"Hmhm~! I always thought those were cute~"
Melinda chuckled, exaggerating her hip movement and making the side flaps of her brand-new armor sway accordingly as she and a maid exited the town's armorer.
"I believe those are for protecting the weak point at the waist where the chest piece and leggings are."
After the opportunity to make sure her lady was truly fine, the maid nodded with a relieved smile.
After stocking up on the healing supplies, the two girls walked down the street, going for the same gate they had arrived through.
Throughout the whole shopping, the maid accompanying the gold-haired girl was rather restless. She constantly looked around as if hoping for something but said something never happened, leaving her slightly dejected as their visit was about to end.
"...you know, I don't mind staying around for a bit longer… It is quite a nice place. Makes you wonder about the local food."
The maid's behavior didn't escape Melinda, and she suggested offhandedly, although, in all honesty, she would much prefer continuing their journey instead of taking a tour.
"If you wish, I will check whether the local inn has anything worthwhile, my lady!"
"Go ahead, I'll be waiting right there."
The maid perked up and offered, to which the gold-haired girl nodded in benevolent agreement as she pointed at the remains of the dried-up well at the side of what looked like an abandoned farmhouse.
"I'll be right back!"
The maid called out and rushed off while Melinda took out a handkerchief, placed it on the dusty stones on the edge of a rather creepy hole, and promptly sat on it.
"..."
Melinda looked around, giving the place a rather displeased look.
In game, abandoned buildings like this could work, they had their charm and all, but in a world where more often than not people would have to fight with monsters for every inhabitable piece of land, an empty property made little sense.
However, the abandoned farmhouse could have some creepy backstory attached to it, making it feared enough by the locals to stay away but not enough to make them raze it to the ground.
While the girl was pondering about the possibilities, something shifted in the depths of the dried-up well.
Unbeknownst to Melinda, a pale stick-like, disturbingly long arm with a thin hand with unusually long fingers raised all the way from the very bottom, reaching out towards her back as if readying itself to pull her down…!
"That's unexpected. I wasn't aware that you had an ability similar to teleportation."
"...!"
The gold-haired girl smiled softly and spoke up without turning around, making the hand flinch and stop in the middle of the slithery motion.
"..."
"..."
In the silence, neither the girl nor the being in the well made the slightest sound, but out of the two, the girl seemed completely unbothered by it.
She even seemed amused instead…!
"...it's not an ability, it's an item… And how did you know it was me?"
After a few more seconds, a certain white-haired monstrous man climbed out of the well, dusting off unassuming traveler's clothes that didn't fit his abnormal figure very well, and asked.
"I felt a nice tingling. It only happens with you around, Zane~"
"...!"
Melinda chuckled, turning her body to the side and sending the monstrous man a cheeky smile.
"Hold up! You can hear again!"
After a moment of gazing upon her smugness, Zane flinched and gasped in realization.
"Surprise~!"
The gold-haired girl grinned, leaning to the side and tilting her head while showing off a victory sign.
"Although it's not all fine and dandy… you see the…"
"What!?"
As Melinda let out a troubled sigh and was about to reveal what happened to the hydra's claw, Zane seemed to have misunderstood something and called out.
"...!"
The monstrous man dropped down on one knee, gently couping the gold-haired girl's face in both hands while his distorted green eyes were filled with worry.
"What do you mean by - not all fine?! Are there any lasting effects?! Are you still hurt? I should have done a better job at convincing you to get rid of that thing earlier!"
"..."
Zane's face bewitched Melinda with how worried it looked, making the girl forget herself for a moment while the white-haired young man was beating himself down.
While still holding onto the girl's face with one hand, the monstrous man moved his other one to gently and carefully pat the side of her that the hydra's claw was stuck in for so long.
"...Zane…"
"J-just this much is already painful?! That's terri…!"
Looking up at his distressed expression, Melinda spoke up softly, and while Zane trembled at yet another misunderstanding of his, she nuzzled against his hand touching her cheek, and then held and lowered his other one.
*chuu*
…and then she leaned in and up to place a sweet kiss on his lips softly…
"I'm healed, completely. When I said not everything was fine and dandy, I was referring to the claw ending up crushed into powder. I was upset that I could not pass it on."
Melinda sat down and revealed, making an apologetic expression while Zane's brain seemed to blank out.
"I'm sorry for making you worry like that…"
She apologized and held on to both of Zane's hands, putting them on her lap…
*chuu*
…and then leaning forward and kissing him again…
*chuu*
*chuu*
…and again, and again…
*chuu*
…using the chance to sneak in as many sweet kisses as she could…
*chuu*
"...w-we shouldn't be doing that in public…!"
After yet another additional kiss, Zane seemed to thaw out of his shock and mumbled, straightening his back to get out of Melinda's range while his face was completely red.
"...nnh…"
Seeing such precautions taken, the gold-haired girl slumped down and let out a disheartened sound.
"..."
Zane took a single lance at Melinda, looking like that, and his self-restraint began crumbling down like a house of cards in the wind.
*chuu*
"...mhmhm~! Mmmm!"
He leaned back in and placed an awkward, ticklish kiss on Melinda's forehead, making the girl chuckle happily and lean in again… only this time, she stopped herself and instead let out a needy sound to encourage Zane to close the distance himself.
*chuuuu*
And it ended up an invitation he could not resist.