"Eh," she grunted, narrowing her eyes at me. "Yes, of course. The only weapons I actually struggle with are demigod weapons, which are fucking rare. Do you really think you'll be able to make something like that?" Her disbelief was clear.
"Demigod weapons?" I echoed. "I think I remember my mother talking about them once."
"That makes sense," Kayda said with a shrug. "She does own, like, thirty of them."
"You said they're rare, right? Then how does Mom have so many?" I asked, baffled, my ears twitching in disbelief.
"Because she has a blacksmith that produces them every year," Kayda explained.
"He does? Hmm, I guess that makes sense. He was a Smith King or something... I don't really remember," I said, pressing a finger to my chin thoughtfully.
"Yeah. And making weapons like that won't only take three months. It'll take way, way longer," Kayda said, shaking her head.
"The earlier I start, the better," I said with a giant grin, refusing to back down.
"Sigh, you're so annoying," Kayda muttered, rolling her eyes.
"As I said, make a schedule for me to spend time with you, and then we won't have a problem," I said, dodging the jab with ease. My eyes lit up as I spotted another stall a little ways down. "Oh! How many kababs do you want?"
Kayda glanced toward it, her nostrils flaring slightly as the smell hit her. "...Sigh, two, please," she said at last.
Without waiting, I sprinted off toward the stall, weaving between the crowd like a fox through the forest.
"Not even waiting properly, sigh," Kayda muttered behind me, shaking her head.
"Alright, here you go," I said cheerfully a few moments later, handing her two skewers stacked with grilled meat.
"Thank you," she said, accepting them gracefully.
As we walked, I nibbled on mine before another thought hit me. "Now that I think about it, won't it take us a month to get to the Kunis and then another to get home?" I asked, my ears drooping at the idea.
"Yeah, the trips are quite long," Kayda admitted with a small nod. She chewed thoughtfully before adding, "Hmm, we might lessen it if we move in our beast forms, though."
"That can be done," I said with a shrug, "but why don't we just ask Mom for a plane?"
"Uh, we can do that, but..." Kayda trailed off, frowning.
"My squad will probably come as well," I said knowingly.
"Yeah. And Stacy will be there to pester us," Kayda groaned, clearly not looking forward to it.
"Yeah, but we'll have more time at home," I argued.
"Hmph!" Kayda turned her face away, pouting like a child.
"You do realize nothing much will change even if we're with them," I said with a sigh, shaking my head at her antics.
"Apricot," Kayda mumbled, her voice low but sharp.
"Ugh, she might be a problem," I said awkwardly, scratching my cheek.
"Sigh, well, whatever. When we're at the Draig, we'll probably be alone anyways," Kayda said, shrugging. She finished her kababs quickly, then tossed the two wooden sticks at me with more force than necessary.
"Hey, don't be so violent," I said, catching the sticks between my fingers before they could even reach me.
"Heh, as if something like that would hit you. Now call Stacy over, tsk," Kayda said, clicking her tongue.
"Huh, already? I can call them tomorrow instead, if you want."
"If you don't do it now, I might change my mind," she said sharply.
"Ah, I see, makes sense," I said, pulling out my communication scroll after tossing the leftover skewer into my storage.
Ring.
"Kitsuna! How are you?" Mom's voice boomed through the scroll before the second ring even ended.
"Mother, don't yell like that. You aren't an old hag yet, so there's no need for something like that," I said, wincing at the volume.
"Ah, sorry, I was just excited that my adorable daughter called me," Mom said happily.
"What about Amire? Isn't she there with you guys?" I asked, confused.
"Ah, she went to Zagan's hometown to train him," Mom said, her tone shifting into annoyance.
"She's training him?" I asked, baffled.
Zagan really is useless, I thought, shaking my head.
"Well, he was almost dead just before you went on your trip. I let him go for a while," Mom explained, trying to sound casual, but her disappointment leaked through.
"Ah, I see. You're so depressed about me leaving you that you allowed them to get away?" I teased, smirking.
"...So why are you calling me?" Mom asked after a small pause, her tone dry.
"Ha-ha, embarrassed are we now. Don't worry, I miss you too, Mom," I said, a little flustered despite myself.
Whack!
"Ow, Kayda, what was that for?" I asked, turning to glare at her.
"Finish up already," Kayda said curtly, her arms crossed.
This woman can't handle not getting attention, can she, I thought, shaking my head.
"Huh, did Kayda just hit you?" Mom asked through the scroll.
"Yeah, I was doing something dumb, so don't worry about it."
"Ah, I see. So the usual. Anyways, what do you want?"
"You make it sound like I'm needy," I said, whining.
"Yes, yes, you are."
"So mean. Sigh, I need a cargo plane-your fastest, please," I said, getting to the point.
"...Why?"
"To travel around."
"You want me to believe you need a military cargo plane to travel around? Kitsuna, come on. There are so many better ways to lie to me," Mom said skeptically.
"Eh, I'm not lying to you though."
"Kitsuna, who do you want to kill? I might help you if I know them."
"Mom, listen, we are in Aanbald territory right now. So-"
"You guys are still there!? What the hell? You should be halfway to the Kunis already," Mom said, cutting me off in disbelief.
"Yeah, well, stuff happened, and we got delayed."
"Sigh, I see. So you want fast transport. Why don't you just use your fox and dragon forms then?"
"Yeah, no. That will take too long. I want at least four months at home with the Smith King there."
"Sigh. You want to learn how to make demigod weapons, don't you?"
"Ding ding, correct. Now, send me a plane, please," I said sweetly.
"Sigh, fine. We'll get going later tonight. You'll see it tomorrow morning," Mom said in defeat.
"Cool. Thank you, Mother."
"Yeah yeah, see you," she said before ending the call.
"To think she actually thought you needed a plane to kill someone?" Kayda said with a weird expression, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"What's with the expression?" I asked.
"Ah, it's just-why would you need a plane to kill someone?"
"Hmm," I mused, tapping my chin. "If the person is in a stronghold, a plane or jet would be useful to blow it up. If you want to give him a gruesome but quick way, you could put him in the thrusters or blades. There are quite a few ways a plane could be useful for killing people."
Kayda's face twisted, her expression worsening by the second. "Just how are you this knowledgeable in ways to kill people?"
"Ha-ha, experience," I said with a smirk.
"Bullshit. Firstly, I'm older, so I have more experience than you. Secondly, the ways you think of are just not right."
"Meh, whatever. Let's forget about killing before the city guards get called," I said, glancing around at the people giving us very strange looks.
"Eh, forgot we were in the city," Kayda admitted awkwardly, lowering her voice.
"Uh-huh. Now let's continue our date, shall we?" I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.
"Are we not?" Kayda replied vaguely, giving me a sly glance from the corner of her eye.
She is way too mean, I thought, ignoring her jab as my tail swayed happily behind us.
avataravatar
Chapter 143
"Ugh, how did I end up with a headache?" I groaned the moment I opened my eyes, my skull throbbing like someone had stuffed thunder inside it and let it rumble around for fun.
Shit, what happened? 'I can't remember anything,' I thought, pressing a palm to my forehead. Or... trying to. For some reason my right hand wouldn't move, like it was pinned in place. Confused, I shifted slightly and realized why.
"Huh? Why is Kayda spooning me?" I muttered, irritation flaring for only a second before confusion overrode it. I wasn't even lying on my side-I was flat on my back. Yet her arms were looped tightly around my waist, her cheek resting right against my shoulder. Her breath tickled my skin every few seconds, steady and peaceful. The reason my hand wouldn't budge was because it was trapped between her arm and my body.
I blinked, staring down at her. Her crimson hair was mussed from sleep, strands sticking every which way. Her expression was soft, lips parted ever so slightly, and I felt my irritation melt away.
'Her sleeping face really is the cutest thing ever,' I admitted, my heart betraying me. Slowly, I moved my free left hand and brushed some of that stray hair away from her face, tucking it gently behind her ear.
That was when I saw it.
"Wait, what is this?" I whispered, my eyes narrowing. There were faint red marks-bite marks-on her neck.
My ears twitched violently. With delicate care, I shifted my weight and lifted her head a little higher, adjusting her against the pillow so I could see better. In the process, the blanket that had covered us slid back.
My brain short-circuited.
Kayda's upper body was bare except for a thin strap of fabric clinging loosely to her arm. Smooth skin, toned but soft, was on full display.
"Boobs, rawr," I muttered without thinking, instantly snapping my head back and slapping a hand over my nose before it could betray me with a bleed.
'Now I know why last night felt so good when I-wait, why the hell is she half-naked?' I thought, utterly bewildered.
"Mhh... Kitsu, please stop moving. It hurts," Kayda mumbled, her voice husky from sleep.
I froze, panicked. "...How am I hurting you?" I asked quickly, terrified I'd done something irreversible.
"My body is sore, of course," she replied, peeking up at me with bleary, half-lidded eyes.
My tail stiffened. "Wha-what did we do last night, rawr?" I asked, hesitating, each word dragging painfully out of me.
A smirk tugged at her lips. "Heh, you don't remember?" she teased, tilting her head to grin up at me.
"I... I might have forgotten what I did," I admitted sheepishly, scratching my cheek, ears drooping in embarrassment.
"Well," she said casually, rolling onto her side and stretching like a cat. "We went out drinking. You attacked me. We found a place to stay, and here we are."
I froze again. "I-I attacked you, rawr?" I stammered, horrified at myself.
"Yes. You started it," Kayda teased again, leaning closer to kiss my cheek.
Heat exploded in my face. That might have happened since I still have my clothes on. But... then again, I could've used my storage skill to put them back on... oh gods, what if I did?' My brain twisted into knots trying to figure it out.
"Don't worry too much," Kayda said soothingly, standing up from the bed. My eyes betrayed me, trailing her movement. "It was my fault that this happened." She bent over, picking her shirt up from the ground, which only made my ears steam more.
"How, rawr?" I mumbled, unable to stop the sound of embarrassment from slipping into my words.
"We went to a bar, remember? I wanted to see if you could get drunk," she explained simply, tugging the shirt over her head.
"Hmm, I thought it wouldn't be possible," I admitted, looking away quickly to spare myself.
"I agreed with you there, but as we can see-"
"And I can feel it," I muttered miserably, burying my burning face into both hands.
"-it's possible," she finished, her tone smug. Then she chuckled. "Though I don't think it's a good idea to try it again, haha."
"Why?" I asked cautiously, peeking through my fingers.
"Neck, boobs, everything that was exposed is full of bite marks," Kayda said flatly, lifting her shirt to show me. Red blotches were scattered everywhere, like I'd gone feral.
I squeaked. "...I can heal you?"
"Please do," she said immediately, sitting back down on the bed.
"Here," I said, biting into my finger until it bled and holding it out to her.
She raised a brow. "...What am I supposed to do with your bleeding finger?"
"Just lick it. It will work. Trust me," I said impatiently, waving it at her.
Kayda sighed dramatically. "You have the weirdest fetishes." Then, deliberately slowly, she leaned forward, licked the blood off my finger, and even slid it into her mouth, holding eye contact the entire time with a mischievous grin.
"Hey! Don't do it like that, rawr!" I yelped, yanking my hand back as my face burned hotter than dragonfire.
"But you told me to," she teased mercilessly.
"Grr, don't be like that! Please-I'm going to pass out... or attack you again, rawr," I admitted, looking away, trying desperately to keep control.
"Fine, fine, I'll stop," she relented, hands raised in mock surrender. Standing, she gathered the blanket around herself and strolled to the bathroom.
"Oh right," she said casually, pausing at the doorway. "When does your mother get here?"
I blinked, momentarily distracted. "I don't know. Maybe in a few hours. Could you please tell me what time it is? I muttered, scrambling out of bed and glancing around.
Knock knock. "Is the tenant awake?" A familiar voice rang from outside.
Both of us stiffened.
"Fuck," we said in unison.
The door exploded inward a heartbeat later.
"Hey, hey, guess who's here!" My mom roared, stomping into the room like a conquering warlord.
"Mom! This isn't our place! You can't just destroy property like that!" I shouted, horrified at the splinters and ruined doorframe.
"Hello, my daughter," Stacy said sweetly, a dangerous smile stretching her lips. "How are you on this fine afternoon?"
"Afternoon!?" I blurted, spinning to look outside, where the sun was already well past its zenith.
"Yes, my daughter. I have been waiting seven hours for you to return to the mansion. "Seven fucking hours," Mom shouted, her voice echoing off the ruined walls. She stalked closer with predatory steps.
"Hehe, sorry. In my defense, it's not my fault," I said quickly, dropping to my knees with a sheepish grin.
"Oh? Do tell me whose fault it is, then," she said, looming over me with a glare.
"My girlfriend," I blurted, jabbing a finger toward the bathroom.
"Oh? Where is she? I haven't seen her," Mom asked, her smile widening in anticipation.
"She's in the bathroom," I said quickly.
But the moment my senses stretched out, my blood ran cold.
'She isn't in there!? She ditched me!' I realized, horrified.
"Is she now?" Mom purred, stepping toward the bathroom.
The second she turned, I bolted. I threw myself out the window, landing on the nearest roof with a roll.
