In the Dressrosa Royal Palace banquet hall, the melodies of music and bursts of laughter filled the air, creating a festive atmosphere after the victory.
Suddenly! Two pairs of beautiful black silk legs... cough! Wearing a knee-length white skirt, with long pink hair cascading over her shoulders and light makeup on her face, Scarlett instantly caught Sephiroth's eye! The tall, pink-haired girl walked through the automatically parting crowd on the dance floor and came to the table where the three of them were, naturally, seated.
"How is it? Are you satisfied with the banquet?" Scarlett asked the three with a smile, her eyes fixed on Sephiroth.
"Mm! It's excellent." Sephiroth nodded, raised his goblet, and took a small sip of red wine. Gion and Hina also nodded in agreement, enjoying the meal.
"That's good... I'm a little thirsty!" As she spoke, Scarlett casually picked up the goblet the silver-haired youth had just put down and took a small sip of the reddish-brown liquid, an intimate gesture.
Sephiroth hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Um... I just used that cup..."
"What's wrong?... Can't I use it?" The pink-haired girl pouted slightly and whined playfully, a sweet smile on her face.
Hearing this, the silver-haired youth thought for a moment, then quickly shook his head and said: "No! Please, go ahead..."
Witnessing the scene, Gion, who was holding a carving knife in her right hand, paused her action of slicing the roasted lamb leg. For some reason, she suddenly felt an inexplicable urge to cut something with the carving knife—a subtle flash of emotion.
"Sephiroth, can you dance?"
"I can waltz."
"Then, dance with me!" As she spoke, Scarlett chuckled and naturally pulled Sephiroth's wrist, leading him away from the table and onto the dance floor.
That's right! She's here to steal a man! Scarlett had also heard a bit about Sephiroth and Gion's situation through the big-mouthed Tokikake and Maynard. Their relationship had always been very ambiguous, and there were even rumors circulating in the Marine Academy that they were having an affair. Therefore, Scarlett chose an aggressive strategy.
After spending time together, coupled with her younger sister's insight into Sephiroth's inner thoughts, Scarlett felt that the youth wasn't completely uninterested in her; otherwise, he should have refused her long ago...! Sephiroth was leaving tomorrow. If she wasn't more proactive and didn't get the answer she wanted in her heart, this parting might be... forever! The women of the Dressrosa Kingdom were always bold in love and hate. Before receiving a negative answer, Scarlett wanted to make one last effort...!
On the spacious dance floor, Sephiroth and Scarlett danced gracefully and fluidly to the soothing and moving music. Sephiroth felt the warmth from the pink-haired girl's palm and the faint scent she carried with her body movements as they danced. For some reason, he was rather intoxicated...
One was a royal princess, and the other was the Marine youth who had saved the King. Unconsciously, the two became the center of attention in the entire hall. The guests unconsciously created distance, standing near the dance floor and admiring their dance, as if witnessing a fairy tale.
Gradually, the waltz reached its final stage. The two embraced, their bodies close, intimately close, almost to the point where their noses touched.
"Sephiroth... you said that after the pirate issue was resolved, you would give me an answer..." The pink-haired girl's face was full of expectation, her eyes soft as water, yet subtly containing a hint of anxiety and timidity. She eagerly awaited the youth's answer in her heart and was also worried about the final outcome.
Sephiroth lowered his eyelids and replied softly: "Mm! That's right..."
"You should already understand my feelings..."
"Yes..."
"Can you tell me your answer?"
Hearing this, a wry smile appeared on the youth's face. Now, simply by uttering sweet words, he could instantly capture the girl's heart and make her fall completely for him. But... Looking into Scarlett's loving eyes, for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to say them. In the end, he still chose to answer honestly:
"In my heart, I really like you as a member of the opposite sex. But I don't know if I have love for you in my heart..."
"Is that so? That's enough..." Scarlett murmured, her eyes welling up, yet a faint smile graced her lips.
When the dance ended, the two were supposed to part.
However... Scarlett suddenly did something that stunned everyone present! She actually raised her arms, wrapped them around Sephiroth's neck, stood slightly on her tiptoes, and pressed her soft pink lips against Sephiroth's—a bold and unexpected kiss.
"Wah wah wah!" "Oh~!" "Aiyoh aiyoh aiyoh~!"
Clap clap clap—! After a moment of shock and astonishment, the hall suddenly erupted in joyous cheers, and applause came in waves, one after another, admiring the princess's courage.
Witnessing the event, Gion, who had been cutting the roasted lamb leg, with a "Crack!" sound from the carving knife in her hand, pierced through the lamb leg, including its bone and meat, as well as the plate beneath it, so that the blade sliced into the table surface—a cold expression of anger. A low, oppressive aura emanated from her. Hina, sitting beside her, was immediately startled and subconsciously whispered weakly: "Hina feels Gion is truly terrifying right now!"
"Hehe! Sorry I scared you. I was just thinking of a certain big pork leg and wanted to stab it..." Gion replied, a sinister smile playing on her lips. Hearing that, Hina unconsciously glanced at Sephiroth in the middle of the dance floor, understanding the hidden meaning of Gion's words.
The relationship between Gion and the silver-haired youth had always been a topic of conversation among many classmates. However, most people felt that given their daily relationship, which was full of harsh language, even if nothing was happening now, sooner or later, something would definitely happen between them! Therefore, many who wanted to pursue Gion stopped halfway in front of the seemingly unachievable mountain that was Sephiroth...
Those Marine Academy Students still remembered, at the beginning of the semester, that martial arts expert Tokikake had fought Sephiroth and was beaten black and blue, eventually being hospitalized. Those who wanted to pursue Gion, after considering the gap between themselves and Tokikake, quietly chose to give up. Beautiful women were everywhere, but you only had one body! If you really couldn't get a girl, you could always spend money in the Pleasure Quarter in Sabaody Archipelago. There were beautiful women of all races, as long as you were willing to spend...
"Tonight, I'll be waiting for you in my room." Scarlett leaned into Sephiroth's ear and whispered, then blushed and immediately turned and ran, leaving a stunned Sephiroth still standing in place, processing what had just occurred.
On the other side, King Riku, seated at the main table of the banquet hall, could only shake his head helplessly and let out a light sigh after witnessing his daughter's bold actions. It was only because of Sephiroth, and King Riku owed him a debt of gratitude. If it were anyone else who dared to be ambiguous with his daughter in public, he would surely order the Royal Army to imprison that person for life!
Whoosh! Gion, who had unconsciously activated her Kenbunshoku Haki to eavesdrop on their conversation, immediately crushed the goblet she had just picked up in her hand into a pile of glass shards after hearing Scarlett's incredibly bold words, making Hina shiver all over, feeling the menacing aura from beside her.
Looking at Sephiroth, who had returned from the dance floor and sat back at the dining table, a mischievous smile appeared on Gion's face. As she picked up a white napkin to wipe the wine from her hand, she said with a slightly mocking tone: "Oh my! I didn't expect this! The Dressrosa Royal Princess just whisked you away... Was the kiss very sweet?!"
Hearing this, Sephiroth stuck out the tip of his tongue, licked his upper lip, then nodded and said: "Mm! Strawberry flavored... It was indeed a little sweet!"
Everything had reached this point; what shouldn't have happened had happened. However, Sephiroth seemed very open and completely unbothered by the long-legged older sister's sarcastic comments.
"Hmph!" Gion's face darkened. She gripped the carving knife and stabbed it roughly into the table, then stood up abruptly and quickly left the table, leaving the other two in awkward silence.
"Hina is confused, aren't you going after her?" Hina looked at Gion's retreating back, then at him, who remained calm and composed, surprised by his reaction.
Sephiroth shrugged, his face full of helplessness, and said: "Why chase her? To try if her kiss is sweet?"
"..." Hina could only remain silent, speechless at Sephiroth's blunt reply.