Riku stared at Levi, his eyes silently pleading for a solution to his utterly bizarre predicament. Levi, however, seemed to develop a sudden, intense fascination with a particularly interesting patch of dirt. He meticulously avoided eye contact, whistling a tuneless, airy melody that somehow managed to convey absolute disinterest.
"Look, Dola," Levi finally grunted, still not meeting Riku's gaze, "I'm officially on a tactical break. My arms are tired from all the impromptu 'personal space' enforcement, and my glare muscles are cramping. Frankly, I'm exhausted from being your walking, very judgmental, charisma shield." He gestured vaguely at the lingering, lovesick glances from the villagers. "Besides, you don't need bodyguards here. It's a village. Everyone's perfectly friendly." The word "friendly" hung in the air, heavy with unspoken, unwanted implications. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe there's a bonfire with my name on it, and possibly some actual, edible food that doesn't involve me having to fend off amorous advances on your behalf. Also" Levi whispered to him in his pragmatic tone, "if you're tired since all of them are coming at ya, why not just choose one? Erina would be a nice, or rather, strategic choice. Okay bye."
"Levi, don't you dare leave me here!" Riku hissed, his voice desperate. "This is a dire situation!"
Levi merely waved a dismissive hand over his shoulder, still not looking back, as he strolled towards the campfire. The image of him, sauntering off with a casual indifference usually reserved for deciding which shirt to wear, while Riku stood trapped in a vortex of unwanted adoration, was almost comical.
He reached the flickering warmth of the bonfire, where a group of scouts were already gathered, sharing stories and passing around a battered wineskin. One of them, a grizzled veteran named Kael, offered the skin to Levi.
"Here, Commander," Kael rumbled, "a proper drink after a proper day's work. It'll warm you up."
Levi eyed the wineskin with the disdain of a connoisseur presented with dishwater. "Wine?" he scoffed, wrinkling his nose. "Please. I drink tea. Preferably precisely 80 degrees Celsius, steeped for exactly three minutes, with no frivolous additions." He then leaned in, conspiratorially. "And ideally, not fermented by someone's questionable foot hygiene."
Kael blinked, then burst into a hearty laugh. "Tea?! Commander, with all due respect, what kind of hardened warrior drinks tea?"
"The kind who isn't suffering from a perpetually sticky tongue," Levi retorted, arms crossed. "And the kind who can still strategically analyze the battlefield while you're all attempting to serenade the moon." He then sniffed the air around Kael. "Speaking of which, you smell like fermented berries and questionable life choices. Remind me to have you on perimeter duty for the next three days."
Kael chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, alright, Commander. Tea it is. Though I can't promise it won't spontaneously combust if it sees you coming." The scouts around them roared with laughter, the tension of the day momentarily forgotten in Levi's dry wit. Levi, for his part, seemed to thrive in this environment, his sharp exchanges a familiar and comforting presence amidst the chaos.
Riku stood, abandoned by his most pragmatic ally, a bewildered expression on his face. The "friendly" villagers, no longer deterred by Levi's brief, serious glare, began to gravitate back towards him like iron filings to a magnet. The faint glow of the bonfire cast long, dancing shadows, making their subtly possessive advances seem even more surreal. He watched Levi engage in his tea-versus-wine banter with the scouts, a wave of profound betrayal washing over him. Traitor.
He tried to look away, to focus on the busy setup of the village, but the whispers and giggles were insidious, wrapping around him. A young woman, carrying a pile of dried fish, detoured significantly to brush past him, her hip lingering against his for a fraction of a second too long. Another, helping to string up lanterns, stretched dramatically, her shirt riding up just enough to reveal a sliver of taut stomach, her eyes locking onto his with an unblinking intensity. He could almost feel their gaze, a physical weight on his skin, a constant, unwanted pressure.
"Riku, are you warm enough?" a voice, soft and breathy, cooed from behind him. He stiffened.
The air around him seemed to thicken, charged with unspoken invitations. Girls began to close in, their movements seemingly casual but undeniably purposeful. One reached out, pretending to brush a speck of dust from his tunic, her fingers lingering on his chest. Another, with a daring glint in her eye, offered him a half-eaten piece of bread, urging him to "try it, it's so sweet!"
Riku glanced desperately towards Ichinose and Erina, hoping for their usual intervention, a sharp word, a subtle redirection. But they were lost in their own duties, or perhaps, too amused by his predicament. A quick glance showed them both observing him, a faint smirk on Erina's face, while Ichinose seemed to be analyzing the bizarre social dynamic with an almost scientific detachment. They weren't coming to his rescue.
Igris was also not here, he was gone to collect resources with some scouts.
A wave of frustration, hotter than the nearby bonfire, washed over Riku. There was no choice left. He couldn't fight them all. He couldn't keep running. He had to employ Levi's absurd logic, however distasteful. He had to choose.
He drew a deep breath, steeling himself. "Enough!" he roared, his voice cutting through the festive din, momentarily silencing the surrounding whispers. His glare was intense, a flash of the calculating strategist. But it wasn't enough. The girls paused, startled, but their retreat was hesitant, their gazes still fixed on him with that unsettling adoration.
This is it, Riku thought, his mind racing. If I want to get away from them, I'll have to choose a girl for myself. A fake lover. It was a horrific thought, a violation of his deepest principles, but a necessary evil. He looked at Ichinose, then at Erina. Ichinose was brilliant, tactically sharp, but Erina... Erina was colder, more strategic, perhaps more capable of playing a role without personal entanglement. She was also more outwardly formidable, a sharper deterrent.
He wondered when did Levi made this plan.
His decision made, Riku's expression softened. He took a deep, deliberate breath, forcing his body to relax, to exude a different kind of energy. He fixed his gaze on Erina, a look of profound, singular intensity. He began to walk towards her, slowly, deliberately, his eyes never leaving hers. He ignored the gasps and murmurs that rippled through the crowd, ignored the subtle shifts in posture as other women subconsciously braced themselves.
As he approached Erina, he extended a hand towards her, his fingers brushing her arm. He leaned in close, his voice dropping to a low, intimate murmur, just loud enough for her and Ichinose to hear. "Erina," he began, letting his voice deepen, injecting it with a warmth and tenderness he hadn't shown anyone since... since before. "I've been looking for you. The crowd… it's so overwhelming tonight. I just… I just wanted to be with you." He made his eyes convey a raw vulnerability, a desperate need for her presence alone. He even offered a faint, almost shy smile, a gesture so uncharacteristic for him that it made Erina's eyes widen.
Ichinose, standing beside Erina, blinked, her analytical expression momentarily replaced by pure surprise. She looked from Riku's intense gaze to Erina's stunned face, a flicker of something unreadable in her own eyes.
Erina, for her part, was visibly taken aback. Her usual cool composure fractured. Her cheeks flushed a deep, undeniable red, and her breath hitched. "Riku?" she whispered, her voice barely audible, completely thrown off guard.
Riku seized the moment. He moved even closer, gently taking her hand, his thumb tracing lazy circles on her palm. He looked at her with a look of profound, singular devotion, letting his 'handsome' aura do the heavy lifting. "You know, Erina," he continued, his voice a husky whisper, "I've been thinking about something... important. Something big. Something I can only share with you. Tonight."
His gaze became even more intense, loaded with unspoken promises and a terrifyingly convincing emotional depth. He gave her a direct, almost yearning look, hinting at shared secrets and profound intimacy.
"Erina," Riku said, his voice dropping lower, his smile now a soft, knowing curve that promised something truly private and meaningful. He leaned in, his lips brushing her ear, "Come to my room with me. I want to show you something... big." He pulled back just enough for his gaze to meet hers again, a silent, daring invitation in his eyes that dared her to refuse, yet promised the world if she accepted.