CHAPTER 260: STEPS TOWARD LOVE ( 260 )

"Alright!" Hazuki threw his arms up happily. "Thanks to that... um... jump—whatever it was—I don’t care."

He took a deep breath of the cool forest air.

"What really matters is that we finally reached a place where we can find a town!"

He looked around with a big smile. "I want a bath! A real one! With steam, soap, and no sand stuck between my toes!"

Ridan shot up into the air, spinning around happily like a child just released from class.

"Me?" he shouted joyfully. "I want to land on soft boobs!"

Hazuki’s face went blank. "You need help."

"Boobs are the best thing in life!" Ridan declared dramatically. "I’ve been floating for days, surrounded only by rocks, bugs, and you. I deserve softness!"

Hazuki gave him a sideways look. "Why are you like this?"

"Because I was sealed for a thousand years, and my spirit is thirsty!"

"...Soap. I just want soap."

"And melons! I want melons!"

Hazuki groaned and started walking down the road. "Let’s find the town before you start drooling mana."

Ridan followe, still spinning happily above him.

"I can smell the softness, Hazuki! It’s close! I believe in the path of cleavage!"

"Please shut up."

They walked slowly along the forest path, gravel crunching under their boots, birds chirping lazily above.

Ridan floated in circles over Hazuki, still excited about being out of the desert. He was overflowing with energy.

"Don’t compare me to you, Hazuki," Ridan declared mid-spin, stretching his arms out. "You’re tied to one girl. Next time you want boobs, just go and grope Ellyn."

Hazuki blinked and looked up in horror. "She’s still a kid!!"

Ridan waved his hand casually. "Then ask her to turn into her adult form and grope hers. Problem solved."

Hazuki stopped.

His eyes widened.

He froze in place.

"...W-what did you just say?"

Ridan floated lower, grinning. "You heard me."

Hazuki’s slowly crouched down, dropped his gear, and covered his face with both hands.

"Why... why didn’t I think of that before!?!?"

His voice cracked between a scream and a cry.

Ridan hovered next to him, completely unbothered. "You’re slow, that’s why."

Hazuki just sat there, rocking a little, his mind overwhelmed by missed chances.

Ridan smirked as he watched Hazuki still squatting on the road, looking like he just found the meaning of life—and hated it.

In his mind:

This dumbass... he still doesn’t know that the adult Ellyn is her real form. Not the little girl disguise she uses to mess with people.

He really thinks he has to wait eight years? Pfft.

Ridan floated in a slow circle above Hazuki, grinning wider.

I wonder how she’d react if this idiot ever got brave enough to fondle her breasts in her adult form...

He covered his misty mouth with one hand, barely holding back his laughter.

He’ll probably either die from a nosebleed... or get hit by divine lightning. Maybe both.

Hazuki finally stood up again, his eyes still haunted. "No... I can’t do that. I must endure. I’m a man of principle. I made a pinky promise..."

Ridan snorted.

"You’re a man of regret," he muttered quietly, still grinning like a demon on vacation.

Ridan floated in slow circles around Hazuki, who had started walking again—but with a look like he’d just lost his biggest opportunity.

His eyes looked hollow, his steps slow, his whole attitude full of regret.

Ridan watched silently, amused.

Hazuki let out a long, sad sigh and muttered under his breath, "Eight years... eight years..."

Then, without thinking, one of Hazuki’s hands twitched slightly—fingers curling or flexing in midair as if he was involuntarily trying to grope something.

Ridan blinked.

Then floated closer, looking at the subtle, cursed gesture like a scholar studying an ancient ritual.

This dumbass... he really wants it... but still managed to miss his chance. Bwahahahahaha!

He almost choked on his own laughter, spinning midair like a ghost tornado in delight.

Hazuki didn’t even notice.

He just kept muttering like a broken monk, "Just... have to endure... I’m not that kind of guy..."

Ridan hovered beside him, grinning from ear to ear.

Bro. You literally just tried to grope the air.

Hazuki suddenly stopped walking.

Then, without a word, squatted down on the side of the road again—his usual thinking pose.

He stared blankly at the cobbled path beneath his boots, his shoulders slumped like a man defeated not by monsters or mana, but by emotion.

He let out a long, deep sigh.

Inside Hazuki’s mind:

The beautiful Ellyn... her adult form.

The way she smiled at me. That gentle, teasing, but warm smile.

The moment we kissed...

Not the forehead one. The real one. On the lips.

He buried his face in both hands, groaning softly. "Damn..."

Maybe I really do miss her too much.

The road was quiet—birds chirping, wind rustling in the trees. But inside Hazuki’s chest, there was a strange emptiness. Not the kind that came from hunger or exhaustion.

The kind that came from distance.

He didn’t even realize how long it had been.

How many towns had he passed through how many battles, all while keeping himself busy just to not think too much?

Hazuki looked up toward the sky.

"...How long have I been wandering?" he muttered.

Ridan let out a casual whistle, spinning lazily in the air.

"Who knows~"

Hazuki sighed—long and heavy—like the weight of everything he’d been holding back was finally pressing down all at once.

Ridan floated closer, his usual smugness slightly softened.

"...How about this, Hazuki?"

Hazuki blinked, glancing up without lifting his head. "Hmm?"

"You said you’re sightseeing, right? Trying to find the best stuff for the wedding—heels, tiara, and whatever else makes a girl go sparkle sparkle."

"Mmh... yeah," Hazuki mumbled. "Something perfect. Not just anything off a shelf."

Ridan nodded once, then smirked just a little.

"Then how about this... every time you find one of those perfect items—really perfect, the kind that makes you go ’this is it’—I’ll make an exception."

"Exception?" Hazuki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I’ll teleport us straight to the Beastkin Capital. Just for a short visit. So you can see her."

Hazuki’s eyes widened.

"You serious?"

"I mean, don’t expect full luxury time or unlimited portal use. But..." Ridan crossed his arms behind his head. "It’s your wedding prep, right? I figure it’s fair."

Hazuki went quiet.

Then slowly stood up, dusting off his pants.

"...Then I better start looking properly."

Ridan chuckled. "That’s more like it."

Hazuki looked down the road, this time with a bit more focus in his eyes.

No longer just wandering.

Now with a purpose.

Hazuki stood up slowly, brushing the dust from his pants.

He took a step forward—his posture relaxed, not too stiff, but with a new spark in his stride.

Not quite smug.

Not quite childish.

But somewhere in between.

Motivated.

"Alright," he said, eyes scanning the road ahead. "Let’s find a town."

Ridan twirled in the air with a wide grin. "Wooo! Hazuki is back!"

Hazuki cracked a grin, not looking back. "You better keep up, spirit radar."

"Oh, I’m not just your radar now," Ridan said proudly, floating to his side. "I’m your wedding scout."

"Right. Just don’t ask to pick the honeymoon location."

"No promises!"

"Go get more money to buy your dream land!" Ridan said, floating upside-down with his arms crossed.

"Building a house needs a lot of money!"

"And don’t forget," he added with a grin, "weddings need more money!"

Hazuki groaned. "Yeah, yeah... rub it in."

Ridan spun once and hovered at his eye level. "So now the question is—which one are you gonna hunt down first, hmm?" His grin widened. "The land? The loot? Or the legendary wedding accessory?"

Hazuki scratched his head, pretending to think deeply.

"...Don’t know. Maybe... tiara or heels?"

"Heels, huh?" Ridan rubbed his misty chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... how about this—crystal heels. Custom-made. Special order. Fancy stuff."

Hazuki’s eyes lit up just a little. "Crystal heel?"

"Elegant. Unique. Fit for a beautiful catgirl bride," Ridan said, smirking knowingly.

"Oh?" Hazuki perked up. "Where?"

Ridan floated away, spinning in a lazy circle. "Don’t know. You’ll have to ask around~"

Hazuki narrowed his eyes. "You just made that up, didn’t you?"

Ridan grinned wider. "Maybe. Maybe not. That’s the fun part."

Hazuki sighed and walked faster. "Great. Now I have to interrogate random merchants about glass shoes."

"Crystal. Big difference," Ridan said with exaggerated flair.

Hazuki slowed down a bit, squinting in confusion.

"...Wait. What’s the difference between glass and crystal?"

Ridan slowly turned his head, giving Hazuki a long, unimpressed side glance.

"...Are you really dumb or just pretending to be?"

Hazuki frowned. "I mean, they both look the same. Shiny, see-through, fragile."

Ridan floated a little closer, arms crossed like a disappointed teacher. "Glass is cheap. Crystal is refined, stronger, purer. One shatters, the other sparkles with dignity."

"...Still sounds like something that breaks if I step on it."

"That’s why it goes on her feet, not yours!"

Hazuki blinked. "Wait, so crystal heels are... wearable?"

Ridan stared at him.

Hazuki stared back.

Ridan slowly floated upward, one hand over his face. "You’re hopeless."

Hazuki scratched his cheek. "Well excuse me for not being a shoe expert."

"Better learn quick. This is your future wife’s dream heel we’re talking about."

Hazuki paused, then muttered under his breath, "...She’d probably look good in anything."

Ridan’s grin returned. "Now that’s the spirit."

( End Of Chapter )