“A pleasure doing business.”
Ryo smiled and extended his hand.
Algol took it.
Brief as it was, the sensation of that soft, smooth, slightly cool little hand had already been seared into Ryo’s memory.
Truly worthy of being the Number One Beauty of Little Garden.
Her skin is incredible.
Algol, however, shot him a look of pure disgust.
Without a word, she pulled out a handkerchief, wiped her hand, and glared at him.
Then, with a flicker of motion, her petite form dissolved into a beam of violet light and returned to the gorgon pendant in Shiroyasha’s hand.
“Catch.”
Shiroyasha tossed the pendant to Ryo with a grin, then sidled up and elbowed him.
“Hehe~ So?
Al-chan’s skin is amazing, right?”
Ryo recalled the sensation and said with feeling:
“It really is.”
“Let me tell you — in all of Little Garden, the only ones whose skin can compare to Al-chan’s are the Moon Rabbits.
And that’s from personal experience.”
Shiroyasha snickered in Ryo’s ear.
It had been a long time since she’d met a junior so compatible with her tastes.
She had to show off her experience, right?
Ryo, meanwhile, was wondering exactly what Shiroyasha must have done to gain that kind of “personal experience.”
Beside them, Lamia — overhearing Shiroyasha’s outrageous commentary — silently backed up a few steps, glancing at Ryo with an unreadable expression.
Later, after Ryo and Lamia had left the room—
Shiroyasha carefully checked her quarters for any lingering trace of Athena’s presence.
Finding none, she rapped the table and laughed.
“Never thought I’d misjudge someone.
The kid isn’t overestimating himself — he’s actually got it figured out.”
“That puts my mind at ease.
I don’t have to worry about Al-chan sweet-talking him into a fight with Athena.”
Who was Algol?
A raging narcissist.
The worst-tempered of the Three Great Problem Children.
The most reckless, the most cold-blooded.
Working with Algol was like making a deal with a tiger.
If Ryo didn’t have strong enough backing or wasn’t clever enough, Algol would get him killed.
Algol wasn’t exactly a genius either.
“Fear not a godlike enemy, fear a piglike ally.”
Used well, Algol was the perfect helper.
Used poorly?
You’d be lucky just to survive.
Shiroyasha narrowed her eyes, covering her mouth with her fan.
“Speaking of which — whose dragon brat is that kid, anyway?
There’s been no word of anyone awakening as a Dragon on the Eastern side recently.
And awakened dragons don’t usually need to grow from infancy.”
She paused, her expression turning strange.
“Could Ryo actually be a newly emerged Pureblood Dragon?”
In Little Garden, Pureblood Dragons were born in one of two ways.
The first: someone from the East — a person of Huaxia descent — matured to a certain point, broke away from Human History, and awakened as a Dragon.
The second: a being formed spontaneously from the convergence of powerful forces.
It was hard to say which was stronger.
After all, reaching three-digit was easy for any Pureblood Dragon.
The more Shiroyasha thought about it, the more likely it seemed — and the wider her grin grew.
“If that’s the case, I really should get on that kid’s good side early.”
Setting down her fan, she picked up the decorative conch shell on the table and cleared her throat.
“Send word: I want all recent intel on Athena and Perseus’s movements.
Also, any reports of newly appeared Dragons in Little Garden.”
She placed the conch back and said meaningfully:
“Looks like a new Problem Child will be appearing in Little Garden soon.”
“But what’s that got to do with me?
I’ve long since retired from the Problem Child scene.
I’m reformed now.”
The streets of Outer Gate 3345.
Dressed in simple clothes, Ryo walked hand in hand with Lamia through the bustling streets.
As a four-digit Outer Gate with Shiroyasha in residence, this place was remarkably prosperous.
Even in the morning, plenty of people were out shopping.
The air was filled with the sound of conversation and vendors hawking their wares.
Though Little Garden was a world where gods and demons walked side by side, its technology was by no means primitive.
When it came to enjoying life, gods, demons, and asuras never skimped.
So aside from the beastmen, spirits, and other non-human races — dressed in every imaginable style — the streets looked much like a modern city.
Ryo tilted his head toward the petite Lamia at his side.
Noticing her slightly gloomy expression, he asked with a teasing edge:
“What’s wrong?
Still upset I didn’t agree to break your mother’s curse?”
“Master, it’s not that at all.”
Lamia mumbled, looking down at her modest chest, then at their clasped hands.
Ryo smiled and ruffled her hair.
“Come on.
What I said earlier wasn’t a lie.
In about three years, we’ll be able to break your mother’s curse.”
In the original story, the curse was broken around this time period.
Lamia squeezed his hand and muttered:
“So…
was the hand feel really that good?”
“Cough cough”
Ryo choked.
So that’s what this was about.
She was jealous.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, keeping his voice as steady as possible:
“Your skin feels wonderful too, Lamia.
In my opinion, it’s no worse than Algol’s.”
He gave her cheek a gentle pinch, then turned to order from the waiter.
Lamia watched him go with a slightly helpless smile.
“Master really doesn’t understand a maiden’s heart.”
At that moment, Ryo quietly reached out to Algol in the seal:
“Hey, Al-chan.
Want some dessert?”
Their relationship wasn’t exactly warm, but they were more or less companions now.
No point leaving her out.
“Of course I want some!”
“And don’t forget to buy me the latest cosmetics and skincare!
None of that cheap mass-produced stuff!!”
Algol didn’t hold back in the slightest.
“No money.”
Ryo spread his hands, expressionless.