"Oh, both of you are finally back?" As we entered the main hall, Aina asked, looking at me, "So was the walk around the town enjoyable?"
"Yes, it was, there are a lot of cuisines, some were good, some were bad…" I replied, thinking about the green chilis as I took a seat on the sofa as well, "But what I liked the most about this town is the scenery, seriously, no matter where I am standing, all the sceneries just look breathtaking, especially the one near the lake."
I mentioned, as I remembered, the place where the river met the endless ocean.
"Everyone has the same opinion about this town. I was also mesmerized when I first saw it, and I am really happy this is the place where I decided to stay."
"Though I would prefer it if you moved to Orario, there are a lot of better options for treatment. You can even stay in the Twilight Mansion. I don't think Loki or anyone else would mind. Max could also get a job easily there." The way Aina reacted to hearing Riveria's words suggested that they had had this conversation a lot of times.
"Yes, I understand that, but Riveria, I have grown attached to this small town now. It is my home now." Riveria sighed in response and tried to convince Aina again, but she was interrupted, "But you are also right, if we moved to Orario, then I could also be close with Eina as well, and now that Nina went to the School district as well, it does get lonely here sometimes."
Riveria cheered up her eyes, shining, "Then!"
Aina Continued, "Don't get too excited, my lady. I haven't decided yet, but I will surely think about it."
Riveria nodded, "Just you starting to think about it is already enough for now."
"Well, if the heavy topic is done, then let's eat our food." Max came out of the kitchen, putting several plates filled with exotic dishes on the table, and sat down beside Aina as well.
"Oh! They look good." I said, to me, who can only make some simple food, his skills were something I could envy.
"Haha, don't be shy and eat your fill, there is still a lot more." Max served the food to all of us as the host, and I took a bite. "It's really delicious."
"Thank you, I used to work in a restaurant in my younger days, so I picked up some skills along the way."
"It's just one of your very few redeeming qualities," Riveria said, in fun mockness. This brought a smile to our faces as we bantered and talked until late in the night.
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Now, it was just me and Max in the hall; Riveria and Aina had gone to take a bath. I rubbed my hair with a towel in an attempt to dry it. Looks like I need to get a haircut soon, I thought as my vision was blocked by my own hair.
"So which room is for the guest?" I asked, putting the towel around my neck, as I was getting slightly sleepy now.
"Oh, it's the one in the corner. It's the only guest room we have, since only Riveria comes here every so often," Max pointed towards a room at the far right on the first floor.
"I see, then I will go and get some shut-eye. Good night, Max." I got up from the sofa and started walking as he replied. It might not look like it, but I was slightly sleep deprived as Asfi and I were working on the feathered pen for a few days now. And in my sleep-deprived state, I didn't pay much attention to the words Max just spoke.
"Yes, good night, see you tomorrow morning."
The room I arrived at was just like the one at Twilight Mansion, with a bed that was big enough for one person, but might feel slightly cramped with two. There was a large window on the side, and the light from the moon shone in the room, lighting it up enough to see everything clearly.
I lay down on the bed, covering myself with a blanket, making myself comfortable.
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It wouldn't have been any longer than five minutes when I heard the door open. I opened my eyes with a struggle as I was awakened from the moment I was about to fall asleep, but all the sleep had escaped from me, as I gazed upon the woman who had just entered, clearly surprised to see me here as well.
"Riveria?" I called out as I just saw her wearing green pajamas, standing near the door, her silky, smooth jade hair was slightly damp, most likely because of the bath she had just taken.
"Arin?" she asked back, and then, as if she already noticed who set up this situation, a sigh escaped her pretty pink lips, "That girl, seriously… sorry Arin, it seems I made a mistake, you can go back to sleep."
Just when Riveria turned to leave, I remembered what Max told me, "Wait, Riveria, isn't this the only guest room available?" Riveria turned to face me and replied.
"Yes, but it's fine, I could just sleep on the sofa, I am used to sleeping in the dungeon, no reason why I can't sleep on a sofa now."
"Then you can sleep here, I will sleep on the sofa," I said, walking towards the door near her. But Riveria motioned her hands to stop me.
"No, I can't allow that. You need proper sleep, as you have not slept for a few days now, and you even carried me here."
"C'mon, you weigh almost nothing. Besides, it will also serve as training for me."
"No, you can't." "No, I should." "I said, no." "But I…"
We argued for a short while until finally we made a decision.
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"Are you really comfortable with this?" I asked softly, acutely aware of her warmth beside me, and the delicate fragrance that always seemed to follow her filled the room. I could feel my heart beating so loud I was sure she heard it.
" ...yes, this is the only way, please pretend I am not here," she said, her face turned the other way, as both of them shifted on either edge of the small bed.
That's asking for the impossible, you know?
The silence stretched between us, filled only by the gentle sound of our breathing and the distant whisper of wind through the window. Despite her request to pretend she wasn't there, every fiber of my being was acutely aware of Riveria's presence beside me. The moonlight streaming through the window cast a silver glow across the room, and I could see the gentle rise and fall of her shoulders as she tried to find comfort on her side of the narrow bed.
Minutes passed, and neither of us seemed any closer to sleep. I stared at the ceiling, my mind racing despite my body's exhaustion.
"Arin?" Riveria's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Yes?"
"Thank you for today. For carrying me here." Her voice carried a vulnerability I rarely heard from the usually composed high elf.
I turned slightly, careful not to disturb the delicate balance we'd established on the small bed. "You don't need to thank me for that, Riveria. Anyone would have done the same."
"Even so, you were the one to do so for me; that's why I thank you."
"... you are welcome, but seriously, you don't have to thank me for small things like that, it makes it feel like we're strangers."
"No, even if we are close, we should not take each other's help for granted."
"I suppose you're right," I said quietly, feeling a warmth spread through my chest at her thoughtfulness. At this point, the sleep started to catch up with me. I could feel my eyelids getting heavy, making me struggle to open them. And Riveria, despite not looking in my direction, seems to notice that.
"Let's get some sleep, Arin. Good night," she said.
"Yes… good….night…" I was unable to complete my words as the exhaustion caught up to me, putting me in a deep slumber.
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In the morning, my body clock compelled me to wake up as it usually does when I train with Ais. My eyes opened, but there was still darkness surrounding my vision, and a sweet fragrance entered my nose, and I felt my head being wrapped in something soft.
I was still in a daze after just waking up, so I didn't try to think too much about the situation I found myself in, but after some time had passed and my daziness was gone, I was able to guess my situation.
Yes, I was being embraced by Riveria, my face was positioned between her big and soft breasts, and although I tried not to move my body too much out of shock, I was panicking inside.
Why is Riveria embracing me? When did that even happen? Should I wake her up?Or maybe I should just leave quietly?
But I was unable to leave as well, as her hands wrapped around my back and head, she was practically clinging to me like I was a plush toy.
And if I moved, there was a high chance of her waking up, so I decided to just act like I was sleeping normally, but I have another problem as well, the one pretty much every man has in the morning.
I tried to shift my lower body a little backward, so as not to keep my lower body in contact with hers, but my movement seems to have woken her up.
"...Arin…?" she called out in a soft voice. I looked up from my position, meeting her gaze as my head was lodged between her chest.
"Um… Good morning?" I replied, for a moment, time seemed to have stopped for us as we just gazed into each other's eyes. As slowly but surely Riveria's skin started to take on a red hue, starting from her neck all the way up to her sharp, pointed ears.
She quickly released my body and turned her face away, hiding her face with her hands.
"I-I-I am sorry…" she said, her voice so quiet I had to scoot closer to hear her words. "...It just… I have a habit of holding on to the pillow… AIs used to sleep with me when she was little, so I just developed this habit. I really didn't mean anything by it," she explained in detail for reasons unknown to me.
"Hey, it's fine." I called out, "It happened we were sleeping together, neither of us has any control over our bodies, so let's just put this incident aside, shall we?" Seeing her so embarrassed, I decided to give her an escape route. Though I will never forget this! I declared in my heart.
"...Really…?" Riveria shifter her head slightly in my direction, her eyes peeking from between her fingers, staring at me innocently. Kuu so cute…! "You will really forget about this?" she asked in confirmation.
"Of course!" I gave her an assuring nod. Ha! There is no way I am forgetting this!
Riveria's eyes turned sharp, "You are a liar!" she shouted, getting up from the bed.
"wha? And how do you know that?" I asked, and she looked back as her hand reached for the door handle.
"Humph! Why should I tell that to a liar?" After that, she left the room.
I decided to lie back down on the bed until that part of my body calmed down slightly, which was difficult as the bed still held her sweet smell. This is no good…
To distract myself, I decided to do some light stretching, and after some time, my body went back to its usual state. And I decided to leave the room as well, only to be encountered by Aina, who had just gotten down from her stairs and looked at both me and Riveria, smirking.
"Hehe, so how was your night, huh? C'mon, don't be shy, you can tell me!" She said, elbowing Riveria, "Am I on my way to becoming an aunt now, huh?! How many children did you decide to have?!—ow! ow! ow!" I could see a line forming on Rivera's head, as she seemed to have had enough of her friend's shenanigans. Her hand latched onto Aina's head, squeezing the soul of her.
"You sure have some nerves, Aina, playing a prank on me like this." I could see some small tears gathering at the corner of Aina's eyes, her hands trying to release herself from Riveria's Iron grip.
"Forgive me! Please!" she cried, but Riveria showed no mercy and instead tightened her grip further. I decided not to help or intervene and made my way straight to the washroom, ignoring the call for help that Aina sent my way.