"Hehe~, that little one fell asleep again as soon as it touched its new bed. I wonder how fast Goldy will grow. It's so cute now, but it'll be awesome when it grows up."
"I'm just saying, if that thing grows too big and doesn't fit, and more importantly, if feeding it puts too much of a strain on our finances, we'll have to get rid of it."
From what I've seen, even though that dragon eats a lot for its size, at most it consumes twice as much as Iris can eat.
And, in fact, its quest—with the exception of Bianca's strange "choice" quest—has been the most generous one for the Myrr.
So I don't think keeping it is a big problem, but if it grows and consumes too much food over a long period of time, then that'll be another matter.
"Honey, don't be mean. Besides, the mission says we have to adopt it."
"That's not what the mission said."
The new mission that had come in wasn't due to the arrival of a new client, but another one related to this little one. It said we had to keep it and take care of it until it decided on its own to leave.
But if it becomes a problem and a burden, I'll make sure somehow to get it to leave, even if it doesn't want to.
I don't think it'll be that hard, considering the only reason it seemed to want to stay.
"Minor details, honey. Besides, as a mystical creature, I'm sure that even if it grows up, it can shrink back down again. And I'll make sure it wants to stay forever. I've got everything under control."
"...If you say so. Anyway, now we can finally take a shower, and since it's still a few hours until bedtime... Do you think we could—?"
"Hold on there, honey, don't say another word! That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about earlier. I've already figured out the pattern of things and seen it through the essence of the world."
"...Speak in a way I can understand."
"Look, honey, there's a strange corrective force at work here. Every time we plan a passionate night together, a client shows up.It's like that corrective force that keeps the protagonists of romantic comedies from confessing their feelings or kissing each other.
"...That doesn't make sense. For starters, it's immediately disproved by the last incident alone. Before that little dragon showed up, we hadn't planned anything."
"You hadn't, but I had. When I was about to get our shower ready, I thought that when you walked in, I'd surprise you with a #$%&, so intense that @#$%, and then in the tub, you and I would #$%& until @#$% and !@#$, and afterward, as always, you'd go crazy again and #$%@ me so hard that I'd bring out the #Q$% to a point I didn't even know I could, and then $#@%-."
"Stop! I already told you to stop saying vulgar words like that. You can say exactly the same thing with other, more… civilized words."
"Hehe, but it's fun to see you embarrassed. Look how red you are right now—I know you get all flustered when I talk to you like that, heuheu. Seeing you embarrassed adds a hundred years to my life… and it turns me on."
"Ugh. Whatever. So what are you getting at?"
"Well, honey, if that's the problem, we just have to do it when no one expects it."
"...Please, elaborate on that a bit more."
"Honey, sometimes you get a little silly, but since I'm such an understanding wife, I'll explain it to you in detail. I know you like to start off slow and calm—more passionate, right?—even though you go crazy later on."
"...Well, if you put it that way... yeah, you're right."
"But that's no longer an option—the whole operation depends on the element of surprise. Honey, we can't plan anything. What you're going to do is, at some point, without any plan, sneak up behind me and just stick it in—quickly and without warning. We have to catch him off guard."
"What the hell! And surprise who?"
"The mysterious force that's keeping us from having fun and enjoying our night of passion. If we plan it, a client might show up and interrupt us, and I'm already eager to lose my new virginity, honey."
"That's nonsense… if you want us to do it, just—"
"Shh, I already told you—no planning. We're definitely not going to do it right now; we'll both take separate showers, and nothing will happen."
"Are you serious?"
"Very serious, honey. I know that deep down you're a romantic and you want a romantic, planned night like our first time, but that's not going to happen."
"￣へ￣"
I think Iris and I aren't remembering the same thing. As far as I recall, our first night together was far from romantic or planned.
"Besides, it's more fun this way. …Come to think of it, it's interesting: I lost my first virginity romantically, and now it'll be unexpected. A new experience for a second first time is a great new experience! Simple math."
"…Haah~, whatever. I'm going to take a shower."
"Yeah, honey, remember not to plan anything and to do it totally by surprise and on impulse."
"..."
I'd better just go take a shower and freshen up a bit.
Anyway, that whole "Corrective Force" thing is nonsense, but Iris didn't seem to want to do it any differently than how she asked me to.
..
.
"..."
"..."
"...It's definitely silly."
We'd both taken a shower, and now we were both in bed, just staring at each other without doing anything, to the point where I couldn't help but point out how silly the situation was.
Obviously, we both seemed to want to do it, but because of that silly thing she said, neither of us was doing anything.
I could take the initiative and ignore that silly "corrective force" nonsense, but it felt a little weird to do so.
I might have a higher sex drive than she does, but she was the one who always took the initiative.
It wasn't because I was shy about this or anything, but since I had a much higher sex drive than she did… I always made sure not to overdo it, so I always waited for her to give the go-ahead first.
But whenever she was in the mood, she usually took the initiative and got things started aggressively.
That's how our dynamic has always been, so this situation certainly feels strange.
"No, it's not, honey. If we want to have our happy moment, my plan is the only way. Oh! But now that I think about it, following that logic, if I…"
"What logic—?"
I was about to ask what logic she was referring to, but I couldn't because she had quickly moved closer to me and, completely out of the blue, started kissing me.
Our lips made contact for the first time in this world.
Her current appearance still seemed strange to me, and even the shape and taste of her lips had changed, but…
Chluuurp… chu-chu-chluuuuuup…
There it was, that feeling… that sense of familiarity was there.
That thing I could never define no matter how much I analyzed or thought about it, that thing I was so used to… so dependent on—it was undoubtedly the same.
That simple feeling of being exactly where I was supposed to be was so overwhelming, yet at the same time so reassuring.
This, somehow, made me feel whole.
I, who had never felt like I needed anything, now wanted only one thing: to feel this again and again.
Mmmmm... muah
I returned Iris's kiss and didn't let it be one-sided. She was holding me by the neck, and I wrapped my arms around her waist.
Our bodies pressed together and the heat began to rise; I also felt a growing sense of breathlessness, but I simply didn't want to stop—I wanted to prolong this sensation as long as possible.
Thump… thump… thump…
I didn't know if it was Iris's heart or mine, or maybe both, but that only made this moment feel even deeper.
I let myself be swept away by that whirlwind of sensations and emotions, not caring about or thinking about anything else.
Iris and I were here and in this moment, and we had only each other.
'No matter what, I must protect this.'
..
When I was young, I asked my mother what the point of existence was—and especially the point of my own existence. Why did we even have to keep going? What was the point of it all?
My mother simply replied:
"There's no reason—you're right. It's all a nuisance. Let's just end it all, my son."
Yes, I guess I inherited my nihilistic tendencies from her. Looking back now, it really wasn't something a mother should have said to her son.
But my mother-in-law was there, and, angry, she gave my mother a good whack on the head and started scolding her. It was a pretty common sight.
But then my mother-in-law said this to me:
"Well, that fool wasn't wrong about there being no reason, but that's because you haven't found it yet. Keep moving forward in life, and eventually you'll find it. Until then, why don't you help me keep my silly daughter alive?... Also, protect her from me... Someday she might wear out my patience, and I might try to finish her off with my own hands... Ahem! Forget that last part. Anyway, do that, and who knows? Maybe in the future she'll become the answer to that question.
And my mother-in-law was right.
At some point, Iris became my reason for living and something indispensable and irreplaceable to me.
..
.
"Phew! Honey, I don't understand how you're such a good kisser. Ugh… I don't think I should have done that."
"aah... haah... why not?"
Finally, Iris and I pulled our lips apart, but our faces were still so close that we could feel each other's heavy breathing.
And that only fueled other emotions and desires.
"Because I got turned on. I just wanted to give you a little surprise kiss, since I realized we hadn't done it yet, and if it was quick and unexpected—like I told you—the corrective force wouldn't be able to stop us."
"Seriously, stop with… haaah~… that thing that doesn't exist."
"It does exist, and you saw how I did it—you have to be quick and without warning."
"Wouldn't that be… painful for you?"
"Hmm, I'll try to be as wet as possible, and even if I'm not, a little pain is nothing. Anyway, after a few thrusts, I'll be in top condition. Oh, and if I have a hymen, the blood might…"
"You're really taking this seriously. Besides, isn't it kind of planned? Weren't we supposed to avoid doing this?"
"It's very different. The timing is random, so the corrective force won't have time to find a client."
"I've said it before, but I'll say it again—this is nonsense."
"It isn't, and it's for our happy moment. Oh, and look, I made some preparations for when you make your move so it'll be easier for you."
Iris, who was still pressed very close to me, moved away a little—just enough to leave a small space between us.
Since I was sitting down and she had thrown herself on top of me, her lower body was resting right on top of mine, and when she moved away, it at least allowed me to look down.
I couldn't see much because of Iris's yukata, but she, as if knowing that, lifted it up, and there I saw…
"..."
That Iris was wearing sexy lingerie—the same set she'd worn with Rose, the one with a hole in the crucial areas.
I guess that was the "preparation" she was referring to.
I'm not going to lie—even though I still don't fully agree with her change in appearance, it's true that she's very sexy now, and seeing this combined with her usual mischievous smile—which hasn't changed much despite her new look—turns me on.
And I was already getting hard fast.
It created a bulge in my yukata, which was right against her warmth, and the more turned on I got, the tighter the boxers I was wearing became. Before I knew it, it had made its way out and even popped out of the yukata.
For the first time, I was grateful for its simple design.
"Hah… Mngh!~❤️ Honey… you shouldn't… not like this."
Iris felt my member press against her soft lips, and even though she said I shouldn't do this, she herself began to make slight movements with her hips that caused her lips and my member to start rubbing lightly against each other.
"..."
"Really... I think it's bigger... mhngh~... and hot~💕, but... the plan..."
"..."
To hell with that stupid plan.