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Ten minutes later, Bokue and the three girls had left the docks behind, settling into seats on a nearly-empty late-night bus ride ho.
The ride from the docks back to the apartnt complex would take about half an hour, but that was nothing for two close friends reunited after a long separation.
"Hey, Yukina," Sayaka began eagerly from her seat near the rear of the bus, turning to the young sword shaman sitting beside her.
Her sleek chanical bow rested neatly across her back, her long chestnut ponytail swaying gently as the bus moved. "I heard the Lion King Organization provided you with so pretty substantial resources for your mission this ti—is that true?"
"Substantial resources...?" Yukina paused thoughtfully, then nodded slightly. "I suppose so. Initially, the Three Saints believed this would be a long-term assignnt, so they actually bought an apartnt for us—er, I an, for —on the east side of Itogami Island."
"Whoa!" Sayaka's eyes widened, genuinely impressed. "They outright purchased an apartnt for you?"
As Yukina's forr roommate—and soone who'd started taking on assignnts slightly earlier—Sayaka understood well how the Lion King Organization usually operated.
For dium or even long-term assignnts, they'd usually just book a simple hotel room as a temporary base. Renting even for six months cost far less than outright buying an apartnt.
The Lion King Organization was known for its frugality and practicality; glamorous Jas Bond-style accommodations were definitely not their style.
Yet this ti, the Three Saints had generously purchased actual property.
Did they really expect this assignnt to last that long?
"It's just a small, second-hand studio apartnt," Yukina quickly clarified, sowhat embarrassed. "Nothing fancy, just the basics really..."
She trailed off as she realized further explanation might risk revealing too many private details. Quickly shifting gears, Yukina changed the subject smoothly:
"Anyway—since Lord Ardeal has now officially... 'departed' Itogami Island, your assignnt as his supervisor should be pretty much done now, right? Do you need to report this back to Sensei?"
"Ah..." Sayaka faltered, suddenly feeling stuck. "To be honest, I've never dealt with a situation quite like this. Normally, I'd follow Lord Ardeal from the Warlord's Empire to Itogami Island, supervise him closely, ensure the Black Death Emperor Faction remnants were dealt with properly, and then follow him safely back, reporting only after everything concluded."
"But now," she sighed in exasperation, "he's already been flung into the ocean by soone. Technically, I should be searching for him and resuming my surveillance duties, but... well, how am I supposed to find him now?"
Sayaka shook her head helplessly, concluding with a defeated sigh, "Forget it. I'll just call Sensei later and ask for instructions."
"Seems like the best option," Yukina agreed sympathetically, nodding along with a reassuring smile.
While the two Lion King girls continued chatting warmly, a few seats further back, Nagisa leaned playfully against Bokue, quietly watching as his fingers danced across his phone screen.
"Hey, Big Bro..." she whispered softly, eyes sparkling mischievously, "are you ssaging Asagi right now?"
"Yeah." Bokue finished typing and pressed send. He glanced around briefly to confirm no one was watching, then discreetly rested his hand on Nagisa's slender thigh, gently giving it a teasing squeeze.
"I promised Asagi I'd visit her tonight if the banquet ended early. It's not too late yet, so I thought I'd swing by."
"Ohhh~" Nagisa dragged out the sound teasingly. "Lucky her~ Good thing tonight wrapped up quickly. Though, that still leaves one problem unanswered..."
"Hmm?" Bokue raised an eyebrow curiously. "What problem?"
Nagisa subtly glanced forward toward Sayaka and Yukina, who were still happily chatting together. Lowering her voice suggestively, she leaned even closer:
"Where are you planning to sleep tonight, Big Bro?"
Her implication was clear. It was definitely too late to expect Sayaka to find herself a hotel room. Given her clear enthusiasm at reuniting with Yukina, Sayaka obviously planned on spending the night catching up. That ant staying at Yukina's apartnt was off the table tonight.
As for Asagi's place, if staying overnight were possible, Bokue probably would've done it already.
That left only one realistic option...
Catching Nagisa's aningful look, Bokue gave her thigh another gentle, secret squeeze and whispered calmly into her ear:
"Alright. After we get ho, you can take a nice bath and wait for in bed."
"Ah...!"
Nagisa shivered lightly, her small body instantly flooded with excitent at his quiet promise. She squird softly in her seat as Bokue's hand discreetly moved upward beneath her skirt, confirming just how eagerly she was anticipating his return. A small, warm stream was already gently flowing, hidden in that most private and delicate place...
❁❁❁❁
At that exact mont, far across the city—
Inside her upscale high-rise apartnt in downtown Itogami, Asagi sat alone, her golden hair gleaming faintly in the dim glow from her computer screen.
Fingers rested lazily on her mouse, absently clicking through windows without purpose.
If soone looked carefully, they'd easily notice her eyes were unfocused, staring through the screen rather than at it. Clearly, her mind was miles away, thoughts completely distracted.
Ugh... When exactly was that idiot going to show up?
It had been well over an hour since he'd promised to stop by if the banquet ended early. What kind of stupid banquet lasted this long? If he wasn't going to make it, couldn't he at least have the decency to ssage her already?
Ding!
A sudden notification chi jolted Asagi from her restless thoughts. Her heart jumped nervously—had her anxious thoughts sohow conjured reality? Was this the dreaded cancellation ssage?
Holding her breath slightly, Asagi cautiously opened the notification, quickly scanning the text.
[On my way now. Probably about 20 more minutes until I get there.]
Instant relief flooded through her, washing away all anxiety and irritation. Her world suddenly felt lighter and brighter again. She quickly typed back a brief response, heart fluttering happily:
[Good. Hurry up, then.]
She hit Enter and leaned back comfortably in her computer chair, relaxing completely.
Twenty minutes, huh? What should she do in the anti...
Just then, another notification appeared on her screen—but this ti, it wasn't a text. It was a new email.
Already used to constant spam, Asagi moved automatically to close it. But sothing in the email preview caught her eye and stopped her mouse cold:
[Cyber Empress, can you decipher this?]
Huh?
Asagi blinked in confusion. It didn't look like spam. In fact, it looked suspiciously like...
—a challenge?
Intrigued, Asagi clicked open the email. Inside was an attachnt—a photograph of a mysterious stone tablet, densely covered with strange, indecipherable symbols.
Interesting... Was soone challenging her to decode this?
A competitive spark instantly ignited in Asagi's heart. Her lips curled into a determined smirk as excitent blossod.
Alright, then—let's see if I can crack this mystery tablet before Bokue arrives!
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