Ais Wallenstein, first class adventurer, 'Sword Princess', one who became a level two adventurer in just a year. Part of Loki familia and favored child of Loki herself. Much to Ais's annoyance on most occasions.
She was at the Guild that day, talking with Eina Tulle, an adviser at the Guild. Recently, she had just returned something important to the elf woman, Eina recognized it immediately as the green arm guard she bought for someone she knew.
Who Ais knew as well and who she helped in the dungeon just recently on the tenth floor.
She was down there at Eina's request when she discovered some illicit activity a supporter she investigated was a part of. In her concern, Eina beseeched Ais to go into the dungeon and aid Bell.
When Ais went in, she was surprised to see he wasn't anywhere on the first three floors, or the fourth through sixth, and she was even more surprised when she found out where he was exactly.
The one she was looking for, Bell Cranel, was on the tenth floor, holding back a large group of orcs that were close to surrounding him.
Ais didn't stay surprised for long when she saw he was about to be overwhelmed. Fast as a level six like her could move, Ais closed the distance between herself and the orcs within a blink of an eye. Standing in front of the foes at Bell's back, her sword drawn and ready.
She dispatched them with almost negligible ease, so much so, it was as if she was fighting paper targets, but most of her focus was on Bell, who she watched with wide eyes at what she was seeing.
He had gotten better, much better than last she saw him. Before, she saw him passed out from mind down and before that, he was a fledgling beginning adventurer on the fifth floor in way over his head.
Now, here he stands, fighting off orcs, on the tenth floor. His strikes more well honed and amazingly casting some sort of short chant magic.
That level of progress for a level one adventurer in such a short time was insane.
And she wanted to know how he accomplished such a thing.
Back then, it wasn't the best time to ask and she was sure he didn't notice her anyway. He noticed 'someone' was helping him, but not who.
Eventually they vanquished the monsters but before she could say anything to him, Bell had dashed back towards the entrance to the ninth floor, saying thanks to whoever it was that helped him.
Ais wanted to call out to him, to tell him 'you're welcome' and to apologize for what happened about the minotaur incident sometime ago and to tell him he dropped his arm guard during the battle.
But her attention became focused elsewhere, when she was given a quest by a strange cloaked figure appearing out of the fog and mist.
One that she couldn't refuse.
After that and a few other things involving the quest, Ais found herself back at the Guild, talking with Eina, and wondering about Bell with her.
"Again, I can't thank you enough Miss Wallenstein," Eina said with a smile of gratitude, "and I'm sure Bell will be grateful as well for you returning this to him, I'll let him know who it was."
"Wait," Ais said, stopping Eina from taking the equipment, the elf looked at her, surprise on her features as well as curiosity at the sudden outburst.
"Is something wrong Miss Wallenstein?" Eina asked.
"I…want to return it to him myself," Ais said, looking down at the piece of equipment, "I want to…apologize for the trouble we caused him."
By 'we', she meant the Loki familia and the minotaur incident, which Eina was familiar with in both a report given to the Guild by Finn, Loki familia's captain, and by Bell Cranel, who had the most 'vivid' experience regarding it.
Eina was sympathetic to Ais and agreed to let her apologize but knew how Bell could be, especially around this woman in particular, "Very well," she said, " and don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't run away before you can talk to him."
Ais blinked in surprise at this , 'How does she know?' she thought, thinking back on the last time she tried to talk to him.
"Eina!"
A new voice rang through the Guild hall and towards the duo. Eina looked behind Ais to see a familiar face with that voice and she brightened.
"Bell," she called in greeting, prompting Ais to turn around to see who it was.
Red eyes met golden.
Bell paused mid step in realization.
He turned and ran.
Ais felt depressed all of a sudden at the sight of him running. It was happening again.
"Bell!" Eina cried out, she turned to Ais, "Miss Wallenstein, stop him!"
Ais regained her composure, focus entering her eyes. Almost casually, Ais leaped up into the air in an impressive display of grace and speed, passing Bell overhead and landing in front of him.
Bell was so shocked at having his idol suddenly appear in front of him that stopping his stride did not reach his mind before it was too late. He crashed into Ais then.
Right into her soft chest, Bell was briefly overtaken by the sensation that he stopped any thought of running all together and was now still against her. This feeling was more enhanced by Ais wrapping her hands around his head in order to hold him in place, so he wouldn't run away again.
Bell was speechless in the clutches and embrace of the Sword Princess. Having no idea what to do in this situation.
Ais was in a very similar state herself. She normally wouldn't hesitate for a second before knocking back anyone who would get this close to her unless they were close friends or dear familial figures in her life. Yet she held Bell to her chest and didn't feel any desire to push him away.
In fact, she wanted to maybe hold him tighter.
Before the both of them could dwell on it any longer, Eina came up to them.
Ais let go of Bell and watched on as he was mercilessly scolded by the elf.
"I'm sorry," Ais said, holding out Bell's arm guard. They were just outside the Guild building and found a place where they could talk more privately.
Bell flinched at the sudden apology, surprised by it. Ais looked sad at that reaction, believing him to be frightened of her.
Bell looked down at her arms and at the arm guard, a smile making its way to his face, "Miss Ais, thank you," he said gratefully, he reached down to take it, holding it up, glad to see it wasn't too damaged from where he lost it, "I thought I lost it for good when I was down there."
Ais then bowed slightly, finally having the opportunity to say something else, "I'm sorry."
Bell was surprised, "Huh?"
"You were nearly killed because we failed to defeat that minotaur properly," she said with remorse, "so I wanted to apologize."
She bowed deeper then, "I'm sorry."
"That's not true!" Bell said, waving at her to raise her head, "I went to the fifth floor without thinking, so there's nothing that you need to apologize for," he gestured to himself, "I should actually be apologizing to you, for all those times I ran away without thanking you."
Bell suddenly bowed himself, much lower than what Ais did, "I'm sorry!" he exclaimed.
Ais raised her head to look at him in surprise, but Bell wasn't done yet, "Thank you for saving me so many times!"
Ais felt her cheeks warm slightly and felt a similar warmth gather in her chest. She had difficulty describing what she felt right now but the closest thing she could come to was…
'Happy,' she thought , 'Am I happy?'
For a moment they both stood there, Bell still bowing to Ais, his face red and Ais just stood, contemplating the sensation she was feeling.
"…"
"…"
"I hear you have been doing your best in the dungeon," Ais suddenly said, breaking the silence, "you've already reached the tenth floor already…you're amazing."
She meant those words, Bell had made insane progress for an adventurer and Ais wouldn't lie and say she wasn't impressed.
Bell blushed at her words, waving his hands as if to slide the fact aside, "N-no, I'm not amazing!" he said, "I only got that far because I had the help of my familia. I still have a long way to go!"
Bell looked to the side, face still red but with a look that told her he had a thought come to mind, "I still can't reach my goal yet either," he said.
Ais studied Bell, listening to his words and watching his actions. The person in front of her was a far cry from the focused individual she saw on the tenth floor.
Still, despite his modesty, Ais was still intrigued by him and his rapid growth. He had grown quickly and at an unbelievable rate and Ais found herself wanting to know how it was possible.
If it was possible for her to grow that quickly as well.
Grow stronger for herself and for her familia, her family.
She thought back to a recent friend she made. A chienthrope in the Hermes familia and her expression when she saw the rewards she and her familia earned for the quest they shared.
Her anguished expression and cries at what they gained at the cost of so many of her friends' lives and how no payment would be enough to replace that loss.
She wanted to grow stronger so she could not possess regret like that.
"I'm still very inexperienced," Bell kept rambling on, unaware of the Sword Princess's thought behind her neutral features, "I train with my familia often but I'm still prone to make mistakes that might get me killed."
Ais opened her mouth and said something Bell never expected to hear.
"Would you like me to train you?"
Bell stared at her, at a loss, before he was able to get out a word.
"Huh?"
Koukin sat across from Bell, looking down at the chess set they had in front of them. They were in the main lounge having another lesson in strategy, with the game being the catalyst again.
When Bell returned from his trip to the Guild, it was already approaching sunset and the others were already retiring to their rooms for the night. Hana and Elbia sooner than the others thanks to the art session they had with Lili.
Bell was still awake enough and so was Koukin, who had a pretty active day in growing her mind to better compete with the strain of her own spell. She had gone through a good number of potions, but she felt the results were satisfactory enough. She feels confident that with proper control, she could cast that spell, at most, three times a day.
It was a small number, sure, but it was still better than only once a day.
Koukin moved a piece, trying to draw Bell into bringing his queen to the forefront, "So you managed to secure training sessions with the Sword Princess," Koukin said, watching as Bell moved a rook to take one of her pawns, "I must say I'm surprised. You normally panic and run away when it comes to her."
Bell gave an embarrassed laugh at that, it was probably best he didn't tell her that he did actually try to run away when he saw her. He saw Koukin move one of her knights to the side, prompting him to move his knight to intercept, "I was surprised to," he said, "I didn't think she wanted anything to do with me after our last meeting," he rubbed the back of his neck, "glad this one went better."
Koukin moved a bishop out of the way of his rook's path, "Nonetheless, it means that you're getting better around women," she looked up and gave him a smile, "more impressive, is that you managed to have a good conversation with your idol. That's another feat in itself."
Bell chuckled and moved to take one of her knights, "Thanks…I think. I guess living in a house full of pretty women has had an effect after all."
He paused as soon as he finished saying that, realization coming to him. He blushed a storm of red but before he could say anything, Koukin gave a brief laugh that transformed into a soft chuckle. She looked at Bell, a cunning gleam in her eye.
"Bell," she began, "while I appreciate you calling me pretty, there are better words to use."
Without warning, she flung her dark hair back and moved her hands through it, as if giving it a loving caress. The motion made her generous chest bounce and her arms squeezed them together in emphasis. Koukin looked at Bell, her emerald eyes holding a smoldering expression that took his breath away.
"Some prefer to be called beautiful," she said, her tone as heated as her display was, "don't you agree?"
Bell could only nod dumbly, still surprised and entranced by the display he just witnessed.
Koukin smiled at him, her old expression returning, "Good," she looked down and moved another of her pieces, "checkmate captain."
Bell blinked at her before looking down. He saw she had him beat and he gave a groan of frustration and embarrassment.
"Again," he moaned, "I fell for the same trick again."
Whenever they started this little game, Koukin would do something that would throw Bell off his focus and she would capitalize on it with swift action. She has so far flashed Bell with her cleavage, lay back provocatively and continue playing, adjust her dress to the side and cross and uncross her legs repeatedly, giving him a near glimpse of the promise land between them, and now she simply flicked her hair in an elegant fashion with a smoldering look that took his breath away.
The goal of this training was to help Bell in eliminating distractions when focus was required. A common but very important lesson to teach. She lost track of how many battles she'd been in and the reason she won them was because the enemy was distracted with something else, oftentimes it was because she put the distraction in play.
She recalled someone, from her old world, who was an absolute gullible idiot, despite commanding a powerful army. A simple widespread rumor about hidden 'treasure' was enough to get her to focus her attention elsewhere and allow Koukin the chance to sweep her forces to the side like specks of dirt.
It was a rather clever way of getting Bell to focus and to his credit, he was seldom distracted when she performed the same actions twice, choosing to look in a completely different direction when he saw her do something sensual that made him into a blushing mess and take his eyes off the board.
Bell thought it just a new way for her to cheat at first but he had gradually warmed to the lesson, especially since she provided a good explanation for it.
"Focus is one of the best tools you can wield," Koukin said, beginning to put the pieces away, signaling the end of the lesson, "but it varies from person to person. Someone can devote all their energy into a single pursuit or objective until it's completion, while others can focus on a great many things at once and devote a equal amount effort into completing them," she finished putting the game away, underneath the coffee table, "both are viable and both are vital to any warrior or leader," a mischievous look came to her eyes and she smiled at Bell, "which is why when you lose focus, it can often lead to defeat, or a good many defeats for that matter."
Bell laughed lightly and scratched the back of his head, getting the lesson imparted. He had done well when his focus was on the game but he knew he faltered whenever Koukin distracted him with her gestures.
Perhaps he shouldn't be too hard on himself. Anyone with eyes could see that Koukin was an attractive woman, who wouldn't get distracted? Especially since she knew how attractive she was and could weaponize it.
A strategist uses everything they had to bring, including themselves if they had to.
Koukin had served under leaders who thought the same and they dressed potentially more risqué than she did.
'Bundai definitely subscribed to such things,' Koukin thought with a smile as she looked at Bell , 'if she were here, I doubt Bell would last a minute if she got her teeth in him.'
Though a part of her was actually curious how that meeting would go. Maybe, when they get more space, the fates would be on their side and they'd summon her by chance.
It would be nice to have another person from her old world here. She imagined the others felt the same at times.
Especially if she could be….
Koukin clamped down on the sudden feeling of longing and sadness that touched her heart but let at least one thought come to her mind.
More a hope, honestly.
'If she could be summoned. Then things would be just perfect.'
Koukin shook the thought from her mind. It was best not to dwell on wishes and hopes right now.
"You did well in today's lesson," she said, "I'd say we call it a day. You have to wake up early tomorrow in any case," she smiled, "for your lesson with the Sword Princess."
Bell smiled in turn and nodded, he went his way downstairs to take a shower and Koukin went towards the stairs, ready to return to her room.
She paused at the bottom, when an idea came to mind.
A cunning, sly, and awful idea.
Koukin smiled slyly and went upstairs to her room, grabbing some things and making her way back down.
She went towards the basement door, where she could faintly hear the sound of water running in the shower.
She went downstairs.
Bell was scrubbing his head, the shower running, humming a little tune he remembered from his childhood.
He was excited for tomorrow and he wondered if he would be getting any sleep tonight with how excited he was.
The Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein, level six adventurer.
His idol, the one who saved his life and the one he aspired to be one day.
The one he hoped to confess to.
Bell shook his head and slapped his cheeks, the water splashing off and over him as a result.
He was getting ahead of himself, he had to focus on the here and now. He had to get stronger and though Takeru's training was effective, the opportunity to train with a level six was too good to pass up.
He only hoped that Takeru would forgive him for this. He didn't want her to feel like he was abandoning her for a different teacher. He would never do that to her, especially since her training helped Bell for a number of scenarios in the dungeon.
Though a much more likely scenario to play out was Takeru wanting to come along, not to monitor his training, but for the chance to spar with the Sword Princess herself.
Like Bell, Takeru also seemed to push herself to greater heights, for the simple reason, that is what a warrior like her seeks. To grow stronger and prepare for new threats, as well as honing her skills to a blade's edge.
Nonetheless, having her face Ais was probably not the best right now. Especially since Bell wanted to keep things between himself and Miss Wallenstein as cordial as possible and bringing someone along when it's meant to be private could harm any interaction between them.
And Bell sure as hell wasn't about to let that happen.
He sighed as the water fell over him, the warmth soothing any dread he might have felt. Maybe he was overthinking things, as he often does. Now wasn't the time to stress and worry, now was the time to rest and getting ready for an exciting tomorrow.
Nothing could surprise him after such a good day.
The curtain to the shower opened and someone walked in, closing the curtain behind them.
Bell gave a brief start, expecting to see the Goddess there, it wouldn't be the first time she did this, though the event was brief when she gave him a look over and smiled before leaving.
Bell looked behind him, only to not see the Goddess behind him, instead he saw the form of his vice-captain.
Naked right before his eyes.
Bell was entranced for a moment by the sight. In that moment he saw her curvy figure in wonderful detail.
Her tan skin glistened under the spray of water from the shower, the effect drawing the eye all over her body. Her breasts stood out to Bell's eyes, two large tanned mounds of flesh that were capped with soft pink nipples, the water dripping off the peaks creating a more dazzling effect.
She moved closer with a sway of the hips and Bell found his gaze briefly dropping down to see the delightful curves of her hips and the smoothness of her thighs as the water trailed down them, as well as seeing what was between her legs, the sight of a smooth untouched area save for a tempting slit in between her legs that promised so many wonderful things nearly rendered Bell catatonic.
Her long black hair that was gleaming wet and draping down all over her body made her look like a painting study brought into reality, her emerald green eyes no longer obscured by the glasses, a gleam in them that told of promises best spoken silently and behind closed doors.
Add in all of this and Bell could safely say that Koukin was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.
And she was in front of him…naked.
He had no words, his brain still trying to process what he was seeing.
Koukin made no motion to talk, she grabbed the soap and began to lather her body with it, right before his eye. She gently applied it to her stomach before bringing it up to her breasts, going to the sides first before lifting one up and lathering the underside of them, Bell saw soft flesh gently poke through her fingers as she performed this action, giving him a great idea of how soft her breasts were.
This was too much and Bell, nuclear red in the face turned around and faced the shower head.
"M-M-Miss Koukin!" Bell exclaimed and covered himself with his hands, "What are you doing?!"
He heard her give a brief hum before replying, "That should be obvious, captain," she replied and Bell could hear the smile in her words, "I'm taking a shower, a shared one, but a shower nonetheless."
"Why!" He asked again, his voice may have gone up an octave, but Bell ignored that, as did Koukin.
She gathered some water in her palms before splashing it against her chest. Causing the soap to slide down herself, revealing her tanned and glistening chest once more, "I thought it more economic to have a shared shower tonight. No reason to waste water when in familiar company."
Bell wanted to argue that, but found himself struggling for words in this scenario. This whole situation was beyond him in any case.
Nevermind he could hear the advice of his late grandpa, seemingly talking to him beyond the grave.
'Bell, you once again have a rare opportunity before you.'
'Not again, grandpa!'
'And this time you can't run away!"
'Then what am I gonna do!'
'Simple, offer to wash her back!'
'…Huh?!'
'Yes my boy! A tried and true strategy since the dawn of time! First, you make the offer, second, she accepts the offer, third, you gently, but firmly, wash her back. Don't just rub, press into her, feel the muscles, relax the tension. When she completely relaxes, reach around and grab those wonderful mountains upon her chest! Grab them, squeeze them, message them! Bring her to relaxation so you can enjoy the banquet of nirvana before you Bell! It's a man's romance!!!'
'…goodbye grandpa.'
'Wait Bell no-'
Cutting off whatever that was, Bell still looked at the opposite side of the shower, away from Koukin, trying desperately to figure out a way out of this.
"Bell, would you like me to wash your back?"
The offer surprised Bell and he nearly glanced back at her in his shock.
Koukin gathered some soap in her hands, admiring the bubbles being formed, "I thought it a nice gesture," she said, "you've worked harder than anyone else in the familia, pushed yourself like very few I've seen, and have gone out of your way to do the right thing, regardless of what harm may befall you," Bell felt her press one hand to his back, he didn't jump at the contact, he was stock still as he listened to her words, flattered, "Let me do this for you, Bell, let me go out of my way to help you, if just a little bit."
Bell didn't know what to say to that. This situation was strange by itself, now Koukin wanted to help him like… like this?
And besides, after everything they had been through together, Bell can safely say he trusted her and believed she wouldn't do anything untoward him.
At least not without his agreement.
'Where did that come from?' he thought.
"Okay," he said, relenting, "you c-can scrub my back if you want. Just be c-carful, please."
His nervousness was showing, but he tried his level best to remain calm. As well as not getting too excited at what was about to happen.
He had been getting better with women and this was just another thing he had to overcome. Granted a much softer method could have been used.
He felt a soft touch on his back that nearly made him jump, before the touch turned into a rub along his shoulder blades, making him relax.
He felt another touch, signifying her other hand and he relaxed further as she started scrubbing slow circles on his back.
Bell could feel the tension and stress leave his body at her touches. He felt an untold amount of aches and pains he acquired in the dungeon, that health potion couldn't heal, just dissipate like the vapor in the shower.
He didn't know how long the scrubbing lasted but he suddenly felt her hands on his shoulders and was almost rendered to mush as she gently squeezed them.
He gave a moan of joy at that gesture and it seemed to encourage her to continue on. Squeezing his shoulders in gentle rhythms and adding a slight twist when she felt a knot in his muscles.
'Her hands feel so good!' Bell thought blissfully.
"Geeze," Koukin said, "I expected you to be tense after your battles but this is ridiculous," she gave a twist at a knot in Bell's shoulder, causing her captain to groan in pleasure, "this is long overdue, next time you feel even remotely uncomfortable physically, come see me. This definitely could have turned into something worse."
Bell was admittedly surprised at this sudden turn of events but flattered by her genuine concern. He had to admit, he was feeling much better now than he did before, Koukin has a gift.
"This feels amazing," Bell said with an eased groan, "I didn't know you could do massages," he gave a relaxed shudder as she fixed another knot in his back, "where did you learn to do this?"
Koukin gave a small laugh at Bell's compliment before replying, "Believe it or not, I wasn't formally trained. Rather, I was used to being massaged by another. Whenever I was overworking myself, she would come and massage my back to get me to relax," she giggled, thinking back, "Oftentimes she would surprise me with one. Made me nearly jump out of my skin whenever she did."
"She?" Bell asked, wondering who would do that to one of the more sterner members of the familia and get away with it.
Koukin paused at rubbing his back from the question, realizing she gave too much away. With a sigh she replied, "Yes, 'she'," Koukin looked up at the pouring shower head, feeling the warm water wash over her face, "my lover from my old world."
She shouldn't go into details, less the pain of longing starts stinging, yet Bell surprised her with a question.
"Who was she?" Bell asked curiously. He knew his familia members well, some more than others, but it was more to do with their personality and interests, rather than their pasts.
He knew some of their pasts, like Arue going into dramatic detail about her life as a novelist, or Hana, describing her experience as an artist alongside her cousin, and Chitoge was more than happy to describe her experience and success as a fashion designer in her old world, granted she was quite older back then than how she was now.
Others however were more subdued in discussing their past. Takeru would only tell him so much about a war that spanned the world that she was a part of, Kallen could get aggressive when asked about her world and would often just reply monosyllabically in an effort to end the discussion quicker, less it bring up ill memories.
Koukin was definitely in the latter of the two. Besides little snippets here and there and her obvious known experience as a strategist, she seldom talked about her old world or the people she knew in it.
As she looked at Bell's back and felt the water calm her body, she decided that maybe, just maybe, she could share a little bit.
"She was the first princess in the kingdom I served," softly began Koukin, "I met her when I was young, a child, and was already in training to become a strategist and aid for her mother. I spent most of my childhood growing up with her."
She smiled, recalling those memories, "When we were little, we were mischievous little things, always causing trouble for someone, her more than me. We often got chewed out by her mother, though she would often chew us out for 'not being more ambitious' with our little tricks around the court and kingdom, and my lover would take that to heart."
Bell perked his ears at the sound of her lover's mother , 'they were scolded for not having more 'ambition' with their fun?" he thought , 'what kinda kingdom was theirs?'
Koukin continued, "When we were finally of age to take the roles we were assigned, we had already experienced so much together. Festivals, battles, ceremonies, you name it," she dropped one hand from Bell's back and held it to her heart, recalling a very pleasant and precious memory, "One night, we were together after a successful battle, in bed with one another and we realized something. We loved each other, more than either of us thought."
Koukin looked at the back of Bell's head, anticipating what she would see next, she continued, "We made love that night, long into the night," sure enough, she saw Bell's ears burn red at the reveal. Koukin fought back a laugh, her captain really was adorable.
She continued, "From then on, we were closer than ever before. I was not only her lover, but a trusted confidant and aid. We shared our thoughts, our worries, our joy, our laughter," she smiled more and more as she continued, "it was truly wonderful when we were with each other."
Bell kept silent the whole time she talked, taking in the information. He had never heard Koukin talk so passionately and so joyfully about someone. Whoever her lover was, she must have been really special.
"What was her name?" Bell asked curiously. He wanted to know the name of the person who brought his familia member and friend so much joy.
"Hakufu," Koukin said softly in answer, "Hakufu Sonsaku."
Saying her name brought a small pain to her heart, as if feeling an old wound that hasn't fully healed yet again. She has been in this world for close to a month now and yet she still feels longing for her old one, or at least her comrades there in any case.
She knew she technically wasn't 'the' Koukin Shuuyu, she was under no illusions about that. Yet, how cruel it was for her to have to know that and know the life she had in her previous one.
Koukin, unconsciously, found herself suddenly pressing closer to Bell. Wrapping her arms around his naked chest from behind, feeling her bare breasts press against his back.
Bell tensed at her touch and seemed to be about to say something before he felt her tighten her arms around him. This wasn't a sensual gesture, this was one of comfort. Koukin needed to hold onto something, to someone right now and Bell was there for just that.
Bell could be dense at times, unbelievably so. Yet he knew when someone was in enough pain and was asking for help.
He didn't turn around, something telling him that wouldn't be what was right. Gently, he brought a hand up and gently rubbed one of the arms across his chest. Comforting his vice-captain as she sought his comfort in reliving old painful memories. Precious ones, but painful nonetheless.
"It's funny," he heard her say, "I came in here to tease you and give you another lesson in getting comfortable around women," he felt her press herself deeper into his back, feeling the fullness of her breasts in great detail , the softness of her cheek pressing against him, and the stands of cascading hair that touched him, "yet here I am, having you to comfort me," she looked down at the water pouring at their feet and being drained away, "not my greatest strategy, it must be said."
Bell had no comment to that, he suspected Koukin's intentions weren't exactly upfront at the start and braced himself for whatever happened. Yet right now, none of that matters. All that mattered now was finding comfort with one another.
'I wish there was something I could do,' Bell though , 'something I could-'
He realized something just now, as he felt Koukin press against his back.
His back! His magic!
"What if I could help you," Bell suddenly said, "what if I could reunite you two?"
Koukin took her head from Bell's back and unwrapped her arms as well, staring at him in puzzlement, "what do you mean 'reunite'?" she asked.
Bell continued, "My magic, remember? I can summon allies from different worlds," he raised a hand and clenched it in determination, "If I can summon you, why can't I summon her as well?"
Koukin blinked at her captain, surprised by his words and honestly, flattered. A part of her knew that Bell would say something like that, if her analysis on his character was anything to go by, which was why what she said next hurt her just as it would Bell.
"Thank you captain," she said earnestly, "but you and I both know it's not that easy," he tone became more neutral, "the summoning is random and the odds of you pulling another from my world are slim at best. Not to mention, I have it on good belief that you don't have the Tier summon available for her," she spoke with just a tinge of pride now, "Hakufu is definitely a Tier or two higher than myself. She was a formidable warrior as she was a ruler."
Koukin didn't want to burst her captain's bubble, but facts had to be stated before he went off doing something crazy like summoning a whole mess of people when they didn't even have the space to house them.
Not to mention, the only way he could get such a high tier summon right now was through the bonus tasks, which were varied and dangerous at the best of times, and who knows what he would have to do in order to get such a reward.
But Bell wasn't one to be deterred, "Then I'll get it somehow. I'll get the summon requirement met and I'll try each time to bring Hakufu to you."
Koukin stared at her captain, disbelief in her eyes, she knew Bell could be stubborn but this was too much.
"Bell," she said gently, "I'm flattered but you don't have to-"
Bell turned around and faced her, drawing a surprised silence from the strategist. Bell stared at her with a determined fire in his eyes, Koukin found herself staring into that red-eyed gaze with no small amount of shock.
"I will," he said, his tone without doubt, "I promise you, no matter how many times I fail, no matter how many tasks I complete, no matter what happens, I will bring your lover to you."
Koukin was at a loss for words. She hadn't expected this to happen, she didn't expect him to be serious about it. Yet one just had to look into Bell's eyes to see for themselves how serious he was.
She wanted to call him out, wanted to reject his optimistic belief and call it false hope. Shame him for giving her hope that may never come to pass.
Yet she couldn't find the words, as the warm water continued to spray down upon them, Koukin felt a different warmth begin to form in her chest.
Was it hope? Or was it something else entirely? Something that only Bell had ever brought out of her.
No, that was incorrect. Someone else made her feel like this before.
Looking deeper into Bell's eyes, seeing that determination, she couldn't help but compare.
'They both have that same fire in their eyes.'
"Very well, captain," Koukin said, speaking formally but with a clear and evident smile on her face, "I will hold you to it. Prove my doubts wrong and succeed," her smile turned soft, "bring me my Hakufu and my gratitude will be endless."
Bell softened his gaze and smiled in turn, "I will," he said, "just you wait."
Koukin realized something then, now that the atmosphere had changed back, and she glanced down, just for her eyes to widen.
Bell cocked his head at her sudden reaction, before looking down himself and as a result, her as well.
He remembered they were both naked. In the shower.
Together.
Reality came crashing back down.
With a high pitched sound that no man should have made, Bell covered himself and turned around, closing his eyes the whole time.
"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, embarrassed for his actions.
Koukin shook her head to clear it of what she just saw and replied, "No need to apologize Bell, it was my fault in any case," she turned and drew the curtains aside, "I believe that's enough showering for me anyhow. I'll leave you to yours."
Bell heard her leave and draw the curtains back, signifying her departure. With a sigh, he stood up and waited for Koukin to depart the basement good and proper.
Bell realized something else and looked down at himself.
His shower was going to be a bit longer and a lot colder.
Koukin returned to her room, her face red with a fierce blush.
That whole event was maybe too bold, even for her. If there is a next time, she'll pace herself much better.
'Next time,' she thought , 'Next time I have to be careful.'
She suddenly squirmed and dived under the covers of her bed, as if hiding from the reality of the world.
'How could someone so innocent looking, possess something so big?'
That was a surprise in and of itself. What really stuck in Koukin's mind was Bell's vow.
"I promise you, no matter how many times I fail, no matter how many tasks I complete, no matter what happens, I will bring your lover to you."
The audacity of such a claim bordered on the ridiculous. Koukin knew that the odds of him succeeding were slim, ridiculously so.
Yet not impossible.
Koukin was a pragmatist, always had been. She saw things for what they were in front of her and planned accordingly. Whether against whatever was in front of her or with whatever's in front of her. She would have a plan.
That mindset didn't leave much room for hope, and yet…
Koukin turned and stared up at her ceiling, her blankets wrapped around her, her gaze contemplating.
She remembered Bell's eyes, the ruby red eyes that burned with determination and a force of will she had only seen in a scant few.
Those few who she trusted with her heart and soul in her past life.
She signed before finding the strength to get up and turn off her light, landing back in her bed with an exhausted 'poof' sound.
As she closed her eyes, ready to dream, a final thought crossed her mind.
'Could I really hope that Bell would succeed?'
She snuggled further into her blankets, as if seeking more warmth than they could provide.
'Could I hope to see her again?'
Bell woke up before the sun rose, anxious to start his day. To start his new training.
To train with Ais Wallenstein.
After getting ready and heading out into the still night covered city, Bell ran as fast as he could to his destination.
When discussing where they could train, Ais helpfully suggested a section on Orario's walls to train upon. It was seldom patrolled during that time of day and it gave them plenty of space to work with without being interrupted.
Bell dashed to that place right now, his excitement palpable. So palpable, he could barely afford to pay attention to anything else.
Which was why what happened next shouldn't have come as a surprise.
As Bell turned a corner, he ran into someone, both being knocked back with shouts of surprise.
Bell shook his head and stood up, looking at who he ran into.
Still on the ground was a young woman, around Bell's age, who was nursing her bum at her abrupt landing.
"Sorry, are you alrig-"
He was cut off suddenly in realization, hand extended to offer her a hand up when he suddenly got a good look at her.
Besides her honey-brown hair, cute face, and clothes, there was a very noticeable feature about her that Bell saw.
Her long pointed ears, signifying her as an elf.
He was about to withdraw his hand, conscious of the sensitive belief that elves did not enjoy physical contact, but was surprised to find the elf graciously accepted his hand and lifted herself up.
"Thank you," she said, letting go of his hand, "Sorry for running into you, I wasn't looking where I was going."
"No no no, it was my fault," Bell said, rubbing the back of his head, "I was distracted and wasn't paying attention."
They both tried to make it their own fault and apologize again but eventually they both found it pedantic and moved on to just say "sorry" once again and leave it at that.
The elf suddenly perked up, as did her ears, in remembrance, "Excuse me," she began, "you haven't seen Ais Wallenstein, have you?"
Bell was still as the elf went into describing Ais in detail, emphasizing a need to find her, Bell grew nervous when it became abundantly clear that this elf was a fellow familia member of Ais and Bell didn't need to put two and two together to understand that Ais could get into trouble in offering to train him.
Not because her fellow familia members would be totally against it, her Goddess, Loki, on the other hand…
Bell had heard more than his fair share of ramblings from Hestia when Loki was brought up and he imagined the feeling was mutual for Loki with Hestia.
He didn't want that cascade to fall on him.
The elf before him stood still, waiting for his response to her questions. Bell in turn kept staring at the elf, a nervous smile on his face accompanied by similar sweat running down his brow.
This whole situation resulted in an outcome that Bell was far too familiar with whenever he was nervous and around a beautiful woman.
Bell turned and ran.
The elf stared at Bell in bewildered surprise, completely caught off guard. She furrowed her brows in disbelief and at the whole strangeness of the reaction.
He definitely knew something about Ais and she'd be damned if she didn't find out why.
She quickly took off after him, "Hey! Get back here, you!"
Bell and the elf ran around the city, through streets, alleyways, and empty buildings, causing a ruckus.
This meeting would result in an unexpected relationship, a rivalry between the two.
This was the fateful meeting of Bell Cranell and the 'Thousand Elf' Lefiya Viridis. A meeting that would affect both their worlds in equal measure in times to come.
If Bell could keep running from her right now that is.
Ais awaited atop the wall, her gaze looking at the far horizon beyond the city, the sun hadn't even begun to rise so it was still plenty dark. She turned her gaze behind her, to the city, where a few lights were beginning to be turned on to signify businesses preparing to open in the morning proper or citizens and adventurers who wanted an early start to their day.
Ais watched a bit longer, trying to find someone in the dimly lit city. He should have been here by now and she began to wonder what was taking him so long.
She also began wondering what she would even be teaching him anyway. She had never trained anyone before and Bell would be her first.
Defense? Offense? Support? Wait, she didn't know much at all about support. She did as a child, but it lasted short and the lesson was seldom retained after she became part of the vanguard.
Ais crouched and rubbed at her head, stressing her issue at hand and of another revelation.
'If they found out, I'll be in trouble!'
She hadn't told her familia members about what she was doing. More importantly, she hadn't told Finn, Gareth, or Reveria about what she was doing.
Her guardians and mentors had taught her everything she knew and she was about to pass some of that knowledge down to someone outside her familia. She can't imagine that going well with the others, should they find out.
Ais lifted her head as another thought crossed her mind, one that put a little more confidence in her.
'Still, I want to learn how he grew so fast! Especially with the expedition coming up.'
She had a week to train him, after that, the expedition was awaiting her and she would be gone for who knows how long.
She thought then of herself, with an innocent and pure look about her that she once wore and how she saw that similar look in Bell's face when she offered to train him. Except excitement turned his innocent face into something brighter that Ais enjoyed seeing.
'Also, seeing his expression makes me want to meet his expectations as best as I can.'
She pumped her arms to her side and gave a huff of determination, her resolve focused once more.
'It's my first time teaching someone, I can't fail! I'll do my best!'
Her confidence suddenly dropped as she once again remembered a glaring issue she had right now.
'Still…what should I teach him?'
Any further thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone walking up the stairs to the tower that led to the wall. She turned to see who it was and was pleasantly surprised to see Bell making his way up to her.
She blinked in shock at his disheveled appearance, he looked like he ran a marathon before he got here, sweat ran down his face and his hair was a mess.
Bell smiled at the sight of her, the action making him look even more tired, "G…good mor…ning," he said with a tired breath.
"Good morning," Ais replied, then added, "What happened?"
Bell managed to keep his smile as he limped along the stairs, "I'm sorry…I was chased by a forest fairy."
The reply caught Ais off guard, definitely a unique answer, "A fairy?" she asked.
Bell's strength eventually left him and he went to his knees just before reaching the top of the stairs, "She was really beautiful," he said blearily, before collapsing softly on the stone and lowering his head, "and really scary," he finished.
Ais crouched so she could look at him closely, concern written on her features. Bell hadn't passed out but he seemed a coin toss away from doing just that.
"Can I rest for a little while?" he asked hopefully.
Ais had no reason to refuse, not when she saw him like this, "Sure," she replied.
So far, the first day of their training session was a unique one to say the least.