"Gern!"
Just as Gern finished speaking, a lively figure darted out from behind him like a little rabbit... no, she actually was a rabbit!
"Gern~! Gern~!" With those bright calls, Lipo sprang lightly into the air and landed straight on Gern's broad back.
Her slender arms wrapped deftly around his neck, like a kitten begging for affection.
She rubbed her cheek furiously against the back of Gern's neck and his short hair, her voice soft with complaint.
"You have to take Lipo with you next time you go out! No sneaking away again!"
Feeling the warmth and ticklish touch against his neck, Gern's expression instantly softened into helpless affection.
He turned his face slightly and gently nuzzled Lipo's arm with his cheek, his tone indulgent.
"What's wrong? Didn't you say you preferred going to Amazon Lily with Snake Princess?"
Indeed, Toritoma had been returning to Amazon Lily noticeably more often lately.
Although she was supposedly going to guide the current Empress Hancock, both Gern and Lipo knew the truth.
More than anything, she was mourning her late younger sister, the previous Empress Toritoma, seeking a little solace in a land filled with memories of their time together.
"It's not fun anymore~" Lipo pouted and slid off Gern's back, standing before him with conflict written all over her little face.
"Even though Amazon Lily is full of girls, and everyone treats Lipo really well, but... but..."
Suddenly, she puffed out her little chest, clenched her fists, and struck a pose meant to emphasize her "maturity," declaring with proud indignation,
"Lipo is a woman now!!"
"They're always crowding around Lipo and asking weird questions!
"Like how, at night, with Big Sister Snake Princess and you, Gern, we all play human stacks..."
"Mmph!!"
Before Lipo could finish her scandalous remarks, Gern reacted swiftly