"Lucia… shouldn't we talk this through?"
Kurose Akira slowly lifted his head out of the water, attempting to negotiate.
"No negotiations!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Lucia raised her foot and stomped down again, forcing Akira straight back under the water.
Glug glug—
A string of bubbles rose to the surface.
Only after confirming that Akira had quieted down did Lucia shift her gaze toward the Holy Light.
But the moment she looked—
Her expression immediately turned serious.
Because the surface of the water was… glowing.
The radiance refracted through the bathwater, becoming even more dazzling, as if it were about to break through the surface and spread its brilliance across the entire world.
The sight made Lucia's heartbeat quicken slightly.
The potential of the human body truly is limitless…
Wait.
Lucia suddenly shook her head, trying to drive away the distracting—and rather indecent—thoughts creeping into her mind.
Blub blub—
Under the water, Akira calmly blew bubbles as he observed everything.
He allowed Lucia to continue her assault while his thoughts churned wildly.
He had never expected Lucia to take the initiative like this.
Had she drunk too much again?
Or perhaps, in the saintly lady's worldview, this wasn't a reward at all—but a form of punishment?
Hmm…
If this is punishment, give me more of it!
Akira's emotions churned with complicated excitement.
Lucia's lips curved into a faint, confident smile, as if she had completely seen through his thoughts.
"Stop struggling uselessly," Lucia said with a cool smile, speaking down to Akira beneath the water. "Follow the desire buried deep in your soul… and bloom to your heart's content."
!?
Akira raised an eyebrow after hearing her words.
Was Lucia really planning to fight him to the very end?
If that was the case, he certainly couldn't surrender so easily!
"You—!?"
Lucia's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.
Naturally, she sensed Akira's counterattack.
But instead of angering her, it only made her more excited.
A confident smile appeared on her lips, as though she had already secured victory in this unfair contest.
"Then let me see… how long you can endure~"
As her words fell, her snow-white, faintly flushed foot continued lightly stirring the water.
Why…?
Lucia's mind filled with confusion.
Her golden-red eyes stared downward, unable to comprehend what she was witnessing.
Why?
It had already been an entire hour.
Meanwhile, Akira, soaking in the water below, was practically about to fall asleep.
Sure enough, after being "trained" by Ivsha's [Death Coil], Lucia's little tricks felt almost harmless by comparison.
"Miss Saint… can I take a nap first?" Akira poked his head out of the water and asked.
"You…!"
Lucia's cheeks instantly flushed crimson when she heard the request.
It felt as though her dignity had just been trampled.
A strange mixture of embarrassment and anger surged through her chest.
At that moment, a spell suddenly flashed through Lucia's mind—a technique she had once learned from her mentor, a secret art capable of condensing sacred elements into every inch of the body's skin…
"Of course~"
Lucia agreed to Akira's request on the surface.
But secretly, she had already begun quietly gathering sacred energy beneath her foot.
The next moment—
Complex magical patterns appeared along the rosy sole of her foot, glowing faintly with golden light.
Without hesitation, she stepped down onto the defiant Holy Light.
"Wait—!?"
Akira's drowsiness instantly vanished.
His eyes widened as he stared at Lucia in disbelief, confusion filling his gaze.
What exactly had she done?
The golden patterns formed from sacred elements seemed almost alive.
They danced across the surface of the Holy Light, constantly eroding its brilliance.
There was a trace of pain—
Yet at the same time, it strangely added fuel to the flame, making the Holy Light burn even brighter during its resistance.
Akira clenched his teeth.
This power…
It was actually comparable to Ivsha's [Death Coil]!
[Lucia has used Sacred Radiance on you!][Current HP decreases by 0.1% per second. Light-element power increased by 100%.]
"…?"
Akira glanced at the system notification flashing before his eyes.
His expression instantly turned serious.
This was actually a buff with a negative side effect?
No wonder it stung.
"How does it feel?" Lucia asked with a slightly triumphant smile. "Still sleepy now?"
As she spoke, the Sacred Radiance intensified again.
The golden patterns beneath her foot shone even brighter, and the pressure increased as well—showing absolutely no intention of letting Akira off the hook.
[You are affected by a Restraint status. You cannot move.]
Hiss—
Akira clenched his teeth, focusing entirely on resisting the invading sacred light.
He hardly had the energy to answer.
"Deadly…" he managed to squeeze out through gritted teeth.
Those two words, however, sounded like a declaration of victory to Lucia.
Unable to hold back, she covered her mouth and laughed softly.
Inside, she felt secretly delighted.
Smack!
Because her mind wandered for just a moment, Lucia suddenly stepped on empty water.
Her balance slipped.
Her body tipped forward, tracing a graceful arc through the air—
Eh?
In that instant, Lucia froze.
Her body went completely rigid, as if someone had cast a paralysis spell on her.
Only her heartbeat accelerated wildly as waves of emotion crashed through her mind.
This is bad!
I went too far!
Akira also widened his eyes at the sudden turn of events, staring straight at Lucia in shock.
He had never imagined that Lucia would accidentally fall like that.
Miss Saint… was that intentional or an accident?
"Lucia…?"
He called her name cautiously, concern evident in his voice.
After all…
They had switched positions this time.
Naturally, there would be some discomfort at first.
Lucia did not answer.
She simply lowered her head, her face burning red as she pressed both hands firmly against Akira's chest.
Ahhhh!!!
Inside, Lucia wanted to scream.
But her pride forced her to endure in silence.
Idiot!
Idiot!
Are you an idiot, Lucia!?
What exactly are you doing!?
This is bad… this is really bad…
Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
The pain left her speechless.
Meanwhile—
Akira's opinion of the saintly lady rose to an entirely new level.
Miss Saint… you're incredible!
Which means now—
It's my turn.