Infinite Skill Devourer
Chapter 73: The Guild’s Home Base V

Chapter 73: The Guild’s Home Base V

Before Kaori could ask further questions about what Hwa concluded her thoughts was, they arrived before another apartment building.

This time larger and higher, compared to Kaori’s apartment.

They took the elevator, following Daiki since he was the only one who knew where the apartment might be.

The elevator dinged softly as it reached the top floor, opening to reveal the hall that led to their apartment.

Daiki stepped out first, and the others followed behind him.

He pushed the door open, revealing a very spacious living room.

The apparatus was impressive, with wide windows that stretched from floor to ceiling, offering a breathtaking view of the city skyline.

The living room wasarge, with furnitures at the center with a neutral interior colour.

That gave the room a clean and open feel.

To the left was a kitchen, designed in the standard L design, where cooking as well as eating was done.

Four doors lined the hall way leading further into the apartment, for the assigned rooms.

Daiki walked further into the apartment with a smile, and down the hall to the last and fifth room, at the far end without hesitating.

Then he turned to them and stated, "Supervisor privilege," he chuckled softly and stepped into the room happily.

Ryuen rolled his eyes slightly, dropping his own bag by the sofa. "Of course, he gets the best room."

"The other rooms are not bad," Hwa said and darted past him, claiming the room closest to Daiki, "More access to my mentor," she grinned before disappearing into the room to unpack.

Yurei entered last, she let her gaze scan the apartment with a lingering feelings of unease, and curiosity.

She chose the room close to Daiki’s as well, leaving Ryuen with the one closest to the kitchen.

And he wouldn’t have wanted any better, Unlimited access to food without stress.

The rooms were all similar, but designed to match each member’s taste and somehow, who ever designed managed to be accurate with everything.

Like they had known before hand that they would pick the room they had chosen now.

Each with single beds, a desk and wardrobes, with perfect bathroom setup.

The second the door closed, Erina let out a breath she had been holding for her while, for reasons she did not know.

She stood behind Ryuen tall frame, with her head low, deep in thoughts that she hadn’t noticed when he turned around to face.

When he did, he placed his hand on her head and made her raise his head to look at him.

"Are you alright?"

He asked with a clam tone, one that she didn’t expect, it was different from the cold detached he used with her a while ago.

When she nodded slowly, Ryuen exhaled.

"Take my bags to the last room, take a bath and pick on of the shirts inside, then sleep, I’ll bring dinner for you," he said, causing Kaori’s eyes to widen and Erina’s cheeks to swell and heat up.

Erina opened her mouth to speak, but a glare from him made her instant pick up his bags and dart past him.

Kaori who was still dumbfounded by Ryuen’s sudden attitude followed Erina’s movements, then she shifted her gaze to Ryuen who immediately averted his gaze.

"Don’t tell me...." she trailed off, slowly reaching for her opened mouth. "You like her."

"I don’t, she’s the enemies daughter," Ryuen replied almost immediately, then he sighed. "I was supposed to kill her too."

"Kill her?" Kaori repeated and gasped, "Did you kill the royal family?"

"Yes, But not the prince, Daiki did that."

He answered like he hadn’t done something wrong, or bad.

"And you took the last survivor with you?! What do you think the citizens are going to say?"

Ryuen shrugged, "The king made me king, so now I have to transfer that responsibility to someone else."

He replied lowly, as he thought of what to do, then she scoffed.

"Making you king would be horrible, A man who would kill a family, as a king?"

"Let it rest, I’m going to find a replacement or find a way to combine the city with another."

"Not bad. This is better than your other reckless plans, Ryuen."

"It’s temporary," he replied, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. "We’ll see how long it lasts."

Kaori smirked. "Temporary or not, Anyway it’s really comfortable here and it’s all thanks to those you killed. You should appreciate that."

Before Ryuen would reply, Daiki emerged from his room, stretching his arms above his head.

"Alright, since I’m the supervisor, I’ll handle the rules around here. Rule one: no loud music. Rule two: no fights inside the apartment. Rule three—"

"Don’t you dare say no food fights," Hwa interrupted from her room, poking her head out with a grin.

Daiki sighed dramatically. "Fine. Just don’t destroy the place. I don’t want to deal with Tsukiyama."

Ryuen shook his head, taking a sip of water. "We’ll manage."

_____

As the day went on, the group gradually settled into their new place.

Kaori helped Yurei arrange her belongings, though she insisted she didn’t need much help.

Meanwhile, Hwa and Daiki bickered good-naturedly over who got control of the living room television, while Ryuen remained in the kitchen, observing quietly.

Kaori, true to her nature, found a way to meddle.

She caught Yurei rearranging her desk and leaned against the doorway with a knowing smile.

"So, Yurei, have you thought about my challenge?"

Yurei froze, glancing over her shoulder. "What challenge?"

Kaori’s grin widened. "You know. Physical contact with my brother."

Yurei sighed heavily, already dreading why she even decided to accomodate the discussion in the first place.

Knowing what Kaori would say. "I don’t have time for this."

"You’re avoiding it," Kaori teased, stepping into the room. "What are you so afraid of?"

"I’m not afraid," Yurei retorted, turning back to her desk. "I just don’t see the point."

Kaori chuckled, and patted her on the shoulder. "You’ll see it soon enough. Just don’t run away when the opportunity comes."

Yurei shot her a glare but didn’t respond, focusing on organizing her belongings instead.

---

By evening, the apartment was mostly settled. Kaori had left after ensuring everything was in order, leaving the four to their own devices.

Hwa lounged on the couch, flipping through channels, while Daiki worked on his phone at the kitchen counter.

Ryuen was in his room, sorting through files and papers, his focus unwavering.

Yurei, wrapped in a thick blanket and wearing glasses, stepped out of her room cautiously to avoid being spotted by anyone in the apartment.

And since everyone was busy, she said with as a good opportunity.

She held a brown file in her hands, her eyes darted around the apartment as if checking to make sure no one was watching.

She padded silently down the hallway, stopping in front of Ryuen’s door.

It was slightly open, and she could hear the faint sound of movement inside.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and stepped in.

Ryuen was in the middle of a workout, his back to her as he performed a series of push-ups.

His shirt was discarded on the bed, revealing a toned and muscular frame that made Yurei pause.

She blinked a few times, her cheeks flushing slightly, but she quickly shook the thought away.

"Ryuen," she called softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

He glanced over his shoulder in the middle of a descent, his expression calm but curious. "What is it?"

Yurei hesitated, but then took a deep breath and made her expression blank and slightly irritated. "You still forgot your files with Tsukiyama."

He stood,and grabbed a towel from the chair to wipe the sweat from his face before walking over to her.

He stopped a foot away, taking the papers from her hands. "Thanks."

Yurei nodded, her gaze fixed on the floor.

She could feel the heat radiating from his body, and despite her layers, there was a faint tingling sensation on her skin.

She took a step back, but Ryuen’s sharp eyes caught the movement.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his tone neutral but tinged with concern, then to worsen things he took a step closer.

She could feel her skin slowly and gradually burn with how close he was.

She felt like she would get that painful burn as usual, but this time, she actually felt normal.

’Breath Yuri, Breath.’