Chapter 337 - Maiden In Love (1/2)

Mercury stood and looked at Party for a bit as he carefully formulated his words

”That… Makes me feel like the luckiest man in all of Alfan”

Party looked up and gazed at Mercury for a bit before she opened and closed her mouth a few times, after a bit, she eventually asked

[Is it okay for me to like you..? It's not weird?]

Mercury showed a soft smile and walked a few steps closer before he after hesitating for a moment reached up and stroked the cheek of the avatar, it felt like porcelain and was cold to the touch, but Mercury knew that there was a very warm being inside it so he spoke calmly

”Why would it be?”

[I mean, I tried to scare you away with all that stuff earlier about mortals. The truth is I was being jealous about, well you, and besides that am I not bothering you? You know with all that happy go lucky stuff I say, besides that, I am a very needy girl that---]

Mercury eventually grew tired of Party rambling on and decided to man up and gave her a quick kiss

[---...... ~~~~~~~~~!!!]

Which resulted in Party instantly lighting up in  a full-on blush, or at least something told Mercury that from the sounds she made as she hurriedly stumbled backward while covering her lips after waking from a brief daze, then she pointed at Mercury and stammered

[Y-Y-Y-Y-y-y… Y-You kissed me!]

Mercury nodded and spoke calmly

”That I did… Is that wrong?”

Party fell silent for a bit before a silly-looking happy smile appeared on the face of the avatar as she spoke in a daze

[He kissed me… This isn't a dream, he really kissed me…]

Mercury could now really see what Marie and Julia had meant by calling Party a 'maiden' turned out she wasn't any old maiden, but rather a maiden in love, in love with Mercury

”I think you're a very attractive person, you always appear bright when you're around me, you are like the sun Party”

Party showed a slightly embarrassed bright smile before she floated over in front of Mercury and put the hand of the avatar onto his forehead as she spoke in a bright tone

[Say that to me in person~ Now hold still~]

Mercury felt his mind go blank as the avatar suddenly let out a robotic voice

[OPENING HIGH-DENSITY DATA-BRIDGE, AUTHENTICATION #27… DATA-BRIDGE OPEN STARTING ASCEND…]

Then he suddenly felt faint and soon his mind blacked out and as his body was about to collapse the avatar embraced him and laid him down gently on its lap as a barrier deployed around the two...

Mercury woke up, he found himself in an unknown place, he set himself up and looked around, it seemed to be a cutely decorated room, he was laying on a bed and was surrounded by plushies of various ugly designs, though for some reason he found them slightly cute

'Maybe this is the so-called 'gap'?'

Mercury reached out and touched the nose of a horribly ugly-but-slightly-cute plushie before he showed a smile and sat himself up and looked around the room, at first once over he didn't spot anyone but on second glance he spotted the presence of a person behind the overly-large-comfy-looking armchair, he showed a slight smile and stood up before he walked over and peeked over said armchair and saw a mass of… Pink kneeling down behind said armchair whispering to itself

”It's alright… you can do this… He already said he likes you back… You can do this...”

Mercury tilted his head slightly before he asked

”...Party?”

The mass of pink twitched before it spoke again

”H-H-Hey there Mercury”

Then she abruptly stood up, she was about as tall as Mercury with pink curly hair, she slowly turned to face him while showing a slightly embarrassed smile, she had yellow eyes and long elf-like ears peeked out between her pink hair, Mercury stood for a long time and was enchanted by her beauty, meanwhile, Party became more and more embarrassed and soon she was in a full blush as she spoke with a near whisper

”Say something…”

Mercury woke up from his daze soon after and spoke with a calm tone as he reached out and grabbed her chin before she stroked her cheek with a finger

”You are far more beautiful than I expected”

Party looked at Mercury for a few moments before she slowly closed her eyes and nestled into his hand as she took it and held it, for a few long moments the two of them stood there, then Mercury swooped up Party in his arms before he walked around and sat down on the overly large but comfy looking chair in the middle of the room and sat her on his lap as he began to speak

”You know Party, while it came as a surprise, your confession has made me a very happy man… And because I want to I'll make you one of the happiest women on Alfan”

Party woke up from her daze after a bit before she seemed to replay his statement in her head and soon blushed deeply before she spoke

”I already am happy to have you here with me… I am so happy that I'll probably start crying tears of joy, this doesn't feel real at all...”