“Did you drink?”

“Um…”

“The thing I found in the cupboard earlier. It was a liquor bottle. Did you drink that?”

“…Yeah. I had a little. I did smell it first, but… I wanted to check if it was what I thought it was.”

Only then did Saya confess the truth. The distinct scent of alcohol wafted over powerfully once more, seeping deep into my lungs. As I kept breathing in that scent, I felt like I was getting dizzy myself.

“Are you sure you only had a little?”

“Yeah. You know I can’t stomach much.”

“That’s for eating. Shouldn’t drinking be different?”

“Is it?”

When I asked, Saya lightly furrowed her brow. Then, as if testing her own condition, she swayed her body back and forth.

“But I feel completely fine. My head is clear, and I feel really good.”

“Ah… Yeah. I suppose you would.”

“I can even walk straight. Want me to show you?”

“No! It’s fine. You don’t need to do that.”

I hastily grabbed Saya as she tried to stand up and pulled her back down. The momentum caused her to naturally fall into my arms, and she tilted her head.

“I’m really fine.”

“Yeah. I know. So just stay still.”

“I told you I’m really fine. Do you not believe me, Lope?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“I’m joking.”

Saya suddenly stopped talking and looked at my face. Then, she smiled awkwardly, just like the first time she had played a prank on me back on the island. It was such a contextless action that I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

Whatever her underlying reasons, when I smiled for her, Saya seemed to get a little excited and began to fidget. She didn’t weigh much, but as her warm body squirmed in my embrace, my stomach tickled for no reason. Whether she knew it or not, her body kept burrowing deeper into my arms.

“Lope. Your body is really cold. Are you sick?”

“It’s not that. Your body temperature has gone up. Because of the alcohol.”

“Really? Then maybe I really am drunk.”

“Anyone would think so.”

“It’s fascinating. I feel like my body is floating. My face is really hot, too. Are you curious, Lope? There should still be a bottle in the cupboard.”

“It’s fine. Watching from the sidelines is enough for me.”

Even at such a trivial joke, Saya smiled at me with her eyes. But soon, she lowered her head and spoke in a slightly calmed voice. 

“…I’m sorry. I know this isn’t the time for it, but I got too excited.”

“No. This is better than just constantly sighing.”

“Was I really weird?”

“Just a little?”

“I knew it.”

At my response, Saya smiled lightly and rested her head against my chest. Then, she slowly closed her eyes and spoke. 

“But what I said just now was sincere. I’m really afraid you might suddenly disappear.”

“I told you not to worry about that.”

“Even if I know, I can’t help but keep thinking about it. You couldn’t even imagine how scared I am.”

“…”

“In that sense, there’s a favor I want to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Well…”

Saya poked her head up and stared intently at me. It was a gaze I was used to meeting, but today it felt a bit burdensome. She hesitated for a moment, then, as if making up her mind, grabbed my hand tightly.

“Hey… could you close your eyes for me, Lope?”

“Huh?”

“Just don’t ask anything and close your eyes. Please?”

“Uh…”

I could already picture what was going to happen next. No matter how much the world had tainted her, Saya still retained her innocence, and because of that, I could easily grasp her intentions in making such a request.

But the expression on Saya’s face as she looked at me was so earnest that I couldn’t bring myself to point that out. In the end, I hid my rising smile and closed my eyes.

“Yeah. I got it.”

“You can’t peek.”

“I won’t do that.”

“Yeah. Then stay just like that. Just like that…”

As I slowly closed my eyes, Saya’s hands suddenly grabbed my cheeks. At this point, it was practically the same as her just confessing what she was going to do. The sight was so adorable that I tried to push up the corners of my mouth into a smile, as always.

But strangely, no smile came. Instead, a heart-pounding tension rushed over me all at once.

Only then did I realize I wasn’t ready for this moment. Surprisingly, a faint boyish sensitivity still remained in my heart, and a belated sense of bashfulness was welling up inside me. And that was an incredibly flustering thing for me.

“Uh…”

“Lope. I told you not to open your eyes.”

“Huh? Ah… sorry.”

What was that? Did I open my eyes without even realizing it? I was even stuttering now. Surprised by my own unfamiliar behavior, sweat began to dampen my clenched fists.

Meanwhile, Saya’s breath was drawing closer and closer to me. The closer her warm body temperature got, the more my calm breathing began to falter. That gradually mismatched rhythm reached its peak when our breaths intertwined.

“…!”

Sensing that the moment had arrived, I squeezed my eyes shut. Saya, too, hesitated slightly and let out a long sigh. Then, very slowly, she overlaid her lips onto mine.

…

My breath caught. The girl’s skin I tasted for the first time was so impossibly soft. My vision blurred from the scent of forget-me-nots I had smelled dozens of times. An indescribable sensation paralyzed my entire body. I felt like if I stayed like this just a little longer, I would be able to explain what it felt like.

But before I could fully savor that sensation, Saya pulled her lips away from mine.

“…”

“…”

We stared blankly at each other. I couldn’t tell what each other’s eyes meant, but it was clear that an unquenched thirst hung at the back of our throats. Saya needlessly fiddled with the hem of her clothes, then smiled awkwardly and spread her hands.

“Ta-da…”

“…”

“Um… you’re not that surprised.”

“Huh? Ah… no. I was surprised. A little.”

“Really? Thank goodness. Actually… I guess it’s not really a good thing.”

She sounded as if she had done something wrong. Her awkwardly stuttering words soon turned into a frantic excuse.

“So, I just… wanted to spend a deeper moment with you…”

“Ah… yeah. I understand.”

“And in this situation, it’s the only thing I could do for you… and I’ve been curious about it for a while…”

“You don’t need to explain. I know even without you saying it.”

I somehow managed to collect myself, but Saya still wore a somewhat disappointed expression. Then, in a low voice as if mumbling to herself, she spoke.

“…It’s a little different from what I thought.”

“Is it?”

“Is it because I’m drunk, like you said? The feeling is a bit faint… and the mood is a bit… well, of course, that’s probably because I rushed it too much…”

“Maybe it’s because it was too short?”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s just… that’s what I thought.”

When I added that a bit timidly, Saya lightly squinted one eye as if winking. Soon, a mischievous smile crept onto her lips.

“Was it disappointing for you, Lope?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“I knew it, it was too short earlier, wasn’t it?”

“…I guess it was.”

“Then should we… do it one more time?”

“Well…”

Saya’s face kept drawing closer, making me feel a bit overwhelmed, and I averted my gaze without realizing it. But I couldn’t possibly avoid giving an answer.

“Let’s do it.”

“Then close your eyes again.”

“Yeah.”

At Saya’s words, I obediently closed my eyes. Her hand touched my cheek again, conveying a warm heat.

Only then did I realize just how utterly clumsy I was in situations like this. Even though I knew perfectly well what was about to happen, the same trembling from earlier crept back into my heart. 

It was beyond just sweaty palms now; my entire body flushed hot. In the midst of it, Saya’s lips met mine again. This time, a little longer, and a little deeper.

“…”

“…”

Did I count about ten seconds in my head? With a soft, wet smack sound, our lips parted. Opening my eyes in a hazy daze, I saw Saya, who had climbed onto my lap at some point.

“Was it too short this time, too?”

“I don’t know. What do you think?”

“I still don’t really know.”

“Actually, me neither.”

“Can I try one more time?”

This time, before I could even close my eyes, Saya’s hand crept up to my jaw first. I couldn’t even answer and just closed my eyes. Then, her familiar body heat washed over me like a wave.

The third kiss that followed was much longer and even deeper than the previous ones.

“…”

“Mmph…”

Feeling like I was about to suffocate, I instinctively grabbed Saya’s waist. Saya flinched slightly at the sudden movement, but she didn’t stop kissing me. Instead, as if relishing my lips, a wet tongue slipped between them. 

The elf’s tongue, which had touched me without warning, carried a slightly sweet scent. Intoxicated by that taste, as I savored the sensation of her lips, my mind grew hazy and my memory briefly cut out. When I came to my senses again, cold air was rushing into my mouth.

“…”

“Haah… haah…”

I slumped limply beside the bed, panting heavily. Saya was now practically straddling me, staring only at my lips. The girl’s desire, blooming for the first time, ignited like a flame in her eyes.

“I’ll do it… one more time.”

“…”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I grabbed the nape of Saya’s neck first and pulled her toward me. As if it were an unspoken law, our lips met once more, hungrily exploring each other and blending wetly.

The kisses that had started on a drunken impulse continued for a long time. As is the case with all youthful playing with fire, because it was our first time, we were clumsy, and because we were clumsy, we didn’t know when to stop. It didn’t seem like we had any intention of stopping in the first place. 

Saya, in particular, was even more so. Just like when we first met, she had returned to her curious elf persona for the first time in a while. As if it had taken an incredibly long time to regain her true nature, Saya unreservedly revealed her dormant curiosity.

Suddenly, I remembered what Ms. Rebecca had said. That once an elf fixates on something, they start obsessing over it like crazy. I wondered if that ‘something’ could include a person.

If so, was I perhaps in a bit of danger?

“Haah… mmph…”

“…”

Such thoughts evaporated without a trace within the kisses that found me once again. I erased the fleeting distracting thoughts and embraced her body fully. Because I no longer knew how much time was left until the end of the world. I wanted to offer you all the time I could give, without reservation.

The lifespan of this world, which perhaps only someone up above knew.

The frail mortal, ignorant even of that fact, thrashed about in such a way.