"Kenny must have told you to stay in your room, didn't he? Did you manage to temper his character, or will he scold you when he finds that you aren't there?"
"...Kenneth doesn't really listen to me... or respect me, the daughter of his master..."
The black-haired boy was keeping the conversation going while holding the blond-haired girl's hand, even though the topic he chose turned out to not be all that pleasant.
"If that's the case, then why don't we get you back to your room?"
"...o-okay..."
Medea asked again, and this time he got the girl's approval, so he helped her get up and lifted her up so she could get back inside the building through the open window.
"...ah... I'm heavy... sorry..."
The girl flinched and murmured in a daze mixed with embarrassment, apologetically clinging to the boy.
"For someone so precious, your actual weight is far too light, dummy. I feel like I could carry you around like an accessory and never get tired. Can I carry you to your room~?"
"Eehh...?!"
Medea chuckled and climbed through right after Zorivia, making sure that he was body-blocking the gory sight outside while also making the girl blush.
"By any chance, do you have any idea who might have paid a small group of criminally inclined individuals to kidnap you?"
Medea asked while guiding Zorivia up the staircase, not bothering to explain how or why he knew which room she was originally staying in.
"... w-wasn't that Th... that person from before, attempting to kidnap me to get acknowledged by a leader of a gang in the town he moved to...?"
The blond-haired girl almost said Theo's name but tensed up as the sight of his corpse flashed in her mind, and she hurriedly distanced herself from the subject – even if it was only in terms of the way she spoke.
"Somebody did her homework~! But Tee didn't just come up with the idea himself. Someone made a request, and that guy jumped on it to show off. I'm wondering about who did it and what their motives were... oh, did that idiot break your door?"
As they were in front of the girl's room, Medea nodded his head with approval before pointing out what he really meant... and then raising his brow while looking at the damaged door.
"N-no, it was Kenneth..."
"Oh. Okay. I will cut off his index finger for that."
As they were walking inside, the girl shook her head and explained, to which Medea nodded in understanding and said in such a casual tone that the meaning of his words didn't register in Zorivia's mind for a couple of seconds.
"W-wait...! What?! Please don't!"
She was in the middle of her room when things finally clicked for her, and she flinched, turning around in panic.
"...eh...?"
*CHUUUU*
But as she did that, she found herself in the embrace of the black-haired boy, and before she knew it, his lips locked with hers, and his tongue entered her mouth both hungrily and teasingly.
Back in her past life, if something like that happened to her, the reincarnated girl would have frozen up – just as she did four years ago when the same boy kissed her...
...but this time was different...
It could be the personal growth, it could even be the hormones of the girl in puberty, but either way, instead of backing off or standing there limp and passive, Zorivia clung to Medea, timidly putting her arms on the sides of his waist as if she was too bashful to wrap around him entirely.
"Hmhmhm~"
The black-haired boy chuckled, very satisfied with the blond-haired girl's response, making her blush and pull away slightly...
"...!"
...but being unable to do so entirely as the boy teasingly nibbled on her lips, letting go before it could actually hurt her – still succeeding in making her face turn bright red.
"Medea."
The black-haired boy licked his lips and said while looking into the blond-haired girl's sapphire eyes.
"I believe I never properly introduced myself to you, dummy, so here it is. My name. Medea."
"Oh...! Ah... umm... th-thank you for coming to my rescue, Medea."
Medea elaborated on his response, and Zorivia gasped in understanding and nodded bashfully.
"It's only natural. I want you to become mine, young Miss Zorivia. I want you to know that if you choose to agree, I will not let anyone mess with you. This was a free sample."
"..."
The black-haired boy shrugged his shoulders and announced in a business-like tone with a serious expression, to which the blond-haired girl blinked with a blank face.
"E-EEEHHHH?!"
A few seconds later, Zorivia let out a shocked cry and backed off, which Medea didn't stop her from doing, although he kept his arms up as if he wanted to do so but managed to hold back the urge.
"W-wait...! What about the kiss just now...?"
Zorivia gasped, innocently putting both of her hands up to cover her mouth.
"Not included in the negotiations. A freebie, so to speak."
"A free... freebie...?!"
Medea simply shrugged it off, which visibly messed with the blushing girl's head.
"That's right. You can, of course, refuse me, and I will leave, wishing you good luck. You can also take some time to consider my offer – but in that case, I would have to request a reward for stopping your abduction."
The boy nodded his head in confirmation and tilted it while revealing lightheartedly but with his usual serious expression.
"I... I want more time, please..."
Zorivia flinched and gulped down her saliva while her eyes wandered towards Medea's lips – despite flat-out rejection with no strings attached being on the table, the blond-haired villainess didn't seem to entertain it with a thought – at least for now, that is.
"Alright~! Then as for the reward I want..."
Medea nodded with understanding and pulled out a necklace from under his shirt.
It was a simple design – a heart-shaped pendant looking as if it was made out of common white river stone with a double leather strap.
The boy took off one strap and closed the gap that the girl gained by backing off.
"...!"
As they were once again at the kissing distance, the boy put the strap over the girl's head and smiled while seeing her face grow more and more flushed as here large sapphire eyes trembed, reflecting him.
It was pretty satisfying for Medea because Zorivia was still staring at his lips as if she really wanted another kiss.