Because she was in a hurry, Leah knocked twice and entered without waiting for an answer. When she opened Zed's door, she was met with the sight of a naked man with a ripped physique adorned with numerous body scars. The man dropped a cloth he was holding when he noticed Leah staring at him, her gaze trailing from top to bottom and back up again. Both of them wore expressions of shock.
+++++
In the room next to Leah's, Zed stood frozen and naked, his gaze fixed on Leah in shock as she opened the door from the outside. She stood before it as it closed, facing Zed. He stood beside the foot of the bed with all the lights in the room on. Leah could clearly see Zed's naked form from head to toe, including his body scars.
It seems that he was about to put on his clothes, which were neatly folded on top of the bed. His body towel hangs on the chair next to him. His damp hair appears to have been dried hastily.
When Leah entered his room, he dropped his underwear onto the floor. Leah's gaze traveled from his face down to his chest and abdomen, lingering there briefly before continuing further down.
Every movement of Leah's eyes felt like a gentle touch upon him. Whenever her gaze lingered in one place, he couldn't help but feel as though he was being caressed.
He savored the desire forming in Leah's eyes with each passing second. The thought of being desired by the woman he loves filled him with immense happiness.
He caught himself daydreaming and refocused on Leah. Currently, she was looking at his member, her gaze lingering there longer than on his abdomen.
Before he became fully aroused, Leah redirected his gaze down towards his thigh, knee, and then feet. Zed gulped nervously, his hands clenching into fists. When Leah's gaze returned upwards, his member was at full attention.
Zed didn't know how to react, so he just looked at Leah. A blush spread across his pale skin, from the tip of his ear to his neck, though his face remained devoid of its usual hint of redness. He wasn't alone in his embarrassment. Leah's eyes, brimming with desire, caused her face to flush with a warm, red hue, painting her cheeks and ears. Her mouth parted slightly as if she wanted to say something but could not.
"Ahhhh, I really want to taste those lips and plunder that mouth," Zed thought, or so he believed he spoke silently in his mind. However, when faced with Leah, his training and entire being seemed to become useless and defenseless. His low, heavy voice, brimming with want and need, reverberated within the four walls of his room.
Seeing Leah stiffen, he realized what he had done. "Fuck, if this were a mission or a dangerous situation, I would have died multiple times," he muttered under his breath. Refocusing on the woman before him, he observed how her slight blush intensified into a deep crimson while her body visibly trembled.
As Zed watched, he noticed Leah's eyes shift from desire to anxiety as she glanced at him. Turning around, she moved to open the door, intent on leaving. With quick reflexes, Zed dashed forward and blocked the door with his left forearm. Leaning in towards Leah's right ear, he pleaded softly, his deep and warm voice filled with sincerity, "Please don't hate me." His warm breath gently brushed against her right ear and cheeks. Despite his desire to embrace her from behind, he restrained himself, ensuring there was no physical contact between them.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Leah might have been disgusted with him or even harbored feelings of hatred, though he couldn't comprehend why this thought had suddenly crossed his mind.
After a prolonged silence, Leah finally spoke. She took a deep breath and said calmly, "I don't hate you. I simply want to leave the room to give you privacy. I'm sorry for barging in without waiting for your permission to enter."
Elated that he wasn't hated, Zed felt he had been given an inch and desired to take a mile. Remaining in the same position behind Leah, he whispered again, "I want you—no, I need you." His voice, infused with a sultry tone he didn't recognize, sounded to Leah like a siren luring her into the abyss, tempting her never to return home again.
Leah panicked, feeling herself on the brink of giving in. With a surge of strength, she pushed the door forward, momentarily forgetting that it was meant to be opened from the inside. Her forceful push opened the door easily and caused it to break.
Thud!
The sound of the door falling to the floor calmed Leah's racing heart. Without glancing back, she firmly said, "I'm going to shower and bathe. By the time I'm done, your boner should have calmed down. Remember, I do not hate you."
The broken door went seemingly unnoticed by both of them. Zed, consumed by his thoughts and emotions, paid little attention to Leah's display of strength. Even if he hadn't been preoccupied, he would likely not have cared much about it.
After speaking, Leah ignored Zed and walked forward. Following the direction the nurse had mentioned, Leah earnestly recited calming sutras to herself as she walked. Without looking back, she maintained a steady pace until she reached the room. Upon entering, a sense of calm washed over her heart and body. Taking her shower with a peaceful mind, she settled into the bathtub, her body finally relaxed.
"Friday," Leah summoned while enjoying her bath. A sky-blue-colored orb about the size of a baseball hovered in front of Leah's face. "Yes, Master," it spoke respectfully, its tone mechanical yet polite. With its smooth, bright surface, it resembled candy just waiting to be eaten.
Leah was about to speak when Zero cut her off. "Who is this?! What is this?!" Zero's agitation was evident as he stared at the orb in the mirror.
"Ahh, that reminds me. Friday, change Zero's mirror's point of view to a bird's eye view while applying the same restriction as before," Leah instructed, ignoring Zero's question.
"Yes, Master," Friday responded promptly. "Request initiated—Request completed."
As soon as Friday completed the task, the mirror in front of Zero shifted its perspective from Leah's view to one of Friday's.
"Host!" Like a toddler having a tantrum to gain Leah's attention, Zero shouted.
"Stop shouting. I can hear you," Leah grumbled. "Friday, say hi to Zero. Zero, this is Friday," she introduced the two. "Friday is my assistant," she added.
"What do you mean personal assistant? That is clearly a system!?" Zero questioned Leah.
"Hello, I am Friday. Master's best personal assistant," Friday responded in the voice of a seven-year-old, introducing itself to Zero. "I am five days old today. I am young but a fast learner and a hard-working personal assistant. My dream is to be the best counterattack personal assistant there is for Master," it added in a shy tone.
Zero: (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
"What do you mean, personal assistant?! You are clearly a counterattack-type system," Zero repeated, his voice growing louder.
"Now, now, be nice to Friday. It's only five days old and too young to be hated," Leah patronizingly told Zero.
"How—, when—, why—?" Zero, still shocked, couldn't form a proper sentence. "You used to be as cool as a cucumber when we first met. Why do you look like you're about to have a nervous breakdown?" Leah, with an amused expression and raised eyebrows, remarked.
"Friday," Leah called again. "Yes, Master," Friday answered, and without needing instructions, it understood that Leah was asking it to calm Zero down. In the next second, the metal cage where Zero was in illuminated light.
Leah was aware that Zero had just regained his actual existence. Although his memory was locked, he was still learning to control his emotions. "It feels like I am watching over a baby," she complained.
Zero calmed down after the bright light disappeared from the cage. His closed eyes opened, revealing his golden irises. "Host, how did you get another system?" he asked straightforwardly.
"The same time you bound with my soul," she answered with a smile. "That's impossible. I did not sense another system at that time. Even the God system would have noticed the abnormality," Zero exclaimed.
Leah's smile widened, and she made a zipping-her-lips gesture.