"Have you eaten?"
"Ah, um... not yet?"
"Should we have dinner first, then?"
"Hmm...?"
Finn knew Flare was incredibly nervous. Frankly, he wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do with her, either. He had been holding himself back for a long time, and even though Ivan had practically served her to him on a silver platter—and she would likely have been more than willing if he had decided to take her right there on the bar—it just wasn't his style.
Who actually slept with a woman minutes after acquiring her?
No, wait, actually, a lot of guys would do exactly that, he corrected himself internally.
Still, it didn't suit him. Instead, he decided to share a meal with her. It would give him a chance to eat and slowly unravel the mystery of the voluptuous, red-haired mage sitting across from him. Fortunately, they were alone in his private bar, where the food was excellent and the ocean view was stunning. Flare, still tightly wound, couldn't quite put her finger on the mood of the room, but the heavy, intimate atmosphere sent a pleasant shiver down her spine.
"You aren't from this continent, are you?" Finn asked, breaking the silence.
"Yes." Flare nodded, her massive twin braids swaying with the motion. "I came from far away. When I arrived, I... joined Raven Tail."
"...Your luck is terrible."
"Is it?" Flare looked up through her thick lashes, genuinely confused.
"You didn't think they were a bunch of weirdos?"
"...Isn't that how people normally act on this continent?" Flare asked timidly. She shifted in her seat, her body twisting slightly as she subconsciously played with the ends of her hair. The movement caused the dangerously low neckline of her dress to shift, drawing Finn's eyes to the heavy, tantalizing sway of her breasts. She truly seemed to be wondering if her former, psychotic guild was the standard.
Honestly, it made sense that she had trusted Ivan initially; he was the one who had found her and provided for her when she arrived with absolutely nothing. Coming from an isolated background where she always felt like an outsider, she had desperately sought a place where she belonged. Because she had no frame of reference, she blindly accepted Raven Tail's unnatural cruelty as normal—which explained why, in the original timeline, she had done such deliciously wicked, sadistic things to Fairy Tail's resident blonde bombshell, Lucy Heartfilia.
But if Flare had to choose between Ivan and Finn now? She would obey Finn in a heartbeat.
Why? It was simple, primal biology. Finn was far more handsome, and humans were ultimately animals. Just as a female peacock selects the mate with the most vibrant, dominating plumage, women were instinctively drawn to power and presence. Finn had clawed his way to the top using every dirty method available. Combined with the Manager and the dimensional enhancements he'd gained from his alternate self, he exuded the aura that was lethal and irresistible to women.
It was the exact same reason the female members of Fairy Tail—women who should have despised him as a villain for threatening their guild—were so bizarrely, helplessly charmed by him.
Was it Stockholm syndrome? Or were they all just closet masochists? Considering how lewd many of the women in Fairy Tail turned out to be, Finn wouldn't rule out the latter.
Right now, however, his undivided attention was on Flare. The tension slowly bled out of her as they shared a lavish spread: fresh salad, creamy seafood pasta, pizza, chicken marsala, and a rich tiramisu that Flare absolutely devoured.
"Is it good?" Finn asked, watching her lick a stray drop of cream from her plush lips.
"Um~!" Flare hummed, a deep flush spreading across her cheeks. "It's the best I've ever tasted."
"What did Ivan feed you?"
"Er... just meat, mostly?" she answered after a moment of thought.
"And what did you eat back in your village?" Finn asked, genuinely bewildered by her extreme lack of common sense. Was this simply how she was wired? So thoroughly naive that she was completely at his mercy?
"The same. Meat."
"...Your village," Finn started, pausing to find the right words. "What kind of place is it?"
"Hmm... It's a nice place." A soft, nostalgic look entered Flare's eyes, making her look incredibly vulnerable. "It wasn't advanced like this kingdom, but it was warm. I had many people who loved me... but... I left because I felt like we were too different."
"Even if you look different, if they treated you like family, what's the problem? Did you think their love wasn't real just because you didn't look like them?"
"N-No! Th-They really loved me..." she stammered, her chest heaving as she leaned forward in her defense. Even if she was completely different from the people who had raised her since infancy, she knew their affection was genuine.
"Right?" Finn smiled gently, leaning in. "But just how different were you?"
"Er... they are giants." Yet, inwardly, the doubt in her heart had gone, and she thought that she had really found a place. At least, in this place, as she believed that for someone who could say that to her, it was worth trusting him.
"...Giants?"
"Yes."
"Like... massive bodies? Literal giants?"
"Yes," Flare nodded. "My head only reaches their ankles."
"Hmm... I think I'd like to see one of them someday." Finn mentally filed that away. If he ever acquired Makarov's Giant Magic, he wondered how her people would react.
"Then... then I would be more than happy to guide you there... in the future... if you want to go..." Flare whispered. Though she sounded shy, a warm pool of heat gathered in her stomach, knowing Finn was interested in her home. She had left her village to find people her own size, perhaps secretly seeking out the kind of intimate, 'lewd wrestling' she used to hear her giant adoptive parents engaging in late at night.
Finn wasn't entirely sure what filthy thoughts were running through Flare's head to make her blush so heavily, but she was clearly in a wonderful mood. They continued chatting comfortably into the late hours, until a familiar, sharp voice broke the atmosphere.
"Finn-sama, aren't you going to rest? It's already quite late."
"Oh?"
Finn blinked, surprised to see Bisca standing in the doorway. He hadn't realized how much time had passed. At the same time, he wondered why Bisca was even still here; she usually hurried home to sleep beside her daughter. "It is late. Sorry for keeping you up so long, Flare."
"N-No, it's perfectly fine, Finn-sama..."
Flare's submissive demeanor returned instantly. She didn't dare meet his eyes, but as Bisca stepped fully into the room, Flare's gaze shifted, locking onto the green-haired sniper with a sudden, subtle intensity.
"So, what's your plan now?" Finn asked, standing up. "Ivan practically threw you away to me. Are you absolutely sure you want to work under me?"
"...Is that not allowed?" Flare asked softly, her tone implying that she already belonged to him, body and soul. Compared to Ivan, Finn was a god.
"If you're willing, then you're welcome here. I'll have to erase that Dark Guild tattoo of yours tomorrow. Is that alright?"
"Yes. You can put your mark anywhere you want on me."
Without breaking eye contact, Flare reached up and hooked a finger under the plunging neckline of her dress. With a slow, deliberate tug, she pulled the crimson fabric aside, completely exposing the heavy, pale swell of her breast. Stamped starkly against her soft, sensitive flesh was the jagged black tattoo of Raven Tail.
"....."
Finn stared at the generous display of cleavage. Was this normal behavior for her? Then again, considering she was raised in a wild, Viking-esque environment by literal giants, modesty probably wasn't a concept she had ever been taught.
"...Let's handle that tomorrow," Finn managed to say smoothly. Erasing a mark right off a woman's bare breast was a bit too much for tonight—especially since he hadn't missed the dangerous way Bisca's eyes had narrowed into slits at the lewd display.
"Bisca, escort Flare to one of the empty guest rooms."
Finn faked a yawn, deciding a tactical retreat to bed was his best option. Tomorrow, he had a mountain of Council work to deal with, and he also needed to finalize his plans to awaken his Second Origin before the Grand Magic Games. He knew the perfect location for it.
As he walked out, the door clicked shut, leaving Bisca and Flare completely alone. The air instantly grew thick with territorial tension.
"My name is Bisca Connell. I work directly under Finn-sama. And you are...?" Bisca asked, her voice dangerously polite.
"I am Flare Corona," Flare replied, adjusting her dress but keeping her chin raised. "I will be working under Finn-sama, too..."
Flare might have lacked the basic common sense of normal human society, but she had the sharp instincts of a wild animal. And looking at the sniper standing before her, Flare could immediately tell... this woman had a very deep, very deep relationship with their master.
Achoo!
Down the hall, Finn rubbed his nose as he slipped into bed. Did he catch a cold from the ocean breeze?
Whatever, he thought, pulling the covers up. I'll deal with those two tomorrow.
Only what he didn't know was that the two had some kind of a deal as he left.
---
By the way, I might have said this before, but I have uploaded my new original story. The title is "Checking Out at 5:15 PM" with the name "OnlyPureLove44," or I might change it to Akikan in the future.
Regardless, there are more than ten chapters now.
You can check when you want to read more of my work.
Thank you!