Chapter 157: Jealous Husbands

Sora was still trying to understand how quickly everything had changed.

One moment, she had been standing in the hot spring with Ryan, marveling at the way his expression had completely transformed.

The next, his gaze had become intense and unwavering.

Ryan held her securely around the waist, his silver-blue tail moving gently beneath the warm water. His blue eyes were fixed on her with an intensity she had never seen from him before.

The light reflected off the surface of the spring and danced across his face.

Sora stared at him.

For the first time, she truly noticed just how striking Ryan’s eyes were.

They were a clear, deep blue, shimmering beneath the water like two pieces of the ocean itself.

How did I never notice this before?

Ryan had always seemed cold and distant.

His personality had made it easy to overlook his appearance.

But now, with his expression softened and his attention entirely focused on her, Sora suddenly found herself slightly mesmerized.

Ryan slowly leaned closer.

His hand moved gently from her shoulder as he pulled her nearer.

Sora’s heart began beating faster.

Before she could say anything, Ryan kissed her again.

The kiss lasted longer than Sora expected.

Being a merman, Ryan seemed remarkably comfortable in the water, and he had no difficulty holding his breath.

Sora, however, was not nearly as talented.

After a short while, she pulled back slightly.

"Wait... wait a moment."

Her voice came out breathless.

Ryan immediately noticed.

He released her and allowed her to lift her face fully above the water.

Sora took several deep breaths.

I’m alive.

She couldn’t help feeling that Ryan was far too comfortable in the water.

But before she could recover completely, Ryan’s tail moved beneath the surface.

The next moment, he shifted their position, moving with the natural strength of a creature born for the water.

Sora’s cheeks became hot.

The water splashed around them as Ryan held her securely, and the warm spring seemed to amplify every movement.

She had never thought much about what it meant for a merman to be in his natural environment.

Now she understood.

Ryan was completely different here.

His movements were smooth and effortless.

He seemed to belong to the water itself.

Sora felt herself becoming increasingly flustered.

The sound of splashing water echoed around the quiet hot spring.

She could barely think straight.

So this is what people mean by a fish in water?

Her mind was becoming hazy.

Time passed without her noticing.

It wasn’t until the sunlight shifted and the angle of the shadows changed that Sora finally realized how long they had been there.

She suddenly remembered something important.

"The pig!"

Ryan paused.

Sora quickly pushed herself upright.

"They’re waiting for us to roast the pig."

Ryan looked reluctant to stop.

But eventually, his silver-blue tail withdrew from around her legs.

He followed Sora out of the water.

Somehow, he had already found one of her dry beast-skin skirts.

He handed it to her without saying anything.

Sora took it.

She didn’t even bother asking where he had found it.

There were far too many questions in her head already.

She quickly put it on.

Fortunately, despite everything that had just happened, she didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable.

Her skin was naturally somewhat darker, so the faint marks left by the water and their prolonged time together weren’t particularly noticeable.

Sora glanced down at herself.

At least there was one advantage to having darker skin.

She checked herself carefully and confirmed that everything was fine.

Then she headed toward the Wild Kitchen.

Ryan followed behind her.

By the time Sora entered the kitchen, she had already composed herself.

But the moment she stepped inside, she stopped.

Six pairs of eyes turned toward her.

Every single one of them was staring.

Ace.

Xavier.

Lucas.

Lukan.

Damien.

And Ryan, who had just entered behind her.

Their gazes swept over Sora from head to toe.

It was as though they were trying to inspect her for clues.

Sora’s eyebrow twitched.

"What are you looking at?"

No one answered immediately.

Sora crossed her arms.

"Has the pig been cleaned?"

She looked around at them.

"If you’re finished staring at me, tell me whether the pig is ready."

Why should they be allowed to stare at her openly while she couldn’t ask them questions?

Besides, Sora was certain there was nothing unusual about her appearance.

She was perfectly fine.

Ace gave a soft snort.

"The pig has been washed."

His voice was suspiciously sarcastic.

"But I don’t know whether someone still has enough strength left to deal with it."

Sora narrowed her eyes.

That sounded like more than an ordinary comment.

She looked directly at Ace.

"Don’t you want to eat roasted piglet today?"

Ace immediately fell silent.

Of course he wanted to eat it.

He had personally helped clean the pig.

He had scrubbed it so thoroughly that the skin practically shone.

Why shouldn’t he be allowed to eat it?

But the real reason for his irritation was obvious.

He looked at Sora with a mixture of grievance and frustration.

"I washed the pig."

He paused.

"So why shouldn’t I get to eat it?"

His gaze shifted meaningfully toward her.

"You’re the one who still has the energy to make it, aren’t you?"

Sora’s expression stiffened.

Ace’s next words made the meaning even clearer.

"Are you sure you can stand long enough to roast it?"

Sora’s cheeks warmed.

She stared at him.

The more she listened, the more she felt that Ace’s words contained another meaning.

Does he know something?

Her heart skipped.

A faint sense of guilt appeared.

But almost immediately, she pushed it away.

Why should she feel guilty?

Everyone knew she had drawn lots for the Moon God Festival.

Everyone knew that Ryan was her designated partner for the day.

She hadn’t deliberately chosen him.

The stone had been selected randomly.

If anyone was unhappy, they could blame their own luck.

Besides...

Sora secretly rolled her eyes.

Regardless of which beastman had drawn the stone, she was the one who ended up exhausted.

Why was everyone acting as though she had committed some terrible offense?

It wasn’t as if the others had never been intimate with her before.

They were her beast husbands.

In the beast world, this wasn’t considered betrayal.

There was no concept of cheating in the same way there had been in the apocalypse.

Sora suddenly felt that her moral standards had become dangerously flexible.

Am I becoming one of those ridiculous playboys from the apocalypse?

She quickly corrected herself.

No.

At least her situation was legal according to the customs of this world.

She had multiple beast husbands.

The Moon God Festival itself allowed females to spend the day with the beastman they selected.

And today, Ryan had been selected by fate.

Therefore, technically speaking, she hadn’t broken any rules.

With that thought, Sora felt slightly less guilty.

She looked toward the others.

"Where is the piglet?"

She placed her hands on her hips.

"Do you really think I don’t have enough energy to roast it?"

Lucas looked skeptical.

He had been watching Sora carefully since she entered.

His expression clearly said that he didn’t believe her.

Sora noticed.

But she was too lazy to argue.

She simply walked farther into the Wild Kitchen.

"Bring the pig here."

Lucas and Damien exchanged glances.

Xavier remained silent.

Lukan’s eyes curved slightly, as if he had already guessed what had happened.

Ryan, meanwhile, stood quietly behind Sora.

His expression was calmer than before.

But there was still a noticeable softness in his eyes whenever he looked at her.

That didn’t escape Xavier.

His purple eyes darkened.

Ace noticed it too.

So did Lucas.

The atmosphere in the kitchen became strangely tense.

Sora, however, was focused entirely on dinner.

She had already decided what she wanted to do.

The pig needed to be seasoned properly.

She needed spices, salt, and herbs.

Then she would wrap it carefully and roast it over the fire.

If she allowed the others to continue staring at her like this, they would never finish preparing the meal.

"Why are you all standing there?"

Sora looked around.

"Didn’t you say the pig was ready?"

The beastmen finally began moving.

Lucas went to retrieve the cleaned pig.

Damien prepared the firewood.

Lukan began arranging the cooking tools.

Xavier quietly gathered the seasonings.

Ace reluctantly followed.

Sora watched them work and couldn’t help smiling.

No matter how jealous they became...

They still couldn’t resist helping when food was involved.

Ryan remained beside her.

Sora glanced at him.

Their eyes met.

She immediately remembered what had happened at the hot spring.

Her cheeks warmed.

Ryan’s expression softened.

Neither of them said anything.

But their silence was enough to make the others suspicious all over again.

Sora quickly turned away.

"Ryan, go help them."

Ryan nodded.

He walked toward the others.

The moment his back was turned, Sora touched her lips unconsciously.

Her heart beat faster.

She still couldn’t understand how everything had escalated so quickly.

She had begun the day thinking about strategy points.

She had planned to impress Ryan with the mirror.

Instead, her strategy had somehow turned into something completely unexpected.

And now she had six beastmen watching her every move.

Sora sighed.

Moon God Festival really is troublesome.

Yet despite the headache, she couldn’t deny one thing.

Ryan’s transformation had been real.

The cold, distant merman who had once seemed interested only in technology was now openly showing affection.

And judging from the system values...

Her strategy had worked far better than expected.

Perhaps too well.

Sora looked toward Ryan again.

He was helping Lucas with the pig, his silver-blue hair catching the sunlight.

For some reason, seeing him there made her heart flutter.

She quickly shook the feeling away.

There was still dinner to prepare.

The pig needed seasoning.

And if she didn’t get started soon, none of them would have anything to eat.

"All right," she announced. "Let’s get this pig roasted."

The beastmen immediately began working.

But even as the fire crackled and the scent of fresh meat slowly filled the Wild Kitchen, the tension between the six beast husbands remained.

The Moon God Festival had only just begun.

And Sora had already created another problem without meaning to.

This time, the problem had a name.

Ryan.