Chapter 71 Love Issues
Chapter 71 Love Issues
"Haha… hahahaha!"
A deep, demonic laugh echoed, trembling through the darkness.
Iryoku ran blindly, unable to see anything clearly. Shadows lunged at him, forcing him to dodge wildly in panic. Then he tripped—falling hard, flipping over the ground.
He looked up.
And froze.
Around him lay the corpses of the girls.
Yumi’s body—burned and bleeding—lay motionless. Reika, her limbs splayed unnaturally, was torn and scorched. A little further away stood Alessandra’s body, blackened and broken. Even from a distance, he could see her eyes—open. Lifeless.
Tears welled up in Iryoku’s eyes. His body trembled.
Then he turned—and behind him lay Deborah.
Her torso was split open. A massive gash ran down her stomach. She had no midsection left. Blood soaked her limbs, her arms twisted at angles that no longer made sense.
“No… I’m sorry…”
Suddenly, two boys appeared—no older than six—sitting cross-legged before him. Each held a small, black-clad action figure, smiling as they played. They looked up at him.
Then, just as quickly, they vanished.
Iryoku gasped and spun around.
“Wait! Don’t go! Where are you?!” he cried, voice cracking. He dropped to his knees, sobbing.
And then—he woke up.
"Aagha!"
His chest rose sharply. His breathing was erratic, and his body was drenched in sweat.
His eyes opened to find himself lying on the floor of the tower’s first floor. Reika and Yumi were beside him, their arms wrapped around him.
He blinked in confusion. A few steps away, Roghan lay motionless on his side—but Iryoku could see his body breathing.
Iryoku’s entire body ached, like it had been torn apart and stitched back together. He tried to sit up—slowly. Carefully.
Through the large opening in the tower wall—blasted open by Roghan the night before—he could see the stormy world beyond.
Outside, the sound of thunder and rain echoed faintly. It was daytime, but the sky was thick with dark clouds.
He coughed, slowly sat up, and looked around. Both Yumi and Reika were covered in dirt, their clothes stained with blood. He looked down and saw his own armor and clothes were in a similar state.
Then his mind flashed.
“Didn’t I… die? Halim killed me… right?”
A sudden rustle beside him.
Yumi stirred, eyelids fluttering open. She blinked groggily, eyes scanning the tower ruins—then locking onto Iryoku.
Her expression shifted from dazed confusion… to disbelief… to utter shock.
“Iryoku…” she whispered.
Then she lunged forward, sobbing into his chest.
“You’re alive…! You’re alive! How—how is this possible?!”
Reika opened her eyes moments later. Seeing them, she gasped and quickly embraced them both, tears streaming down her face.
“I… I saw both of you die,” Reika whispered, wiping her eyes. “But at the last moment, a golden light appeared. It enveloped you and healed your wounds—it kept you alive.”
Iryoku and Yumi stared at her, stunned.
Then, almost in unison, they murmured:
“The goddess’s blessing…”
“The what?” Reika blinked.
Yumi wiped her eyes.
“We met this… perverted bunny nun. She blessed us with some kind of magic from a goddess.”
“...Perverted... bunny?” Reika repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Iryoku gave a weak nod.
“Yeah. She said she was a disciple of the—uh—‘Sexy Love Goddess of Light and Booty.’ That’s probably what saved us.”
Reika gave him a long, surprised look, wondering if he was messing with her—like always. “That’s… a really... long name.”
Then her thoughts drifted.
“With the power of a goddess…” Reika trailed off as she pulled out the stone. “That golden magic was also absorbed into the stone. Which means… this stone is the vessel. And the magic—those might be the ‘Primitivus Cells’ the demon mentioned.”
She looked up, still piecing it together.
“But then, the energy from Lunara’s demonic form was absorbed too…”
“Maybe the demon’s power was also some kind of… Prim—uh, primitive… Primus thing?” Yumi guessed.
Iryoku’s mind raced.
“So it really is related to gods and demons… powerful stuff.” He sighed and flopped back onto the ground, arms behind his head.
“Either way, I’m exhausted. I messed up.”
“I’m really weak… I couldn’t protect you this time,” he muttered, eyes closed, guilt pressing heavy on his voice.
Reika and Yumi looked at him, concerned.
“Wait—don’t say that, Iryoku,” Reika said firmly. “That’s not like you. You did protect us.”
“Yeah! And many times,” Yumi added, trying to cheer him up. “Why don’t you crack one of your dumb jokes or something?” She gave him a small smile.
“We’re alive. That’s what matters.”
She poked his head playfully from the side—then shifted into a proper seiza position, gently guiding his head into her lap.
“Up we go,” she said softly.
Her expression softened as she looked down at him, brushing his hair with slow, tender strokes.
Reika watched in silence, a flicker of jealousy rising in her chest. She moved closer, sat beside them, and gently took hold of one of Iryoku’s arms. Without a word, she began rubbing it carefully, her fingers moving with quiet affection.
The three of them sat like that for several minutes, wrapped in silence.
After some time, Reika felt her eyes growing heavy, slowly beginning to close—until she heard a whisper.
“Stop… what are you doing?” Yumi’s soft voice broke the quiet.
Reika’s eyes snapped open.
“What’s happening?” she asked sluggishly. She was still holding Iryoku’s arm. Glancing over, she saw Yumi still cradling Iryoku’s head in her lap, her cheeks noticeably redder than before.
“Nothing… just an insect,” Yumi replied quickly, brushing it off.
But Reika had a strange feeling something more was going on.
Iryoku’s face was tilted upward—his eyes closed, but from Reika’s angle, it almost looked like he was staring directly at Yumi’s chest.
Frowning, Reika glanced at Yumi again.
Yumi, still gently caressing Iryoku’s head, suddenly remembered something. She perked up and reached into her pocket.
“Look what I have,” she said, pulling out a large piece of dried meat.
She tore off a piece and handed it to Reika.
“Thank you, Yumi,” Reika replied with a small smile. She hadn’t eaten in a while.
Then Yumi leaned forward and held the rest of the jerky in front of Iryoku’s face. His eyes fluttered open from the smell, and without hesitation, he opened his mouth and slowly took a bite.
As he took another, his tongue lightly brushed against her fingers.
“Hey! Don’t do that,” Yumi said, swatting at him half-playfully.
But without even realizing it, when her hand returned to her, she absentmindedly licked the same fingers Iryoku had just touched with his tongue—as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Reika sat there, a piece of jerky hanging from her mouth, dumbfounded, watching everything unfold in silence.
Finally, she pouted slightly and said,
“Ah. I see you two are even closer than before.”
Yumi’s face turned bright red. As she pulled her hand away from her mouth, she realized what she had just done.
“Eh?! N-No! It’s not what it looks like—!”
Iryoku chuckled and finally spoke.
“Hey now, ladies, please don’t fight over your husband. Remember the first rule of the Taiyou household: don’t fight your sisters over your man. You’ve gotta share this handsome stud equally. Hehe.”
Reika, surprised, shot him an annoyed glare.
“Who said we’re part of your imaginary harem?!”
“Y-Yeah! Don’t be a dreamer, Iryoku,” Yumi added with a nervous laugh.
But Iryoku spoke boldly, no longer joking—still lying on Yumi’s lap.
“But I love you both. Why can’t I make you both happy?”
His arm tightened slightly around Reika’s hand.
Reika’s face flushed deeply.
“If… if that’s how you feel, then first, you’d have to go to my father and ask for my hand... You said you would steal me, didn’t you…” she muttered the last part under her breath.
“And for the record, I don’t accept being in that kind of relationship. The man I marry should marry only me… me!”
Her voice wavered slightly at the end.
She turned to Yumi, her heart pounding.
“I’m sure Yumi thinks the same… right? She’s a proper lady who wouldn’t be part of such perverted acts.”
Yumi stared down, trembling slightly.
“I… I…”
She looked at Iryoku’s tired face and remembered everything they had been through together. His weary eyes looked at her with soft love.
Yumi gazed back at him with unconditional affection.
Then she turned to Reika, her expression serious—her decision made.
“Iryoku and I… have already consummated our love... I’ve already given him my virginity...”