"Nii... is it warm...?"

Kiku blushes.

It certainly is rather warm in here in many ways. I'm sat in a large wooden tub full of hot fresh water. And Kiku is snuggled next to me wearing only a towel.

Just a moment!

What happened here!?!

"Isn't this a nice bath-house, Nii?" She chitters happily.

A place with marble tiles, red curtains, a bed, and a large hot tub? Yeah... no matter how you look at this, Kiku, this... this is a love hotel.

"Violet recommended it; she said one of her friends run it?" Kiku says, innocently.

That bitch.

"Err... Kiku... I don't think this is a bath-house..."

Her big green eyes blink. And then she sticks out her tongue.

"Well shit... busted..." she snickers.

I sigh.

"Um... Nii... do you... not want to be with me here?" Her lip quivers.

I smile wistfully.

"You're really something, Kiku. You know that's unfair..."

She sticks out her tongue again.

"Um... then how are my feminine wiles, Nii?"

I kiss her deeply in response.

"Is that a good enough response?" I query.

She looks vacant for a moment after the kiss, then nods.

Then she stands up in the water, and throws off her towel.

Her toned and athletic body and modest chest is covered in rivulets of water, cascading down her in trickles.

"Um... Nii... there's something for you to eat, right here."

She smiles bashfully.

I almost leap at her.

...

...

...

"Ouch! Shit! Fuck! You asshat, Nii... Ugh... I'm so sore..."

Kiku is splayed out on the large bed this place has in addition to its tub, breathing heavily and drenched in sweat.

I'm lying next to her, brushing her hair with my hand gently as she pouts.

"Uuu... why did I want this again?" She moans.

"Um, Kiku… do you... not want to be with me here?" I copy her taunt from earlier.

"You're really something, Elijah. You know that's unfair..." she responds in kind, snorting.

We both burst into giggles.

"Aw man... shit... I'll never catch up with Kako like this... I've become such a slut." She laments.

"Maybe... but you're my slut." I pronounce, spooning her and continuing to brush her hair.

"Eh wot? It's bad to agree with a girl over something like that, Nii!" She pouts again.

She sighs.

"But... um... hehe... if the me of a few weeks ago were to have known that I would be like this, lying with a man in a brothel, I would've have thought myself gone mad."

She pauses for a moment.

"Um... you know what... I have still gone mad, haven't I?" She asserts, snickering. "All of us girls have. What have you done to us, Nii?"

"I wish I knew, Kiku. I really do. I'm as in the dark as you. I am honestly telling the truth when I say I have no idea why this happened. But I've decided that maybe it’s ok to be a bit selfish after all, and take all the things I want." I say.

We both lie in silence for a minute.

"Being selfish... is what being a mercenary is all about. Dad's first lesson. The number one rule. Me first. Job second. Others third. Being a hero only gets you in the dead book..." she sighs.

Probably wise in their line of work.

"Kako hated that lesson. I think that's why she became a knight. She wanted others to be first. She's way more noble than me, eh?"

She rolls around to face me.

"It’s funny, then, isn't it?" She grins.

"What is?" I ask.

"Being ~with~ a hero."

Oh, I see.

"I'm no hero." I shake my head.

"You're my hero." She smiles and blushes.

"I-If you s-say so." I stutter.

She chitters happily at my reaction. She's clearly enjoying herself. Damn, in some ways she really is partly resembling Seria... and I should probably be scared of that...

She pulls away from me, stands up, and does stretches, showing off her slender but muscular legs.

"Ahhh... this contract sucks. I should have read the small print. I'm stuck on a fucking hopeless mission to kill the lord of all demons with a man who still doesn't know the right end of a sword to hold."

I stand up and go over to her as she stretches, rubbing her shoulders.

"You can still opt out at any time, you know." I say, only half-serious.

Her head snaps round.

"Eh wot?! No way! I've already been paid in full, right?" She exclaims, hand touching her midriff. "I gotta see it to the end, now. Mercenary's honour." She grins, falling back into my arms again, and looking up at me.

"Um... besides, didn't you say no one else can have me now?" She narrows her eyes.

I kiss her again briefly.

"I'm a demanding employer, what can I say?" I chortle, licking my lips.

She rolls her eyes.

"More like a slave driver. I'm glad that our future battles will have that Veranian girl as well as Aria up front."

I sigh.

"Sometimes I do wonder whether I should have gone with the sword rather than explosives. It makes me feel bad that I'm sat back when you girls are fighting so hard." I lament.

"Hehe... you'd be run through in an instant, coming from your weird peace-loving place."

"Um... but... say... Nii... shall I teach you the sword?"

That's surprising coming from a girl that was so meek when I met her. She really has changed as well.

"Hehe... you can have one of my old ones. Seria can teach you magic, and me swords! We'll make a Bladesward out of you if we try!" She exclaims, jumping around naked.

"What's a Bladesward?" I ask.

"Eh wot? Ah right... someone who combines a moderate affinity for magic and blades. A hybrid. Hmmm... they usually have Earth or Metal spirits though. Kako is one!"

Oh right, a fighter-mage multiclass then. Sort of like Aria's Paladin, but more of an arcane bent.

"Well... I guess everything helps." I shrug, smiling wryly.

Kiku chitters happily.

I'm sure I've just blundered into another cunning trap. But let's see how it goes...