Chapter 37 - #37 Taking "responsibility" (1/2)
---5 minutes after Akashi and others left---
”Hm? It looks like there was a battle very recently.” The one noble riding horse next to Esdeath muttered with a surprised expression after seeing numerous corpses. Some of them had crushed bones, some were pierced by some small objects and few of them were even headless.
It was a great mess.
Esdeath stopped her army and looked around the battlefield with an indifferent face.
'There are broken trees on the side of the road...it looks like just some bandits and not actual spies. But those idiots could at least clean up those corpses away from the road...' Esdeath deduced what exactly happened here just by a few glances.
”Go clean those corpses away from the main road, quickly.” Esdeath looked towards the random soldier and ordered him and a few others to clean the mess left by Akashi's gang.
----Back to Akashi----
*Splash* ”Thankfully we were able to find a river!” Mez got rid of her shirt together with her long leggings and then jumped straight into the river.
”*sigh* I wanted to use that river just for cleaning of our faces...” I sighed after seeing her childish behavior after killing not a few people.
”We had to go quite a distance ahead so I think it's alright.” Suzuka said with a smile as she started to take off her kimono.
?! My eyes widened when I noticed Suzuka's intentions.
[Phantom Strike]
[Energy: 789/875]
I didn't hesitate at all and used my skill to appear right next to her and caught her hand before she could do anything.
”Oh?!” She was slightly surprised but then blushed after seeing my forceful manner.
---
'What was that speed?! It seems that Mez didn't notice it...' Suzuka thought while being shocked inwardly.
---
”Stop that...I won't be here with you while you will be nȧkėd.” I said with furrowed brows while looking at Suzuka without any humor.
”Hm? Why? What about Mez?” She asked with a confused expression while pointing at Mez who was playing around with fishes in the river.
”She has undėrwėȧr, you don't have one, that's why.” I looked towards Mez and then shook my head.
”Wha-?! How come you are so sure that I don't have anything down there?” Suzuka said while seductively touching her lower lip with her finger.
”I wouldn't be surprised if it was the truth but it's visible that you don't have any top so you either go there with your clothes on or I will leave.” I said with a stern face and finally let go of her hand.
”But separating is too dangerous. You could be attacked by absolutely ”anyone”, you know?” She said with a particular tone while ŀɨċkɨnġ her lips.
”Heh, one more reason for you to sto-” I chuckled at the obvious meaning of her words.
”Akashi, are you perhaps shy type?” It wasn't Suzuka who asked but Mez. I directed my gaze at her and saw her having the lower half of her body submerged in water and the upper half on the ground out of the river, looking at me with a curious expression.
”*sigh* I am not shy or anything like that, I just don't get why I should be here together with a nȧkėd woman. Wouldn't you be ashamed, Suzuka?” I explained with a tired expression before asking Suzuka with a confused expression.
”Nope, I am quite proud of my body, look!” She shook her head with a smile and instantly threw away her kimono and as I thought...she wasn't wearing anything down there.
”...*sigh* Go, I don't have the energy to deal with you anymore.” I was slightly surprised by her sudden action but after a few seconds, I just sighed and started massaging the bridge of my nose.
---
”*I think you shouldn't have done that...*” Mez whispered to Suzuka with furrowed brows while glancing at Akashi who was sitting with closed eyes and calm expression.
”*Wasn't your plan at first to have some fun with him at night? Why do you care about such a small thing?*” Suzuka replied while giving Mez a weird look as if she was innocent here.
”*Well...That was before, after spending some time with him and seeing him fight, I took a liking to him and not just to his looks. But that doesn't matter, it looks like he doesn't like your current behavior...*” Mez said with a forced smile.
”*...There is no man who would refuse the sight of a nȧkėd woman. Don't tell me that he is-*” Suzuka said with a confident smile but then an idea struck her and she couldn't help but mutter something with a surprised expression.
”*No you idiot, I am pretty surprised that you didn't notice that movement in his pants when you removed your clothes, unfortunately, he already calmed down. It looks like he is already trained against seduction at such a young age.*” Mez rolled her eyes when she realized what Suzuka wanted to say and quickly corrected her with a small smile while watching Akashi resting with his stoic face.
---
”Anyway, Akashi, I thought that you will let that woman live, at least for a little longer.” Mez said while looking at me with a particular smile.
”? Why?” I frowned down, opened my eyes and asked her with a confused expression.
”Well, she wasn't exactly bad looking if you know what I mean.” Mez explained with a smirk.
I narrowed my eyes when I heard her words.
”What do you take me for? I show no mercy to my enemies no matter what age or beauty” I said and especially glared at them to give them a hint.
They, of course, got the hint but maybe in the wrong way.
”Does that mean you think we are pretty?” Mez's eyes started shining and she asked me with a teasing smile.
”*sigh* Does that even matter? If you desperately need to know then yes but that doesn't mean anything. We are together here only due to 1 mission, once it ends, we will go our separate ways again. you will go to your Kouken temple and I will go back to the Capital.” I released a tired sigh and then proceeded to explain things, I even used this chance to clear the things between us just in case.
”Haah? Why does it sound like rejection right after you tell us that we are pretty?!” Mez was surprised by my words but she immediately jumped out of the river and faced me with an angered playful expression while pointing at me with her finger.
”Well, since we will go our separate ways, we ought to make use of the time we have left...” Suzuka said and jumped out of river fully nȧkėd with a smile on her face. She tried to jump on me but I already expected this because she was behaving weirdly ever since she got rid of her clothes.
[Phantom Strike] Just before she was about to lend on me, I used my skill to appear closer to Mez.
[Energy: 770/875]
*Thud* Suzuka's head collided with the tree.
”Whoa, how are you so fast?!” Mez immediately jumped next to me asked me with shining eyes.
”It's my movement technique” I shortly replied and then redirected my gaze back at Suzuka because I knew that it wasn't over.
When Suzuka recovered from the collision, she stood up and turned at me with flushed cheeks.
”Is she alright?” I asked Mez just to be sure.
”...Not really, I have never seen her like this...maybe that fight before wasn't to her satisfaction and only woke her inner demon, haha” Mez said with an amused expression and then laugh aloud.
She is really taking this as fun, but Suzuka is behaving really weird right now.
”What's up with you, Suzuka?!” I shouted at her from a safe distance.
”It's your fault, Akashi! Take responsibility!” She shouted back and jumped on me again, this time I just jumped backward to avoid her.
---
'Those bandits weren't enough to satisfy me! And with Akashi acting so sweet out of nowhere made me feel weird. It's all his fault, I am at right here.' Suzuka thought with eyes filled with ŀust.