“Senior….”

As soon as I stepped out of the room, Luna, who was on my back, called out to me in a slightly slurred voice.

“Uh, why? Do you have something to say?”

“Hehe… Senior, senior, senior….”

I thought she might have something to say, but it seemed she just called for no reason. Luna snuggled closer while burying her face in the nape of my neck.

Every time her hair tickled my cheek and neck, a nice scent wafted by, but I made a point of ignoring it because I wasn’t a pervert.

“So is there anywhere you want to go?”

“Ooh… Today’s senior is zero on the sense scale! Asking a lady such a thing? You should escort me without needing to be told, that’s what a true gentleman does!”

“Well, if we’re getting picky, I’m not really a gentleman; I’m more of a lady myself….”

Of course, I was a man on the inside, but on the outside, I looked undeniably like a woman, which was rather unfair. However, Luna didn’t seem to care about my excuses at all and just burst into laughter.

After leaving the lodging, Luna finally stopped laughing and lifted her head from my neck, finally opening her mouth.

“Wherever you want to go, wherever your eyes land, wherever your feet take you, that’s all fine with me.”

Her words meant she would leave it all to me.

“Wherever you want to go is where I want to be, wherever your eyes fixate is where I will be, and wherever your feet take you, that is where I will be.”

As her words got longer, her voice gradually grew quieter, becoming nearly a whisper by the end.

However, in contrast, as her lips drew nearer to my ear, it became even clearer to hear.

“I’m happiest when I’m with you, senior…”

Her voice tickled my ear. But the reason for the tickling sensation wasn’t just because Luna softly whispered in my ear.

I didn’t need to look in the mirror to know it. Thanks to Luna’s not-so-secret confession, my face was surely bright red. Meanwhile, the one who uttered the embarrassing phrase, Luna, was grinning and seemed completely unfazed as she finally got off my back.

“Ah, your face is red. Hehe, your blushing face is cute too.”

“Wh-who’s blushing! This is just….”

Trying to excuse myself with a lie that even a three-year-old wouldn’t believe, Luna silently reached out and lifted the hair that was covering my face. As a result, my bright red face was completely exposed to Luna.

“Oof…”

With a giggle, Luna stared at me intently. I couldn’t bear the overwhelming embarrassment that crept in, and I turned my head away.

It’s as if she’s changed after drinking. Should I say more mischievous, or more cunning? She seemed to instinctively play with people’s emotions.

“Well, today I’ll be your gentleman. Just trust me and follow along!”

With a confident voice, Luna grabbed my hand and began to lead the way. Despite Luna being physically smaller than me, her back looked incredibly reliable as she walked ahead, but it must have been my imagination.

*

While walking, Luna suddenly tugged on our clasped hands, pulling me closer to her as a carriage crossed the road.

When I glanced over at Luna, she was walking with a nonchalant expression as if nothing had happened, her side facing the street. It seemed unnecessary given that the carriage wouldn’t have hit us anyway, but somehow, it felt odd.

“Since we haven’t eaten yet, should we have a meal first?”

Luna, who had stopped, pointed at a reasonably decent-looking shop. It appeared clean from the outside, and through the window, I could see several customers, indicating it was a thriving establishment.

“Sure. If something enters my stomach, it might help sober me up a bit.”

“Pfft…. I’m not drunk, you know?”

“Then speak without twisting your tongue.”

“Ugh!”

Luna pouted, denying it. However, her slurred words were so unconvincing.

As we entered the shop, a few tables were available. As I moved to sit, Luna pulled out a chair for me and helped me sit down. It was a simple action, but being treated this way didn’t feel bad at all.

The restaurant didn’t seem to offer a separate menu and served a singular course, so after a brief wait, dishes began to appear without any additional orders.

When a drink was poured for me, I realized it was alcohol, and I tried to stop Luna from drinking it, but her glass was already empty. Instead of sobering her up, it made her even more tipsy.

Luna’s face turned even redder from her increased drunkenness.

As dishes continued to arrive, the main dish, steak, was set in front of Luna.

As I slowly cut my food, Luna quickly cut her meat into bite-sized pieces and swapped plates with me.

It might have seemed unnecessary, but somehow, even though it was the same meat, it felt even tastier when Luna did it.

“This place isn’t just decent; it’s way better than I expected. If I need to choose a restaurant in the future, I can leave it to Luna.”

“Hehe. You can praise me more, you know?”

After filling our stomachs, we leisurely talked while enjoying the vanilla ice cream that was the final dessert in the course. I was worried about whether we’d be able to converse with Luna being drunk, but surprisingly, she became flirtier, and we communicated even better—except for her slurred speech.

“By the way… your earrings have changed again, haven’t they?”

“Hmm? Oh, these? They’re earrings given to me by someone I saved a while back, as a reward through Selly and her friends.”

Since I’ve saved quite a number of people, I’d received quite a few gifts in return. I couldn’t just shove the gifts deep in my bag since they were given to me, so every now and then, I’d wear them during the occasional opportunity.

“They suit you well. It’s hard to imagine there’s anything you wouldn’t look good in. They’re really pretty!”

“…You’re talking about the earrings, right?”

“Hehe! Of course I’m talking about you, senior. No earring could be prettier than you!”

Hearing that I look pretty as a man shouldn’t feel good, but instead of feeling offended, I found myself smiling.

No, I must be smiling purely because the vanilla ice cream in my mouth is sweet.

“However…”

In my effort to deny my identity as a man while savoring the ice cream, I heard the sound of a chair scraping, and Luna stood up from her seat.

Luna placed one hand on the table for support and leaned her upper body closer to me while extending another hand.

Luna’s small thumb lightly brushed against my lips. The soft vanilla ice cream clung to the returning finger. Lost in thought, I hadn’t noticed that ice cream was smudged on my mouth.

“I can’t help but feel jealous seeing you wear someone else’s gift, my one and only senior.”

With that line, Luna brought her ice cream-covered finger directly to her mouth, and the sound of her lips meeting her finger reached my ears as if it were clear as day. How could my face possibly turn red with just that?

“Let’s go buy earrings.”

Rather than asking whether to go buy them, it was more like Luna was informing me to go buy them. I felt that if I opened my mouth, my voice would come out weird, so I just nodded my head up and down.

*

“Phew…”

As the sun set, the streets began to darken. Luna, who had been on my back since we first left our lodgings, had fallen asleep soundly.

The chocolate I had sampled on our walk happened to be alcoholic, and given how weak Luna was with alcohol, she had fallen asleep promptly.

Luna’s flirtatious demeanor had left me tossed around throughout the day, and strangely enough, I felt relieved she had fallen asleep.

I wondered where she had learned to act in ways that made others flutter.

Had I not been somewhat self-aware of my identity as a man, I might have fallen completely for Luna’s charms. Or rather, perhaps it was because I was a man that I found myself falling for Luna, who was a woman.

Regardless of gender, I would need to make sure Luna doesn’t drink in front of others to prevent any unnecessary victims. Or I would have to help increase her alcohol tolerance.

I turned my head slightly and glanced at Luna over my shoulder; she wore a smile. It seemed today’s little adventures weren’t in vain. No matter what, it looked like Luna was satisfied, which made me feel good too.

“Ah, you’re back?”

Upon returning to the room, Lindy, who was sitting on the bed fiddling with her bowstring, welcomed me.

“Yeah. I was going to be back around this time, but Luna fell asleep. What about the others?”

“They went out to eat. I didn’t feel like it, so I stayed in the room. They should be back soon….”

Still carrying Luna, I plopped down on her bed. I tried to gently unwrap the hand that Luna had around my neck to lay her down, but instead of loosening her grip, Luna only tightened it further around my neck.

“Come on, come on. We’re back in the room now. You have to let go, right?”

I tried to coax Luna gently, but the sleepy Luna didn’t respond at all. Knowing I couldn’t keep this up, I tried to forcefully unwrap her hands from my neck,

“Waaah!”

Luna started to cry like a small child throwing a fit. Her voice was loud enough that Lindy, who was watching from the side, grimaced and covered her ears with both hands.

If Lindy was bothered that much, how could I feel when carrying Luna? Just as I desperately pulled my hand away that had been attempting to loosen her grip, Luna’s mouth finally went quiet.

With a bit of worry, I cautiously placed my hand back on her hand, only for Luna to let out a whiny whimper, nearly crying.

“I should really avoid letting Luna drink again, even if it’s by accident…”

“I’ll let my friends know. Since it was an unforeseen incident, I’m sure they’ll understand.”

Ultimately, it wasn’t until the next morning, after Luna woke up from her sleep, that I was freed from her grasp.