“Hmmmm…”

“Ahaha…I’m really sorry Asagao…”

“Ichirou-nii…! I really can’t believe that you’ve done something stupid like that! Making a misunderstanding and escalating it to that. Diyu must have been heartbroken!”

“And that’s what I am worried about! I haven’t told her yet how I became madly in love with her…!”

“Geez… Even if you say that now, the fact that you hurt her feelings won’t change! Your feeling just have to jump from one woman to another! And it’s hilarious that Lily rejected you simply because she is a lesbian!”

“Urk…! But…! I truly love Diyu! But…I don’t know what to do…”

“Well…think of it like this. She cried because she saw you with another woman thinking that you don’ love her. It just means that she loves you and the thought of you being with another woman hurt her feelings.”

“A-Asagao…I’m not that dense!”

“You aren’t?”

Ichirou told me of what transpired on his side and I am really angry right now!

Diyu is, even though is awkward when it come to her feelings, a good girl to the heart. And this guy here just happened to make her fall in love with him and in return, Ichirou said that he truly felt that he loves Diyu too. I see no problem with that.

Truth is, even I could fall in love with a guy such as Ichirou who has a pretty but manly face and polite attitude to boot, though, I am a completely different case now and I won’t fall in love with him.

But to think, of all people, Diyu would fall in love with him. I’m curious of how such feelings were born.

Also, it’s shocking to know that Susanoo is with them and willingly helps.  He is a really scary guy that oozes so much dangerous atmosphere once you’ve come to know his true nature.

When Susanoo’s name came up, Casablanca and Hibiscus reacted from it and starts becoming restless.

I ask the two of what they know about Susanoo and they happily speak about it…

“Susanoo escorted us back to the city since our other escorts seem to be missing that time, right, Hibiscus?”

“Yes, Casablanca! Susanoo even met with mother had an adult talk!”

My face cramped upon hearing the phrase adult talk. Since we can easily misunderstand such words, I just place that concern in the corner of my head and will never give it another thought unless the people themselves told me what really happened.

“So, what happened after that…adult talk…?”

“Ummm…”

“S-Susanoo…”

From what I’ve heard from the two, Susanoo, together with Priscilla halted the advance of the dwarven army driving them back from their continent. After that, the two of them was given to Priscilla and they became her maid trainees.

From that point, Ichirou supplemented the missing part of the story about Susanoo and continued the talk when they met each other at the demon continent.

From one event to another and they met Demon Lord Cattleya. They helped her with the raiding of the army of devils. From that information alone, the Dragon and Demon Capital was attacked simultaneously giving a possibility that other continent must have been attacked too.

Using the thing they called Call Stone from Priscilla, they were able to warp from the demon continent to the Dragon Capital Mujinn and helped in the process. From the onward, Ichirou and I met to fight Nil.

I feel like there are unfilled gaps in the story but it can’t be helped if they forgot about it or someone else is needed to fill in.

But more importantly…

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“Ichirou-nii…”

“W-What?! I already know what kind of a fool I am so please, quit nagging at me Asagao…”

“That’s already a hopeless case for you but that’s not what I want to ask this time.”

“Then…what could it be?”

“About the ethers that you spoke of…”

“Ah…About Dylan huh… Sorry…even though he is one of the Order of the Sins, I treat Dylan like a grandpa or something along the line… I also owe him my life.”

“That’s not it Ichirou-nii.”

“Eh…Then…?”

I immediately grab his right arm while we are walking into my body and try to feel how solid and cold the metal is. I carefully look at the well-detailed structure and the bold metallic color that it gives when light bounces off from it.

It sends chills of excitement to my spine and my heart starts pounding faster.

This is great! This looks so awesome~!!

“Umm…Ichirou-nii…you…see…umm…”

“W-What’s wrong Asagao? W-why are you fidgeting and clinging to me like that?! Don’t make me misunderstand anything anymore…!”

“Umm…this arm of yours…is so cool.”

“Ah, this arm, huh…”

“Yes!! It gives off such steam punkish look and it looks like something would appear in post-apocalyptic stories! It gives off a vibrant sci-fi feels to it and it looks really awesome. When I saw the underground city of the ethers, I felt so ecstatic that Higan and I lost in the process while looking around! There were robots and lasers and moving doors! It was simply incredible!”

“Um…Asagao…what happened to you?”

“Tell me what does the Floating Continent looks like!”

“Eh…Eh..?! Are you…a fanatic of such theme or something?”

“Yes! I love such theme! It’s the only kind of genre that I can play tirelessly!”

“You have such a wild side, huh…”

I don’t care!

Ichirou is giving me an amazing face and as for the twins that do not have any knowledge about modern technologies, they are basically staring blankly at us with questioning faces.

And so, Ichirou told me his experience with the race called Ethers.

From what I understand, they are invaders from another dimension and came from an advance civilization. Their technologies can easily topple the ones back at Earth and they are habitual alcohol drinkers that the addiction rubbed off to Ichirou.

Ichirou’s arm seems to be a creation from a huge fluctuation from the process of making Spiritech that the Dylan guy researching on. It’s made from unknown metal that can never ever be found in this world and the brilliant, genius mind of Dylan.

Also, that old man Dylan Ichirou is talking about seems to have a large array of inventions too like floating wheelchair with lasers, a house that is fully functional with voice activation and much more.

Their city seems like a renewed one from the ruins that I saw but there are floating cars and such.

But the most amazing thing is that the whole continent is floating because of Dylan’s hard work and researches!

How cool!

I’d like to meet that guy sometimes…

“Asagao, I’m glad that you’re happy but, could you kindly separate from my arm? Just to let you know, both of my feet are the same.”

“Really!? Let me see!”

“Wait!”

“Come on!”

I urge him to strip down his pants.

“That’s an impossible request! That means that I have to get to my underwear to do that! Considering that all of you are girls and I am man…that would look so indecent…”

“Stop with your justice crap and get into it! I want to see!”

“I want to see it too! I think it looks cool, right, Hibiscus?”

“Eh..?! I-If Casablanca wants to, then I want to see it too.”

He removed it the end, reluctantly.

Ichirou stands in front of use shyly as he covers his crotch with his removed pants, allowing only his legs to be seen.

We immediately inspect the said legs which are also mechanical. Like the arm, there’s a dull but bold metallic color to it. Under the shoes that he is wearing, his toes are also made of metal. He said that it can be moved like normal limbs too so there are no uncomfortable feelings. In fact, it was advantageous because he cannot feel any pain from those limbs.

But… I want to inspect it close.

“Ichirou-nii, please sit down for a while, I want to see it closer.”

“Eh…Uhh…Okay…”

He obediently sits on the ground.

Since I want to see more of it, I also wanted to see how it feels to look at it from his perspective so I take a sit on his lap and observe them keenly.

Casablanca and Hibiscus also wanted to look at it closer and began moving closer to me as they sit beside Ichirou while leaning their body towards him.

Amazing…!

There are thick wires and tubes inside that can be seen from the gaps! The design is simple, yet complex because of the intricate marking that looks like they are fading. I can also sense an ample amount spirit from within.

Those spirits are fully merged with this mechanical limbs and it feels like they are slowly creeping Ichirou’s body to become one with him.

I gently slid my hand to the metallic limb and playfully insert my fingers to the gaps.

“Uggh… my morals…”

Ichirou quietly muttered but I was able to catch it. I guess I asked too much and I got carried away.

I stand up from his lap to stop but before I could do so, something hard faintly brushes my butt…

EH?!

I hurriedly stand up and took a distance from Ichirou.

“A-Asagao! T-this isn’t..!”

“Hmph!”

I already know that kind of reaction. We may be partially at fault but to begin with, he should not have any kind of desire towards us, his friends and comrades.

I just turn my head away from him.

“I get it. You don’t need to explain. Let’s get moving and get out of this hot place.”

“……..”

And sure enough, I start walking again with increase pace to distance myself from Ichirou.

“Miss Asagao…! What’s the hurry?!”

“Hueeeh... Please… slow down… Haa…I’m not as lively as Casablanca…”

“Hey! You’re turning to me Hibiscus?!”

But I didn’t heed any word and continue my fast pace.

I keep walking and walking and walking until we reached the end of the tunnel.

But…

I feel like we’ve entered a dangerous place…

………

What in front of me is a large and spacious earthen room and from the place that I am standing, there’s a straight path that is only crossable as across the entirety of the room, there is only magma…

There’s a small circular place where one could step in the middle but…

In order to get across this room… we have to get past these three…

In the center, a wingless dragon stands before me with red blazing scales and molten lava sticks to its feet, setting everything around him in unbearable heat.

Around the small circular island, a large and long wyrm swims in the magma and its body is full of spikes. Its jaw opens in four ways, showing its large and scary fangs.

And from above, a winged dragon with a motif like from the two earlier soars the whole place as it releases metal melting fire from its mouth.

“…This isn’t funny.”