After finally confirming that the monster had been completely exterminated, Finn allowed his shoulders to relax at last and turned his head toward Tione.
"How is the situation in the city?"
Finn asked, naturally referring to the monsters Olivas had released throughout Orario.
"Don't worry, Captain. We dealt with the problem. No lives were lost... just a few injuries. And with the Ganesha Familia helping out... it made things a lot easier."
Tione said as she tried to cozy up to him.
Used to her flirty antics, Finn smoothly sidestepped and turned his gaze toward the damage that had been done to their home.
Shattered windows. Destroyed walls. Large craters littering the yard... not to mention the damage inside the manor itself.
"I envy Judas... because after this incident, none of us are getting any sleep tonight."
Finn said with an exasperated sigh.
...
A pair of eyelids twitched before fluttering open.
Staring at an unfamiliar ceiling, Judas... who had just woken up... felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
'Why do I feel like this exact scene has happened before?'
With a groan, Judas sat up from the bed and turned to the side.
Snore.
Only to find a snoring Loki sleeping beside him, her mouth hanging open as a thin line of drool soaked into the pillow beneath her.
He stared at her for a few seconds.
Without questioning why she was there, Judas quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to wake her.
'Is it already morning?'
He peeked out the window just as a ray of sunlight hit him square in the face.
Only then did he realize where he was... the Hostess of Fertility.
More precisely, one of the building's upper floors.
'Right... before I passed out, the last thing I remember was getting attacked by someone...'
He closed his eyes as his mind replayed the scene just before he suffered from Mind Zero.
'A level 7... Finn and the others should be able to handle it, right?'
He didn't rush out immediately.
Morning had already come... whatever happened last night should've been resolved by now.
Judas stared at his hand for a few moments before clenching it into a fist, a crease forming between his brows.
'In the end... I'm still no match for a level 7, huh?'
He didn't dwell on the thought for long.
The door behind him suddenly swung open.
"Oh... Judas, good morning."
Syr greeted him with a bright smile, dressed in her familiar tavern uniform.
"Syr... good morning..."
Judas replied in a flat tone... neither warm nor cold.
Though he still felt apprehensive toward her, he assumed Loki had taken shelter in the Hostess for protection after he passed out.
After teaching her executives a lesson, most of his anger toward her had dissipated... but that didn't mean he was going to act friendly.
His gaze drifted down to the tray she was holding.
Several plates were piled on top of it, each filled with what could generously be called food.
'Are those things even safe to consume?'
He stared at the dishes... an incomprehensible mess of colors and textures mashed together into what looked like a culinary crime against humanity.
'This is one of those anime tropes where the cute girl is so bad at cooking that her food is more toxic than nuclear waste.'
What a ridiculous cliché.
Who would've thought he'd see it in person.
Noticing his reaction, Syr puffed up her cheeks, clearly pretending to be offended.
"Judas... what kind of greeting is that? A pretty girl comes to see you and even prepares you breakfast... you should be jumping for joy and thanking me."
She raised the tray closer to his face, practically shoving it at him in encouragement.
Judas took a step back and turned his head to the side.
"I'm not hungry right now... and how did you even know I was awake?"
Judas asked, raising a brow as he stared directly into her eyes.
"Ah... just a woman's intuition."
Syr replied, sticking out her tongue playfully.
"Right... and it had absolutely nothing to do with the spy on the rooftop across the street, the one who just so happens to have a perfect view of this room."
Judas said dryly, glancing toward the window.
Following his gaze, a small head was visible peeking over the edge of a distant rooftop.
'Is that Hogni?'
The instant Judas' eyes locked onto him, Hogni stiffened... then immediately ducked out of sight.
"He didn't see me... he didn't see me... he didn't see me..."
On the rooftop, Hogni repeated the words over and over, eyes squeezed shut as he covered his head.
"Ahaha... I have no idea what you're talking about."
Syr let out a dry laugh, a bead of sweat sliding down her cheek.
"Oh, Mr. Spade, you're already awake."
Thankfully, Ryuu... also dressed in her tavern uniform... walked into the room, neatly interrupting the awkward moment.
"Hmmm... mwehehe... give me that wine and let me touch yer boobs, Riveria..."
Everyone turned their heads as Loki began muttering incoherently in her sleep.
Ryuu stiffened, barely managing to suppress the blush threatening to bloom across her cheeks. She cleared her throat and coughed lightly.
"Syr... Mama Mia is looking for you. She wants you to help out downstairs right now."
Ryuu said calmly, turning to Syr, who immediately looked reluctant.
"It's only been ten minutes... Mama Mia is so stingy."
Syr tried to protest, but Ryuu cut her off without missing a beat.
"It's been thirty minutes, actually."
She said it as if it were an indisputable fact.
"Urgh... why did you even bother keeping track?"
Syr grumbled before turning back to Judas and thrusting the tray into his hands.
"Here. Eat this. Even if you're not hungry, breakfast is the most important meal of the day."
"I made it with all my love, so you better eat every last bite."
With that, she all but shoved the tray of food at him and stormed out of the room.
Judas stared down at the contents... something only eldritch beings would consider edible.
Actually, while Syr's cooking couldn't exactly be called good, it usually wasn't this bad.
She was perfectly capable of making something at least edible... but perhaps she'd been in too much of a hurry, or had simply grown overenthusiastic at finally being able to cook for the person she loved, that the result turned out like this.
Without hesitation, he used telekinesis to compress the entire meal into a single lump, then quietly incinerated it with a flicker of magic.
Seeing this, Ryuu chose not to comment at the fact that he had just incinerated Syr's cooking.
"Mr. Spade... I wonder how many times I've seen you unconscious now."
Ryuu crossed her arms, a frown tugging at her lips.
"You've been keeping count?"
Judas raised an eyebrow.
"Please, keep it in moderation. You're going to make Syr and everyone around you worry."
Ryuu said, her tone lightly reprimanding.
"Can't really help it... it's not like I go around looking for trouble on purpose."
Judas replied, a faint note of helplessness in his voice.
"I know... I heard a little about what happened last night... it's just... I hate seeing you like that."
Ryuu let out a soft sigh.
"Sorry... I promise I'll try to make this the last time."
Judas said, forcing a small smile.
"Really? Somehow I don't believe you."
Ryuu raised a skeptical brow.
"You got me there. But I'll do my best, I swear."
"Alright... just don't push yourself too far, Mr. Spade."
She said, her tone softening.
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