Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Miss Liu ignored my wavering heart and walked away quickly.

Perhaps we were too obvious, because Welf, Miss Mikoto, Miss Haruhime, Miss Nazha, and Mr. Sakura all looked in my direction.

"...Lord Bell, has something happened between you and Miss Ryu?"

"I don't know either... So many things have happened, I don't even know which one it is..."

Lily leaned closer and asked me, and although I was flustered, I told her the truth.

The first thing that came to mind was... I took off my clothes and hugged her... but it was out of necessity.

Besides, we were still able to talk normally when we came back from the dungeon. We even laughed together on that high platform with the beautiful sky.

Did I do something to upset Miss Ryu?

We worked together to escape the "deep layer".

At that time, we were the people who knew each other best.

Was it just wishful thinking on my part?

“…………”

"...Miss Seele?"

At that moment, I noticed that Miss Seele was staring straight at me.

The pale gray pupils stared at my face, as if they were about to burn a hole through it—

*Crack!*

She held the tray with both hands and gently tapped my head.

"Huh? Huh?"

I'm ignoring you.

Just as I was getting confused by the cute sound my head was making, Miss Seele closed her eyes and turned her face to the side.

He's just like a little kid.

But I always felt that she seemed unusually angry.

Leaving me bewildered, Miss Seele refused to tell me anything and went back to work, just like Miss Ryu.

Lily stared at us with her eyes half-open. Welf and Miss Daphne were drinking as if it were none of their business. Miss Megumi and Miss Chigusa tilted their heads, while Miss Haruhime and Miss Cassandra seemed at a loss.

Only Miss Nazha closed her eyes and smiled, saying, "So young." Mr. Sakura asked seriously, "What's going on?"

I don't have the energy to care about everyone's reactions right now.

Stunned, I could only watch as Miss Ryu's figure disappeared into the kitchen.

*

"I'm going to take out the trash."

That's what Ryu said.

The cooks, busy in the kitchen, answered with the low growls of the barbecue grill or the sounds of chopping vegetables. She walked out the back door alone, carrying a wooden bucket full of kitchen waste.

She walked into the narrow alley where it was completely dark and dumped the kitchen waste into the garbage dump.

And that's it.

Liu seemed to have reached her limit and could no longer maintain her unwavering expression.

"...I'm so weird."

She revealed her shy feelings when they were alone.

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

She unconsciously covered her mouth with her hand, as if trying to hide the heat concentrated on her face.

"That's strange. It's rude to Bell and will hurt him... I have to apologize quickly."

She reflected on her behavior and blamed herself.

The gentle boy must have panicked and wondered sadly if Ryu disliked him when he saw her acting so strangely.

She should go find the boy right now and bow down to apologize in front of him.

Please don't worry about it, I'm fine.

That's enough.

"But……"

Her heart was beating very fast.

I can't help but feel nervous.

They unconsciously adopted a strange attitude.

Things that were possible in the past are no longer possible.

Liu dared not look at his face.

"...What's wrong with me?"

Her arms hung limply at her sides, and she lowered her gaze, muttering to herself.

My heart is pounding loudly in my chest, and my ears are burning.

Whenever the boy came into her view, her shoulders would twitch like a startled cat.

It's as if they've contracted some kind of illness.

(...I am, since when...)

When did you start calling him by his name, "Bell"?

Ryu noticed this fact unintentionally, and was just about to try to recall it...

"Miss Ryu".

Someone called her name.

From behind her.

Liu opened her sky-blue eyes wide.

The fact that they didn't detect his presence, or how he ended up here, are all trivial matters.

It's Bell.

You don't even need to turn around to know.

You can tell just by listening to the sound.

However—Ryu plunged headlong into utter chaos.

The reality of being alone with the boy at this moment was unbearable for her.

Therefore, she turned around and swung a chop.

"Who goes there?!"

"Huh?! It's me!?"

Faced with the lightning-fast left-hand attack, Bell yelled as he parried.

Six months ago, when he was only Lv.1, he would never have been able to handle Ryu's attack. But now, he caught it with his right hand while protecting his still-healing left arm.

The skillful technique surprised even Ryu, who had accidentally launched an attack.

The clear "growth" proves that Lv.4 is not just a name without substance.

Perhaps afraid of hurting Liu, Bell firmly grasped her slender wrist.

however……

This has the opposite effect on Ryū now.

Starting with his left hand, which was tightly held by him, the heat surged throughout her body in one breath.

Her face flushed crimson! The instant her cheeks turned red, her eyebrows arched sharply, and with a swift movement befitting the name "Swift Wind," she wrapped her arms around Bell's.

Then, they threw him out.

"Huh!?"

The sound of an object hitting the ground, along with the boy's screams, echoed through the alley.

In terms of [ability stats], the boy has definitely surpassed her.

However, in terms of "skills and tactics", Ryukyu still has a slight edge... no, even two or three points.

The boy hadn't gotten into position at all, so it's not surprising that he was thrown out.

However, that's not the problem.

"I always go too far."

Sweating profusely, Liu uttered an excuse that was utterly unbearable to listen to.

Of all things to do, he ended up falling onto the paved ground.

Although the boy was only Lv.4, the force with which he was thrown out was also Lv.4.

Clear cracks appeared on the paving stones beneath his feet, and Bell himself felt dizzy.

A hallucination occurred in a corner of Ryu's mind, where she heard Kaguya and Lyra from the former faction (Asteria Familia) shouting in unison, "Useless elf~"

"Ryu, how long are you going to take out the trash, meow—!"

「!?」

Then came the adding fuel to the fire.

An angry shout reached her, who was frozen in place.

It must be that Anya and the others were getting impatient with Ryu's prolonged absence, and the approaching presence caused Ryu's expression to change drastically.

She couldn't let anyone see this horrific scene. She wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but she simply didn't want anyone to see it!

Her next action was also a product of extreme chaos.

In a moment of panic, Liu picked up Bell.

It's what's known as a "princess carry".

She simply fled the scene.

Maintaining the "princess carry" posture.

Having been carried in a "princess carry" by others many times since arriving in this labyrinthine city, Bell, who has never done it himself, would surely be mortified if he were awake now. However, Ryu is completely unaware of all this and runs at a speed befitting her name, "Swift Wind."

She abandoned her work at the shop and repeatedly wandered through alleys, searching for a deserted place.

then……

"Haa, haa...!"

She came to a narrow alley where no one could see her.

Surrounded by stone walls on all four sides, there wasn't even a small shop, only short staircases leading upwards and old magic stone streetlights, and at most wooden benches.

Ryu laid the unconscious Belle down on the bench for the time being, then felt a headache coming on from her overly exaggerated behavior.

"Harm...kidnapping...just how low must I stoop...?"

She was tormented by endless self-blame as she examined Bell's body.

In short, we need to treat him first.

Although she had inadvertently taken his consciousness, thankfully he wasn't injured. But Ryu still used "restoration magic." She swayed restlessly, excessively performing every conceivable treatment. Frankly, she panicked. In short, she did everything, absolutely everything she could.

result.

Ryuzan Bell rested his head on her lap.

(Why……!?)

The confused fairy (a useless elf) was bewildered by the things she had done.

This is because of that.