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With Elma joining them, their home became even livelier.
And thanks to Roy's "food strategy," Elma no longer held any animosity towards him.
Several months passed, and New Year's Eve was approaching.
The girls seemed reluctant to leave the warmth of their cozy home in this cold weather.
They were all curled up by the kotatsu, enjoying the warmth.
"It's New Year's Eve. Do you want to go out?" Roy asked, seeing their lazy attitudes.
"It's too cold. I don't want to move."
"Me neither."
"It's so comfortable here by the kotatsu."
"Mmm, Roy is so warm."
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Roy sighed. Did dragons hibernate too?
"It's a shame. I bought new clothes for everyone. It seems you won't have a chance to wear them," he said, feigning disappointment.
"Eh?" Kanna, Elma, and the others looked up.
"New clothes? I want to go!" Kanna was the first to react, raising her hand eagerly.
"Me too! Me too!" Tohru also jumped up, her lethargy forgotten.
"Do I have a gift too?" Lucoa asked with anticipation.
"Of course, everyone has one," Roy replied, taking out the New Year's outfits he had prepared.
"Wow! They're so pretty!"
"Go and change. We'll head out once you're done. It's New Year's Eve. The streets will be lively," Roy said, handing them their clothes.
"This one is for you, Lucoa." Roy handed her a larger kimono.
"Is this just for me?" Lucoa asked, surprised and pleased.
"Yes, I couldn't find any clothes that would fit you, so I had this one specially made," Roy explained.
Lucoa's figure was... exceptional. It was difficult to find clothes that fit her.
Tohru pouted, seeing that Lucoa had a special gift, but Roy's recent "training" had lessened her jealousy.
"Roy, I'm done!" Kanna was the first to emerge, wearing a beautiful kimono and her hair styled in a bun.
She looked adorable.
"Kanna, you're so cute!" Roy exclaimed, pulling her into a hug.
"Roy, I want a hug too!" Tohru, who had also changed, joined them.
Est followed suit.
Soon, all the girls were hugging and nuzzling Roy.
Even Lucoa and Elma joined in.
"Alright, let's go!" Roy announced after a while.
They headed out.
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The streets were crowded with people celebrating New Year's Eve.
"I couldn't resist the warmth of the kotatsu these past few days. It's nice to go out for a change," Tohru said, clinging to Roy's arm.
Lucoa clung to his other arm.
"Yes, it's warm like this," she added with a smile.
"Lucoa-san, please let go of Roy," Tohru grumbled.
"Why? It's fine," Lucoa replied, not letting go.
"It's not fine! I'm Roy's wife," Tohru declared.
"Then I can be Roy's wife too," Lucoa said with a chuckle, leaning her head against Roy's shoulder.
Roy looked at her, unsure if she was serious.
"No way! Roy only needs me as his wife," Tohru insisted, glaring at Lucoa.
"That's not certain," Lucoa countered, wagging her finger.
"Then I can be Roy's wife too! I'm at the age where I should be finding a partner," Elma chimed in.
"Elma, absolutely not!" Tohru spread her arms protectively before Roy.
"Why not? Isn't it normal for strong males to have multiple partners?" Elma asked, confused.
From her perspective as a Dragon, it was perfectly natural.
"Well..." Tohru was speechless.
Elma was right.
In their world, powerful males often had multiple partners.
Even male Dragons were like that.
"Anyway, I won't let you have Roy," Tohru declared, tightening her grip on Roy's arm.
"Don't worry, Tohru. We'll be together forever," Roy reassured her with a gentle smile, patting her head.
"Okay!" Tohru nodded, her worries momentarily forgotten.
Roy felt that the time was ripe. If he asked Tohru to form a contract with him now, she would undoubtedly agree.
But he decided to wait.
He glanced at Lucoa and Elma.
Elma wasn't a problem, but Lucoa was a different matter.
She had a responsibility to maintain balance between the two worlds. Convincing her to leave wouldn't be easy.
But he was determined to have her. Not only was she a world-class beauty, but her power would also be a great asset.
If he could contract her, he might even be able to break through to the next level.
And even if he didn't, he could still reach that level by contracting Ophis when he returned home.
Roy smirked, his mood improving.
"Look, they're selling sweets over there! Let's go check it out!" Tohru suddenly exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.
Elma also seemed eager.
They all went to explore the stalls.
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It was New Year's Eve, and the streets were filled with vendors.
They stopped at a stall selling amazake, a sweet, non-alcoholic drink.
Roy bought a cup for each of them.
"It's so sweet!"
"Delicious!"
"This brings back memories."
The girls enjoyed their amazake.
"Lucoa, you like to drink, don't you?" Roy asked casually.
"Yes, I used to drink a lot. It's nostalgic," Lucoa replied, opening her eyes for a rare moment, a hint of sadness in her gaze.
"Oh, is it because you got drunk and..." Tohru began.
"Don't say it!" Lucoa quickly covered Tohru's mouth.
"Is that what it is? Lucoa, if you don't mind sharing, we might be able to help," Roy offered with a smile.
He had an idea. If he wanted to take Lucoa with him, he had to address this issue.
Lucoa closed her eyes again, her expression unreadable.
"If I need your help, I'll let you know," she said after taking a sip of her amazake.
She had been cursed by her colleagues, causing her to make a mistake with her sister and resulting in her being stripped of her Godhood and banished to the human world.
She couldn't forget such a grudge.
But without her divine power, she couldn't take revenge.
Her enemies were gods. She didn't believe even Roy could help her.
It seemed she would never be able to avenge herself.
Roy smiled wryly, hearing her dismissive response.
It seemed gaining Lucoa's trust wouldn't be easy.
"Roy, what's that?" Elma asked, tugging at his sleeve and pointing to a stall.
"That's omikuji, fortune telling. Do you want to try it?" Roy explained.
"Sure!"
The girls found it interesting and each drew a fortune slip.
"Let me see... Kanna, you got 'Excellent Luck'!" Roy announced, looking at Kanna's slip.
"Ooh! Maji yabakune~" Kanna cheered, although she didn't understand what it meant.
"And mine..." Est also handed him her slip.
"Excellent Luck too!" Roy chuckled, patting her head.
Elma and Lucoa also drew Excellent Luck.
They were quite lucky.
Roy drew a slip for himself. It was also Excellent Luck.
"Roy, look at mine!" Tohru exclaimed, handing him her slip.
"Let me see..."
It was "Great Curse." Roy was surprised.
It seemed Tohru's father was coming. But Roy wouldn't let him take her away.
"Although it's a Great Curse, with me here, everything will be fine," he reassured her.
"Okay!" Tohru nodded, trusting his words, though she didn't understand what a "Great Curse" meant.
Just then, the crowd started counting down.
"20... 19... 18... 17..."
"Eh? Roy, what are they doing?" Tohru asked, confused.
"The year is about to end. Time flies, doesn't it?" Roy said with a sigh.
Tohru understood and joined the countdown.
"...4... 3... 2... 1..."
Everyone shouted the last few seconds together.
"Happy New Year, Tohru," Roy said with a smile.
"Happy New Year!" Tohru replied.
Roy then turned to Lucoa, Elma, and Kanna. "Happy New Year, everyone!"
"Happy New Year!"
They exchanged greetings. Tohru and Kanna found this human custom quite interesting.
It was their first time celebrating New Year's Eve.
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The next morning...
"Lucoa, have you seen Tohru?" Roy asked, entering the living room.
"She went out to buy groceries. She said she wanted to make a delicious lunch," Lucoa replied.
"Oh, I see."
Roy sat down on the sofa and was about to turn on the TV when Lucoa suddenly approached him.
She hugged his head, her ample bosom pressing against his face, making it hard for him to breathe.
"Thank you, Roy," she whispered.
"For what?" Roy asked, confused, then instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Because of what happened in the past, I was forced to leave my home. And every time I settled somewhere, I was afraid to stay too long, afraid of getting attached," Lucoa explained.
Roy hugged her tighter.
"Are you leaving?"
"No, Roy. I'm grateful to you. You've made me feel at home," Lucoa replied.
"Lucoa-neesan, we've always considered you family," Roy said.
"Nee-san?" Lucoa tilted her head, the word seeming to trigger a memory.
"Yes, Lucoa-neesan, you're like an older sister to us," Roy added with a smile.
"Mmm." Lucoa nodded happily.
"Then, Lucoa-neesan, can you tell me about what happened in the past?" Roy asked, seizing the opportunity.
Lucoa's smile faltered.
"I can't tell you about that yet," she said, burying Roy's head in her chest.
Roy didn't press further.
It seemed Lucoa still didn't trust him enough.
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