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Chapter 95: Morning Practice
For Ais, this was probably nothing more than a simple gesture of gratitude. She had merely followed Riveria's advice, choosing a method she believed would make Aiden happy.
On the other hand, Lefiya looked ready to pull her own hair out. She glanced at Aiden, who was blatantly enjoying the moment, and then at the expressionless Ais. Her small hands balled into tight fists, and the look she shot Aiden was filled with unvarnished envy, jealousy, and sheer hatred.
However, before Aiden could enjoy even a few more seconds of this heavenly treatment, the pushed-to-her-limit Lefiya finally erupted.
"GET UP!"
She lunged forward in a single bound, grabbed Aiden by the arm with both hands, and used every ounce of strength in her body to forcefully yank him up from Ais's lap. Ais tilted her head in confusion. She looked at the highly agitated Lefiya, her golden eyes practically swimming with question marks.
Having his wonderful experience so rudely interrupted, Aiden's brain went into overdrive. In his desperate bid to continue enjoying Ais's lap pillow, a brilliant idea instantly formed in his mind.
He cleared his throat and spoke to Ais in a completely deadpan tone. "Ais, you're right, this is a thank-you gift. But Lefiya also contributed to getting that Adventurer's Experience. So, you can't just thank me. You have to include Lefiya as well. Lefiya also deserves a share of this lap pillow."
Aiden's tactic was a critical hit, striking Lefiya right in her weakest spot.
"Eh?" Lefiya froze.
Her brain short-circuited into a temporary state of chaos. She fiercely despised seeing Ais give Aiden a lap pillow, but... she wanted Ais's lap pillow for herself, too! She wanted it so badly! Just imagining Ais giving her a lap pillow made Lefiya feel so euphoric she could practically faint.
In the end, pure, unadulterated desire completely conquered the girl's reason and modesty. Ais looked at Aiden, then at a blushing, fidgety Lefiya. She felt even more confused.
"Riveria said that doing this makes boys happy. But Lefiya is a girl. Would she like it too?"
"Yes, of course I would!" Before Aiden could even open his mouth, Lefiya rushed to answer. She regretted it the second the words left her lips and quickly slapped her hands over her mouth. Her pretty face turned as red as a ripe apple as she shot desperate looks at Aiden.
Aiden choked back a laugh, nodded at Ais, and confirmed with absolute certainty, "No problem at all. When it comes to a lap pillow, both boys and girls love it."
And so, a bizarre scene unfolded atop the city walls. Ais remained seated in a seiza position, while Aiden and Lefiya each rested their heads on her left and right thighs, respectively.
Lefiya finally got her wish and received a lap pillow from Ais. Basking in that long-coveted softness and warmth, she felt so blissful she could simply melt away. Of course, her only gripe was that an obnoxious jerk beside her was invading the most wonderful territory in the world right alongside her.
.....
The morning sunlight traced a warm golden rim along the towering walls of Orario. On top of that expansive, quiet wall, two figures clashed back and forth at blistering speeds. The gusts of wind generated by their colliding fists and kicks shrieked through the air.
This was Aiden and Tifa Lockhart's morning sparring session.
Aiden's attacks were broad and sweeping. Although he specialized in swordsmanship, he was no slouch when it came to hand-to-hand combat either. More importantly, as a Level 2, his base ability stats far exceeded those of the Level 1 Tifa, resulting in an absolute suppression in terms of both strength and speed.
Every punch and kick carried the momentum to tear through the air, aimed squarely at Tifa's vital spots. Yet, despite facing such a ferocious assault, Tifa showed absolutely no signs of losing ground.
Her body seemed entirely devoid of bones, demonstrating astonishing flexibility. Whenever Aiden threw a heavy, forceful straight punch, she would sidestep with the absolute bare minimum of movement, her arms slithering around his like vipers to twist and pull his momentum, effortlessly redirecting the stone-shattering force of the blow.
Rather than a fierce brawl, her combat style resembled a graceful martial dance. Every dodge and every counterattack was filled with a profound sense of rhythm. Palms, fists, elbows, and knees—every single part of her body was a weapon. She launched attacks from all sorts of impossible angles, forcing Aiden to focus every ounce of his attention just to keep up.
From the very beginning of the fight, Aiden held the absolute upper hand. But Tifa refused to yield. Amidst the torrential downpour of strikes, she stood firm like an unyielding reef, relying on her peerless martial arts techniques to match him blow for blow.
A flicker of surprise flashed through Aiden's eyes, quickly replaced by a surging lust for battle. Tifa's fighting style was completely alien to him, but his extraordinary reflexes and terrifying learning capabilities allowed him to rapidly adapt to her rhythm.
In just a few short minutes, Aiden went from passively reacting to her strikes to gradually anticipating them. He started reading her subtlest muscle twitches, predicting the angle of her next attack, and setting up preemptive counters.
The tempo of the spar accelerated; the staccato cracks of their collisions grew denser. Finally, during a fierce flurry of blows, Aiden seized a fleeting opening. He faked a side kick, forcing Tifa to block sideways, which consequently left her center wide open.
Without hesitation, Aiden pulled his leg back, twisted his waist, and drove a punch forward in one fluid, seamless motion.
Thud. A heavy straight punch buried itself squarely into Tifa's abdomen. The violent impact caused her to double over instantly, a flash of pain appearing on her beautiful face. She clutched her stomach and looked up at Aiden, her eyes brimming with sheer grievance.
The moment this guy entered combat mode, he showed absolutely no mercy to anyone. Aside from intentionally avoiding her face, he had no qualms about ruthlessly hammering any other part of her body. She subconsciously glanced down at her prominent breasts, feeling a dull ache throbbing there from the sheer force of their earlier blocks and collisions. An indescribable wave of embarrassment welled up inside her, making the glare she shot at Aiden even more resentful.
The moment that decisive punch landed, Aiden instantly snapped out of his highly focused combat state. Looking at Tifa's pained, aggrieved expression, the cold intensity of the spar evaporated, replaced by a sheepish look of embarrassment.
"Sorry, Tifa... I-I got a little carried away." He scratched his head and hurriedly stepped forward to support her.
While he had consciously avoided hitting her face, once the spar reached a fever pitch, he had been absolutely merciless toward any target his fists could reach. He swore to the gods, he really hadn't meant to take advantage of her.
"It's fine." Tifa slowly straightened up and waved him off, her usual gentle demeanor already returning to her face.
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