Clang.
Ellie dropped the cup she was cleaning.
The sharp sound of shattering drew everyone’s attention, including mine, which was fixated on Lydia’s enormous chest, larger than her head.
“Ellie? Are you okay…?”
I reflexively asked about Ellie, but hesitated. After all, it was clear from her expression that she was far from okay.
Her skin was pale, and her yellow beast-like eyes, once sharp, now wandered aimlessly, while her body, despite having lost an arm, trembled like a soaked puppy.
Typically, her rugged, gray hair and well-groomed bartender outfit would have looked cool, but now they only made Ellie seem pitiful.
To put Ellie’s current state into perspective… Yes, she resembled a fallen noble lady, a merchant whose assets were marked with red flags, or a novelist who, after spending money recklessly on gacha, discovered their bank account was empty.
In that moment, Ellie shouted with a voice full of denial and desperation, unique to someone who feels completely rejected.
“B-but it was Jonah who started it!”
“…Huh?”
I blinked, taken aback by what she just said. Lydia shook her head in bewilderment.
But Ellie only continued to cry out with betrayal-laden fervor.
“After doing that to me this morning, now you want to touch Lydia’s chest right in front of me…”
Her wolf ears drooped, and her tail, which had been wagging lightly, suddenly seemed to stop moving as if it were broken.
She was genuinely hurt. It dawned on me how I must appear to Ellie.
The brat who always clung to me, begging for marriage while claiming my wealth and body as their true purpose. That time when I just closed my eyes and wore those bizarre underwear she bought suddenly led to my first kiss. On the cheek, though.
No matter how much she pretended otherwise, she must have been thrilled. After all, she was a hopelessly nerdy virgin who couldn’t even seize the rare opportunity presented to her.
But now, the guy had approached her first, asking if he could just touch her friend’s chest?
I could bet that Ellie had been pondering all day about how many kids they’d have, what to name them, whom to invite to the wedding, and what to do with the store if she got pregnant.
But now, the very person who had made those claims suddenly appeared before her, body fixated on her close companion, asking for permission to touch her chest.
This was total NTR… at the very least a BSS. I would have been wounded too.
In a world where genders were reversed and women’s chests weren’t incredibly valuable… nonetheless, a chest remained a typical erogenous zone.
If it were merely about looking, that would be one thing, but touching is a whole different level of intimacy.
How could I be so distracted by Lydia’s bikini armor that I didn’t pay attention to Ellie?
That was my fault.
As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I jumped over the counter and reached Ellie’s side.
“Ellie.”
“……”
“Look at me, Ellie.”
After a moment of hesitating, I held her cheeks with both hands.
Usually, she would turn her head in the direction I indicated, pretending to lose to me, but today she stood her ground.
She seemed quite upset.
Yet, I persisted, not giving up.
“Are you really going to stay like this? Are you planning on living your whole life without looking at me?”
“…What? Are you going to say something about how we’re only pretending to be lovers because I treated you a little better?”
“Absolutely not. So calm down.”
“Hmph! This is why brats are…”
“Ah, that was a really dangerous statement, you know? If I weren’t generous and didn’t have deep feelings for you, a fight would’ve broken out right there. Ultimately, that would’ve pushed us further apart, right?”
“……”
Does she realize she slipped up? Ellie purses her lips tightly, softening her stance and turning to my side.
Looking straight into her eyes, I smiled brightly.
“But I’m generous, and I like you a lot, so I’ll overlook it.”
“Ugh, stop saying such slick things!”
“Well then, if it’s not words, can I count on your trust?”
“…What?”
“What else could it mean? I’m saying I’m going to show you with my body.”
As I pulled Ellie’s head down, she awkwardly bent forward.
The moment her face was at the right height, I grabbed the hem of my shirt and flipped it over her head.
“Gotcha.”
“?!”
With her head inside my shirt, Ellie buried her face into my stomach.
They say sensory beings have an excellent sense of smell. I pressed down gently on her head, ensuring she caught my scent through the fabric.
Her tiny nose was buried against my belly. Her unruly hair brushed against my chest, and the warm breath on my skin felt hot and moist.
In my previous life, there was a saying that the best way to relieve a man’s anger was to let him touch a breast.
I wonder if that’s true or not, but there’s certainly some effect even here in the Pan Continent.
As I gently stroked the tail that had perked up in response to her buried face, I whispered to Ellie.
“Ellie, I’m sorry. I must have made you really anxious, huh?”
“Mmm…”
“But please trust me. I wasn’t just playing with your feelings or anything like that.”
“Mmm…”
“Ah, yes. As I’ve said before, I do seek your body and wealth. …But that doesn’t mean I lack affection for you.”
“Mmm…”
“I guarantee you, the one I care about most in this world, the one I trust the most, is you, Ellie. Do you think I’d do this with just anyone?”
“Hmm…”
“If I did, that would be a huge misunderstanding. I’ve never allowed anyone else to do this. …Not even with Lady Lydia.”
“Grrr…”
Ellie, now making sounds that felt too sweet to be human, seemed to have enough by now, so I slowly pulled my shirt off her head.
What was revealed was not a face meant to be shown to others.
Her eyes were dazed, her breath ragged and fast, and her slightly open mouth revealed a flush of tongue sneaking out.
“Huh? Ah, did you just lick me?”
“Th-that’s…!”
As she wiped away the drool on my stomach with her sleeve, her face turned crimson. I couldn’t help but laugh at her flustered look.
“It’s fine. That’s what I intended.”
“W-wait, that’s not what I…”
“Is it inappropriate to talk at your age?”
“…It’s not a baby talk!”
Having regained her senses, Ellie scolded me loudly. It seemed she was finally starting to relax. Touching her chest (or belly) was the right move after all.
With a giggle, I knelt down to match her height and wrapped my arms around her neck.
“Yikes!”
“I really hate that I keep giving in like this…”
Ellie sighed heavily. Ignoring her, I rubbed my cheek against hers, the spot where we had kissed earlier that morning.
The feeling of our cheeks pressing together was pleasantly soft—the squishy warmth of my cheeks contrasting with the smoothness of Ellie’s.
In that state, I leaned closer to her ear and gently whispered.
“If you dislike it, what else can be done?”
“What?”
“I mean, you can say you don’t want it with your mouth, but what else can you do while getting all excited like this?”
“Jonah, you… if you keep provoking an adult like this, something really bad could happen, you know?”
“You want me to cause trouble, don’t you? If it’s you, I wouldn’t mind anytime!”
“……”
Upon not finding a worthy response, Ellie’s mouth shut tight. After seeing her flustered expression, I continued.
“Well, anyway, you surely know how much I like you, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then can I touch Lady Lydia’s chest now?”
“…Huh?”
After a moment, Ellie dropped my face from her gaze and grabbed my shoulder with one hand.
She looked like someone who had just learned about the glow-in-the-dark hide of a platypus. Confused and weird.
“What are you talking about, Jonah… Why is Lydia’s chest coming up at this timing?”
“I mean, listen, Ellie. Lydia’s chest is no joke.”
“I don’t see how that relates.”
“When a man sees a big chest, he wants to touch it.”
“…Seriously?”
Ellie asked back with a hesitant expression. Honestly, I was just lying. Men in the Pan Continent generally have a lower libido, and not many get all worked up over chest size.
It’s like being in a perpetual sage time. Once you step back, the breasts from the screen suddenly resemble plain flesh.
Most men navigate life with that sensation.
It’s horrible, really…
But since Ellie, who doesn’t know much about men, would believe whatever I said, I decided to push through.
“I’m serious, Ellie. I like you a lot, and I do want to accept your body and wealth one day, but that’s separate from wanting to touch Lydia’s chest. I really want to grope it.”
“I-I have my own too. Can’t you just be satisfied with mine?”
“Of course, I’m intrigued by your chest too, but that’s different from Lydia’s.”
“I don’t quite understand.”
“Let me think… How do I put this?”
After pondering for a moment, I spoke again.
“You like me, don’t you?”
“Who would like a brat like you, Jonah…”
“Do you dislike me, then? Please answer honestly: yes or no?”
“…If I were to put it like that, I would have to say I like you.”
“Right? But even when you like me, there are other things you engage in with other men, right? Whether it’s in novels or art, even expensive videos are available.”
“Fine, those are different, but how do you know about the recorded videos?!”
“If you keep something like that out in the open under the guise of magical devices, it needs to be somewhere out of reach of little kids. This is a clear case of mismanagement on your part.”
“Ah, um…”
Boldly proclaiming in front of the quivering Ellie, filled with shame.
“I like you, Ellie! But aside from that, I really want to touch Lydia’s chest! Do you understand now?”
“Um… yeah…”
Ellie nodded vacantly, as if in a trance. Great! Now that Ellie seems to comprehend, I just needed Lydia’s consent!
I shot up and returned to my previous spot. With arms wide open, I exclaimed.
“Lady Lydia! Let me touch your chest!”
“Not a chance.”
“Eh?”
Lydia firmly rejected me while covering her chest with a blanket she pulled out from somewhere.
That day, my world came crashing down.
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