With plenty of time before noon, Lord Chen left the coffee shop with the bento he had personally prepared, accompanied by Tohru.
Chisato Nishikigi mistakenly thought that Lord Chen was going to say goodbye to Tohru alone, so she didn't even ask, happily waving to the two of them.
Tohru also didn't understand why Lord Chen was taking her out; she had almost forgotten her previous agreement with him.
Her recent peaceful and happy life had made her very content.
Lord Chen held Tohru's hand, and they strolled along the road, slowly walking towards the back mountain.
Tohru swung their clasped hands, her mood very cheerful, her steps even a little light.
Where they were going didn't matter; what was important was that Lord Chen was holding her hand, and they were out alone.
However, she had a vague bad feeling, so she couldn't help but ask, "Lord Chen, where are we going?"
"Do you see that mountain over there? Do you remember it?" Lord Chen pointed to the distant mountain with his other hand.
"Of course I remember," Tohru said with a smile. "That place is where Lord Chen and I first met. How could I possibly forget?"
"Is that so? Then how about we go see it again?"
"Okay, but why?" Tohru asked curiously.
"Why what?"
"Why is Lord Chen suddenly taking me there?"
"You'll know when we get there."
"Oh..."
The two walked at a leisurely pace, greeting many locals along the way, most of whom were their customers.
They were mainly people who came for meals.
Not those white-collar workers.
Lord Chen and Tohru were very famous in this area; a handsome young man and a cute girl were unforgettable at first glance, not to mention Tohru was a dragon maid.
Many middle-aged men and women had already considered them a couple, often 'shipping' them.
They didn't know what they were 'shipping', but they were inexplicably happy whenever they saw the two together.
The older one gets, perhaps the more one enjoys watching young people fall in love.
Tohru also had a relatively good relationship with them, as she often came to buy groceries and unknowingly built good connections with everyone.
And cute girls were even more popular with middle-aged people.
"Tohru, where are you two going?"
"Are you going on a date?"
"Go for it~"
"Hehe~ Thank you, everyone!" Tohru naturally didn't deny it, happily responding to everyone.
Lord Chen also smiled and nodded in greeting to everyone.
He felt more at ease knowing Tohru could build good relationships with the people around her.
The two walked on like this, quickly leaving the town and embarking on the path up the mountain.
The back mountain wasn't large, and in a short while, the two arrived at the place where they first met; it was still a mess, unchanged from when they had left.
Although only a little over a month had passed, seeing these traces made Lord Chen quite nostalgic.
Tohru, however, felt a bit embarrassed; her initial attitude had been quite harsh, though it was to persuade Lord Chen to leave.
"Lord Chen, can you tell me what this is about now?"
"Why are you so insensitive?" Lord Chen shook his head helplessly.
"Insensitive?" Tohru was puzzled.
"This is where we met. Don't you feel anything?"
"Hmm... just a bit embarrassed." Tohru became shy.
"Is that so? Then how about this?" Lord Chen pulled her into his arms with a tug of her hand.
"Eh?" Tohru lay in Lord Chen's embrace, looking up at him blankly.
Lord Chen gazed intently into her golden pupils, slowly lowering his head.
Tohru hadn't expected Lord Chen to suddenly take the initiative. Her heart raced, and she began to feel nervous. As Lord Chen's breath touched her face, she slowly closed her eyes.
What followed was the touch of their lips.
It had happened once before, but Tohru still felt a soul-stirring tremor, instantly falling into a daze.
Lord Chen didn't rush into a deeper exchange. After pressing against Tohru for about ten seconds, he slowly pulled away.
Tohru also opened her eyes. Her golden pupils shimmered with moisture, and her cheeks were flushed, a little dazed.
"Do you remember what I said before about teaching you something even more amazing?"
"Mm..." Tohru nodded vaguely.
"Then... I'll teach you now." Lord Chen lowered his head again.
"Mmm..." Tohru's eyes suddenly widened.
This time, it wasn't just a soul-stirring tremor, but an intoxicating sublimation.
Only then did she realize that a kiss could be like this.
Tohru's learning ability was very strong. After only being led by Lord Chen for a short while, she turned from defense to offense.
Lord Chen was not an expert either. For a moment, he was countered by Tohru, then became increasingly passive until he was breathless.
"Hoo—! Hoo—!"
Lord Chen quickly separated from Tohru, taking deep breaths.
Tohru's face was flushed, but her breathing was normal. She licked her cherry blossom-like lips, her eyes fervent, still wanting more.
"Lord Chen, I want more."
"...Let's take a break." Lord Chen's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"Lord Chen, this really is more amazing! Can we do this often from now on?"
"Of course we can in the future, but not right now."
"Why?"
"Next, I plan to leave for a while." Lord Chen said, his expression serious, after calming his breathing.
"Eh?" Tohru froze, asking blankly, "Lord Chen is leaving? Where are you going?"
"To gain strength." Lord Chen replied seriously.
"Strength?"
"I told you before that I would help you get revenge and make those gods who bullied you suffer punishment. I wasn't just saying it casually." Lord Chen chuckled softly.
"I know Lord Chen is serious... but why so sudden?" Tohru felt a bit flustered, reaching out her hand, wanting to grasp Lord Chen.
Lord Chen also extended his hand and held hers: "The time has simply come. You don't have to worry, I'll be back very soon."
"No!" Tohru pounced on Lord Chen and hugged him: "I don't want Lord Chen to leave me, I want to be with Lord Chen forever! It doesn't matter if we don't get revenge!"
Lord Chen sighed, stroking the soft hair at the back of her head: "I'm sorry, my mind is made up."
"Then I'll leave with Lord Chen!"
"I'm sorry, I can't take you with me right now."
"Lord Chen... why are you leaving me? Are you abandoning me?" Tohru looked up, her eyes already brimming with tears.
Lord Chen's heart ached at the sight; only then did he realize how much Tohru cared about him.
"How could I? I like Tohru so much, I would never abandon you." Lord Chen wiped away Tohru's tears, comforting her: "Don't worry, I really will be back very soon."
"But I don't want to be away from Lord Chen for even a moment... Waaah!" Tohru finally burst into loud sobs.
"Don't cry." Lord Chen's heart ached terribly. "I didn't plan for you to cry like this."
"Huh?" Tohru looked at him through tear-filled eyes, confused.
Lord Chen smiled and asked, "Do you remember what we agreed upon before?"
"Revenge?"
"Not that, the one-month deadline." Lord Chen reminded her with a wink.
"One month... Eh!" Tohru remembered, and her tears stopped abruptly.
"Lord Chen means...?"
"If we fulfill the agreement, can I go out for a walk?" Lord Chen asked.
"In that case... it's not impossible." Tohru pursed her lips, suppressing a smile, and accepted Lord Chen's departure.
"You little perverted dragon." Lord Chen poked her forehead playfully.
"Mmm... Then let's go back quickly!" Tohru was already impatient, her large tail behind her wagging rapidly.
"Going back won't do. Do you want to be interrupted by Chisato?"
"Oh, right! Then what should we do?"
Lord Chen looked up at the sky: "Do you have a way to make us walk on air as if it were solid ground?"
"Of course I can, just make the clouds solid enough."
"Then we... shall be in the sky."
"Lord Chen!"
Tohru was overjoyed. Her body began to emit white light, then expanded and grew, transforming back into a ferocious and majestic green giant dragon.
Lord Chen climbed onto her back, and with a grand wave of his hand, he declared, "Let's go!"
"Okay!"
Tohru cast an invisibility spell, then spread her wings and soared, flying rapidly towards the sky.
Lord Chen felt no wind on her back; it was quiet and peaceful. Apart from the scales being a bit hard, it was no different from sitting on a bed.
Tohru quickly flew to a considerable altitude, quite far from the ground. They couldn't see any people below, and even the houses were just tiny black specks.
"Lord Chen, you can come down now." Tohru stopped on a cloud bank and lay down.
Lord Chen wasn't afraid and simply jumped down. Incredibly, the ground formed by the cloud was soft, just like a bed.
"This is really nice."
"Isn't it?"
White light surged around Tohru, then she continuously shrunk, gradually forming a human shape. Her true appearance was revealed, however, she was wearing nothing.
Lord Chen's gaze was instantly captivated, and he stared in a daze.
Her delicate skin shimmered with a snowy luster, surpassing even white clouds, and the hints of pink in her fair complexion added even more charm.
Her proud chest, her taut abdomen, her long legs... Lord Chen simply couldn't tear his eyes away.
"Lord Chen..." Tohru wasn't shy; she walked openly towards Lord Chen and then threw herself into his arms.
Lord Chen naturally embraced her. Her skin was smooth to the touch, and thoughts of cherishing her flooded his mind.
"Let's begin," Tohru whispered softly.
"Mm." Lord Chen found no reason to refuse.
Above the white clouds, it was boundless; below the white clouds, it was equally vast.
Some people walked on the ground beneath the clouds, scattered by the sunlight, while others were on top of the clouds, intertwined with each other, directly bathed in the sunlight.