hera's left ear and whispered, "Now, I'm the one on your left. Besides, Ain is curious too, isn't she? Just how many forms can your spirit dress transform into?"
Ain nodded repeatedly under Kuina's powerful aura. She was indeed curious. Besides, Hera really was adorable when she wasn't in her combat form.
Her petite figure leaning against the wall looked delicate and moving. Her exquisite face was complemented by skin so white it seemed to reflect light. Her straight black hair clung to her back, with some strands falling forward to partially veil her face, the dark hair making her small face appear even fairer.
She looked like an exquisite porcelain doll, waiting for Kuina to dress her up.
Ain also began to wonder what Hera would look like in different clothes.
Kuina saw that Ain was hooked and flashed a wicked grin. Now Hera's last excuse was gone. She could only fall into the hands of the demon named Kuina. As various requests were made, all sorts of embarrassing outfits appeared on Hera. On this day, Hera awakened her inner femininity.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!