I opened my eyes as the morning sunlight began to stream through the window.
A strange weight pressed against my chest.
Looking down, I saw Nyau sprawled over me, fast asleep. Last night, after she had cried herself to exhaustion, I had tucked her into bed and eventually joined her. I was certain I had kept as much distance as possible, but she must have migrated toward me while we slept.
"She’s warm," I thought, stroking her head.
The heat radiating from her skin felt like that of a small animal. Wanting to linger in that warmth for just a moment longer, I pulled her a little closer.
Right now, Nyau was incredibly precious to me.
Yet, I knew the danger of becoming too attached. This timeline, devoid of a Hero, was almost certainly fated for destruction. If I were to Return by Death again, time would reset to a point before Hero Eligion’s demise. When that happened, the bond I had built with Nyau would likely be erased as well.
Getting too invested would only make the eventual shock harder to bear.
And yet... even if that were true, I decided that in this timeline, I would live for her sake.
"G-Good morning..." Nyau’s eyes fluttered open as she murmured the greeting.
"Morning. Sorry, did I wake you?"
"No, Nyau was planning to get up soon anyway, so it’s fine. But, um... w-what exactly is the meaning of this situation?"
She fidgeted as she spoke. I realized how it looked: me holding her in my arms in the middle of a bed. It was a scene ripe for misunderstanding.
"You were so cute, I couldn't help myself," I said.
"You couldn't help... doing what, exactly!?"
"I was going to make a move on you."
"Gyaaaaaaaaaah!!"
Nyau screamed and scrambled toward the corner of the room. I hadn't actually intended to do anything of the sort, but seeing her reaction, she seemed even more revolted than I’d anticipated. That actually stung a little.
"Hey, Nyau."
"A-A-A-Are you planning to eat Nyau...!?" she shrieked, trembling as if she were losing her mind.
Watching her fall into a panic stirred a dark emotion deep within me. I wanted to tease her even more. It had been like this since the day we met—looking at her made me feel an uncontrollable urge to mess with her. It was definitely a sadistic streak.
"Listen, Nyau," I said, looming over her and projecting as much Intimidation as I could.
"Y-Yes!"
"You were the one who invited me into the bed first, weren't you?"
"I—well, Nyau did say she wanted to stay in the same room, but that was just because she was lonely!"
"Don't you know? Sharing a bed is basically the same thing as an invitation."
"I-Is that how it works-nya...?" Her tongue was tripping over itself, her speech growing garbled.
"You're an Elf and an adult woman, aren't you?"
"That is correct! Nyau is an Elf and an adult woman!"
"Then as an adult, you should be used to this sort of thing, right?"
"Nya, nyau...!" Nyau let out a strange squeak, her eyes darting frantically. "T-That’s right! Nyau is an adult! This much is nothing to her! So, Kiska-san, please, go ahead and feast upon Nyau!"
She made the declaration with a look of grim determination. I almost burst out laughing at how easily I’d backed her into a corner. She was so gullible it made me worry she’d get scammed by some other man. And "feast upon her"? What kind of phrasing was that?
"I’m kidding. Why are you taking a joke so seriously?" I laughed, trying to bring her back to reality.
"Eh...? It was a joke?"
"Yeah."
When I confirmed it, she froze like a statue. After a long moment of observation, she suddenly turned beet red and let out a bizarre, high-pitched cry.
"Hanyanyanyaa!"
It seemed she had finally realized I was playing her for a fool.
"Kiska-san, you’re mean! So mean!"
For a while after that, I had to endure a barrage of soft, ineffective punches from her.
Once we had finished preparing, we set off for the Sage Empire of Ritz on horseback, just as we’d planned.
"Are you comfortable?" I asked.
"Yes, Nyau is fine!"
"Good."
It seemed other Villagers had caught wind of the Demon King Army’s movements and were also attempting to flee by horse. We had wanted to secure two mounts, but because of the rush, only one was available. Consequently, we were riding double, with me in the front and Nyau behind me.
"Um! Kiska-san!"
"What is it?"
"About... what happened earlier..."
I assumed she meant the teasing from this morning. "I said I was sorry for that, didn't I?"
"No, not that... um, Nyau was just wondering if you calling her 'cute' was also part of the joke..."
Ah, I see. So that was what was bothering her.
"No, that part was the truth."
"...! So that means Kiska-san really does think Nyau is cute!?"
"Yeah, I do." I nodded, wondering why she felt the need to confirm it so intensely.
"Fuhehe..."
Nyau let out a rather unsettling giggle. It was a shame I couldn't see her face from this position; I imagined she was wearing a terribly creepy grin.
"Nyau never really liked her own appearance, but..."
"Really?" That surprised me. To any observer, she was clearly attractive. I couldn't understand why she’d feel that way.
"Yes. Elves are an Ageless Race, so once we reach the equivalent of a twenty-year-old Human, we stop aging. But unlike other Elves, Nyau stopped growing while she still looked like a child."
"I didn't know that..."
"Because of that, Nyau was seen as an outcast among her own kind. She never really fit in with the other Elves."
Hearing about her past reminded me of my own experiences. I had been persecuted in Kataroff Village simply because of my Silver Hair.
"Sorry," I said.
"Why are you apologizing?"
"I teased you about being a kid. I didn't realize you were so sensitive about how you looked."
"It’s fine, Nyau doesn't mind. But if you’re going to apologize, she supposes she can forgive you."
"I’m glad to hear it."
I kept the horse at a steady gallop. It would still be some time before we reached the Sage Empire of Ritz.
Suddenly, Nyau shifted her weight behind me, sliding forward until she was pressed firmly against my back. I could feel her warmth through my clothes. Her chest was quite modest, so I couldn't exactly feel any feminine curves pressing into me, which was a bit of a pity.
"Um... it made Nyau very happy to hear you call her cute. It made her like herself just a little bit more."
"Is that so?"
I’d said it quite casually, but it seemed to have meant a lot to her.
"You really are a cute one, aren't you?"
"Waaaah! Why so sudden!?"
"I’m just saying what I’m thinking."
"It’s fine if you think it, but give Nyau some warning! It’s hard to stay composed when you say it out of nowhere!"
"Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute. Cute."
"Nyaaaaaaaah! Are you trying to kill Nyau with shame!?"
"Hey, stop squirming! You’re going to fall off!"
Joking around like that, we continued our journey toward the Sage Empire of Ritz.
I knew these peaceful moments with Nyau wouldn't last forever. Once we arrived, we would inevitably be forced to face the Demon King Army.