"What exactly is this? How could it be… this sticky?"
Roxia frowned in confusion, utterly unable to understand what the mysterious puddle on the floor actually was.
Why was it so viscous?
As she stood up and reached toward the desk for a tissue to wipe it away, she failed to notice that the desk itself was also covered with moist traces left behind by the Holy Light.
"There's some here too?"
Roxia stepped back in disbelief.
But in doing so, she accidentally stepped straight onto the sticky puddle.
"Ah!"
With a startled cry, she lost her balance and slipped, falling hard onto the floor.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
Clutching her backside, she groaned in pain as she slowly pushed herself back up.
Yet when she finally stood, she noticed something even worse.
Her skirt was now covered with the same sticky Holy Light.
"How did this even happen…"
Lowering her head to inspect the ruined fabric, Roxia sighed helplessly.
She still had no idea what the golden-glowing liquid actually was, but the sticky texture and faintly strange fragrance made one thing perfectly clear—
She needed to clean it up immediately.
"Nothing's been going right lately…"
Letting out another small sigh, Roxia trudged toward the bathroom with a hint of frustration.
Right now, her only thought was washing the stain out of her skirt as quickly as possible.
She didn't even realize that someone might already be inside the bathroom.
When she gently pushed the door open a crack—
A faint, breathy sound suddenly reached her ears.
"!?"
Roxia's entire body stiffened.
Her thoughts instantly descended into chaos.
What… was that?
Her hand froze on the doorknob.
For a moment, she couldn't bring herself to move.
Had she just heard… a woman's soft moan?
Were the members of Kurose Akira's guild inside?
The thought flashed across her mind.
Embarrassed, she immediately turned to leave, intending to escape the awkward situation.
But just as she was about to close the door—
A voice reached her ears.
Clear. Familiar.
"???"
The moment Roxia heard it, her entire body froze.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
That was Kurose Akira's voice!?
Inside the bathroom… there wasn't just a woman.
Akira was there too?
Her delicate hand trembled slightly.
An indescribable emotion welled up inside her chest.
She knew Akira had a close relationship with the members of his guild.
But she had never imagined it would be this intimate.
Bathing together…?
Her thoughts spiraled wildly.
Who could the woman be?
Ivsha?
Akira and Ivsha had always been extremely close—almost like lovers.
But wait…
Ivsha had already returned to the church earlier.
So who exactly was bathing with Akira right now?
Curiosity surged inside Roxia.
For a moment, she almost leaned closer, tempted to peek through the crack in the door.
But in the end, reason won.
Perhaps it was the discipline instilled by her knightly upbringing.
Or perhaps it was some deeper, more complicated emotion within her heart.
Either way, Roxia gently closed the bathroom door and turned to return to the room.
At that very moment, Loserine happened to step out of the training room.
She had intended to check whether Akira had cleaned her room yet, just to make sure her niece wouldn't be disturbed.
"Aunt?"
Startled by Loserine's sudden appearance, Roxia squeaked softly—like a frightened little rabbit.
"Roxia, why are you still awake?"
Loserine asked with her usual expressionless tone. Her only concern was why her niece hadn't gone to sleep yet.
"I—I'm going to bed right now!"
Flustered, Roxia hurried back into the room and quickly shut the door.
Loserine only gave the scene a brief glance before turning away, preparing to return to the training room to continue her practice.
However—
Just as she lifted her foot to leave, she suddenly paused.
Her gaze shifted.
And she noticed the unusual sounds coming from the bathroom.
Unlike Roxia, Loserine showed no trace of shy hesitation.
She walked straight over and pushed the bathroom door open.
What she saw inside—
Left nothing to the imagination.
"?"
The instant Loserine appeared in the doorway, Kurose Akira's heart nearly stopped.
His eyes locked with hers, panic flashing through his mind.
As for Natasha—
Her consciousness had already grown hazy.
She probably didn't even notice Loserine's arrival.
"Mr. Akira~ please… p-please spare me~"
She murmured weakly.
Loserine: "..."
Akira: "..."
At that moment, the air seemed to freeze.
As if time itself had been seized by a group of unsatisfied married women who had suddenly discovered a scandal worth holding over someone forever.
And under Loserine's steady gaze—
The Holy Light gathered.
Then burst forth.
Golden radiance scattered like falling rain.
Because Loserine possessed a soul-body, she had no resistance whatsoever to the power of Holy Light.
Combined with several unfortunate circumstances—
The Holy Light actually seeped directly into her spiritual form.
Golden motes drifted gently inside her translucent blue soul-body like wandering stars searching for their home.
In the end, they gathered around her lower abdomen, forming a faint and peculiar mark.
"This…"
Akira held Natasha's soft waist as his gaze met Loserine's.
Shock flickered across his eyes.
He had clearly seen the moment the Holy Light slipped into her soul-body.
He had never expected Loserine's spiritual form to allow such easy penetration.
But thinking about it more carefully…
It probably happened because she had no guard against him.
When facing enemies, Loserine's soul-body would normally emit a faint blue glow that acted as a protective barrier.
And at the moment, they weren't in combat.
Naturally, Loserine wasn't wearing her sturdy armor either.
In an unguarded state like this, her soul-body was far more vulnerable—giving Akira the opportunity.
"…Did it merge?"
Loserine lowered her head slightly, staring at her abdomen.
Inside her semi-transparent blue soul-body, tiny golden sparks shimmered like stars scattered across a night sky.
Yet her expression remained calm.
Her gaze shifted away from her stomach and back toward Akira and Natasha.
At the moment, she was more curious about something else.
Hadn't Akira just finished earlier?
Why had he already started round two in the bathroom?
Although Loserine didn't understand such matters very well, she had read about them in certain physiology books.
Normally, after such activities, men required a period of "cooldown."
But looking at Akira now…
Where was his cooldown?
He seemed to be in a perpetual combat state.
Still, Loserine didn't show much surprise.
After a faint flicker, the glow of her soul-body gradually settled again.
Then she spoke softly.
"Please try to keep the noise down later. Roxia has already gone to sleep."
"…Uh…"
"Alright."
With that brief reminder, Loserine closed the bathroom door and returned to the training room.
Akira remained where he stood, glancing down at Natasha who had fainted in his arms.
A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips.
Back in the training room, Loserine began to meditate.
However, her mind clearly wasn't focused.
Her thoughts wandered.
The Holy Light flowing inside her body flickered faintly, subtly disturbing her concentration.
"What… is wrong with me?"
Slowly opening her eyes, Loserine looked down at her hands.
An unfamiliar emotion stirred within her chest.
She couldn't understand why her feelings were fluctuating so intensely.
Such a sensation was completely new to her.
"Is it because I saw my close friend…"
She tried to guess the cause.
But she soon shook her head.
After all, seeing her best friend find happiness should have been something worth celebrating.
It shouldn't have produced such strange emotions.
Then…
Realization dawned.
It was most likely because Kurose Akira's Holy Light had unintentionally seeped into her soul.
"Ha…"
To calm herself, Loserine exhaled slowly.
A faint blue mist left her lips, carrying a subtle fragrance.
Yet even that failed to quiet the restlessness within her heart.
After a moment of silence, she gave up on meditation.
Instead, she picked up her Oathbound Sword and began striking the training dummy again and again.
The next morning.
Akira slowly woke from a pleasant sleep.
Once again, he had spent the night inside the guild.
Compared to reality, sleeping here always felt far more restful.
As soon as he stepped out of his room, he saw Roxia and Natasha sitting in the guild hall, enjoying the breakfast that Elys had carefully prepared for them.
Naturally, Akira's own breakfast had already been arranged neatly on the table, still warm and fragrant.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Akira asked with a smile as he sat down.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Roxia seemed to be wearing a different skirt.
Roxia nodded gently.
"Yes. I slept very well. Viola's calming magic was truly effective."
Before falling asleep last night, Roxia's mind had been filled with questions about who exactly had been in the bathroom with Akira.
But Viola's calming spell quickly cleared away those distracting thoughts and allowed her to drift peacefully into sleep.
By the time Akira carried the unconscious Natasha back to the room, Roxia had already fallen into a deep slumber, completely unaware of what was happening outside.
"That's wonderful~"
Natasha smiled warmly as she handed Roxia a cup of hot milk.
"You look much better today," she added kindly.
Roxia accepted the cup and took a small sip.
Then she studied Natasha's face with a puzzled look.
"Aunt Natasha… I've also noticed that your complexion seems much better today. Your skin even looks more radiant than before."
"Oh? Really?"
Natasha laughed softly.
"Maybe Mr. Akira's guild has some kind of magical atmosphere~"
Of course, she couldn't possibly admit the real reason her skin looked so radiant—
It was thanks to Akira's Holy Light.
Even she had been surprised by how effective it was.
Meanwhile, Akira calmly continued eating his breakfast.
"If your family doesn't urgently need you back," he said casually, "you can stay at the guild for a few more days. If you need anything, just ask Loserine. I have to head out for a while later."
"Alright~ thank you, Mr. Akira~"
After breakfast, Akira logged out of the game.
He stepped into his bathroom and quickly washed up.
Today was the day he had arranged to meet Xu Feiyan, so he naturally needed to prepare early.
After all—
He was about to discuss a project worth several million.
Dressed in clean, neat clothes, Akira set off for the meeting location.
Their appointment time was noon.
According to Xu Feiyan's message on WeChat, she had already reserved a private room at Drunken Immortal Pavilion, and he could simply head there directly.
Drunken Immortal Pavilion was one of the most famous luxury restaurants in Hangzhou.
Every day, wealthy bosses and influential figures came and went.
Occasionally, internet influencers would appear to film food reviews—but even for them, dining here was a considerable burden.
After all, the cheapest dish on the menu cost 888 yuan.
Spending tens of thousands on a single meal here was completely normal.
Of course, this was merely the most expensive restaurant on the surface.
What the truly wealthy ate behind closed doors—
That was something a poor college student like Akira still had no idea about.
Upon arriving at the destination, Akira walked straight inside.
A waiter politely approached him and asked if he had a reservation.
There wasn't the slightest hint of arrogance in the man's attitude.
"So you're the guest for the Jiang King Pavilion suite. Please follow me."
Smiling, the waiter led Akira through the restaurant.
He knocked lightly on the private room door.
"Honored guest, your friend has arrived. Shall we begin serving the dishes?"
"Mm, go ahead."
A familiar female voice responded from inside.
Though compared to her in-game voice, this one carried a faint trace of mature charm.
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
After opening the door for Akira, the waiter quietly stepped away.
Akira entered the Jiang King Pavilion suite.
Inside sat a woman dressed in a simple pale-white dress.
Her dark hair was elegantly pinned up, revealing a flawless, delicate face.
Her amber-colored eyes shimmered brilliantly, captivating anyone who looked at them.
"You finally arrived."
Xu Feiyan's voice filled the room again.
Her beautiful eyes carefully examined Akira from head to toe before she finally spoke.
"You look a little different from your in-game avatar… though not by much."
Akira smiled faintly and took a seat across from her.
Facing each other at the table, they were able to appreciate each other's features even more clearly.
Akira's gaze was naturally drawn to Xu Feiyan's stunning appearance.
Among all the women he had ever seen, her beauty easily ranked near the very top.
Even many famous actresses would appear dull standing beside her.
Her graceful figure was even more captivating.
For most boys his age, a single smile from her might have been enough to make them fall completely under her spell.
Unfortunately for her—
Akira was an exception.
He had far more experience than most people his age.
And truthfully, Lucia and Ivsha both possessed beauty that slightly surpassed Xu Feiyan's.
Leaning forward slightly, Xu Feiyan rested her cheek against her slender left hand.
"You seem a little more shy in real life than you are in the game," she said softly.
"Is that so?"
Akira sat upright and smiled.
"President Xu is just as beautiful as she is in the game."
"It's fine to call me President Xu in the game," she replied, frowning slightly. "But in real life, could you use a different form of address?"
Her tone carried a hint of displeasure.
"Little Akira."
Akira thought for a moment.
"Then… should I call you Feiyan?"
"…?"
Xu Feiyan shook her head lightly, clearly unsatisfied.
After a brief pause, she spoke in a gentler tone.
"I'm a few years older than you."
"You can call me Sister Xu."
…
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