She was assaulted.
Tsubaki Rurikawa's face flashed with surprise for a moment, then quickly turned bright red. Standing before the young man in her maid outfit, she wore an expression of shame and nervousness, her pink lips tightly pursed.
Alex's hand was resting on the maid's chest.
Her prominent, full, and proud bosom swayed slightly under the young man's touch. Even through the fabric, he could feel the incredible softness.
Compared to Alex's casual touch, Tsubaki Rurikawa's body trembled slightly as her sensitive area was taken advantage of. The instant she was touched, she instinctively wanted to pull away, but the maid suppressed that urge.
After all, I am the Master's maid now... Does he want to... do it to me here?
Before Tsubaki Rurikawa could continue her frantic thoughts, Alex's palm lingered on her proud, ample curves for a few seconds, then his fingers gradually moved up, gliding onto her collarbone and neck.
With no obstacles now, the real contact with her delicate, smooth skin stimulated Tsubaki no less than the previous 'chest touch.'
"Ugh..."
Is he going to take off my clothes? Or is he... going to slip his hand inside? Just as the maid girl nervously closed her eyes, silently waiting for his invasion, her slender black lashes fluttering, Alex's voice came through.
"Lift your skirt."
"Eh?"
The hand that had been resting on her chest was actually withdrawn. Tsubaki Rurikawa opened her eyes in surprise, gazing at the smiling young man sitting before her. Lift, lift my skirt?
Does that mean he's not interested in my top... but in my bottom?
Tsubaki Rurikawa felt even more shameful and flushed, her cheeks burning. She could only utter a low, soft 'Mhm' and slowly lifted the hem of her long skirt. Her tall, straight legs immediately appeared before his eyes.
Her fair skin looked flawlessly smooth. As the black long skirt was lifted, her tempting legs were fully revealed to the young man, and as the concealment of the maid's long skirt was stripped away, her pure white panties were finally exposed to the air.
Tsubaki Rurikawa's hands were trembling. She closed her eyes again, afraid to look at him. Even without physical contact, her Master's gaze felt substantial, like ants crawling all over her.
"Tsubaki, why are you always closing your eyes?"
"..."
Tsubaki Rurikawa opened her eyes in confusion, meeting Alex's dark, deep pupils. The dark eyes that had always given her an infinite sense of mystery—deep and ethereal like the cosmos—were now filled with amusement.
"Eh?"
"I just wanted you to look at the mark on your leg. Why are you making that expression?"
"..."
She looked down and, indeed, saw a red heart Essence Mark on the inside of her thigh. The pink, silvery mark was pressed against her upper thigh, in a relatively hidden position. This time, Alex had not imprinted the mark on her chest, abdomen, or crotch.
It was on her leg.
"This thing is called a Silver Mark. This mark can't grant you power, but it gives you the ability to protect yourself. With this, you won't have to worry about running into danger," Alex said with a smile, his lips curling with malicious glee. "By the way, what were you doing just now, looking like you were ready to face death?"
"I..."
I thought you wanted to do this and that to me. Realizing her misunderstanding, Tsubaki Rurikawa wanted to bury her head in the cleavage of her own chest, but glancing at her Master's mischievous smile, she suddenly understood.
What misunderstanding? He was clearly toying with me, deliberately creating this atmosphere out of sheer wickedness, just to laugh at me... He's so awful! I thought my Master was mysterious and powerful, but now... he's clearly a menace!
But... protecting me?
Her fingertip traced the small Silver Mark on her leg. Tsubaki Rurikawa's heart was racing. The girl's proud chest rose and fell rapidly, and she parted her small lips.
"Thank you... Master."
"After all, you're mine now," Alex stretched. "I won't allow anyone else to harm you."
These words, on the contrary, deeply moved Tsubaki Rurikawa. Her Master's words sounded possessive, yet Tsubaki could sense his concern for her. Since the Rurikawa family went bankrupt, this was the first time she had felt such genuine care.
It made the girl's heart flutter.
Alex didn't say anything more, waving her off to boil some water while he continued to check his status panel and review his skills. The [Silver Mark] ability was, after all, a Special Skill. Although he told her it couldn't grant her power, only protection, Alex knew that currently, no one could breach the [Silver Mark]'s defensive ability. Even Chi's hypnosis was ineffective against girls who possessed the [Silver Mark].
And in combat, the [Silver Mark]'s ability could practically be considered an invincible buff, as seen when he saved Rinka Okino the last time.
In a certain sense, this ability was also a terrifying [Power], far more formidable than [Contract].
"Well, it is a Special Skill, and [Contract] is only a 10 Essence Point Ordinary Skill," Alex muttered to himself. "But Ordinary Skill doesn't mean weak."
He closed his eyes, keenly feeling the firearms knowledge and ability in his mind, as well as the changes brought by [Combat Master]... While they were all Ordinary Skills, the boost in strength was... quite significant.
"Based on these abilities... if I grant them to Tsubaki, she can basically achieve immediate combat power," Alex pressed his brow. "The only downside is that the skills shared by [Contract] cannot be granted to multiple people at once."
In simple terms, if he shared [Time Manipulation] with Tsubaki, he couldn't share it with Chi and the others... In that case, if he wanted to build a team with terrifying strength in the future, he would need to buy a large number of skills.
"I'll worry about the future later..."
Night fell, the summer sky shimmering with stars. The girl sitting by the window had changed out of her maid uniform. She was now wearing delicate, intimate lingerie—a hot pink bra and panties, exposing her beautiful body.
However, she was alone in the room, so there was no one to admire the beautiful scene.
Alex had not dragged her in for sex; he had even arranged a separate bedroom for her. Truthfully, Tsubaki Rurikawa let out a sigh of relief, but she also felt a bit disappointed.
Do I lack appeal? Does he not like my body... Otherwise, why wouldn't he even look? The maid girl cupped her cheeks, looking up at the beautiful starry river in the night sky, her heart filled with melancholy.
"Alex..."
Recalling the name she had inadvertently seen while tidying his bag earlier, the girl tilted her head. "My Master... he's still a student."
Thinking closely, the mysterious, powerful, yet slightly wicked Master was actually about the same age as her, and just a high school student. The contrast was quite stark.
"A lot happened today... but," Tsubaki Rurikawa sat back on the bed, her face flushed, "things will get better from now on, right?"
Tossing and turning in bed, the maid was sleepless. She just couldn't fall asleep...
At the same time, in another house, a certain married woman who was sleeping in a separate room was also unable to sleep. Mrs. Yori involuntarily reached her hand inside her panties.
The sound of squishing rang out.
"Ugh, Alex-kun..."