Point-of-View: Argent Stryker

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"I’m completely beat!" I sighed wearily, as I flopped onto the bed.

"What’s wrong? You seem really tired," Remarked Izzy, as she hopped onto the bed, scooting over till she was beside me.

"Well, that fight was kinda hard to watch, especially each time you two hurt each other. Though, I was impressed by Larrk...even though you were holding back, he inflicted a lot more injuries on you than you did against him," I recalled, as I stifled a yawn.

"You could probably have done more damage whenever we sparred, but you always stopped short or missed on purpose every time your attacks were about to land," She pointed out with a frown.

"I mean, I didn’t want to hurt you, so...," I responded with a wry smile.

"I guess I can’t complain about that, but it would’ve been more fun if you fought me more seriously. Do you think you could defeat your brother?" She asked me curiously.

"Hm, I’m not sure...I am stronger and faster than him physically, even more so if I use Limit Breaker. But he’s got the advantage when it comes to Spellcasting, there’s not much I could do to counter that Shadow Phase Spell, especially since it doesn’t seem to have any time limit with how long he can stay down there.

All he has to do is wait till I use up my time limit with Limit Breaker, same with my Intangibility Skill too, and then I’ll be a lot more vulnerable. If he continues eating Monsters until he maxes out the advantage and boost he can gain through that method, well...he’ll almost definitely be a lot stronger than I am. On that note...I still can’t believe he ate your leg," I shuddered as I recalled that.

"It’s not a big deal, I did tell you that I wouldn’t mind letting you eat me if you want," She reminded me.

"Yeah, that’s still a firm no from me. There’s absolutely no way I’d eat you," I shook my head immediately, patting her head.

It was around nighttime now, a little past 11 PM. After Izzy and Larrk dueled down in the Labyrinth, we teleported back to their hotel room. I then headed down and booked a room for myself and Izzy to stay in, which is where we were now.

I decided to go for a room with one large bed...I’d normally prefer to take one with two beds, but that’d be pointless since Izzy would insist on sleeping next to me regardless. So, yeah, here we are.

"Well, if you’re sure. Hm, I wonder if your brother would say yes to fighting me again?" She mused hopefully, before adding, "That was a lot of fun! Sure, the pain I felt every time he landed a hit wasn’t great, but for once, I actually felt challenged! I was afraid that he might try to avoid hurting me like you do, but he had no problem with that at all."

Yeah, that was hard to watch. He may have known that she can heal from pretty much any injury no matter how severe, but he didn’t show any remorse for the injuries he inflicted.

To be fair, he barely knows her, but still. Well, I guess I can’t really fault him...he was enslaved and tortured for nearly three whole years, no one could remain unaffected after going through something like that.

If anything, I should be glad that he still seems mostly mentally stable and well adjusted after that experience. I imagine most people would’ve lost their minds, especially at that age.

I’m not sure I’d have handled it even half as well as he did if it had been me instead. Well, Izzy isn’t holding a grudge against him or anything, so I shouldn’t make a big deal out of it.

That said, I should probably try and prevent them from fighting again, at least anytime soon. Izzy does seem pretty hooked on the idea of a rematch though...I’ll probably have a better chance trying to convince Larrk to turn her down if she challenges him again.

After all, he did almost die with her last attack, surely that was enough to get him against the idea of fighting her again. Well, I’ll worry about that later...it’s been a long day, I could really use some sleep right about now...

"I’m gonna call it a night, you can stay up since you’re probably not tired, right?" I yawned, as I pulled the blanket over myself and let my head sink into the pillow.

"Actually, since I had to heal so much during that fight, I do feel a bit worn out. But before we sleep...when we got here today, and you told your brother that he has the wrong idea about us being lovers...I don’t know why, but I felt annoyed when you said that," She frowned as she poked my shoulder.

"O-oh...you did?" I responded, not sure what to say.

"Yeah. I don’t know, it felt like you don’t think we’re as close as I thought we are. And that made me a bit angry...and also sad," She muttered as she averted her gaze.

"I...had no idea. I’m really sorry, I never meant to make you feel like that," I sat up as I felt my heart sink at her expression.

"I know you didn’t, that’s why I couldn’t understand why I was feeling like that. Like, you didn’t say or do anything wrong, but still...," She responded in confusion.

"I said that mainly because, well...I was kinda embarrassed," I admitted sheepishly.

"Huh? Of me?"

"What? No, of course not! I could never be embarrassed of you, don’t ever think that! It’s hard to explain, but...I’ve never had any romantic experience or anything, so when my brother suggested it, it was embarrassing, that’s all," I quickly clarified.

"Oh, I see...so, you mean, like how I felt when you kissed my forehead that day?" She inquired, her eyes lighting up slightly.

"Well, uh, I don’t know for sure if it’s exactly the same, but...yeah, probably," I nodded in response.

"Okay, then it’s fine. So, then...are we lovers or not?" She asked me with a slight tilt of her head.

Her always being so direct with this stuff can’t be good for my heart...but I should be as honest and direct as I can be, I don’t want to leave any room for her to misunderstand.

"Um, as things between us are now, o-objectively speaking, we’re probably close to it, b-but not quite at that level...though, well, to be frank, I’d be really happy if it was the case. I...I really love you, Izzy," I muttered, my chest pounding and my face turning red.

"Oh, that’s good, I feel the same way too! Then let’s be lovers!" She grinned happily.

She’s seriously going to give me a heart attack at this rate. But, well...there’s something else that’s been holding me back, something important...

"Are you sure about that, though? I mean...you’re effectively immortal, and humans generally don’t live for more than a hundred years at most. I’ll eventually get old, wrinkly and weak, and then I’ll die, while you’ll probably still look mostly the same," I pointed out.

"Huh? Why should that matter? And besides, it’s still a long way off, right?" She countered with a tilt of her head.

I’m starting to feel stupid over all the concerns I’ve been worrying about.

"Well, then...okay, if this is what you really want, I have absolutely no objections," I replied, feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

"Great, then it’s settled! So, um...can we try that thing now?" She requested, after a brief pause.

"Hm? What thing?" I inquired uncertainly.

"Like, the kiss...but on each other’s lips instead of cheeks or foreheads, like at the end of that movie," She mumbled, averting her gaze slightly before looking at me with a bashful expression. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

H-huh? Woah...this might be the cutest I’ve ever seen her, and that’s saying a lot!

"W-well I, uh...s-sure, I’m okay with that," I replied with a gulp, before taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling as I met her gaze.

"I’m supposed to close my eyes and lean my head up, right?" She responded, doing so before I could say anything.

Wait, this means that I have to take the initiative...f-fine, I made her worry today, so it’s only fair that I step up here. I raised my hand and gently cupped her cheek, my face heating up as she leaned into my touch and slightly parted her lips.

She, uh...was really paying attention to that movie we watched, wasn’t she? I then leaned down, closing my eyes as my face closed in on hers, our noses lightly bumping against each other before I pressed my lips against hers.

I slowly caressed her lips with mine, before she did the same, as I stroked her cheek with my thumb. I then pulled back after a few seconds, my face feeling all warm and my chest pounding.

"That felt...really nice. Let’s do it again," She remarked, pulling my collar to lower my head and kissing me again before I could react...

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