One Last System



"Haaa…." A long moan escaped from my mouth when Mia pressed down on my muscles. 

She used the inner side of her palms to knead my back. One by one, the tense spots that I got after hunching in the same position for an entire day, disappeared. 

"What a bliss…" I praised Mia's efforts out loud, just to make sure she knew how much I appreciated her help.

"Is it?" Mia asked with a cheeky smile as she put even more weight in her hands, now pushing against my sore, tired muscles with the strength of her entire body. "I'm glad to hear it," she added as she allowed her hands to slide up my back and leaned down, ultimately laying down on top of my back. 

'Ugh…' this moan I managed to rein in, preventing my lips from letting it escape. 

It was a different kind of bliss, to have Mia hug herself into my back, to feel her steady breath caress my earlobe…

"You really are all tensed up," Mia added after a moment, a hint of worry taking over her voice. Her hands ran up and down my sides, as she searched for any further spots that needed some help to relax. 

"I forgot how it is to work my ass off," I laughed, more than willing to acknowledge the reason behind my current state. 

My task wasn't all that difficult. It didn't make me use my head much or reach the limits of my strength and endurance. It was simply…

It was boring and repetitive. And what was even worse, this kind of stationary position and long hours went directly against everything that I did in this life of mine so far. 

I was always chasing to save my ass from the current problem. Always striving to build a future where I could enjoy my time with Mia in peace and without a single worry. 

For how simple of a man I was, I had no desire for greater things. Just having Mia by my side as I spent the rest of my days spoiling her was all I wanted… But as it turned out, whenever I reached a point where I appeared to get closer to fulfilling this desire, things would only grow bigger, more serious… and more dangerous. 

Mia's hands continued to knead different parts of my body, never ceasing to provide physical comfort whenever my mental turmoil intensified. 

"I might be sore, but I'm extremely satisfied with where we are right now," I said before I could even realize what my lips were doing. 

Mia's movements stopped. 

"How so?" she asked, leaning back as she sat down an inch above my hips. Her hands moved down, only to rest on my back, slightly above where Mia sat down. 

"If things work out as I think they will, we will be able to gain one hell of an advantage at practically no cost," I revealed. 

Mia's massage somehow put me in a weird kind of mood where I could no longer care to keep things to myself. 

It's not like I was keeping secrets from Mia and only now found myself pressed to reveal them. 

No.

Those were but my thoughts, my take on everything that was going on around me. And until they took a concrete form backed by evidence or further clues, I simply saw no point rambling around weird theories. 

"Sure, there might be some mana monsters coming for us as we speak," I admitted. "But they are all heading to the same place. And knowing how instincts work, they take the direct path toward their goal. Or in other words," I raised my head from the pillow and pushed my arms forward. Then, I rested my chin in the small cup I made with my hands. 

As if tired of sitting on my ass, Mia leaned down and once again pressed herself against the entire surface of my back. This time, however, once her lips got close to my ear, she went for it. 

"There is a huge chance, we just found ourselves in the window of time when no danger is coming," I summarised my thoughts. "We can grow as much as we want for as long as we can, so that when an enemy will shop up…"

I pursed my lips. 

A sudden thought of realization shut my mouth. 

'Isn't it all just my paranoia?' I thought, petrified by the realizations brought by this idea. 

What if the only reason why I couldn't enjoy my days with Mia in peace… Was it because in my drive to outgrow any and all danger, I ended up inviting it into our life in the first place?

My entire body tensed up. 

Mia, sensing the strange reaction, twitched a little. 

'No, that doesn't make any sense,' I thought, dispelling the intrusive thought. 'In the grand scheme of things, I was mostly just chasing after Mia while fighting off those who wished to keep us apart!'

I decided not to take all my former efforts lightly. 

Everything that I did to get the two of us so far was always centered around the idea of keeping Mia safe by my side. And more often than not, the dangers from the past were initiated by those who sought trouble with me, not the other way around!

Startled by all the thoughts clashing in my head, I moved my arms down, grabbing at Mia's thighs.

"Huh?" Mia gave out a small moan, slightly surprised by the sudden touch. 

Still, rather than just coping a feel, I held Mia's thighs to keep her in place as I rolled around, turning on my back. 

Now, only two layers of cloth separated our genitals and Mia ended up sitting right on top of my crotch. The position, as unintended as it was, screamed for what would likely happen next…

As if. 

"Right now, we have the best opportunity possible to grow stranger than anything fate could throw at us," I said as I released Mia's legs and moved my arms up only, wrapping them behind the delicate girl's back. "But it's also the time when we can finally enjoy our time together," I whispered as I brought my arms down and pulled Mia into a deep hug. 

She was a bombshell, sure. A woman so damn alluring that my body was getting ready whenever I caught a mere glance of her. A beauty that had no right to exist in my world. 

An owner of the body that men wouldn't just kill but would wage continental wars for. 

And yet, just hugging her after she gave me a caring massage, made me feel like I was the king of the entire world.