"Amon, what is the nature of our relationship now?" Ariel asked, nestling her head on his chest.
Amon showed no surprise at the question. In fact, he seemed to expect such an inquiry, a slight smile forming on his lips.
"You already know what I desire," said Amon, gently touching Ariel's nose. "But the question is... what do you want it to mean?"
What she wanted... It was a complex question. Although she knew the answer her heart longed to express, there was hesitation, a fear of facing that reality. It was like standing on the edge of a cliff, knowing that once she jumped, there would be no turning back. This thought deeply frightened her.
"Actually..." Ariel began, hesitant, her voice trembling and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. But, gathering courage, she rose, lifting her head from his chest and looking into his honey-colored eyes. Finding a fragment of confidence, she declared: "I want our relationship to move to a new phase!"
"That's exactly what I want too," replied Amon, his smile widening in satisfaction with her answer.
"Hehehe~" This made her feel more at ease, even expecting this kind of response from him. Ariel stuck out her tongue and soon said, "By the way, how should we tell Barbara and the others about us?"
"Uh, actually, I think they already knew this was going to happen sooner or later," Amon replied.
What he didn't know was that the girls had even made a bet to see how long it would take until Ariel completely gave in to him...
"May I make a somewhat bold request?" Ariel asked with notable caution.
"Without a doubt," replied Amon.
"Mm, I prefer to keep this just between us for now," she proposed and quickly clarified: "I will tell them later, I promise. But first, I want to be ready and have an exclusive girl-to-girl talk, and then, speak openly with them. After all, it's me who needs to win their approval.
Although I know that, deep down, they will accept me, knowing how they are, I still prefer to tell them personally in a more appropriate setting."
Upon hearing this, Amon expressed a subtle smile: "Understood, take your time." He added: "So, I guess you should get out of my arms now, otherwise, they will immediately notice."
"Yes," confirmed Amon. "Many have already started doing missions and earning many credits, both school credits and credits to spend in the university stores. By the way, speaking of credits, I have a good amount right now. If you need a loan to better prepare for our mission, just let me know."
Amon's generosity was already familiar to them. Moreover, they understood that being better equipped would make it easier to acquire items and, consequently, pay off any debt they might incur with him.
"When will we depart?" inquired Barbara.
"Let's prepare over the next three days," replied Amon. "During this period, you can start organizing for the departure."
"In that case," said Barbara, "I won't decide now how much in credits I want to borrow. I will evaluate what could be useful, do the calculations, and then talk to you, okay?"
"Sure, that's fine by me," replied Amon, turning his gaze to the other girls.
Julia, Maisa, and Ariel agreed to adopt the same approach as Barbara. It was the most sensible decision, considering they still did not have clarity about what they would need to acquire or how much they would have to request as a loan from him.
"Of course, even though Mabel has the support of her grandmother, I will offer the same thing to her," affirmed Amon. "After all, we will form a team."
"I agree, that seems fair," responded Barbara in a relaxed manner.
Ariel and the twins had no objections. After all, even if they wanted, the credits were still Amon's, and he was free to use them as he preferred. In any case, they felt grateful for him sharing his intentions with the group.
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As agreed, Amon and the girls talked to Mabel later through the "Partners in Crime" messaging group.
Mabel reacted favorably, informing that she would be available after two days. During this interval, she planned to perfect her skills under the guidance of her grandmother, Kaia. Regarding the credits, Mabel declined. It seems her grandmother had already prepared everything for her this time.
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Do you want to know the appearance of each of the girls that have been introduced? I have created some images with their appearance, and you can access these images by joining my Discord: discord.gg/rK69edsWyt