'Haaah… haaah… w-why… why am I here again… why am I in the ocean?' Pudding screamed in her mind as she struggled against the endless black currents.
The water was cold and merciless. It crushed her ribs, twisted her limbs, and scraped painfully across her skin as it dragged her wherever it pleased, leaving her powerless to resist.
Just when she thought she was about to die, she noticed something in the distance, a pair of eyes.
Unable to do anything else, she reached toward them and begged desperately, 'S-save me…!!'
But only bubbles escaped her lips.
'Save me!!!' she cried again, hoping somehow she would be heard. And perhaps she was, despite the silence, because the eyes began moving closer.
Relief flickered within her, but it quickly vanished. The figure approaching wasn't a person. It was a fish. A piranha. And not just one. Dozens of them emerged from the darkness, surrounding her from every direction, their gleaming eyes fixed on her.
"N-no… they… they'll…" Fear surged through her. Instead of helping, they would surely tear her apart.
Yet what happened next felt even worse than death. The piranhas opened their mouths, and instead of tearing through her flesh, they began to laugh, harsh, mocking laughter filled with disgust.
"Hey… It's that freak with the creepy eye—disgusting!"
"That third eye… she's a monster!
"No one wants a monster like you, Pudding!"
"Just drown already! Stop disgusting us!"
Hearing those cruel words, tears streamed down her face. She wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head violently, trying to deny them, "N-no… I'm not a monster… I… I am—"
But the words faltered.
Deep down, she had already begun to believe it herself, that she was a monster, a freak, a disgusting outcast with a disgusting bloodline. The doubt crept into her heart, weakening her resolve. Her struggling slowed, her legs growing weaker as despair gradually consumed her.
She stopped fighting.
In that moment, she accepted her fate. Perhaps it was better this way. A monster like her… maybe it was only fitting for her to sink into the depths of the ocean and disappear.
After all… who would care if she died?
Just as she gave up, waiting for the water to claim her, suddenly a voice echoed in her mind, 'What are you talking about, Pudding-chan?! You're cute… very cute.'
"C-cute…?" she murmured in shock, instinctively searching for the person who would say such a thing to her.
When she opened her eyes, she saw him.
A man who looked like a prince stood before her, his face strikingly handsome. She recognized him immediately, and her heart began to race, 'Z-Zechs-sama?!'
'Sorry, Pudding-chan… it took me a little time to get here. But don't worry, I'm here now,' he said with a warm, charming smile as he shielded her from the mocking piranhas and the violent currents.
She stared at him in a daze. 'Zechs-sama… you came to rescue me… b-but why? Why would you come for someone like me…? After all… I'm just—'
'You're my maid. As your master, of course I'd come to rescue you,' he replied gently, wiping away her tears. 'Now leave everything to me. Together, we'll get out of this… and continue sailing.'
'Umm…' Without thinking, she entrusted herself to him, waiting for him to rescue her.
But then, everything changed.
Her charming prince… her knight in shining armor… her master… suddenly began to falter from the crushing pressure of the water that tore his body apart before her eyes.
And in the next moment, he was gone.
"ZECHS-SAMAA!!!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as her eyes flew open and she jolted upright.
"Haa… haa…" Her chest heaved as she struggled to catch her breath.
Pittar-patter…
Then, the steady sound of water droplets reached her ears.
It was raining outside.
As the sound of falling rain continued and a few droplets landed on her body, Pudding slowly realized that she was not in the ocean, drowning among those piranhas.
She was still inside the temporary shelter.
Although the shelter was completely dark, with not even the faintest trace of light, her three eyes allowed her to see clearly enough to recognize where she was.
Realization slowly settled over her, 'It was just a dream…'
Her memories were hazy, and she couldn't recall when or how she had fallen asleep. Her body also felt unusually sluggish. Even so, she was relieved to realize that what she had experienced was only a dream. Yet the thought of something like that actually happening to Zechs still made her tremble.
Just as her throat tightened and tears began to well in her eyes, something suddenly slithered along her back and coiled around her stomach.
"!!!" She froze instantly, fear creeping into her chest.
From the way it tightened around her waist, she was certain it was a snake. Acting on instinct, she tried to pry it off, but the grip only tightened.
Panic surged through her.
In her nervousness, she grabbed the first thing her desperate hand could find, the rock she had been using earlier to crush herbs, and bashed it on the creature.
"G-get off me!" she shouted as she struck.
Thud!
But instead of a snake's painful hiss, a pained voice cried out, "Oww… Pudding-chan… y-you're hurting my tail…"
"!!!" She stiffened at the sound of that voice.
Slowly, she turned her head toward its source and found herself staring into a pair of eyes looking back at her.
"Z-Zechs… sama?" she asked hesitantly. "Y-you… have you regained consciousness?"
She wasn't sure. Earlier, Zechs had seemed to communicate with her as well, but at that time, he was still unconscious, and she had only heard his voice in her mind through the Voice of All Things, which she seemed to have somehow awakened… or at least, she thinks she has.
But now it was different.
Those red eyes, once closed, were now open, faintly gleaming in the darkness. That could only mean he had regained consciousness… right?
Even so, doubt lingered in her mind. What if she was just hallucinating?
Sensing her uncertainty and fear, Zechs spoke again, his tone calm and reassuring, "Yes… I've regained consciousness."
Immediately, her body began to tremble. Her lips quivered, and tears quickly filled her eyes. Without thinking, she threw herself onto him, hugging his chest as she broke down in tears, "Thank goodness… I was… I was so worried… I… I…"
"Oofff—!!!"
Her sudden leap sent a surge of pain through his body, so sharp that for a moment he felt as if his soul might leave him. Yet when he heard her crying so helplessly against him, he could only sigh.
He wanted to raise a hand, pat her head, and tell her how grateful he was for everything she had done, for taking care of him all this time.
And honestly, he truly was grateful.
While his body had been 'unconscious,' that had only applied physically. His mind had remained aware thanks to his special ability.
[Your special ability, host?] Miss System complained.
'Of course, Miss System. After all, you belong to me, so naturally it counts as my ability,' Zechs replied, shamelessly claiming the credit.
[Who belongs to you? Hmph!] Miss System snorted.
Yare-yare… At times, Miss System really did enjoy acting like a tsundere.
Of course, Zechs understands what that meant. It clearly means that Miss System had long since fallen in love with him. She was simply too shy to admit it and preferred to keep up a tough front.
[That's not the case, host. You're just being delusional.] Miss System tried to pour cold water over his thoughts.
But Zechs, already accustomed to her reactions, sidestepped by shifting his attention back to Pudding.
Thanks to his special ability… ahem… Miss System's existence, his mind had remained active even while his body was unconscious and unresponsive. Through that awareness, he had been able to perceive almost everything happening around him.
Because of that, he knew exactly how desperate Pudding had been over the past week, how she had tried to care for him, treat his wounds, and keep him alive.
And for that, he was genuinely thankful.
The problem was that, even though he had regained consciousness, his body remained in terrible condition. Broken bones were still broken, and torn muscles had yet to heal. The only parts he could move properly were his tail, his wings… and his little brother. As for the rest, it was best not to think about them for now.
So even though he wanted to pat her head with his hand and comfort her, he simply couldn't.
But he wasn't entirely helpless either. Even if his hands wouldn't move, he still had his tail. Using the heart-shaped tip, he gently caressed her head.
"Sorry for making you worry all this time," he said softly. Then he added with gratitude, "And… thank you for taking care of me."
"Unn… wooo…" she murmured in response, but her voice was muffled against his chest, making it impossible for Zechs to understand her words.
He simply let her cry, gently patting her head with his tail.
After a while, Pudding's sobs gradually faded.
Once she calmed down, she seemed to notice that her tight embrace might have been hurting him. Reluctantly, she pulled away and apologized, "S-sorry… I… I was just…"
"It's alright, Pudding-chan," Zechs replied calmly as he loosened his tail from around her waist. "You don't need to apologize for somet—"
His words were cut short when droplets of water fell onto his face and into his mouth.
Noticing this, Pudding immediately looked up at the roof. It was the rainwater that had been leaking through the shelter because of the heavy storm outside.
"I'll fix the roof…" she said as she tried to stand.
But the moment she rose, her knees buckled, "Wha—" Much to her shock, her strength gave out almost instantly, and she collapsed, falling right on top of Zechs.
"Owww…" he groaned in pain.
Pudding quickly scrambled up, flustered. "S-sorry! I—I didn't mean to…"
"It's okay… I know," Zechs replied weakly as he slowly breathed in and out, trying to endure the pain.
As he sighed, Pudding couldn't help but notice how weak her own body felt. Frowning, she muttered to herself, "W-why do I feel so weak? Is it because I didn't eat anything yesterday?"
But that didn't seem right. It wasn't the first time she had gone an entire day without food. Back in Totto Land, there had been days when she skipped meals as well, but she had never felt this weak before, not to the point where she couldn't even stand.
Zechs answered her doubt, "It's because much of your vitality was transferred to me…"
"My vitality… it was transferred to you…?" she asked, confused. She couldn't understand how such a thing could have happened.
Zechs chuckled softly in amusement. "Don't you remember what you were doing to me before you lost consciousness?"
"What I was doing… to you?" she murmured. For a moment, she looked puzzled, but then the memories rushed back to her all at once, how she had held his erect penis in both hands and brought him to climax again and again… how she had leaned down to kiss him in the heat of the moment… and how shamelessly she had moaned while doing it.
Her face flushed bright red almost instantly. Flustered and unable to meet his gaze, she lowered her head in embarrassment. "I… I…"
Seeing her reaction, Zechs couldn't help teasing her, "I didn't expect Pudding-chan to be that kind of girl who takes advantage of men when they are unconscious."
"W-what?! I-It was because you said you wanted it!" she protested quickly. She had only done those things because she had heard his voice. If not for that, how could she possibly have done anything to him?
"I said I wanted it? How could I say anything while I was unconscious?" Zechs replied with a playful smirk. "Are you sure you didn't just make up an excuse to do something naughty to me? Pudding-chan… you're quite the little pervert, aren't you? Pudding-chan, you ecchi!"
Then he added dramatically, "My honor has been taken away… now no one will want to marry me."
Pudding felt both indignant and ashamed. She wanted to explain herself, but the words refused to come. His reasoning also made sense. How could he have said anything while he was unconscious?
She had heard his voice… but was she truly certain it had been his? It had sounded slightly different, yet she had simply assumed it was him. But was it really? Had he truly asked her to do those things?
Or had she only imagined it?
What if she had wanted to do those things herself and, in her confusion, simply hallucinated a voice in her head telling her it was what he wanted?
The thought made her heart sink, 'D-did I really hallucinate all of that… and do those things to him…?'
The possibility filled her with even greater shame and fear.
"Zechs-sama… I… I…" Her voice trembled as she spoke, looking as though she might burst into tears again.
She had never meant to hurt him. She had only wanted to help him… and yet—that was when she noticed the amused grin on his lips. In that instant, realization struck her
"Y-you… you're playing with me, aren't you?" she asked.
At the same time, another thought surfaced in her mind. 'If he was unconscious… then how did he know what I did to him?'
That question made her even more certain that he had been teasing her all along.
"Ahh… I guess you figured it out," Zechs replied with a chuckle.
Hearing him confirm it and laugh at her, Pudding felt all her emotions quickly turn into anger.
"Zechs-sama… you…!" she snapped, raising her clenched fist as she glared at him, her teeth grinding in righteous indignation.
Before she could actually punch him, however, his tail moved swiftly and coiled around her wrist, stopping her.
"L-let go of me…! I-I will…" she struggled, trying to pull free.
"Pudding-chan, it's not good to beat up injured people," Zechs said calmly. Then he added, trying to persuade her, "If you punch me right now, I might actually die, you know."
"Injured? I don't see any injured person here. All I see is a shameless bad man!" she snorted. "And a shameless man like you deserves to die!" she added angrily.
"Alright, alright. I apologize for teasing you, Pudding-chan. I'm sorry," Zechs said quickly.
Hearing his apology softened her heart a little, but she still refused to give in so easily. "W-who cares about your apology…" she muttered with a snort, still struggling against his tail.
"Then… what should I do to make your anger disappear?" he asked with a faint smile.
"By letting me punch you to death…!!!" she answered immediately.
"Really? Do you truly want me to die like that?" he asked, even pretending to tear up slightly.
Pudding hesitated. "W-well… I…"
"Fufu…" Zechs chuckled when he noticed her hesitation. Then his tail tightened slightly, pulling her closer to him until her face was only inches away from his.
"!!!" She froze, stunned as she felt his breath brush against her face while her own breath tickled his skin. Being this close to him, their eyes locked together, and the shame, anger, and indignation she had felt earlier slowly faded away.
In their place came a rush of shyness and nervousness as she instinctively tried to pull back. "Zechs-sama… what are you trying to—"
He interrupted her. "Shhh… Pudding-chan…" he murmured softly. "I'm going to kiss you now." Then he added in a quiet, almost commanding tone, "Close your eyes."
Almost instinctively, she obeyed. Her eyes shut as her heartbeat quickened, anticipation rising inside her as she waited for the kiss.
But it didn't come instantly.
One second passed… then five… then ten.
Still nothing.
Confused, she slowly opened her eyes, only to see him smiling teasingly at her, "Fufu… were you getting excited to be kissed by me?"
Realizing he had tricked her again, her face flushed red with embarrassment and indignation. She opened her mouth to scold him—
—but before she could say anything, his lips suddenly pressed against hers.
Chu.
Pudding froze again.
All the emotions that had been rising inside her vanished, replaced by a gentle warmth. Her body melted as her eyes closed on their own while her lips slowly responded to his, moving softly against his kiss.
Pitter-patter…
Outside, the rain continued to fall, and a few drops leaked through the roof, occasionally landing on the two of them. Yet neither of them seemed to notice, too absorbed in kissing each other, lips pressing together, breaths mingling.
"Fufu… Pudding-chan still tastes… chu… exactly as I remember…"
"Haah… chu… Zechs-sama…"
Only after several minutes had passed, leaving Pudding breathless, did they finally pull apart. Both of them paused to catch their breath.
Looking at Pudding's flushed face as she panted softly, Zechs smiled and apologized, "Pudding-chan… I'm sorry for teasing you earlier."
"Humph!" she snorted. Still, there was no real anger in her expression.
Zechs chuckled softly. He leaned in to give her another brief kiss, to which she responded, until he pulled back again, and added, "And about earlier… the thing you did for me… it really was me. I was the one asking you to do them. You weren't hallucinating."
"I knew it…" Pudding replied, already certain that he had only been teasing her.
The thought still made her a little angry, and she wanted to punch him. But with his tail wrapped around her body, keeping her close, she could only pout in dissatisfaction…
Then she remembered what he had said earlier, that much of her vitality had been transferred to him, which explained why she felt so weak. Unable to ignore it any longer, she asked hesitantly, "About… that vitality thing…"
In fact, she already had a suspicion. Memories surfaced from earlier, not from the kiss they had just shared, but from before, when she had been stroking his erect penis with her hands and also kissed him. In that strangely entranced state of her lips and tongue wrestling with his, she had felt as if something inside her was slowly fading away. At the time, she was too lost in pleasure and hadn't paid much attention to it, but now that she thought about it… It must have happened then.
"Hm… it seems you've already guessed," Zechs said with a nod. "That's right. At that time, I absorbed some of your vitality. That's how I managed to recover enough to regain consciousness."
"But how does that even work?" she asked.
"It's because of my unique Incubus race," he explained. "For me, sex is almost like food. Through sexual contact with women, I can draw a bit of vitality from my partners, not only to survive, but also to heal."
It was actually one of the traits he had awakened, 'Life Drain,' or more precisely, 'Vitality Drain.' It allowed him to draw vitality from his partners during sex. Of course, it was an active ability, meaning he could choose when to use it and when not to. Not every encounter resulted in him draining someone's vitality.
As for his unique Incubus race, Pudding was already aware of it. But hearing him explain that particular trait made her look at him oddly for a moment before she muttered under her breath, "Pervert…"
"Who was the one begging to be held and touched all while stroking my cock earlier?" he teased.
Pudding's face immediately turned red. She had no response to that, because she clearly remembered herself pleading with him like that in the heat of lust. Still, the amused glint in his eyes irritated her. Unhappy, she leaned forward and bit down on his shoulder.
Chomp!
"Ouch… ouch! What are you doing? Are you a ?" he protested. But when he realized she had no intention of stopping, he quickly relented. "Okay, okay… I'm sorry. You're not a pervert, I'm the pervert."
"Humph!" she huffed, finally releasing his shoulder before turning her head to the side.
Zechs was about to tease her again when more droplets of water fell from the roof, landing directly on his face.
Pudding noticed it immediately. "Zechs-sama, please put me down. I'll add some leaves there so the water won't drip on you."
"Hmm…" he nodded and loosened his tail, gently lowering her to the ground.
After steadying herself, Pudding didn't try to attack him or argue further. Instead, she carefully stood up and began arranging several large leaves along the leaking section of the roof to block the rainwater.
While she worked, Zechs spoke again, "Honestly, Pudding-chan… I'm actually quite surprised."
"About what?" she asked, still focused on fixing the roof.
"I didn't expect you to be able to hear my thoughts back then," he replied. "If you hadn't heard them and did what you did… I probably wouldn't have regained consciousness for several more weeks."
Pudding froze for a moment and looked back at him in surprise, "Really?"
"Yeah…" he nodded.
He wasn't lying. Pudding wasn't an expert in medicine, and the treatment she had been giving him wasn't enough to heal such severe injuries. On top of that, he had received almost no nutrition or water during that time. Even though his immortal nature meant he wouldn't have died from a lack of nutrition, his body wouldn't have recovered either.
It was only because of the sexual service she did for him, and the vitality he absorbed from her, that he had managed to recover enough to regain consciousness.
"I see…" she murmured. Hearing that made her feel relieved. If he hadn't woken up for several more weeks, she was certain she would have lost her mind worrying about him.
"But how did you hear it… my thoughts?" he asked. He truly hadn't expected her to hear the voice of his heart. The possibility had never even crossed his mind.
That was why he had been trying to make his cock erect whenever she applied medicine to his wounds. He had been attempting to give her a signal that she needed to service him sexually for him to heal.
But an entire week had passed, and she had managed to control herself the whole time. She hadn't touched his cock even once. Because of that, he had gradually begun to lose hope and had started thinking about other ways he might regain consciousness.
Then, suddenly, she heard the voice of his heart.
That moment had shocked him completely. Of course, he was grateful that she had heard it, but even now, he couldn't help feeling surprised.
Of course, he already had a suspicion about the reason, but he wanted her to confirm it.
"It was probably… the ability of my third eye," she replied. She wasn't completely certain either, but it was the only explanation she could think of for how she had heard his voice.
"So… is it really the Voice of All Things?" he asked.
"Probably. I think… I might have awakened it," she said with a nod. She felt it must have happened while she was in the depths of the ocean, cold, alone, drowning, and being torn apart by the current. Perhaps that extreme experience and her desire to survive had awakened the dormant power of her Three-Eyed Tribe.
As for awakening the Voice of All Things, Pudding's feelings were complicated.
Her Mama had always desperately wanted her to awaken that power and use it to read the Red Poneglyphs and reach Laugh Tale so that she could become the Pirate King. Yet back then, she had never managed to awaken it. And now, after being separated from her Mama, the ability had finally emerged.
She began to feel that perhaps this was fate's way of saying that her Mama was never meant to become the Pirate King. And strangely, Pudding didn't feel sad about that realization at all. If anything, it made her feel a quiet sense of relief, even a little happiness.
At the same time, it was the power of her third eye.
That thought reminded her of the eye she had always despised, the creepy, disgusting third eye she had spent her life hating. Now she had even awakened its dormant power. She didn't know how she was supposed to feel about that.
'At least… I was able to save Zechs-sama because of it…' That was the only thought that comforted her enough to keep the disgust at bay.
Meanwhile, Zechs was wondering over other questions, "But even if it's the Voice of All Things… how could that ability allow you to hear the voice of the heart?"
"Well… actually, I don't know either," Pudding admitted. "I was also very surprised when I heard your voice."
"I see…" Zechs nodded thoughtfully.
The Voice of All Things was an extremely rare and mysterious ability. Its true limits were still unknown. Perhaps it wasn't limited to hearing the voices of animals or objects; it might also allow someone to hear the voice of the heart.
'Ah… come to think of it… Roger and Garp heard Demonized Rocks' voice at God Valley… so I guess it's not impossible,' he thought.
In Pudding's case, the Voice of All Things had awakened through her bloodline. Because of that, her potential with the ability might even surpass that of others who possessed it.
That would certainly explain how she had been able to hear the voice of his heart.
Still, the realization made him a little uneasy. If she, or anyone else, could hear the voice of the heart, wouldn't that mean they might also hear his inner thoughts at any moment? That could be troublesome.
Feeling slightly concerned, he asked her, "Since you've awakened it… can you hear voices right now? Can you hear the voice of my heart?"
Hearing that question, Pudding paused for a moment. Then a faint, teasing smile appeared on her lips as she looked at him and asked, "What is it, Zechs-sama? Are you afraid that now I'll be able to hear your disgusting, perverted inner thoughts?"
"Me? Disgusting and perverted thoughts? Pudding-chan, how could you say that about a saint like me?" questioned Zechs, feigning innocence and righteous indignation.
[Host, should I create a mirror for you so you can take a good look at your own face?] Miss System remarked immediately.
'Sure, Miss System,' Zechs answered in his mind with complete seriousness. 'It's been a whole week since I last saw my handsome face. I was starting to feel a little restless… Please create a Mirror, I should at least make sure that even now, in this terrible state, I am still the most handsome man in the world.'
[…] Miss System fell silent. She had meant to mock him, but her shameless host had somehow turned it into an opportunity to showcase his narcissism.
Even Pudding looked at him speechlessly, unsure how to respond.
"Well? Can you hear my thoughts?" Zechs asked again.
"Guess," she replied with a mysterious smile.
"Guess? Then my guess is that you can't hear it right now," he said after a moment of thought.
"How can you be so sure?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Fufu… guess," he replied, chuckling again as he returned her look with a mysterious smile.
Pudding's expression changed, and she froze. 'Could it be… he's thinking something rude about me?' she wondered. 'If it's him, that would definitely make sense…'
But that thought only made things worse. 'If he really is thinking something rude and I don't say anything, then he'll know I can't hear his thoughts. But if he isn't thinking anything like that, and I say something anyway… then he'll also know I can't hear anything.'
'Ahhh…' She felt completely trapped, unsure what to do. 'Damn… he's so cunning!'
"The fact that you've stayed silent for so long and haven't reacted to what I'm supposedly thinking can only mean one thing: you can't hear my inner voice right now," he said confidently, noticing her silence.
Pudding wanted to deny it, but after a moment, she gave up. It seemed pointless to keep pretending, "Right now… I don't seem to be able to hear your inner voice," she admitted.
"Fufu… I thought so," Zechs said with a satisfied nod. "But since you've awakened it, you should train it."
Although the Voice of All Things could be somewhat risky for him, it was still an incredibly powerful ability. If Pudding could learn to control it properly, he certainly wanted her to master it.
"Umm…" she nodded, then asked, "By the way, Zechs-sama… what were you thinking about me earlier?"
"Why don't you try to hear it yourself?" Zechs suggested.
Pudding snorted. "Forget it. Anyway, it must have been something rude."
"Fufu…" Zechs only chuckled mysteriously, giving no indication whether it really was something rude or not.
Pudding could only pout. She was almost certain that it had been something improper, and the thought made her want to punch him. But without knowing for sure, she couldn't justify doing that. And Zechs clearly had no intention of telling her.
That only made her more annoyed.
'I have to learn how to use the Voice of All Things properly,' she thought.
With that resolve, she finished arranging the leaves to stop the rain from dripping inside.
When she was done, she sighed tiredly, "I already feel exhausted…"
"Ahem… as I said earlier, it's because of the vitality I absorbed," Zechs explained. "You need to either eat something or rest if you want to recover your strength."
Hearing that, Pudding glanced outside at the rain and shook her head.
"Cooking isn't possible in this weather… so I guess the only thing I can do is sleep."
Even though she still had the snake meat, there was no way to cook it. She couldn't start a fire inside the shelter, and going outside was out of the question with the heavy rain, and it was already very late at night.
"In that case… come here," Zechs said. "I'll hold you with my tail while you sleep. You won't have another nightmare like the one you had earlier."
"W-who wants to be held by you?" she snorted, her face turning red. Her voice, however, was barely louder than a whisper and didn't sound convincing at all.
And despite her protest, her body told a different story. After hesitating for a moment, she quietly walked over and lay down beside him, allowing his tail to coil gently around her.
"I-it's only because I was having a nightmare… that's all," she added quickly, trying to justify herself.
"Yes… yes… I understand. If you hadn't had a nightmare, you wouldn't want me to hold you while you sleep at all, right?" Zechs asked.
"That… well…" she hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to answer. And she simply snorted, escaping the answer altogether, "Humph… I'm already asleep, so I can't answer your question."
"Fufu… I see. I understand," he replied with a quiet chuckle.
"A-also… d-don't take advantage of me while I'm sleeping. I'm warning you," she added, biting her lip.
"Yes, yes… I got it," he said with a nod.
However, as he nodded, the heart-shaped tip of his tail lightly patted against her butt.
"You…!" Pudding immediately wanted to scold him. She had just warned him not to take advantage of her, and yet he was already doing exactly that.
"Shhh… aren't you already asleep?" Zechs said casually. "You wouldn't know what's happening to your body." As he spoke, his tail continued patting her ass, making her face flush with embarrassment.
She wanted to complain, but for some reason, the words never came out.
'Right… I'm already asleep… this must just be a dream,' she told herself.
With that thought, she stopped resisting and let him continue.
In truth, even though she warned him, she didn't actually dislike being teased by him like that. After all, she had already fallen in love with him; how could she hate his touch?
If she truly disliked it, would she have asked him to hold her tightly or kissed him on the lips earlier while she was stroking his erect penis?
With that in mind, she let him continue.
Surprisingly, he didn't try anything else. He simply kept lightly patting her ass.
That gentle patting, combined with the steady sound of his heartbeat, gave her an unexpected sense of safety and reassurance. It made her feel as though she was finally safe, finally able to relax and let her guard down. The moment that feeling settled in, drowsiness gradually crept over her.
Before long, her consciousness faded, and she truly fell asleep.
Hearing the steady rhythm of Pudding's breathing, Zechs let out a quiet sigh.
'This girl… I really put her through a lot right after bringing her to this era. She didn't deserve to go through all of that.'
He had never intended for Pudding to suffer the hardships she had faced, yet that was exactly what had happened. The thought filled him with a sense of guilt.
At the same time, he felt deeply touched.
Over the past week, she had gone through so much trying to heal him. Even if most of her efforts hadn't succeeded, that didn't mean he would overlook what she had done.
'I need to take better care of her,' he told himself.
As the future Harem King, he needed to make life easier for the members of his harem. Otherwise, what kind of Harem King would he be?
Thinking about that reminded him of another member of his harem… of Linlin.
'I hope she's safe… and that she managed to escape from Kong.'
Out here, he had no way of knowing what had happened to her or the rest of his crew. The last thing he remembered was them being rescued with Zeus's help, but beyond that, he had no idea what became of them since he had left to save Pudding.
Of course, he didn't regret what he had done. If he hadn't acted the way he did, Pudding would have died. But it still meant that he had left the others to fend for themselves, and he had no idea what had become of them.
His baby transponder snail had died in the violent waves, leaving him unable to contact anyone.
And they had no way of knowing whether he was alive either. There was no Vivre Card or anything similar.
On top of that, his body was still badly injured.
It was a troublesome situation.
At the very least… I need to know whether they're safe, he thought. As he tried to figure out a way to confirm that, an idea suddenly came to him.
Miss System… what happened to the quest you gave me? Did I complete it or not?
[Oh… I was wondering when you were going to ask about it, host.] Miss System's voice echoed in his mind.
'As my System, shouldn't you automatically make the announcement?' Zechs complained internally.
Miss System ignored his remark and proceeded with the notification.
[Ding!
Quest: Successfully escape the siege.
Objective 1: Do not die or get captured by Admiral Kong of Marine Headquarters.
Host successfully remained alive and avoided capture by Admiral Kong.
Objective 1 Completion: 100%.
Objective 2: Ensure Charlotte Linlin is neither captured nor killed.
Host attempted to ensure Charlotte Linlin was neither captured nor killed and succeeded for the duration of his presence.
Objective 2 Completion: 30%.
Calculating rewards…
Ding!
Reward: Kotoamatsukami.]
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What's going on, people? Power Stones are drying up... That's not allowed; it'll lower the motivation. Let's not let that happen and meet Power Stone goals.
The new PS goal is to reach 150 PS within the next 24 hours.
And don't forget to leave comments and reviews to keep me motivated.
Of course, if the readers wish, they can certainly read up to 20 advanced Chapters on p-a-t-r-e-o-n: Knockturn_Alley