Ryuji adjusted Tsunade's position, angling her just right so he could admire that beautifully broken expression on her face — the very picture of collapse beneath golden sunlight.
The dust floating in the air shimmered clearly in the sunlight, forming a glowing pillar that gave Tsunade an almost divine glow — holy, even.
Unfortunately, Ryuji wasn't in the mood for holiness. Without hesitation, he cupped her soft peaks and slid his so-called "heroic sword" into that deep, magnificent valley those two glorious mounds created.
It wasn't the same as the softness of flesh inside — but still, the sensation was unexpectedly good. It wasn't about friction or pressure; it was the raw visual, the overwhelming stimulation of the senses.
Tsunade's blank expression, her sleeping face lost in bliss, the morning sunlight pouring down...
All of it combined to give Ryuji a wicked little thrill — the kind of thrill you get sneaking around in the early morning, doing something forbidden before the other person wakes up.
That forbidden excitement made him slow down unconsciously, savoring every second as he admired Tsunade's beautiful face.
The silky smoothness of her skin, the way pressure changed depending on how he pressed or squeezed the soft curves… everything was perfect.
Just as Ryuji was about to lose himself again — to fall completely into that peak of indulgence —
Click.
A cold, unforgiving pressure pressed into his lower back.
And a voice, calm but ice-cold, cut through the air like steel.
"…Care to explain what the hell you're doing? I'm all ears."
It was Kiri.
At some point — without him realizing — she had woken up.
Ryuji froze like a man struck by lightning. The 'fire' he was about to release somewhere else ended up erupting straight onto Tsunade's face — blocking both her mouth and nose completely…
But with the cold barrel of Kiri's gun pressed against his back, Ryuji had no choice but to raise both hands in surrender.
"…If I said she made the first move, would you believe me?"
"Do I look stupid to you?"
Kiri scoffed. Please — she'd already set the boundaries beforehand! There was no way Tsunade would've made a move out of nowhere!
Ryuji felt utterly speechless.
At that moment, Tsunade slowly opened her eyes — those same eyes now smeared with a certain…sticky aftermath.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"..."
"…Yeah, go ahead and shoot him."
Kiri bonked Ryuji on the head with the steel pipe she was holding.
_ _ _ _ _
7:00 AM
"So… it really was her who made the first move?"
Unable to stand the stuffy air inside their steel-walled shelter, Kiri sat outside, staring at Ryuji — who was currently tied up like a roast pig — and at Tsunade, who'd already showered and sat calmly beside him.
She scratched her head, visibly irritated.
"So what the hell happened?"
Tsunade tilted her head back, gazing at the morning sun… before lowering her head quietly.
"My hemophobia acted up way too severely. I lost control of myself."
She sighed deeply. Once her sanity returned, she was fully aware of just how stupid her actions had been. But what's done was done. No use crying over spilled milk.
"So yeah… even if he acted all smug about it, technically, he's innocent."
Ryuji said nothing. Right now, it was two against one — and both women could flatten him if they wanted. The smartest move? Keep his damn mouth shut and stay as invisible as possible.
Kiri crossed her legs, leaning back with a frustrated sigh.
"Tch… looks like I'll have to wait a while longer, huh? Just when I was still hesitating a little…"
Her original plan had been simple: tease Ryuji a bit, do some missions together, build some chemistry, have a few drinks… then, naturally, roll straight into bed.
But Tsunade's sudden ambush had completely thrown a wrench in that plan.
Not that Kiri minded them hooking up.
But there was one thing she absolutely refused to accept.
She wouldn't do threesomes.
So if she was going to sleep with Ryuji, it would have to be after all this mess settled.
Still… curiosity gnawed at her.
"How'd you two even do it?"
Kiri asked bluntly.
"...Huh?"
Tsunade froze for a moment and looked at kiri in confusion.
"I mean, I've seen you two together plenty of times, but I'm really curious. Just how did he manage to make you pass out? Given the difference in strength and stamina between the two of you... even if he went all out and drained himself dry, there's just no way he could exhaust you to that extent, right?"
Kiri looked genuinely puzzled.
After all, Tsunade's stamina was unquestionable. As for Ryuji... sure, his physical abilities had improved a lot thanks to that weird leveling system of his — but at the end of the day, he was still nowhere near Tsunade's league.
Tsunade's breath caught in her throat. The corner of her mouth twitched slightly. She could tell exactly why Kiri was so grumpy about this whole situation.
She was pissed at Tsunade — for forcing herself on Ryuji.
And she was pissed at Ryuji — for having the audacity to act all smug afterward.
But as for Kiri's question... Tsunade really didn't know how to answer it. She wanted to say it was because Ryuji's nerves were just so much duller than hers — maybe not even half as sensitive — so he wasn't as overwhelmed. But there was absolutely no way she could say that out loud!
"Well, um... you see... that's..."
She coughed awkwardly, dodging the question entirely. Still, she didn't complain about having her body "taken" or anything like that. As annoyed as she was with Ryuji's cocky attitude, she also knew full well that she'd been the aggressive one here. She had no right to attack him for it.
Besides... since she'd already come this far, wouldn't it be a waste not to see if this could really send her home?
"Doesn't look like she wants to talk," Kiri said, smiling sweetly as she casually raised her revolver.
"In that case, why don't you two show me directly? I'd love to see exactly how it's done."
A chill ran down both Ryuji and Tsunade's spines.
This wasn't just irritation anymore.
This was serious irritation.
"Uh... how about we don't do that?" Tsunade forced a dry laugh. "But since things have come this far... I suppose I do need to test whether I can actually go back or not. After all, there's still some risk involved... Don't worry — until you've gathered enough energy to return as well, I won't leave."
Tsunade's mouth twitched again. She was annoyed — sure — but she couldn't deny that when Ryuji went after her, it did feel surprisingly good.
Still... she wasn't exactly into exhibitionism.
Ryuji: "..."
Can someone, anyone, ask for my opinion here?!
And speaking of energy...
Ryuji opened his system interface and immediately noticed something different.
Skills:Master of the "7 Days to Die" World Dimension (12%),Endless Traveler LV1 (35%)
Energy: 75
...75 points?
Ryuji blinked.
With Erina, just once had gotten him a full 100 points!
But Tsunade...
Once, twice, three times...
And he'd only gotten 25 points per time?
And it even looked like the Endless Traveler skill required energy from two partners to activate?
Ryuji thought for a moment and quickly understood.
The reason was simple.
He and Tsunade didn't have any real emotional connection. Sure, her feelings had exploded during their moments together, but none of that emotion had actually been directed at him personally.
So getting less energy from her kind of made sense.
But that also meant...
It would take at least 40 times to gather enough energy to send Tsunade back!
Ryuji couldn't help but feel a little happy.
If Kiri's situation was the same, then these two girls — who couldn't refresh their equipment or supplies — would have to stay and tough out another Blood Moon with him.
Great!.Not having to face the next Blood Moon alone was honestly the best news he'd heard all day.
Still... speaking of the Blood Moon... maybe it was about time for new teammates to arrive?
As that thought crossed his mind, two glowing spheres of light suddenly appeared around them.
In the next moment — with a flash — two new figures materialized before their eyes.
One was a red-haired girl in a school uniform, her figure jaw-droppingly voluptuous.
The other was a blonde girl, clad in a shining silver breastplate over flowing white silk garments.
The moment they arrived, the blonde girl stepped back nervously, glancing around warily.
Meanwhile, the redhead scanned her surroundings with curious eyes — pausing when she noticed the bound-up Ryuji, and the two tense women beside him.
Then, with an almost playful glint in her eyes, she raised a finger to her crimson lips.
"Huh?..."