Chapter 142: Internal Crisis


    <span style="font-weight:400">As Sung-Sun left, Kazuya gazed into M Rose’s eyes. “Rose, do you remember our talk on the Ferris wheel?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“...It’s been a long time.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">The hesitation in her response was a telltale sign she was lying. It was so out of character for her, as she was usually so direct and assertive. She didn’t have to lie as she had rejected his advances before. He had to figure out the cause of her indecisiveness, or he’d be forever stuck at the ‘close friend’ status.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I’ll remind you then. You told me you’ll ept me as you mate if I make it back alive. I’ve done that twice now.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I said I’ll consider the idea!” M Rose shot back, springing up from the plush couch like a lioness ready to pounce. Her gaze, full of conflicting emotions, met him. “I want to be with you. I don’t think I can be with you.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">The more she thought about herplicated feelings, the tighter the knot in her stomach became. Her anxieties reached a breaking point,pelling her to m her fist onto the table, shattering itpletely. She sank onto the couch, her head throbbing and her breathing in ragged gasps. “I don’t make any damn sense… Skull, I love you but I can’t escape this nagging feeling that I can’t make you happy. Why do I feel this way?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">He couldn’t answer her confusion until he recalled Sung-Sun’s statement on M Rose’s nature. Out of every Hollow around him, only M Rose fully embraced her bestial instincts, finding genuine joy in activities such as hunting and leisurely lounging. He had to shift his perspective and adopt the mindset of a lion to help her.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Skull, say something. Is my gut feeling right? Or am I overthinking things? I’m so… confused.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Facing her vulnerable look, he assumed a serious expression. “You’re not entirely wrong, Rose. But you’re not entirely right, either.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You aren’t helping, Skull.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">He chuckled. “You like to hunt, right?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">She quizzically nodded, still unsure why he brought up her pastime activity. “I love it.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Do you want to hunt for me?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Her eyes widened dramatically. “How do you know that?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“What you’re feeling is a sh of your emotions and your instincts.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Emotions and instincts? I don’t understand. Make me understand in simplenguage…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">{She is a little thickheaded.}


    <span style="font-weight:400">He cleared his throat. “You’re a lioness, right?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Of course. My Zanpakutō is named the Lioness General.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“What’s the role of a lioness in a lion’s pride?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Pride? Like the lion’s group with a harem of lionesses? What do they do?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Born in Hueco Mundo, shecked the basic knowledge on animals — the biggest reason for her current confusion.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“A lioness hunts for her pride.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Okay… what does that have to do with us?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It has everything to do with us,” he said, shaking his head. “You see me as a mate, the leader of our ‘pride.’ Your instinct is to always hunt for me and provide me with sustenance. But when I bought the mansion and became a wealthy man, you lost your purpose.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">He was a perfect mate with one w — hisck of dependence on her, which led her to lose self-esteem in herself as a ‘lioness.’ Her depression was also deeply linked to her instincts — with her ‘mate’ far away from her grasp, shecked motivation to do anything and ended up lounging around all day. When confronted by Api, she even tried to prove her worth by hunting Grimmjow and his group for him.


    <span style="font-weight:400">s, it wasn’t enough to cure her confidence issues.


    <span style="font-weight:400">A look of dawning realization spread across her face, as though she were piecing together aplex puzzle. The weight of this revtion settled over her. “Motherf… I’m useless in your pride.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Gently taking her hand, he brought it to his lips and tenderly kissed her knuckles. “That would be the case if we were beasts living in a forest. Don’t forget that we’re Arrancars — hybrids of Shinigami and Hollow. We don’t need to live by our animalistic instincts.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">She raised her eyebrows. “You’re saying I can be a good mate without hunting for you?


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Exactly. Aside from hunting, you can do so much more to be a good wife.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">She beamed a smile when he mentioned being a good wife. “You glib-tongued pervert, you’re suggesting sex.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Clearing his throat as if to downy her insinuation, he smiled. “Sex is just one of those things.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">She giggled at his innocent gesture before moving to straddle hisp. “Alright, Skull. Let’s give this thing a shot. Me, Snake, Api, Harribel-sama, and you being part of a pride.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">He had changed her entire perspective on every male in the world then got rid of the problem that made her fall into depression for months. He was the most reliable man in her eyes, with Harribeling in second.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“What about Ciri? She won’t be in the pride?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Cough. Cough. A series of fake coughs pulled them out of their private world. There stood Ciri, leaning against the banister of the staircase above them, a smile stretching across her face.


    <span style="font-weight:400">M Rose shot her an unamused look. “Ciri, what will you say to my mate’s proposal?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Ciri shrugged with casual indifference. “What I’ve always said. Family and mates aren’t for me.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“The audacity,” M Rose muttered and turned her attention back to Kazuya. “What do you say about tying her up?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Forget it,” he leaned close to her ear. “Is she still depressed?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Kind of… I don’t understand her sometimes.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">He shook his head, his expression turning contemtive. “It’s better you don’t understand her circumstances.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Healing her Zanpakutō would be a piece of cake but healing her heart would be tricky.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Seizing the moment of his contemtion, M Rose leaned in to nt a soft kiss on his cheek. “Kazuya, let’s go on a date.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">The bold spark in her eyes and the allure in her voice were signals he couldn’t possibly misunderstand with his experience. And quite frankly, he was more than willing to take the hint.