Chapter 158: Aria Fragarach
Jake blinked, still half-processing what had just happened.
Below him, Grace wore a thoroughly smug smile.
"Looks like I win this round, Captain~" she said sweetly, her golden eyes sparkling with mischief.
Jake looked down at the smug woman pinned beneath him.
His mouth twitched.
Without a word, he released her wrists...
...and immediately dug his fingers into her waist, tickling her without mercy.
"Gyaaah! J-Jake! Wait! Not there! Hahaha—! Stop—!"
Only after he was thoroughly satisfied did Jake finally stop.
Grace lay beneath him with teary golden eyes, her face flushed and her breathing uneven from all the laughing.
Soft whimpers still escaped her lips as she tried to recover.
Jake stood up, brushing the dirt from his clothes as he looked down at her with a faintly amused expression.
He let out a quiet sigh and offered her a hand.
"Indeed... you have won."
He pulled her up to her feet, still looking a little exasperated.
"I never thought you were such a shrewd fighter, Grace."
Grace smiled proudly and puffed out her large chest.
"Hehe... of course~" she said, golden eyes sparkling with satisfaction from his praise.
"I’m your first crewmate, after all. I can’t always just rely on you to protect me, Captain."
Hearing this, Jake smiled and reached out to ruffle her smooth golden hair.
"You really have grown a lot," he said, his voice warm. "I’m proud of you, Grace."
Grace smiled strangely at his touch and words, fidgeting a little as her cheeks turned a soft pink.
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, golden eyes glancing up at him with a mix of shyness and expectation.
"...Since I won," she said softly, "you have to fulfill my wish now, Captain."
Hearing this, Jake thumped his chest once and nodded firmly.
"Of course. I always keep my word!"
Grace’s golden eyes lit up at his firm reply.
Just then, Vivian walked over, still looking a little surprised as she glanced between the two of them.
"That was... honestly impressive," she said, crossing her arms. "The way you two fought just now... it didn’t feel like a simple spar at all."
Her eyes lingered on Grace for a moment, then on Jake.
"You two are getting stronger day by day. It’s almost unfair how fast you’re improving."
Then Vivian tilted her head, looking between them with open curiosity.
"Is there some kind of secret?" she asked. "You two are improving way too fast. Don’t tell me you’re hiding some special training method."
At those question, Jake coughed lightly, turning his face slightly to the side.
Grace, on the other hand, slowly licked her lower lip.
A mischievous glint flashed in her golden eyes as she answered in a soft, almost innocent tone.
"Mmm... it’s because Jake has been training me every day."
"He keeps pushing me until my legs give out... then he makes me practice using only my mouth. He says if I want to get better, I have to keep going even when it’s hard to breathe."
Vivian blinked, completely missing the implication.
"...Using only your mouth? Like... holding your breath while doing sit-ups or something?"
Grace just smiled sweetly and nodded.
"Ehem..."
Jake finally coughed, this time more deliberately, as he turned to look at the mischievous Sex Fiend beside him.
Grace’s boldness had clearly grown stronger lately.
The once shy girl now dropped suggestive remarks without hesitation, all while wearing that innocent little smile.
He reached out and lightly flicked her forehead.
Then Jake let out a quiet sigh and turned toward Vivian.
"How about you introduce the one watching from over there?"
Vivian blinked, then followed his gaze.
Near the doorway of the training hall, a maid was peeking out from behind the frame.
The moment she realized she had been noticed, she didn’t panic or flush at all.
Instead, she kept a completely straight, serious face and slowly leaned back, acting as if no one had seen her in the first place.
Vivian smiled and shook her head, then raised her voice.
"Aria, come here."
At those words, Jake finally saw the full appearance of the figure as she walked toward them.
His eyes widened slightly.
’...Beautiful.’
The maid had long, vibrant blue hair tied into a high ponytail that cascaded down her back in soft waves.
A few loose strands framed her face, swaying gently with each step.
Her clear blue eyes held a calm, almost unreadable expression, and her fair skin only made her features stand out more sharply.
She wore a classic black-and-white maid uniform that fit her figure a little too well.
The fitted bodice hugged her slender waist while the white apron and frilled edges did little to hide the generous curves of her chest, which strained tightly against the fabric.
Even in the simple uniform, she carried herself with a quiet, composed elegance that made her presence hard to ignore.
But at that moment, Jake blinked.
A strange sensation suddenly rose in his chest... subtle, but sharp.
It was as if his Instinct skill was quietly telling him about something.
So he followed his instinct and instinctively used Class Appraisal.
Then Vivian smiled and gestured toward the blue-haired maid.
"This is Aria Fragarach," she introduced. "She’s been working under me for a while now."
Aria stepped forward and gave an elegant, practiced bow, her long blue ponytail swaying slightly with the motion.
Her expression remained perfectly serious and composed the entire time.
"Hello, You may call me Aria," she said in a calm, clear voice.
Jake didn’t reply.
He simply stared at her, still dumbfounded by the information floating in his mind.
[Name: Aria Fragarach]
[Class: Fail Samurai (Trash)]
[Unique Class: Sword Collector (Dormant)]
’...What?’
A trash-rank Fail Samurai class... and a dormant Unique Class called Sword Collector?
Before Jake could think further, Aria suddenly stepped closer.
Her serious expression remained unchanged, but her blue eyes seemed to brighten slightly as she looked at him.
"Your swordsmanship earlier, it was very clean," she said in that same calm, composed voice.
Yet Jake could clearly feel a wave of enthusiasm rising from her, despite the serious expression that never left her face.
"The way you controlled the flow of the fight, it was also very impressive."
Jake fluttered slightly, caught off guard by the sudden closeness and the genuine praise.
"O-oh...? Thank...?"