Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Karakura.
November, x784.
After separating from Yoruichi, Alfonzo quickly made his way up to his hotel room. Although he knew that Marin would be present as well, at this point, he really did not care. Instead, he had every intention of getting Mirajane to help him blow off some steam.
The reason for Alfonzo's current mood was simple. Although Yoruichi initially took her cat form and decided that she would take a nap while Alfonzo mapped out the enemy hideout with his [Electromagnetism Magic], she found herself bored rather quickly.
So, to entertain herself, she started teasing Alfonzo in her human form. And although Alfonzo never gave into the temptation, Yoruichi's teasing had the desired effect. As a result, Alfonzo's libido had been ignited and he needed a way to release all his pent up stress.
After a few minutes, Alfonzo finally reached the door to his hotel room. Then, without hesitation, without even using his room key, he used his [Metal Magic] to unlock the door and pushed it open vigorously.
"Hey, I'm back." Alfonzo said as he stepped through the, now, open door.
Before he could call out for Mirajane, however, Alfonzo's eyes landed on his bed and widened to a comical degree.
Instead of a bed that had been made meticulously by the hotel's cleaning staff, Alfonzo saw a beautiful young woman with pink eyes, damp blonde hair that transitioned into pink at its ends wearing an oversized white, button-down shirt and sheer pink panties lying face down with her back to the door while reading a book.
Naturally, that young girl was Marin. And after hearing the door open and Alfonzo's subsequent greeting, she turned her head in Alfonzo's direction. Then, when she saw the gob smacked expression on his face, she could not help but smile.
"Welcome back, Alfonzo." Marin said with a hint of embarrassment in her tone. "How did it go?"
Instead of responding immediately, Alfonzo's eyes roamed up and down Marin's body, making her both feel a measure of pride and embarrassment.
"Alfonzo?" Marin asked, her confidence spiking thanks to Alfonzo's reaction. "Is everything okay?"
As she asked her question, Marin closed the book she was reading. Then, in a deliberate attempt to show off her figure, she turned around, supporting her upper body with her elbows as she showed off the cleavage that was not hidden by the unbuttoned top few buttons of the shirt she was wearing.
"Huh? Uh… Yeah." Alfonzo stammered, coming back to his senses. "Everything went well.'
"Good." Marin replied with a bright smile. "Then, why don't you come over here and tell me about it."
Absent-mindedly, Alfonzo nodded his head, his eyes never leaving Marin's figure, especially her bare legs. Then, he made his way over to the bed before taking a seat on the edge.
Seeing that Alfonzo had no plans to climb into bed with her, Marin smiled wryly. Still, she intended to do what Mirajane said and make the most out of the chance she was given. So, she pushed herself up before crawling over to Alfonzo's left side.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo was trying his best to get his thoughts in order. Unfortunately, that was a rather daunting task at the moment. Between the alluring woman who was currently in his bed and all the teasing he was subjected to with Yoruichi, Alfonzo was afraid that he would do something against his morals.
'Damn, it's not like I'm against sleeping with these girls.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'But why do they have to test me like this when we're not together. On top of that, why is Marin in my bed dressed like that? No, I know why… But, we're not together. And even though I've really grown to like her, if I ask her to be one of my girlfriends, it would feel like I'm only doing it just to get my dick wet. Damn it…'
"Hey, Alfonzo." Marin said softly as she sat next to Alfonzo with her head lowered. "Before you tell me about he enemy hideout, can we talk about something else?"
"Sure." Alfonzo said, trying to smile brightly. "What's up?"
At that moment, it seemed like the confidence Marin had built up after seeing Alfonzo's hot gaze crumbled. Still, she decided to push on.
"You know, ever since that night when Lici, Sun, and I walked in on you and Ultear, I've had trouble getting you out of my mind." Marin said with an embarrassed smile on her face. "I mean, I liked you before then. But since then, I've been finding myself paying more and more attention to you whenever you're around."
With that, Marin reached up with her left hand and swept some of the hair hanging in front of her face behind her ear. At the same time, she looked up and locked eyes with Alfonzo.
"And while watching you, I saw a lot of sides of you that I liked." Marin continued with a smile. Though, the blush on her face was intensifying. "And I've been trying to find a good time to tell you this. And I think now is as good a time as any."
With that, Marin took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Then, after a few moments, she opened her eyes again, looking straight into Alfonzo's eyes as she continued.
"Alfonzo, I really like you." Marin said.
Then, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, her whole body relaxed. Then, her lips curled into a breath taking smile as she saw Alfonzo's eyes widen in surprise.
"And when I say I really like you… I mean, I really, really, really like you." Marin said cheerfully. "Like, I like you enough to share without complaints. Honestly, I didn't know I could like someone so much. Plus, a lot of my favorite people in the world are part of your harem, so that helps a little, too..."
Like that, Marin, as if she were talking about one of her erotic novels with Erza, continued gushing about how much she liked Alfonzo and how much she wanted to join his harem. Meanwhile, Alfonzo's surprise morphed into a feeling of happiness after seeing Marin's excitement.
And as Marin continued to talk, Alfonzo felt his libido slowly calming down as he was just happy that someone he had developed feelings for over the last three years, or so, felt the same way he did.
Honestly, Alfonzo had still been resisting the thought of having a harem, only going through with it because Elicia really seemed to like it. Though, with each confession he received, that resistance was crumbling.
Although Erza and Sun's circumstances were special. By now, he had received four genuine confessions since he woke up in this world. And he has come to love three of them over the years, namely, Cana, Ultear, and Mirajane. Not to say that he hasn't come to love Erza and Sun as well.
And with Marin's confession, although he could not yet say that he was in love with her, he felt as if that resistance to having a harem had completely shattered. To the point that he may even start pursuing Lucy properly.
'Damn it, Lici, this is your fault.' Alfonzo thought to himself as he listened to Marin's excited chatter. 'I would have been perfectly fine with having just you. But you pushed me into this. We're seriously gonna have to have a talk when I get back home.'
After having that thought, Alfonzo's smile widened. Then, he gently took Marin's hand in his own, surprising Marin enough that she stopped mid-sentence.
"You know, I'm really glad you like me so much, Marin." Alfonzo said with a bright smile. "But don't you plan to let me answer your confession."
Once again, Marin's face was covered in an embarrassed blush. Like Alfonzo said, she was so excited that she could finally get her feelings off her chest that she actually forgot about that part.
"Oh, sure." Marin said awkwardly. "Go ahead. Um… I mean… I'd like to know how you feel, too."
Hearing Marin's awkward stammering, Alfonzo continued to smile as he slowly raised her hand towards his face. Then, while maintaining eye contact, Alfonzo gently placed a kiss on the back of Marin's hand.
"Marin, I really like you, too." Alfonzo said with a smile. "Honestly, I don't even know when it started. I mean, when we first met in Lici's shop, I thought you were beautiful, gorgeous even. But we didn't even speak. But the more times we met and interacted; you really grew on me. And eventually, I started liking you and saw you as more than just a friend."
As Alfonzo spoke, Marin's blush deepened. At the same time, Marin's smile widen proportionally. Meanwhile, during his brief pause, Alfonzo took a deep breath.
"So, I would love to have you as one of my girlfriends, Marin." Alfonzo said sincerely.
At that moment, after finally hearing the answer to her confession, Marin lunged forward, wrapped her arms around Alfonzo's neck, and pressed her lips against his clumsily. At the same time, Alfonzo wrapped his arms around Marin's waist and pulled her closer.
By now, the heat in Alfonzo's lower body had been completely replaced by the warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest, thoughts of relieving himself completely gone from his mind.
Meanwhile, just outside of the Fairy Tail wizard's shared hotel room, a black cat was lying on the floor, just in front of the door.
"Tch!" the black cat, Yoruichi, clicked her tongue after eavesdropping on the conversation between Alfonzo and Marin. "I knew all my teasing was getting to him. So, I came here to hear him lose himself in passion with the She Devil. I mean, I had heard she was one of his girlfriends. Then, I would be able to tease him about it relentlessly later. Instead, I get to hear a mushy confession that is somehow making me jealous."
With that, now in a worse mood than before, Yoruichi stood from the floor and turned away from the door. Then, she started walking back towards the room she shared with kagura.
"Oh well, I guess I'll go mess with Kagura for a while." Yoruichi said as she transformed back into her human form. "I'll get her to take off that stoic mask eventually."
Back in the hotel room, Alfonzo and Marin ended their first kiss.
"Now, I have a question for you, Marin." Alfonzo said with a smile still present on his face as he created a little distance between himself and Marin.
While Alfonzo's gaze ran up and down Marin's body, she tilted her head to the side, having no idea what Alfonzo could possibly want to ask her about.
"Why were you dressed like that while lying in my bed?" Alfonzo asked in a playful tone while his smile turned mischievous. "I mean, that's one of my shirts, right? And those panties are kinda see-through. On top of that, I think I can see a matching bra peaking from inside the shirt. Did you, perhaps, have some follow up plans if your confession succeeded?"
"Huh?" Marin asked in confusion. Then, she continued as she looked down at herself. "What are you ta--- Kya!"
Immediately after seeing what she was wearing, Marin's embarrassed blush made a reappearance as she screamed. In the heat of the moment and after her confession was reciprocated, she completely forgot what she was wearing.
Then, in an attempt to hide her face, Marin, with her arms still wrapped around Alfonzo's neck, buried her face in his chest.
"Honestly, I wouldn't mind, if that's what you wanted to do." Alfonzo said, still in his playful tone. "But I don't think it's a good idea the day before our operation. I mean, you'd have trouble walking straight for the next few days when I'm done with---"
Before Alfonzo could finish, Marin raised her head, released her hug, and put her hands over Alfonzo's mouth.
"I get it, you can stop teasing me now, thank you!" Marin exclaimed. Then, she continued in a whisper. "I've heard about it from the other girls, anyway. But when we get back home…"
As she spoke, Marin's voice gradually lowered in volume until Alfonzo, even with his magic power enhanced physique, could no longer hear her, despite how close they were to each other.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
At the same time, in Alfonzo and Elicia's mansion, Elicia was sitting at her work station. With her fingers dancing in the air, several threads of different colors were sewing pieces of fabric together into a maroon suit, black dress shirt, and a tie to match.
Before she finished her latest creation, however, Elicia's fingers came to a stop, all the threads stopping along with them. Then, she looked in the direction of Karakura Town as a wide smile spread on her face.
With that smile still on her face, Elicia turned her head back to her work as she put on the finishing touches.