Ryuu had just finished with the last opponent when I heard commotion from outside. The oaken door had remained open after the elites had made a run for their lives. I turned to see Shakti and Ardee appear in the doorway, followed by several other Ganesha Familia members.
"No one moves! We are from Ganesha…Fami…lia…" Shakti stopped, seeing several women beating the person who was supposed to be the villain.
"Umm…Lion, what is happening here?" Ardee asked Ryuu, who, after defeating all the bodyguards, had appeared beside me.
Ryuu opened her mouth but seemed at a loss for words. I answered instead.
"Nothing much. Just a villain getting what he deserves."
Ardee stared dumbly at me before Shakti instructed her subordinates to arrest Ted. The Ganesha Familia members swiftly jumped into action, pacifying the women and making them back off.
And despite my deepest wish, Ted was still alive, though his bones were broken in several places and his face was bruised all over, with bubbles forming from his mouth. It seemed the women had targeted a certain place more than others, as he was grabbing his crotch.
Tearing my gaze away from that pathetic sight, I addressed Shakti.
"Where are Alise and the others?"
Shakti too averted her gaze from him and answered as we left the hall. Anna hesitated but still followed after us.
"They're catching the one that tried to run away after the raid."
I nodded.
"And what will happen now?"
"After getting his confession, it is likely that Paradise City will shift the blame to him entirely."
"...I see…"
Noticing my frown, Shakti added, "Don't worry, though. This case has given us enough leeway over them that we will be able to better monitor their moves from now on."
I nodded.
Ryuu, who had been listening silently, spoke up.
"What about all the women here?"
"I think the guild is likely to handle that part by giving them hefty compensation and sending them to their homes."
"That's good, at least they will be able to go home now."
After some more conversation, Shakti returned to oversee the process, leaving Ryuu, Ardee, Anna, and me behind. We escorted Anna to a carriage already prepared that would drop her at her parents' house.
Anna squirmed in place, a little hesitant and most likely confused by the rapid turns of events. She took a deep breath and bowed her head deeply.
"Thank you very much for saving me! I will never forget this debt."
Ryuu stepped forward, making Anna look up.
"Please don't worry about it. If the authorities were working right, then you shouldn't have gone through something like this in the first place."
Anna shook her head.
"Even so, that doesn't change the fact that you helped me today, so thank you for that."
After contemplating a little bit, Ryuu answered.
"Then we accept your gratitude. Now, please go on, your family is waiting for you."
Nodding enthusiastically, Anna boarded the carriage.
Ardee's shoulders sagged tiredly as she spoke.
"We have a lot of work to do now…"
"Do you need help?" I offered, but she shook her hand in refusal.
"No, you both have already done enough. Now go on and rest for the day. We will handle it from here."
Ryuu seemed adamant about helping further, but Ardee shook her head firmly—an unusually stubborn expression on her normally easygoing face.
"Anyways, see you both tomorrow!" Ardee said and rushed back inside, not giving Ryuu any chance to argue.
Since the Stardust Garden was the closest place to here, I also decided to crash there for the night.
Ryuu and I walked side by side through the streets. The midnight sky was illuminated by the full moon and glittering stars, with only a few clouds that would occasionally shield the moonlight and cast shadows on the earth.
Just as I was gazing up at the sky, I noticed several Ganesha Familia members, along with a few guild members, rush past us toward the Casino Strip.
"It's going to be a busy night for them," I commented, looking at the members hurrying over.
Ryuu nodded in agreement.
"Yes, but I am glad the perpetrator was caught. Though I wish we had caught him sooner."
We both understood that it was wistful thinking. We couldn't be present everywhere all at once. No matter how hard we try, people are going to do bad things. Most of the time they will be caught; sometimes they might also be able to escape.
Such is life.
And Ryuu understood that as well. After all, she was no longer just a naive girl following justice.
She had seen cruelties, made mistakes, learned from them, and had grown both as an adventurer and as a person.
I was both happy that she had grown so much in such a short time, but also a little saddened at the hardships she had to go through.
Before long, we reached the Stardust Garden. The front garden was quiet, peaceful—just the sound of our footsteps on the stone path and the distant chirping of crickets.
Ryuu glanced at me sideways. When I didn't look away, she seemed to grow self-conscious, her cheeks turned pink, her gaze falling toward the ground as she spoke hesitantly.
"Um…Arin, is there something wrong?"
I stopped in my tracks along with her.
"No, I was just thinking how much more beautiful you have become since the first time we met."
Beautiful indeed, both in appearance and in her heart.
I extended my hand and grazed her pointed ears. Ryuu closed her eyes tightly and shivered at the gentle touch to her sensitive ears, her hand clutching onto my shirt.
I traced my finger from the base of her ears to the tip where the earring was and turned it off. Her soft, silky, long black hair, held in a high bun, turned back into her natural blonde color.
I traced my hand further back and removed the hair clip holding her bun together. The moment I removed the clip, her long hair fell down her back.
Ryuu's eyes were still fixated on the ground.
I didn't stop there and held her cheek gently, tilting her head up, making her stare into my eyes.
And moved my face closer.
"Ryuu…can I?" I asked, looking at her soft, red lips accentuated by the lipstick she had used.
Ryuu remained still, and I could see she was trying to process everything, so I waited.
Shortly after, she nodded.
"Yes…But first…"
She said, extending her own gloved hand. She turned off my magic earring. The silver hair I had used as a disguise reverted to its original black, along with my eyes.
"I am…ready now…Please go ahead…" she spoke softly.
And I could feel my heart beating so fast I feared it would rip through my ribcage.
Our surroundings became so quiet that I could hear both our breathing.
My hand trembled in nervousness and anticipation, and I could feel the same trembling in her body as well.
Slowly, ever so slowly, I closed the distance between us.
Our faces were inches apart. Close enough that I could see my reflection in her eyes.
The moment our lips met, I felt like I was sitting on clouds.
I could feel the softness of her lips, her grip on my blazer tightening as we stared into each other's eyes.
Time seemed to have slowed down as we continued our gentle, chaste kiss.
I could feel her heart beating like a hammer on my chest. My own doing the same.
The clouds parted, and moonlight fell over us.
Ryuu—overwhelmed by the feelings—closed her eyes and leaned onto me. I kept holding her cheek with my hand, and the other circled around her small waist.
I could taste the faint sweetness of her lips, feel the trembling of her breath against mine, sense every rapid flutter of her pulse where my hand cradled her cheek.
It might have been seconds, minutes, or even hours. I didn't know, nor did I care.
I felt completely at peace.
And I just wanted this moment to keep going for as long as possible.
We refused to separate, even when our lungs screamed for air, our hearts beating even faster until they started beating in perfect sync.
But as with all good things, the kiss came to an end when we were both unable to hold our breath any longer.
Our lips separated as we took long gulps of air.
Ryuu's whole face—from her neck to the tip of her long elven ears—turned red as she swayed on her feet.
I hurriedly held her waist, letting her lean on me fully.
"Are you okay, Ryuu?" I asked, but received no answer.
"Ryuu…?"
I moved her bangs from her face to see that she had fainted.
"What the—? Did I go too far?" A twinge of guilt hit me. Before I shook my head, "Nah, I am sure she is just too tired…she had been working extra hard for the past few days."
I reasoned with myself and picked her up in a princess carry and decided to carry her inside.
I walked past the wooden door of the manor entryway and through the corridor.
Inside the manor was quiet, mainly because most of its members had already gone out.
I found Astraea sitting in the living room on the sofa, wearing sleeping pajamas and reading a book.
"Oh, you are here, Arin and Lion—?"
She closed her book and looked up as she greeted us, only to stop halfway through as her gaze went to Ryuu in my arms.
"Arin, what happened to Lion?" Astraea set down her book, rising from the sofa. "Is she okay?"
I averted my gaze as I answered.
"Yes, she's fine, just tired after the mission. Anyways, I will drop her off in her room. And I will also be sleeping here today."
Astraea let out a relieved sigh and gave a smile.
"Of course, feel free. Your room is already prepared. You can fill me in on the details tomorrow. For now, go ahead and rest."
I nodded in thanks and took Ryuu to her room.
After I removed her shoes, tucked her into her bed, and kissed her forehead, I went back to my own room and settled on my bed with a smile on my face as I fell asleep, remembering the feeling of our kiss together.