How much time had passed?
It probably hadn’t been more than an hour, right?
I had gently stroked Lily with gratitude for her efforts on my behalf…
Yet, I was the one who ended up feeling satisfied.
I couldn’t look away from Lily, who was smiling sweetly as I caressed her—she was just too cute.
“Ah, I’m being healed…”
The coolness I had felt earlier was already gone, replaced by Lily’s warmth.
…It wasn’t as if I had been feeling extremely dizzy or anything.
“…Do I really have something? Being able to see that I have a lot of vitality…”
Although Lily had indeed said it wasn’t a big deal,
I couldn’t forget the expression on her face when she saw the light flowing from my chest.
A look of sheer astonishment.
From her reaction, it was clear that it wasn’t a common symptom.
However, since Lily was sitting calmly, it seemed that it wasn’t an issue that would harm me.
Still, I was curious, so while gently stroking her hair, I subtly asked,
“Does that mean I have a constitution rich in vitality?”
“Yes.”
“Then is the reason I heal naturally also due to that?”
“Perhaps. Since vitality also affects the durability of the body itself.”
Oh, so it was quite beneficial then.
Above all, knowing I had a lot of vitality…
“Thank goodness.”
“Hmm?”
“I mean, it’s fortunate that I have this kind of constitution.”
“Why?”
“At least I won’t be starving the person I love, right?”
“Honey… seriously, over such a reason?”
“Over such a reason? This is a matter of great importance.”
Even if I were on the brink of death, I would still have to keep Lily’s belly full.
After pondering something for a moment, Lily casually said,
“It might not be just the constitution.”
“Eh?”
“That honey mead I gave you, it’s actually quite extraordinary.”
Is she talking about that drink I had with every meal?
It was sweet but with a clean aftertaste, a beverage I had become utterly addicted to.
“Even an average person would become exceptionally strong temporarily after drinking it, to the point where they could endure supersonic impacts.”
“…”
Didn’t she just say… that the thing I’ve been drinking all this time was something so incredible?
As I looked bewildered, Lily shook her head.
“Of course, the one I gave you was diluted, so its effect wouldn’t be that strong… but it can still replenish your vitality.”
“…Is there anything else among the things I’ve eaten so far that I should be aware of?”
Then Lily smiled and answered,
“Softshell turtle, eel, black raspberry.”
“Those are ingredients found on the continent, aren’t they?”
They seemed like fairly common ingredients to me, so was there some hidden secret?
“They are good for your body. You should eat them regularly.”
I nodded.
If Lily said so, then that’s how it must be.
Besides, all the meals Lily made were so delicious I had no reason to complain.
“Then, shall we have lunch now?”
Already this time?
When I turned my head to look at the clock, it was time for lunch.
So it seems I slept for only two or three hours.
“Guess I slept quite a bit…”
It was the first time I ever slept this much during a nap.
But because I had a nightmare, I didn’t particularly feel refreshed.
“Should I eat and sleep again…?”
“What would you like to eat for lunch?”
Hmm, I ate not too long ago and lying down immediately afterward didn’t really help with digestion…
Gurgle
…Seems like everything turned out fine.
Perhaps due to losing a lot of vitality, I was hungrier than I had been in the morning.
“I think we should have something hearty. Maybe food from the meat category?”
As Lily tilted her head while pondering what to have, she suddenly snapped her fingers and said,
“Oh! This should work.”
“What is it?”
“Hehehe, it’s a secret~ But I’ll make it delicious, so don’t worry.”
With a smirk, Lily tapped my nose gently and stood up.
The warmth and softness that had surrounded me were now missing, and I felt a chill.
Cluck
As if reading my mind, Lily quickly came closer and kissed me.
“Just wait a little longer. I’ll go get the ingredients.”
“Okay…”
Lily disappeared with a swirl.
In the empty room, I stared blankly at the ceiling, recalling the earlier events.
The voice I heard in the dream.
Just thinking about it made me feel cold to the bone.
The ensuing brilliant light.
“…It was definitely familiar.”
It was the kind of familiarity that felt like it had always been with me.
It was much too intimate to have come from the honey mead Lily mentioned.
It belonged to my very essence.
Without a doubt, it was mine.
I faintly chuckled.
“Even though I have no trace of mana, it seems I’m overflowing with vitality… Could it be that I have so much vitality that there’s no room for mana?”
Still, I was grateful.
After all, it’s thanks to this vitality that I’ve been able to survive.
“…Now that I think about it, Lily said she healed my heart with recovery magic, right?”
When I think about it, that was after Lily had used a lot of power in Dreamland.
It would have been burdensome for her to use magic then.
“So did she really heal my heart with recovery magic?”
It feels like an incredible amount to me when I think about it.
Even after coming back from the brink of death, I still had an overwhelming surplus of vitality…
A thought suddenly came to me.
“…Could there be no way to use this vitality?”
If I could cast spells with just my vitality, wouldn’t that be great?
An ordinary person would call it insane.
Using vitality, which is directly related to lifespan, to wield magic—how extravagant could you get?
But I had a premonition.
It felt like… my vitality was continuously increasing.
The total amount of vitality does not increase.
That’s common sense, it’s a rule that I’ve known. Vitality ‘recovers’ what has already been consumed; it cannot ‘increase’ beyond its original quantity.
However, my vitality has already become tangible enough to be seen with the naked eye, even though Lily continues to drain it daily.
If my vitality…
“…Was infinite…?”
…Heh.
“Ah, how ridiculous…”
Did I take it too far?
The statement that my vitality was infinite would imply theoretically infinite lifespan.
“It’s nonsense.”
I dismissed the earlier thought and shoved it to the far corner of my mind.
“So, when is Lily coming back?”
“I’m back!”
Suddenly, Lily popped out of nowhere.
The problem, though, was that she appeared right above me where I was lying.
Gravity acts fairly on everyone, so Lily fell down on top of me.
Whoosh
“Huh? Why is it so dark?”
Even with my eyes open, all I could see was darkness just like with them closed.
Something was covering my eyes.
Feeling irritated, I tried lifting my hand to remove it…
Wobble~
“…”
?!
What… What was this?
Something impossibly soft had come into my hands.
An overpowering softness, yet it managed to retain its shape with elasticity… Hmm?
“!!!”
Realizing what it was, I hastily withdrew my hand.
“Le-Le-Le-Le, Lily!”
“Pfft, I was wondering when you’d catch on, but it took you longer than I expected?”
Then, Lily, getting up, crossed her hands over her chest.
“Tsk, you pervert, where do you think you’re touching?”
“Ugh….uuh…!”
I felt like my head was going to explode.
I was embarrassed to the point of madness,
And also mad because Lily was teasing me,
And mad again because my instincts were crying out to touch that sensation again.
Not to mention, my excitement was getting out of hand.
“What are you so embarrassed about?”
“B-b-Being embarrassed is normal!”
I lifted up a pillow and covered my face with it.
And silently screamed.
“I need… a mouse hole!”
There was a sound next to me.
Lily approached and whispered in my ear.
“Do you want to touch again?”
“?!”
Startled, I tried to rise, but Lily pressed down and stopped me.
“You don’t need to be so embarrassed about it.”
Lily then swept away the pillow covering my face.
And a monstrous sight entered my vision.
“Stop joking around—”
“Oh no, I’m serious though?”
“…Huh?”
In my shock, my words became jumbled with nervous breathing.
Lily appeared from behind a large hill and said with a smile.
“I’m yours. You’ve already ‘branded’ me deeply. Both my heart and my body… they’re all yours. So you don’t need to feel embarrassed. If you want, you can touch as much as you like.”
My eyelids trembled.
The valley before my eyes naturally filled with saliva.
The tempting pair of fruits.
Soon, Lily released her hold on me and obediently awaited my next move.
I swallowed the accumulated saliva and slowly raised my hand.
Lily seemed to be preparing, closing her eyes,
But…
“Too much.”
“E- Eh?! Gyaah!”
Lily twisted her waist, reversing our positions so that I ended up on top.
Without further ado, I got up and ran to the restroom.
I closed the door with a bang and leaned against it to steady my breath.
Placing a hand over my heart, I could feel it beating irregularly.
I tried to calm myself as much as possible.
After washing my face with cold water, the flush on my face subsided,
And I finally calmed down after using the toilet—
But then my eyes halted at the trash can placed beside the urinal.
The “clean-up” spot where I took care of Lily’s request earlier.
I hesitated briefly but then opened the lid to peek.
“…Eh? It’s… gone?”
Clearly, it happened twice this morning… Ah.
What came to mind was just before the bathroom door closed,
Lily looking at the same spot.
And even when she came out, she wore an extremely satisfied expression…
“Seriously?”
Tuck
The cold sensation drew my glance—something had touched the front of the urinal.
“Ah…”
Please…
—
When I came out of the restroom, Lily greeted me with a smile.
“Let’s have lunch.”
“…”
Her carefree smile made me feel a little resentful, but the food on the table immediately drew my attention.
“Isn’t that steak?”
And it wasn’t just any piece—it was a pretty significant one.
“Since you’ve lost so much, we should eat heartily.”
Then, with a subtle tone, Lily added,
“Vitality… and such…”
“Lily, please.”
“Hehe, let’s eat!”
I sliced off a piece of steak and placed it in my mouth, only to immediately lower my head.
“What’s wrong? Is it not tasty?”
That’s absurd.
It was delicious.
Incredibly delicious.
The moment I chewed the tender meat, the juices burst forth, perfuming my mouth with its aroma.
The perfect amount of sauce removed any gamey taste, leaving only pure meat flavor.
Even compared to the steak from the high-end restaurant I visited before,
This one seemed to be on an entirely different level.
Lily’s subtle teasing didn’t matter after eating this delicious piece; it disappeared.
‘Really, we’re already engaged, so what’s the harm. Perhaps we should become a bit closer too.’
I accepted that.
‘Still… let’s hold off a bit on crossing certain lines…’
Somehow… once I crossed a line with Lily, it felt like there’d be no going back.
I could foresee a whole day of being glued together.
Still…
This should be fine, right?
“Lily.”
Lily turned to look at me while slicing the meat.
“Yes?”
“Isn’t this steak a bit tough?”
“Eh?”
Surprised, Lily instantly tasted my piece.
“…Hmm? It feels tender to me though…”
“No, it’s tough.”
“That’s…”
I set down the knife and fork.
Seeing this, Lily pouted.
She went through the trouble of making it, so naturally, she was upset at my refusal.
But, something else was on my mind.
“Still, it’s tasty.”
“…”
“I want to eat it, but it’s tough on my jaw.”
Lily simply stared at me, processing my words.
“Then… would Lily like to feed it to me?”
Lily tilted her head in confusion.
“Even if I feed it to you, the steak won’t become any less tough, right?”
“No, what I meant was…”
I reached out and cupped Lily’s chin.
Then I lightly stroked her lips with my thumb.
Lily paused for a moment to consider my actions…
Clang!
She dropped the utensils.
“R-really?”
“Of course, if Lily doesn’t wish it, we don’t have to—”
“No! I want to! I absolutely want to!”
Lily beamed, rubbing her cheek against my hand.
Seeing her genuinely happy expression, I felt like I’d made a good decision.
Lily sprang up from her seat and gestured for me to scoot back.
As I moved my chair slightly to create space,
Lily straddled my thighs, crossing her legs to one side.
“Am I too heavy?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Then…”
Lily took the utensils from my hands and cut off a piece of the steak in front of her.
Then hesitating for a moment, she placed the piece in her mouth.
“Chomp chomp…”
After chewing a few times, Lily put down the utensils and turned her body slightly to face me.
She tapped my lips gently.
Opening my mouth as she directed, Lily pressed her lips against mine.
The chewed-up pieces of steak entered my mouth.
I started chewing the delivered pieces.
Truthfully, I barely noticed the taste of the meat.
The juices and sauces had largely gone with Lily chewing earlier.
But I found it even more delicious anyway.
Instead of juices and sauces, Lily’s saliva coated the pieces.
We’d shared food like this before, but last time she just let me bite off from her mouth without chewing.
Savoring the sweetness of her saliva, I chewed and swallowed.
“How is it?”
“It’s even better now.”
I picked up the utensils Lily had put down.
“Would Lily like to try it?”
“…Yes.”
Lily seemed timid as she nodded slightly.
Following what she had done, I cut and chewed the steak in succession…
Then I overlapped lips with Lily to pass the steak over.
“Chomp chomp… gulp.”
“How about that?”
“…It’s delicious. Would you like more?”
“Yes.”
And so, we continued sharing the meal with each other.
The meal took about three times longer than usual, but does it matter? It’s summer break, and our lunch hour stretched on and on.
After finishing the meal, we decided to go for a walk to cool down the heated atmosphere.
We strolled side by side in the park with linked arms, something we’ve grown accustomed to by now.
As small talk flowed back and forth, Lily suddenly spoke with a serious tone.
“Arthur. Can you answer me truthfully?”
“Of course. What is it?”
Lily stopped me in my tracks, turning me to face her.
My face reflected in her dark eyes.
Then Lily asked:
“Have you read the Necronomicon?”
