Chapter 2 - Roman Holiday, Late Night EditionAfter Kusanagi G.o.dou finished taking part in the imposed duel Erica hadinvited him to at the ancient capital of Rome, it was night time.Surviving a deadly crisis as usual, G.o.dou ended up causing severedamage to the ancient battlegrounds — the Colosseum.But in any case, the battle that was full of all sorts of dangers finallyconcluded.G.o.dou departed from the tragic(?) scene of the Colosseum and parted withthe three a.s.sociation representatives who acted as witnesses to the duel.Next he returned to the hotel. After a bath, he would go to bedimmediately. That was what G.o.dou had decided.Then after a good night"s rest, he was going to carefully reflect on tonight"sincident in the morning. In order not to make "this kind" of mistake everagain...Whenever he turned his gaze in the direction of the Colosseum, the terribleresult of his "moment of carelessness" would enter his view.With a great sense of shame, G.o.dou deeply regretted his actions.The sounds of police and firefighting sirens could be heard coming fromthe direction of the Colosseum. This noise caused G.o.dou to be a.s.saultedby further reprimands from his conscience.In spite of all this, Erica looked rather delighted as she walked beside him."Hoho. Tonight"s duel has completely publicized the mighty name ofKusanagi G.o.dou. This is the result of various preparations readiedbeforehand."Erica explained as she strolled along the late night Roman city streets,prompting great surprise in G.o.dou."W-What do you mean by preparations?""Hmm. Basically the three VIPs you met at the duel just now. Inviting allthree of them certainly took substantial effort. Although there was asuitable excuse, they are rather busy people. In actual fact, I also invitedthree additional leaders, but they were unable to attend due to schedulingconflicts.""You expressly prepared that much for the sake of letting others witnessmy power?"G.o.dou frowned."Why would you do such a thing? There"s no need to gather all thosepeople for a person like me, right?""Don"t be nonsensical. In the world of magic, did you know that there is noevent more suspenseful than the birth of a Devil King? Sending invitationsout would actually exhibit our congeniality instead."Erica listed out the seven prestigious magic a.s.sociations recognized inItaly.The three witnesses of tonight"s duel belonged to the [Olden Dame], the[Female Wolf] and the [Capital of Lilies] respectively. In addition, therewere the [Bronze Black Cross], the [Eagle of the Blue Sky] and [Aegis]."Last but not least is my [Copper Black Cross]. G.o.dou, you"ve already metthe commander-in-chief of the a.s.sociation I belong to, my uncle — PaoloBlandelli. Hence, tonight was an opportunity for the other six a.s.sociationsto send representatives to have an audience with the seventh Campione."G.o.dou never expected that meeting those witnesses actually held suchsignificance —Realizing the surreal happenings surrounding him, G.o.dou sighed."However, G.o.dou, you performed even better than expected. Not only didyou show off that level of destructive power to the representatives of thethree prestigious a.s.sociations, you even completely silenced their doubtson whether you were a fake or not.""I-I wasn"t showing off, I simply went too far in a moment of carelessness!""It doesn"t matter which. What"s important is the result. Hoho, let us raise agla.s.s to toast and celebrate tonight.""Why do we need to toast!?""Tonight commemorates Kusanagi G.o.dou"s first appearance on theEuropean stage."Informed by Erica with complete nonchalance, G.o.dou was greatlyshocked."In actual fact, I prepared a camera beforehand. G.o.dou, your destructionof the Colosseum just now was recorded on video. Currently, the video isbeing prepared for broadcasting to those involved in the magic world allover Europe. The three VIPs you met have already become witnesses, sothe great name of Kusanagi G.o.dou will spread to all the corners of theEuropean world of magic within days."To think she had prepared things to such an extent. G.o.dou"s mood wasinstantly down in the deeps.Seeing his reaction, Erica chuckled and displayed a devil"s smile."Stop making that kind of face, stick your chest out. You currently don"tlook like a G.o.d-slayer at all. Do know that your status will keep rising fromnow on as the Devil King.""I have no wish to possess this kind of t.i.tle that cannot be written onresumes. Neither do I want to raise my status in this manner!"Objecting loudly, G.o.dou yawned.It was now late at night. Perhaps due to fatigue from the whole mess at theColosseum or jet lag, G.o.dou was struck with sleepiness all of a sudden.Getting some rest as early as possible seemed like a good idea."In any case, let"s hurry back to the hotel for some rest. It"s so latealready."G.o.dou had heard earlier that Erica had prepared a place to stay.Hence he proposed they head back. However, the girl in his companyreplied:"That"s right, we must open a bottle of wine or champagne to toast andcelebrate properly together. Then after that, we should slowly descendupon the bed, to affirm our love for each other.""W-Wait a minute. Your proposed schedule is clearly very unusual."G.o.dou was already dead tired. Why did he still need to deal with and retortagainst such ridiculous matters?Feeling that life was very unreasonable, G.o.dou continued:"Aside from the fact that minors like us should not be drinking, spending anight together in the same room on the same bed is even moreinappropriate!"Besides, affirming each other"s love or anything of that sort would be evenmore ridiculous.As a man, G.o.dou resolutely a.s.serted his refusal and made a clearstatement. However, Erica rolled her eyes at him and retorted calmly."Say, G.o.dou. What you said just now is quite incorrect... Haven"t wealready experienced all of it before? It won"t be the first time now, right?""Uh."G.o.dou could say nothing in response. Erica continued to list things out:"We"ve already drank alcohol together before and spent the night under thesame roof. Sleeping in the same bed through the night until morning hashappened more than once. We have even bathed together, baring ourbodies to each other without reserve..."Finally, Erica added:"Besides, we have already reached legal drinking age in Italy."Drinking laws in Italy were different from j.a.pan"s. In this country, the legaldrinking age was sixteen.Having pa.s.sed both their birthdays, G.o.dou and Erica already fulfilled therequired age.G.o.dou was frozen from a lack of grounds to object. On the other hand.Erica went "What a troublesome guy" as she shrugged, a wry smileappearing on the corners of her lips."G.o.dou, although trying to correct your failure to read the mood canprovide some hard-sought amus.e.m.e.nt, it"s no fun if it gets too excessive.Let me forgive you on this point for now. Love cannot be cultivated withoutfull consent from both sides.""I-I see.""Yes. Because even though you declare unwillingness, once your mood isroused sufficiently, even I would find it difficult to stop you."IIII"I really hope you can express your grat.i.tude properly for the fact that I,Erica Blandelli, am a woman with such great tolerance."G.o.dou fell into a depressed silence.He mourned for his inability to refute any of her words."Nevertheless, simply tolerating is no fun at all. That would be totally notmy style."The blonde beauty suddenly displayed a malevolent smile."Hey G.o.dou, if you want to return to the hotel to sleep, give me agoodnight kiss.""W-What did you say about a goodnight whatever?""A kiss. On the cheek is okay, though of course, the lips are fine too. If youdo that, I will take you to the hotel."Only now did G.o.dou realize, he had no idea where the hotel was located.Without Erica to lead the way, he would not be able to find it so easily.However."D-Doesn"t matter. It"s not like I must stay at a hotel."G.o.dou immediately refused her demand."I just need to find shelter somewhere, or even spend the night outdoors.Or simply walk outside the whole night like this. I"m not going to kiss you sorashly ever again!"Were he in j.a.pan, there would be businesses running twenty-four hours aday such as family restaurants, sauna establishments or manga cafes.However, the ancient capital of Rome did not offer these kinds of shops.But how could he back down simply due to this level of setback? G.o.doudeclared his determination."I really think that kind of behavior is too soon for me!""Speaking from the one who has engaged in pa.s.sionate kisses with menumerous times. Oh well, once you"re out of options, you"ll have no choicebut to kiss me in the end."Erica shrugged lightly."G.o.dou, the way you"re acting is just as meaningless as an old smokerdeclaring he"ll quit smoking. "If only I could do it" declarations imply that youwish to keep reminding yourself, but are doomed to failure every time.""Hmm...""However, if you really want to try it, that"s fine too. I will accompany you."A devil"s smile flashed across the blonde beauty"s lips once more."Let us take a stroll on the streets of Rome. But you"ll probably fall asleephalf way due to exhaustion? If that happens, I"ll carry you to the hotel roomto take care of you tenderly. Then we"ll spend some sweet time togetherbefore dawn? Hoho, it"ll be fun.""It"s true that I"m very tired, but I will find a way to endure the whole night."G.o.dou contradicted Erica"s speculation that was delivered as if the futurewas already set."You should know quite well, I have a lot of physical stamina.""Yes. I know very well that you are ridiculously strong, G.o.dou. At the sametime, you are a rather careless person who leaves many openings. Givenan entire night, I should be able to find a way.""Find a way?""To trick you into drinking a drugged beverage to render you temporarilyunconscious. It seems like I should be able to seize an opportunity to haveyou bound and restrained, then get a car to transport you back to thehotel... See!""Stop going "See!" That"s blatant kidnapping!"G.o.dou chastised Erica who explained her plan with an adorableexpression."Even for me, I have no wish to go that far. However, if you"ll simply ignoremy little request, G.o.dou, it can"t be helped. Girls in love are liable to doanything when push comes to shove, so be careful."The self-proclaimed girl in love said something unsettling with a joking toneof voice."Besides, a goodnight kiss is sometiiing even a cliild could do. If that"s thecase, what"s the matter? I hope you can show me more generosity thanthat.""Uh..."G.o.dou agreed that this description could be considered "proper."Nevertheless, he remained at a loss for words.Seeing him like that, Erica smiled with a chuckle."So, let me repeat my request again. Please bestow upon me a goodnightgreeting in a manner of your choosing. Of course, a kiss on the lips is whatI would like the most, but even one on the cheek is fine."A light peck on the cheek was all it would take.Be that as it may, G.o.dou still felt troubled due to her urging. This wasunlike the deep and lengthy "ritual" kissing they engaged in normally.Perhaps it could even be done with a casual mood. However —"l-l need to prepare myself mentally, so give me some time!"Words of a final last ditch struggle.The city streets of Rome were silent.It was already past 2am. Unlike j.a.pan where twenty-four hour businesseswere found all over the place, not a single shop remained open at thistime. Furthermore, street lighting was much less common than in j.a.pan.G.o.dou and Erica strolled along these dim European streets at night.Walking in front was Erica who led the way to the hotel. G.o.dou followed astep behind her. Traveling by car would be the normal course of action inthis situation, but in order to buy time to "prepare himself mentally" theychose this inefficient means of movement."Oh, wouldn"t it be nice to get Arianna to drive the car here to take ussomewhere? Meanwhile, you"ll finish preparing yourself mentally, G.o.dou.""That"s not fair for Anna-san, definitely don"t do that..."Erica"s a.s.sistant and maid. Miss Arianna Arialdi, commonly called Anna.G.o.dou answered Erica because the mistress brouglit up lier name.Normally, it was already bedtime. G.o.dou would feel bad about rousingsomeone up from sleep at this time of the night."No problem. I have already instructed her to remain on standby until wereturn to the hotel. Riding in Arianna"s car to race across the late nighthighway could turn out to be a rather interesting experience. Not too longago, she gave me a ride to watch the ocean at night, together with Lily — afemale friend of mine.""You allowed someone who drives like that to get on the highway!?"Arianna-san"s driving skills were somewhat dangerous. G.o.dou had alreadyexperienced it during the daytime.Although Erica had said something like Very incredibly, Arianna has neverhad an accident," G.o.dou definitely could not bank on such hopes again inthe future.G.o.dou was astounded that she would do something so ridiculous."I always felt that it would be a totally new experience, and the result wasexactly as predicted. The feeling of sweaty hands and even a frozen spinecould be savored fully. This is probably what it means to experience aso-called spectacular scene...""Of course. The danger level is like riding a roller coaster without anysafety measures at all!"In the end, the joyride suggestion was abandoned and the two continuedtheir way through the night.While walking, they sometimes engaged in idle chatter and there weretimes when they walked in silence.G.o.dou felt rather incredible, to think he would be spending time with Ericalike this.Being together with her was not unpleasant. Even when there was nothingto say, it did not feel especially noticeable. Conversely, even after henoticed, it did not feel awkward at all.The feeling was like being with family or very close male friends.But to G.o.dou, Erica was still a member of the opposite gender after all.Among the people he knew, she was the most gorgeous and attractive girl.Aware of the existence of this beauty beside him, G.o.dou felt his heartbeginning to race.Nevertheless, it was unbelievable that he could get along with her socasually.For G.o.dou who was not used to getting along with girls, this wasunprecedented.However, that was how it was.If Erica did not force kisses on him teasingly, then G.o.dou would considerher a girl he could get along with open arms more than anyone else...But clearly she was a mischievous woman who resembled the devil."What"s up with that shop?"Along the way, G.o.dou discovered a shop with all the lights on.An eatery with a red themed decor — It appeared to be a Chineserestaurant.The current time was late at night. This was an ordinary part of town ratherthan a bustling commercial zone.In spite of all that, this shop was still open this late."What amazing devotion to work. Even as a shop in Italy."G.o.dou could not help but offer praise.As a j.a.panese, he was quite taken aback by unfamiliar occurrences insouthern Europe, Italy included, such as "shops in the streets were closedon Sundays," "open twenty-four hours a day, what"s that?" or "the summervacation lasted a full month."He had even heard of office workers who would "go home for lunch withtheir family then take a nice nap afterwards."Naturally, the Italian girl offered her own comments on G.o.dou"s j.a.paneseperspective."G.o.dou, forgive me for being frank, but being liardworking is notnecessarily a virtue."Wagging lier index finger from side to side, Erica explained with an air ofsuperiority."The important thing is the quality of labor, not volume. Efficiency andresults. Even if twenty hours out of a day"s twenty four were spent onentertainment, it"s fine so long as sufficient results are produced.""But I think the usual behavior is also very important..."G.o.dou objected to the concept of n.o.bility"s labor presented from Erica"sarrogant perspective."Besides, rather than spending so much leisure on having fun, I"d feelbetter if I used it productively to do work.""You see, this is the rumored wisdom of j.a.panese businessmen. Aperson"s talent and ability can be judged by how much leisure they canafford to spend on meaningful matters of elegance."The opinions of the serious j.a.panese man and the free-spirited Italianbeauty were akin to parallel lines that never intersected.The intense fragrance of sesame oil wafted out of the Chinese restaurant."...Let"s enter?""...Coming from you, that counts as a good suggestion."After the exertion from the duel earlier as well as all the walking throughthe night, G.o.dou was feeling a bit hungry.The two of them casually established a j.a.panese-Italian truce and enteredthe shop.G.o.dou attempted to inquire about the closing time from the Chineserestaurant staff who happened to be at the door. The answer he got washalf past four."Eh, that"s almost until dawn!?"Even though it was not open for the full twenty-four hours, there was not much difference. This was virtually the same as j.a.panese ramen specialtystores.Perhaps in a metropolis like Rome the Eternal City, there was demand forthis sort of hours. As G.o.dou felt impressed, the server pa.s.sed in front ofG.o.dou.He was carrying in his hand a large plate of Chinese buns.Seeing this, Erica seemed to have gotten an idea. She began conversingwith the store employee who had answered G.o.dou"s question.Then ten minutes pa.s.sed —After leaving the shop, G.o.dou and Erica continued to stroll through thestreets at night. G.o.dou carried a large paper bag in his hands, filled withquite a few Chinese buns. These hot buns were freshly steamed and hotair seeped out through the bag."G.o.dou, give me one.""Here."He took out a bun from the paper bag and handed it to Erica.As their fingers touched slightly, G.o.dou felt an inexplicable sense ofembarra.s.sment. Then Erica chuckled, further intensifying G.o.dou"s feeling.Oh well, by this point, G.o.dou did not think this was the only cause.Moreover, this midnight snack was the result of Erica"s negotiations withthe store employee just now.Pleading repeatedly, she managed to take their purchases out of the shopwhich normally did not provide takeout service. Indeed, since they were onthe road back to the hotel, getting takeout was preferable to sitting down toeat.These Chinese buns were of the pork bun variety.Taking a huge bite, G.o.dou found the meat juices from the bun filling up hismouth. Quite delicious. Enjoying this midnight snack, the two of themcontinued to stroll casually.G.o.dou was overcome with deep emotion.He never expected he would ever have a chance to be off in the farawayland of Rome, late at night like this, strolling casually through the streetswith a blonde girl, eating pork buns...Had someone told G.o.dou several months ago he was going to experiencethis kind of future, he would surely have roared with laughter.Unintentionally, he glanced at Erica"s side profile. Then discovering hisgaze. Erica smiled back at him. That was all. No words were exchangeddeliberately.But it was already enough.G.o.dou could vividly feel what seemed to be the "relationship" he hadcultivated with Erica.Furthermore, wondering what he should say a little while later, G.o.doufinally finished his "mental preparation."In the end, it took them fifty minutes of walking to reach the ten-odd storyhotel.Glancing at the attendant standing at the entrance. Erica asked:"So G.o.dou, are you prepared?""Yeah. I guess so.""Very well then. Let us exchange "goodnights," okay?"The blonde girl giggled mischievously. However, G.o.dou"s response was:"Umm well... I can"t do it after all.""Can"t do it?"As Erica expressed mild surprise, G.o.dou continued."Yeah. I definitely can"t kiss you with a casual relaxed mood."G.o.dou expressed his thoughts candidly."How should I put this, I suppose it"s my obstinacy as a j.a.panese...?Perhaps I would not have a problem with someone else, but with you,Erica, engaging in that kind of behavior just feels so difficult no matterwhat..."He could feel the loud beating of his heart whenever he made closecontact with Erica.Recalling the feeling, he made this vague statement."This has nothing to do with nationality but your personal problem as theman Kusanagi G.o.dou. Seriously, you"re obstinate only on issues like this!"Erica a.s.serted with a tone of lamentation."Clearly we have already engaged in behavior even more intense thanritual kissing, so there"s no point in being conscious of such meaninglessthings. Besides, while we were walking here together, didn"t you fail to holdmy hand? That"s quite ill-mannered too.""Hand!?""Yes. Given this rare opportunity for us to take a stroll in the streets ofRome, just the two of us, we should have held hands and embraced eachother, to enjoy this short tryst.""0-Only couples would do that!""Have you forgotten? I am your lover, the woman closest to you in thisworld."Erica declared proudly to G.o.dou"s panic."Even if I were not, there is nothing wrong with what I said, based on yourbehavior towards girls in general.""N-Nonsense. I have neither done that sort of thing nor spoken those kindsof words.""Not words. However, I wish to accept your hands with my whole body,expressing my intent through my att.i.tude. That said, you seem to havefailed to notice.""Eh... Really?"Was that the meaning behind Erica"s att.i.tude displayed earlier?Stunned, G.o.dou watched as the pa.s.sionate Latin girl sighed before him."Indeed. But I can"t believe you simply walked side by side with me,G.o.dou... You are really slow witted and a block of wood who can"t read themood. In Italy, even students in elementary school know how to please agirl.""No, but I"m j.a.panese.""You"re totally unmanly whenever you make that kind of statement. Don"tsay it ever again."Erica suddenly went "however" and smiled."I admit you are a very special person, so I shall forgive you on this point. Ifyou don"t express your grat.i.tude towards my vast generosity, perhaps youmight suffer retribution in the future.""Eh!?""Hoho. Did you fail to notice? What was already voiced out just now."How could this be? No, but perhaps. G.o.dou wondered if he had saidsomething unwise without noticing?As G.o.dou felt shaken, Erica led him into the hotel and received two keys atthe reception. Handing one of them over to G.o.dou, Erica said:"Then rest well tonight. Goodnight.""Yeah, goodnight."G.o.dou nodded as he yawned.He was going to have a bath and go to sleep immediately after getting tohis room. After all, he was already quite tired. As decided earlier, he wouldreflect properly on tonight"s events in the morning — Just as he wasconsidering these and other matters...Erica kissed him.A light peck of a kiss. Bodily contact that subst.i.tuted for a greeting...Completely unexpected.Immediately, the second wave of kissing followed.Erica sealed G.o.dou"s lips with her own and began to squirm seductively.Then she inserted her tongue. Erica began to lick G.o.dou"s tonguepa.s.sionately with careful attention... This lasted a minute or two.Phew. Releasing their lips. Erica exhaled softly."W-What are you doing so suddenly...""A goodnight kiss. Since you won"t kiss me, tlien I liave to kiss youinstead."Erica displayed an adorable smile in response to G.o.dou"s shockedquestion.What on earth was she doing in this hotel lobby!? No wait, this was late atnight, without a single person around. Perhaps being seen was avoided —Surveying the surroundings, G.o.dou realized.The young attendant standing at the reception was staring in his direction.if one were to ask if the attendant respected the guests" privacy with asense of professionalism and cast a glance that pretended not to havewitnessed anything, the answer was a resounding no.Nodding towards G.o.dou, he seemed to be saying "I saw everything" as hewinked and smiled.Moreover, Erica went as far as to wave in response to the hotel staff.Completely calm and composed, she maintained her devilish smile.However, as an ordinary member of the Yamato race, G.o.dou was not incommand of that sort of composure.Lacking in Latin lineage, Kusanagi G.o.dou frantically dashed towards theelevator. He had to take a shower in his room as quickly as possible, towash away this sense of embarra.s.sment!"This is truly goodnight this time, G.o.dou. See you tomorrow morning."Erica sounded as if she were going to pursue him. Showing only his backas he listened to her words, G.o.dou rushed into the elevator as if fleeing forhis life.