A sudden, wildly inappropriate thought flashed across her mind.
What must Esdeath have experienced?
Vivid fragments of memories and gossip about the powerful general—imagining the breathless sounds and flushed expressions Esdeath likely made under this exact kind of treatment—flashed through her brain.
Instantly, Sui's entire body spiked with an intense, feverish heat, her face turning hot enough to boil water.
What on earth am I even thinking right now?!
She shook her head furiously in her mind, desperately trying to banish the lewd imagery.
She wasn't that kind of loose, scandalous woman!
But her traitorous thoughts refused to quiet down, and being pressed flush against Haruto's muscular frame made it physically impossible to focus on anything else.
As they soared through the upper atmosphere, Haruto naturally noticed Sui shifting and pressing herself even closer against him, though he chose to keep his amusement to himself.
Fortunately, the flight didn't take long at all.
In just a matter of minutes, the sprawling outlines of the city Sui had pointed to came into view below them.
The moment they touched down safely in a secluded alleyway just outside the walls, Sui practically bolted out of his arms, stumbling backward as her face continued to burn with unbearable embarrassment.
She took several deep, shaky breaths, desperately trying to regain her composure, though she still couldn't bring herself to meet Haruto directly in the eyes.
"U-Um... we should be careful," she murmured nervously, hugging her arms as she tried to distract herself.
"You... you might not be able to pass the city gate's guard inspection without proper traveler documents."
After all, human and demi-human cities were notoriously strict about letting unidentified outsiders waltz right in.
Haruto offered a relaxed, knowing chuckle, flashing her a charming grin.
"Don't worry about trivial things like that. They won't even realize we're here."
Just as Haruto had predicted, when Sui presented her guild credentials to the guards at the massive stone checkpoint.
The gate sentries completely bypassed any questioning and acted as though Haruto wasn't even standing right beside her.
Once they passed safely through the bustling stone gates and entered the lively streets, Sui turned to him, her eyes wide with bewilderment.
"How on earth did you do that? Are you invisible or using stealth magic? But... wait, I can still clearly see you right here."
Could it be that Haruto's presence and perception-masking magic only targeted outsiders because she was somehow...
special to him?
Her cheeks immediately flared bright red at the sudden, overly forward thought.
Noticing the abrupt shift in her body language and the flustered tint of her skin, Haruto couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"That's simply because you are special, Sui."
Those smooth, effortless words struck Sui like a physical blow, making her feel as though her entire body had instantly turned to boiling steam.
She was utterly, hopelessly flustered, freezing in place as her heart hammered against her ribs.
Haruto couldn't help a fond smile at her explosive reaction.
Sui was delightfully innocent and surprisingly easy to read.
Once she managed to stutter through her embarrassment and regain a semblance of composure, the two of them made their way through the crowded cobblestone alleys straight to the local Adventurers' Guild.
There, Sui expertly flipped through the bounty boards and selected several high-tier subjugation quests involving notoriously powerful monsters for him to hunt down.
For the next couple of hours, Haruto put his newly acquired powers to the test, traversing the surrounding wilderness with terrifying efficiency.
While a few information tips turned out to be dead ends where the targets had already migrated or vanished.
Most encounters ended in absolute slaughter—including one notable instance where he completely wiped out an entire subterranean monster nest in a single, devastating elemental sweep.
By the time the tracking indicators in his mind signaled the approaching end of their time limit.
The immense influx of combat experience paid off handsomely, pushing his overall metrics upward until he successfully broke through his previous limits and gained two full levels.
[Name]: Haruto Amakawa
[Level]: 40
[Abilities]: Hidden
[Possessions]: Hidden
[Description]: You possess the apocalyptic power to level and destroy entire nations in a single, effortless instant!
Reviewing his updated status, Haruto felt a profound, satisfying surge of power.
His overall combat capabilities and magical reserves had scaled exponentially, leaving him thoroughly pleased with the afternoon's exceptionally profitable harvest.
"Eh? Y-you're leaving already?"
Sui asked, her voice carrying an unmistakable wave of reluctance and disappointment upon hearing that Haruto was about to depart.
Ever since she had chosen to leave her isolated elven tribe, she had lived as a solitary wanderer, and it had been a very long time since she had experienced such close, comforting companionship with anyone.
"Yes, it's about time," Haruto replied, offering a warm, reassuring smile.
"My trade window is closing, and there isn't enough time left to track down any more monsters, so I need to head back to my world."
"Ah... and... what about this coat of yours...?"
Sui's face instantly flared a deep, burning shade of crimson.
She suddenly realized that she was still wearing the large, masculine jacket he had lent her after her clothes had been destroyed.
Haruto glanced down at her, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"You can keep wearing it for now. Just hang onto it and return it to me the next time we meet."
Sui let out an audible sigh of relief.
If she had been forced to give it back right then and there, she would have been left standing in the middle of the city streets wearing nothing but her undergarments—a scenario far too mortifying to even contemplate.
But right as that thought crossed her mind, a sudden realization struck her like a bolt of lightning.
According to the mechanics of the chat group, she had already traded all her valuable magical knowledge and bloodline assets.
She literally had nothing left of material value to offer for a future trade—except... her own body!
Sui's eyes widened dramatically as the implication settled over her.
Her heart leaped into her throat, and she opened her mouth, desperately wanting to call out and say something.
But before a single word could escape her lips, Haruto vanished into thin air without a trace.
"..."
Sui stood frozen in the middle of the quiet alleyway in a daze, Haruto's parting words about "the next time we meet" echoing loudly in her head.
If she had nothing else to trade next time, did that mean she would inevitably have to make that kind of intimate trade with him?
A sudden wave of lightheadedness washed over her.
Wasn't that an intentional, glaringly obvious hint from Haruto?
Indeed, Haruto had deliberately dropped that subtle prompt.
But back in his own world, waiting for him the moment he stepped back through the dimensional rift, was an infinitely more direct and provocative situation courtesy of a certain waiting bunny girl.
*****
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