"Mom, how do I defeat someone far stronger than me?" I once asked my mother, hoping to learn something of her mysterious and superhuman strength.

To me, she's always been a super-mom. Never tired, never weak, never sad, always loving. How could she ever be sad, after all? I was her joy and happiness. I was all she needed to smile, and I felt the same, though she often made me angry with her secrets and teasing.

Her strength was one of her many secrets; it felt inhuman, even magical. She was impossibly strong to my eyes. Perhaps my young age played tricks on me, exaggerating the reality; adults are stronger, after all. But she was beyond any imaginable range; I wasn't tripping, she really was insanely strong.

"You use their strength against them, sweetie," she replied to my question as she knitted a little sweater for me; winter was coming. Despite that, she sat on her knees right outside our house, enjoying the breeze while she meticulously crafted that sweater for me with love and affection. I sat beside her, watching her skilled hands at work with the two big knitting needles; the weather felt nice that day.

"Huh? How do I do that..." I tilted my head.

"Well, there are many ways... The human body is more limited and weaker than you might think. But... just to give an example, you could easily beat a greater orc with that little and tiny stature of yours. It's hard for them to hit you."

Of course, she had to tease me about my little stature even as she explained something.

I angrily pouted at her. "They could easily stomp on me..."

"You could easily dodge them."

"You're not helping me."

She chuckled, pausing her knitting and resting it on her lap. "Alright then, let me teach you something. Pay close attention to my finger," she said, raising her index finger, slowly moving it left and right.

I closely observed the finger, wondering what the lesson was about. I was a little confused, but I carefully and obediently followed that finger with my eyes anyway. Left and right, back and forth, left and right...

"Ow!" I brought my hands behind my head, rubbing the spot, trying to ease the pain. "What was that for?!" I asked her, trying to hold back the tears.

"That was a demonstration," she replied with a smile.

"Demonstration of what? You slapped me behind the head..." I said, my voice trembling as tears welled up in my eyes from the pain.

She gently caressed the spot she had just slapped, ruffling my hair to soothe the sting. "Some people may call that misdirection. Of course, that is also a way to win, catching the enemy off guard. But this lesson is not about that. Argenta, your incredible focus is one of your greatest strengths. But at the same time, it can also be your weakness. I am aware of that, and I used it against you."

"Hmm... Still, I don't know if that's really enough to win against someone far stronger..." I murmured.

"It is, if you're quick enough. Remember, the human body is weaker than you might think; a single deadly cut is all it takes to mark their end. They may run, but eventually, their heart will cease beating... Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses; you just have to determine them. There is no such thing as an undefeatable enemy. Power comes with limits, always. Even if they are far stronger than you, they are still bound by those limits, and they are forced to respect them. So, have no fear," she warmly said.

"Fine..."

"Does it still hurt?" she asked as she continued to rub my head.

"A little..."

She leaned in, kissing my forehead. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I'll make you some cookies to make it up to you. Is that alright?"

"Hmm-hm!" I cheerfully nodded, already thinking about the sweet flavor of her tasty treats.

...

Crimson did impress me with that display of her spells, no doubt, but even if far stronger than me, she must've had her limits as well, along with her weaknesses. And, despite not being a particularly valuable weakness, it was still interesting to know that, somehow, she was weak, or vulnerable, at least, to my sad face filled with rejection.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

No... it was still too early to say that for certain, but worth noting...

"Ourobocervas."

It was still night, and we had just escaped from that city.

"Do I really have to get up that thing again...?" I unenthusiastically asked, looking at Crimson's summon with disgust. The idea of getting back on that beast wasn't appealing at all.

"I know a nice place not too far from here where we can spend a lovely night in a warm and cozy bed. Don't you want to?"

"Hmm..."

"You'll have to ride it either way to get back to the guild," she said as she stepped closer, gently caressing my cheek. "Or what? Do you want to sleep here? I'm fine with that, too, Snowflake."

"I'd rather be comfortable in a bed..." I sighed. Despite the air being pleasant enough to sleep under the night sky, the thought of sleeping on the ground, especially near a place filled with monsters, didn't seem all that inviting. "Let's go."

Crimson mounted on her summon, extending a hand to help me up. "Want to ride in front this time?" she asked with a grin.

"No... I'll keep staying in the back," I replied, taking her hand and pulling myself up.

And so, we set off into the night...

... She did bring me to a nice place, indeed; it was lovely. It was within what looked like a little town. This nice place was a cozy wooden house; she led me to a room with a rustic aesthetic, warmly illuminated by a soft orange-ish light. In the corner stood a tall and fluffy queen-size bed, comfortable and inviting.

"Do you like it?" she asked me, her voice low and sensual as she caressed my shoulders from behind, giving tender kisses along them, the gentle smack of each one reverberating in the room while she delicately traced the curve of my arms with her fingertips, sending a tingling sensation through me.

"It is a nice place, indeed."

"Let's take this off, shall we?" she whispered as her fingers started to lift my shirt, triggering all my internal alarms.

"No!" I quickly turned around and grabbed her by the arms, holding them tight as I leaned in, not knowing what to do.

"Fuck!" I panicked internally, I could feel my cheek burn from the embarrassment. "I overreacted! This is going to raise so many questions!" I couldn't show my back; anything but that. I had let my guard down too much...

She looked taken aback for a moment, but then she smiled, displaying a grin. "Well, it would seem we have a problem..."

"W-what problem?" I asked, finding it difficult to keep my voice straight.

"We're both tops, aren't we?"

"Ah..." Luckily, she didn't notice. So, I could play it off. "That is not going to be a problem," I said, letting out an internal sigh of relief as I gently pushed her onto the bed, getting on top of her.

"Oh, I believe this might be more of a fight than those monsters from before," she remarked with a smirk, getting right up in my face, trying to take control.

It was indeed going to be a battle, which I would, obviously, win. But as soon as we started kissing more passionately, she once again tried to strip me by slipping her hands under my shirt, which I really didn't want to allow, so I had to restrain her, somehow. I grabbed her wrists, holding them firmly together as I guided her down.

"You really want me to be the only one naked?" she asked with a giggle as I kept her down.

"Is that a problem?"

"Don't be so shy..."

Suddenly, her orb floated right in front of me, forcing me to back off and obstructing the view.

"Really...? Your orb?"

Before I could react, she grabbed me, pulling me into a fiery kiss while her hands reached for my back. With a surge of anger, I pushed her down, my hand forcefully going against her face without a second thought.

I was pissed, but I realized that, once again, I had overreacted. I had hit so hard my hand burned from the impact. And now Crimson was just as pissed, glaring at me with narrowed eyes; she didn't look playful anymore.

Yet, I was the upset one in all this; my breath came out as ragged, and my cheek burned from the scene I just caused. I ruined the moment, this time. And I could still feel the anger growing inside me, without stopping, continuously heating my skin.

"Perhaps we should set some ground rules here," I said, holding her head down. "This is not about me being shy... Ever since the first time you saw me, you've acted as if you had me all figured out, with your mana reading bullshit or whatever that was. Let me make something clear," I paused to make sure she was listening to me. Oh, she was. She was listening too well; both our eyes were locked, each throwing daggers at the other, I could tell. "You know absolutely nothing about me. Yes, you may intrigue me, but be sure to know your place, Crimson. I'm not playing around, I want to be taken seriously. If I don't want to take my shirt off, then you have to shut up and respect it. I am not just a toy of yours. Is that clear?"

Crimson kept her gaze locked on me, her cheek reddened from the slap I gave her. I had to remedy somehow; I did feel guilty, after all, and wanted to make it right. So, I followed my mother's example... I gently caressed the sore spot, trying to comfort her.

"Let's not ruin this night, Crimson. Let's not allow such small details to get in the way. I look forward to it as much as you do. Let's keep going, hm? What do you say?" I softly whispered to her, slowly leaning in to close the gap, letting our lips meet each other in a gentle kiss.

But as our kiss deepened, I abruptly pulled back, feeling a sharp pain through my lip; little drops of blood dripping onto her neck. She had bitten me.

"You... you crazy bitch!" I insulted her while I pressed my bitten lip.

She giggled with an evil grin. "You look adorable even when you're angry, you know that? But don't push your luck, Argenta. Sure, we can resume our lovely night, but don't expect me to act like nothing happened. You had that bite coming."

"Oh, yeah? Good to know... but none of this would've happened if you hadn't been so pushy..." I muttered as I tried to stop the bleeding.

She came closer, grabbing my hands to look at the bleeding; she seemed almost turned on by it. "You can keep that stupid shirt on. Just don't expect me to be gentle now."