At what felt like a long dream, alas, I opened my eyes through groans and every concept of struggle. With one eye clearer than the other, I gazed upon an unfamiliar ceiling.


    "Oh, you''re finally awake."


    However, that voice was familiar. It was that female alien. She looked at me with a pout as if I played dead, teasing her feelings.


    "As much as I''m happy to see you awake, I suggest you sleep more," she said, concerned.


    What was she talking about? Also, why was concerned about me? Well, it''s pointless thinking about it. She''s a weird one, after all.


    "I''m awake, so my body surely decided that I need no more rest," I said before getting up only to feel pain coursing through every inch of my body. Well, except 8 inches. "Ah!" Every part of my body ached like hell.


    In response to my groan, she hurriedly yet gently laid me back down. She removed the blanket to make sure I hadn''t opened any of my wounds.


    Wait... what the hell?!


    My entire body was covered in bandages.


    "Did you...?"


    "That''s right. I patched you up. It''s surprising how you''re still alive. But we''ll talk about everything later. Rest, okay~"


    The fact that she had the leisure to patch me up; the unfamiliar ceiling; the ''normal'' appearance of an alien. I could only deduce that this was their lair. If I had to face them, I would need to fight at full strength. With that being said, I complied and once again rested.


    Not that I''d have a chance either way. I''m fine with that. All I want is a badass ending.


    <hr>


    The subtle sensation of fingers trailed all over my body, teasing my senses. Making matters worse, it didn''t stop at mere touches.


    "Cain~"


    A seductive tone complemented by a hot breath against my ear. What was she trying to do? Whatever it was, the best solution would be to feign ignorance.


    "Oh my. If you don''t get up, I''m going to kiss you~"


    I sighed before opening my eyes. Once again, I saw her pouting.


    "You told me to sleep, but now you decided to wake me up. Make up your mind," I scolded.


    "What are you talking about? You''ve been asleep for a month already. Through that month, things became too hectic for me to let you dream any longer."


    "What?! A month? Seriously?"


    She nodded.


    "When I knocked you unconscious the first time, you were asleep for two weeks. When you woke up and I told you to sleep, you slept for another two weeks."


    Knocked me unconscious, huh? You mean that time you nearly killed me. Only God knows how I''m still alive.


    "Anyway, I teased your wounds a bit, and it didn''t open. So, your body should be solid enough to move."


    Taking her word for it, I got off the bed and found clothes and a sword on the table. I glanced at her to confirm these were for me. With a slight nod as a response, I covered my bandaged body with black attire and carried my sword inside a scabbard at my hip. The female alien nodded in admiration and satisfaction.


    "It suits you. You look cool, Cain."


    "I''ve been wondering this, but how do you know my name?" I asked, skeptical about this entire situation.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "I''ve interrogated your colleagues until their very last breath," she responded with a cold smile.


    My expression grew grim.


    "I''m kidding~ It was hard not knowing your name. Especially since that one girl kept screaming it while shaking your unconscious body." She shrugged.


    So it was Hime, huh?


    "I see. Now then..." I pointed at her. "Embrace equality."


    She innocently tilted her head with a mischievous smile.


    "Are you asking for my name? How cute~"


    This girl... you''re not the only one that can tease, you know?


    "Oh, what''s this? Aren''t you the one being cute? I mean, you confessed to a stranger."


    "Well, love is illogical and unreasonable. You can''t put that into an equation or a calculator."


    "Ugh..." I groaned.


    She shaped her fingers into a heart.


    "Error 404," she purred.


    "I can''t argue with that. After all, that error code indicates something is not found. It is most likely referring to my love for you," I grinned, feeling complacent with my quick-witted response.


    "Hmmm, is that so?" She closed the distance between us and leaned closer to my face, accepting my smug expression as a challenge. "So, it isn''t non-existent, but merely lost? In that case, all I need to do is find it," she responded, meeting my uneasy gaze with pink, alluring ones.


    "I see. How adventurous of you. I wish you well on your endeavor," I half-heartedly responded, focusing more on the deteriorating distance than her cheesy lines.


    She leaned closer after confirming the power she held over me physically and psychologically. She was getting dangerously close.


    "Are you sure you want to wish me well? It''s almost as if you''re giving me consent to capture your heart," she said with a sultry smile.


    Alright. She''s taking this too far. It''s time I stop fooling around, and take control of this conversation.


    "You can try," I answered with a serious expression, eliminating all of the power she previously held over me. Even if I was still slightly disorientated inside, as long as she couldn''t see that from the exterior, I would have control.


    "In that case, I''ll do my best. However, let''s put that aside. As I mentioned before, I woke you up because there''s an emergency. Things are getting out of hand," she said while gesturing out of the room.


    A walk and talk, huh? Well, I already have an idea of what this emergency is about.


    "As expected of a violent species. Humans sure enjoy having wars, huh?" I rhetorically asked, distorting myself from those homo sapiens.


    Greed. One of the many words that perfectly fit humanity. Even if the aliens hadn''t attacked first, just their mere existence would be enough for humanity to declare war or raid them.


    "Oh my—I like smart men. I guess you''re making me love you even more. Is that truly okay?"


    "I''m from the opposing team. Loving me would only hurt you. So, as the enemy, that''s of great benefit to me," I said calmly to pressure her, but her cheerful expression never ceased to amaze me. Instead, she snorted at my remark. What did she find amusing?


    "Do you like lying, or do you simply enjoy testing me, Cain?" She smirked, once again claiming the upper hand.


    I hope not all aliens are as smart as her.


    "That''s an interesting question. What''s my transparency percentage?"


    "Hmm~ as far as I know, you despise humans. You''ve witnessed our strength first-hand, and yet you showed no sign of concern when I confirmed that our two species are at war."


    Sheesh. Talk about scary.


    "That''s not factual. I''m simply a composed man."


    "Composed, huh? And yet you get so easily flustered when I touch you and get close. I see... so, I''m just special~"


    Ah, shit. This again. I need to somehow prevent her from exuding so much mischief.


    She was focused on understanding me and building a bond. I didn''t really hate it, but it felt like a waste. That aside, this war was concerning whether I hated humans or not. Either she was confident in the aliens'' military strength, or she was too simple-minded to grasp the danger of this war. Considering how she saw right through me, it was most likely the former. Nevertheless, I needed to extract information about the aliens and this war.


    I''ve been asleep for an entire month when this punctuated equilibrium world war began. So, in the face of this rapid change, I''m but an infant.


    Just when I was about to open my mouth, two girls stepped in front of us. One had black hair, whereas the other had white. Other than that, their appearance was the same. Probably twins.


    "Ah, it''s big sister Maria and her human slave," the white-haired girl pointed out.


    "Sla-" I choked on the word. Well, at least I got her name out of it.


    While I tried to regain my composure, it was at that moment when I felt soft, sensational lips brushed against my cheek.


    "Boyfriend... He''s my boyfriend, not my slave. Please don''t mistake the two again, Shiro."


    Everyone other than Maria was shocked at her intimacy. No, only Shiro and I were shocked. The black-haired girl looked annoyed.


    Well, I kind of feel her.


    "Anyway, Shiro and Kuro, I''ll introduce you girls to him properly later. For now, he and I need to rush to the meeting."


    Rush, my ass. How long did you waste with your pointless flirting?


    "Heeeh?! But I wanted to talk to him more," she moaned with a pout. "Alright then. Bye-bye, slave." Shiro waved.


    Don''t call me that!


    Meeting? This was the first time I''ve heard about it. Was it perhaps a strategy meeting of some sort? It sounded likely. It was logical to extract information and get an opinion from a human. Well, whatever. I could use this meeting to confirm various things that would set me on my desired track.