"You planning to hold my hand forever? Take your claws off me!"
"Tch, turning on me already. Women are really hard to deal with."
Kabe sighed and shook his head, reluctantly releasing her hand. As he let go, his fingers "accidentally" slid quickly across her raised, white stocking clad thigh.
"You...!"
Sorano glared daggers at the bastard in front of her, practically itching to shove her crystal heel straight into his mouth.
But seeing Kabe blinking innocently, and remembering he had just helped her sort out such a huge problem, her chest heaved violently a few times. In the end she stood up and let him off this once.
"Remember your promise. I am sticking to you for the next few days, until I meet Master Makarov."
"Mm, sure. Want to just move into my room and follow me up close? This bed is pretty big."
Now that everything had been decided, Kabe went right back to his shameless self, patting the mattress as he extended a hospitable invitation.
Sorano rolled her eyes so hard they nearly flipped, clearly not wanting to stay another second. Her crystal heels clicked rapidly across the floor as she strode to the door, opened it, and stepped out.
Only to bump directly into Lucy, who was holding a stack of magazines and had been on her way to ask Kabe some questions about the magic world.
Looking at Sorano emerging from Kabe's room with her cheeks suspiciously flushed, her dress a little rumpled, and her expression oddly tense, Lucy froze in place.
The magazines slipped from her hands and scattered across the floor with a loud rustle.
"S Sorano, you... you two...!!"
"Do not get the wrong idea. Nothing happened. I was just passing by."
Sorano had no idea why she felt guilty for no reason, but the words tumbled out anyway. After throwing out that clumsy explanation, she hurried past Lucy and almost ran down the hall.
Her flustered escape only "confirmed" Lucy's worst assumptions.
Lucy's mood crashed instantly. She no longer had any desire to chat with Kabe.
...
"What is wrong, Lucy? You needed something?"
Kabe, who had already sensed Lucy approaching, leaned on the doorframe and feigned ignorance as he asked.
Lucy scrambled to scoop up the magazines from the floor.
"N no, I was… just passing by too."
She did not even dare lift her head to look at him. As soon as the words left her mouth, she spun around and fled in panic.
"Tsk. As expected of a future novelist. Her imagination is on another level."
Kabe chuckled to himself. He had no intention of chasing after her to explain. He closed the door without hesitation.
Today was a very good day. He had impressed his future father in law, picked up a rich bride for free, and successfully persuaded Sorano to change the course of her life.
If he pushed a little harder from here, adding another beauty to his harem was simply a matter of time.
Feeling quite pleased, he stripped down and climbed into bed. Breathing in the faint lingering scent of Sorano's perfume in the room, he relaxed completely and drifted off to sleep.
...
On the other side, Lucy had buried herself in her blankets the moment she returned to her room.
Unlike Kabe, who slept like a rock, she was too full of tangled emotions to close her eyes.
'Sorano has stronger magic than me, she uses Celestial Spirit Magic better than I do, and her figure and looks are not worse than mine either.
Other than having money, I cannot beat her at anything.
It is only natural for Kabe to like her. I was too naive, thinking a bit of childhood connection would mean anything to him.'
Even so, she could not accept it.
The thought that the person she liked and admired had just been in her family's house with another woman, doing that kind of thing, made her chest ache so badly she could barely breathe.
It felt like a knife had been driven into her heart and was slowly turning.
She punched her pillow hard, unable to believe that a scene straight out of those indecent novels she secretly read was happening to her in real life.
'Uu uuuu... I absolutely cannot accept this...!'
That night, feeling like she had become a complete loser, Lucy did not sleep at all.
She lay awake until dawn, drowning in tears and endless resentment.
...
The next morning, when Lucy came out with puffy eyes and red rims, both Kabe and Sorano were startled and immediately asked if she was alright.
Lucy forced a stiff smile, shook her head, and then fixed her gaze on Sorano with sudden determination.
"I am fine. I just realized that happiness has to be fought for with your own hands.
Sorano, let us both work hard. Neither of us should give up easily!"
Sorano: "...Huh?"
'She already knows about my plan with Kabe?
Is she encouraging me to turn over a new leaf and fight for a happy life with Yukino?'
Thinking of the time she and Kabe had spent alone last night, Sorano made a very reasonable guess.
She shot a glare at Kabe for his loose mouth, then turned to the young lady she had only met yesterday but had a surprisingly good impression of. She gave Lucy a small, sincere smile.
"Mm. I would not give up even if you did not say it.
I will use my own strength to grab hold of my happiness."