Though he was surprised by Yuri's warp-like movement speed, the main reason for Gandr's inability to react could be attributed to his focus being split between Vahn and Phae. This made it difficult to enter the State of Nothingness quickly, so, in response to Yuri's sudden caress; he made eye contact with the increasingly annoyed woman, his hands continuing to knead her breasts even as she asked, "What do you think you're doing…?"
With the tips of his nails poking tiny holes into the fabric of her blouse, Gandr maintained a perfect deadpan as he plainly replied, "Oh? I thought we were just ignoring boundaries and doing whatever we felt like doing. A Vanargandr's ears are one of the most sensitive spots on their entire body. This is about the equivalent."
Since Yuri hadn't stopped fluffing up his ears, Gandr took things a step further by lightly poking her nipple through the fabric of her blouse, undershirt, and bra. This caused a red flush to immediately spread across her face, and, as could be expected, she grabbed the sides of his head in an attempt to 'lightly' headbutt him. Unfortunately for her, Gandr had already primed himself to enter the State of Nothingness so Yuri ended up phasing through him, losing her balance and nearly face-planting into the ground.
Like a Demon God who had just been released from ten-thousand-years of imprisonment, the void around Yuri's body began to tremble in response to the surging of her aura. Both Anak and Endorsi were forced back as the ground around her, influenced by the growing pressure, began to sink and compress as her hair, previously dark-brown, became an inky bluish-black. At the same time, almost as if she had become a black hole, all the Shinsu in the surroundings began to surge into her body, drastically increasing her strength as red lightning began to dance across her clenched fists.
Though he knew he had probably gone a little too far, Gandr didn't back down in the face of Yuri's surging aura. Instead, a mischievous smile spread across his face as he asked, "What? Did you want me to just stand there and be grateful for your sexual harassment? You might be a beauty, but I'm not some pet you can just stroke and fondle as you please…!"
Anticipating a battle, Gandr placed his hand on Laev-tan's grip, but, almost as if her aura had been nothing more than an illusion, all the Shinsu in the surroundings turned docile as Yuri smiled back and asked, "You think I'm a beauty? You're pretty bold to flirt with a Princess of Jahad~."
Feeling like all the wind had been taken out of his sails, Gandr just stared back at Yuri with his hand still holding Laev-tan's grip. He got the feeling he was being lured into some kind of trap, but, with Yuri's aura becoming mellow and fluttery, it was difficult to maintain a battle-ready posture…
Noticing Gandr's confusion, Yuri puffed out her rather sizeable chest, arms akimbo, and a massive grin on her face as she exclaimed, "Very well then! Since I did promise you a reward, I'll let you off with just a warning this time. What's your name, kid? Ah, I'm Ha Yuri Jahad, by the way! Feel free to call me by my first name from now on~."
Restraining a sigh, Gandr removed his hand from Laev-tan, but, still feeling a certain 'danger' from the woman before him, he kept the State of Nothingness active as he replied, "My name is Gandr. I already heard about you from my Master so I'm guessing you came for the Black March?"
Sensing that Gandr was still in the strange state where she couldn't touch him, Yuri was finding it increasingly hard to maintain her smile. She still wanted to teach him a lesson, but, after hearing his words, her thoughts immediately shifted to the greater meaning contained within, asking, "Master? Are you related to that man who calls himself the Sage Dragon Emperor…?"
Seeing Gandr nod in approval, Yuri couldn't help but adopt an excited smile as she asked, "Are you also an Irregular!? Are there more of you!?"
As he would much rather deal with Yuri using his Vahn and Phae personas, Gandr didn't bother to answer her question directly, crossing his arms as he stated, "If you want to know more, you'll have to speak with my Master. I'm not the type of person who shares secrets without anything to gain."
Though she was a little annoyed by Gandr's words, seeing him posturing with such an adorable appearance made it hard for Yuri to stay mad at him. As a result, she just clicked her tongue before looking to where Anak had been scattered, saying, "Sure. I'll have a nice long chat with him once I finish up here. For now, I'll be taking the Green April back with me. Even if your team has a bunch of Irregulars on it, possessing one of the Thirteen Month Series will bring you too much trouble. I'll be holding onto it until she is strong enough to become a Ranker."
Despite speaking to Gandr, Yuri continued to stare directly at Anak, her words leaving no room for discussion. This caused the latter to immediately become hostile, but, before she could complicate things by trying to fight against a High Ranker, Gandr preempted her by saying, "Anak. I understand your desire to hold onto the Green April, but Yuri is right. You need to become much stronger if you want to properly wield a weapon like that. At your current level, it is actually holding you back. Trust in my Master and Phae…besides, even if we all worked together, we wouldn't be able to prevent this woman from taking the Green April…"
Amused by Gandr's words, the intimidating light faded from Yuri's eyes as she mused, "You have a talent for flattery, don't you? I am curious, though…what is your relationship with my adorable little sister and niece? Are you their boyfriend…?"
Rolling his eyes in response to Yuri's question, Gandr was about to refute her words when Endorsi suddenly stated, "That's right. He and Anak have a bit of puppy love between them and I've already set my sights on his future self. You're too late to the party if you want to snatch a piece of this pie, you cradle-robbing snake…!"
Rather than feel offended by Endorsi's words, Yuri couldn't help but chuckle in response due to the reaction from Gandr. His complexion had paled, and, though he didn't overtly deny Endorsi's words, it was clear he wasn't in agreement with them. Of course, even if this hadn't been the case, it didn't really matter. The Ha Family, one of the Ten Great Families, didn't have the tradition of marriage or monogamy. Even her Great Grandmother, the leader of the Ha Family, had numerous partners over the last ten-thousand-years, as, with very few exceptions, relationships were simply transient things when you were Immortal.
Though she was 'forbidden' from being in a relationship due to her status as a Princess of Jahad, Yuri knew her Great Grandmother would side with her so long as she found someone 'worthy' to be her partner. The Ha Family was considered the 'strongest' among the Ten Great Families due to their natural affinity with body strengthening and physical reinforcement. Because of this, they looked for partners with high physical capabilities or natural talent, often pursuing them relentlessly due to the family's motto of, "No matter what, charge forward."
When Yuri had first heard about an Irregular entering the Tower, she had rushed down at her fastest speed in order to make her 'claim' as early as possible. She knew just how ridiculous their strength could be due to her 'friendship' with Ureko Mazino, the current Rank 4 in the entire Tower. Thus, in the hope of recruiting an Irregular into their faction and potentially meeting the man of her dreams, Yuri had descended to the First Floor to discover…Baam, an exceptionally weak yet determined boy.
If she were being honest, Yuri was a little depressed regarding Baam's strength due to the fact his physical appearance was a 'home run' for her. She had a thing for 'younger' men, and, though very few people knew about it, she even played a special Dating Sim where the primary goal was to rear young boys into the man of your dreams. Baam's appearance just so happened to match one of her favorite boys, so, when she first laid eyes on him, Yuri went from cloud nine to the bottommost pit of hell when she realized that, despite his appearance, Baam was exceptionally weak…
To make matters even worse, another Irregular showed up almost immediately after Baam, proving just how weak the boy was by easily passing the test that nearly killed the former. This caused Yuri to harbor a bit of hatred towards the 'old man', as, not only had he been rude to her, his power and presence completely overshadowed Baam. He was even capable of producing an aura, that, despite being much weaker than her own, caused Yuri's heart to palpitate with excitement.
Though Vahn didn't meet any of her standards regarding physical appearance and demeanor, Yuri couldn't deny that his power had a certain magnetic attraction. Even if she couldn't secure him for herself, she could at least pull him into the Ha Family and arrange things between him and one of her aunts. There was even a chance her Great Grandmother might take an interest in the man, as, after thousands of years of traipsing about, the only real standard she used to judge men was their strength.
Now that she had learned there were other Irregulars connected to Vahn, Yuri was determined to pull him over to their side. Gandr also hit all of her checkboxes concerning potential partners, and, though he had a bit of a 'wild' charm to him, his hair and eye color were very similar to Baam's. He was also extremely 'bold', a trait that gave him an edge against someone as naive and innocent as Baam seemed to be. Of course, the most important thing was that he was already strong enough to defeat a Ranker, and, though it was bound to have an exploitable weakness, his ability to become immaterial was, simply put, exceptional.
Convinced that Gandr was a 'big catch', Yuri met Endorsi's gaze with a confident grin as she mused, "Too late? Is that really the case? Tell me, Ghosty, do those eyes make it harder for you to see? Look at these holes in my blouse and then try to make the same argument. Besides, didn't you hear him? He clearly said I was beautiful. Even if he's just a boy, it's pretty obvious he has already developed a few preferences~."
Seeing the small holes in Yuri's blouse, Endorsi couldn't help but click her tongue before looking towards Gandr with an accusatory stare. She didn't actually see him as a potential love interest, at least for the time being, but that didn't mean she was completely indifferent to his actions. She had never expected him to spontaneously fondle the breasts of a woman he had just met, even if it was to prove some kind of point. This made her feel a little disappointed in him, as, despite being a bit of a mischief-maker, Gandr was surprisingly sensible and mature when he needed to be…
Feeling like an older sister who had just discovered her adorable little brother's porn collection, a tired sigh escaped Endorsi's lips as she shook her head in exasperation. Then, without cowering in the face of Yuri's intimidating presence, a resolute glimmer flashed across her eyes as she said, "I won't let some strange woman sink her fangs into Gandr. Even if you're his type, I won't let him be led astray by some granny pushing six-hundred. There are plenty of men for you to chase at the top of the Tower. Don't interfere with the matters taking place near the bottom."
Even if it came across as false bravado, Yuri was still impressed by her younger sister's resolution. It had absolutely no impact on her decision, but, at the very least, she was impressed that someone as weak as Endorsi dared to stand up to her. This caused an approving smile to spread across her face as she said, "Okay then. I won't promise to stay away, but I can at least give you until the 20th Floor to strengthen your bond. That gives you a 2-3 year head start. After that, you only have yourself to blame if you can't keep your man under control."
As a member of the Ha Family, a matriarchal lineage that elevated women above men, most of the core family members lived by the belief that a man was only loyal when their woman was stronger than them. Because of this, the women in the Ha Family began training even before they knew how to read and write. Many, despite being hundreds of years old, didn't even know basic mathematics, as, in their minds, the only things that truly mattered was strength. This caused a number of people to joke about them being 'brainless machos', but, as one of the few Great Families that hadn't fallen to corruption and hedonism, they didn't really care about the opinions of others…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Endorsi is feeling threatened xD','So…Amazons? Amazons.','I kind of feel bad for the other members of Team Wolf Pack…')
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