Chapter 90: One Who Stays Near Vermilion Gets Stained Red, and One Who Stays Near Roy Gets Tainted
"Roy, you didn't bully sister Toki, did you?" Tsuru glared at him with a trace of anger. Even though she was hostile toward Toki, she still felt obligated to intervene as a Marine.
"Cough, cough, don't talk nonsense!" Toki's face turned red as she waved her hands frantically.
"Why not talk about it? He hurt your legs like this. I'm doing this for your own good. As a Marine, I have to speak up for you!" Tsuru turned to Toki with righteous indignation, then shot Roy a sharp look.
"Ahem, Tsuru, this isn't what you think it is." Roy coughed twice, looking away.
"???" Tsuru stared at them in confusion. One was covering for the supposed abuser, the other refused to talk. This looked exactly like the twisted mentality of a victim protecting the perpetrator.
The sea is vast, and there are all kinds of strange situations, Tsuru thought.
"No way! As a future Marine officer who upholds justice, I have to step in. Domestic violence is unacceptable!" Tsuru slapped the table and stood up angrily.
"Domestic violence? What domestic violence?" Linlin stared at Roy and Toki, completely lost.
She had no idea what was going on.
"No, absolutely not..." Toki waved her hands quickly, looking at Tsuru with pleading eyes. She was far too embarrassed to explain.
"Hmm?" Roy glanced at Tsuru's angry expression, and a thought suddenly came to him. Why not take advantage of this?
If he acted like a boyfriend with a terrible temper, would Tsuru still like him?
Haha, he was a genius.
"Yes, it was domestic violence. You guessed right, Tsuru. What do you say about that?"
Roy admitted it outright and stared at her, waiting for her reaction.
"You hit her?" Tsuru frowned.
"I hit her, and she screamed, but she covered her mouth so it was a bit quiet." Roy smirked as he recalled last night, looking every bit the villain.
There had been sounds, just not the kind Tsuru was imagining.
And Toki had definitely been limping, but only because they had been playing around too long.
"Her leg got hit?" Tsuru looked at Toki, her gaze drifting downward.
"Smack!"
Toki slammed her hand on the table, face burning. "You, you, you... stop asking!"
Tsuru stared at her, speechless. Her thinking was too twisted. Why defend someone who hurt you?
"Let me see your injury," Tsuru demanded sternly.
"I'm not eating!" Toki glared at both Roy and Tsuru in embarrassment, then limped toward the bedroom.
She absolutely could not sit through another question.
"I'll check on her..." Roy picked up the food and walked toward the room.
Tsuru blocked him, took the bowl and plate, and snapped, "I'll go. You stay put. I didn't think you were this kind of person!"
She rushed to the bedroom, choosing to comfort Toki herself.
"Phew." Roy exhaled in relief. If Tsuru hated him, then any possibility between them ended right here.
Perfect.
He sat at the table and continued eating happily, ignoring Linlin's questions. He simply told her not to ask about things kids shouldn't ask.
Linlin looked at him, confused. She didn't understand any of it, but she wondered if this was something Roy should be doing at his age.
Before Roy finished his meal, Tsuru burst out of the bedroom with her face completely red, then fled the house like a startled rabbit.
Toki followed her out a moment later, carrying the now empty bowl and plate. She limped over to Roy and sat beside him with a light laugh.
"What's wrong with her?" Roy asked.
"Ahem, she kept pressing me, and I could only vaguely hint at certain things..." Toki blushed deeply.
Thinking of Tsuru's righteous Marine attitude and the moment she finally understood the truth, Toki couldn't help but recall the girl's horrified, embarrassed expression. She burst into laughter again.
"Ah, that..." Roy looked toward the door, then at Toki.
The situation was what it was, but just imagining Tsuru's bright red face made him want to laugh.
At the edge of the village, under a large tree, Tsuru sat with her head buried between her knees, hands clutching her long blue hair, her face burning.
What she thought was a simple chance to draw closer to Roy had turned out to be something entirely different.
Training together, talking, quietly competing with Toki, slowly nurturing feelings...
But she was too young.
Learning the truth about what it means to be over eighteen hit her like a lightning strike.
"No, it's not just sleeping, is it? I thought..." Tsuru recalled Toki's vague explanation, and her face burned even hotter.
The adults back at the base had once scared her, telling her that even getting too close to boys caused pregnancy.
She believed it. She had been raised among burly men, with no chance to understand these things on her own.
In her mind, simply sleeping together meant doing that.
"Ugh, I hate this!" The more she thought about it, the more her heart spun out of control. Even washing her mind with her Devil Fruit power didn't help.
Thoughts of Roy kept slipping in.
Thoughts of doing things in that kind of way.
"Get out! Get out!" She shook her head desperately, trying to drive away the thoughts.
But some thoughts only grow more persistent when suppressed, sprouting like wild weeds.
"Should we go see her?" Toki asked gently back at the house.
Roy glanced at the door, shook his head, and continued eating.
"No need. She should go home quickly." Roy said. Toki smiled helplessly and started to stand, limping toward the door.
Roy grabbed her hand to stop her.
"She can't skip breakfast. She's still growing," Toki chuckled.
"Cough, cough, don't worry about it. You rest." Roy gently pushed her back down, then picked up the dishes himself and walked outside.
"That's more like you," Toki said with a warm smile.
Roy stopped in his tracks, suddenly realizing he was in trouble. Toki had clearly learned a little bit of cunning from him these past few days.
He was doomed.
Her gentle words carried an unspoken message.
That's right. Marry a few more and there will be more girls to share the burden.
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