Syr Is Very Confident About What She's Wearing Underneath~ (Please, please keep reading~)

Night.

At home.

Bell and the others entered their dreams again to train.

Thor slowly opened his eyes, ending his "supervising" in the dream.

Those outrageous scenes from Lefiya's dream still lingered in his mind. That perverted elf had come up with another new game in her dream.

However, when Thor came back to his senses, the warm embrace he'd expected wasn't there.

Syr wasn't holding him from behind as she usually did. Instead, she was kneeling beside him in silence.

Her body bumped lightly against his arm, once and then again.

The movements were so slight they couldn't cause any pain. Like a silent, protesting kitten, she stubbornly reminded him that she was unhappy.

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze fixed elsewhere as she deliberately avoided his eyes.

Her posture clearly said she was waiting for him to speak, waiting for an explanation.

Thor looked at the sulking figure beside him and sighed inwardly.

He understood, of course, that Syr was still bothered by the fact that he'd revealed the secret of his Familia's core to Hestia and Hephaestus.

Thor pondered for a while, then finally spoke.

"I won't bring just any god or person beneath the stars. Every star I accept is a choice I've made after careful consideration."

At his words, Syr's repeated nudges abruptly stopped.

As if someone had hit the pause button.

But she still kept her face turned away, refusing to look at him. Only the slight tension in her shoulders revealed that she was listening intently.

Yet her little hand resting on his sleeve was quite "honest." Not only did it stay there, it quietly tightened its grip.

Clearly, that explanation wasn't enough to satisfy her.

Thor gazed at her stubborn profile and continued to explain.

"The main reason I accepted Hephaestus was the strength of her Familia. With her joining us, the pressure on your Familia will be greatly reduced. And..." He paused. "It'll also greatly increase the chances of Uranus allowing you to enter the Dungeon."

The instant she heard that, Syr's body stiffened ever so slightly.

Could it be... that Lord Thor already knew my negotiations with Uranus had reached an impasse?

The thought surfaced in her heart unbidden, bringing with it a subtle flutter.

Thor seemed not to notice her small reaction and continued in a matter-of-fact tone. "As for Hestia... well... Hestia is Hestia. She's special. She helped me once. I owe her, and I have to repay that debt."

Thor finished speaking.

He was about to apologize. "If what happened this time made you unhappy, I can apolo—"

Before he could even finish saying "apologize,"

Syr suddenly turned and pressed her soft lips against his, cutting off everything he was about to say.

Her kiss was urgent and almost imperious, as if she meant to seal away not only his unspoken apology but any words that might put distance between them.

The Stardust within her, already rendered unusually full by the nourishment of divine power, was instantly drawn by a powerful resonance. It abruptly separated from the core of her life and traveled along some invisible passageway, returning to Thor's body.

Hum—!

A wave of satisfaction at his power returning erupted in the depths of Thor's consciousness.

The Stardust he had slowly accumulated through natural condensation and Dungeon exploration had reached 92. After absorbing this substantial gift from Syr, the number surged past that threshold!

93... 97... 100!

At last, it settled firmly at 102.

A new ability had unlocked.

But at that moment, all of Thor's attention was firmly captured by the soft warmth of her lips.

He was nearly drowned by the love that seemed ready to spill from Syr's eyes.

The kiss was long and gentle, imbued with a sacrificial sort of devotion.

For a long, long time.

At last, Syr reluctantly drew back, breathing slightly harder.

Her gray eyes were like a deep pool steeped in moonlight, so tender they seemed ready to drip with affection.

She gently brushed Thor's lower lip with her fingertip, her voice so soft it seemed afraid to disturb the stillness.

"Lord Thor, you don't need to apologize."

Her gaze was steady and pure.

"I accept all your decisions, because they're your will. Syr will support you unconditionally. But..."

She paused slightly, leaned forward, and nestled into Thor's arms. Her arms naturally wrapped around his waist and back as she buried herself deeper in the comforting warmth of his presence.

Her voice sounded against Thor's chest.

"I just... hope you'll trust Syr a little more."

She lifted her head and looked straight into Thor's eyes, each word clearly imprinted on the air.

"I'm your Syr. If you need me, I'll do anything for you... Please let me prove that I can shoulder more of the burden for you."

Seeing Syr like this stirred Thor's heart, despite himself.

In this world, only two things could move him.

Wisdom that saw through all things, and unwavering will.

Syr's will might be directed solely at him, but wasn't that still a kind of unwavering will?

"I'll look forward to it."

The tension had finally dissipated.

However, Syr seemed to suddenly remember something important. Her pretty brows furrowed, and she gave his chest a reproachful little punch.

"But, Lord Thor!" Her voice was soft and sweet, yet unexpectedly serious. "There's something you have to promise me."

"What is it?" Thor wondered what important matter she was about to raise as she suddenly turned serious.

"The fact that you can accept gods into your Familia," Syr moved closer, her gray eyes fixed on him as she lowered her voice, "you absolutely, absolutely must not tell anyone else! Not a word!"

"If those people find out... they'll do whatever it takes to lock you up, and then..."

She paused. Her fingertip traced an unconscious circle on Thor's chest, and her voice turned soft and gentle.

"...do all sorts of evil things to you~"

Thor asked, speechless, "Who would do that?"

Syr suddenly broke into a smile, sweet as the purest honey. "Someone like... me~"

Thor: "..."

He was completely at a loss for words.

But that really was just like her.

Thor pretended he hadn't heard her, stood up, and prepared to go downstairs.

It was late at night. He should go squeeze onto the sofa on the first floor with Bell.

But a cool, soft hand caught his wrist.

Syr tilted her face up. She had drawn close without him noticing, and her warm breath, scented faintly like a spring garden, brushed gently over his ear.

Her voice was very low, laced with a languid and deliberate charm.

"Lord Thor~ Would you like to stay on the second floor tonight?"

Her long lashes trembled slightly, and enticing moisture shimmered in her gray eyes in the dim light.

"Syr is very confident about what she's wearing underneath today~"

Her deliberately softened breath tickled Thor's ear, but his heart remained unmoved. He even found it a little funny.

He pulled his hand free more firmly, the motion brisk and decisive.

"Good night, Syr."

Without looking back, he headed for the stairs, his figure quickly disappearing into the darkness of the floor below.

Stay on the second floor?

As if.

At that moment, his vast consciousness was divided into four parts.

Three of them, like invisible threads, were already tightly connected to Ais, Lefiya, and Bell on the far side of their dreams, guiding them as they honed themselves in their respective nightmares or illusions.

How could he afford to be distracted from the demanding job of "supervising"?

What if something happened in the dream?

The next morning.

Syr hummed a little tune, her steps light as if she were walking on clouds.

When she set the oddly shaped but at least unburnt omelet on the table, the smile at the corners of her mouth nearly spilled over.

Thor hadn't stayed the night, but he'd accepted her "gift" and said he'd look forward to it...

Just thinking about it sent a warm current rippling through her heart.

"Miss Syr... seems to be in a particularly good mood?" Bell murmured to Lefiya beside him over his glass of milk.

Lefiya snuck a glance at Syr, who was humming, then quickly looked toward Thor at the head of the table, muttering to herself.

What on earth had happened on the second floor last night?

Could it be...

She quickly shook her head, chasing away a few rather stimulating images.

Ais quietly drank her soup, her eyes shifting calmly between Syr and Thor. She could sense that the gloomy cloud hanging over Syr had lifted. Thor must have done something.

As breakfast was nearly over, Thor set down his cup and looked across the three of them.

"Today," he said, his voice steady and leaving no room for doubt, "we can take it a little easier as we go deeper into the Dungeon."

Take it easy? Go deeper?

All three of them stopped moving at once.

Thor calmly explained, "Last night, my Stardust count passed 100. I've regained some of my power, so you can look forward to it."