-Knock, knock, knock

Luss knocked on the door and waited for a moment.

Soon, a woman came out to greet her.

“Who is... Ah. It’s you. You’re a member of Starchis’ party... Luss, right?”

“...Yes, that’s right. I’m Luss.”

Her memory was impressive.

Luss had only met this woman once at Starchis’ bedside.

They hadn’t even exchanged names, and Stion had only called her name once.

Yet, Seira, the manager of the ‘Aide’ party, hadn’t forgotten it.

“Nice to meet you. What brings you here today?”

“Is Stion here?”

“Stion is busy right now. You should have made an appointment in advance-”

“-Seira, don’t be so strict.”

A leisurely voice flowed from inside the building.

And in response to that voice, a friendly laugh was heard.

Seira sighed and held her forehead.

“Stion, I’m doing this for your reputation..! It doesn’t look good to seem so free. Where in the world is there an A-rank party leader that anyone can meet right away...?”

“Right here. Oof.”

The sound of him approaching the door from inside the building was heard.

Soon, he appeared with messy hair and a scruffy beard.

“It’s enough to chase away strangers whose faces we don’t know. She’s a member of Starchis’ party.”

Stion patted Seira’s shoulder to calm her down.

Then he looked at the guest who had come to see him.

“So. Why are you here?”

At his question, Luss recalled the previous night.

Starchis had thanked her for believing in him and following him, and for helping him achieve his dream.

It was embarrassing.

She had never been half-hearted, but she hadn’t worked hard enough to deserve his thanks either.

She just wanted him.

She wasn’t someone worthy of the grand reasons he attached to praise her.

She didn’t think she had helped Starchis.

Even without her, he would have reached his current position.

...That was unacceptable.

Luss wanted to be someone irreplaceable.

She wanted to hear, “It has to be you.”

She never wanted to see him hurt again.

Luss bowed her head deeply and said,

“...Stion. Please teach me how to fight.”

“...I wondered what you were saying, coming here so early... I’m sorry, Luss, but Stion isn’t that free-”

Seira’s words were cut off.

Stion raised his hand to stop her.

He gestured with his head towards the inside of the base, signaling to continue the conversation inside.

Luss naturally followed him into the base.

The Aide party consisted of seven members, including the manager.

Three of them were sitting inside the base.

The other two were nowhere to be seen.

“Sit in the front.”

Stion pointed to a chair in front of the round table.

Luss naturally did as he said.

Luss sat down, and as Stion took a seat opposite her, the rest of the party members gathered around and filled the remaining seats.

Suddenly, Luss found herself surrounded by Aide party members.

Luss, a burly bald man, a sleek-looking man, Stion, a sharp-looking woman, and Seira were seated in a circle.

“Pretty, aren’t you?”

The sharp-looking woman commented to Luss.

The pressure from all directions was intense.

Before Luss could feel flustered, Stion spoke up.

“One thing before we start.”

Stion raised one finger.

“Don’t think about lying to me during this conversation.”

“...Yes.”

“It would be best not to test that. In return, I’ll be honest too.”

Luss nodded.

Stion also slightly pushed his cheek with his tongue and nodded.

Stion was different from the impression Starchis had given.

Starchis said there was no one kinder and gentler, but to Luss, he seemed frightening and cold.

Maybe it felt even more so knowing he was the leader of an A-rank party.

Stion, setting the mood, glanced subtly at Seira.

Seira also looked back at Stion with serious eyes.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...?”

“...Seira, why don’t you bring some tea?”

“Oh, look at me.”

Seira jumped up and ran off somewhere.

The remaining Aide party members chuckled.

Stion took a deep breath and crossed his legs.

“...So, you want me to teach you how to fight?”

“Wow, that’s bold.”

The bald man beside her said in a deep voice.

With his massive muscles and tanned skin, he looked like someone who would stand on the front lines.

Stion continued speaking to Luss.

“Well, I understand. You must have felt something after seeing my brother.”

Luss shivered. He had hit the nail on the head.

“...I’m sorry...”

“Don’t apologize. It was an accident, right? Or, is there something else you feel guilty about?”

She recalled the moment she had fallen.

She clenched her fists in self-reproach.

“...If you’re worried about falling, I already know. Don’t blame yourself for that. Even I wouldn’t have predicted the scroll.”

Stion briefly thought back to when he lost all his party members during an S-rank mission.

He didn’t want to be too harsh on her as someone who had also lost teammates.

Stion ran a hand through his hair and said,

“Training you will make my brother safer, so I have no reason to refuse.”

“Why don’t you have a reason to refuse, Stion? We’re busy people.”

The sleek-looking man next to the bald man asked.

“Life comes first. If it’s for my brother’s safety, everything else can wait.”

“It’s a waste of time unless you’re sure it will be effective.”

“Whether it’s a waste of time or not, I should do everything I can. I don’t want to regret it later.”

Stion answered the man beside him while staring intently at Luss.

“If you want to follow my brother, there’s no reason I can’t reach out a hand. Helping you is ultimately for my brother’s sake.”

Stion leaned forward, clasped his hands, and rested his chin on them.

“...There’s enough justification. If you can keep my brother safe, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do.”

Stion recalled all the countless complaints and worries he had heard from his younger brother.

He thought about his brother, who must have suffered within those concerns.

He considered the days his 9-year-younger brother endured among these party members, determined to follow in his footsteps.

How hard must it have been for the honest Starchis to resort to such outlandish lies?

Among those stories, certain names always came up: Luss, Vienna, and Lily.

“But to be honest...”

As Stion thought about those times, his expression gradually hardened.

Call it childish if you will.

He wanted to stay detached from Starchis’ life, but his love for his brother made that difficult.

He wanted to let out some of the anger he had built up.

A sense of intimidation flowed through his body.

“..?”

As the atmosphere changed, the Aide party members looked at him.

Stion continued speaking, regardless of their gazes.

“I just don’t like you, so I don’t want to do it.”

****

-Knock, knock, knock

It was early morning.

“Are you okay, Rose?”

Hian knocked on Rose’s door and asked.

-“I-I’m fine. Just leave me alone.”

“At least drink some water. It’s the best thing for a hangover.”

-“I’m drinking plenty. Please go away.”

Hian sighed helplessly at the response.

The previous night, despite the late hour, Rose hadn’t come home, leaving Hian anxiously pacing by the front door.

When Rose finally returned, she was a mess.

Her face was flushed red from drinking, and she couldn’t even walk properly.

She had to be supported by the guards.

Support was an understatement; she was practically being dragged.

Given the current situation, he decided to let it slide for now,

but he intended to question her thoroughly about the incident once she came to her senses.

.

.

.

.

-Slap slap slap slap slap!

The sound of something wet and heavy hitting echoed from under the blanket.

“Huuuhaa..! Ha...!! Hup!!”

-Flash!

The blanket was suddenly thrown into the air.

-Phew! Phew!

Rose’s hips trembled and lifted off the bed.

Her porcelain-like legs tensed and straightened.

But her arms were weak, and her head remained buried in the bed.

Beneath her hips, some kind of liquid flowed down her smooth legs.

She felt the orgasm ripple through her entire body.

And then, flop.

Once the wave of pleasure passed, she collapsed into a cat-like posture on the bed.

She hadn’t been able to sleep at all since the previous day.

The words “bitch” from Starchis haunted her every time she tried to drift off, jolting her awake.

Those words seemed to melt her brain.

Ever since hearing those words, her legs hadn’t regained their strength whenever she lay down on the bed.

“Ha...ha...Starchis...”

Her heart had pounded when reading it in a book, but hearing those words from a man she liked was indescribable.

Her lower body kept getting wet, and that place tingled.

His voice kept echoing in her head.

Lying in bed, tormented and unable to sleep for so long was painful. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t fall asleep, and he kept popping into her mind.

In the end, she experienced her first masturbation session early in the morning.

It was something she had only read about.

She didn’t have precise knowledge about the act itself, but she knew it was meant to calm her heated body in such a situation.

What started at dawn continued until now. The bed sheets were soaked with sweat, saliva, and secretions.

Yet her body wouldn’t cool down and kept heating up.

The more exhausted she became, the more intense the pleasure returned.

She couldn’t stop her body.

Even right after feeling a sharp pleasure, her hips continued to move up and down lewdly on their own.

The bed creaked quietly in response.

It was as if her body instinctively knew how to move.

Rose peeked her face out from under the blanket to look at the window.

It was already bright outside. She realized just how long she had been at it.

Still, she ducked her head back under the blanket.

Just once... just one more time, she decided.

She repeated the promise she had made dozens of times already.

Before her hand reached her secret place, she thought of a man.

‘What would Starchis think if he saw me like this right now?’

Thinking of his disappointment and disgust pained her heart.

Somehow, without her realizing it, he had moved beyond mere affection and settled deep in her heart.

Simultaneously, she thought...

‘Would he call me a bitch again?’

“Haaa...!”

Her untouched womanhood throbbed.

Once again, she couldn’t resist.

“No, no. This... this is really the last time...”

She spoke to her own womanhood as if trying to reason with it.

But it was a promise she couldn’t keep.

Thus, her first experience with masturbation continued until she was utterly exhausted and collapsed.

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