The manor felt different tonight. The dust was gone from the manor, replaced by the scent of fresh wood and the thick aroma of the savory stew Celeste had whipped together. I sat at the table watching, enjoying the sight of my two beautiful companions working happily together.

I called for my systems to appear, obeying my command the dong shaped panel came into view. This time it had the names of my companions written on it, mentally clicking on Reika’s name brought up a new window.

[ LINK STATUS: INACTIVE ]

[ Affinity Link: Reika ]

[ State: Dormant ]

[ Residual Resonance Detected ]

The memory of that sync at the farm kept playing on a loop in my mind. The way the mana hadn’t just flowed, but surged the exact moment I had made contact with Reika. It wasn’t just a power boost; it had been a total recalibration of my internal mana circuitry, designed to handle Reika’s mana.

"So it needs to be continuously re-activated?" I whispered to myself as I watched the show in front of me. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

In the kitchen, the chaos ensuing was a welcome distraction. Reika was "helping," which mostly involved her "accidentally" dropping a spoon so she could lean over and grab it, or sneaking bits of meat from the pot when Celeste was too busy to notice. Celeste, for her part, was the definition of composed patience, though her ears flicked irritably every time Reika’s sapphire tail brushed against her hip.

"Reika! You’re going to scorch the stew if you keep stirring like that," Celeste scolded gently, though there was no real heat in it. "Here let me show you..." Taking the spoon and rotating in the pot slowly, with controlled precision. "You have to stir slower,"

"I’m adding flavor!" Reika chirped. She caught my eye from across the room and gave a playful, shameless wink before bringing a spoonful of broth to her lips. "It doesn’t taste scorched." She let out a soft giggle after.

We eventually sat. The meal was quiet at first, the only sound was the clink of silver against ceramic. I tried to explain what I’d felt during the fight—the way her mana had felt like a roaring river—but I struggled to find the words.

"It was just... automatic..." I said, leaning back. "Like I wasn’t just using my own pool anymore. I was using yours, but I was able to refine it through my spear." Reaching for another helping of stew. "I wonder how it will react when I do it with you Celeste..."

Celeste tilted her head, red filling her ears to the tip. "I’m... uh... also looking forward to finding that out," She shyly played with a piece of food on her plate. "Is there another way to get it to activate... something a little, hmm... indecent in public," She said, raising a finger with her question. "It’s kind of embarrassing if everyone gets to watch..."

"I don’t know," I admitted. "The System is still extremely vague on the specifics... I wish I could explain more,"

The conversation died. I felt the shift in the room immediately. The air grew heavy, thick with the scent of jasmine and that wild, musky undertone that only seemed to come from her.

"So..." Reika said breaking the silence, her tail slowing to a rhythmic, hypnotic sway. "Where’s my reward?"

I blinked, momentarily thrown. "Reward? I thought... I mean, I did help you move in, didn’t I? I gave you the guest room. And all the head pats you asked for... you need more?" I reached out, awkwardly patting the top of her head as if she were a particularly helpful pet. "I’ll give you as many as you want," I said with a smile.

Reika froze. Her ears flattened against her skull. For a second, I thought I had possibly offended her, but then a slow, dangerous pout formed on her berry-stained lips. "That’s not what I meant, Adrian..."

Before I could react, her hand shot out. Her fingers clamped around my wrist with surprising strength, her grip hot against my skin. She stood up, pulling me off-balance as she began to drag me toward the stairs.

I stumbled, glancing back at Celeste. My elf companion stayed seated, her hand halfway to her mouth with a piece of bread. She didn’t look shocked. She looked... resigned.

"At least help with the dishes later!" Celeste called out, her voice a mix of amusement and a strange, lingering tension. "And don’t keep him up all night. We have more work tomorrow."

Reika didn’t answer. She didn’t even look back. She led me up the creaking stairs, her hips swaying with a bold, intentional grace that made it very clear that the "clumsy" act had been retired for the evening.

We reached the master suite. She pulled me inside and kicked the door shut with her heel.

The silence that followed was intense. The only light came from the moon shining across the bed, casting long shadows across the room. Reika let go of my wrist, but she didn’t move away. She stood there, studying me in the dim light, her chest rising and falling in a quick, shallow rhythm.

"You said reward..." she whispered, her voice dropping to a whisper. She stepped into my personal space, the sheer silk of her wrap brushing against my tunic. "That pat on the head wasn’t one. I want the real thing."

She wasn’t asking. She was setting her terms. I looked down at her, the "pull" in my chest returning with vigor, far stronger than it had been at the farm. I didn’t back away. I reached out, my thumb tracing the line of her jaw, feeling the heat flowing from her.

"Then I guess I should probably stop just talking...," I muttered quietly, giving her a soft wink. "Let’s go then," Matching her energy with my tone, bracing myself for the woman.

The playful mask she usually wore shattered completely, replaced by a raw, hungry intensity. She lunged, not with clumsiness, but with the calculated grace of a predator who had finally cornered exactly what she wanted.

Reika slowly worked her way up, unbuttoning my pants and ripping my belt out of its loops, tossing it to the side with haste. Backing herself down she pulled my pants off revealing my ’sword’ at full mast.

"Reika needs Master’s reward..."