Chapter 953: Samurai and Fox
Quinlan’s gaze shifted, drinking in the next breathtaking sight standing proudly before him.
Ayame.
The samurai stood with her usual, cool composure, but the outfit she wore was anything but reserved. A sleek, midnight-silk kimono robe draped across her shoulders. It was only half-closed, its neckline plunging low enough to reveal the tantalizing curve of her collarbone and the top part of her chest.
The sleeves were loose, elegant, but her midriff was bare, showing her toned, flawless body. Beneath the open robe, a cropped top clung to her, snug and daring, paired with a short skirt split dangerously high on both sides, revealing long stretches of pale, sculpted thighs with every shift of her hips.
A katana rested at her hip, its sheath polished to a mirror shine. But unlike the weapon she wielded in war, this was ceremonial. Decorative. A symbol, not an instrument of death.
Quinlan raised a brow, lips tugging into a grin. "... Dare I ask the story behind this dangerously sexy attire?"
Ayame cocked her hip with a mix of samurai discipline and feminine allure upon hearing the question. Her gorgeous blue eyes flicked toward him, then down toward her utterly daring attire and bare abs, as a rare trace of hesitation softened her gaze.
"I debated," she admitted, running a hand along the rim of her obi belt, "wearing a full traditional kimono. Something elegant. Something... dignified. As a daughter of the Fujimori bloodline should."
Her fingers gripped the edge of the robe for a moment, then let it fall back against her hip with a sigh. "But... that just didn’t feel right. Not yet. Not until I avenge my father. Not until I stand over my traitor sister’s corpse." Her eyes flared with sharp, simmering rage... but it passed as quickly as it came, giving way to a softer, more vulnerable smile.
"And so... I chose this."
She tugged at the hem of the too-short skirt with a hint of awkwardness. "I’ve... overheard some of my maids whispering that their husbands adored seeing them in outfits like this." Her blush deepened. "So I thought... no, I was fully aware that you, too, would love it."