Chapter 318: Coding [Getting Over It] with one hand...

The girls were incredibly decisive. After deciding on a beach vacation, they contacted the Akane Resort through Magic Net that same evening, requesting to book the entire place for a week.

Although it was February—a low season for tourism—Akane Resort was the most famous vacation destination in the Fiore Kingdom.

The resort's manager initially refused. Blocking off the entire resort for a week would disrupt other guests and seemed unreasonable.

That was until Lucy mentioned, "My boyfriend is Nate."

The manager froze on the spot, left with no choice but to agree to Lucy's request. However, the duration was adjusted from one week to three days. Publicly, the resort announced it would be closing for three days for "repairs and maintenance."

Of course, Nate would be footing the bill. But money was no longer an issue for him. The recently concluded Pokémon Tournament had been hugely profitable. While the prize money went to the champion, ticket sales alone had generated significant revenue.

Two days later, at noon, a group of beautifully dressed women boarded the train to Akane Resort, all in high spirits.

"Nate, won't you come with us?" Erza asked as they boarded.

Nate shook his head. "You all go ahead. I have a bit of work to finish."

The real reason? He didn't want to take the train. Instead, he planned to teleport using Flying Thunder God magic once they reached their destination. Of course, he wasn't about to tell them that. It would be his little secret.

After seeing the girls off, Nate returned to his apartment.

On the train:

As Cana glanced out the window at Nate, she smirked. "How about a bet? I say he'll definitely sneak over later."

"Will he?" Erza asked, confused.

Ultear and Meredy, sitting together, exchanged knowing smiles.

"Because Lucy said no boys were allowed, he probably doesn't want to openly break the rule," Meredy teased.

Erza still didn't see the problem and, never one to overthink, simply opened Magic Net to begin her daily training. Her mother, Irene, had recently taught her Enchant Magic, and she was using the Magic Arena for practice.

The group naturally split into smaller clusters to chat. Cana, Erza, Ultear, and Meredy sat together. Evergreen, Juvia, Lucy, and future Lucy formed another group, while Wendy, Mavis, Mirajane, and Lisanna made up the third. That made twelve women and one cat—Carla.

Meanwhile, back at Nate's apartment:

Nate settled in and began working on Magic Net. He wasn't lying to Erza—he really did have work to finish. Levy's [Getting Over It] game was still incomplete. It was playable but lacked some essential features:

1. A leaderboard to encourage competition among players.

2. A basic tutorial to help players quickly grasp the mechanics.

3. A hidden function: to collect players' negative emotions and convert them into cursed energy.

If everything went smoothly upon release, this hidden feature could eventually be added to all his games.

Time flew by as Nate wrote code, and soon over two hours had passed. Suddenly, he sensed a familiar presence outside his door.

"Hm?"

He paused his work, got up, and opened the door. Standing there was a stunning woman dressed as a witch—Irene Belserion. She wore her usual witch's attire, complete with a pointed hat.

"Kami-sama."

"Long time no see, Irene. Where have you been?"

Nate invited her inside and made her a cup of chamomile tea. Sitting at the tea table, Irene curiously surveyed the modest apartment and chuckled.

"Kami-sama, why do you live in such a plain place?"

"What's wrong with it? It's quiet, and I like it," Nate replied, sitting back down to continue working.

Irene, however, slid closer, leaning intimately against him. "I went to visit Belserion," she said softly.

Nate paused, slightly surprised. "Your contracted dragon?"

"Yes." Irene hesitated, then apologized. "I know it was supposed to die, but I couldn't help saving it. To avoid changing history, I hid it deep in the mountains for centuries, where it avoided all human contact."

Nate thought for a moment. Whether Belserion lived or died wasn't a major issue in the grand scheme of things. While typing, he replied casually, "That's fine. As long as history didn't change significantly."

Irene smiled warmly at his acceptance. Leaning closer, her breath tickled his ear. "Kami-sama, how about I make it up to you?"

Nate sighed inwardly, realizing his work was about to be derailed. He had hoped to finish the cursed energy conversion program—but this witch always managed to distract him.

Irene took his hand and placed it gently on her thigh. "Is your code really that fun? What are you working on?"

Feeling the warmth and softness of her thigh, Nate resigned himself to typing one-handed, reducing his efficiency by tenfold. However, his mood improved exponentially.

"Just a little program that converts negative emotions into cursed energy," he explained.

Irene nodded knowingly. As a member of the Spriggan 12, she was familiar with cursed energy; one of their members had wielded such power.

After watching him work for a moment, Irene realized she couldn't understand the code. Her mind wandered as she asked, "I don't sense Erza's presence in the city. Where is she?"

"Your daughter went on a beach vacation," Nate replied.

"Vacation?" Irene mused. As Erza's mother, she felt she should take the opportunity to bond with her daughter. A vacation was the perfect chance!

Noticing her interest, Nate raised an eyebrow. "You want to join her?"

"Where is it?"

"I'll take you there tonight."

"That sounds wonderful." Irene glanced at the clock, noting it was just past 1 p.m. She wrapped her arms around Nate, preventing him from typing further. Now, even working one-handed was impossible.

Irene, smiling playfully, whispered, "Nate, it's been such a long time since we've spent a night together."

Nate sighed. Why did she make it sound like he was the one resisting?

Giving up on work, he decided to fulfill his "boyfriend duties."

Clothes were soon scattered across the floor, and the air in the room became heavy with passion. They kissed, their affection carrying them from the desk to the bed, where the room soon echoed with the sounds of their intimacy.

Time passed. The passion eventually subsided, leaving Irene blushing and content. She lay against Nate, half-draped over his body, her face glowing with satisfaction.

They remained quiet for a while, simply enjoying each other's warmth. Outside, the sky darkened.

"Kami-sama," Irene murmured softly, "are you hungry?"

Nate glanced at the clock, then lightly patted her. "Get up. Let's go eat at the resort."

Irene blinked, momentarily forgetting about Erza's vacation plans. She stretched languidly, then frowned. "I feel so sticky. I want a bath."

"Then take one," Nate replied, amused.

"But I want Kami-sama to carry me."

If only your daughter could hear this, Nate thought inwardly. For someone over 400 years old, Irene could be such a baby.

"Carry me~" Irene giggled, clinging to him playfully.

Relenting, Nate picked her up and carried her into the bathroom.

Standing in front of the sink, Irene carefully selected her bathing products. Turning around with a mischievous smile, she suggested, "Let's bathe together. I'll scrub your back, Kami-sama~"

Nate shrugged. "Why not?"

Thus began their shared bath. Irene helped Nate wash up first, then they switched roles, with Nate taking care of Irene. Every inch of her, inside and out, was thoroughly cleansed. By the end of it, Irene was so relaxed she could barely stand, slumping against the edge of the bathtub.

Bathing together, while time-consuming, was undoubtedly an intimate way to strengthen their bond.

In that serene moment, Irene felt a deep sense of happiness. If time could freeze, she would have wanted it to stop here forever.

But such thoughts inevitably led her back to Erza, sparking a pang of guilt.

"Kami-sama," she asked quietly, "am I a bad woman?"

~~~

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