El took a deep breath, the scent in the room was thicker than usual. His mind began to fill with big question marks, trying to connect the pieces of the last event she remembered.
Something about this room gave the impression that more intense activity had taken place, though he wasn't entirely sure what.
Before El could think any further, there was a soft sigh next to her. "Umm... Ugh..." The sound made El turn her head quickly.
There, beside his, Seitenshi was starting to wake up, her body also looking tired and her head nodding slightly. Slowly, Seitenshi opened her eyes, then turned to El.
The two of them stared at each other in silence. The atmosphere in the room became very cold and awkward, as if time had stopped for a moment.
El remained silent, his body rigid, not knowing how to react. On the other hand, Seitenshi's face suddenly flushed dramatically. A bright red color spread across his face, like a ripe tomato that had just been picked.
Seitenshi's eyes widened, and his mouth gaped silently. He could only stare at El's exposed upper body in front of him, speechless.
Seitenshi slowly pulled back the blanket that was wrapped around his body, revealing the wet fabric and faintly blood-stained sheets underneath.
Tears began to well up at the corners of his eyes, Seitenshi's gaze full of shame, anger, and disbelief as he stared at El with a flushed face.
"You... You bastard!" she exclaimed in a trembling voice, then hurriedly covered her face with both hands.
A sob broke out, punctuated by a sentence full of emotion, "Rotten man! Do you know who I am? How dare you touch me like that? I will never forgive you! You have to pay for this, no matter what!"
El swallowed, trying to calm his now confused mind. He knew the accusations were serious, and this situation was only going to get harder to explain.
In his usual flat tone, El tried to answer. "It's... not what you think, Seitenshi. I did no such thing," he said calmly, though the situation was far from simple.
However, Seitenshi's crying did not stop. From between his fingers covering his face, he peered at El, his eyes radiating a mixture of disbelief and hurt.
"What's the proof? You must have... done something to my body!" she muttered in a voice that was almost a whisper, but full of anger.
El paused, his eyes fixed on the stain on the sheet and Seitenshi's face that was flushed with emotion. In his heart, he knew that, he had indeed done something to the woman's body, but not in the way Seitenshi thought.
El was simply rinsing her body, wiping it, and... yes, accessing her subconscious for a specific purpose. "But I didn't touch her in that way," El thought, trying to convince herself.
But how could she explain her innocence without sounding like an empty excuse? The moment was suffocating, and though her expression remained cool, the situation was slowly testing her composure.
"Hihi... Seitenshi-sama, you're so hot in this video," Yuri said in a teasing tone, her gaze slyly provocative.
El and Seitenshi instantly stiffened as the sound of Yuri's laughter echoed through the room, adding to the already tense atmosphere.
Her figure suddenly appeared out of thin air, gracefully sitting on the chair in front of them, as if she had witnessed the entire drama from the beginning. In her hand, she held a cell phone that was playing a video.
El and Seitenshi looked at each other, exchanging confused expressions before directing their attention to the small screen.
Seitenshi removed her hand that was covering his face, though his body was still shaking with emotion. But curiosity kept him watching.
The video footage began to play, showing something that made Seitenshi's blood run cold. On the screen, she could see herself in a very intimate scene, her face flushed, and her body in movements that clearly showed pleasure.
Each of them were kissing, hugging and having intercourse in various styles. Seitenshi was really enjoying herself immensely.
"N-no way..." muttered Seitenshi softly, her body weakening, her eyes beginning to glaze over. Her face instantly turned pale, alternating with the embarrassed blush that burned her cheeks. "I... I can't be like that!" she squealed in a trembling voice.
El was silent, his face frozen like a cold mask. His eyes were glued to the screen, though her mind was busy spinning trying to understand what was going on. "How can this exist? This doesn't make any sense," he muttered coldly, yet there was clearly tension beginning to creep into his voice.
Meanwhile, Seitenshi immediately covered his face again, this time with a louder moan of frustration.
Seitenshi's tears broke out in between desperate sentences. "I... I can't even protect myself... I don't deserve to be the leader! I'm a disgrace... I'm..."
El let out a long breath, a feeling of exhaustion starting to attack her. Even so, El's eyes looked straight at Yuri, who was still sitting casually in his chair, looking very satisfied with the commotion he had just created.
"Why is it like this? This drama is completely out of control," El thought, feeling annoyed.
Underneath that, however, a sense of suspicion began to rise. El's eyes narrowed, focusing on Yuri who smiled mischievously at her. The girl didn't look surprised or guilty, instead seeming to enjoy this situation cheerfully.
'This girl... She must be behind all this,' El thought as she clenched his fists. "Yuri, do you have an explanation for all this?" he asked in a sharp yet calm tone.
But Yuri just chuckled, looking at them with an enigmatic gaze. "An explanation? Oh, I'm just presenting the facts, right? Just look at what you and Seitenshi-sama have done. Or... at least, appear to have done so," she said, with a mysterious tone that made the situation even more tense.
El took a deep breath, trying to hold back the emotions that were about to peak. Carefully, he placed a hand on Seitenshi's back, trying to calm the girl down. However, her response was just the opposite.
"Don't touch me!" Seitenshi cried out, her body shuddering as if touched by something disgusting. Angrily, she swatted El's hand away. "You're disgusting! I hate you so much!"
El showed no change in expression, but once again she touched Seitenshi's back, this time more firmly. The girl, filled with rage, swung her hand to slap El's face.
However, before her palm reached its target, El easily caught it with his right hand.
"Let go of me!" commanded Seitenshi in a voice full of anger and firmness. Her eyes blazed with hatred. "Don't you ever dare touch me again, you bastard! I'll make you regret this!"
El looked at him with a cold gaze, yet deep within her eyes was an invisible fatigue. He sighed again, heavier this time, as he thought about all this.
In his mind, Seitenshi's threat was just a sound in the storm. If he wanted, activating the Demon Slayer Mark and Shinra Tensei was enough to destroy the monolith that would later lead to the destruction of his territory.
But destruction was not the solution, it was not his. He was different from those who had preceded him, both Madara Uchiha and Nagato Uzumaki.
If it was them, they would have destroyed anyone who opposed their ideology without hesitation. However, El was not them. And he swore to himself that he would never be like them.
Even after hundreds of years as a Beyonder, that value would remain engraved in his soul.