Chapter 961: Yoruha!
“Yoruha!” Iris roared, hands white-knuckling her sword handle so hard the blade groaned. Every muscle in her body screamed to swing. To stab. To eviscerate.
But despite the extreme amount of hostility directed at her, Yoruha smiled wider. Then, as if just remembering Feng existed, she tilted her head and gestured lazily. “Come on, little heartbreak. Join us. Let’s discuss the tragic woes of unrequited love.”
Feng blinked. Once. Twice. “H-How did you know?”
Yoruha’s smile widened but didn’t answer.
Iris, knowing perfectly well she couldn’t kill Yoruha just yet, stood. “I’m out.”
“Oh, don’t be like that,” Yoruha sang. “Stay. Help the child. Give her your… endless wisdom on how to repress feelings and brood under trees.”
“Not interested.”
Yoruha’s expression sharpened into something sly, resembling a true foxkin much better than when she’s yawning lazily. “I’ll let you help plan a prank on Ayame.”
Iris paused mid-step. “… How cruel?”
“Lighthearted.”
“…Not good enough.”
“I don’t want to get thrown out of his home because I traumatized one of his wives.”
“He can’t kick you out even if you did something like that.”
“For now.”
“Tch!” Iris clicked her tongue. “How about mild psychological damage?”
Yoruha tapped her chin. “Hmm… I don’t know… I like non-harmful pranks only.”
“… That’s better than nothing. But you must do it when I’m present.
“Deal.”
Iris sighed wearily and sat back down.
Feng, still dumbfounded, finally shuffled closer and sat stiffly, hands in her lap, trying to process everything.
Yoruha stretched on her branch, arms shooting high into the sky. She even closed her eyes to enjoy the stretches in full. “Let’s begin.”
Both women stared at her expectantly. Not a word. Not a blink.
Feng sighed. Long. Heavy. Shoulders slumping. “… Fine. I’ll talk. Brooding on my own isn’t working anyway.”
Her fingers fiddled with the hem of her sleeve. “It’s just… ugh… my dumb heart malfunctioned, okay? And somehow… somehow… I ended up… liking that dumb brute.”
Yoruha gave a slow, solemn nod, stroking her chin with theatrical seriousness. “Mmm… Many such cases.”
Feng slumped further. “…I know, right? Ugh… it’s so annoying. It’s like my brain is screaming ’No, bad idea!’ but my heart’s just… throwing rice at the imaginary wedding already.”
Iris exhaled sharply through her nose. “..I still don’t get it.”
Both heads turned.
Iris scowled. “I don’t understand why women keep gravitating to him. Sure, he’s strong, competent… and… decent to look at, I guess…” Her voice trailed toward the end, brow furrowing. “But seriously… this level? The way some act… I don’t get it. I never will.”
Yoruha tilted her head, grinning. “Mmm… denial.”
“I’m not in denial!” Iris snapped instantly. “I’m perfectly aware of my feelings. I respect him. But that’s it.”
“Mmmhmm.” Yoruha cupped her chin like an ancient sage.
“Yoruha.”
“Okay, okay~” she chimed, tails flicking lazily. “I’ll stop. For now.”
Feng sighed, dropping her chin into her hands. “…It’s hopeless, isn’t it? I’m just… a side character in his life. Surrounded by all those incredible women… Look, even his cat turned into an ethereal beauty.”
For a few seconds, none of them said anything. The breeze rustled through the tree’s magical leaves, carrying the scent of the forest with it.
Then, out of nowhere, Iris broke the silence. Her tone was firm, blunt.
“Stop it.”
“…Huh? What do you mean?”
“Stop comparing yourself to others. It’s useless. Pointless. You won’t get anything out of it.”
Yoruha tilted her head, visibly surprised that the cold murder machine actually contributed something to the conversation. Truth be told, she only invited Iris to the chat because she found her reactions charming.
“I…” Feng hugged her knees close to her knees. “I know you’re right… It’s just hard.”
“How did you two deal with heartbreak then?” she asked hesitantly, eyes flicking between them.
Iris just shrugged. “Never had it.”
“Same,” Yoruha chimed casually.
Feng deadpanned. “…Why do you both sound like sages when you’re greener than me in the war of love? I at least tried to get with my crush while you two didn’t even have one, to begin with! Yet here you are, lecturing me?”
Yoruha grinned shamelessly. “I already told you to stop questioning the wisdom of your elders.”
But it was Iris who surprised them both again when she spoke up. “Whether you like it or not, that man’s not going to budge on letting children into his bed.”
Feng’s face heated up. “I know that…!”
“Then don’t act like you’ve been sentenced to death,” Iris said bluntly. “If you want any shot at being seen by him as a woman, then all you can do is improve yourself. Don’t cling. Don’t chase. Don’t act like your world revolves around him. Be someone he has no choice but to notice.”
Yoruha’s eyes fluttered open and closed many times, unable to believe that Iris was spitting out genuine advice the teen needed one after the other.
Feng bit her lip, then nodded, and suddenly, she felt determination blooming beneath her ribs. “…You’re right. I know you’re right.”
“Good.” Iris stood, dusting off her clothes and blade. “Get up. You’re training.”
Feng’s eyes widened “Wait, what? You just got back from fighting monsters like… an hour ago!”
“I did.” Iris’s line of sight moved toward the mansion’s rooftop, where even now, soft thuds and muffled cries of ecstasy floated down from the utterly depraved celebratory orgy.
She turned her attention back to Feng. “For people like us—people who don’t get free XP boosts by letting him rearrange our guts—there’s only one path. Work harder.”
Her eyes flicked toward Lyra, the ever-silent shadow standing on alert, as always. The protector of the Elysiar family. A reminder that some didn’t have shortcuts. Some just endured. And improved. Every day.
Feng rose to her feet. “You’ll really train me?”
“Let’s go.” That was all the answer Iris offered.
Without hesitation, the three of them—blade, brat, and silent guardian—began walking away from the fairy-tale tree and the ancient fox perched on its branch.
Feng was practically bouncing between Iris and Lyra now, her steps lighter than they’d been in a long time.
Left behind on the tree branch, Yoruha propped her chin into her palm, watching them go.
Her lips tugged into a rare, thoughtful smile.
“No social skills, huh…? That woman…?” A tiny chuckle escaped her lips. “Maybe I was wrong for the first time in a very long time.”
—
Meanwhile…
At the very peak of the mansion’s rooftop…
A figure moved.
The hedonistic celebration was over.
“It’s time,” he muttered. His voice was quiet… but it echoed.
A storm was brewing.
The King’s birthday was around the corner.
The Greenvale War had ignited into full-blown chaos.
The Alliance of Elvardia was preparing their invasion.
And the Primordial Villain… was finally moving.
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