Justice

"Hey, Adam, you still awake?" A voice whispered from outside.

"I am. Give me a second," I answered, pushing myself up from the bed. "What's up?"

I swung the door open, leaning against the frame as Alise's face came into view.

She gave me a small wave. "Hi! Can I come in?"

"Sure," I stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter. "Make yourself at home—not that you need the invitation."

"Heh, right." She chuckled at my joke, settling onto a chair near the bed. Then she gave me a look, expectant like she was waiting for me to sit too.

I stayed where I was, arms crossed, watching her.

She shrugged at my stubbornness. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Like what?" I smirked. "Not much to do but sleep when you're new to town."

"Figures." She nodded, then tilted her head. "But what's with the blindfold? I liked your eyes."

"Oh, this?" I lifted it just enough to shoot her a wink before slipping it back down. "It keeps my brain from overloading. My eyes see everything—too much, actually. Think of it as another innate ability."

"That's so cool!" She leaned forward, eyes shining with interest. "Must be tough, though… Can you even see properly with it on?"

"About as well as you can."

She gave me a skeptical look. "I don't know about that. I'm a High-class adventurer, you know! My eyesight is leagues above most people's." She puffed out her chest with a grin. "But hey, if you can really see everything with those eyes… Are you sure I'm not distracting you?"

I raised a brow. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

Her lips curled into a wicked smile. "Oh, I don't know. You're in a house full of beautiful women… I wouldn't blame you if you were, you know—"

This little minx… My smirk deepened. My lures were scary, but this? This was all her.

"Know what?" I stepped closer, looming over her. "You'd have to spell it out for me."

Her cheeks darkened, but her grin didn't waver. "Horny. I wouldn't blame you if you were horny. It's only natural."

I finally took a seat beside her. "Wow. So that's why you're here in my room at night? Are you offering to help out or something?"

"I-I didn't say that!" She fidgeted, nervous but...expectant. The way she gulped didn't go unnoticed. "… And if my friends found out, they'd barge in here and kill you."

I let out a thoughtful hum, watching her squirm under my gaze, drawing out the tension—before finally giving her the satisfaction of a response.

"And how would they feel knowing it was just their captain being shameless and desperate?"

Alise shuddered, rubbing her thighs together. "That's… that's not why I came here…"

"If you insist," I smirked. "Then why are you here?"

She took a deep breath, composing herself. "I wanted to ask you something."

I rested my chin on one hand, tilting my head slightly. "I'm listening."

"What is justice to you?" Alise asked, her usual cheer fading into something more solemn. The shift in her demeanour was striking—her bright playfulness replaced by a deep, searching curiosity, the kind a child might have when asking why the sky is blue.

I hummed, cupping my chin in thought. "Justice, huh… I've never really put much thought into it. But if I had to define it, I'd say it's balance. Giving people what they deserve." I met her gaze, unflinching. "If someone is weak, they need someone strong to guide them. If someone can't survive on their own, isn't it natural that they belong to someone who can provide for them? That's fair. That's justice."

Alise's eyes widened, searching my expression as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Belong…? Adam, what are you saying? That's not fair. That's...unjust."

Ah. My real thoughts had slipped out. But there was no taking them back—not that I ever planned to. I wasn't one to backpedal.

"Is it unjust if everyone benefits?" I asked, watching her carefully. "Would you rather let people struggle alone in the dirt instead of giving them purpose? I take what I want, yes. But I also give in return. That's justice to me. And if the world disagrees?" My lips curled into a smirk. "Well, the world has never been just to begin with."

Alise looked away, her brows furrowing in contemplation. "I… I get what you're saying. But don't you think that's just oppression dressed up as kindness?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "Alise… greatness has always been oppressive to the average person. And yet, it's what shapes the world."

She fell silent, staring at the floor. A whole minute passed before she finally spoke again, her voice quieter this time.

"You almost sound like Kaguya." She let out a dry laugh. "But… way more overbearing."

"And is that a bad thing?"

She glanced up at me, her expression unreadable.

"No," she admitted. "It's not good or bad. It's just… justice. Your justice, which I don't agree with. But I can't judge you either. Because I know there's no such thing as true justice."

"Hey," I poked her cheek, making her blink in confusion. "Don't let me get you down. In the end, actions speak louder than words. No point getting hung up on concepts and ideals if they don't actually change anything."

She let out a short, mirthless chuckle. "You're right."

"And besides," I leaned in, my breath warm against her ear. "We've only just met. Let's not get too hasty, alright…?"

Alise jerked back, her face instantly turning nuclear red, steam practically rising from her ears. "R-Right! Sorry for keeping you up so late, Adam! I'll let you catch some sleep now!"

She spun around, ready to bolt, but I caught her hand before she could make her escape.

"Leaving so soon?"

She froze, her fingers twitching slightly in my grip. I could feel the nervousness radiating off her, but she made no real effort to pull away—at least, not with any actual strength.

"Um... Adam, let go, please."

"They don't have to find out, you know?" I ignored her weak protests, guiding her onto the bed with ease. "Your friends..."

Alise yelped, landing ungracefully on the mattress. Her eyes snapped open, wide with surprise, meeting my now visible ones in a silent exchange of unspoken thoughts.

"Adam—" she started, but I was already leaning over her, pinning her wrists lightly above her head with one hand. My other hand tilted her chin up, my knees bracketing her hips.

"You were right," I murmured, voice low. "I am horny. So what are you going to do about it?"

A deep blush spread across her face, her breath hitching. "Y-You're impossible," she huffed, squirming but not quite pulling away.

"Maybe," I smirked. "But you're still here."

Her lips parted as if to argue, but I closed the distance—slowly, deliberately—giving her every chance to push me away. Instead, she hesitated, then exhaled softly against my lips.

That was all the permission I needed. I leaned in, closing the distance between us, my lips brushing against hers.

Alise tensed, her breath hitching as a shiver ran through her. For a moment, I thought she might push me away, but instead, she relaxed, her fingers curling slightly against my grip.

She responded tentatively at first, but as the kiss deepened, so did her resolve. Her arms, once pinned, found their way around my neck, pulling me closer. Her legs shifted, brushing against mine as she melted into the moment.

I let her take the lead for a beat, savouring the way her breath grew heavier, the warmth of her body pressing against me. When we finally parted, a thin string of saliva connected us, her eyes were hazy, and her lips slightly parted.

"Lion was right..." she muttered, cheeks flushed. "That smug face of yours is entirely inappropriate."

Then, as if suddenly snapping back to reality, she pushed me away—not with force, but with the kind of hesitance that betrayed her own internal battle. She stood quickly, brushing herself off as if that would erase what just happened.

"I— I should go," she stammered, avoiding my gaze.

I leaned back, watching her with amusement. "If you say so."

She hesitated for half a second before bolting for the door, leaving me with a lingering smirk.

Funnily enough, a certain blonde had started peeking halfway through, but she quickly scurried off at the mention of her name.

...

...

...

...

Morning arrived, and I woke with a lazy yawn. A quick glance at the time—5 AM. Still early. Another check with Six Eyes confirmed that most of the house was still dead asleep, except for Lyra, who was half-awake but not quite functional yet.

Stretching, I threw on my Gojo fit. No need to freshen up—Time-Savers had me covered, keeping me spotless and presentable no matter what. A real game-changer.

Now, it was time to put Faerie Feast to good use. I made my way to the kitchen, ready to whip up a proper breakfast. Finding all the ingredients took a little searching, but after about thirty minutes, the table was set with a solid spread—toast, jerky, eggs, and sandwiches to go. How considerate of me, indeed.

So considerate, in fact, that I dialled Faerie Feast just below the addictive threshold. Because let's be real—junkies? Major turn-off. This way, they'd never taste anything quite as good as this anywhere else. Even if things went south between us, they'd come crawling back for another bite.

Don't blame the player, blame the game.

"Whoa, what's that smell?" someone called out, yawning. "Whatchu' cooking over there, Adam?"

I glanced over. As expected, it was Lyra.

"Nothing much, just a normal breakfast," I replied with an innocent smile.

She narrowed her eyes at me, mirroring my expression with a sly grin of her own. "That so? Lemme take a look."

Without hesitation, she began inspecting everything—the food, the table, the silverware, the dishes. But she didn't stop there. She checked the cupboards, the sink, even ran a finger along the counter like a detective searching for clues.

I watched her in silence, my lips twitching in amusement. I understood her caution—growing up in the inhuman prison city of Bergen would do that to a person—but still, it stung a little.

"Hmm... nothing wrong with the smell or color... Looks good," she finally admitted, circling back to the food. Then, with a casual toss, she flicked something my way. "Here, as thanks for taking over breakfast duty for me."

I caught the candy mid-air and gave her a deadpan stare.

"It's not poisoned. And I'm not eating this. I don't even have a falna, for Lady Astraea's sake…" I sighed.

Lyra clicked her tongue. "Tch. So you knew it was laced with a paralyzing agent. Gotta give you some credit—you're not just good-looking, after all. But you can't exactly fault a gal for not trusting you overnight, Can you?"

"No," I replied with a smirk. We'd see about that after she was done eating. "I cannot."

"Heh. At least you're not an unreasonable idiot." She mirrored my smirk. "Well, let's wait for the others. They should be waking up soon. By the way, what's with the blindfold?"

...

Astraea was the first to arrive, followed closely by Alise and Ryu.

"Good morning, Adam. How kind of you to make breakfast," Astraea greeted me with her usual gentle smile.

"G-Good morning! Great job with breakfast!" Alise chimed in, though her usual enthusiasm faltered. She avoided my gaze at the last second.

"...Good morning," Ryu muttered reluctantly after a pointed look from Astraea. She was glaring at me, the tips of her ears tinged pink.

I returned their greetings one by one, flashing Ryu a knowing smile, making her eyes widen in abject horror.

"Please, dig in," I said, gesturing toward the food.

And they did.

"Mmm!" Three guesses as to who was the first to moan—and the first two don't count.

"This... this is divine!" Alise practically inhaled her food, completely abandoning table manners as she devoured bite after bite, looking thoroughly intoxicated.

"Alise..." Astraea sighed at her captain's wild behavior—until she took a bite herself. "Oh my...!"

Ryu, still skeptical, watched them in disbelief. "Lady Astraea, Alise... i-is it really that good?"

She hesitated before finally taking a bite—and immediately joined the chorus of moans.

"You...bastard!" Lyra suddenly grabbed my collar, eyes blazing. "You did poison it, didn't you?!"

"Nuh-uh." I calmly pried her hands off me, and to my satisfaction, she let me. "You checked everything yourself, remember? Don't go throwing baseless accusations. Besides, no need to be shy—just take a bite."

Lyra kept glaring at me, suspicion clear in her narrowed eyes. My coaxing tone probably didn't help, but after a long sigh, she relented. "If this is a trap, then I walked right into it. I deserve whatever happens..." With that, she took a small, fleeting bite—only for her entire body to freeze.

Then, with a shudder, she melted into her seat, letting out a moan just like the others.

I crossed my arms, nodding in satisfaction. No matter how many times I saw it, this scene—straight out of Food Wars—never got old.

...

The enchanting melody played for a while, but eventually, the intoxicating high of Faerie Feast wore off, leaving behind a thick blanket of embarrassment in the room.

"Ahem." Astraea coughed into her hand, her cheeks still faintly flushed. "That was... unbecoming of me. I apologize. But, Adam, that was the best meal I've ever had—even better than what we Gods feasted on in Heaven."

"I don't know about Heaven, but you're definitely the best cook in the world!" Alise exclaimed, completely forgetting her earlier awkwardness. "I'd do anything to eat like this every day! When are you joining our Familia?!"

I smirked, side-eyeing Astraea through my blindfold, catching the flicker of amusement in her gaze. "Who knows? Maybe soon."

Then, turning back to Alise, my smirk widened. "But anything, you say?"

Alise stiffened, her confidence evaporating. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish before she started blushing furiously. "Y-yeah... um... maybe..."

Satisfied with that reaction, I turned to Lyra, my grin downright smug. "So? Did you enjoy my 'poison'?"

She clenched her jaw, glaring daggers at me. "Damn you… This is worse than poison. I don't think I can live without it now. You better join our Familia, newbie, lest I make you..."

"How terrifying~" I chuckled before setting my sights on the only silent person left at the table. "And what about you, Miss Elf?"

Ryu hesitated. Her grip on her fork tightened. Her gaze flickered between me and her plate, her internal battle plain for all to see.

Finally, she huffed, turning away with a forced, "It was… so-so."