Chapter 245: Expedition

"Such a beautiful day~"

Raising both arms, Yuki looked towards the illuminated sky.

It had been a day since Haruhime joined the family...

And it was a headache.

Not because of Haruhime, but because of Kurumi and Mana; they made his life impossible. After all, Mana hadn't given up on the idea of getting rid of Haruhime, while Kurumi deceived Haruhime into letting her touch her tail.

For her, Haruhime was a cute and huggable pet.

This left Yuki defenseless, but fortunately, Inori comforted him. She always offered her lap when these situations occurred, relieving many of his headaches.

Yet, the joy of being alive, for someone who enjoyed challenges, Mana and Kurumi were his motivation to stand tall.

"Good morning, Yuki-sama."

"Good morning~"

Meeting Haruhime in the hallway, Yuki smiled. This girl was even more beautiful now. He didn't know why, perhaps because she was his girl, but every day she seemed more beautiful to him.

"You look beautiful today, too, Haruhime."

"Yuki-sama..."

Caressing her beautiful golden hair, Yuki looked at the blushing girl.

Haruhime also smiled and accepted his caresses. It was just another day in their new family.

"How many times do you want me to repeat it? It's Yuki... Yuki."

Sighing, Yuki didn't understand why Haruhime continued not to call him without honorifics. For him, this was a waste of time; they were a couple now, and there was no need for honorifics.

But...

"No... Yuki-sama is Yuki-sama. I wouldn't dare to call you otherwise."

Haruhime was firm about this. Unlike Kurumi, who used honorifics for fun and due to her past as a well-bred lady, Haruhime did it out of respect. Yuki deserved respect, no matter if they were a couple or not; Yuki was more than just a hero, and she wouldn't let her pride get to her head.

"Whatever~"

Shaking his head, Yuki didn't press the issue with this girl anymore. After all, he knew that with time, she would drop this habit, just as Kurumi did when they were alone or when she wanted to annoy Mana, calling him "Mr. Husband."

---

(Oh~ my selfishness will kill me one day.)

Sighing internally, Yuki observed the silent conflict between Mana and Kurumi, both smiling at each other like good sisters.

However, Yuki knew that wasn't the case.

Both had a dangerous glint in their eyes, one that sent shivers down his spine.

"Guhhh."

And he wasn't the only one who noticed, as Hestia shared the same thought as Yuki. At the same time, she wondered what she had done wrong to have these crazy kids in her family.

Right now, they were eating, but for these girls, the timing didn't matter.

(It's good that they're having fun... But...)

Despite both being in conflict, Yuki could see the enjoyment in their silent confrontation, like a pair of children fighting over a toy, only to share it later.

That kind of confrontation.

(One of these days, I'll be stabbed.)

But with these crazy girls around him, Yuki knew that one day, one of them would stab him, either out of jealousy or revenge. The day he would be stabbed wasn't far off; he was familiar with that glint in their eyes, as in his first life, he was almost stabbed by a woman.

(No matter, I have a spare clone.)

However, Yuki wasn't worried. He would switch with his clone when the time came. Besides being almost immortal, Yuki would take the stab, making sure to spank his homicidal girl and make it clear who's the boss.

Even Haruhime seemed to have changed a bit, but well, that's not a cause for concern.

"Master, it's delicious..."

"Hehe, yes, Est, eat more~"

So for now, he would wait and feed his lovely companion, who seemed to be the only normal one, unless her position as a weapon was disturbed, of course.

But that's a matter for another chapter.

"Hm?!"

However, while caressing Est's hair, Yuki felt an electric shock.

(I see... It's time.)

Smiling, Yuki switched with his clone. After all, his disciple's moment had come, and what better time than this? Yuki wanted to see with his own eyes how far his cute Ais would go.

The seeds of her effort were in place. Just one more push, and his wish would be fulfilled.

If she could meet his expectations and break her limits...

If she could become a hero...

---

Let's go back two days in time... That same day before Ishtar returned to the heavens.

Loki Family, Orario.

"The training is over; from today, you have two days off..."

"Yuki-sama..."

Lying on her bed, Ais closed her eyes slightly. The fact that Yuki told her she had two days off was a surprise.

She had followed his teachings these days, and though she didn't know why Yuki allowed this free time, Ais was a bit dissatisfied. For her, continuing training was more important than resting. She had gradually gotten used to Yuki, fighting and then ending up naked; it had become a routine for her. However, she couldn't go against his orders.

So, reluctantly, she got up and thought about going to the dungeon. Yuki said she could do whatever she wanted, so she thought that killing some monsters wouldn't be a bad idea. She prepared her armor again and left her room.

But...

"Hm?"

Upon leaving her room, she could see her family in turmoil. Many of its members were running up and down, carrying food and weapons.

"Oh? Ais... Are you ready?"

This voice belonged to Tiona, who approached her with a smile.

"?"

Tilting her head, Ais blinked several times in confusion. She could see Tiona carrying her huge Urga.

"Hm? What's wrong, Ais? Did you forget? Today, we're going on an expedition..."

"Oh?"

Opening her mouth in an 'O' shape, Ais finally understood everything.

She had forgotten. She was so focused on her training that she completely forgot that her family would explore the 44th and 45th floors, hoping to find the source of everything.

Since the dungeon increased in difficulty, her family accepted the guild's mission to locate the cause of this anomaly. After all, the 45th floor was very dangerous. With only the Hestia Family reporting the new monsters and danger level, it caused chaos among adventurers. The monsters spawned were too powerful just after the 45th floor, and the Hestia Family's information ceased after the 59th floor. Many wondered what they had discovered. Why did the Hestia Family stop reporting their findings?

That's why, with no other choice, the Loki Family accepted the mission and spent a week preparing to depart.

At first, Ais was very excited, but with all this training, she forgot.

She also forgot to ask Yuki what they had found on the 59th floor. They refused to talk about it, which was suspicious.

"I knew it... You forgot."

Shaking her head, Tiona sighed. Ais had changed a lot in these days. Even Tiona was a bit worried. Since the day Kurumi was summoned, Ais had been very concerned about her master. Kurumi reeked of blood, and even though Ais knew Yuki was strong, Kurumi was too.

Even during the day, Ais used any excuse to go to the Hestia Family mansion.

However, Loki didn't allow it. It was too much; her harassment was increasing, and Loki didn't want to see it.

"I'm sorry..."

Bowling her head, Ais apologized, as unlike her family, she didn't care about her mission.

"It's okay; don't worry... Shall we go?"

"Um!"

After this small exchange, they went down to where the main team was.

Looking around, Ais also noticed the somewhat tense atmosphere. The weapons and provisions her family prepared were more than usual.

In addition, each of them had a furrowed brow. This expedition was not normal.

Despite having been on the 45th floor before, they no longer had the confidence to advance.

Not with those powerful level 5 and 6 monsters.

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