After hearing my words, Leona remained silent. She seemed reluctant to talk about the subject, and the reason was quite obvious. A single glance at Leona and Darian was enough to realize they were not compatible as a couple. Leona was generous and seemed to enjoy children.

On the other hand, Darian thought entirely differently. He clearly didn't care about the state of the orphanage; his donations were probably just to maintain a public image. Moreover, Darian seemed to look at the children as if they were mere insects.

"Well, honestly, I don't care much about it"

I declared. My words made Leona look at me, raising an eyebrow in doubt. It seemed like I had finally caught her attention. Meanwhile, Fujiwara continued to sleep peacefully, her head resting on my legs. I cast a brief glance at Leona, who stared back at me with her golden eyes.

"In the end, it's just about winning everyone in the coliseum, isn't it?"

Although I didn't say much, my words were quite explicit. In a simple way, Leona, who understood what I meant, probably interpreted my words as "you only need to win in the coliseum to win you over, right?" Understanding my meaning, Leona sighed and turned her head toward the moon, slowly rising in the sky.

After that, she lightly scratched her head as if finding something annoying. When she stopped, she turned her gaze back to me, and then I understood that I was the source of her irritation.

"You're right, but I still don't understand why you seem so obsessed with me. If it's because I showed you Anima, you don't need to feel this way. Besides, you also helped me take those children home"

Well, in a way, that was one of the reasons too. I was indeed grateful to Leona for showing me Anima, but beyond that, during this time, I could see various sides of her. In a way, I started to like her. And more importantly, I don't want to hand her over to that guy who sees her as an object.

"Do you really think that's why I want you?"

I heard my own words echoing, and Leona turned to me, staring at me for a few seconds. It seemed like she was analyzing me in some way. Then, she shook her head as a small smile appeared on her face.

"I highly doubt it. Even though we've spent little time together, I can see that you're not that kind of person... But I still don't see a reason for you to like me"

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Upon hearing her words, I chuckled. Then, I turned my gaze to Fujiwara, who had just shifted but her eyes remained closed, indicating she was still having a good night's sleep.

"And you? What's your impression of me? At least, I'm pretty confident that I'm not such a bad catch"

I said, with a small smile on my face. Hearing my words, Leona put her hand on her chin and closed her eyes, seeming to think deeply about the matter. After a few seconds in this state, she opened her eyes and looked at me.

"You're a nice guy... But if you ask me if this is love, it probably isn't. However, if I had to choose between you and Darian, I would definitely choose you. Besides, I can see that you're strong... REALLY strong"

Listening to Leona's words, I turned my gaze to her with a raised eyebrow. For some reason, I could get an idea of where this conversation was going, which, if you ask me, was in a rather peculiar direction, from a human perspective, of course.

"What does my strength have to do with it?"

I asked. I mean, I knew about the Demi-human traits, at least the ones I read about in manga and anime. Although I did notice it when I talked to the rabbit woman at the inn I'm staying in, to think that it was actually true left me a bit shocked.

“What do you mean by that? A female always seeks a strong male to produce strong offspring. Of course, I'm no exception. If there's one aspect I find attractive about you, it would definitely be your strength... I guess you could say I fell for your strength. Being able to block one of my strikes and come out without any serious injuries is impressive, you know? You're probably the first I've witnessed doing that”

I couldn't really judge much, as that would probably be considered prejudice, but the ways of women in Anima to choose a man were quite peculiar. I mean, as long as the guy is strong, would they choose him even knowing he's a complete idiot? That honestly left me with doubts.

“Furthermore...”

While I continued lost in my own thoughts, Leona's voice caught my attention. As I looked at her, the first thing I noticed was her golden eyes shining under the moonlight, a smile visible on her face, with a discreet canine tooth showing.

“Fujiwara isn't the only one you have, right?”

It was quite easy to understand what she was referring to, but still, I was a bit surprised since I didn't recall telling her that. Moreover, from the conversation we had earlier, Fujiwara didn't seem to have told her either.

“Hahaha, did I surprise you? Actually, the way you took care of Fujiwara reminded me a bit of my dad. When I saw that, I just thought you resembled him”

Honestly, I couldn't say whether Leona comparing me to her father could be considered good or not. However, it also led me to have another thought. I began to wonder what Leona's father would be like. To be honest, she was already monstrously strong, so would her father be even more powerful? In a way, I questioned if I could beat him in a fight, especially if I didn't use magic.

If I fought with Leona, I'm almost certain I would win, as long as I paid attention to her strikes and stood my ground. However, I didn't know if that would extend to her father.