Before Lily could refute, the two girls behind her straightened and bowed deeply.

"Thank you very much!!" they said in unison.

As they bent forward, the towels wrapped around their bodies loosened and slipped. Torn clothes clung to smooth, rain-soaked skin, the fabric heavy with water and mud, making the sight dangerously eye-catching under the dim forest light.

Before Leo's eyes could even widen in reaction, a blur crossed his vision.

Smack!

A fist slammed into his cheek with terrifying force. Leo was sent flying sideways, his body spinning before crashing hard into a nearby tree. Bark cracked, leaves shook, and his back slid down the trunk before he collapsed to the ground.

The punch had come from none other than Lily—who would never, under any circumstance, allow Leo to look at other girls' exposed bodies besides her own.

After quite literally punching his gaze away from the scene, Lily snapped her head toward the girls. When she noticed their innocent, slightly dazed expressions still turned toward the spot where Leo had crashed, her eye twitched violently.

"You girls…" she said slowly, her voice trembling with restrained fury.

"HOW HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING TILL NOW?!"

The girls froze, completely taken aback, their minds blank from both shock and fear. But Lily didn't stop there—if anything, she was just getting started.

"Don't you have any manners?!" she snapped, taking a step forward. "It's one thing that you were attacked, your clothes got torn, and you ended up drenched—but even after being rescued and given a proper way to cover yourselves, you still act like children?! That too in the presence of a grown man? What's your age, huh? Four? Five?! Even kids that young have more sense than this!"

She pointed sharply.

"And you! Aina, right?! What's with you flinging your assets around..."

Lily's lecture went on relentlessly, her sharp voice echoing through the trees. Before long, Miho noticed the girls growing increasingly tense, their faces turning red with shame by the second. Their shoulders trembled as they lowered their heads, clearly overwhelmed.

The truth was, Lily herself didn't fully know why she was this furious. Deep down, she couldn't shake the feeling that the girls were trying to appease Leo—but without proof, that irritation had nowhere to go except outward.

A little distance away, Miho glanced toward Leo.

He was still lying exactly where he had landed—flat on his back, one arm splayed awkwardly, his neck bent at a strange angle against the roots. His eyes were unfocused, staring straight up into the tree canopy.

"That sure packed a punch…" Leo muttered.

The redness and swelling on his cheek vanished almost instantly as his regeneration trait kicked in.

He grimaced thoughtfully. "Anyone Low 3-star or below would've had their face caved in… maybe even burst from that hit."

Thankfully, his vitality sat at Pseudo 4-star, which had saved him from something far worse.

He clicked his tongue and smirked. "Still… not that impressive. B, B, and the first one was barely C. Heh. Lily's the best—at least an E."

On Earth, it was nearly impossible to find even one pure, devoted partner. And here he was, with a girl who would willingly lay down her life for him—though he would never allow that to happen. He was more than satisfied. After Lily, every other girl felt bland to his eyes. She was simply too gorgeous.

Just then, something caught Leo's attention.

A subtle shift in texture along the tree bark.

His eyes narrowed.

Venomous Gecko (Low 1-Star) – Ordinary Bloodline

"Venomous…" he read aloud.

The reptile cautiously inched closer, its body blending perfectly with the bark as it tilted its head, clearly checking whether Leo was alive.

"Oh, hi, Venomous~" Leo said cheerfully.

The gecko froze—then panicked. Its skin rapidly changed color as it scurried to the other side of the tree, vanishing completely.

"Leo! You can come now!"

Lily's sharp voice rang out.

Leo sprang to his feet, brushing dirt off himself. The clothes Brant had given him were clearly high quality—not a single stain remained, despite having rolled through mud and leaves.

When he returned, he saw the girls properly dressed in spare clothes from their backpacks. While their outfits still leaned toward the revealing side, they were far better than before.

Leo shot them an annoyed glance before asking flatly, "You alright now?"

"We are, sir… and we're sorry—for being indecent. And also… for that," Aina said apologetically.

She moved to bow again but immediately froze under Lily's intense glare and straightened up instead.

Lily could only shake her head helplessly when she noticed all three girls wore similarly outlandish outfits that revealed far too much skin.

"At least it's better than the wet, torn ones…" she muttered.

"Alright, let's head back now," Leo said, turning toward the distant academy walls. "It's already night, and I want to sleep."

"Huh?" Aina blinked. "Students can't stay in the academy."

Leo turned back, confused. "We don't have living spaces? No inns or anything?"

"No," Aina replied. "We arrived four days ago and have been staying in the forest like all the others who haven't joined territories yet, and we always keep at least one person on watch. The academy doesn't provide housing unless it's something important or necessary."

Leo and Lily exchanged a glance.

Then Lily's face lit up.

"Yay! Our first camp in the wild together!"

Leo nodded with a faint smile. Miho nodded as well, her expression determined—already planning various food recipes in her head.

"Umm…" Sylva spoke up timidly. "Can we stay with you tonight?"

That earned her a sharp glare from Lily.

"I—I mean!" Sylva quickly corrected herself. "We can share the same campfire. It'll be safer, and we can rest better with more people on watch."

All three girls had been thoroughly intimidated by Lily and now looked genuinely afraid of her. Unlike Miho, who was treated gently, Lily handled the trio like a strict and hateful foster mother.

In the end, Lily reluctantly agreed after seeing their pitiful, pleading expressions.

They moved at least a kilometre farther from the pond, closer to the academy, to avoid unexpected ambushes.

The girls were tasked with gathering firewood while Leo and Lily worked on setting up makeshift camp—though "makeshift" was hardly the right word.

Using vine manipulation alongside Leo's earth manipulation, they constructed small shed-like rooms. Leo's greenish vines intertwined with Lily's brownish ones, combined with earth, they creating sturdy walls with unique textures. Three rooms were formed: one large room for the three girls, a separate one for Miho, and another for Lily and Leo.

Miho watched as Lily meticulously decorated the room she and Leo would be staying in.

T-they won't be doing that in the wild… right? Right?!

Miho started to internally panic since this time, there were others who would be able to listen to them.

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A/N: Power is still out, and now even my phone is on the verge of dying. Today's bonus chapter is a bit difficult but I will try.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.