"That's right, Ritsuka, didn't you say before that I could get all my lewdness out of my system in one go?"
Those words, spoken by a youth who was unquestionably the carnivorous type, found their way into Miss Guda's ears.
Feeling that man's gaze, which made no attempt to conceal his desire, Miss Guda's expression went rigid.
Just a moment ago…
She seemed to have said something incredibly reckless in the heat of the moment.
Worse, that reckless comment appeared to have been mentally filed away by her boyfriend-in-name-only.
A sense of crisis, aimed squarely at her chastity and entirely unprecedented, washed over Miss Guda's heart.
"Let me think, what's the best way to be lewd?"
As if his wicked sense of humor had suddenly erupted, the youth spoke in a voice that was deliberately amplified, ensuring Miss Guda could hear every single word.
Miss Guda could clearly feel his eyes wandering over her collarbones, her chest, her waist, and her legs. Her world turned a bleak shade of gray.
It seemed this guy was serious.
Knowing full well that if he decided to get forceful, she would be utterly powerless to resist, the girl's expression became one of sheer panic.
"Opportunities to justifiably tease my girlfriend don't come around often."
His words, each more ominous than the last, reached Miss Guda's ears, making her feel as though her virtue was hanging by a thread.
"Just call my name a hundred times. That'll be enough."
Unexpectedly, a request completely devoid of lust—one that was almost like a prank—spilled from the youth's lips.
"Huh?"
Call his name a hundred times?
The girl, who had been on high alert, convinced her chastity was in imminent danger, was left utterly dumbfounded.
…Wh-what was this?
An April Fool's joke?
But today wasn't April 1st.
Besides, even if it was, no one on the Mesopotamian plains would be preparing for a holiday from a future era.
"What's wrong? You can't do it?" Li Zihan asked, a teasing smile plastered on his face as he looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka.
"Well… I can, I suppose, but…" Fujimaru Ritsuka was troubled.
For such a simple request to come from a bona fide predator… something felt very wrong.
"I just really like the feeling of a girl sitting on my lap, looking at me, and repeating my name."
Li Zihan spoke, recalling the memory of holding Sirin, listening to her call his name with such clingy affection.
"That feeling is so wonderful it makes me want to find a way to reach the end of the world, obtain the 'Sixth Magic'—whose true nature is likely the dominion over time—and stretch that single moment into an eternity."
Stretch a single moment into an eternity?
Miss Guda's eyes went wide.
If the "world" in question was Earth, stretching its time like that would throw it out of its solar orbit and lead to its certain destruction!
Hey, hey! Don't say something so horrifying with such a romantic, poetic tone!
"…Wh-what does that have to do with me saying your name?" the girl asked, her heart hammering as she tried to steer the conversation away from the terrifying idea of stretching time.
"The feeling is just that good," Li Zihan said with a serene smile.
"By the way, just calling me 'Zihan' is fine. You don't need to be too serious about it, just keep your current mood, and don't say it too fast."
"If there's one hard rule, it's that you have to look right at me, okay?"
As if he'd thought of something amusing, the youth clapped his hands together, looking at the slightly more relaxed girl with an expression of pure anticipation.
"…It's simple, I guess, but…"
Simple it was. Although it was a hundred times, it was still just repeating a name.
But sitting on a boy's lap, looking at his face, and calling out his name…
It was mortifying.
And what's the point of making me do this, anyway? Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't help but wonder, staring at Li Zihan's highly enthusiastic face. Other than making me feel embarrassed, does this have any meaning at all?
But the youth's arms, while not appearing muscular, were impossibly strong and had already encircled her.
So close!
Held face-to-face by her waist, she could practically feel the boy's every breath.
Then, he simply sat down on the ground.
And Miss Guda, still in his embrace, found herself sitting squarely on his lap.
The overly intimate posture made Miss Guda's entire body stiffen.
"Are you shy?" he asked, seemingly noticing the state of the girl in his arms, blinking his eyes.
"…A little."
Being held around the waist by a boy, sitting on his lap, and then having to say his name while he watched… It was mortifying.
"In that case, I'll close my eyes," the youth, who always radiated an air of effortless confidence, said with a smile. "In exchange, Ritsuka, when you call my name, I want you to make me feel like we're in love."
"Can you do that?"
His sun-colored eyes fell upon her face, like a predator sizing up its prey before the hunt. The gaze wasn't intense, but it was invasive.
Without a doubt, being scrutinized by that gaze while having to repeat his name a hundred times would be pure agony.
"I guess I can," the girl mumbled, as if conceding defeat.
And with that, the youth closed his eyes.
But still, what the hell is 'the feeling of being in love'?
Completely clueless, Fujimaru Ritsuka could only follow his instructions. Seeing that he had closed his eyes and was waiting expectantly, she began.
"Zihan… Zihan…"
"…Zihan… Zihan… Zihan…"
Like someone reciting lines with forced emotion, the girl on the youth's lap repeated the name of her boyfriend-in-name-only.
The mechanical process was, frankly, incredibly boring. Especially when she was instructed to do it at a normal or slightly slower pace, the tediousness was overwhelming.
And when people are bored, their attention tends to wander.
As she was instructed to keep looking at him, her eyes remained fixed on the smiling, closed-eyed youth, and Fujimaru Ritsuka's thoughts couldn't help but drift.
This guy… he really is strange.
But, he's surprisingly handsome.
The girl stared at his face, lost in thought. His slightly long hair was the color of fresh ink, with the faint luster of black jade. His eyelashes were thick and long, like the gently fluttering wings of a butterfly. Just like every other god she had ever met, his features were exquisite, possessing a kind of demonic charm.
He really is very handsome.
And he's incredibly good at doting on people.
As a noble existence nearing the level of a God-King, the first thing he did every day was prepare breakfast for his lovers. He would spend a huge portion of his time playing games with them and enjoying the scenery. Even though she was just his temporary girlfriend, he was more than happy to share his Authority, a power whose value was absolutely off the charts.
If you ignored his womanizing, he was actually a super great guy, wasn't he?
Fujimaru Ritsuka, who hadn't paid it much mind before, suddenly felt a… strange tickle in her heart.
Perhaps that wasn't quite right. The feeling had been there from the start, but it was almost imperceptible. Now, as she continued to call his name, it began to deepen, becoming tangible.
The sensation sent a jolt through Miss Guda, and her entire face instantly flushed red.
Wh-what is this… feeling?
The girl felt her cheeks and ears grow hot. The strange sensation in her chest began to surge through her blood, spreading to her limbs.
Hey, hey, hey, Fujimaru Ritsuka, what are you thinking?! This guy has the same look in his eyes as a hound, and he's a public enemy to all women with an even wider hunting ground! No matter how handsome a scumbag is or how well he treats girls, he's still a scumbag!
Almost instinctively, the girl, blushing furiously, averted her gaze.
Can't look anymore. If I keep looking, my resolve will waver.
And then—
"…You have to look right at me, Ritsuka."
Her eyes had barely moved when she heard the youth's reminder. The suddenness of it made her let out a tiny, startled cry.
Then, the arm holding her waist tightened ever so slightly.
The girl in his embrace was pulled even closer. Miss Guda could feel a warmth that wasn't her own seeping into her, becoming her own body temperature.
This is too close!
The girl, her face a cute shade of red, opened her mouth, about to say something.
But in the next moment, the youth's voice reached her ears again.
"Ritsuka, the hundred times aren't over yet."
"…Oh."
Blushing like a steamed lobster, the girl opened her mouth and resumed chanting Li Zihan's name, though her voice now had an unavoidable stutter.
Wh-what is this feeling? To suddenly appear, so inexplicably…
"Ritsuka, can you put a little more emotion into it?"
Then, the youth, who had kept his eyes closed the entire time, spoke up, as if deliberately raising the difficulty. "Your voice is wonderful, but I'd much rather hear the tone of a girl who's passionately in love."
Hey, hey, hey, what the hell is the tone of a girl in love?! Don't ask for the impossible!
The girl, who was stammering his name, had the sudden urge to flip a table.
"I-Is that so? I-I'll try."
But those were the words that came out of her mouth.
"If you can't manage it, just try to imagine the feeling of being spoiled."
That's just as difficult!
The girl, who had always been strong while shouldering the duty of saving humanity, felt like this bastard was deliberately making things hard for her.
"In that case, then just try… to imagine what it would be like after you've thrown all your responsibilities onto someone else."
Throw my responsibilities onto someone else? That's going too far, the girl thought.
"Onto someone who would be more than happy to carry all of those responsibilities for you," the youth added with a soft laugh.
Someone who would happily take on a burden as heavy as saving the Human Order?
"Someone who would gladly hunt down the Beast of Pity, all because he wants to see you, carefree and spoiled, in his arms."
Carefree… and spoiled in his arms?
Following his lead, Fujimaru Ritsuka allowed herself to imagine such a scene for just a moment.
At that instant, the youth pulled her deeper into his embrace.
"Please continue reading my name."
A strange emotion began to surface in her heart.
What was this feeling?
She didn't know. She had no idea. But she felt warm all over, a pleasant weakness spreading through her limbs. At most, it was just a peculiar feeling in her heart, a desire to say something she couldn't put into words, a need to vent some nameless emotion. It felt like drums were beating inside her chest, like something was about to burst forth, something that had to be let out.
Gradually, in the girl's perception, the noisy world around her faded away. Her ears were filled with nothing but the sound of her own voice calling his name, and the steadily growing thump of her own heartbeat.
She didn't know what was happening, only that her heart was pounding louder and louder, while her tone grew softer and softer, taking on a coquettish, spoiled flavor.
Why… it's just… calling a name.
Held tightly, Miss Ritsuka didn't struggle. She just kept counting, her face flushed.
"…Zihan… Han…"
"…Zihan… Han…"
"Zihan… Han…"
How much time had passed?
She didn't know. But it was fine to just keep going, right?
Having completely lost count, Fujimaru Ritsuka had the sudden, inexplicable urge to simply rest her head on his shoulder and start counting to one hundred all over again.
And then—
Clap!
A single, crisp clap echoed in the air.
The youth who had been holding her had, at some point, freed a hand and brought it down. The sound wasn't loud, but it was sharp, and it snapped Miss Guda's eyes into focus as if waking from a dream.
Recalling the sensation from just moments ago—that unspeakably strange, boiling emotion inside her that had been on the verge of erupting but only churned in place—the now-clear-headed Fujimaru Ritsuka began to tremble.
What was I doing just now?!
Inexplicably imagining myself abandoning the mission to save humanity, and even imagining being spoiled in someone's arms… If anyone from Chaldea found out, I'd become a laughingstock!
Forget it! I have to forget what just happened!
The girl, desperately wishing she had a memory-erasing pen, screamed at herself in her mind.
And then—
Without warning, the youth pulled her close again, resting his head on her shoulder.
"Alright, that's enough," Li Zihan said, opening his eyes and smiling warmly. "Ritsuka, you really are cute."
"Cute enough to make me want to try my hand at fighting Goetia."
The youth, who had already basically formulated a plan to kill Goetia and expel the Foreign God, whispered with a smile against the girl's delicate ear.
"So, will you try relying on me?"
"From now on, I'll be in charge of saving the Human Order, and you'll be in charge of being spoiled."