When Kabe came back, what he saw was the three girls sitting around the picnic cloth in a triangle, the air between them weirdly tense.
He dropped the dead branches he had gathered and kept glancing at them in confusion as he slowly adjusted the bonfire and added more wood.
Once he was done and had washed his hands, he slipped his sandals off and stepped back onto the blanket.
"Lucy, you are… not cold anymore?"
"Yeah. Thanks to Aquarius, I am not cold at all now."
She answered while glaring hatefully at Aquarius, her tone practically dripping with resentment.
A question mark might as well have popped up over Kabe's head. He had no idea what had just happened between those two.
Aquarius noticed Lucy still daring to glare at her and raised a brow in mild surprise. Then she shot Lucy a cold little smile, turned, and waved at Kabe with a teasing grin.
"Brat, come sit over here. Next to big sister."
"?"
"..."
Under Lucy's murderous, man eating stare, Kabe looked suspiciously at the unusually enthusiastic Aquarius.
He did not refuse though. Casually, he sat down right beside her.
The moment his butt touched the blanket, a cool, smooth body pressed right up against him.
Aquarius slid one arm warmly around his neck and used her other hand to tap his bare chest.
"Did not expect it. That little shrimp from before disappears for a while and comes back all grown into such a handsome heartbreaker.
So, brat, what kind of women do you like? Want to try going on a date with big sister?"
"Grrrrk!"
Lucy clenched her teeth so hard they almost cracked, her eyes practically shooting flames.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
If Kabe could not see the situation was off by now, he really would be an idiot.
He first glanced at Sorano for help, but she was staring down at the macaron in her hands, mind clearly wandering, having no intention of getting involved.
With no lifeline coming from the sidelines, he could only play along with Aquarius for the moment.
"Aquarius, a mature and considerate woman like you is every man's dream.
If I ever have the honor, I would be more than happy to go on a romantic date with you."
"Oh? You really can talk."
Aquarius had originally just wanted to tease Lucy a bit.
But Kabe's smooth reply made her eyes light up for real, and she suddenly found herself a little interested in him.
Lucy was about to cry.
The pressure from Sorano alone was already suffocating. If Aquarius jumped in too, her chances would drop from slim to almost nonexistent.
"Um, my magic power is running low. Aquarius, you should probably go back early."
She hurriedly pulled out the Aquarius key and tried to force the gate closed.
Aquarius shot her a glare so fierce Lucy's hand shook. The key slipped from her fingers and fell straight to the ground.
"You little brat. Unless you plan to never summon me again, you had better not pull tricks like that on me."
She deliberately let her eyes drift down to Lucy's backside.
Lucy reflexively scooted back, terrified Aquarius really would smack her butt.
Once she was sure Lucy was properly cowed, Aquarius finally took her gaze away and, deciding she had teased enough for now, released her hold on Kabe.
"Kid, you are very much my type. It is a shame you are not a spirit. Otherwise, I really might have considered seeing how things go."
That was where Kabe drew the line.
He did not know exactly what those two were competing over, but he was not thrilled about being treated like a disposable prop.
You flirt with him, enjoy yourself, then run off? Where in the world was he supposed to find that kind of bargain.
With Lucy staring at him like her eyes would split open, Kabe boldly turned his hand and intertwined his fingers with Aquarius's cool, delicate ones.
"Since when did race become an obstacle to love?
As long as it is true love, identity, age, even gender do not matter. In the end, love will always find a way."
"You… are talking to me about love?"
For a moment Aquarius was genuinely surprised.
She had lived long enough to see countless romance stories, yet this was the first time a human had ever tried to chat her up as a spirit.
Her initial reaction was shock, followed by real amusement.
"Heh. Interesting. A spirit in love with a human, that has never happened before.
I do not mind being the first one to write that story."
Instead of pulling away, she leaned closer, looping her arm tightly through his.
"But you are still a bit too green.
Here is how we will do it. I will wait two years.
If, two years from now, you still have the same feelings, I will play along with you and see where it goes.
By then that stupid girl should finally have enough magic power for me to stay in this world for longer at a time."
She finished with a playful wink, then her body dissolved into golden motes of light and vanished back into the Celestial Spirit World.
Kabe blinked at the fading glow.
'Damn. She flirts hard and then runs. This woman is… way too good at this.'
Suddenly, he found himself really looking forward to that date two years down the line.
A mermaid girlfriend did not sound bad at all.
Lucy watched Kabe drift off into some pleasant fantasy and thought of Aquarius slipping away after making such a promise.
She bit down so hard on her teeth she almost shattered them.
Damn it, how did it end up like this? Aquarius, it is war between us from now on.
Even Sorano, who had been spaced out a moment ago, was now staring at Kabe with wide eyes, her expression a mixture of shock, disbelief, and speechless amazement.