“…It seems we’ll have to spend the night here. It can’t be helped.”

“At least there’s a floor. That’s a relief.”

“B-But there’s no roof. What if it rains?”

“Ah, damn it. If the Student Council President hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have even noticed there’s no roof. Thanks to you, we’re going to have such a pleasant night.”

Night fell once again, accompanied by Haru’s biting remark. We had stopped at a half-destroyed farmhouse this time. Naturally, there were no living creatures left, and the only viable shelter was a stable with its roof torn off. If there was any consolation, it was that the blankets used for the livestock were still there, saving us the need for separate bedding.

If I had to force another piece of good news, it was that the stench of the city didn’t reach this place. I still couldn’t take off my gas mask because Erika was watching, but it seemed I would be able to breathe fairly fresh air while sleeping. Furthermore, there was a bit of cheese left in the corner of the farmhouse, enough to somewhat fill our stomachs.

Of course, I didn’t need it yet, so I just put it in my pocket for now. Meanwhile, Lope was discussing tonight’s arrangements with Ms. Rebecca.

“We still need to keep watch. I’ll take tonight.”

“You look too exhausted for that. You were nodding off while walking earlier. Just rest tonight. It doesn’t seem like you’ve had a proper sleep lately anyway.”

“The same goes for you, Ms. Rebecca.”

“I said just rest.”

The two engaged in a silent battle of wills, staring at each other for a while. But continuing such a childish act was a waste of precious energy. Perhaps acknowledging this fact, Lope sighed and offered a compromise.

“Then how about we take turns? No need to fight over it.”

“Alright. You sleep first, then. I’ll wake you up later.”

“You have to wake me up, okay?”

After giving her one more earnest reminder, Lope approached the stable. And without any hesitation, he plopped down right onto the spot he had picked out earlier.

As a result, we naturally met eyes again.

An inexplicable heat wrapped around my body. Even though I hadn’t drunk any alcohol today, my cheeks felt flushed. But unlike yesterday, it wasn’t just the two of us today.

“Ah. I’m hungry. Still, I should sleep. We have to walk again tomorrow.”

“Y-Yeah. We should sleep fast. Anyway, Haru. About the roof thing earlier…”

“Never mind. It was just a joke. More importantly, you’ve gotten quite timid, President.”

“Is that so…”

“…”

There were so many collapsed sections that there wasn’t much space to lie down in the stable to begin with. Because of this, everyone was huddled close together, so much so that it could be said we were all lying in one spot.

Perhaps this was a sight I should get used to. We wouldn’t be able to sleep in a house with a roof every night while crossing the continent. Nevertheless, feeling somewhat awkward, I fixed my gaze on Lope. He, too, stared intently at my face before finally lying down.

“Alright. We should sleep fast. See you all tomorrow.”

“Right. Good night, everyone. Make sure to dream about me.”

“Huh? O-Oh…”

“…Good night. Everyone.”

After the fatigue-laden greetings, a cold silence settled in. Perhaps because it had been an exhausting day of walking, everyone’s breathing soon quieted down, and not a single insect chirped tonight. Only the campfire built on the dirt floor crackled as it burned away.

In the midst of it all, I stared blankly up at the sky. In the cloudless night sky, countless small stars twinkled instead of the city lights.

I thought they were beautiful, but at the same time, I couldn’t hide a feeling of loneliness. After all, the fact that the stars were visible again meant the lights on the ground had vanished. Even so, I couldn’t help feeling strangely excited. It seemed that even as a half-elf, my instinctual draw to nature remained intact.

“…Keoeok.”

“…”

While I was lost in such sentiments, I heard Haru snoring beside me. A small smile escaped me at the sight of her tossing her small body and snoring loudly. How could she fall asleep so peacefully in a place like this? Especially when Erika, on the other side, was frowning as much as she could, as if having a nightmare.

…

Anyway, they both fell asleep.

Having confirmed that, I turned my body to the other side. Then, the sight of Lope resting quietly with his eyes closed caught my eye. He had suffered from chronic insomnia for a long time, but today he seemed to have fallen asleep quickly, breathing peacefully.

Had the events of the past made him better at sleeping in uncomfortable places rather than comfortable ones? His slightly parted lips, looking completely defenseless, were clear proof of deep slumber. I watched his deeply sleeping face with careful eyes for the first time in a while.

Then, at some point, I raised my body without any warning.

“…”

Moving my body without making a single sound was far too easy for me. Even so, I only knelt on the floor after checking my surroundings several times. And then, I slowly leaned my body toward Lope.

He was still asleep. I tidied my falling hair and looked down at Lope’s face. His hair softly blending in among the haystacks. His tightly closed eyes. His nose exhaling peaceful breaths. My gaze swept over every single detail before naturally settling on one place.

And that, naturally, was his lips.

“…!”

At that moment, I swallowed my saliva without realizing it. Even today, I had my attention stolen by them multiple times, almost tripping because of it. No, actually, beyond even that, it was all I thought about all day. His lips, which I had tasted for the first time last night. They kept floating into my mind, and I couldn’t help but keep looking at them.

Of course, I couldn’t be satisfied with just looking.

“…Eum.”

“…”

I kept looking down at Lope’s lips, which twitched slightly. Seeing that thin skin, slightly chapped perhaps from exhaustion, made my heart pound fiercely. A fierce curiosity for something new, something I hadn’t felt since childhood, was finally manifesting itself now.

“…I must be really crazy.”

Eventually, a self-deprecating remark slipped out of my mouth. Even so, I simply couldn’t stop. Just once. If I just kissed him once, this maddening thirst felt like it would be quenched.

I surveyed my surroundings once more, but the world remained perfectly still. It was a night beyond perfect for doing something wicked.

I didn’t miss that opportunity and lowered my head toward the sleeping Lope. And I gently overlapped my lips with the lips that had stolen my heart yesterday.

“…”

A slightly rough texture seeped into my body along with his warm body heat. Amidst our quietly touching breaths, his scent wafted up and filled my lungs. That intoxicating sensation almost made me drool.

Before that could happen, I hastily pulled my lips away. The body heat that had seeped in vanished in an instant, and the cold air filled its place. Only then did I realize one fact.

That I couldn’t stop at just once.

Before my mind could even admit it, I was already lowering my head toward him again.

Of course, I couldn’t kiss him as deeply as yesterday. If I did, Lope might wake up. Naturally, I couldn’t intertwine our tongues either, so instead, the duration of the kisses grew longer. With an aching heart, I unknowingly grabbed handfuls of straw with both hands.

And so, the quiet night became filled with unexpected sounds. The sound of sticky skin meeting and parting. The sound of dry grass rubbing together beneath my palms. The sound of my mouth hanging open blankly before urgently swallowing saliva. Amidst all those countless noises, I filled my curiosity and thirst. In the end, afraid of waking Lope, I barely brushed my lips against his, yet even then, I didn’t stop.

“…”

“Haa… Haa…”

“…”

“Eup… Haa…”

Immoral depravity. A pounding heart. Overwhelming emotions. Amidst the tangle of feelings, my breathing grew increasingly ragged. My unbridled curiosity eventually overcame even my guilt. Knowing that I shouldn’t be doing this, I squeezed my eyes shut and kept offering my lips to him.

How much time had passed like that. It was only after a long while that I came to my senses and barely managed to raise my head. I hadn’t counted properly, but it certainly seemed like a very long time had passed. I even felt that the moon risen in the sky had somehow grown more profound.

Only then did I clap my hand over my own mouth and quickly lay back down. If I didn’t do that, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to endure it. My heart was still pounding fiercely, and the warmth that had filled my mouth showed no intention of leaving.

“I’m really crazy…”

I defined myself once again in a mutter. And then, praying that this maddening night would finally end, I slowly lowered my hand.

But at that moment, a sound that shouldn’t have been heard came from the direction where Haru was lying.

“Keuheum…”

“…!”

Terror washed over me. I couldn’t even bring myself to look to the side and desperately squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn’t tell if that had just been Haru talking in her sleep or an actual cough. No, I didn’t even want to try to distinguish it.

Of course, reality was harsh. Amidst my pitch-black field of vision, the sound of a cough came again. And following it came a voice filled with awkwardness.

“Sis.”

“…”

“No matter how blind I may be, I can hear everything.”

“Ha…Haru…!”

Eventually, not even knowing what to say, I turned over toward Haru. And then, I whispered in a desperate voice.

“Haru… I… I mean, this is…”

“This is?”

“You… you’ll keep it a secret, right?”

What finally popped out was a completely empty promise. Even so, I looked at Haru with an earnest expression.

Before I knew it, all traces of panic had vanished from Haru’s face, replaced by a mischievous smile. It was filled with nothing but pure glee, wanting to enjoy this situation.

The blind girl, who had been carefully savoring my reaction, let out a truly spine-chilling remark.

“Well, well… I wonder what I should do…”