Under Tsubaki's enthusiastic attitude, Cao Ye was suffering quite a bit.
With such a "spectacular view" in front of him, he didn't know where to look.
If he looked, it felt wrong—after all, she was being completely unguarded around him, and sneaking glances seemed disrespectful.
But if he didn't look… his curiosity kept itching at him.
Although Cao Ye had a particular preference for legs and feet, that didn't mean he didn't appreciate other attractive features.
After all, men—besides their specific preferences—also tended to appreciate beauty in general.
And that appreciation was rarely limited to just one type.
"Hm?"
At this moment, Tsubaki noticed something odd about Cao Ye.
Looking more closely, she quickly understood—and burst into amusement.
The way he clearly wanted to look but kept forcing himself not to… only to occasionally sneak a glance when he couldn't resist…
The whole scene made her want to laugh.
Tsubaki had grown up in a forging workshop.
Even though she was already 37 years old, she had never seriously thought about finding a partner.
Most of her life had been spent in the workshop.
She didn't have the time—or even the thought—for romance.
For Tsubaki, improving her forging skills was her greatest goal, and crafting weapons was her greatest joy.
Everything else simply didn't matter to her.
But now, this man had suddenly entered her life.
He looked decent, had good character, and most importantly—
She didn't dislike him.
Watching his conflicted little expressions amused her greatly.
"If you want to look, just look openly. It's not like I said you couldn't."
"Ah?"
Tsubaki's sudden remark made Cao Ye freeze.
His first reaction was that he had been caught.
But from the way she said it… she didn't seem to mind at all.
"In all honesty, I really don't understand why men are so fascinated with this 'two pounds of flesh' on women."
"They're actually very inconvenient when forging."
"…Miss Tsubaki, you probably shouldn't say that to other women."
"Why?"
"You might get beaten."
Cao Ye rolled his eyes.
Having the advantage is one thing—but complaining about it being troublesome was practically asking for resentment.
As they talked, Tsubaki even lifted her chest slightly in a "troubled" gesture.
In Cao Ye's mind, a sound effect automatically appeared:
Duang~ Duang~ Duang~
Before, when he encountered Amazon women, Cao Ye thought darker skin didn't really suit them.
But now he felt he needed to apologize.
Even darker-skinned women could be very attractive—especially with such a fiery figure.
"You're at that age where men are curious about women's bodies."
"It doesn't matter here, but outside you might offend people if you stare like that."
"Miss Tsubaki!!!"
Cao Ye's face flushed bright red.
Just when he thought the topic had passed, she brought it up again.
Sneaking glances was embarrassing enough—
Getting caught in the act made it feel like a complete social death.
At that moment, Cao Ye suddenly remembered Haruhime.
Earlier she had almost died of embarrassment in front of him.
Now karma had come full circle.
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more."
Tsubaki also realized she had gone a little too far.
But the situation had simply been too amusing.
Over the years, she had seen many couples and had once imagined what her own future partner might be like.
But in the end, those thoughts always faded.
Her life had always been centered around the forge.
Now that she was older, if the opportunity arose, she wouldn't actually mind finding a partner.
Whether it would last forever didn't really concern her.
She was simply curious what a relationship between a man and a woman would feel like.
"Um…"
After a long moment of silence, the atmosphere between them became awkward.
Cao Ye finally spoke, trying to break the tension—but he had no idea what to say.
"If you don't know what to say, then don't say anything."
"Weren't you pretty impressive at the banquet before? Why are you so timid now?"
"You're one to talk. What kind of woman speaks like you do, Miss Tsubaki?"
"Stop calling me 'Miss Tsubaki.' It sounds weird."
"Just call me Tsubaki."
"Tsubaki?"
"What?"
"Nothing…"
Cao Ye had thought he understood this tomboyish woman somewhat.
But now he realized he had only imagined that.
"You can leave the three rings with me. I'll help sell them."
"As for cooperating with our Familia, I still need to ask Lady Hephaestus. Don't get your hopes up."
"That's fine. If it works out, great. If not, no big deal."
"Then can I just reject you right now?"
"You haven't even asked yet. What if it works?"
"So you do care."
"Of course I care! That's money we're talking about!"
"Then stop pretending to be cool."
"I—"
Cao Ye stared at her helplessly.
Why did he always end up getting verbally cornered by her?
Was this what people called a straightforward woman?
"Anyway… it's getting late. I'll head back now and wait for your news."
Since the atmosphere had once again turned awkward, Cao Ye decided it was better to leave.
Maybe he could go back and spend some time with the golden fox girl and improve their relationship.
Staying here and getting teased constantly was exhausting.
"Hm? You're leaving already?"
"Yeah. Do you need something, Tsubaki?"
"Not really."
"Then I'll go. If you need anything, you can come find me anytime."
"Alright."
Watching Cao Ye walk away, Tsubaki couldn't help but chuckle.
At the banquet, he had been decisive and ruthless.
Yet in situations like this, his skin was surprisingly thin.
To her, he had become a very interesting person.
She found herself wanting to tease him more.
Shaking her head, Tsubaki wondered why she found him so amusing.
But she didn't dislike the feeling.
If their relationship ever developed further in the future, she wouldn't mind.
After all, she didn't dislike him.
Meanwhile, after leaving the workshop, Cao Ye prepared to return to Babel Tower.
Then suddenly—
"Wait… I forgot something important."
Only now did he remember that besides discussing cooperation with Tsubaki, he had also come to collect the money from selling Goliath's hide.
After all, he currently had almost no money left.
But somehow, he had completely forgotten.
He turned around and looked at the distant workshop.
In the end, he decided not to go back.
After all, asking for money face-to-face felt a bit awkward.
Next time, he thought.
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