“Ugh, pah- ha… huff… huff… Rub, Rubia…?”
My head is a mess.
Even more complicated than usual.
Filled with a slippery, sticky sensation.
My body feels hot and tingly.
My stomach goes buzz-ing, and my limbs lose their strength, becoming limp.
I feel dizzy, my breath is tangled.
The taste of metallic blood rises from my bitten lips and tongue.
“Ha… I bit too hard. Sorry.”
Rubia’s finger presses down on my lips.
At the same time, a warm energy washes away the scent of blood.
“Noah. Still not enough?”
Her sticky, wet voice licks at my ear.
I can’t understand what she means by “not enough.”
Already, already my head is—
“Ugh… Ah, huh…”
I don’t know.
I need a Great Sword.
I don’t know if I can grip it with these trembling hands, but I just… need it…
“Are you looking for a Great Sword?”
“Yes, yes…”
Shallow breaths brush against my nose, and shaking hair tickles my cheeks.
It goes over my cheeks and on top of my head.
Rubia’s body draws closer.
“Uh, uhh…”
Without stopping, she begins to press against me more and more.
The arms that were barely holding on lose strength and crumble.
“Ugh… Huh?”
At the same moment, Rubia’s hand supports my body and gently lays me down.
“Ru… bia?”
Rubia’s hair sways and tickles my face.
“Now, grab the Great Sword.”
And then, the hilt of the Great Sword touches my fingers.
I want to grab it. I want to hold the Great Sword right now and see Rubia’s expression.
But I’m scared.
I don’t know why.
I just… think it might be better not to see anything like this…
“Not going to grab it?”
“Come on, grab it…”
Still shuddering, I slowly regained my breath and gripped the Great Sword.
Everything is drawn out.
Rubia’s disheveled hair.
Her clothes, her breath.
The expression she holds, biting her lips and holding it in.
Rubia’s right hand, next to my head.
My left hand, halted in front of my chest.
Rubia’s leg, coming between mine.
Rubia’s heart, beating even faster than mine.
“Are you going to answer now?”
“What… about?”
“Is your faith not enough?”
Her sweet, growling voice softly resonates.
I need to answer.
But my body doesn’t want to.
Rubia’s breath draws near.
Her hair brushes against my cheek.
As our foreheads touch again.
“En, enough…”
I don’t know what I just spouted.
I just let out what my body wanted most.
Rubia, too, seemed to want that.
With an alluring smile.
Once again.
Our lips collided.
Unlike before, softly and gently.
Entangled even more deeply.
Overwhelming everything.
Crushing and enveloping me.
*
“Noah.”
Right now… what have I done?
Why is Rubia like this…?
No, from the start.
What the heck is this situation…?
Rubia is a girl and… I’m also a girl, for now…
Uh… but.
I… don’t know.
My head is a jumble.
Is it because my lips are still burning?
Or is it Rubia’s lingering scent on my body?
Rubia is… such a… small body—
“Noah!”
“Eek- Y-Yes?!”
“How long are you going to stay like this?”
“…I… I’m… comfortable like this.”
“I have a stiff shoulder.”
“Ugh…”
Sitting just barely in reach, I tighten my grip on Rubia’s fingers as they barely touch.
The bed rocks wobble– wobble.
“I guess since you’re not coming over, I’ll have to go.”
“Eep…”
Finally arriving right behind me, Rubia wrapped her arms tightly around me.
A vicious, fluffy sensation surrounded the back of my neck.
“Ha… How nice it is to be like this.”
Thud- thud- thud- thud-
My heart begins to wildly sprint, desperately trying to escape.
My hands and feet are trembling, and my breath quickens.
“Can you trust me now?”
Rubia’s fingers, holding me from behind, stroke my lips.
They stroke, pry in, and tap my teeth.
“Huh, eek! Ah!”
“Don’t you trust me?”
“I-I do…”
“Good, I’m relieved.”
Rubia’s head rests on my shoulder.
Her hot breath, swoosh– swoosh, licks at my ear.
“Don’t say things like that again.”
“Y-Yes… I understand.”
“I won’t ask why you thought like that suddenly. Instead, just tell me when you think like that.”
Her fingers that were touching my lips trailed to my cheek and neck.
“Until you can trust me, and until you can’t think like that anymore, I’ll engrave it on your body.”
“Ugh…”
“Answer me.”
“Ugh…! Yes, yes…”
After a long while, Rubia continued to caress my neck and pulled me back into her embrace.
“Ha… Aren’t you hungry?”
“Yes, yes…”
“A little something to eat would be good. Should I go get something?”
Rubia’s arms began to loosen as her body moved away.
I immediately pulled her arms back and leaned against her.
“N-No…! Can’t we just stay like this…?”
“…Oh?”
“If Rubia is hungry… then let’s just go together…”
“Um… no. I’m not hungry either… let’s just, yes. Stay like this… I guess.”
“Uhm…”
Feeling Rubia’s arms regain strength, I squirmed and wrapped my arms around her waist.
“Tighter… please hug me tighter…”
“You’ll have a hard time breathing, you know?”
“Th-That’s… fine.”
“Wow…”
With a slight chuckle, Rubia hugged me a little tighter.
It felt easier to breathe, and my body felt free, but her considerate actions stimulated my heart even more.
“Th-Thank you… thank you, Rubia…”
My tangled thoughts were sorted out by Rubia.
All my gloomy thoughts, unhappy memories, and fearful futures.
Everything about me was overlaid with Rubia.
Someday.
I might think like that again.
I’m sure it’ll happen.
But for just now, I wanted to savor this feeling.
This sensation, this scent, this atmosphere.
I wanted to feel everything about Rubia.
Once everything calms down.
Once everything settles.
I wouldn’t even be able to look at Rubia straight without blushing.
Not being able to hold her hand or treat her like usual.
But still, for now, I want to be happy.
“Thank you too, Noah.”
“R-Really…?”
“Of course. I have so many things I’m thankful for, I can barely handle it.”
“Oh, I see… Hehe…”
Burying my face in her fluffy embrace, I rubbed it back and forth.
Just like that, staying together for a while.
Thud- thud- thud- thud-
Not the usual sound of Rubia’s heart, but an incredibly terrifying sound started echoing from Rubia’s heart.
“Uh, uh… Rub, Rubia…?”
“Ha… yes?”
Her hot breath.
Her ragged breaths once again paint my mind pure white.
No matter how I twist and turn my body, her arms show no signs of letting go.
Even as I try to pull my butt back, her thighs hold me tight.
W-What to do.
If this continues… just like earlier…
“Noah, once more-”
“Rubia! A-A-Are… are you okay? That important thing we talked about earlier… what is it?”
“Important thing…?”
“Yes… that… you said you’d explain it well…”
“Ah.”
Rubia clicked her tongue, releasing me.
Thank goodness… I almost had a crisis…
“Phew… I completely forgot about that important thing.”
“Yes… t-the important thing…”
After a small chuckle, Rubia slowly calmed her breath and opened her mouth.
“I was going to teach you how to use magical power.”
“Eh… magical power…?”
What the heck is this suddenly?
Magical power?
I don’t have magical power…?
“Yes, when you fell asleep for a month… that’s when magical power emerged in your body.”
“Y-Yes?! Magic, in my body?!”
“Yes. So, would you like to feel it lightly?”
“Uh, how…?”
Rubia gently wrapped her hand around mine.
“Do you know what my Divine Power feels like?”
“Of course…”
“Then, I’ll let my Divine Power flow through your body. Follow its flow closely.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Rubia’s Divine Power flowed into me.
Slowly, slowly.
It traveled through my fingertips, past my shoulders, through my heart, to my lower abdomen.
It lifted my lower body and returned to my heart.
The Divine Power gathered there… bam-!
“Ugh… chills…”
As the warm Divine Powers vanished all at once, my whole body shivered.
“All done. It should be gathered near your heart now, right?”
“…N-No?”
“…What?”
“I… it spread through my whole body…?”
“Yes…?”
I raised my other hand, the one not gripping hers, and traced along the path the Divine Power had taken.
“It went from here… then like this… and then… it gathered in my heart, whoosh…! And it disappeared.”
Rubia, who had been sitting quietly without taking a breath, suddenly let go of my hand and stood up.
“U-Uh, Rubia… where are you going…?”
“I’m going to find the Great Sword. Should we try again with it in hand?”
“Ah… okay…”
The footsteps that had momentarily faded away came back with a clatter- clatter- sound.
“Ugh… so heavy… Phew… Here you go, Noah.”
With a weary sigh, Rubia laid the Great Sword on my lap.
“Thank you…”
I nodded as I gripped the Great Sword.
“Now that I have the Great Sword, I’ll be able to feel it more clearly, right?”
“Yes.”
“Perfect. Then let’s try again. Please feel where the Divine Power disappears and let me know.”
As soon as Rubia finished speaking, the Divine Power flowed into my body again.
Just like before, the Divine Power flowed through the same route and gathered in my heart.
“How is it?”
“Uh… uh… uh…?”
“Noah?”
“T-This… oh, uh…?”
The Divine Power that was clearly just gathered in my heart suddenly spread through my entire body in an instant.
And from where it spread,
“R-Rubia… There’s something strange inside me…”
