Leonel froze, his entire body tensing. He felt a hand grab onto him below, but he didn't even have the courage to look down.

"Aina…?"

Leonel's voice came out exceptionally hoarse. It bordered on the growl of a beast, just the sound alone made Aina shudder, her hold on Leonel's waist becoming tighter.

Leonel tried to pull away, but Aina's strength was far beyond his own. One of her arms wrapped around his waist like a vice grip while the other reached out a hand and found a place on his heated shaft.

The temperature of Leonel's body seemed to skyrocket, a fog beginning to emit from his reddening skin.

Compared to the grip around his waist, her hand was exceptionally gentle. Though she hardly moved, it made Leonel's knees weak. He didn't think that there could be such a marvelous feeling in the world. But, something was eating at the back of his mind.

Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance to think about it.

Leonel felt his body being pushed forward. Before he could realize what was happening, he found himself at the edge of the pool and being spun around.

At this point, he truly wanted to shed tears. Why did he feel more like a rag doll than a man? How was she so much stronger than him?

Leonel's Metal Body had entered the Perfection Realm now thanks to the Urbe Essence he found within Camelot's vaults. Soon afterward, his body naturally progressed to the Fourth Dimension. Yet, he was still so much weaker than Aina.

Of course, this was likely because Metal Body focused more on defense rather than strength and it could only exhibit a portion of its ability without Leonel activating his Runes. But, it was still a shocking feat nonetheless.

Leonel's back was pressed against the side of the pool before being pressed down into a seated position. He hardly caught a glimpse of Aina before she straddled him.

With Aina grasping a hold of such a sensitive part of him, Leonel couldn't resist even if he wanted to. But, he panicked when he realized what Aina was doing.

Leonel felt the tip of his rod suddenly press against soft flesh that separated out into folds.

He felt like such a fool. It hadn't even entered yet, but he realized that calling just a hand the best feeling was nothing more than pure ignorance. If there was anything that could possibly feel better than this, it must only exist in a world of Gods.

However, it was this very intoxicating feeling that made Leonel's panic reach a fever pitch.

Judging by Aina's position straddling over him like this, he didn't need to guess what this feeling was. Even as a virgin, he would be too much of a fool to not understand.

From Leonel's vantage point, all he could see was a wall of wet hair blocking Aina's face as she looked down as though fiddling with something. Her movements were awkward and erratic, her every action carrying a clearly discernible trembling. She had gone from a highly coordinated athlete to what looked like a person who couldn't even tie her own shoes.

Leonel could hear a slight whimpering coming from Aina as though she was trying to hold back and ignore pain she was suffering through. But, a barrier seemed to stop her from going any further. So, she tried harder, trying to force her body down. As she did so, the sharp pain she was feeling seemingly only became worse.

At that moment, Leonel finally regained his strength, the haziness in his gaze vanishing. That uncomfortable feeling at the back of his head, that very thing he had ignored until now came bubbling forth.

All of this felt wrong. No, it was wrong.

"AINA!"

The roar caused the Abode Setting to tremble, even the waters parted beneath Leonel's shout. Violent ripples spread, sending a wave of Cleansing Water surging out.

The hair that covered Aina's face parted beneath the forcefulness of Leonel's shout. For the first time since they entered this pool together, Leonel gaze landed on Aina's face. But, what he saw left him heartbroken.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, her eyes swollen with redness.

Leonel felt like such a fool.

Aina's boldness, her asking him to wash her back, to remove the light curtain, even down to trying to wash his back as well… Were those really things she wanted to do?

He was an idiot. Blinded by his own lust, he just nodded like a pecking chicken, following along as though he could no longer think with his head. Because he wanted it so much for it to be her words, her feelings, he ignored everything else and went with the flow, disregarding how ridiculous it all was.

"Aina…"

Leonel gently grasped Aina's face, his heart trembling with guilt.

Aina hiccupped, wiping her tears away as fast as she could.

"… I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Aina sobbed.

She felt so stupid. She was almost there, but she just had to start crying. Just one more push and she would have broken through.

"… Don't… Don't leave me again… I'll do it, I can do it…"

Leonel's gaze reddened. His arms wrapped around Aina, his hand caressing the back of her head. He held her firmly against his chest, his jaw clenched.

He didn't expect that leaving Aina for a few months would have such an effect. He had only wanted to give her some space to sort out her emotions, but he hadn't thought this would be the result. How could he not feel guilty?

As though a wall had broken down between them, Aina broke out into a fit of sobs. Her hands balled into fists that rested on Leonel's chest. She tried to bury her head in the same place, her emotions spilling over.

She never said it, but she had felt afraid. She was afraid that Leonel wouldn't come back, afraid that he really would abandon her. And, the worst part was that it would all be her fault, all because she couldn't open her mouth to speak, all because she couldn't communicate how she felt.

All she could think of during these past few months were Leonel's words, how he could grow apart from her if she pushed him away… It was her fault, she had done exactly that…

She felt she had to do something to make him stay… She had to.

But, she never understood why Leonel liked her to begin with. She didn't feel like she was special, she didn't think she had anything else to give. This was the only thing she could think of…

"I won't. I won't leave you again."

Leonel's voice rumbled, the vibrations flowing through his chest. Aina could feel every word, every syllable, every ounce of will backing them.

Aina collapsed onto Leonel completely, letting him support the entirety of her weight. Her tears spilled forth in a flood.. They fell down Leonel's chest in a torrent, only to be washed away by the Cleansing Waters.