Refusing My God’s Advances

"You... Are an... Idiot!" Mary growled between ragged breaths as Aria rubbed her back.

I still didn't know what happened, but Daryle finally stopped laughing to explain.

"Your hand was almost erased, to put it bluntly," Daryle said as he wiped a tear from his eye, then grinned at Mary. "Master, I haven't seen you this worked up in a while!"

"Can it, and go find me some Green Regerz herbs if you don't want to run laps until tomorrow!" Mary snapped, and Daryle disappeared. 

The man liked to crack jokes, but he seemed just as scared of Mary as I was.

"You," Mary said, and I turned back to her. "This girl almost turned your hand into tomato soup, boy! This is why I said you need to train, idiot! Aria only wanted to keep your hand on her shoulder, but because she is unused to men, reacted fast. If she had grabbed your hand, there would be nothing left but a stump just below your elbow if you were lucky!"

"I am sorry, Mary. I didn't mean to do that, but thank you for stopping me!" Aria said with a bow, making Mary roll her eyes, before Aria turned back to me, puffing out her cheeks a bit, but still looking ashamed. "Just so you know, I can heal you if I make your hand explode."

While she looked cute, I mean, Aria always looked cute, but now I had images of us trying to hold hands, and my exploding every time she got excited. That was only the start. My mind started to wander into other activities, and I started to get a horrifying image of certain body parts exploding only to be healed back.

"Umm, Leon? Are you okay?" Shelli asked as she came out of the cave in her white dress with Lyra following her who wore a smile on her face.

I shook my head, trying to dispel the ridiculous thoughts that had invaded my mind. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just had a weird moment there."

Shelli raised an eyebrow, her expression curious. "Weird moment? What happened?"

I hesitated for a moment, debating whether to explain the near-disaster with Aria and Mary or keep it to myself. Before I could decide, Mary spoke up.

"The princess here almost turned Leon's hand into a puddle of goo," Mary said, her tone stern. "He's lucky I was quick enough to intervene."

Shelli's eyes widened, and she turned her gaze to Aria, who was still looking apologetic. "Aria, you need to be more careful. We can't afford accidents like that, especially not with Leon."

Aria nodded, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I know, Shelli. I didn't mean for it to happen. I just got a bit carried away."

I sighed, realizing that my attempt at a lighthearted moment had backfired. "Let's just be more cautious in the future. No more exploding hands, okay?"

The tension eased slightly as everyone seemed to agree with my sentiment. Shelli, however, had a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Leon, I think it's time we discuss your training more seriously," she suggested. "We can't afford any more accidents or surprises. Aria, Mary, and I will work together to make sure you're prepared for whatever comes our way."

I nodded, realizing the importance of being more proactive in my training. The complexities of this world demanded that I be vigilant and ready for unexpected challenges.

You know, like exploding hands and such... Why was my potential harem member such a beast?! I had seen the intense grip on Aria's arm from Mary's hand, and it clearly looked like she was being pushed to her limits.

"Well, at least that was avoided," I said to the embarrassed-looking Aria, and she blushed.

"I think we should just keep some distance until you harden your body. I mean, I can heal you back to normal, but it would still cause you unbelievable pain," Aria said cautiously, but I gave her a thumbs up that made her tilt her head in confusion.

"Don't worry! I get it now, and this is mostly my fault on all fronts. I am the one who put my arm around you after all and started all of this. From now on I will train harder, and keep my hands to myself!" I laughed, but Aria put up her hands.

"No! I really liked that you did that, I just got really nervous since no guy has ever done that to me before. Then I sensed that you were going to move your hand, and tried to stop you because I really liked it!" She exclaimed, and I smiled.

"Good. I want to be your first time for as many things as I can, so I will get stronger," I smiled but then gestured to the log. "I know we just had a really bad incident, but do you think you could tell me about the floating islands? I would like to pick one that people don't live on, but will be good for us to build something like a base."

Aria nodded, her embarrassment fading as she took a deep breath. "Of course, Leon. I'd be happy to tell you about the floating islands. Each one has its unique characteristics and challenges, but I'll do my best!"

I walked over to the log Aria had been playing the flute on and offered her a place to sit down. As she came over to sit on the far side of the log, I looked at Mary, who seemed to have regained her composure.

"Do you think that I could ask you and Shelli to go into town to get more food?" I asked, and Mary rolled her eyes, but Shelli nodded with a smile, taking Mary's hand.

"I think Leon learned his lesson, and you know your way around town better than I do," Shelli said with a smile as she dragged Mary away with her.

As those two left, Lyra came and hopped into my lap. "Can I listen?" She asked, and I nodded but then frowned.

"What are the other demons doing?" I asked.

"Sleeping."

"Sleeping? Still?" I asked, and she nodded with a bitter smile.

"This is the first time that any of them have gotten to sleep. We don't need it to survive because we have immortal bodies, but we get weaker if we don't eat. So, while we don't need sleep... Let's just say that they are taking advantage of it," Lyra explained, and I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"If you want to sleep on me you can while we talk," I said, and Lyra yawned.

"Don't tempt me with a good time," She giggled, then curled into me, closing her eyes as I started to stroke her white hair. 

Within seconds, Lyra was lightly snoring.