NOVEL NEXT Chapter 263 [Suspicious Tea (3)]
T/N: This bonus chapter is sponsored by James B. (1/14). If you enjoy reading and are willing to help me catch up to the latest chapters faster by sponsoring bonus chapters, see my Ko-fi.
There was an unsettling feeling about Ethan’s attitude as if the atmosphere had somehow changed.
‘Was he always like this? I thought he was usually a bit more awkward.’
At least when we were alone, the Ethan I knew would be startled just by our bodies slightly overlapping on the bed.
…Though recently, he had become less reactive due to various occasions where we shared the same bed.
He was sometimes cool when he saved me with incredible skills whenever I was in danger, but when we were alone, he wasn’t that Ethan, just a guy with no resistance to women, like a virgin.
So, even until I was about to die by Machart’s hand, he couldn’t even say ‘I lo-‘… no, why is this coming up now?
Somehow my consciousness had naturally scattered elsewhere, so I hastily corrected myself and returned an answer to Ethan’s question from earlier.
“The wish… you can use it whenever you’re comfortable, Ethan.”
“Right? Don’t worry about that. Since it’s a precious wish I’m receiving from you, Lilith, I’ll only use that wish for something really important.”
“I-I think the tea has steeped enough, Ethan.”
“Yeah, looks like it.”
“……”
What are you planning to use it for, making me anxious?
Also, why have you been staring at me so intensely since earlier? You weren’t usually like this.
The biggest problem was that I couldn’t bring myself to avoid Ethan’s gaze and was quietly meeting it. [Only on DarkStar Translations! / Axiomatic]
Just making eye contact made my face burn, but I didn’t want to look away. There was nothing to feel guilty about, and if I looked away first, it felt like I would lose somehow.
I didn’t know why he was acting like this, but I didn’t want to back down. It was just… a matter of pride.
“……”
“……”
Swoosh.
…It wasn’t that I looked away first. I just moved my gaze down to avoid accidentally spilling the tea while we were just staring at each other.
It would be a waste to spill this precious tea we received as a gift, right?
With that, we poured the suspicious tea from Miss Cassimily into two cups, and Ethan and I simultaneously picked up our cups and took a sip.
Gulp.
‘…What kind of taste is this?’
It tastes somewhat like cosmetics. Is this really how it’s supposed to be drunk?
The color after steeping was pink, which was concerning. Did we drink something we shouldn’t have?
‘It doesn’t seem to contain any poison or anything.’
Hmm, I’m not sure. I guess they gave it to us to drink like this because it’s a unique tea.
Also, if the taste of the tea is unusual, it could be a topic for small talk. Maybe it’s a kind of consideration to prevent awkwardness when couples talk.
Right, let’s just start a conversation by casually asking how the tea tastes. Starting with indirect questions to deduce what kind of wish he might want to make…
“What kind of wish are you thinking of making, Ethan?”
“……”
…Wait, hold on.
I was clearly planning to start by asking about the taste of the tea to lighten the mood before getting to the main point, so why did I blurt out such a direct question right from the start?
‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’
What’s done is done. I’ll just have to brazen it out.
There was no need to deny it again since I just asked what I had intended to ask anyway. It’s actually better to get straight to the point without unnecessary conversation.
“Don’t worry too much. I won’t make any requests that would trouble you, Lilith.”
‘I’m not particularly concerned about whatever request you might make, Ethan.’
“R-Really? You won’t demand that I repay a debt of a thousand gold coins when I become a first-class adventurer someday, right, Ethan?”
“Pfft.”
…Wait, what’s going on here?
I don’t understand why strange words that have nothing to do with what I intended to say keep coming out. [Only on DarkStar Translations! / Axiomatic]
Well, it’s not like I’ve never had such thoughts. To be honest, I was worried about how to respond if he made such a demand instead of a lewd request.
But I had no intention of asking so directly. I swear to the heavens, absolutely not.
“Haha, what? Lilith, were you worried that I might make such a request?”
“W-Well, it’s because you’re not telling me your wish right away, Ethan. The only thing I can think of that’s not a wish you can grant right now is, is something like this.”
“Well, I don’t think you’ll ever become a first-class adventurer anyway, Lilith.”
“Are you looking down on my skills, Ethan?”
“No, I’m not. But you can’t be an adventurer.”
‘That’s not for you to decide, Ethan.’
“…Alright, if you say I can’t, then I guess I have no choice.”
…What on earth?
Why is he so firmly saying I can’t?
And why is my mouth responding to that ridiculous demand on its own?
I don’t understand. My mind seems to be functioning normally and my thoughts seem to be clear, but it feels like my body keeps acting on its own, not listening to me.
‘Could it be that the tea Miss Cassimily gave us….’
Could it be some kind of truth serum or something with similar effects? Is that why these inner thoughts keep coming out?
No, no. It can’t be a truth serum. If it were, it would mean that everything I just said to Ethan was my true feelings, and that doesn’t make any sense no matter how I think about it.
Also, the fact that Ethan is acting so normal doesn’t make sense either. Shouldn’t he show at least a bit of a flustered expression? Why is he so composed, except for being a bit more assertive than usual? [Only on DarkStar Translations! / Axiomatic]
Is it because he usually doesn’t hide anything from me, so he’s reacting like this? That’s impossible. Even Ethan must have had one or two things he didn’t want to show me usually.
Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense that he always shows such a cool side in front of me. It was a truly absurd assumption.
“……”
Ah, damn it.
I don’t know what’s in the tea, but one thing has become clear. It’s dangerous to drink any more of this.
It probably won’t harm my body, but I instinctively felt that this tea was somehow dangerous.
If I drink any more, I feel like I really won’t be able to control even my own thoughts. With that in mind, I should put down the teacup in my right hand onto the saucer…
Sip.
“……”
…Now it seems my body isn’t listening to me, not just my mouth.
I don’t know anymore. I’ll just have to wait for this time to pass without incident.
“Then, what kind of wish did you think I would make, Lilith?”
“……”
“Lilith?”
“……”
Ethan, sitting across from me, asked a question, but I deliberately ignored it and quietly averted my gaze.
I could instinctively be certain. If I answered Ethan here now, words different from what I intended to say would come out again.
So, what could I do? The only option was to try not to say anything or do anything as much as possible.
If I didn’t speak, there would be no chance of saying something wrong, so it was the most perfect way to respond.
“Lilith, why are you suddenly like this?”
“……”
“You called me saying you had something to say. Why have you suddenly gone quiet?”
“……”
“Hmm, strange.”
As I couldn’t say anything, Ethan smiled and acted nonchalant instead.
To be honest, his expression was so irritating that I wanted to punch him, but I refrained because I felt like my body wouldn’t listen even if I tried to swing my fist.
Somehow, I had a strange feeling that I might end up pushing something other than my fist towards Ethan.
“Then let’s do this. Lilith, if I ask a question and you can’t answer, we’ll take that as a yes.”
“……”
“Shall we start with an easy question?”
“……” [Only on DarkStar Translations! / Axiomatic]
“About what you hoped I would wish for from you… were you perhaps expecting some kind of lewd request?”
What nonsense. Why would I expect such a thing?
My mouth reflexively blurted out a denial to Ethan’s absurd question.
‘What? What are you talking about?’
“Yes, I was.”
‘……………Huh?’
Wait, what did I just say…
“I see, so that’s it. Lilith, you were hoping that I would make a lewd request as my wish, weren’t you?”
“Ah, ah, ah, ah.”
I wanted to say ‘No’ as a denial, but this one word just wouldn’t come out. It’s as if something inside my body was trying to stop this answer I was trying to utter.
On the other hand, Ethan seemed to take my response as a kind of affirmation, a green light, and leaned his face towards me with a mischievous smile.
Smooch.
“Uh, mmph?!”
Ethan’s lips suddenly overlapping with mine startled me. I hadn’t imagined he would press his lips to mine without any warning like this.
But again, even if I tried to avoid it, I couldn’t. My stiffened neck didn’t allow me to move away from the sensation of our skin touching at all.
Ethan, seemingly taking my not turning my face away as affirmation, tilted his head more to explore my lips. When his lips parted slightly and he started to rub my lips with his tongue, I…
“Ha, haaah…”
Lick.
…was tilting my head just like Ethan and pushing my tongue into his mouth with my lips parted.
At this point, I don’t know anymore. Let whatever happens happen.
‘It’s not like this is my first kiss with him anyway.’
We had already kissed on the lips five or six times, and it wasn’t like I had no experience with French kissing like this, mixing tongues.
We had even done things beyond this several times, so a kiss… didn’t even count as something lewd. [Only on DarkStar Translations! / Axiomatic]
…Right, just an act that means nothing.
There was no need to attach meaning to an act that meant nothing. A kiss was really nothing at all.
Smooch, smooch.
“Mmm, mmph… hah…”
After a few minutes of kissing like that, when our saliva had mixed sufficiently, Ethan slowly separated his lips from mine.
Smooch.
“…Lilith.”
“…Yes.”
“If what you want is for me to make a lewd request, can I do that?”
“…As your wish?”
“No, not as my wish. Just… in general.”
“……”
“Because this is what you want.”
You think I want you to make a lewd request? That’s ridiculous.
Just because I did it with my mouth once last time, do you see me as some kind of lustful woman who chases after men?
In reality, it’s what he wants to do. The evidence was Ethan’s pants, which were taut enough for even my eyes across from him to notice.
Even so, he’s trying to fulfill his own desires while using me as an excuse. He’s really shameless.
“…Alright, Ethan.”
…But, well. It’s not like there’s anything I can’t do for him.
After all, Ethan was the one who trusted me and risked his life to save me.
He killed my biggest concern, and he was the first to believe in me when I was at my most difficult time.
I’m usually indebted to him in many ways, too.
If I think of it as settling the debts I’ve accumulated with Ethan so far, even if it’s not a wish…
…there was no reason to refuse.
“Really? There’s no going back on this.”
“…But, just one thing….”
“Direct insertion is not allowed, right?”
“……………Yes.”
For a moment, I almost blurted out, ‘That doesn’t particularly matter.’
No, I don’t mean I wanted to say this, but my body almost said it on its own.
Thankfully, because I felt uneasy about it and answered with as much concentration as possible, I nearly lost my qualification as a Saint that I was supposed to pass on to Seriste for such a ridiculous reason.
…If it weren’t for this damned restriction of being a pure Saint, we could just do it and be done with it.
Ethan, who had been pondering deeply about what to ask for my promise to grant just one request, carefully conveyed his demand to me.
“Then, I want you to do it with your mouth.”
“Ah. W-With my mouth…”
…Well, if it’s just that.
I’ve done it once before, so, yeah. I can certainly do that much.
Still, I thought he might pull back a little since I said I’d do anything, but well…
It was quite a timid request for someone who had just leaned in and even French-kissed me.
Is it true that even after a few years, a kid is still a kid?
I had even thought about him asking to do it with my chest or something like that, but it was much less than I had expected. [Only on DarkStar Translations! / Axiomatic]
If he had asked to do it from behind or something like that, it would have been a really serious problem to consider, so maybe it’s fortunate in its own way.
I guess he must have liked that oral act he received from me last time quite a bit. Thinking about it that way, I felt somewhat better.
“Alright, Ethan. Then sit on the bed over there. If it’s just using my mouth, I can certainly…”
“No, not that.”
“What?”
“I want to do it with my mouth, to you, Lilith.”
“……………What?”
…I’ve never even thought about something like that…?
T/N
Hello! Axiomatic here.
3 R-19 chapters dropping tomorrow along with two regular chapters! See you then!
Also, see the chapter titled ANNOUNCEMENT for an important announcement.