Feigning an expression of surprise, I asked, “Uh, w-what are you talking about?”
Iris poked my cheek with a teasing grin. “What do you think? I’m talking about my chest, those very boobs you always stare at with such naughty eyes.”
“Always? That’s not fair.”
This was unjust. I only looked occasionally.
“Lies. You really think I don’t notice where your eyes go every ti we et?” she added.
“That’s... um.”
It’s just a man’s instinct. You know, survival reflexes or sothing, I said in my mind.
She smiled sweetly, brushing her hand gently across my cheek. “Hehe. If it’s you, Dale, I don’t mind. You can stare all you want.”
Ever since I had saved her from Astaroth, Iris had beco noticeably bolder. She had definitely developed feelings for . I wasn’t dense. I had known for a while now that she saw as more than just a friend or comrade. It wasn’t so out-of-date romcom setup either. That much was obvious.
Of course, I felt the sa way. In my previous life, she had been my lover. Naturally, I wanted to be with her again. But it wasn’t the ti for that yet. At this ti, I didn’t have the luxury to fall in love.
Even though I had taken down Astaroth and changed the future—no, precisely because I had changed the future—there was even more to prepare for. Greater threats lood ahead. I could afford to wait until things settle down. Becoming lovers then wouldn’t be too late. I had already waited hundreds, even thousands of years. A few more wouldn’t kill .
“Ahem!” With all the self-control I could muster, I pulled my hand away from where it had instinctively started to drift toward: Iris’s chest.
I thought, Yes. I can hold out. Good things co to those who—
“Sheesh!” Iris exclaid.
A divine softness, like the blessing of all Seven Gods, pressed into my palm. The sensation felt so perfect that it was almost otherworldly.
Startled, I looked up at her. “I-Iris?!”
Her face was flushed a deep red, even to her ears. She spoke cautiously, voice trembling a little. “You don’t... You don’t have to hold back so much.”
“H-hold back?”
She looked at with sad, understanding eyes. “Dale, you always keep everything bottled up. Even today, you just wanted to rest, didn’t you?”
“No, I wasn’t really—”
She didn’t let finish. “Liar. I could tell.”
How did she know?
As if she had heard my thoughts, she continued, “Anyone who sees your face right now would know.”
“What? What about my face?”
“You look exhausted. Completely worn out.”
“Sorry,” I said. I thought I was hiding it well. But it was probably written all over .
Feeling a little guilty for worrying her, I tried to lift my head from her lap, but she gently pushed my forehead back down. A soft pressure guided back onto her thighs.
“Just stay still,” she said.
A faint white glow radiated from her body. Her blue eyes, like the sky on a clear day, shifted into a shimring rainbow hue; it was the mark of the Seven Gods’ divine blessing.
Her voice, quiet and reverent, echoed the words of an old prayer. “Oh, Seven Gods above, please look kindly upon this weary soul, your child in need.”
The white light that surrounded her flowed through her fingertips and into . Warmth spread through my body, as though I had slipped into a perfectly hot bath. The fatigue that had weighed down lted away, replaced with a soothing drowsiness that made every muscle relax.
She looked at . “Feeling any better?”
“Yeah.” I felt hazy, like I was under so kind of spell. Struggling to stay awake, I asked, “Is this why you asked out today?”
Iris pinched my cheek, half-scolding, half-affectionate. “Yes. Because if I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have rested at all.”
“Thanks!”
“Hmph. If you an that, then try to take it easy for once.”
Maybe it was her words, or maybe it was the release of all that tension, but I could no longer resist the pull of sleep.
Her soft hand brushed gently over my forehead. “Sweet dreams.”
With that, I drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.
***
On the park bench basked in warm spring sunshine, Iris groaned softly, clutching her head. She thought that she had completely lost it. All she had wanted to do was help ease Dale’s fatigue, but had she gone way too far?
What if? What if he thinks I’m so kind of shaless woman? she asked herself.
Her head spun with a hundred anxious thoughts. But regret never changed the past. At this point, the best she could hope for was that Dale, now fast asleep, would forget everything that happened today.
She exhaled deeply and glanced down at his face resting on her lap. Or at least, she tried to. “Nggh! Can’t really see him.”
A certain overabundance of divine blessings in a particular area of her body had completely obscured Dale’s face.
Why do n even like these things so much, anyway? she wondered.
They were uncomfortable, made her shoulders ache, gave her back pain, turned clothes shopping a nightmare, and even blocked her view of her feet. Nothing but lumps of flesh and burdens—that was all they were. She had never once thought that having a large chest was a good thing.
Still, if Dale likes it, I guess it’s okay, she said in her mind.
Just rembering how his eyes would dart away in panic whenever his gaze accidentally drifted to her chest brought an involuntary smile to her lips.
She tried to adjust her position. “If I just support his head with my hand and lower him a bit... There we go.”
Finally, she got a clear look at Dale’s peacefully sleeping face. Instantly, a warmth rushed up the back of her neck and spread through her entire body. Dale’s face wasn’t exactly what most would call cute. But when a woman was in love, even a mole could look like a fluffy hamster.
Isn’t he just way too cute? Ugh! Even that ashy hair, those slightly sharp eyes, that strong jawline, everything about him is just perfect! I’m going crazy here!
She was well aware that the more ti she spent with him, the more space he took up in her heart. However, it hadn’t always been this intense. The turning point was that demonic monster incident.
That day, when he risked his life, quite literally, to protect her, sothing inside her had snapped. Or blood, perhaps. Either way, from that mont on, Dale had practically exploded in her mind, occupying it entirely.
Nowadays, she couldn’t stop thinking about him every chance she got. At first, she tried to shake him from her heart, telling herself that feelings like these were unbefitting of a Saintess. But now? She had long since changed her tune to, “I an, it’s not like a Saintess is forbidden from falling in love, right?”
Actually, she had gone even further lately.
Didn’t the Seven Gods say, “Love one another as I have loved you”? So really, I’m just obeying divine will. And I’m pretty sure, Dale likes too, she told herself.
After all, no one would put their life on the line for soone they didn’t care about.
As she chuckled and daydread about a rosy future with Dale, a sudden, unpleasant mory jolted her back, making her groan. It was about Elisha Baldwin, the new special professor, who had been invited to the academy after the demonic monster incident.
During class, under the pretense of an investigation, she had swooped in and stolen a kiss from Dale without even giving a warning. Just rembering that scene sent a shiver of rage and helplessness down Iris’s spine.
Suddenly, Iris’s eyes landed on Dale’s lips. Letting out a random cough to steady herself, she gently poked his lips with a fingertip. A soft, plush sensation spread up through her finger, and a dangerous temptation began bubbling up from deep within her.
“Ahem.” Iris glanced around nervously.
Her eyes landed on a crumpled cookie wrapper from earlier, the one from the cafe. Carefully, she opened it up and crumbled the remaining bits near Dale’s lips. In the absence of any witnesses, she put on her most dramatic act, which was not even a bit convincing, and looked around again with exaggerated concern.
She said, “Oh no! Dale, how careless! You’ve got cookie crumbs all over your mouth.”
With a deep gulp, she slowly leaned in, aiming to line up her lips with Dale’s.
Ding!
Suddenly, the alarm from Dale’s Hero Watch blared to life, making Iris leap up like a fish yanked from the water. “Hyak?!”
Still groggy, Dale blinked up at her, half-asleep. “Mm?”
“D-did I wake you, Dale?” Iris asked.
Dale tapped on his Hero Watch, glanced briefly at the ssage, then promptly collapsed back onto her lap. “Let sleep a bit longer.”
“Ah, y-yes. Please, rest well.”
Iris froze, terrified that he would hear her thundering heartbeat. She sat stiff as a board, trying not to move. Nervously, she looked down at Dale, but he was fast asleep, his breathing steady and peaceful.
N-no way he saw, right? She reassured herself.
Then she let out a breath of relief and gently patted her chest. At that mont, however, she noticed the still-active screen of Dale’s Hero Watch; a hologram was flickering softly in the air. Displayed on the screen was a na: Jules Kang. She read the ssage.
Jules: When should we et today?
Iris’s brow furrowed ever so slightly. He’s in the sa year as us, right?
They had never shared a class, but she rembered bumping into him a few tis in the main cafeteria. A blonde, pretty boy with a slightly unpleasant air about him. He didn’t seem like Dale’s type of crowd.
What little she knew about Jules Kang was that he was the son of a prominent family in the Republic and that his reputation wasn’t exactly squeaky clean. Try as she might, Iris couldn’t figure out how soone like that could be associated with Dale.
Jules: You said you had sothing important to tell . Can I ask what it is ahead of ti? I want to be ntally prepared.
Sothing important? ntally prepared? Just what kind of relationship do they have to send each other ssages like this? Iris wondered.
Frowning, she looked back down at Dale, but he showed no signs of waking. “Guess I’ll ask him later.”
She reached up and fiddled with the hologram, intending to turn the Hero Watch off. Instead, she hit the wrong button.
Beep!
The hologram shifted, opening a folder labeled “Photos.” Inside that folder was a picture of Jules Kang, dressed in drag, striking a sultry pose.
“Huh?”
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