Chapter 12

1.

"Here's to Lapis getting discharged and Peridot ranking up~!"

Ruby raised her glass and shouted. I had no idea where she'd gotten it, but it looked exactly like the draft beer mugs we used back in Korea. I wonder if they have draft beer here, too.

"And Lapis's~ graduation from virginity—"

"I told you, I haven't!"

"Haha."

Ruby's remark was meant as a joke, but when everyone's having fun, being the target of one can be fun, too. I was willing to laugh along a few times.

"Let's celebrate you two becoming a couple! Nice catch!"

"When you put it like that, I sound like some woman throwing herself at a rich guy because she wants his money…"

"Then did you fall for his looks?"

"…I'll just say I noticed his looks, too."

"That's a very good-looking-person answer!"

Ruby seemed incredibly excited. Come to think of it, there hadn't been much to get excited about, even though we'd been here for a little over a month.

Honestly, us becoming a couple was only good news for me; it didn't really have much to do with the two of them. Still, being congratulated felt nice, so I just laughed it off.

"Peridot, congratulations on reaching A-rank."

"Thank you. You and Ruby can do it too, Lapis!"

Peridot smiled. "Hehe." As expected, she was adorable.

Peridot was more timid than energetic, but whether it was because she'd successfully ranked up to A-rank or because she was the star of the party, she was clearly excited.

"Lapis just needs to take the test, I think. I'm the problem. I have no idea where to start."

In my case, it was a matter of giving water 'properties.' Things like elasticity, hardness, explosive force, or acceleration.

In Peridot's case, she carves wooden creatures, gives them 'life,' and issues them commands.

What? That's freaking awesome.

It seemed everyone had a different way of developing their abilities. As for Ruby, neither Peridot nor I had any idea how hers might develop.

"Enough depressing talk! Drink like there's no tomorrow!"

Saying that, Ruby gulped down her beer. Peridot and I clinked glasses and drank. It felt great to have a cold beer run down my throat after so long.

I didn't like alcohol, but I did like the smooth feeling of downing a cold beer. I felt like I could even go, "Ahh!"

"…This is nice. It feels like I've finally had a chance to relax for the first time in a while…"

"That's because you got a boyfriend."

"……."

According to her, everything was thanks to Dojin.

She was probably right. Having someone to lean on naturally gave you some peace of mind.

Dojin was someone I could lean on. But I didn't want to be someone who only leaned on him, so I'd decided to stand on my own. I could lean on him sometimes, but… Come to think of it, yesterday I'd spent all that time cuddling into his arms under the pretense of being affectionate.

"That might be part of it. But it's not the only reason. Losing to Iris was just a matter of experience…"

She's a tank of a witch who uses human martial arts. You could say she's truly the mountain I have to climb.

Once Iris started using martial arts properly, she became a monster with not only incredible attack power but mobility as well, thanks to her footwork.

In other words, in a martial arts novel, she'd be using a movement technique—and she was even faster than Ruby, who moved by blasting herself forward like a jet. That says it all.

"I'm just trying not to get too depressed about it."

We enjoyed our first party since coming to this world.

2.

Dojin looked at a few of the photos Lapis had taken during the party. Ever since getting a smartphone, Lapis had been messaging him all day.

Things like, "What are you doing? I'm doing this. Have you eaten? I'm eating this." and so on.

It was the kind of frequency Dojin would normally find annoying. But maybe it was the power of love, or maybe he was just under her spell. Dojin was just as excited, checking her messages and replying.

"…You look like you're having a lot of fun."

"Oh, what the heck. When did you get here, old man?"

"I've been here for over three minutes, you little punk."

The only person Dojin called "old man" was the Sword Saint. The Sword Saint had appeared on dozens of billboards, but in reality, this man was the very incarnation of laziness. He always went around in a tracksuit and only shaved once a week—an old man through and through.

The Sword Saint wasn't called "old man" by Dojin for no reason. His age—already in his mid-thirties—might've had something to do with it.

The Sword Saint spoke as Dojin stared sulkily at his tracksuit.

"I only wore this because the things in this nest were especially stinky."

"…I have a girlfriend now. She confessed to me."

"What made you accept?"

Dojin was one of the Three Heroes, young and fairly handsome, so women were always drawn to him. It wasn't that he kept them around; there were always plenty of women trying to cling to him.

The Sword Saint knew that well, having been in the same position himself. These days, he was an old man who didn't even bother grooming his beard, but when he got serious, he was a monster who could split a city in two with a single sword swing.

Besides, when he bothered to groom himself, he was considered handsome, and he had plenty of muscle. Like Dojin, he'd been pursued by mature women since he was young.

"Because she's pretty."

"What nonsense."

Though Dojin answered that way, the Sword Saint knew it wasn't true. If Dojin accepted confessions just because of looks, he'd already have been in triple digits for relationships.

"Sometimes she's kind of a ditz. But that's cute. She tries to be sensible in her own way, too… I just like everything about her."

"You're blinded by love."

The Sword Saint clicked his tongue. Dojin was about to say something, but a message from Lapis came just then, so he shut his mouth.

[Lapis: We're wrapping things up and heading to bed now.]

The party seemed to be over. He wondered if he should go see Lapis, even if only for a moment. Distance wasn't much of an issue for Dojin, who could teleport anyway.

It was only around 9:42 p.m. It wasn't even ten yet. They were both adults, so it wouldn't matter if it got later, anyway.

He hadn't thought it was that late, but the thought of meeting at night naturally brought certain things to mind. Kissing Lapis was incredibly sweet. Honestly, he wanted to keep doing it, but Lapis had often stopped them partway through.

Even though she was the one who stopped, she'd look at him as if wanting more, breathing heavily. Watching her made his own desire to pounce on her swell before he knew it. He was still managing to hold back, though.

Maybe Lapis's lung capacity was lacking. Dojin resolved to make sure he got her to exercise more. Come to think of it, he now understood why the Sword Saint had made him work out.

Was it for a moment like this?

"Anyway, thanks for making me exercise."

"You had the most annoyed look in the world back then."

The Sword Saint snorted as he replied.

"I met my girlfriend after working out."

The Sword Saint's expression twisted.

Dojin threw on a navy hoodie and sneakers. Since he was good-looking, even when he dressed casually, it looked like he'd coordinated his outfit.

[Dojin : Can you come to the park where we exercise? ]

[Lapis : Right now? Okay.]

Dojin shoved his smartphone into his pocket and said,

"I'm heading out."

"…Don't stay out overnight, okay?"

"Am I a kid?"

After Dojin closed the door behind him, the Sword Saint clicked his tongue in dismay.

"He's gonna stay out overnight."

The Sword Saint was annoyed. It was the sort of annoyance a mother with a son would feel.

3.

After the party, I changed into a comfortable dress and was about to take a shower when Dojin asked to meet. That's when the emergency began.

I quickly washed my face and put on a moderate amount of makeup. I'd heard plenty of stories about what happened to women who rushed out bare-faced.

I couldn't meet such a tragic end when I was only on day two.

I kept my hair simple in a ponytail. It'd take a few minutes of running to get to the park, after all. I'd even used waterproof makeup with that in mind, so I was fully prepared.

Just in case, I changed out of my plain, comfortable gray underwear into a black lace string bra and panties. Just in case. Seriously.

…I didn't want to show him underwear with no beauty to it whatsoever. Underwear was a weapon for seducing men, too.

I snapped out of it and checked the time. It had been about ten minutes since I'd gotten the message. If I didn't want to be too late, I had to leave now.

I started to put on my training shorts, then gave up. I was sure we'd kiss in the park at night. Then there'd be marks on my pants.

I had no choice.

[Lapis : Sorry. I think I'll be a little late.]

I sent Dojin a message, and my only option was to put on a skirt and walk there. Being late was the worst, though, if you thought about it. But to be fair, we hadn't decided on a time.

[Lapis : All my pants are in the laundry, so I'm wearing a skirt.]

I added a blushing emoticon to the message. Good. To destroy the evidence, I tossed my training shorts into the laundry basket.

For my top, I wore a white shirt with a sheer feel that showed a little of what was underneath, and paired it with a black circle skirt for contrast. I'd wear black socks, too.

I grabbed my handbag and put various things inside, just in case of an emergency.

When I finished getting ready and left the house, I saw Dojin leaning against the streetlight outside.

"When did you get here…?"

"You said you'd be late, so I came to get you."

Dojin strode over and snatched my wrist.

I flinched in surprise. In the time it took me to flinch, we were already at the park.

Even at a slow pace, it would've taken a few minutes to run there. It had to be at least a few hundred meters away. And yet we'd arrived in an instant.

"So this is teleportation……"

"Your first time?"

Having a new experience felt good. Well, it might've been a different story if it were a bad experience… but what I'd just experienced definitely wasn't bad.

Maybe Dojin knew how I felt, because he was grinning from ear to ear. In a way, he looked proud, too.

"I feel like I'd get motion sick if we did that a lot…"

"I'm used to it, so it doesn't bother me. Want to try?"

"No, thank you."

Why should I have to let the man I love see me throw up? Feeling dizzy and stumbling a little would be fine. Then Dojin would catch me in his arms.

Wait, wouldn't that be nice?

"By the way, what did you want to see me about?"

First, let's ask Dojin why he called me. Of course, seeing his face was great, but he might have had something to say, right?

"Hm? Nothing in particular. I just missed you."

Dojin said that and sat down on a bench. Maybe he remembered how I'd sat beside him last time and leaned against him.

Instead of sitting down, I stood in front of Dojin. My fingers fidgeted without me realizing it.

Come on, hurry up and compliment my outfit. It's sheer. It's attractive.

I felt like I was getting inspected for my outfit.

"You're pretty."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Really pretty."

Gulp. I swallowed and straddled Dojin's lap, facing him. It was just like the face-to-face position in sex. I was still wearing my clothes, but the pose itself was incredibly erotic.

"Then, please kiss me."

"You're like a kissing addict."

Maybe I was an addict. Dojin and I clasped hands, fingers interlaced, and kissed.

Our tongues mingled. A kiss where we devoured each other. A kiss where our saliva intertwined and trickled from the corners of our mouths.

"U… wow…"

"Don't look at stuff like that."

It seemed like a couple passing by had looked our way, so I released our interlaced fingers and pulled Dojin's hood over his head. I wasn't going to let anyone see him.

Maybe Dojin was bothered by it, because he tried to look away, so I took his face in my hands.

"Look only at me."

"…Then you don't pay attention to anyone else, either."

Dojin and I continued our kiss, almost like we were biting each other. Lipstick was smeared all around his mouth and mine.

Under the streetlights in the dark park, we kissed as if we were devouring each other.