Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, three days had gone by.
To renovate the restaurant and ensure the quality of ingredients, Lynn spent every day running back and forth between the Goibniu Familia and the Demeter Familia with Eina.
And just as he was running around busy trying to make money, a young girl snuck out of her home and arrived at the Hestia Familia.
"What a rare guest."
Looking at the blonde girl sitting on the sofa, Lynn, who had just returned, looked surprised.
"Leaving Lefiya and the others behind to come here alone, you're probably not here to eat, right?"
"Mm."
Aiz nodded silently.
Although she wasn't going to the Dungeon today, Aiz was still wearing her combat gear.
Her tender body was covered in silver armor, and her long, beautiful legs were encased in a pair of blue long boots.
Scanning the girl, Lynn sat down on the opposite sofa.
"Speak, what do you need from me?"
"...I want to learn a Breathing Technique."
Aiz hesitated for a moment before giving her answer.
Four days had passed since she returned from the Dungeon.
After watching that War Game live broadcast, Aiz had started asking people around her about the Demon Slayer Corps.
From Loki and Riveria, down to Lefiya and Bete, Aiz had asked everyone she could, but didn't get any information.
It was as if they didn't exist; not a single person in the Loki Familia had ever heard of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Unable to find the Demon Slayer Corps, she naturally couldn't learn the Breathing Technique that Lynn used.
The seed of desire had been planted when they first met, and then took root and sprouted during the War Game.
Having witnessed Lynn's performance in the War Game and learned from the Guild's notice that Lynn was a Level 1, Aiz's desire for the Breathing Technique grew even stronger.
So, today, she snuck out of the Loki Familia and arrived at the Hestia Familia without anyone noticing.
"I know this request is a bit abrupt, but I really need this power."
A glimmer of longing appeared in her golden eyes.
Looking at the black-haired boy in front of her, Aiz awaited his response with some trepidation.
In response, Lynn smiled and sat on the sofa, meeting Aiz's gaze.
A moment later, Aiz silently lowered her head.
"As expected, it's not possible?"
"Nonsense, of course not."
Lynn rolled his eyes: "When others buy fried rice from me, they know to pull out Valis to pay."
"But you, you just run over, say 'I really need this power,' and that's it."
"What, do I look like a philanthropist in your eyes, trying to get something for free without paying a cent?"
"I... I'm sorry..."
Aiz, having been scolded, finally realized what she had forgotten and hurriedly took out a gold card.
"This contains all my savings, a total of 43 million Valis."
"That's more like it."
Lynn took the gold card from Aiz's hand.
Seeing this, Aiz's eyes widened slightly, and joy became visible on her face.
"You agreed?"
"I have no reason to turn away money."
After the War Game ended, Lynn tallied the assets of the Soma Familia.
Excluding some fixed assets, the circulating funds of the Soma Familia were about 50 million Valis.
Aiz offered 43 million Valis right off the bat, almost doubling the funds he had on hand.
She gave way too much.
Since Aiz's sincerity was so sufficient, Lynn naturally had to agree.
"Which Breathing Technique do you want to learn?"
"Which one?" Aiz tilted her head. "You know more than one Breathing Technique?"
"I currently know two Breathing Techniques: Thunder Breathing and Ripple."
"Considering your situation, I recommend you learn Ripple."
Although Lynn often used Thunder Breathing in battle, that didn't mean Thunder Breathing was stronger than Ripple.
Ripple is a top-tier Breathing Technique researched by people in the JoJo world in pursuit of the Immortal Way; it possesses many special effects such as longevity, physical strengthening, and healing injuries.
On the other hand, Thunder Breathing, as an extension of Sun Breathing, has the sole advantage of having accompanying swordsmanship, so there is no need to research moves yourself.
But Aiz is a First-Class Adventurer; her swordsmanship has long been honed through countless battles, so there is no need to learn new sword techniques.
Comparing the two, the difference is clear.
Compared to Thunder Breathing, Ripple is clearly more suitable for her.
"Then let's go with Ripple."
Aiz made her decision after listening.
"When do we start?"
"Next week. I've been busy dealing with the restaurant lately and don't have much time to teach you."
"Okay."
Aiz nodded.
Although it was a pity not to be able to learn Ripple immediately, at least she had secured the ticket.
She could afford to wait a week.
Leaving the Hestia Familia, Aiz didn't linger outside and quickly returned to the Loki Familia.
However, perhaps she had used up all her luck at Lynn's place, as she wasn't favored by good luck this time.
Just a few steps after returning to the Familia, Aiz was stopped by the passing Riveria.
"Aiz, where did you go? Why didn't I see you at the meeting just now?"
"Meeting?"
A look of confusion appeared on Aiz's face.
Meeting, what meeting?
"Finn decided to launch an expedition next month. Didn't I tell you about this the day before yesterday?"
"...I forgot."
Aiz silently lowered her head.
She had only been thinking about the Demon Slayer Corps and Breathing Technique these past few days.
As for things like the expedition, because Finn and the others were handling it, she had subconsciously put it to the back of her mind.
"To think you'd forget about exploring the Dungeon—that really doesn't sound like you."
Riveria looked somewhat surprised. "So, what were you doing that caused you to be absent just now?"
"...I went for a walk."
"A walk?"
Riveria's eye twitched.
She had raised Aiz by hand; how could she not know her personality?
To defeat the Black Dragon, she spent her days either practicing her swordsmanship or fighting monsters in the Dungeon to grow stronger.
Something like going for a walk would never happen to Aiz unless someone dragged her along.
"Tell me the truth. What were you actually doing?"
"I wasn't doing anything."
Aiz really didn't want to talk about the Ripple.
Although she was a bit slow on the uptake regarding certain things, Aiz still had some self-awareness.
As an executive of the Loki Familia, unauthorized access to another Familia's core secret (Breathing Technique) ...
If Riveria found out about this, she would definitely be reprimanded.
If it were serious enough, she might even be forbidden from contacting Lynn.
Aiz naturally could not accept that.
She had spent all her savings to trade for the Ripple, so she had to learn it no matter what.
"Riveria, I have some things to attend to, so I'll be going now."
"Eh? Wait..."
Riveria's hand, which she had just raised, froze in mid-air.
Watching Aiz hurry away, the expression on her face turned serious.
Something was wrong! Aiz's reaction was wrong!
Although she didn't know what had happened, it was obvious that the girl had done something she felt guilty about.
"It seems I'll have to investigate."
PS: The new magic awakened through the magic book... the current idea is a lightning-attribute enchantment magic, but I couldn't think of a good name after thinking about it all night. If you have any good names, feel free to suggest them. If not, I might use Thunder Breathing as the magic name; it's simple and straightforward.
...