The two of them walked and talked, side by side. Hearing his words, a trace of regret appeared on Mary’s small face. "A pity, this is the Sin Realm."
Eros’s expression remained nonchalant. "Don’t you think the Sin Realm makes it even more exciting?"
Mary’s eyes lit up. "Now that you mention it... yeah!" She slapped Eros on the thigh and praised, "As expected of you~ you certainly know a lot~"
Eros replied with mock humility, "Not at all! I still have much to learn from Teacher Mary."
Mary burst into laughter, her eyes shimmering with playful affection as she looked up at him. "I find myself liking you more and more. It’s such a shame—if we make it back alive this time, I’ll have to return to Haidaram. Hey~ if we really survive this, remember to come find me in Haidaram when you're free. I'll take you to play some... exciting things~"
By the end, her tone had turned mysterious, her large eyes brimming with mischievous intent.
Eros cleared his throat, hand over his mouth, and spoke with solemn sincerity: "I will. Whether it’s exciting or not doesn’t matter—the main thing is I just want to see you."
Mary bit her lip, her eyes curving into happy crescents. "You’re a smooth talker. I like hearing that."
They chatted for a while longer until they reached Annie. Seeing Annie standing there, Eros suddenly found himself at a loss for words, and Annie’s expression was equally strained. The reason she had kept a cold, stiff face earlier was simply that she didn't know how to face him.
An impulsive night was one thing, but meeting again afterward was pure awkwardness—especially since she had followed the others in removing her mask later on. Had she kept it on, she could have continued to deceive herself.
Looking at the strikingly statuesque Annie, Eros gave a dry laugh and stammered out, "Hello!"
Annie’s expression was just as stiff. "He... Hello!" she stammered back.
This behavior was a complete mismatch for her "Ice Queen" persona, but it created an unexpectedly charming "gap moe" effect.
It was at that moment that Mary stealthily moved behind Annie, a wicked grin on her face. She gave a sudden, firm shove.
Annie let out a sharp gasp as she stumbled forward. Eros instinctively opened his arms. Thump! The two collided, and Annie fell directly into Eros’s embrace. Feeling the soft weight pressed against his chest, Eros’s expression turned peculiar.
He saw Mary behind Annie, grinning mischievously while giving him an "OK" hand sign. A flash of realization hit him. Beneath him, Annie’s body went rigid as she felt Eros holding her. She lowered her voice and hissed urgently, "Let me go!"
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Eros let out a low chuckle. Having understood Mary’s intent, he wasn't about to let go. "I won't!"
Upon hearing this, Annie’s face turned red at a visible speed. She struggled violently in his arms, but it was futile. Eros’s arms were like bands of steel, locking her in place; no matter how much strength she exerted, she couldn't budge him an inch.
Realizing she couldn't break free, Annie turned her glaring gaze toward Mary. She truly hadn't expected her "sister" to throw her under the bus like this.
Facing Annie’s glare, Mary looked innocent. "We’ve done far more 'excessive' things than this. It’s just a hug, what’s the big deal?~"
Annie snorted and finally stopped struggling. After the little commotion, the awkward atmosphere from before had largely dissipated. Eros manifested a vine chair behind himself and sat down, pulling Annie onto his lap.
Annie suppressed her inner shame, her voice frantic. "Don't do this! What if someone comes out and sees?"
As soon as she spoke, the dormant vines began to grow and intertwine again. They formed a thick wall of greenery between them and the camp, perfectly shielding them from view. Once she realized they were hidden, Annie stopped resisting and cooperatively sat on Eros’s thigh, even though he had already loosened his grip.
Mary blinked, then climbed onto Eros’s other thigh, sitting opposite Annie. "Don't you think we look like a family of three?" Mary suddenly remarked, looking from Annie to Eros.
"Are... are you joking? We both have blonde hair; how could we give birth to a pink-haired child like you?" Annie retorted, her face flushed as she stammered.
"Oh! Then I can be the child from you and your ex-husband. That works, right?" Mary replied with a look of total indifference.
Annie opened her mouth, but found herself speechless. Eros’s expression, however, was quite strange. This scene gave him a bizarre sense of déjà vu. Oh! I get it now. It's you, Akizuki Mary!!! (Note: A reference to the infamous anime Bible Black/Father's Love). No wonder it felt so familiar.
Just then, another seductive female voice rang out: "My, my! Look what I’ve found... a few stray cats stealing a treat~"
Eros recognized the voice—it was familiar, likely another attendee from that certain "gathering." He turned his head and saw a tall, exquisitely beautiful and sultry woman standing by the edge of the vine wall.
"Claire? Why are you here?" Annie asked, her body stiffening in panic.
"Oh dear! If I hadn't come, were you planning on playing without me?" Claire sighed, her expression full of feigned resentment.
Mary hopped down from Eros’s lap and gave a curtsy. "Good evening, Princess Claire."
Claire sighed again, her sultry eyes still carrying a hint of grievance. "Little Mary, if I hadn't stayed awake and heard the noise outside, were you planning on never notifying me?"
Mary looked embarrassed, waving her hands frantically. "I... I thought you were asleep, so I didn't want to disturb you!"
"Is that so?~" A sliver of doubt appeared on Claire’s refined face.
"Of course!" Mary’s expression was earnest, her tone sincere.
"Then I suppose I'll reluctantly believe you this time~" After saying this, Claire walked over to Eros on her long, slender legs.
She first glanced at Annie, who was still sitting on Eros’s lap, and then, without a care, leaned her fair, delicate palm against Eros’s chest. She leaned down until her nose was almost touching his, smiled seductively, and spoke in a voice dripping with charm:
"We meet again... my Prince!"
"Hello, Claire," Eros greeted her politely.
"I am not doing well at all, Prince. You arrived and didn't even notify me, choosing instead to get cozy with this tomboy while leaving me aside. It truly breaks my heart!" Claire’s face was the picture of sorrow, her voice thick with piteous resentment.