"Sure. Can you be my girlfriend?" Ace asked, his voice muffled against her cleavage. The warmth of her skin, combined with his tongue accidentally grazing her cleavage, sent a shiver down his spine. Meanwhile, his hand continued kneading her ass with shameless enthusiasm.
Delores was momentarily stunned. Not just by his words, but by the sheer boldness of his actions. Did this kid know no fear? Or was he aware that she was beginning to favor him and was just that confident she'd let him get away with his mischief? She had to admit—his direct approach did catch her off guard.
"Nope," she shot him down without hesitation, regaining her composure she listed the reasons why she rejected him, "You're too young for my taste. And I highly doubt you'd be able to satisfy me." With that, she flew them toward the ground to retrieve the cursed tool, intending to regroup with Matthews and Evil Eyes.
Ace, however, was persistent.
"I get it," he said with a dramatic sigh. Then, as if the idea had just struck him, he perked up. Lifting his head from her chest, he asked "What about a sex mentor? I bet I could learn a lot from you." As he finally worked up the nerve to bite her earlobe—softly at first, then sucking on it just enough to test her limits.
That was his mistake. Delores had had enough. Before he could push his luck any further, she seized the wrist of the hand still groping her and twisted it behind his back in one swift motion.
"Ah—! Ow, ow, ow!" Ace yelped in pain, immediately letting go of her earlobe.
For a brief second, Delores seriously considered ripping his arm clean off. But no—she took a deep breath instead, forcing herself to stay rational. The fight wasn't over yet, and the C.I.B. reinforcements were nowhere in sight. Now wasn't the time to maim her surprisingly capable teammate.
Then, to her absolute astonishment, Ace—still twisted in her grip—doubled down.
"Miss Delores, no need to get physical," he said, grinning despite the pain. "Was my technique too sloppy? Just show me how it's done once—I promise to correct it, I've been told I'm a quick learner."
He was getting bolder. Testing her patience. Enjoying how much she was holding back despite the anger in her heart. Delores narrowed her eyes, her grip tightening. Realizing he had definitely pushed her too far, Ace quickly backtracked.
"I understand. Someone like me isn't worthy to be your pupil," he said, his tone suddenly humble. "Please, forgive my arrogance."
Delores wasn't buying it. Just a few feet from the ground, she deliberately let go of him, sending him crashing into the crater below. He hit the ground with a grunt, kicking up a cloud of dust. Hovering above him, she crossed her arms and said coldly, "Collect the curse tool and get to the resort. It isn't far from here."
"Wait!" Ace called out, scrambling to his feet in a panic, and hurried to explain fearing she might leave without even listening to what he had to say. "Help me charge the rifle again," he blurted out before she could take off.
Delores hesitated, then—without a word—slowly hovered down next to him, extending her hand. Ace took the chance and jumped on. But before he could steady himself, Delores shook him off with a sharp tilt of her board, sending him stumbling back down. He barely managed to land on his feet.
"What the hell?!" he snapped, brushing dust off his flannel shirt.
Delores stared him down, with an unimpressed stare, she ordered, "Pass me your rifle. I'll charge it and bring it back."
She had zero intention of letting Ace on her board again.
Not because he was handsy, the real problem was that Ace had figured her out. Everyone saw her as indifferent and stern, even Mandy. But somehow, with his relentless antics, Ace had managed to find the one soft spot she had for him—and she did not like that one bit.
Ace exhaled dramatically, yelling, "I get that you don't want to be my sex mentor, but do you really have to be this cold to me?"
Delores's expression twitched, thinking, 'Oh, he was pushing it now.'
Seeing Delores approach with a dreadful grin, Ace hurriedly tossed his rifle to her.
"I'll be waiting by the resort!" he blurted out before snatching up MindBug's curse tool and bolting toward the resort without waiting for her response.
Catching the rifle Delores coldly stared at Ace's retreating back only to be surprised by a deep voice sighing in dismay.
"Sex mentor? Is that a thing these days? Damn… I really can't keep up with the times."
Ace froze mid-step. Delores instinctively dashed ahead and scooped him up into her arms securing him in her embrace before snapping her head toward the voice.
They both locked eyes with a one-eyed, gray-haired middle-aged man in a sharp diamond-inlaid suit. His short hair was neatly groomed, and his clean-shaven face gave him an air of refinement. But it was the wisdom in his single eye that caught their attention—this man was old. Not in the way mortals aged, but the kind of old that had seen centuries pass by.
While the man still seemed to be processing Ace's words, Delores was trying to figure out how he had managed to get so close to them unnoticed. Meanwhile, Ace—comfortably nestled in her embrace—was doing his best to assess whether this newcomer was a friend or foe. Being in Delores's arms did help take the edge off.
The man's gaze shifted to the rifle in Delores's hand, "That's quite a curse tool you've got there. Mind if I take a look?"
Seeing their tense expressions, he raised a placating hand. "Relax. I'm just a passerby, drawn in by your unique curse tool. I mean no harm—I'm simply intrigued by the principle behind its workings." His voice was calm, almost curious. "For a mortal-tier curse tool to summon the kind of power capable of killing a Sky-tier… That's nothing short of a miracle. And tonight, I've already witnessed three of them."
His lone eye gleamed with interest. "So, if you don't mind please let me take a closer look."