Chapter 55

Knock knock—

Tirisia placed her trembling hand on her chest and knocked on Erto’s door.

A storm of worries and conflicts began to brew.

Had he returned home by now?

Or was he still having a good time with his friends at the Academy?

If he’s inside, would he actually open the door for her?

And even if he does, would he just coldly shove her away?

Did she even have the right to come here uninvited like this?

Maybe it’d be best to never show up in front of him again.

What did he think of her now?

Did he see her as a filthy rag for allowing another man to touch her?

Or maybe she was still his childhood friend in his eyes?

How had he been during this time?

Had he gotten closer to someone else from the Academy, or one of the girls they had gone out with today?

Those girls all had looks of affection for Erto.

Was he now in a place where he could forget her and give his heart to someone else?

How much of her remained in him?

Could she still be Tirisia,

or was she Bruerd,

or just… someone else?

Or perhaps… a person who no longer existed.

While these thoughts swirled chaotically in her mind, she couldn’t stop knocking.

Even aware of all the circumstances and adverse conditions, she still wanted to see him.

Right now, she desperately wanted to see Erto’s face.

She wanted to hear his voice.

Knock knock—

“Erto…? Are you in there…?”

Gathering her resolve, she called out the name of the one she once loved.

Knock knock—

“Erto… if you’re there, please answer…”

……

There was no response.

She could easily detect who was inside the house with a magical scan, but Tirisia couldn’t bring herself to do that.

If Erto was inside and realized he was ignoring her…

She felt she would truly crumble at the thought.

Sneaking a peek inside felt impossible.

If she passed by without knowing, she could at least convince herself that he wasn’t home.

Now, in her desperate mind, she could gladly accept such a rationalization.

As long as she believed Erto hadn’t completely abandoned her, she could maintain her sanity.

Holding onto that glimmer of hope, Tirisia knocked on the door again.

Knock knock—

“Erto… if you’re there, could you please open the door for me…?”

Knock knock—

“I… have something I want to say… Erto…”

Knock knock—

“Please… just this once… meet with me… please…”

After knocking for what felt like an eternity, there was still no response from inside.

“…I see… He’s really not here.”

Tirisia, having never confirmed it, let her head droop as she finally gave up calling for the boy.

He surely wasn’t home.

He was still out there having fun with friends.

She could just sit here and wait.

She’d have to go home by morning.

Even if it meant staying up all night,

she could wait quietly here until he returned.

Then she could meet Erto.

She could see his face.

She could hear his voice.

Don’t give up.

It’s not over yet.

“…I’ll wait.”

With that thought, Tirisia squatted down with her back against the door, hugging her knees tightly.

“Erto… Erto… Erto…”

With her face buried in her arms, she repeatedly whispered his name, until some time passed.

Click—

She heard the sound of the door opening behind her.

“…!”

Tirisia quickly lifted her head and turned to see who it was.

There stood a boy with black hair, looking down at her with an expressionless face, dressed in pajamas.

“Er…to…”

Her aquamarine eyes widened, then squeezed shut with overwhelming joy.

“…”

When she opened her eyes again, she greeted him with the soft smile she always kept for him.

“Have you… been well?”

“…”

Soaking wet in the dress she once liked, she was sitting in front of him.

Staring blankly, he finally responded in a tone free of any emotion.

“…What’s going on?”

“Ah… well…”

Tirisia slowly rose to her feet, standing face to face with the boy.

Then, raising her arms slightly to show off her sorry state, she managed a goofy smile.

“Um… since I got all wet… could I take a little break here… heh heh…”

“…”

His cold, yellow eyes examined her bedraggled appearance without any hint of interest.

Feeling the highest tension she’d ever felt in her life, Tirisia followed his gaze.

At that moment, a desperate prayer filled her heart.

Please, please,

don’t push me away, Erto.

If you reject me too… then…

I would… I would really…

With both eyes squeezing shut without her knowing it, Tirisia waited for his response.

And then,

“…Come in.”

Was her prayer heard by the heavens?

Erto allowed her into the house.

“You should leave once the rain stops.”

With the door left open, he turned to head inside, saying casually.

“…Okay, thanks.”

Tirisia stifled the emotions bubbling to the surface and reminded herself repeatedly not to show anything too careless as she followed Erto’s back.

Click.

The front door shut quietly, leaving only two of them inside, cut off from the outside world.

Thank goodness.

Really, thank goodness.

It wasn’t completely over yet.

Erto seemed to still have space in his heart for her.

A thrill rushed through Tirisia’s heart.

*

Washing away her cold, wet body with hot water, Tirisia stepped into the bathroom after taking off the white dress she had carefully chosen to show off to Erto, which was now drenched along with her underwear.

Erto’s kind instruction was that she shouldn’t be left stuck in the rain-soaked outfit and should at least bathe before coming out.

Her makeup was already washed off in the rain, so there was no chance of her showing it to Erto.

Besides, Erto actually preferred her without makeup anyway, so it didn’t really matter.

“…Phew.”

Tirisia let out a relieved sigh as the warmth washed over her body.

At that moment, she heard Erto’s voice from outside the bathroom door.

[I’ve put all the clothes in the washer and I’ll leave some changes here.]

“Ah, okay!”

Tirisia gave a quick reply, covering her cheeks with her hands to force her blooming smile back down.

Ah, to be allowed inside Erto’s home.

To shower naked in his bathroom.

To wear the clothes he wears against her bare skin.

What kind of luck was this?

“Hehe… ugh!”

In the pouring water, as she twisted her body and played with her cheeks, the girl was suddenly jolted back to reality and stared intently into the mirror.

No, Tirisia.

What are you doing?

Are you crazy?

Just because Erto showed you a little kindness, do you really think you’ve achieved something?

Like the things you’ve done to Erto just vanished from existence?

Get a grip.

Nothing has changed.

“…Phew, ha.”

Focusing her mind on the ugly girl staring back at her in the mirror, Tirisia finished her shower and walked out nude to put on the short-sleeve shirt and shorts Erto had left just outside the bathroom door.

Without underwear, there was a chance for some unsightly curves to show, but since it was Erto, there was no reason to feel embarrassed.

In fact, if he showed interest in her body, that would be a happy thing.

While she knew that such expectations were foolish, Tirisia casually walked down the hallway toward Erto’s room, shoulders straight.

“Erto, I used the bathroom well. Thanks for lending me your clothes.”

As she pushed her damp silver hair behind her ear in thanks, the boy, sitting on the floor of his room, glanced at her and replied.

“…Yeah.”

He wore pajamas, leaning against the bed while quietly reading a book on magical theory.

Tirisia, flushing from the warmth of the shower, stood awkwardly in front of him, nervously playing with her warm arms.

“…”

As she pondered how to start a conversation, her eyes were drawn to a few frames on the nearby dresser.

“Oh…? What’s this…?”

Tirisia reached out to the frame as if entranced.

Erto glanced at her behavior but didn’t stop her.

“You’re still keeping these photos?”

Tirisia gathered the frames on the dresser and placed them on the low table in front of Erto.

The photos inside were all of the two of them together from the past.

A photo with the ocean in the background.

A photo with the snowy mountains in the background.

A photo taken at an amusement park.

A photo taken at a café in the woods.

Every moment of happiness was still vividly alive within those frames.

Erto’s gaze lingered on the pictures for a moment, then returned to the book.

And with a tone that couldn’t be considered an excuse, he candidly explained why he kept them.

“Well… they helped with my training.”

“Training…?”

“Those represent a time when I was weak, so keeping them around kept me focused on getting stronger. That’s why I didn’t throw them away.”

“I see…”

He had been weak back then.

In other words, because he was weak, he had lost something.

And the person in those photos was none other than her.

Tirisia realized that Erto continuously reminded himself to become stronger by looking at their past because he had experienced the worst by losing someone precious to him.

She knew all too well that the reason had to do with her, but paradoxically, it made her feel joy.

It was a reminder of how much he had cherished her.

Thinking of the moments they shared love helped quench her heart’s thirst, even if just a little.

“Erto… do you remember this time?”

Tirisia touched one of the frames on the table, wanting to recall even more of that past happiness, and asked Erto.

Talking about their shared memories felt like it would drown out the anxiety in her heart.

“…I remember.”

Erto looked at the frame Tirisia pointed at, his eyes softening as he nodded.

What she pointed to was a photo of them enjoying a day at the beach during a bright summer.

Erto, upside down in mid-air above the water,

And Tirisia, perched atop a water dragon with wide, startled eyes.

It was a silly photo taken at just the right moment thanks to some spirit magic.

“You actually tamed that serpent attacking the shore, and when it considered you its master, it threw me away with its tail when I touched you.”

Erto chuckled as he recounted the incident vividly.

“Yeah… I didn’t mean to tame it, so I didn’t know how to get it to obey me afterward… Hehe.”

Her worries slipped away with each of his smiles, and she couldn’t help but chuckle in response.

Her white fingers reached toward the next frame, and she asked Erto for another moment from the past.

“This one… is from when we went hiking together.”

The frame she pointed to was of the two of them standing on a snow-covered mountain peak against a rising sun.

As they gazed at it, Erto’s delighted smile broke, and he began to explain.

“We impulsively set off for the northern snowy peaks to watch the sunrise without any proper gear.”

“No matter how much I could run using magic, crossing a continent several thousand kilometers and climbing a twenty-kilometer-high mountain at once was reckless. Right? Hehe.”

“Well, thanks to the warmth spell you cast, I didn’t freeze to death, though.”

“Otherwise, we both would have ended up as snacks for frost giants.”

Although Tirisia answered with a calm face, a massive wave of shock surged within her.

Oh, he called me by my name.

Called my name with such a gentle voice.

She felt her heart pounding but kept her composure, maintaining an outward calm.

‘Don’t let it show.’

Slowly, slowly,

close the distance and ease his tension.

Before they had a serious conversation.

So that he could get ready to accept her again.

Keep recalling those happy moments.

Don’t rush, just little by little,

Don’t be greedy, Tirisia.

“This one…”

Her finger pointed to the next frame, where they wore bunny and donkey headbands at an amusement park.

“Of all things, why did they only have those left?”

Erto scoffed at the silly ears perched atop his head in the photo.

“What? I thought it was cute. I mean, you can’t say bunnies look that different, right?”

“That’s an insult to bunnies, Tirisia.”

Tirisia giggled, leaning her face on her knees as she recalled that precious memory.

“Back then… you were trying to give your ice cream to a crying little girl who dropped hers.”

“Ah, that… yes…”

“But you slipped and accidentally stuck it on her head.”

“And that just made her stop crying.”

“In return, her face was filled with hatred.”

“You made me buy her a five-scoop ice cream to make up for it in the end.”

“Hehe… yeah, I did.”

Recalling the same moments, they both laughed together.

Tirisia’s gaze was misty as she squinted with tears in her eyes, continuing to share her treasured memories with Erto.

“Moments with Erto were… always full of happiness.”

“I see.”

“You were so carefree during your first visit to my house… you shouted out loud in front of my parents that you were going to marry me. Even in kindergarten.”

“Yeah…”

“That boy who was my mischievous childhood friend… over time, didn’t seem just like an ordinary friend anymore…”

“…”

With her aquamarine eyes fixed on the boy sitting next to her, her toes fidgeted in anticipation, and a different kind of thought crept into her mind.

“Erto… doesn’t this place feel familiar?”

“…”

He didn’t respond, just blankly stared at Tirisia’s face.

Her porcelain skin was flush, and with her face buried in the crook of her arms, she stared up at Erto with sparkling eyes filled with something.

The air in the room strangely changed.

As if warmed by the heat emanating from the girl, it became thick with an almost dreamy humidity.

“This very spot… is where we first sat together.”

Gazing up at the boy’s face from beneath her lowered head, a bubbling voice fought to break free from her lips.

“…”

He merely watched her react.

Whether feeling flustered or expectant, he simply wore a calm expression.

“Instead of studying on the bed like before… sitting here like this, and suddenly.”

Slowly—

Her arm moved towards him, resting delicately on his shoulder.

“…”

He didn’t push her away.

Seeing his lack of resistance made Tirisia lose herself in her desires, and she suddenly pushed him, sending him sprawling onto the floor.

Thud.

“Though the positions were reversed back then…”

With only a thin layer of clothing on, she climbed atop the boy now lying on the floor.

“We started something like this.”

Her damp silver hair cascaded over his face, and from within her features, her aquamarine eyes emanated a burning desire.

Without any attempt at restraint, the boy left her actions unchecked.

And that made Tirisia lose her mind even more.

Inside her, countless conflicts clashed fiercely.

Oh no,

I shouldn’t be doing this.

I can’t act this impatiently.

But she couldn’t hold back.

Erto is still showing me kindness.

There’s still a chance he might accept me.

He’s not resisting at all.

Then maybe it would be okay to just go for it?

Would it be fine to ask Erto to accept me again?

That girl, Elconja, who betrayed him and stabbed him in the back, somehow became friends without a care.

Then, perhaps I could have just one more chance too?

If I just become one with him like this—

Then maybe everything would go back to normal.

With both body and mind drenched, Tirisia glanced down at the boy beneath her.

*

I looked up at Tirisia, who had suddenly dropped on top of me.

Her face was flushed with excitement, and her eyes were dreamy as she looked down at me.

What she wanted was clear.

Both of us were undoubtedly thinking the same thing at this very moment.

“Erto… is this okay…?”

Tirisia asked for my final permission.

“Tirisia…”

I slowly raised my hand to caress her cheek.

“Ah…!”

Tirisia leaned her face into my touch, soaking up the pleasure as she pushed her face harder against my palm.

Seeing her revel in joy, I decided to finally answer her.

“Tirisia…”

“Yes, Erto…!”

With her squirming on top of me,

sincerely longing for my answer,

at last—

I said—

“Do I look that gullible?”

There’s no way.

Never.

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