Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1733

Feeling a strong urge to pee, Endorsi awoke in the middle of the night, her head pulsating with the same rhythm as the beating of her heart.

While making a mental note never to underestimate the alcohol provided by Phae, Endorsi took a brief moment to collect herself; observing her surroundings before checking the state of her body.

Though she doubted any of them had the courage, drinking alongside members of the opposite sex was never completely safe. Endorsi didn't believe men and women could have strictly platonic relationships, so, once the booze started affecting their system, there was no way of knowing how things would develop.

Even without checking herself over in great detail, Endorsi's intuition informed her that the clothes she was currently wearing had been fiddled with. Rather than removed, torn, or displaced, however, it seemed like they had been 'fixed' back into place. She had also awoken to find herself tucked into bed next to Anak while all the boys could be seen littering the surroundings, blankets covering their bodies.

Despite the throbbing of her head, something she was quickly resolving using Shinsu, it didn't take much effort for Endorsi to extrapolate what had happened. She had noticed the previous night that, despite drinking more than anyone else, Gandr never even appeared tipsy. She should know, as, in a vain attempt to convince the boy to let her cuddle him, she had personally poured him more than a dozen drinks.

Though Gandr was a mischief-maker, he was also a surprisingly considerate boy that cared deeply for his friends. It wasn't difficult to imagine him carrying both she and Anak over to his bed, neatly arranging their clothes, and then tucking them in. He had even left a pitcher of water and two cups on the nightstand, clearly anticipating they would wake up feeling dehydrated and thirsty.

With a smile spreading across her face, Endorsi lightly called out, "You awake, fuzz-ball...?" despite knowing her words would be more than enough to stir the sensitive-eared Vanaragandr.

As expected, Gandr's head popped up near the foot of the bed, forcing Endorsi to resist the urge to ask if he was some kind of loyal dog that slept at the base of its Master's bed. Instead, she combed her bangs aside as she said, "Walk me to my room. I want to wash my face and change my clothes."

Staring back at Endorsi with a deadpan expression on his face, Gandr briefly considered making the haughty woman walk back on her own. He could vaguely sense whenever 'something' was about to happen, and, from personal experience, Gandr knew it was dangerous to accept the invitation of a woman in the middle of the night.

Fortunately, at least from what he could tell, Endorsi just wanted to talk about something. She also treated him more like a little brother than a potential love interest, so, after lightly scrunching up his nose in displeasure, Gandr huffed an annoyed, "Whatever..." before hopping up to his feet.

Amused by Gandr's reaction, Endorsi couldn't resist chuckling at the boy's expense before turning to the sleeping Anak and shaking her awake. Even if she didn't mistrust the people present in the room, she wasn't going to leave her adorable niece as the only girl in a room filled with a bunch of stinky drunkards.

Feeling someone shake her body, Anak issued an annoyed groan, rolling over and muttering, "Stop shaking me...I'll kill you..." before promptly falling back asleep.

Though she found Anak's behavior cute, Endorsi's brow began to twitch slightly as she wondered how best to wake up the drunken lizard. Gandr, however, was a lot more shameless than her in this particular situation, picking up the sleeping Princess without any hesitation before saying, "Let's go. I have access to Anak's room so we can drop her off there or leave her with Phae."

Resist the urge to question why he had access to Anak's room, Endorsi extricated herself from the bed, quickly fixing her clothes before rising to her feet and remarking, "I wonder which title better suits you...Prince Charming or Knight in Shining Armor? You're pretty bold to lift a Princess in such a casual manner..."

Rolling his eyes, Gandr turned his attention to the sleeping girl in his arms as he said, "Anak is like a little sister to me...If anything, it would be more accurate to call me her rival..."

Thinking he was being shy, Endorsi giggled at Gandr's expense before adopting a teasing smile and musing, "Whatever you say, kiddo. Just make sure you never hurt her, okay? If you do, I'll find a way to shave your ears and tail. Then the whole Tower can see you for the rat you are~."

Rather than respond to Endorsi's words, Gandr just shook his head, a tired sigh escaping his lips as he carried Anak towards the room's entrance. This earned him another giggle from the marginally drunken Princess who, once again, assumed he was acting bashfully...

After dropping Anak off at Phae's room, Gandr could be seen standing outside of Endorsi's with a bored look on his face. She had offered to let him inside, but, feeling he would trigger some kind of event if he entered the room of a changing girl, Gandr promptly refused. He had learned his lesson after the events in the Akamatsuverse, so, even when she tried to assure him there was nothing to worry about, he firmly refused her offer to witness one of the Tower's 'greatest beauties'.

Finally, after nearly two hours, the door to Endorsi's room opened to reveal that, despite how much time had passed, she ended up emerging in little more than a black sports bra and matching track pants. Despite this, Gandr decided to withhold his complaint since he was well acquainted with the 'difficulty' some women had when choosing outfits. Instead, he took note of the fact she had tied her hair into a tiny ponytail, asking, "Did you want to train...?"

Surprised that Gandr didn't complain about how long she had taken, Endorsi raised her brows ever so slightly, a smile spreading across her face as she mused, "Well, aren't you considerate? To answer your question; no, I don't really feel like training. I'm wearing these clothes because I didn't want to change into my other outfits before I get a chance to properly wash my body."

Pretending like he was convinced of her reasoning, Gandr replied with a curt nod of understanding before asking, "What now? Did you want to get some breakfast first or did you have something you wanted to talk about in private?"

Snorting through her nose, Endorsi crossed her arms and said, "I guess you aren't the Best Seed for the Scout Position for no reason...you're a perceptive little brat when you want to be..."

Though he wasn't really in the mood right now, Gandr still shrugged his shoulders in response to Endorsi's words, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as he shamelessly replied, "Best Seed? I think you mean 'fastest person to ever complete the Scout Position Test'. I can even smell the soap you used to rinse your body in the sink~."

Hearing Gandr's words, a not-so-subtle blush appeared on Endorsi's cheeks, followed by the urge to shout at the top of her lungs. Before she could, however, Gandr's expression suddenly became serious as he asked, "What did you want to talk about? So long as it doesn't concern my Master's secrets, I will answer your questions."

Forcibly suppressing her anger and embarrassment, Endorsi did her best to appear just as calm and serious as she answered, "I want to meet with your Master. I was going to ask Phae but I didn't want to cause any misunderstandings. Will you take me to him?"

Before answering Endorsi's question, Gandr gave the admittedly beautiful woman a once-over, his brows furrowing slightly as he asked, "You want to meet with my Master while wearing a sports bra, tracks pants, and flip flops...?"

As if she had forgotten her state of dress, Endorsi looked down at her body, or, more specifically, the form-fitting fabric of her top and her exposed abdomen. This caused the red to return to her cheeks, but, before she could reconsider, Gandr surprised her by adding, "Well, whatever. It's not like you're one of my Master's vassals. So long as you aren't unnecessarily rude, I doubt he'll care about your choice in attire. Let's go."

Feeling like she was abruptly getting dragged into Gandr's pace, Endorsi began feeling more than a little flustered, her voice raising by several decibels as she appended, "Wait! Give me a half-hour to take a bath and change into something more appropriate!"

Turning back to face the floundering woman, Gandr tilted his head to the side before pulling out a bracelet and tossing it toward her. Then, demonstrating the characteristic pettiness of children, he plainly stated, "That is a special bracelet that will allow you to change clothes in an instant. It has a few outfits stored inside so put it on and choose quickly. I don't really feel like waiting another two hours so here, hold still..."

Without waiting for Endorsi's response, Gandr extended his hand toward her, using pure Source to emulate the Cleaning Magic he had developed hundreds of years ago. As a result, even the smallest bits of dirt and grime were pulled from Endorsi's body, startling the woman quite a bit when a small bead of murky liquid appeared between them.

Understanding the question at the tip of her tongue, Gandr preempted Endorsi's interrogation by explaining, "This is a technique designed for use in the field and during camping. It removes all the dirt, sweat, and grime from a person's body. Since we won't always have the option of taking a bath during the tests, you will save yourself a lot of trouble by getting used to this technique early on."

Though she found Gandr's technique both novel and convenient, Endorsi's face still turned beet red when she recalled the tingling feeling that previously enveloped her body. There were certain areas that were always a little dirtier than others, so, even if it was an extremely useful technique, she had a very strong urge to smack Gandr at least once for using it on her without an explanation.

Noticing the embarrassed gleam in Endorsi's ghostly golden eyes, Gandr just rolled his own before saying, "If you're not going to use it, return that bracelet to me. The [REquip] system takes a lot of precious resources to produce. You can get another one from Phae once we move up to the next Floor."

As was often the case with women, they would not easily separate from an item, especially jewelry, once it had been 'given' to them. Thus, despite feeling both annoyed and embarrassed, Endorsi was able to instantaneously suppress her desire to shout, quickly placing the bracelet no her wrist as she retorted, "Don't be stingy. You already gave it to me so it belongs to me now. Besides, as a boy, you don't really need accessories like this."

Seeing the deadpan expression on Gandr's face, Endorsi couldn't resist adopting a teasing smile as she carefully inspected the bracelet that had conveniently resized itself to fit her wrist. It was rather simple-looking, but, for reasons she couldn't quite understand, she got the impression it was a very high-end item. The way the light reflected across the exterior made it appear 'flawless', and, though it was rather small, the topaz embedded on the outside glistened with a mysterious and captivating light.

Though Gandr had yet to explain how to use the [REquip], Endorsi quickly figured it out for herself when she traced her finger across the tiny gemstone. At that exact moment, an extremely detailed image appeared within her mind, a perfect representation of both her body and the clothes she was currently wearing. This was quite the surprise, but, seeing the countless rows and columns off to the side, Endorsi quickly shifted her attention to the variety of fashionable outfits already present within the [REquip] system.

Noticing most of the clothes within were for females, including a variety of undergarments, Endorsi simultaneously cursed and praised Gandr within her mind. The way all of the clothes fit her perfectly made it clear the bracelet had always been intended for her, a realization that made her feel a little fluttery when she remembered all the times she and Phae talked about fashion.

After quickly selecting an outfit better suited to meeting with an Emperor, Endorsi was momentarily surprised by the sudden transition back to reality. It was like her mind had sunken into the bracelet, and, by the time she emerged, her outfit had already changed. This was inarguably one of the most convenient items she had ever encountered, so, despite feeling a little annoyed that he had kept it from her for so long, Endorsi smiled radiantly as she happily mused, "I guess I can forgive you with just this. The next time you use that technique without warning, expect some pain. I'm not sure why they have them, but I picked up a dog whistle from the commissary. Don't tempt me!"

As dog whistles were actually 'very' effective against Vanargandrs, Gandr couldn't help but frown in response to Endorsi's threat. His ears also twitched slightly, eliciting an amused chuckle from the woman before promptly turned on her heel and added, "Let's go. Aren't you in a hurry? I'd hate to keep you waiting another two hours! Hmph...!"

Seeing Endorsi quickly walking away from his position, Gandr couldn't help but tilt his head back, gazing towards nothing in particular as he mused, "Aren't I supposed to be the childish one in this situation? Haaaa..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Hangovers are no fun','Gandr is a Gentlemen (UwU)','Petty...!')