"Alright," Tapping the counter with his finger, Dante broke the spell that kept everyone around him frozen. "Since I own this place now, the first thing we must do is beef up the security." He turned to the Castor thug, fixing him with a glare. "I’m sure it wasn’t on purpose, but you are making my employees. Do you mind not doing that?"

Dante was hoping to end things without resorting to violence. That depended on the type of idiots those corporate dogs are, so his only choice was to wait and see. The best they could do was realize the gap separating them and make their retreat, but in the worst-case scenario, they would turn their attention to him, thinking they could get a good bonus while out drinking.

"Sorry, mate. It seems we got a little bit drunk." Getting up, the first idiot gestured for the door. "C’mon, guys. We should get going."

And just like that, the nuisance was gone. Dante heaved a sigh, his hand automatically reaching for the glass sitting before him. As he pressed it to his lips, he noticed that Sandra and Camila were still staring, their shock having yet to fade.

"Uh... is something wrong, you two?"

"William, could it be..." Camila swallowed. "Are you actually super duper rich?"

The question was a bit too straightforward for Dante’s liking, so he was at a loss for words when he looked for an answer. Looking down at his glass, he gave it more thought, sipping from the golden brown brandy to stir his mind.

"Well, I guess you could say that." Raising his gaze, he met Sandra’s. "Sorry if I came across as an asshole."

The gorgeous bartender seemed to snap back to her senses just then. Her eyes dropped to the stack of Neorosteel Shards, then she seemed to turn into a nervous mess.

"Y-you don’t have to apologize." She said, her eyes darting around.

"Stop it, mama. You know he was just trying to scare off those morons. Right?"

"Right..."

For some reason, Dante’s reply caused Sandra to deflate.

"Right..."

"Seriously, though, you shouldn’t be walking around with all of that on you," Camila said. "It’s like you’re asking to be robbed."

"I think I can take care of myself," Dante replied.

"Ooh, so not only are you rich, but you’re also strong."

"Strong enough to walk around carrying these."

As he grabbed the stack of Shards, Dante noticed the look of disappointment Sandra had turned into despair. It was a big sum he had offered, so she must have felt rather conflicted about the deal not being real.

"Say, William," Camila inched closer to him, casually wrapping her arms around his. "About that private dance you requested..."

She must’ve remembered that his arms were made entirely from alloy, but that didn’t stop her from snuggling up to him. Of course, Dante felt it all. Her nervousness, rising heartbeat, and the softness she was purposefully pressing against him. Thanks to Absolute Awareness and Volcan’s sensory input, he was still capable of enjoying a woman’s touch, though it didn’t work the other way around.

"If you are okay with me," Camila whispered. "I don’t mind giving you one."

Holding back his answer, Dante once again turned his focus to his glass. An idea occurred to him just then, and he looked at the dark-haired girl.

"Your mother must have been a really good dancer, huh?"

"Hm? Well, of course she was." Camila glanced at her mother. "She used to be the star of the show until just a couple of years ago."

"I see."

Finishing the rest of his drink, Dante placed the glass down and took one of the crimson shards, sliding it toward the girl.

"You can have this, but you have to convince her to join you."

Looking at the crystalline plate, Camila’s eyes slowly widened, and she whipped her head in her mother’s direction a moment later. Sandra looked as shocked. The two exchanged a glance, and while the mother seemed to grow conflicted, her daughter was suddenly overcome with enthusiasm as she turned to Dante with a smile that reached her ears.

~[ ]~

The distant sound of seagulls accompanied the faint whispers of waves as they swam to the shore. Opening his eyes, Dante waited for his Oculuscore to adjust, removing the blurriness and bringing his surroundings into focus. The ceiling that met him was unfamiliar, and when he tried to recall where he was, a sharp pain assaulted his head.

-That’s what you get for all that drinking.-

The throbbing was driving him crazy, but it subsided soon enough. Holding a hand to his head, Dante gritted his teeth and pushed himself up, or tried to, at least. Looked down to find a head of dark hair resting on his head. There were two, in fact, and as he stared at them, memories of what happened the previous night finally returned to him.

After a bit of convincing, Sandra finally agreed to his request. After the bar closed, Camila invited him to their home, where they put on a great show for him. Dante got to see the mother dancing and was quickly convinced that she was lying when she said her daughter was far more skilled. Even though it had been some time since she practiced, that didn’t stop her from giving a great performance, and Camila had to put in quite the effort so she wouldn’t fall behind.

Unfortunately for her, she ended up losing in the end. Even though she made the first move, Dante ended up giving her mother a little more attention. That mattered little in the end, however. With him having practically infinite stamina, the pair were completely exhausted by the time he was done with them.

’Maybe... maybe I overdid it a little...’

Freeing himself from their hold, Dante climbed out of the bed. After spending the night blowing off steam, he had thought things would be better in the morning, but turns out he was wrong.