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After that, Rosen didn't push the girls to do anything.
They were the ones who couldn't stand the sticky sweat clinging to them, so they all hurried off to the bathroom together.
"Divine One, want to join us?"
Yuki Suou lingered at the doorway, deliberately showing off her long, delicate legs.
The tease of what her bathrobe hid beneath was enough to make anyone's fingers itch.
"D-don't say stuff like that, Yuki! I'm not ready for that kind of thing yet. Besides, what if Lord Rosen really came in?"
Blushing hard, Hana Yukikawa dragged Yuki inside, half pulling, half shoving.
"What if he does? You think the four of us together can't handle one Rosen?"
Even as she was pulled through the door, Yuki made sure to keep her voice loud enough for him to hear.
"I already know men can only go once before they need recovery time. If you're scared, Hana, just let me go first."
"Huh? Wait… it works like that?"
Hana blinked at her in total confusion.
"Stop messing with her," Miko Yotsuya cut in, trying to calm things down. "Now's not the time. We're all worn out anyway."
"Exactly. We should focus on resting and reflecting on that last fight. We've got plenty of weaknesses to fix."
Mai Sakurajima brought the subject to a close, though in her heart she was rolling her eyes at Yuki.
Big talk, no courage. Pretending to be some worldly expert while spouting nonsense about men not lasting more than once.
Mai, who actually had first-hand experience, knew exactly how much stamina Rosen had. If he hadn't been holding back for her sake that first night, she was pretty sure he could've gone till sunrise.
She'd even looked it up afterward—some people online claimed "there's no field too tough, only plows too weak." Pure keyboard bravado.
If Rosen ever did get dragged into the bath tonight, Mai was willing to bet Yuki would be the very first to cry uncle.
Meanwhile in the living room, Rosen honestly wasn't all that tempted to join them.
Sure, a bath with his companions sounded nice, but what they needed right now was rest, not more strain.
While they washed up, a delivery came through the chat group: Malusiel forwarded some monster ingredients that Sensei had prepped.
Almost everything edible—dragons included—was packed up neatly, with only the more humanoid monsters excluded.
Spread out on the table, the most striking cuts were unmistakably dragon meat.
There were generous portions from the red dragon he'd slain, plus the white, black, green, eastern dragon, and the serpent-dragon he and the others had taken down later.
Sensei had even noted that there was more where that came from, but since fresh dragon meat spoiled quickly, the rest would be processed into jerky or salted cuts.
Also tucked into the package was a handwritten letter from Faline.
Rosen unfolded it, reading about her daily life with her team, little mishaps, and their latest finds in the dungeon.
She closed with words of longing and asked if she could keep writing to him.
Shepherd:"Malusiel, tell Faline she can write me anytime. And let her know I'll keep working on a way to bring people over here."
I-Don't-Want-to-Eat-Monsters:"Got it! But honestly, isn't that something only the chat group can handle? Guess we'll have to wait for an upgrade."
Shepherd:"Maybe. Still, if you ever have free time, you're welcome to relax here."
I-Don't-Want-to-Eat-Monsters:"Truth is, I was curious about visiting… until your recent livestream. No thanks, I'm terrified of ghosts. shivers.gif"
I-Don't-Want-to-Eat-Monsters:"Not just me either, I bet the others feel the same. But if you really need help, we'd show up. Not that you seem to need it, though."
I-Don't-Want-to-Eat-Monsters:"Anyway, I'll pass your message to Faline. Bye!"
Rosen closed the chat.
Faline's longing tugged at him, but Malusiel was right: unless the system itself allowed it, he'd have to travel to her world if he wanted to see her again.
Still, there was no rush. Between private commission cards and bugged requests, the group always found ways to connect without spending points.
Besides, he'd only been gone a few days. He owed it to his companions here to spend time with them—and he probably should show up at school once in a while too, though he suspected those visits would grow rarer and rarer.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Rosen turned his focus to preparing the dragon meat.
He'd never cooked it before, but Sensei had kindly included a recipe book, complete with notes and illustrations.
When the girls finally emerged from their bath, hair damp and fragrant, they stopped short at the sight of the table.
"Whoa… that's a lot of food! Did you buy all this, Lord Rosen?" Miko gaped.
"So much meat! Real meat! Divine One, I want to eat it all!" Hana threw her hand up like an overeager student, bouncing in front of him.
Her eyes locked onto the cuts of meat, glowing like stars, and drool actually slipped down her chin.
She was starving.
"What kind of meat is this? Pork leg? Wagyu beef?" Yuki leaned closer, curiosity sharp in her gaze.
"Dragon," Rosen replied casually.
For a moment, they all thought they'd misheard.
Dragon?
What kind of shady marketing gimmick was that? Some greedy supplier slapping a ridiculous name on it to jack up the price?
Even though they knew Rosen was wealthy, none of them liked the idea of him being scammed by some crooked butcher.
"Real dragon," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Fresh off the bone less than three days ago. All prime cuts. You cook it like any other meat."
"Eeeeh? Actual dragon meat?! I wanna try it—I wanna try it right now!"
Hana's eyes were sparkling like fireworks.
"Me too! Let's cook it together!" Yuki said, rolling up her sleeves.
"..."
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