"That's it?"
Looking at the meager chest before him—barely two tiny mounds—he let out a cold snort of disdain.
Tsunade's pair weighed at least eight kilograms!
And this girl? She thought this meager offering was enough to bribe him?
Was she dreaming?
Ryuji had seen it all and done it all. Just this?
Just this?
"You're excited," Toph commented bluntly.
She shifted slightly, her small frame rubbing against him in a way that made it clear—he was reacting. Even though she had agreed to let him see her chest as a compromise, she still wouldn't go further.
And that movement only made things worse—her soft thighs and springy backside grinding against him unintentionally, making him even more flustered.
"…"
Ryuji wordlessly picked up her clothes and forcefully pulled them over her, despite Toph's resistance.
She was being completely serious about seducing him!
"What are you afraid of? I'm already an adult! I'm just short! My father's already started picking suitors for me!" she protested.
Ryuji responded by covering her face with one hand and gently pushing her away.
"Enough. You can use your hand if you must, but I'm not going any further."
Some lines he wasn't willing to cross. He still had some shred of decency!
"Are you treating me like a kid?! You're so unreasonable!"
Toph shouted angrily, gripping his collar. Her face, however, was still being pushed back by Ryuji's hand.
"You're the unreasonable one! Don't you have any shame at all?!"
Ryuji finally snapped. He genuinely couldn't understand—did this girl have no concept of shame?
"I'm just practical!"
Still gripping his collar with one hand, she used the other to tug insistently at his pants. For her, getting her bending arts back was all that mattered.
And Ryuji was a good guy.
The fact that he was hesitating just confirmed it for her. That meant he was trustworthy. So why not go for it?
Just using hands? No big deal.
Thinking this, Toph clung to him like an excited octopus, laughing maniacally.
"Hahaha! Just give in to me already! Hahahaha!"
That was it—Ryuji completely lost it. His carefully maintained cool and aloof image since he arrived in this world, was now in ruins.
"Are you a bandit?!"
As he felt his pants being tugged down, he lost balance and fell forward. Toph realized something was wrong just a moment too late.
She braced for impact—expecting her head to hit the floor hard—but instead, Ryuji twisted mid-fall and cushioned her with his own body.
Toph blinked, stunned.
Straddling his waist, she looked down at his face, her smile blooming even wider.
"Heh… I knew it. You're a good guy."
That innocent grin just made Ryuji even more annoyed.
"A good guy, huh?!"
He flipped her over and pinned her underneath, grabbing her wrists and glaring down at her.
"You're really that sure I'm a good guy?"
But Toph just grinned back, unbothered—even defiant.
"What? Aren't you? Even after all this, you still haven't laid a hand on me. If that's not a good guy, what is?"
If she didn't look so petite, Ryuji would've already made her cry—with his overwhelming life force and blood energy techniques, she wouldn't stand a chance.
Unfortunately, despite her claiming to be of age, she still looked too young. He just couldn't bring himself to do it.
So he admitted defeat.
"You little…"
He reached out and pinched her chin, trying to intimidate her.
But just then—
"You—what are you doing?!"
Elsa's voice rang out, full of panic. Ryuji turned instantly and saw her standing there, eyes wide with shock and horror.
The look she gave him screamed pervert.
Once again, he cursed how small Toph looked. If she didn't, maybe he could've at least pretended this wasn't completely suspicious.
But before he could say anything—
"Oh, I was just asking Ryuji to take his thing out so I could do this."
Toph cheerfully made a rather indecent gesture with her hand—mimicking a stroking motion—with no shame at all.
"…"
Ryuji truly wanted to know: Who the hell raised this girl? How could she be so shameless and socially fearless?
"What are you even saying?!"
Elsa rushed over. Ryuji stepped aside to give her room, and she quickly pulled Toph away, shielding her like a mother hen protecting her chick.
She even raised both hands, cold air swirling around her palms, ready to strike.
But Toph quickly pushed Elsa's hands down, trying to prevent a fight.
"Hey, hey, Ryuji didn't do anything weird."
She patted her chest (flat as it was) and added,
"I volunteered for all of it."
Elsa: "…"
It took a long while for Elsa to fully understand what had happened. When she finally got it—that everything had been Toph's idea—she could only rub her forehead in exasperation, completely at a loss for words.
"What's the big deal? Using hands is better than using other parts, right?" Toph said seriously. "You guys are just way too uptight. It's not like we're having full-on sex. And even if we were, if what Ryuji said is true, then technically, it's saving our lives. Offering your body to repay a life debt is normal, isn't it? He even saved us once already!"
Toph was utterly unbothered, while Elsa looked like she was about to explode.
"You… I… Just stop. This kind of thing… it's not okay. Don't do it again!"
Elsa finally couldn't take it anymore. She was a traditionalist, and while she was grateful to Ryuji for saving her, Toph had saved her too—and this situation was just too much.
"Then what do you suggest?" Toph asked, clearly not impressed. "If we want to explore this world, we need to stop being rejected by it. And to do that, Ryuji has to extract that weird energy from us, right?"
She clasped her hands behind her head, raising the core issue.
"Otherwise, we can't gather food, and we're wasting energy. If doing that helps us get accepted by the world, what better option do we have?"
She knew what Elsa was worried about—her trust in Ryuji. But Toph had already tested him in every way.
Yes, he was a bit of a pervert. And yes, he was stubborn. But he was also genuinely good—just hopelessly sincere. That sincerity made everything seem more suspicious than it really was.
Toph looked at Elsa and dropped the bomb.
"So? Did you find anything during your little expedition?"
Elsa fell silent.
Because she hadn't.
Whether it was exploring the surroundings or trying to use her magic to destroy things—nothing worked.
She couldn't pick up any blocks after breaking them, couldn't interact with the world, couldn't find any signs of human life—just strange creatures. Even the chickens she managed to kill dropped floating items she couldn't touch.
All of it pointed to one truth:
She was still being rejected by this world.
However, this also highlighted Ryuji's peculiarity. Even though Toph explained that Ryuji had been accepted by this world because he had defeated monsters invading from other worlds, and that they—Elsa and Toph—were only accepted because of something Ryuji called the "Power of the World," Elsa couldn't help but feel uneasy.
It was just too strange! Everything about Ryuji's timing, his presence here—it all felt too coincidental.
Why had their world suddenly been destroyed, only for them to appear here?
She couldn't wrap her head around it. Coincidence, she felt, was rarely ever just coincidence.
Still...
Looking at the food Ryuji had given them, and realizing how well-armed and vastly more powerful he was compared to both of them, Elsa had no choice but to nod.
"You're right. We really don't have any other options."
He had the food—and they couldn't get it on their own.
He also had the power—and they couldn't match him.
And now they were in a situation where survival—perhaps even returning to their own world—depended on... having an intimate connection with him. Given the current circumstances, they really had no way out...
But the whole thing felt too much like a carefully planned trap.
Elsa covered her face with a hand.
"You really have a complicated mind..."
Seeing through Elsa's tangled thoughts, Toph took a big bite out of a hot dog and sighed.
Elsa was clearly overthinking things. It was easy to tell she was the kind of person who kept everything bottled up. People like her were intelligent, yes—but they were also constantly worrying, never at ease. Sometimes, letting go and following one's instincts led to better outcomes.
As an Earth bender, Toph had met many such people. They'd call it "being cautious" or "considerate," but in truth, they were just imprisoning themselves. Sure, the element of Earth was stable and grounded—but even atop a mountain peak, there could be stunning and unpredictable beauty. She couldn't see it with her eyes, but she could feel the ever-changing elegance of the land. That's why she didn't have such hang-ups.
Was Ryuji a good person?
Yes.
Was the method he offered their only option?
Yes.
Was he forcing her?
No—if anything, she was the one pushing him to do something he didn't want to do.
Then what was there to hesitate about?
"If it really bothers you that much, then I'll take care of it. At about thirty energy points per round, we'd need just over a hundred to send everyone home. I can grind it out in a day!"
Toph gave Elsa a confident thumbs-up and beamed.
"What, do you think this is like milking a cow?! And it's not even about quantity—strong emotions produce more energy! With how calm you are, I'd be surprised if you got more than single digits!"
Ryuji couldn't help but shoot back with a complaint. A hundred times in one day? Was he a dairy cow?
Maybe in the "7 Days to Die" world that was possible, but in this new one? No way. Even if he used Life Return to recover, he could maybe manage ten times max. And that was assuming he still had time to train his body.
But Toph refused to back down. She turned her head away, acting like she didn't care.
"Tch. Useless man."
She wasn't usually like this—she was just testing him, finding his personality amusing.
And his reactions were definitely interesting to her.
"Whatever. Say what you want..."
Ryuji gave up on arguing.
"No... even if this is the only way, it should be me."
Elsa, noticing Ryuji's exhausted expression, believed him a bit more. But when she saw Toph's face, her resolve only deepened.
Toph had saved her—she owed her that much. If something like this had to be done, then it should be her responsibility.
More importantly, even if she really did do it with Ryuji, it wouldn't matter. Elsa had never imagined herself getting married. Her magic was dangerous to those she loved. She was terrified of hurting a future child, passing on her curse, and forcing them to live the same kind of life.
She had already planned to pass the throne to her younger sister's child.
As for why she hadn't made her sister queen instead—it was simple. Her sister was far too naive, far too easy to deceive.
If her sister were just a bit more mature, Elsa would have abdicated long ago.
Over the years, she'd met far too many deceitful men. Almost every man she encountered wanted to get into her bed. No exceptions. They flattered her endlessly, trying to win her over and become king of Arendelle.
She had long since given up on trusting men.
"Ah, the noble self-sacrifice trope," Toph muttered, curling her lips as she opened her hands in front of Ryuji.
"Elsa really is a weirdo."
Ryuji didn't hesitate to fire back.
"You're the weird one!"
Elsa didn't say anything—just silently agreed in her heart.
But then, Ryuji looked at her seriously and said,
"Using your hand is enough. Nothing else is necessary."
Elsa gave a reserved nod, but when she looked at her own hand, her expression turned bitter.
"I understand. Thank you. But..."
She pulled off one of her gloves and lightly touched a piece of bread.
In the next instant, frost formed over the bread's surface.
"Ever since I awakened my magic, anything I touch freezes. I have to wear gloves at all times... so, um, could I use another part of my body instead?"
Her voice held a quiet sadness. This power had never brought her joy—only danger.
Her parents had died because of her magic. She had nearly killed her sister, Anna. She had exiled herself just to avoid hurting anyone else. Her power forced her into isolation.
She feared it. She hated it.
She even hated herself.
Ryuji poked the frozen bread—it was as hard as stone. The bold thoughts he'd had earlier instantly vanished.
If it was just cool to the touch, he could've dealt with it using his blood energy. But this was instant freezing—worse than liquid nitrogen. Even with his current fire abilities, he hadn't reached the point of resisting both extremes.
So... yeah. Forget it.
"Ah... I've never tested with feet, but mouth also works. But are your feet have the same problem? I don't want to die yet or... break my dick..."
Ryuji voiced his biggest concern.
He knew Elsa's powers were likely psychosomatic, but he wasn't a therapist. This was beyond him.
Before he could think further, Toph jumped in.
"Can feet be used too?! Can I give it a try?!"
She quickly lifted her foot, showing off her dirty little sole to him—who promptly smacked it away.
They were small and cute, sure, but filthy and smelly. Hard pass.
"Mouth and feet, huh..." Elsa mumbled nervously.
"Yes. But I suggest we test the feet first. There's no rush—I've got plenty of food here. And this world should have some food too. No need to panic."
He had originally planned to try this with Rin —those legs were genuinely stunning. But unfortunately, due to the collapse of her world, he never got the chance.
As for food, now that he had two points of world energy, he figured he could summon a "7 Days to Die" trader soon and start bartering. This world also produced food. It might not be tasty, but it should be edible.
"I understand."
Elsa nodded. But the truth was, she was anxious. Her coronation was approaching. Disappearing now might be good for her sister... but that girl was far too naive. Elsa had to return to protect her from being tricked.
The neighboring nations were not kind.
Thinking of those twisted men, Elsa sighed deeply.
Afterward, Ryuji crafted a wooden door and set up some basic defenses. Then the three of them found separate spots to sleep.
Ryuji didn't sleep long. He sat near the entrance, meditating and training his blood energy while remaining alert.
He couldn't be as reckless as in the "7 Days to Die" world, but some practice was better than none.
There was just one issue...
Training his blood energy made him increasingly energized—too much so. His whole body would become hyperactive. It was... exhausting to deal with.
Just as he finished training, he heard footsteps.
"Zombies?"
That was his first thought. He quickly flipped over and grabbed his phone—only to see Elsa approaching, cheeks slightly red.
"Elsa?"
He called out softly, and she hesitated for a moment before raising a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. Then she quietly sat down beside him.
"I want to help Toph get back home sooner... Also, um... are you sure the mouth really works?"
Ryuji went silent, turned off his phone, and looked at Elsa—bathed in moonlight outside the door, appearing almost divine.
"It works."
He didn't know why she didn't want to use her feet, but if this was the method she chose, he wouldn't question it.
After all... the mouth was definitely more comfortable than the hand.
"Then... please take care of me."