Reincarnated as Itsuka Shido: Collecting Spirits as Lovers

*Cough cough*

Shido and Lakyus, who had been bickering moments earlier, suddenly paused when they heard a soft cough. Turning toward the sound, they saw Princess Renner standing nearby, smiling gracefully at them. Behind her stood the other members of Blue Roses, observing the scene with amused expressions.

Shido remained composed, his expression unchanged. Lakyus, on the other hand, flushed in embarrassment upon realizing that her companions had witnessed her being unusually close and acting chummy with an opposite gender.

Despite her identity as a adamantite adventurer, she was actually still a noble. As such, she knew she shouldn't act so familiarly with a man in public. Yet when she was with Shido, those rules seemed to blur. Unlike the stifling decorum of the noble circle, where everyone wore masks and half-truths, Shido made her feel at ease and true to herself.

"I didn't expect you two to become so close in a short amount of time." Princess Renner said while maintaining her smile.

"Yeah, we're close, right Lakyus?" Shido nodded his head, agreeing to Princess Renner's words.

"We're not!" Lakyus snapped, her voice raised in flustered protest as her face grew visibly redder.

"Fufu, I didn't expect Acheval-san to be so skilled at courting women." Princess Renner said, her smile deepening. "To think you could make the ever-serious Lakyus lose her composure."

"...Princess," Lakyus muttered, her voice caught on a plea, but her embarrassment only made Renner chuckle softly.

Then, Renner's golden eyes shifted, locking onto Shido's. He met her gaze evenly, unflinching. For a brief moment, something sharp and unspoken passed between them.

She had to admit that when she saw him again, she almost couldn't control herself and wanted to lock Shido in her room. Fortunately, she have a really good control of her desire, in addition to her good acting, she hid it flawlessly behind her usual angelic smile. Of course Shido noticed to subtle change in her emotion because of his observation haki but it made his lips twitched.