"Here, please drink this. It will help."
"Thank you..."
Kaori accepted the steaming cup, holding it with both hands. She had no idea how Suzuki managed to pull a perfectly brewed, warm chamomile tea from his spatial storage, but the gentle, floral scent and the heat seeping into her palms instantly eased the violent shivering in her shoulders.
She sat delicately on the edge of his bed, the thin, silky fabric of her nightgown clinging softly to her curves in the cool midnight air.
"It's fine," Suzuki replied smoothly.
He didn't sit next to her. Instead, he pulled a wooden chair from the corner and sat across the room, casually cracking the window open to let the night breeze in.
He was doing it for a very specific reason: he desperately needed to air out the heavy, intoxicating scent of Shizuku that still lingered in the room.
But Kaori wasn't stupid. Her delicate nose twitched, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Did Shizuku just visit your room?"
"No."
"Don't lie to me, Suzuki-kun." Kaori's gaze sharpened, dropping to the rumpled silk sheets she was sitting on. "I can smell her shampoo on your pillows. And your bed is a mess."
"The smell is just your imagination, and the bed is completely unrelated to why you're here, right?" Suzuki deflected smoothly, leaning back in his chair. "So... do you have something you need to talk about?"
"No..."
Kaori hesitated, her eyes dropping to the floor. Was it really okay for her to show her pathetic, vulnerable state to her best friend's boyfriend? To confess how completely paralyzed she was by the crushing fear of tomorrow's dungeon raid?
Unlike the invincible image everyone held of her, she was terrified. She wanted to grow stronger, but the sheer weight of her responsibility as a Priest was suffocating. The frontline combatants liked to joke that her job was the easiest—just stand in the back and cast healing spells.
But was it really that simple?
The moment she pictured Kouki, Shizuku, or even the weak Nagumo getting their flesh torn apart by monsters... the thought of her standing there in a daze, unable to cast her magic in time, or watching her healing spells fail to close a fatal wound... it made her chest tighten in agonizing panic. It made her—
"Okay. Breathe. Calm down."
Before she even realized she was hyperventilating, Suzuki was there. He pulled her up from the edge of the bed and wrapped his strong arms securely around her trembling frame.
"Don't carry this burden all by yourself," his low, steady voice rumbled against her ear, sending a warm shiver down her spine. "I am right here with you. I have stockpiled a massive inventory of high-grade potions. Whenever you feel your mana slipping, drink them. Drink as many as you want. If something goes wrong tomorrow, do not blame yourself. Blame me for not preparing enough logistics. Share your burden with me, Kaori."
Kaori was simply too kind. She was the type of girl who entirely ignored her own limits, ready to bear the cross for everyone else's mistakes. She believed that if she just worked a little harder, prepared a little more, she could save everyone.
But Suzuki knew the harsh reality: sometimes, a raid just goes to hell. People die. It wouldn't be her fault, but she would completely destroy herself carrying the guilt.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." she sobbed into his chest.
She knew this was wrong. If she weren't so incredibly weak, she wouldn't need to be held by another girl's boyfriend like this. But his embrace was an impenetrable fortress. Buried in his arms, the terrifying storm of her anxiety completely vanished, replaced by an overwhelming, intoxicating sense of absolute security.
It was wrong, but she couldn't stop herself. She clung to him desperately, her fingers digging into his shirt as she cried, the deep, agonizing tension finally melting out of her muscles.
"You never have to apologize to me," Suzuki whispered.
He remained a pillar of calm, his large hand gently stroking her long, beautiful hair. His fingers trailed down to caress her soft, exposed shoulder and the delicate curve of her pale nape, comforting her with slow, mesmerizing rhythms. Even without the modern luxury of his penthouse bathtub, Kaori's hair was incredibly fine and smooth. She radiated a naturally sweet, deeply feminine scent that completely clouded his senses.
I really should start monopolizing shampoo in this kingdom, Suzuki thought vaguely, trying to distract his own racing mind.
He had spent the entire week executing hostile takeovers, blackmailing ministers, and stealing the Kingdom's wealth. He was so focused on securing their financial survival that he hadn't had a second to breathe.
But as Kaori wrapped her soft, yielding body tightly around him, pressing the supple curves of her chest flush against his torso, it became impossible for his body to remain calm.
His physique, heavily optimized by his leveling and the Manager skill, reacted with violent, instinctual hunger. The undeniable, heavy physical evidence of his rising desire pressed firmly against her stomach.
"...I'm sorry." Kaori's crying abruptly stopped. She froze, her breath hitching as she felt the intense heat radiating from his lower half.
"No, I am sorry," Suzuki groaned, letting his head fall back in deep frustration.
It was an incredibly awkward, shameful situation. She had come to him for emotional sanctuary, and his body was reacting like a predator.
"But... you are an incredibly charming, beautiful woman, Kaori," Suzuki admitted, his voice dropping into a dark, husky register that made her knees weak. "If you keep pressing yourself against me like this... it is going to be very hard for me to hold back."
Any decent man would have pulled away to spare her the embarrassment. But Suzuki was emotionally exhausted. Beneath his flawless, superhuman corporate facade, he was just an orphan desperate to survive. He had worked himself to the bone on Earth just to secure a boring, stable 9-to-5 job, only to have it all ripped away. Now, he was fighting a shadow war against a whole kingdom just to keep them alive.
He was tired of holding back.
He expected her to push him away in disgust. Instead, Kaori let out a soft, shuddering breath. She didn't retreat. She shifted her hips, moving dangerously closer, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Her small, incredibly soft hands slid down his chest, tracing the firm lines of his muscles before pausing at the very edge of his belt.
"Hmn~!" Suzuki hissed, his iron willpower completely shattering at her touch.
"Kaori..." he warned, his hands gripping her slender waist.
He knew he should reject her. He had promised himself he would keep things clean with Shizuku. But the suffocating stress of the death game, the fear of tomorrow, and the heavy, intoxicating heat of the girl in his arms completely consumed him.
"It's fine..." Kaori whispered, her voice incredibly quiet, yet dripping with a dark, forbidden sweetness.
Her palm moved with deliberate, agonizing slowness, pressing against the heavy ache between his thighs, completely breaking the last of his restraint. She was telling him it was okay. It was okay to release the pressure.
Suzuki didn't hesitate anymore. He captured her lips in a deep, bruising kiss. It wasn't gentle; it was desperate and possessive, meant to completely devour her fears and mark her as his own. Kaori let out a muffled, desperate moan, eagerly opening her mouth to accept his tongue, fully surrendering to the overwhelming wave of pleasure and relief.
The fear of the dungeon evaporated into the sweltering heat of the bedroom. As they tumbled onto the messy sheets, tangling their limbs together, Kaori leaked a dangerously sweet, lewd cry into the silent room. Deep in her heart, she whispered a quiet, breathless apology to Shizuku—knowing full well she could never return to being just a "best friend" now that she had tasted his absolute protection.