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Night fell softly, and lights bloomed across the cityscape.
In a luxurious penthouse suite on Itogami Island's west-central district, steamy mist curled languidly through the spacious bathroom, the air still carrying the relaxed calm after a certain vigorous activity.
Bokue reclined comfortably against the bathtub wall, gazing absently at the ceiling as warm water lapped gently around his waist.
He lifted one hand lazily from the water, lightly tapping the shapely curve rising like a pristine island above the bathwater.
"You planning to get up anytime soon? Weren't we supposed to head out for dinner?"
"…Nnnn~"
After a few seconds' delay, a sleepy, reluctant groan drifted softly up from his chest. Asagi rubbed her cheek contentedly against his firm torso, like a cat stubbornly refusing to leave a warm bed.
She arched her back slightly, as if finally intending to sit up. But just when Bokue thought she was ready to move, she parted her lips, gently pressing them to the clear, sharp lines of his collarbone.
"I'm biting."
"…What exactly are you doing?" Bokue's brow twitched slightly.
Naturally, Asagi wasn't really biting; it was more like gentle suction—her lips sealing lightly onto his collarbone, tongue softly tracing patterns against his skin.
Not painful at all. Just… oddly ticklish.
"Haven't you ever heard of 'leaving a hickey'?" Asagi lifted her head with a faint pout, looking mildly disgruntled, as though her partner had missed an obvious cue. "Girls leave hickeys on their boyfriends as territory marks. I wanted to give it a try. Why? You don't want me to?"
"It's not a matter of wanting," Bokue explained dryly. "The whole point of a hickey is breaking tiny capillaries beneath the skin to leave a bruise-like mark. But given how durable my body is, you could bite me as hard as you wanted without breaking a single blood vessel."
"Oh? Is that so? Care to test it?" Asagi's eyes sparked challengingly, her competitive streak suddenly flaring.
It was that same look she'd worn countless times as a kid, insisting on rematch after rematch in videogames even after losing fifty straight rounds. Bokue knew all too well where this stubborn streak led.
With practiced ease, he reached out and gently tousled her golden hair, stroking soothingly. "No, let's not. You'd just hurt your teeth."
"Hmph…" Asagi pouted childishly again, letting her head drop back onto his chest. "I was just joking. Even if you begged me, I'd never actually bite you. It'd hurt my heart too much."
"Then if I tell you I'm about to die of heart failure from being squashed, would you kindly move?"
"…Ugh, fine."
With her stomach loudly growling in protest, Asagi finally gave in and reluctantly pushed herself upright. Counting back, she realized she hadn't eaten since lunch—a full eight hours ago—and considering they'd spent well over an hour in the tub already, hunger was finally overcoming her desire for comfort.
"W-wait, hold on…Bokue, you get up first and help me out. My legs feel like jelly…"
❁❁❁❁
The earlier incident at Keystone Gate evidently hadn't affected nearby businesses. Half an hour later, beneath the fully darkened sky, Bokue found himself in a cozy western-style restaurant just five hundred meters from the high-rise apartment.
Looking at the enormous spread of fried and greasy foods piled on the table in front of him, he couldn't help but reminisce with distant amusement.
"Here I thought you'd finally started watching what you eat now that you're grown up, Asagi."
"Hey, I do watch my diet, okay? What's wrong with it?"
Her muffled response came from behind towering plates filled with steaks, pasta, pizzas, chicken wraps, nuggets, fries, onion rings, and soda—all classic junk food.
Asagi Aiba, renowned around school for her stylish blonde gyaru look and presumed dedication to fitness, was currently focused single-mindedly on devouring this mountain of high-calorie food at astonishing speed.
It was a hidden trait only childhood friends like Bokue knew: beneath her chic, slender exterior, Asagi was secretly an astonishingly voracious eater.
Not unlike Hinata from Naruto—who appeared demure and reserved yet held a record at Ichiraku's ramen shop—Asagi normally maintained a healthy appetite but, when allowed free rein, could easily eat a shocking quantity.
From childhood till now, the only area in which Bokue had always admitted defeat to Asagi was sheer food capacity—unless he resorted to supernatural methods, he simply couldn't out-eat her.
"Watching your diet or not, you're clearly starving today," Bokue chuckled softly, observing her polish off an entire serving of black pepper pasta and sirloin steak in moments, black pepper sauce smeared adorably on her lips.
"Can't help it—I'm hungry today." she replied nonchalantly, flicking her hair elegantly away from her face, despite the chaos of eating.
"…" Bokue blinked silently.
"No complaints. Eat your fill," he eventually said, giving a small shrug as he picked up his fork and started on a modest portion of pasta himself.
Deciding to let her focus undisturbed on her feast—Asagi would devote at least eighty percent of her attention solely to eating anyway—Bokue slipped his phone out, scrolling idly as he ate.
Just as he unlocked his device, a news notification popped up prominently:
[Warlord's Empire Officially Announces Diplomatic Delegation to Visit Itogami Island in Coming Days]
Bokue paused, fork mid-air, his eyebrows knitting slightly.
The Warlord's Empire—if his memory served correctly—was the territory of the First Primogenitor, the Lost Warlord, located in Europe.
Truthfully, the geographical details hardly mattered. The important takeaway was that the First Primogenitor clearly knew about the Fourth Primogenitor's revival—or at least now had confirmation—and was making a decisive move.
Without a doubt, this diplomatic visit was directly aimed at Nagisa.
"Something wrong? Did something happen?" Across from him, Asagi, taking a brief pause from her eating frenzy, noticed Bokue's furrowed brow and asked gently, concern in her voice.
"No, nothing serious," Bokue reassured softly, resuming his meal. "Just noticed the First Primogenitor's people are sending delegates here soon. Apparently, they've caught wind of Nagisa officially becoming the new Fourth Primogenitor. I'll keep an eye on it. Probably best if I stay around Itogami Island for a while."
"Hmm…Well, that's perfect, then!" Asagi skipped effortlessly past the political implications, zeroing in cheerfully on his last sentence. "How about staying at my place?"
"Your dad would spontaneously combust," Bokue replied flatly, black lines crossing his forehead. "Besides, it's not like I have nowhere else to stay. The Lion King Organization already arranged accommodations for me."
Asagi's eyes sharpened dangerously at the mention of the Lion King Organization. "Planning to shack up with that cute Sword Shaman girl, are we?"
"Just arrangements from the client side, that's all."
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