酷视

"So we are both outsiders, huh?" I muttered silently after a while, finally able to understand what Fay was talking about.

She was born a bastard to the two leaders of the opposing factions. And given how quite a lot of the protectors came from aggressive lineages, she was, in a sense, a child of peace.

Or, in other words, an existence that had to be kept under wraps, or those more aggressive elements of both factions would be sure to come and relieve her of the duty of living.

I was an outsider because I came to this world from the outside. And I had literally nothing to do with the local conflicts. On the other hand, Fay was born and raised here… but she was still an outsider, although not because of her own choices.

And so, I held Fay as tightly as I could, without going far enough for my body to start acting up. And yet, after a mere moment of silence when I had nothing but the slight weight of Fay to think about, this precaution of mine proved to be quite… well, pointless, as it led to a certain part of me growing quite pointy.

Even though we simply sat down and hugged, Fay still managed to sense my slowly growing excitement, be it by reading my aura or simply feeling the early stage of my boner poke her in her thighs.

"You don\'t need to hold back," she whispered softly, directly into my ear. And even though, for the moment, I couldn\'t see her face, I could swear she had a slightly amused and maybe even happy smile on her lips.

"More than that," her voice grew better as she climbed up my shoulder and brought her sweet lips even closer to my ear. "I\'m happy that you still desire me."

Hearing those words, I couldn\'t help but laugh while lightly patting the girl on her back… or rather, on the cushion of her long, soft hair that shielded her back from my hand.

And how could I not laugh? Fay\'s assumption that there existed a scenario where I could stop desiring her was simply too damn amusing!

"Still," Fay pulled back a bit, leaving my shoulder and sitting deeper into my lap so that she could cuddle up to my chest instead. "I think it would be better if we waited until we got back to your place," she suggested while tapping her fingers against the free side of my chest.

"I mean," she removed her hand and scratched herself behind her ear, "your bed is far better of a bedding than a bunch of sticky sticks and cold ground…"

\'My place is just a run-down shack, with only the most necessary furniture in place,\' I corrected Fay\'s statement in my mind, only to realize that I\'ve failed to take care of this one aspect of our cohabitation.

I looked down at the small pouch now resting along the rest of the luggage. This one bag was different from the rest, though, as rather than holding my gifts from the earth, it contained all the herbs that I\'ve gathered in this world instead.

\'With that bag, money should no longer be an issue. And that means, I can finally start looking out for some nice apartment to rent!\'

If there was one thing better than waking up with Fay by my side in my rundown shack and the tiny bed, it would be waking up in a classy apartment, somewhere on a high floor, with a massive window overlooking the entire town.

That rundown shack of mine… Fay was too damn beautiful to fit in that shoddy background! And it was my duty as her mate to put her in a place that befits her beauty!

I shook my head and gathered my thoughts.

"Then, let me oblige with your earlier request," I spoke, going back to the very topic that pushed Fay to all her confessions from before. "You see, I\'m not exactly sure how to explain it… But I have a system."

My words, as expected, only confused Fay. While she obviously could understand what system meant… that didn\'t mean she magically learned the meaning of this world that came from the geek culture.

Yet, rather than pushing me to explain it further, she simply wiggled in my arms to get slightly more comfortable on my lap before looking up at my face, patiently awaiting my explanation.

"In other words, by completing various missions and doing all sorts of other stuff, I can…" I hesitated for a second, not sure what words would do the job of portraying the meaning I had in mind. "I can artificially grow stronger?"

My statement turned into a question, a guess, as I wasn\'t sure whether my words were correct.

Still, while I could sense the massive difference between how I was now and how I was when I first entered this world, my body didn\'t seem to change at all to facilitate those changes. Raising my strength, agility, and endurance didn\'t lead to the fat burning away from under my skin, only to be replaced by the muscles.

Yes, I was now stronger, faster, and could endure a heck of a lot more than before… but neither of those changes was reflected in the physical alternation of my bodily features. At least, not in the areas that I could notice.

"Don\'t tell me you didn\'t notice how I changed from when you first saw me to how I am right now," I asked, refusing to believe that such a huge change could somehow escape Fay\'s attention.

Unless…

\'Unless both back then and right now, I\'m way too weak for her to even consider my strength! And frankly speaking, I\'ve only ever used my gun when fighting, so I didn\'t really give her any chance to witness my abilities before.\'

Fay squinted her eyes as she looked at me for a prolonged moment.

"Your aura… it changed. That dark, oppressive aura I first sensed around you… It\'s now gone, replaced by your own," she noticed, her eyes turning wide as she stared into my soul and finally noticed the changes.

Fay then seemingly pulled back, lowering her eyes and rubbing her chin as she thought hard about something.

"Then…" she muttered after a short while, raising her lovely eyes to my face. "Back then, when you grabbed those herbs, you finished one of those missions that you just spoke off?" she asked, proving that not only she was actively listening to my explanations, but she even went the extra mile of analyzing the meaning behind it.

"That\'s my girl," I spoke with satisfaction, patting Fay on her back again.

For some reason, having her figure stuff out all on her own felt pretty damn fulfilling.

\'Is this what feeling pride in one\'s partner feels like?\' I thought, amazed by this wonderful feeling.

"And yes, back then…"

"Wait," Fay stopped me before I could explain the details of what happened back then. "She\'s coming," she added, jumping up from my lap and turning her eyes in the direction we last saw Madam leave.

And quite noticeably, her face turned angry. Her anger grew more and more intense with each passing second, reaching its ultimate, wrath form right as Madam stepped out from between the trees with a look of wild satisfaction on her lips.

The happy smile Fay\'s mom held only led to Fay\'s frown growing even stronger. And before I could even say a word, Fay grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

"Hon, let\'s go," she requested, paying no mind to her mother as she pulled me away. "We won\'t find any peace here, so let\'s just return and spend some quality time back at your place!"

I internally sighed.

\'Does she even have an idea of the connotation of those words?\' I asked myself while rolling my eyes.

At times, Fay felt a bit too forward to my liking. And not because I didn\'t enjoy those moments when she went ahead… but because I was simply worried I couldn\'t keep up.

Keep up I could right now, though, using my free hand to swipe at the air, summoning the portal just nearby. Thankfully, it\'s been already a while since its cooldown refreshed, with our talk from before being the only reason why we didn\'t return any sooner.

We stepped forward, passing through the vividly violet portal while holding each other\'s hand. Yet, on the other side, rather than peace and quiet…

"OPEN THOSE DAMN DOORS BEFORE I WILL KICK THEM OPEN!"