Chapter 624 - 854 – Sorry, Captain. Teacher Almost Found Me

"No rush. Take your time. Everything you're eating now is yours."

Arton looked down at Kalifa, who was sitting where Conis had been earlier, as if she hadn't eaten in days. Even he was starting to sweat.

Come on, it's not like anyone's fighting you for it. Do you really have to be in such a hurry?

What Arton didn't know was that Kalifa was extremely thirsty right now, which was why she seemed so eager.

Not that Kalifa had mentioned her thirst.

Otherwise, Arton could have satisfied her himself right then and there.

"Speaking of which, did everything go smoothly, Raki?"

Seeing Kalifa diligently working with her head down, Arton decided not to pay her any more attention for the moment and turned his gaze toward Raki instead.

As for Ain, who was carrying several shopping bags toward the bathroom, Arton merely glanced at her.

Although he did have some questions about why Ain was here with them, he knew she would explain later, so there was no need to rush her.

"I've already taken care of the handoff with Iceburg. I also had him assign Kalifa to me for a while."

"Though now that I think about it, he basically assigned her to you for a while."

Raki giggled and glanced down at Kalifa.

"That's great."

Arton smiled.

That meant he would finally have a chance to get a proper look at what Kalifa could really do.

From their previous encounters, Arton already knew she was a very capable woman.

Perhaps she still had plenty of untapped potential waiting to be discovered.

Arton was more than willing to spend some time exploring it with her.

"By the way, why is Ain with you?"

Arton asked curiously.

"I should explain that myself, Captain."

Ain's voice came from the side.

Arton turned toward her and found Ain walking over in a black lace bunny-girl outfit.

"Huh? Where did those clothes come from?"

"I bought them at the store with Ain earlier. I bought a matching set for myself too."

Raki explained, "Of course, there were plenty of other styles besides these."

"I see."

Arton nodded.

Conis narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked enviously between Ain, Raki, and Kalifa.

It was obvious that all three of them had bought gear meant to enhance their attacks.

If possible, Conis wanted to go buy outfits like that too.

I'll have everyone take me shopping later.

"Sorry, Captain."

Ain suddenly apologized.

"Why are you apologizing?"

Arton tilted his head.

...

"I should reward you for looking so good in that outfit and showing it off right in front of me."

Arton shook his head.

Looking at Ain, he suddenly wanted to see what she would look like hopping around like a little bunny in front of him.

It would undoubtedly be quite a beautiful sight.

Ain was delighted to hear Arton compliment her outfit, but when she remembered that she had nearly exposed herself in front of Zephyr earlier, guilt filled her face once again.

"Captain, Teacher Zephyr almost discovered me earlier."

Ain lowered her head and explained exactly what had happened.

...

"So that's what happened. You wanted to see Zephyr, so you secretly watched him from a distance, but he almost sensed you."

Arton rubbed his chin, his expression stern.

"Y-Yes... I'm sorry. Please don't drive me away."

Seeing Arton's serious expression, Ain immediately dropped into a textbook-perfect dogeza.

Ain assumed he was angry. Raki and Conis thought the same.

Even Kalifa, who had been struggling to swallow, stopped when she sensed the strange atmosphere around them.

Just as she was about to pull her head back and see what was happening, Arton spoke to her firmly.

"Don't stop."

Kalifa: "!!!"

She didn't quite understand, but since Arton had told her to keep going, that was exactly what she would do.

Then she would get the reward she wanted.

"Are you okay, Miss Kalifa?"

Sitting behind her, Conis steadied Kalifa, who had nearly choked, and asked worriedly.

Kalifa really was in a sorry state.

Tears were streaming from the corners of her eyes, and she even had a runny nose from choking.

For a girl who cared so much about her appearance, it was hardly a flattering sight.

But when Conis remembered that Arton was the reason she looked like this, she didn't think it was a big deal.

If she were in Kalifa's place, she would probably be very happy too.

"I-I'm fine. Very satisfied."

Kalifa gave her a thumbs-up before collapsing weakly into Conis's arms.

"Is this really what it means to be overwhelmed with happiness?"

Raki couldn't resist teasing her.

Her attention soon returned to Ain, however.

That was what mattered right now.

If Arton blamed Ain for what had happened earlier, Raki wouldn't feel comfortable either.

"Captain..."

Raki was about to speak when Arton cut her off.

"Ain, do you fully understand what you did wrong?"

"I do. I'll never go see Teacher Zephyr again."

Ain lowered her head, trembling.

"Not seeing him at all isn't necessary. I just think you should be a little more cautious."

"If you really want to see Zephyr, you can contact me. I'll take you to see him."

Arton spoke calmly.

Although it would be inconvenient for him to appear in front of Zephyr right now, with his sensory abilities, he could easily take Ain somewhere outside Zephyr's detection range and let her watch him from afar.

"Huh?!"

Ain raised her head in astonishment.

Wasn't he supposed to be punishing me?

From the sound of it, not only did Arton have no intention of punishing her, he was even willing to take her to see Teacher Zephyr himself.

"Captain, you're not angry with me?"

"It'd be impossible to say I'm not angry at all."

Arton looked at her. "So you'll need to make it up to me properly."

What had happened had already happened. Getting angry at Ain now wouldn't accomplish anything.

So Arton had no intention of holding a grudge against her over it.

...

For every 50 Power Stones → +1 extra chapter.