The tightly wound body became more sensitive to touch.
It was the same for Senior Elsi.
The girl flinched and stiffened, inadvertently thrusting her hips back.
It was due to the memories of the wave of pleasure that had engulfed her last time.
I-an let out a sigh of relief upon seeing her reaction.
Elsi groaned, her breath hot and ragged.
“Th-that’s….”
Of course, it was merely a faint resistance.
I-an went a step further and silently pulled Elsi into his embrace.
Elsi was unable to regain her senses due to the man’s body scent penetrating her nose.
The girl was infinitely weak against love.
That fluffy feeling made Elsi’s face soften.
Although she was trying hard to frown, her brows narrowed in vain resistance.
She couldn’t hide even the twitching corners of her mouth.
Seeing that cute expression, I-an broke into a light smile.
“Listen to what people say until the end, Senior Elsi.”
“D-don’t, I-an… huh?!”
Elsi felt as if she was about to go insane.
She wanted to be angry, but as I-an’s whispers brushed her ears, her overstimulated senses transmitted a tingling delight.
It was only his voice that she had heard.
And that wasn’t all.
Just being wrapped in I-an’s arms made her unable to gauge how her heart was freely unraveling.
On the contrary, if it continued like this, she even thought that a life taken away by I-an wouldn’t be bad.
It was an idea typical of a victim of domestic violence.
Elsi was aware of this, but she found it impossible to control the impulse stirring in her chest.
I-an kept whispering in the girl’s ear.
“Who said Senior Elsi would be abandoned? I only meant to reduce unnecessary misunderstandings.”
“…U-unnecessary misunderstandings?”
Ultimately, Elsi couldn’t resist the comforting feelings.
To think she would be so easily taken in by merely a couple of sweet words.
Elsi felt relieved that her first love was I-an.
If she had been infatuated with another man, she might have lost her heart completely.
Although she hadn’t heard the main point and her persuasion was halfway done, she maintained a deliberately angry demeanor.
Despite her pouty expression, the twitching corners of her mouth were quite noteworthy.
I-an nodded his head reassuringly.
As his touch brushed under her chin, Elsi let out a soft moan and unconsciously buried her face into I-an’s arms.
“Yes, unnecessary misunderstandings… so strange words won’t come out again.”
“That is….”
“Senior Elsi is not my pet.”
Elsi’s lips jutted out in discontent.
Her subtle glare towards I-an signified that she was quite upset.
I-an, worried that Elsi might act out again, hastily added more words.
“Senior Elsi is an equal existence to me, a comrade… no, a partner?”
The resentful thoughts that had been stirring within Elsi settled again.
She enjoyed I-an’s touch while secretly pondering.
Elsi was satisfied with the relationship of being a ‘pet.’
Not only could she rely on I-an indefinitely, but as long as Elsi followed I-an, he would also try to protect her.
Most importantly, she loved being able to receive love freely.
Just like right now.
But the term ‘partner’ didn’t sound bad either.
It felt very much like being side by side and walking together.
Thus, Elsi’s contemplation prolonged significantly.
Not knowing which was better, Elsi tilted her head but couldn’t rashly make a decision, partly due to her inherently greedy nature.
She wanted to be completely dependent on I-an.
So much so that she couldn’t escape.
The more she desired that, the more I-an would be unable to escape from Elsi.
However, she also didn’t want to give up on the future of living together as companions.
If she remained a pet, she could avoid being abandoned by I-an.
On the other hand, if she chose to be a partner, I-an wouldn’t merely treat her as a cute being.
He would have to regard her as a more equal existence, meaning he would have to treat her like a woman.
Thus, Elsi’s contemplation deepened.
Finally, it seemed that I-an realized the time had come to resolve the old homework, and he became even more desperate in his persuasion.
“Senior Elsi… think of the times when you were so confident. There were many people who followed you then.”
Elsi’s brows furrowed, deepening her contemplative expression.
I-an continued while stroking under her chin.
“At that time, Senior Elsi was always leading, so there was no need to doubt her sincerity… but lately, I feel like I’m forcing you into danger.”
His tone was calm, but it was filled with sincerity.
In that moment, Elsi’s heart wavered.
I-an was endlessly worried for Elsi.
He feared that the reason she was risking her life was merely because of his instructions.
He always worried that he wouldn’t be able to grasp Elsi’s true thoughts.
How could her heart not sway in response to such delicate emotions?
Especially since it was I-an who had broken the once confident and self-sufficient Elsi with a hand axe.
Naturally, he had not forgotten that fact and was currently engaged in a painful struggle between his conscience.
However, the agony he was going through wouldn’t be reflected in the eyes of the love-struck girl.
Ultimately, after a short while, Elsi came up with a clever idea.
Suddenly, as if coming to her senses, she cleared her throat. Taking a few steps back and withdrawing from I-an’s embrace, the girl folded her arms behind her back.
Her slightly flushed face looked coy.
“If that’s the case, then….”
It was a response that she uttered while slightly avoiding his gaze.
At that moment, I-an finally felt a weight lift from his heart.
Now, he could bid farewell to that wretched stigma.
“Please take care of me from now on, Senior Elsi… I will respect your wishes as much as possible.”
“Really? Then I have one favor to ask.”
It was a sudden suggestion as she took a step forward.
I-an, momentarily surprised, quickly nodded as if on impulse.
He owed Elsi a debt.
She was a comrade who had contributed to countless battles. Additionally, she had faced the Corpse Giant despite having no connection to Perkus Manor.
There was no way he could refuse anything she asked.
As soon as I-an expressed his agreement, Elsi immediately shot back.
It was calculated so that he wouldn’t even have time to retort.
“I want to be your pet.”
“Sure, that’s no problem… huh?”
I-an could only stutter in shock.
It was an unexpected request.
It would not have been strange if his words choked in his throat.
Seeing his bewildered expression, Elsi covered her mouth and burst into giggles.
The corners of her eyes drew a gentle arch.
“I’ll choose to be your pet of my own will… so now there’s no worry, right? Please give me lots of love from now on, master. Woof woof!”
Elsi extended her hands and made a cute dog gesture.
With one eye squinting, the words came out, leaving I-an momentarily speechless.
At this rate, it would just lead to a loop.
Just as he opened his mouth to retort.
“B-but also… I have something to say as a partner.”
Elsi’s face reddened again as she lowered her head.
There was a shy demeanor as her toes traced the ground slightly.
I-an eventually fell silent once more.
Come to think of it, it was Elsi who called him out.
She must have had something to say, yet their conversation had gone on for so long that she hadn’t asked until now.
What exactly did she want to say?
And wasn’t it about something she wanted to say as a ‘partner’?
Then, I-an had an obligation to respect Elsi’s will and listen to her.
After having declared he would do so, of course.
I-an’s golden eyes gazed intently at her.
The moment Elsi met his eyes, she felt the waves of countless memories wash over her thoughts.
When she first saw him, she felt a significant sense of dependence in his gaze.
Afterward, she mainly saw those eyes in her nightmares, and since she had accidentally fallen in love, she thought that his ever-stirring golden hue was really cool.
Strong and reliable.
That made her heart race even more.
Elsi desperately moistened her parched lips with saliva.
Her whole body was already trembling uncontrollably.
The world spun before her eyes, and her face was so warm that she couldn’t lift her head.
Nonetheless, she mustered her courage and managed to say one word.
“…Hey.”
The girl, with her eyes tightly shut, tilted her head up.
Taking a deep breath, she finally managed to calm her pounding heart, her eyes slowly opened.
They were clear and bright blue eyes.
I-an stared blankly at his reflection, which was vividly reflected in them.
Even upon further inspection, he found her attractive; he couldn’t help but entertain such thoughts.
And the girl leaned forward slightly, clasping her hands behind her back.
Her expression was filled with many emotions, like a flower on the verge of blooming.
At that moment, Elsi was finally able to convey the true feelings she had kept hidden.
“Do you want to go out with me?”
In a voice both shy and trembling.
Thus, the girl decided to strike her destiny once more.
The fate of Rainelle was something Rainelle herself would determine.
