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( To temporarily impose the Concept of Slowness through touches, that was Alexis' whole shtick. How a First-Gen managed to get her hands on such powerful Magecraft, I knew not, but she had certainly shown herself to be far more dangerous than any enemy I had faced up to this point.

Panting, I teleported to the top of the building to create distance between us, yet even the activation of my Mental Trigger and the manipulation of Mana proved much harder. I grimaced as blood continued to flow from the wounds on my thighs, each one ever closer to my arteries than its predecessor. This wasn't good,

I must purge her Mana from my system somehow so I could heal.

I must–

My thoughts were interrupted when a mass of tentacles, their tips sharpened to thin edges, effortlessly tore apart the cement floor, before lashing out at me. With a flick, I summoned a Spatial Barrier in hope of slowing the tentacles' advances,

Unfortunately, due to the sluggishness caused by her Magecraft, there existed a huge delay between me activating the makeshift Spell and the stagnant Elder Blood complying with my orders, thus several of the pulsating, barbed and ever-morphing limbs of the Mystic Code were able to inflict superficial wounds on my arms and legs, superficial wounds that would no doubt be a hassle later on to heal.

Trying my best to keep calm, I attempted to teleport away, but the aches in my protesting Magic Circuits, or whichever equivalents I had as a Gamer, warned me against it. I forced myself to [Blink] anyway, knowing full-well I could not keep the Barrier up indefinitely, and even if I could, hiding like a turtle inside a protective Barrier was not the solution here.

Another teleportation later, I found myself in an unfamiliar alley, my heart squeezing painfully as steams rose from my kneeling stature- a side-effect of Mana over-usage. "Ha… If this keeps up, won't I look like Archer Emiya soon?"

My words were full of self-deprecation,

Wordlessly, I tried to get up, only to crumble when the intense soreness whacked at my joints.

"Goddamnit–" Was that knockings? But where- who–?!

"– Pai? Leo-senpai, are you there?!")

I snapped awake to the sound of Shiro's voice with cold sweats pouring down my forehead. Heart beating erratically, my body tensed to brace for attacks that would never come, for in truth they were naught but remnants of a bad dream- a dream of a battle I had finished over a month ago, of an enemy whom I had dealt with and bestowed upon the worst Death of all– The infamous 'Death By a Thousand Cuts'.

"Leo-senpai, are you hurt? Please say something!"

Rubbing my eyes, I looked at the clock. '11PM… Holy Shit, I've slept that long?'

"Leo-senpai, I'm going to break the door down!" The amber-eyed Heroine yelled on the other side. Paling, I responded with a hurried shout. "Relax, relax! I'm coming."

Forcing myself up, I slowly rolled off the bed and landed in a crouch. Contrary to my expectations, I did not feel that sensation of clear-headedness, nor did I feel particularly well-rested. But at least the gaping hole of emptiness in my chest where my heart was supposed to be had subsided somewhat, so that's good- ish?

"Just give me like… Five minutes to sort something out, Shiro-chan."

In a haste, I opened a portal to my Workshop and grabbed a new outfit. This one still reeked of Sakura's vomits, and while I'd be the first to admit to any questionable fetish, wearing puke-splashed clothes was most definitely not one of them… W- Well, at least to my knowledge, it wasn't.

Clothes in hands, I rushed to the shower and came back exactly three minutes later, having broken my personal record for 'Quickest way to shower'. Swinging the door open, I was swiftly greeted by a sight of the amber-eyed Heroine in a blue pajama, and packed under her armpit was a fluffy white pillow.

"Sorry for the wait, Shiro-chan."

We stood there awkwardly, one in the hallway, the other guarding the entrance to his room. "Uhmmm... So, what are you doing here?"

"I- Well- Well, you looked really sad earlier, I thought you might enjoy the company?" Shyly, Shiro fidgeted in place as her hold on the pillow tightened. As for me, I couldn't quite describe what I felt, all I knew was her concern seemed like a ray brilliant of sunlight shinning through the dark cloud that was my mood. "I- Maybe I misjudged it… If- If you don't want me here, I can leave, Leo-senpai."

Only when those words echoed in my eardrums, did I realize I had spent five minutes straight staring at her oddly, scaring the girl in the process. To rectify this, I hurriedly pulled her inside my room and into a bear-hug. "I knew it, I knew you wouldn't leave me, Shiro-chan! You're the best!"

Of course, the sudden commotion did not remain unnoticed for Rin and Sakura soon exited their room, following by Taiga and Gil moments later, both of whose faces were covered by a thin face mask. "Emiya-chan, you'll be staying with Leonis?"

Shiro nodded in embarrassment, hiding her blushing complexion using her shirt. Rin seemed taken aback by this, but didn't protest. Out of the five girls I had come to the Resort with, only Sakura and Taiga appeared to have a problem with this change in arrangement. At least the younger Tohsaka wasn't very vocal about her discontent… Taiga? Not so much.

The woman howled like an injured beast as she said exaggeratedly. "What?! You can't stay with Leonis, he's a boy Shiro! What if his beastly nature awakes all of a–"

Not a wasted motion could be seen as I yanked the pillow from Shiro and launched it straight at the older woman's face mid-speech, my facial structures twitching in unison at the attempted slander. Cracking my knuckles, I raised my fists towards the snarling Tigress and said challengingly, "Ah… I see, I see. It's because I haven't taught you a lesson all this time that you think you can just sit on top of my head? I demand satisfaction!"

Taiga narrowed her eyes. "Give me your best shot, Magnum."

"You first, Tigress." I taunted back.

The Tigress pounced, but was forced to stop when the room opposite to ours burst open. Taiga and I both froze, our hungry sights set on the reluctant participant in our antics. "Can you guys please keep it down, I'm trying to… Sleep…?"

The adolescent looked at our threatening smirks, at the girls– Sakura and Rin– Who just seemed done with our silliness or amused by it, then silently backed into his room, closing the door shut, but not before apologizing to us, "Sorry, you guys keep doing what you're doing."

"Coward." I muttered.

"Can't say I blame him though…" Taiga quipped in.

For a brief instance there, we reached a silent compromise, unfortunately we all knew the peace wouldn't last long as we went right back to trading death-glares and territorial growls through gritted teeth. Many a great scholar had wondered and agonized over the question: 'What would happen if a tiger and a lion fight?' And most people would say, 'The tiger would win nine times out of ten due to the differences in sizes between the two animals.'

Today, I was going to prove them wrong.

Today, I'd show them how merciless a territorial lion could be– "Aaahh! Don't call me a tigress!"

Huh… Must have spoken out loud again. I really got to get rid of that habit. "What do you think this is, the Discovery Channel?! And stop shouting, you're disturbing the other guests, you idiots! Both of you!"

– AN EPIC AND VISUALLY STUNNING BATTLE LATER –

"How- How about a truce?" I decided to extend an olive branch to the similarly wheezing Tigress. "I- I'm a proud warrior of the Fujimura Bloodline, I can not- Nay, shall not surrender until I've breathed my last, and compromise does not exist in my dictionary!"

"… We've been fighting for fifteen minutes." I reminded the Tigress, face void of emotions.

"Even so, I'll still–"

"That's enough! Both of you, back to your rooms, now!" Fingers reached towards our stomachs and before long, Taiga and I were writhing on the ground in agony. We would have waved the white-flags had we brought them. Ah-The tragedy, for two of the most dangerous and deadly animals in the World to be brought down low by a twin-tails wearing tsundere. Nevertheless, the Tigress tried to protest to no avail. "B- But I can't give Shiro up, she's–"

"Did you not hear a word I said? NOW!"

Left with no other option, Taiga could only return to her room in anguish, sending me baleful glares all the while as I smirked at her tauntingly. Then, the tsundere's angered gaze shifted to me. "And you, if you dare to do anything untoward to Emiya-chan, I'll beat you up, got it?"

I nodded obediently, dragging Shiro into my arms like she was my personal teddy-bear, a triumphant, shit-eating grin welded to my face. "Ah-Hah! Taste defeat, Taiga of the Fujimura Lineage, Shiro Emiya now belongs to me!"

I even made sure to use Dio's voice as I pointed towards my chest, before letting loose a string of maniacal laughter, which earned me a slap over the head by the tsundere as she huffed. "Don't provoke Taiga-nee either, you idiot! Just return to your room already!"

"Yes, ma'am!" I saluted jokingly. Mood bolstered, I merrily skipped back, a wide smile stretching my face ear to ear as I whispered to the amber-eyed Heroine. "Thank you, Shiro-chan. Not going to lie, I was starting to pretty lonely, so you're a lifesaver."

Positive Reinforcement, people.

Positive Reinforcement.

I said, gently patting her fluffy short hair. Did you know the female-counterpart of Shirou Emiya had naturally curly hair? It's like patting a giant poodle, though with her personality, a huge golden-retriever might fit better. "Well, ac- actually, you should thank Rin instead… I did bring the fact that you might be sad, but Rin was the one to suggest I stay in your room."

Aw-Even she's being praised, she couldn't help but be humble, what an adorable girl. "Rin said she would come over, but Sakura needs her… She's still plagued by nightmares of- of- of her stay in the Matou Household."

The thought instantly brought a smile to my face, knowing that even if Gil did discard me, I'd have Shiro and Rin still. Hell, I'd have Ciri and probably Triss too, once the redheaded Sorceress had worked out her feelings for the White Wolf. Looking at the amber-eyed girl I had put on the, I could no linger contain the self-deprecating laughter bubbling up my throat.

'What the Hell am I doing? So what if Gil discarded me? Since when has my life been dictated by her anyway?' Being forsaken by the Queen of Heroes would undoubtedly deal a huge blow to my ego, but I had others who cared for me, did I not? "Thanks for thinking of me, Shiro-chan. It was very thoughtful of you and Rin."

"Oh-Oh!" The amber-eyed Heroine jumped excitedly around the room. "We were talking in the hot spring earlier and decided we will go skiing first thing tomorrow, will you come?"

I raised an eyebrow at that. "And when is 'first thing tomorrow'?"

"Around four in the morning?"

Shiro scratched her head with twinkling eyes, visibly enthusiastic at the prospect of sliding on two flimsy pieces of wood in the snowy wildlands, far away and nearly untouched by the destructive hands of Humanity. Not that I could fault her for it, seeing as I was feeling similarly eager. Although, what truly brought a smile to my lips was how… Human Shiro felt in moments like these.

The amber-eyed Heroine was usually serious- Nah, that's not it. She's too mature, and in order to break that habit, plus teach her the funs of acting her age, I always tried my best to joke around Shiro. It's the same reason I acted like a jokester towards Rin and Sakura- those girls had suffered through some really harsh and traumatizing stuffs, stuffs nobody should have been subjected to.

Still, in spite of my efforts, the girls rarely, if ever acted like the children they were, hence it's the moments like these- in those split-seconds where they showed that childlike wonder, immeasurable pride and joy seemed to bubble in my chest. Looking thoughtfully at her feet, Shiro began with her speech. "You will come, right? You're paying for the entire trip, it would be a shame if you can't enjoy all the activities the place has to offer."

"Alright, alright. No need for further sale pitch, I'm already sold on the idea." I chuckled at her poor imitation of my negotiation, not that she had ever seen me negotiating before, I merely taught her a few tricks which might prove useful for her future endeavors. "Now, time for the most important thing…"

I spoke seriously, expression hardening as I watched Shiro fidget. "So, which bed do you want?"

The amber-eyed Heroine looked at the bed I was on, then at hers and said with all the solemnity in the World. "I want this one, Leo-senpai!"

… ' She's even adopting your shitty sense of humor, Christ.' Fuck you, Angra. ' I heard that, motherfucker!'

Yes, even without Gil's affection, I still had them, and that brightened my day up a little more than usual. "It's late, Shiro-chan. Let's head to bed, we gotta wake up early, don't we?"

The Heroine bobbed her head cutely, before laying down on the bed. In seconds, she became unmoving, her breaths evening out as she went into REM Sleep… 'Damn, that was fast.'

Setting up a barrier using the makeshift Runes I had retrieved from my Workshop moments prior, I made sure the Bounded Field would isolate any sound from escaping. While I knew not if a High Human could snore, it wouldn't do to subject Shiro to that when she had so graciously decided to stay with me on the three days trip out of concern for my emotional state. And then, there was Rin too. 'I'll thank her in the morning.'

Silently, I lied on my back, relaxing my muscles and soon enough, I too sunk into the black abyss of sleep.

—— [Fate: DML] ——

( The sky was dark and stormy that day, I only remembered running for my life as the Apostle followed closely behind me, somehow able to track me down despite my all efforts to cover the tracks.

Yet, he found me still.

I watched in horror as an invisible blade– Conjured not through any sort of elemental Magecraft, but the Concept itself– Shot towards me, its edge distorting the very Space around us. My fear increased when I saw that the Apostle wasn't done, cackling madly as he sent several more of the Spell my direction. Unlike Alexis who tried to wear my body down,

Santiago was attempting to empty me of my Mana Pool, and he was succeeding. 'Should I teleport away, grind to up my Skills and do this fight later?'

No, that wouldn't work. He was already aware of most of my repertoire, and in the Moonlit World, that kind of knowledge would give him an undeniable advantages against me. I'd be trading temporary relief for future annoyance– "What's wrong? I thought you were some hotshit? Lorelei's personal guard-dog, the Queen's Apprentice, Leonis the Calamitous… All these names have been bestowed upon you, I'd be severely disappointed if this is all you've got."

Honestly, what irritated me the most wasn't the Apostle's strength, it's how diverse and random his Spells were. It's like going up against a joke character who kept on t-bagging you at every possible turn and moment.

You'd expect a guy who specialized in Blade-Craft to use a blade and excel at melee-combat, but I hadn't once seen the fucker fight close-ranged. He always managed to escape my clutch somehow, creating distance and dodging strikes that would have otherwise erased half of his body. Hold tightening on Invictus and Infernal Iris, my sight swept over the battlefield littered with craters and holes.

"Face me like a man, you coward!"

As expected, the taunt did nothing but to amuse the Apostle. "Catch me if you– LEO-SENPAI!")

"Wake up, Leo-senpai!"

I gasped, swallowing a sharp breath to calm my nerves, flinching when I saw Shiro's worried and gentle gaze came into view. My hands, faster than I could think, zoomed in on her face.

Had I not stopped my punch in time, it would have gone straight through the amber-eyed Heroine's unprotected and non-reinforced face. To her credits, Shiro didn't even try to protect herself or activate her Circuits, eerily calm as she sat on my bed. This upset me, not Shiro, I was upset at myself. It was too close, way too fucking close, I nearly tore her skull open right then and there.

Rising from the mattress, I held my forehead which was drenched in cold sweats, though whether it was a result of the nightmare, or nearly having killed the protagonist of the Fate Franchise, I wasn't sure. "Are- Are you alright?"

"Am I alright?" Shiro scoffed. "Are you? You looked like you were in pain."

"Yeah… Sorry about that, I'm fine." I muttered, accepting the fact I'd be plagued by nightmares in the future.

It was never a problem when I was in the Witcher-Verse, but after so many fights and near-losses I was starting to notice certain changes in my behaviors. Whereas I was happy-go-lucky before, every fight now needed an extensive period of research and preparations. Not to say this wasn't good for me, though waking up hyperventilating and sweating bullets did affect my mentality a lot, more than I'd ever allow it to show.

"And please, don't ever approach me when I'm having a nightmare again. I appreciate your concern, but I was this close–" I brought my hand up as a demonstration. "– To looping your head off, Shiro-chan."

"But you stopped yourself in time, right?" Shiro replied with a nonchalant look, as though she couldn't quite understand what's wrong with what she did. "That- That's not the point, Shiro. You could have gotten seriously hurt!"

I scolded, yet the warmth in my chest made it nigh impossible for me to show my disapproval through my expression. "Just- Remember not to do it again, or at least try to protect yourself next time. I don't want to explain to Taiga why her surrogate little sister came to me looking relatively well and healthy, only to come back with her face all bashed in."

Shrugging, I glanced at the clock. "Oh? Look at that, it's almost three in the morning… You want to freshen up first, or should I?"

The amber-eyed Heroine took a sniff of me, and even though she tried her best to hide it, it was evident the smell of vomits was still quite prominent on my person, clinging to me like an obsessive-ex. Knowing she's just trying to be nice, I raised a thumb up to the girl. "Got it, I'll freshen up, in the meantime, why don't you go get your clothes from Rin and Sakura? You left your luggage in their room, right? And please help Sakura wake her sister too… Knowing Rin, Sakura will need the help."

Shiro replied with a faint and sleepy, "I will."

And with that, we split.

I thought that's the end of it, but just when I had a foot into the bathroom, Shiro called out to me. "Leo-senpai…"

"Yes?" I responded, blinking owlishly at the girl.

Shiro's face twisted in discomfort as she fidgeted. "Do- Do you want to talk about it?"

There was no need to clarify what she meant, we both knew it.

"It's just that, dad used to tell me I need to talk to someone about my nightmares, and that it will lighten the burden on me… So I thought–" Shiro's voice got smaller and smaller as she shoved her hands into her pockets, an act to alleviate the awkwardness she was going through, I assume. "Not today, Shiro-chan. Maybe later."

Our conversation ended as I went to the bathroom and Shiro to the Tohsaka.

I glanced at my face- the pale complexion, the dark circles under my eyes, the shortness of breaths accompanying every nightmare. I looked like a hot-mess, a dumpster fire left to fend for itself in the cold winter. What's worse were the pimples. Apparently, even a High Human wasn't immune to the effects of sleep deprivation and a side dish of light PTSD, who would have thought?

"Haaaaa…" I sighed loudly, plopping myself up with the sink.

"Now, to look somewhat presentable."

—— [Fate: DML] ——

"You- You want to ski down there? You do realize we're basically the only guests awake, and if you hit something and get injured, we're going to be hard-pressed to find a medical personnel?" I'd survive that shit, but not Taiga. While she was a genius in Martial Arts, she hadn't had the time to grow into it yet, if she were to hit a tree, it would likely break every bone in her body.

I could feed her a Healing Potion, though whether it would be effective for Martial Artists or not, I had no clue.

"What? You too chicken to try?" My eyelids twitched in anger. I was indeed too chicken to try, as she put it. It's not my fault the fucking skis hated my guts. I swore, I had tried putting them on differently, nothing changed, I still sucked at skiing- a sport that realistically I should be excelling at with my Supernatural Stats. What could I do? My legs refused to cooperate and my balance was all messed up.

"Heh… And here I thought you were a worthy rival, guess I was wrong." That smug look on Taiga annoyed me. "Fine! Whoever reaches the bottom last has to buy the other a snack of their choosing. Deal?"

"Deal!" We shook hands to finalize the Contract as Rin, Shiro and Sakura stared at us resignedly. "At this point, is it even worth the spits to talk them out of it?"

"I wish they'd just get along…" Shiro added.

Seconds later, Sakura quipped. "I doubt they will be hurt, Taiga-nee and Leo-senpai are quite strong after all."

To my surprise, Gil also decided to give her two cents on the matter. "Such childish antics. Very well, this graceful Majesty will sanction your duel. Winner will be bestowed an Artifact directly from my Treasury!"

He-He… I just had to teleport down there, that's a Mystic Code guaranteed– "You two must do this the traditional way, which means no Magecraft or dirty-tricks allowed, understood?"

And there went my excitement. 'Fuck it, what's the worst that could happen?'

Fired up by the festive atmosphere, the twin-tailed tsundere shouted loudly, right hand aiming to the sky.

"I'll be the judge." Taiga and I traded one last look, before we got into position… Well, I said we, but only Taiga had stepped in front of the line Rin had drawn, I was still struggling to balance myself. Seriously, this made not a lick of sense! I had ice-skated during one of the Missions before, I should be killing this too! "Ready?"

"NO!" I screamed.

"Get set!" The tsundere totally just ignored my scream!

"Wait, I'm–"

"GO!" Ah-Shit!

"The Tigress of Fuyuki is holding up quite well for a first-timer! But what's this? Leonis hasn't even left the starting line! What plans does he have?!" … Was- Was Sakura commenting on the match- duel- or whatever the Hell we had got going here?

Seeing my baffled look, the younger Tohsaka smiled, though I'd swear there's a hint of a sadistic smirk on her face. I had seen the same expression too many times on myself to not notice it. "What's this, contestant Leonis still hasn't left the starting line, is he really that confident in himself?!"

No! No I wasn't! I sent the younger girl a baleful glare, before following Taiga's example and… Rolled straight down the hill. "Dammmn- Itttt aaalll-!"

While Taiga gracefully maneuvered and weaved through the trees, I was stumbling down like a sad sack of potatoes, a flurry of limbs and torso, which ironically enough, turned out the be the faster way down. As I overtook the Tigress, a manic smile sprouted on my lips. The older woman did not miss it, flashing me a concentrated glare as she used the poles to propel herself forwards, gaining more and more momentum.

Meanwhile, my journey came to an abrupt stop as I collided with a tree, feeling as though my soul had been knocked out of my body.

The tree broke in half, yet that alone could not slow me down and I went ahead to collide with three more. By the time I escaped that death-trap, my lungs were burning, my body while still largely healthy, felt like it would break at any given moment. The metallic taste at the tip of my tongue was nausea-inducing, coupled with the constant circular motion, I was fairly sure I'd start throwing up blood.

Thankfully, that didn't happen.

I looked up from the heap of snow I had just gotten a taste of and cracked my neck. "You want to overtake me? In your dream, Leonis!"

"Okay… That is it. Kiddie gloves are off." Sure, Magecraft was disallowed, but there were more to me than just Magecraft.

Calves tensing, I catapulted myself from the ground, the shockwave I left behind kicking up a curtain of snows as I began to catch up to my opponent. Seeming to have finally realized what I was doing, Taiga shouted. "H- Hey! Your voodoos are illegal!"

"I'm not using Magecraft, ya' schmuck!" Rather than trying to slide on the blanket of snows, I instead acted like the skis were non-existent as I jumped, leaped and propelled myself further and further towards our destination. It didn't take long for me to pass Taiga, and even less for her to force herself to go faster. "Get that snack ready Taiga-nee, 'cause ain't no way I'm letting you take this W!"

To be honest, I was beginning to worry about her… With the speed she was going, Taiga would go splat real quick if she hit something. Thus, in spite of my taunts, I constantly looked back to check on the older woman whom I had grown quite attached to. Maybe not to the level of Gil, Shiro and Rin. Hell, I was certain her position in my heart was below that of Ciri and Triss, but I'd definitely be sad if an accident were to befall Taiga.

There was a reason why I chose to tell her about the Moonlit World, it's so she could protect herself. I had never understood why Superheroes never disclosed their identity to their loved ones or explain to them about the dangers of the World. Yes, there was a risk of your enemies targeting them, but wasn't that always a risk?

Sure enough, "Oh-Craaaap!"

"""Taiga-nee!/Nee-san?!/Leo, catch her!""" Three voices simultaneously echoed through the whistling winds as Taiga came nearer and nearer to a tree, having lost control after both her ski poles broke in half, unable to handle the pressure she was putting on them. "Dammit!"

She was too close for me to do anything!

Anything but…

In one instance, I was rolling down the hill, the next I floated between Taiga and the tree. Calling upon the Elder Blood, I tried my best to slow her fall without accidentally snapping her spine and neck. At this speed, she would–

* Slam

We collided with me bearing the blunt of the ' attack', which didn't really hurt or break anything, but it certainly knocked the air out of my lungs. As for Taiga, with her head hugged protectively in my chest, her neck and waist supported by my hands, she was in no danger. Seeing that, I was relieved. I'd let loose a sigh too, but I couldn't even concentrate hard enough to [Blink] us away, let alone sigh.

We went through five more trees before finally coming to a stop at the sixth, where I immediately began to suck in gulps of air for my protesting lungs.

"Leo…" Groggily, Taiga sat up, straddling my waist. Yet, the older woman didn't seem to realize the compromising positions we were in at all, concern and guilt visible on her expression. Gently, she touched my chest to check for injuries, fearing the worst. "Leonis! Oh-God, I'm so sorry! I- I didn't–"

"Re- Relax." I croaked in response. "I'm fine you haven't broken anything yet, Taiga-nee."

"What were you thinking?! Why would you attempt to break my fall so recklessly, Leo?!" Great, another lecture for saving her life, maybe I wouldn't try to seduce her after all. The thought barely ended when I felt salt enter my mouth– Tears. "Haaaaa… Why are you crying? I'm the one hurt here."

Taiga sniffed. "I- I'm not crying!"

"Yeah, you are." I poked at her cheek.

"We have to bring you to the hospital, there might be internal bleedings or something or–" I flicked her head. "It's not that painful, I'll be fine. But, I do think that's enough skiing for the day."

I chuckled lamely.

"NO! The worst wounds are most often the ones that don't hurt, don't you know?"

"And who told you that?"

"I don't know!" Hysterical, the usually confident Tigress shouted. "But I'm getting you to the infirmary whether you want it or not! That's non-negotiable!"

From my experience, the worst injuries were the ones that hurt the most. Just ask any Enforcer, they'd agree with me in a heartbeat. At the corner of my vision, I caught sight of the girls racing towards us and thought. 'Looks like they have finally caught up.'

"Fine, fine… But–"

"No buts!"

Reaching to massage my temples, I asked in a monotone voice. "You gotta get off me first, Taiga-nee. How are we supposed to go to the infirmary if you're straddling me?"

Then, a depraved smirk pulled at my lips. "Though, perhaps you will enjoy it more if we stay like this? I know I certainly aim."

To emphasize my point, I tightened the hold I had on Taiga's waist, startling her so much the older woman fell on top of me, our faces inches apart. Like a deer caught in the headlights, she stared at me owlishly, her mouth gaping open before the shock faded and her rationality kicked in. The woman quite literally jumped off me, "Pervert!"

She screamed, only to yelp when her left ankle refused to support her weight. "That looks twisted…"

I slowly rose to my feet, healthy and whole. Kneeling before Taiga, I gently touched her ankle, eliciting a pained and teary groan. "Yup, the joint is definitely twisted."

"Can- Can you do something with your Magic? It hurts really badly." This was what I was afraid of. I had no Support Spells capable of fixing injuries, and I couldn't risk letting her take a sip from the toxic Witcher Potions. Even if I knew it wouldn't hurt, a twisted joint or broken limbs were always a pain to deal with, since chances of them healing correctly once fed the Potions were close to none.

Thus I turned away, presenting my back to her. "Hop on, I'll get you to the infirmary."

Unlike every other time, Taiga didn't fight me on this, silently and obediently getting on my back, her legs circling my waist in an attempt to balance herself.

"Hey, Leo?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad Shiro has you as a friend… I know we fight a lot, but–" I could hear her licking her lips behind like, as though she's trying to taste the foreign words. "– You are a good person."

"A good person, huh?" I nearly scoffed at the sound of that.

'You don't know the half of it.'