After the leaders' closed-door talk, Sawada Tsunayoshi returned to his room.
Compared with everyone who had been pushing through the Dungeon all day, Tsunayoshi had it relatively easy today. Before the deep floors, the odds of a major casualty were low—aside from floor bosses. Once you clear a floor boss, as long as nothing freakish happens, trouble inside the party is hard to come by.
The real problems begin in the deep floors. Sitting on the bed and steadying his thoughts, Tsunayoshi knew tomorrow was the key.
Knock, knock, knock.
The knocks drew a wry look to his face, but he got up and opened the door.
"Yo."
Framed in the doorway was Tsubaki's bright grin—and the rest of the sight said plenty: loose sleeping robe, the air of someone ready for bed, and a pillow tucked under one arm. With that getup, how could he not know what she wanted?
"Tsubaki? Don't tell me you're planning to sleep here."
"Bingo."
Without another word, she leaned in and pushed, chest first, herding him back into the room. She reached behind, flipped the lock, took his hand, and led him straight to the bed. She set her pillow at the headboard, then wrapped him up in a firm hug.
"During the meeting, your brow was so tight you looked like an old man," she murmured. "Pressure getting to you?"
Pressure… Tsunayoshi blinked; so that's why she'd come. Worried he was stewing over tomorrow—so she'd come to comfort him?
It was… a very direct kind of comfort. Held fast in her arms, breathing in the faint scent of a recent bath, he had to admit: it worked wonders on stress.
And, frankly, he liked it.
Feeling his hands slip around her waist, Tsubaki smiled and pulled him closer. She'd half-worried he'd dislike a body all corded muscle. Turned out he liked it just fine.
"Such a typical boy," she teased. "But you're bold for someone 'just liking'—not only me, even Hephaestus-sama? You really don't scare easy."
When she'd first heard it from Hephaestus herself, she'd thought she misheard. But no, it was real. Not that Tsubaki was the type to blow up over it—but it did bother her she'd been the one left out of the loop. Tonight, she'd also come to "demand an explanation."
She punctuated it by giving his backside a hard squeeze.
"So in the end I'm the last to know? If Hephaestus-sama hadn't told me, were you planning to keep it secret forever?"
"Ow—" he hissed; the woman had a grip. "I wasn't trying to hide it on purpose…"
"Hah? Then you just put me at the back of the line?"
Tsubaki's rough-and-ready style didn't usually fuss over romance. That was when she was ignorant. Now she knew—and knowing that Tsunayoshi handled Hephaestus differently than her made her feel… cheap. That, she did mind.
She might be straightforward, but not in everything. With her first crush of a boy actually in front of her, some lines turned finer.
"Uh…"
He had no good rebuttal. He really had pushed Tsubaki down the order—and got another punitive squeeze for it.
"So? No comeback?"
"It's my fault," he admitted quickly. "I didn't think enough about what you'd feel."
"…Hmph. At least you own it fast."
Her scowl eased. She wasn't here to sever ties—just to gripe and make sure she had a place in his heart. Before, she could treat him like a slightly lecherous kid brother. After hearing what Hephaestus-sama said he'd said and done, her heart had rippled.
She'd raised him like a cheeky junior she wanted to keep close—but she'd also wanted to claim him outright, to be able to steal him away from the Loki Familia if she chose.
Now that Hephaestus was in the picture, those ripples had become waves. Seeing the goddess's smile thin and her eyes soften when she spoke of Tsunayoshi had stung, like a beloved kid brother getting "stolen" by another woman.
That NTR-like twist in her gut pushed her to find time alone with him tonight. Whatever else, she was going to hear his thoughts straight.
"I also heard you've got a thing with Tiona and Tione. Do they know about each other?"
"Tiona and Tione know. Tione made it obvious, so I knew—that's when Tiona told me she liked me too. They both know, between them."
"And do they know about you and Loki-kami, and Hephaestus-sama?"
"That all happened before we laid things out with Hephaestus."
"So they don't, huh?"
"Mm."
Knowing the Amazons didn't know either made Tsubaki feel a bit better—at least she wasn't the last—but her "treatment" still felt like the worst of the lot.
"So," she pressed, "don't you have something to say to me?"
"…I like you, Tsubaki. I really like you. From the start you felt like a big sister to me—in your personality, and your, uh, figure. And… you let me get away with things."
His straightforward confession tugged a smile to her lips. Yes, definitely a little lech—but her build was a powerful advantage.
"I should've said it sooner," he went on. "I kept making excuses. Lately's just… been a lot."
"You know they're excuses, do you? Next time—no 'next time.' Tell me first when something's up—especially when you're planning to take liberties."
Her mood had lifted. She hopped right over the part where he'd made her last. Hugging him tight again, she whispered:
"Tonight—I'll give you the chance."
(End of Chapter)
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