Intentional Actions
Once the situation had settled, they finished cleaning up and washed themselves.
Shhhhhhh…
"Haa…"
Amelia let out a long sigh as the warm water cascaded over her.
The sly, teasing demeanor she usually wore was nowhere to be found. She looked so grave, so precarious, that even she could feel the difference.
…What must he think of me?
Eos had told her it was fine — but had he meant it?
Even if he had, she couldn't bring herself to believe it. Simply showing someone such a shameful side of herself was mortifying enough.
"…It's not like I ever had much dignity to protect in the first place."
That sly act of hers only ever came out in front of him. Everywhere else, she remained as rigid and cold as ever.
Perhaps it was because she had taken him in herself that she had wanted to show him only her true self.
She had taught him how to survive in the city. She had cared for him with painstaking devotion. There had been a selfish desire not to let a talented man go to waste, of course… but those days had been enjoyable all the same.
I don't even know how to face him after this…
No matter how desperate the situation had been, they had slept together. They had given each other their first time.
An unfamiliar sensation rose from deep inside her and refused to leave. She wondered if it was affection, or love — but it felt different from either of those things.
She had felt something similar while spending time with Eos before, but only briefly. Back then it had never been this hot, this intense. It had been far lighter — a hollow, empty feeling in her chest.
"Haa… I just don't get it."
The events of mere moments ago were already enough to make her head ache, and now this strange sensation was tightening her chest until she thought she might go mad.
Twitch…!
"Hnn…"
The more she kept thinking about Eos, the more a subtle heat seemed to bloom through her body. A natural urge rose up — to stay close to him a little longer, to keep looking at him.
She told herself it was nothing and forced the feeling down. The craving subsided, if only a little. Just a strange emotion, she decided. Idle thoughts, nothing more.
"Still… he really came a lot…"
Amelia murmured in quiet awe as she washed away Eos's seed, still slowly trickling from between her legs.
A single ejaculation from a man was supposed to amount to no more than a teaspoonful…
…Did he get some kind of procedure done?
She hadn't gotten a proper look at the size of him, so she set that aside — but the sheer volume made her wonder if he'd undergone some kind of enhancement. There were corporations that used Starlight to fabricate bodies and organs, after all. It was entirely possible.
She lingered under the warm water for a long time.
Never noticing the fleeting crimson that flickered through her eyes… wishing that everything — today's encounter included — would simply wash away with the running water.
By the next day, the two of them had returned to their usual dynamic.
Not completely — but at least to any outside observer, nothing had changed at all.
"…You can handle that first thing in the morning?"
"Kids wouldn't understand, but once you get older, just about any liquor starts tasting sweet."
Dressed in a full suit, she held a bottle of hard vodka in one hand and drank straight from it. Watching her knock it back at that hour was remarkable in its own right.
Last time she'd at least been snacking on something while she drank — this time it was pure liquor, nothing else.
"Spend long enough grinding through this city and everything starts to taste sweet."
"……"
"I figure our prized stock would know that better than most."
Amelia looked at Eos with a smile she never showed anyone else. Eos met her gaze and gave a slight nod.
"There's no hope in this city, no way up in sight, and no peace either. That's why the booze tastes so good."
"I don't touch hard liquor, so I suspect I'll never know."
"Fair enough… Ah, want to try a glass while we're at it? This stuff runs a few million coins a pour—"
"I'll pass."
She offered with uncanny timing, and he refused before she'd even finished the sentence. The moment he showed any opening, she would push whatever she was drinking on him — he always turned her down, and she always asked again.
…Is it because she always drinks alone?
Before, he would have refused and moved on without a second thought. For some reason, today he found himself wanting to know why.
"If you drink like that every day, no matter how sturdy your body is, something's bound to go wrong."
"I can digest steel. You really think this is going to do me in?"
"……"
Digest steel?
That was a new one.
"Depends on the trait, of course… but I can. Didn't taste good, though."
"……"
The more he learned about her, the more absurd she became. He never would have guessed she'd actually chewed iron.
"…Then at least eat something with it. The human body is a consumable — I doubt you'd enjoy having to replace the parts."
Even for expensive liquor, what she was drinking today was far stronger than usual. Strong enough that you could call it pouring pure alcohol straight into your stomach.
This was a world where artificial organs could be cultured, sure — but they cost a fortune, and surgery was still surgery. Replacing anything would be a hassle either way.
"Then how about drinking with me every now and then? If this loneliness went away… I think I could cut back a little."
Amelia watched him steadily, her smile never fading.
Why is she so set on drinking together…?
This was past a casual invitation. It bordered on obsession.
But he needed to get closer to her — even a little. From every angle he considered it, sharing a drink now and then would be the right move.
"Then I'll have one glass."
"As much as you like."
She filled an on-the-rocks glass on the table to the brim with vodka. Eos sat down beside her as if it were the most natural thing in the world and lifted the glass.
The moment he brought it to his nose, the scent hit him — far more raw alcohol than ordinary liquor. The reek was so vicious that Eos found himself furrowing his brow without meaning to.
"Khuh… Still young, I see. Can't handle the burn."
Amelia watched him and laughed — a soft, giggling sound that didn't quite look like genuine amusement.
As Eos drained half the glass, Amelia gradually closed the distance, bit by bit, until she was pressed right up against his side.
"Not undrinkable, is it?"
"If I have to drink it, I suppose I can manage somehow."
"Good. I'm not making you drink something you can't handle… There's a saying, you know — a drink with a meal is medicine!"
"…How old is that saying, exactly?"
They talked about this and that, passing the time much as they always did. Same as always — and yet somehow, it felt a little closer.
"……"
"……"
The two of them sipped in silence.
At first their glasses emptied at roughly the same pace, but Amelia steadily accelerated. By the time Eos finished what remained of his half-glass, she had drained a full seven bottles of hard vodka.
"…Aren't you drinking a little too fast?"
"Hic… I-I'm fine."
She did not look fine at all.
The longer time went on, the more she clung to him. Even when she drank, she never usually acted like this… Perhaps she had planned all of it.
Or her heat symptoms are flaring up again.
If she had truly wanted to resist, she could have burned the alcohol off with Starlight. He already knew it wouldn't end after a single time. He just hadn't expected it to return this quickly.
Heat never resolved in a single session. The symptoms came in waves, growing fainter each time they were relieved. And yet, looking at her now, nothing about her condition seemed improved.
Were dragons simply different?
"Underboss."
"Mmm… What…?"
At Eos's call, she slowly lifted her head and met his eyes. The slackness in her gaze, the way her tongue sat loose in her mouth — anyone could tell her state was the same as yesterday's.
I was thinking I'd have to spend days carefully approaching her again…
If she was going to come to him like this, it worked in his favor. He needed Starlight, one way or another.
Until I fully understand how this ability works, I'll keep testing it.
What triggered it, whether it could develop further — the list of things he needed to figure out was endless. He felt a twinge of guilt toward Amelia, but there was no helping it.
He reached out naturally, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and drawing her in.
"Haa… Nnh…"
Amelia slowly climbed onto his lap and pressed herself closer still.
…Far more aggressive than yesterday.
Whatever happened to the woman who had been too embarrassed even to take off her clothes…
But just because prey had wandered into his territory didn't mean he should rush. He needed to respond and move as if he, too, were being drawn in — slowly, naturally.
Settled on Eos's lap, Amelia first reached out and rested her hands on his shoulders.
"……"
Even then, she stared at him with hazy eyes and never looked away. A moment later she leaned forward, sinking into his arms, and at the same time wound her arms around his neck, clinging to him with sticky closeness.
"Huu… Haa…"
"Underboss."
Once she was pressed against him and her breathing turned ragged, he spoke with near certainty.
Twitch…!
She trembled faintly, as if something had pricked her conscience.
"……"
That reaction was all Eos needed. The heat symptoms had returned, yes — but this time, she had engineered the situation herself. She must have known she could never do this sober, and so she had borrowed the courage of alcohol.
She made this choice knowing it would lead to the same place as last night…
Apparently last night had pleased her far more than Eos had imagined.
"Your breathing is growing rough, and your body is getting hotter."
"Haa… Huu…"
"It looks like the same symptoms as yesterday. Am I correct in what I'm thinking?"
He laid on a thick layer of ironclad ignorance, as if he had no idea what she intended.
At first he had worried that absorbing her Starlight might have weakened her. That concern had proven completely unfounded.
If absorbing Starlight actually made someone weaker, the person it was taken from would notice immediately.
No powerhouse would fail to sense a drop in their total strength. And Starlight wasn't the only thing he had gained.
I can now gauge how much Starlight others carry…
Until now he had judged strength by reputation and track record alone. Now he could measure the Starlight held in a person's body and read their power directly. That was how he knew just how strong Amelia truly was.
If I keep absorbing Starlight, I'll eventually become stronger than anyone.
The gap was still vast enough that it felt like a distant dream — but if he never stopped, he would surpass them all in the end.
In cases like this, "copying" might be a more accurate word than "absorbing." Either way, right now the priority was obtaining as much Starlight as possible.
"Hnn…"
Amelia whimpered weakly and squeezed her eyes shut.
…Nod.
After a moment's hesitation at Eos's question, she slowly nodded. He could feel it clearly — she was telling herself she had no choice, that it was only the heat making her do this.
Has my heightened sensitivity started picking up even things like that?
Ever since absorbing Starlight, his senses had sharpened in ways he could actually feel. He still couldn't sense Starlight residing in his heart… but he had grown, so it didn't matter.
"Then let me ask one last time."
He took out one final insurance policy. This choice was hers alone. He was only acting to honor her will.
"Are you truly all right with this?"
"……"
"Yesterday the situation was urgent, so I put out the fire first… but if you can endure it well enough, I'll stop here."
Amelia pressed her face against his chest and said nothing. Now that the final choice was upon her, was she second-guessing herself again?
As the silence stretched, Eos naturally slid both arms around her — one at her waist, one at her back — and pulled her in a little tighter.
"Hnn… Huu…!"
Startled by the sudden movement, her breathing grew rougher still. Eos watched her and allowed a faint smile to touch his lips. Just as he intended, Amelia slowly nodded and made her decision.