She blinks a few times with clear confusion in her eyes. "At first you were just a beautiful girl that I found pleasant to look at, but after spending the last few hours with you, I can say with absolute certainty that I want you to become my lover. I believe our personalities have great chemistry, and I find every second spent with you to be pleasant. Before I met you, I was quite confused and a bit lost, but ever since our encounter, things have been fun. I enjoy your company and wish to know you thoroughly, both as a person and as a woman."
She meets my gaze for a dozen or so seconds before detaching from my embrace and taking a few steps back. "I appreciate your honest words, Quinlan, but right now I simply can't answer your feelings either positively or negatively. I need some time to sort everything out in my head."
I nod before grinning at her. "That's all I wanted. I didn't expect you to become mine right now, I just wanted to make it clear that you shouldn't see me as just a friend or an emotional outlet. You can, of course, but I want more than that and I won't let you forget it." I pause before continuing, "Furthermore, as a warrior woman, I expected you to say, 'I can't be with someone weaker than me!' So I wasn't expecting anything from the start anyway."
She smiles before shaking her head. "Having a reliable partner sounds comfortable, but I don't need a man to protect me. I want to become the greatest swordmaster in the world, not a housewife hiding behind her husband's back. If I wanted protection, I would've become a servant slave instead of a combat one. I haven't worn a maid outfit yet, but I'm sure it wouldn't look too bad on me."
"Now that's something we can both agree on and also something we must clarify with facts that are undeniable beyond a shadow of a doubt."
She looks at me questioningly.
I clarify for the innocent warrior, "I meant that you will wear a maid outfit for me in the future, Ayame."
She shakes her head. "In case you didn't read the entirety of my slave contract that you also signed, as your combat slave, you have the right to choose my dresses, but they must be at least somewhat combat-oriented. For example, when we went to the shop today, you could've chosen all the apparel for me, and I had no grounds to reject them as long as they were meant to enhance my effectiveness in battle. If, in that same example, you had forced me to get all kinds of revealing clothes, I could've rejected them on the grounds that you were unnecessarily humiliating me or trying to push me into a role not included in our contract. So I don't understand why you are stating such an impossibility with so much certainty in your voice as if it were a fact."
I smile at her mischievously. "You misunderstand me. I've read your contract and I'm happy to see how much freedom you have despite your supposed horrendous social status. Even if that wasn't the case, I wouldn't abuse my power over you to humiliate you. I'm saying that you will wear maid outfits, among other sexy ones, out of your own volition, without me even having to ask." I finish my arrogant statement with a playful wink.
Her eyes widen as she clenches her hands into fists and stomps on the ground, shouting at me furiously, "That will never happen! It's nice to dream big, but you should settle for something realistic!"
Oh sweet summer child. The future holds endless possibilities.
Well, I don't see a reason to argue with her right now because nothing will come of it anyway. Seeing how her mood has elevated from depression to a very energetic one, I decide to move on and turn to leave, which further angers my slender companion. I hear a "Don't ignore me!" shout, but I ignore that as well.
We spend the next few hours clearing corridors on the first floor. I'm really getting into it now. Ayame rarely needs to step in; she spends most of her time observing me quietly from a close distance. Once I'm done with a fight, she gives me a few pointers to improve myself, but I've not made any giant mistakes since our lengthy discussion.
I'm very happy with and proud of my rate of progress. I've now slain 20 level 1 monsters, making me have 62/100 XP. However, I'm getting tired. My mana is also low due to using my innate Warrior spell quite a bit. With my low Wisdom stat, my mana regenerates very slowly, at the annoyingly laggard rate of 1 mana per 10 minutes.
"Ayame, I think it's time we retreat for the day. Or would you prefer to go alone to higher floors?" I ask, feeling the weariness in my bones.
She shakes her head. "No. I would rather mentor you until you become strong enough that we can work together. The faster we become a real team, the better off the both of us are. If I just start going alone, it will be even longer before you catch up."
With my 3x XP rate, that might be sooner than she expects. I'm interested to see her surprised face when she realizes it, but for now, I decide to keep it to myself.
"However, before we leave, we should clear the boss room," she adds.
I stop in my tracks, my eyes widening. "Boss room?! Amazing. This world is simply the best. What are boss rooms exactly?"
Ayame doesn't seem surprised by my lack of information regarding this topic; by now she is used to my utter newbie status on the continent. "At the end of each labyrinth floor, you can find a chamber behind two large doors. In each of these boss rooms, a single entity spawns, and they are an upgraded version of one of the monsters found on their respective floor. So, in our case, the boss will be an upgraded version of a Steel Carapace Beetle, Shadow Wisp, or Brambleback, but it will still be level 1. Once we beat the boss, we gain access to the next floor."