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It wasn't until the skies completely darkened, the bright moon already high above, that the sounds echoing through the quiet park finally tapered off into silence.
Beneath the soft glow of the streetlamp, the Holy Sword–wielding girl lay gently against Bokue's chest, their bodies pressed intimately close. Her delicate back rose and fell softly with each shallow breath she took.
"Bokue..."
After a long while, Irina stirred slightly, her whisper drifting lightly against his ear, carrying the faintest tremble—as though she'd just finished softly crying.
"Mm?"
Bokue responded by gently stroking her back with his palm.
"Ah...!"
Yet even such a simple gesture caused the girl's body—which had only just barely settled—to tremble again. She straightened instinctively, pushing herself up in a half-panic.
"D-Dummy! Stop moving around already!"
Irina scolded him weakly, her cheeks flushed crimson again almost instantly. Her voice softened further, barely audible.
"Bokue, you bully..."
"How's it suddenly my fault?"
Bokue raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"Weren't you pretty into it yourself just now? If I hadn't added an extra soundproof barrier in time, your voice would've penetrated my privacy barrier—"
"Wa-wa-wait, stop, don't say any more!"
At the mention of what just happened, Irina's embarrassment surged, her face immediately going a deeper shade of scarlet.
Could she really be blamed for being loud!?
Who in their right mind would have their first experience in a public park like this?!
Although she'd spent her childhood in Japan and later moved to England, eventually working within the Church—where even she'd heard plenty of crazy stories, including ones about couples caught by cops after public misadventures—hearing about it and actually experiencing it herself were two vastly different things.
It's like those so-called dating "experts" who confidently advise their buddies on relationships, yet completely panic the first time they actually hold hands with a girl themselves.
Not to mention, Irina herself wasn't exactly experienced in romance either. Despite how open society had become, Church culture remained relatively pure, with a clear boundary between genders. Coupled with her hectic workload, she simply never had the time to dwell on such romantic things.
Yet somehow, just one quick trip back to Japan, and here she was: experiencing faith-shattering revelations, severe rule-breaking, and now... doing all sorts of things she shouldn't.
Seriously, how did things even get this far...
"Irina, where are you staying right now? A hotel nearby?" Bokue asked gently.
"Uh, yeah..."
Irina responded unconsciously, pressing her hands on his chest as she pushed herself upright.
"We're staying at Kuoh Hotel, not far from here. But at this hour, Xenovia should've already returned to the room. So if you're planning something else—"
"Then let me walk you back in a bit."
"Eh?"
Irina froze for a second before panicking slightly.
"Dummy, did you even hear what I just said? Xenovia's definitely back at the hotel by now. There's no way you can—"
"What does me walking you back have to do with Xenovia being there? Did you two book only a single room?"
"Ah, no... it's a double room."
"Then what's the problem?"
A question mark slowly floated above Bokue's head.
He couldn't figure out why he'd have to specifically wait until Xenovia was gone to take Irina back to the hotel. Did Xenovia really have that big an issue with him?
Though they'd had a small disagreement about beliefs at first, hadn't he ultimately helped them retrieve all three Holy Swords—and even saved Xenovia's life? Surely a Church swordswoman wouldn't be so narrow-minded, right?
While Bokue puzzled over this, realization seemed to dawn on Irina as well, and she blinked her deep violet eyes hesitantly.
"Wait, Bokue... when you say 'walk me back to the hotel', do you literally just mean... walking me back?"
"Obviously. What else could that possibly mean? Unless the same phrase has some entirely different meaning in English?"
Bokue's confusion grew even larger.
Realizing she'd misunderstood, Irina immediately looked away awkwardly, cheeks burning.
"Well, you know... they say guys usually push their luck—from 'I'll walk you home' to 'Wanna come upstairs for a bit?', then step by step things get more out of control..."
"But haven't we already gotten plenty out of control just now?"
Bokue eyed her suspiciously.
"It wasn't too extreme this time, but don't you have to get up early tomorrow for your flight and to meet up with the Church representative? Are you sure you'll still make it if things escalate any further?"
"N-no no no! Absolutely not!"
Irina waved her hands rapidly.
She knew her own body best, after all. Right now, she was already feeling weak-kneed. With proper rest tonight, she might barely recover enough for tomorrow morning's departure.
But if they went any further, forget waking up early—she might not even be able to get out of bed tomorrow!
Then the Church wouldn't just interpret it as "her choosing to leave due to a crisis of faith." Instead, it'd become "Young Holy Sword user falls victim to childhood friend's forbidden weapon; tragically seduced and forced to betray her faith."
Her dad back in England might just keel over from rage.
...Or maybe excitement.
"Then that settles it."
With a teasing smirk, Bokue gently slapped her supple, round bottom.
"Alright, I'll walk you back now. It's getting pretty late."
"Mm... Give me a moment first. My legs still feel weak—slow down, slow—mmph!"
A little later, after they'd both redressed properly, Bokue dispelled both privacy barriers surrounding the park bench.
Standing next to the bench with the takeout bag from earlier still in hand, he reached out to the twin-tailed girl, who had just finished tying her shoelaces.
"Ready now? Do you want me to carry you?"
"Just give me a hand up..."
Irina pouted slightly, cheeks flushing as she placed her hand into his—just as they'd done as children on outings long ago.
Bokue gave a gentle pull, effortlessly bringing Irina up from the bench.
"Alright, let's go ba—ah!"
But after barely taking a few steps forward, the girl suddenly cried out, stumbling forward as her knees nearly gave way beneath her.
Fortunately, Bokue reacted in time, quickly stepping forward to steady her. He sighed quietly, resigned.
"Forget it. Looks like I'll just carry you back after all. Here, hold this for me."
Saying this, he handed over the takeout bag.
"Ah... okay."
Irina blushed harder but ultimately nodded obediently, gently holding onto the bag as Bokue turned around, crouching down for her to climb onto his back.
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