"Please tell me… where that person is."
Ryu's voice was low but unwavering. In those blue-green eyes, something close to obsession burned like a stubborn flame.
She was asking Genichi.
But Genichi only looked at her quietly. There wasn't the slightest ripple in his dark eyes.
"Give me a reason to tell you."
His tone was flat, like he was stating a fact that had nothing to do with him.
"That fight earlier, it didn't do much damage to me," he continued. "But to get away, I paid a price."
He paused.
"So between us, you could say there's bad blood."
Ryu didn't argue.
She pressed her lips together and listened.
Guilt and self-reproach surged in her eyes like the tide, and she couldn't refute a single word.
He was right.
That day in the Dungeon, she hadn't given him any chance to explain. She'd attacked first.
She'd driven him into a corner.
She owed him.
Ryu took a deep breath and spoke again. This time her voice trembled.
"Please."
She dipped her head slightly, and her short golden hair fell forward, hiding her expression.
"Tell me… where that person is."
Genichi looked at her.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.
"This isn't the place to talk."
He turned and started walking toward the other end of the street.
"Somewhere else."
Ryu didn't hesitate. She followed immediately.
The two of them, one in front of the other, crossed Orario's streets. They passed through the bustling commercial district, through crowds that slowly thinned, until at last—
Genichi stopped at the gates of the Demeter Familia.
Ryu lifted her head and looked at the crest above the entrance, the emblem of Goddess Demeter. Something complicated flickered in her eyes.
Of course she knew the Demeter Familia.
The small, weak faction known for agriculture. The peaceful familia that kept to itself.
The familia she'd quietly helped before, and that had quietly helped her in return.
So he was Demeter Familia.
Ryu followed behind Genichi as he went through the gate.
The compound wasn't large, but it was kept neat. The courtyard was planted with crops, and the air carried the clean scent of soil and greenery.
A few members were working in the fields. When they saw Genichi enter with an unfamiliar elf, they looked over with curiosity, but no one came to ask questions.
Genichi walked straight across the yard and into his room.
Ryu followed him inside.
The door closed behind them, cutting off the outside world.
The room was simple: a bed, a desk, a wardrobe. That was it.
Sunlight filtered through thin curtains, casting broken patches of light on the floor.
Genichi turned and looked at Ryu standing by the door.
She stood there quietly, short golden hair slightly mussed, tension plain in her blue-green eyes.
"You just followed me back here," Genichi said. There was a faint, amused edge to his voice. "Not worried about what I might do to you?"
He paused.
"Considering you almost got me killed."
Ryu didn't get angry. If anything, the guilt in her eyes deepened.
She lowered her head, golden hair falling forward again.
"I truly… am very sorry."
Her voice was low and sincere, with no attempt to justify herself.
Genichi watched her for a moment.
"You want information from me about that person, right?"
"Yes."
Ryu raised her head. A sharp, bright light flashed in her eyes.
"Then…"
Genichi's gaze stayed calm and level.
"What do you have to trade?"
Ryu froze.
Her mouth opened, but she couldn't find the words. Her tongue felt tied.
Trade?
What could she possibly trade?
She was the survivor of the Astraea Familia, Orario's infamous vengeful wraith.
These past years, she'd done nothing but hunt the Evilus. Nothing else.
No savings. No resources. Nothing she could call valuable.
What right did she have to bargain for something this important?
Ryu fell silent.
After a long while, she spoke, her voice rough and dry.
"Right now, I don't have anything of value."
Genichi looked at her, the corner of his mouth lifting into a half-smile that wasn't quite a smile.
"No," he said.
"Who told you that?"
Ryu looked up, confusion flickering through her eyes.
Genichi met her gaze head-on.
"You still have one thing that's worth the most."
"That is…"
"You."
Ryu's pupils contracted sharply.
She stared at Genichi, complex emotions surging in her eyes: shock, confusion, hesitation, struggle…
Herself?
Genichi meant… she should use herself to buy the truth?
Ryu went silent.
A long, long silence.
The room was so quiet she could hear the occasional birdcall outside the window, and their faint breathing.
Genichi didn't speak. He simply stood there, waiting for her answer.
Ryu lowered her head, golden hair hiding her expression.
But her hands, clenched tightly around the edge of her clothes, betrayed the turmoil inside her.
At last.
She took a deep breath.
Then slowly lifted her head.
All the struggle in those blue-green eyes was gone.
In its place was resolve, the calm that came only after a decision had been made.
She rose.
Genichi watched her, his brow lifting slightly.
Ryu stepped closer and held his gaze for a moment.
Then—
She raised a hand and slowly reached for the buttons at her collar.
First.
Second.
Third.
One by one, the buttons came undone, revealing pale skin beneath.
A delicate collarbone. The faint curve of softness. The gentle rise and fall of her chest.
Ryu closed her eyes, lashes trembling.
She didn't say a word, but the motion itself said everything.
She was willing.
To trade herself for the truth.
Genichi watched, something complicated flashing through his eyes.
And then—
Bang!
The door was shoved open so hard it slammed into the wall with a violent crash.
A figure burst into the room.
Honey-colored hair swept through the air in a sharp arc, and amber eyes blazed with furious fire.
Demeter.
She stood in the doorway, staring at the scene: Ryu in front of Genichi, her collar open, her chest half-revealed—
In an instant, Demeter's expression darkened into something terrifying.
"You…"
Her voice was low and dangerous, colder than anything it had been before.
"What are you doing?"
The air in the room seemed to freeze solid.
(End of Chapter)
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