After everything that had happened, Leon had become more and more convinced that Fio and Vivian were a yuri couple.

But Leon just couldn’t accept it. He was a stubbornly determined person, stubborn to the point of sheer obstinacy. That was why, even after seeing how powerful Fio was, he’d still chosen to train so he could defeat her on his own.

As things stood, unless he saw Fio and Vivian doing something indecent with his own eyes, he still couldn’t fully believe it.

And yet he’d heard that very phrase from Fio herself. The two of them were about to climb the stairs to adulthood…

What else could it mean?! Leon had read yuri smut doujinshi before. He wasn’t an idiot.

Leon was about to give Fio a proper talking-to and tell her not to do things like that when he heard some familiar voices.

“The team to take down the Ice Dragon King is nearly assembled, right? The King’s been gathering a lot of strong fighters lately.”

Leon turned to look, instantly on alert. At the street corner, he spotted some familiar faces: members of the dragon-slaying party from four years ago. They hadn’t noticed Leon and Fio yet, and were walking over, chatting and laughing.

What were the odds of running into them here? Fio’s appearance drew too much attention. There was no reason to let them notice her if he could help it.

Leon grabbed Fio by her delicate shoulders and pressed her against the wall. He blocked her from view with his broad frame, leaving her hidden in his shadow.

“W-What are you doing?!”

Fio’s voice suddenly rose several pitches, and she began to struggle. Leon had no choice but to hold her down with more force. To block her from view more completely, he pressed his face close to hers, too.

“I’m not going to do anything to you. Calm down.”

Leon frowned. Fio was being a little too loud. She’d draw the others over—and he could barely hear what they were saying as it was.

“Shh. Keep quiet.”

“Mmph… Even if you say that…”

Leon was getting anxious. He didn’t have time to watch his words. “Shut up. Be good for me, right now.”

“…I-I…”

“You’re just a slave. Don’t talk back.” Leon spoke in an almost commanding tone.

To Leon’s surprise, Fio fell quiet. Her arms and legs, which had been struggling moments ago, settled obediently behind her.

“Haa… Fine… I’ll endure it. I’ll just pretend a pig stole my first kiss. Do whatever you want…”

Fio closed her eyes and tilted her face up slightly. Leon felt a lot more at ease now, and could focus all his attention on the conversation.

“The advance scouting party will probably head up to the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Mountain in about two weeks to check things out… The King’s dead set on getting the Ice Dragon King’s jade.”

“You bet. This time, we can finally defeat the evil dragon and save the people being oppressed on the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Mountain…”

Out of the corner of his eye, Leon saw that the dragon-slaying party seemed to take him and Fio for an ordinary couple. They couldn’t see their faces, so they didn’t recognize them, and simply walked past.

Leon let out a sigh of relief. He’d heard some important information from them and began thinking over the details, his head still bowed as he held the same pose. Fio’s reminder finally brought him back to his senses.

“Pervert, are you going to mess with me again…?!”

“Huh?”

“I’d already prepared myself to be humiliated, and you’ve just left me hanging here—what are you trying to do?!”

Leon looked at the silver-haired girl in front of him. Her face was as red as a ripe apple, and he’d come this close to kissing Fio.

“I-I… No, that’s not what you think!”

What the hell am I doing?! Leon jolted in fright. He’d never cornered another girl like this before—and this was a girl he liked.

Leon’s heart pounded wildly. But then he realized that there was a strange mood between him and Fio, and that if he just went ahead and kissed her, it might even seem like the natural thing to do…?

“Fio, listen, the fortune-teller just said—”

Vivian’s voice reached them before she did. Leon and Fio both heard it. Fio went deathly pale, then somehow found the strength to kick Leon away.

Fio hurriedly put some distance between herself and Leon, then ran over to greet Vivian, pretending nothing had happened. “Hahaha… What did the fortune-teller tell you?”

“Fio…”

She really does hate me, doesn’t she? Leon watched Fio chatting and laughing with Vivian, feeling hurt.

…

As they were on their way home, Vivian made a suggestion Leon couldn’t accept: they should all go to the hot springs together.

The City of Sunrise was famous for its hot springs. The city sat atop an active volcano, and there was a well-known hot spring resort there.

Leon was vehemently against the idea, but Fio seemed furious with him because of what had just happened. She dug in her heels and pushed things along, and with two against one, Leon couldn’t refuse.

Since the baths were separated by gender, Vivian and Fio went in through the women’s entrance together.

As she went in, Fio’s face was strangely flushed. She looked so bashful and awkward, yet somehow expectant. It was downright bizarre.

Leon remembered the fortune-telling. Today was the day Fio and Vivian would climb the stairs to adulthood. That had to be what it meant.

And more importantly, Fio and Vivian had picked a private little bath where no one would disturb them. What else could they possibly do in there?!

“I refuse to accept this! My little sister and my first love being a yuri couple…! Damn it, I want to know for sure!”

Leon paced back and forth in front of the women’s entrance. He kept peering inside anxiously, then stopping helplessly in his tracks. He drew plenty of attention, and people began whispering about him.

“Mom, what’s the Sword Saint doing?”

“Uh… The Sword Saint must be guarding the place to stop perverts from peeking.”

“But the Sword Saint looks like a pervert to me.”

“Shh! Don’t say the quiet part out loud!”

The mother covered her child’s mouth and hurried off with her. Quite a few people had gathered to watch Leon, including a black-market peddler with a little goatee and round sunglasses.

A pouch hung from the peddler’s belt, stuffed with all sorts of bottles and jars. He watched Leon for a while, then seemed to get an idea and broke into an evil grin. He came over and tugged Leon into a corner.

“You are…?” Leon asked.

“Sword Saint, hehehe. I knew you were one of us.” The man lowered his sunglasses, revealing a pair of shifty eyes. “Waiting for your girlfriend, are you? You’re almost at the end of your rope, aren’t you? I’ve got plenty of good stuff that can help. You can try all kinds of wild things…”

Leon looked him up and down. From his suggestive grin, he realized what the man was selling.

“Take that away. I don’t need anything you’re selling. I won’t even look at it.”

Leon turned to leave, but a glint flashed in the peddler’s eyes. He pulled Leon back and wouldn’t let up. “Sword Saint! Don’t rush off. You don’t have to buy anything—just take a look! This potion makes strong-willed girls all shy, and this one helps shy girls let loose…”

“I said I don’t need it. Keep pestering me and you’ll regret it.”

“Come on, come on! If you don’t like stuff for girls, I’ve got potions that buff you up! Strength! Agility! Technique! Or, for some special play, an invisibility potion, or one for rapid-fire Noble Phantasms—”

“Hmm?”

Leon had been determined to shake the man off and leave, but he stopped at one particular word and turned to look at him.

“Wait. Did you say you had… an invisibility potion?”