What is the origin of life?
What is the meaning of living?
Felyn kept forcing himself to think about these questions in order to suppress his emotions.
Inside the cramped private booth, even the air seemed thick and sticky.
In this closed space, sitting beside him was an absolutely stunning girl—her breath rapid, cheeks flushed, messy pink hair stuck to her forehead and face. Holding back became something extremely difficult.
Not to mention, Felyn himself had been drugged.
Realizing things couldn’t go on like this, Felyn struggled to stand up.
"I-I’m going out for a bit."
How could I possibly lose to a drug?!
How could I lose to my own desire?!
But his hand was tightly grabbed by Viloti.
"Felyn, don’t go."
Felyn hadn’t expected Viloti to grab him, and lost his balance.
In an instant, he toppled backward, practically falling onto Viloti.
Time seemed to stop.
Felyn’s hands pressed against the sofa on either side of Viloti’s body.
He could see the reflection of himself in her eyes—their noses almost touching.
Her warm breath gently brushed against Felyn’s cheek, carrying the scent of sweets and the distinct fragrance of a girl.
Felyn could feel the heat of Viloti’s body through the thin fabric, and her heartbeat was frighteningly fast.
Even worse, he could feel her chest rise and fall with her heavy breathing.
"S-sorry."
Felyn said that, but for some reason, his body didn’t let him get up right away.
Viloti didn’t respond.
She simply stared at him, her eyes gleaming with a light Felyn had never seen before.
Her hand still lightly gripped his sleeve, fingertips almost white.
A bead of sweat slid down Felyn’s forehead and landed right on Viloti’s pink cheek.
The sudden warm touch made Viloti tremble, and she let out a soft, sweet gasp.
Under Felyn’s gaze, the bead of sweat slowly traced the delicate contour of Viloti’s face.
The trickle made the girl in his arms shiver involuntarily.
Her amber eyes glistened like wet jewels.
The bead of sweat finally stopped at the corner of her lips.
Then, as if bewitched, Viloti trembled slightly and her soft pink tongue gently licked her lips.
The sweat disappeared between her slightly parted lips.
"Felyn..." Viloti whispered.
At that moment, Felyn felt as if the fuse in his brain exploded.
Was this as far as he could go?
Well, maybe it couldn’t be helped. He had been drugged, and Viloti was so beautiful, so soft, and smelled so sweet.
Why resist? It wasn’t my fault anyway. It was that elf girl’s fault.
Might as well give up now, and just do what I wanted to do.
If something went wrong, it was all that elf girl’s fault.
All her fault...
Felyn could feel the girl’s warmth, her heartbeat—even her emotions.
In his arms was a person with her own will, not an object.
And more than that, it was Viloti.
She wasn’t particularly strong, but she had worked so hard.
She bore criticism and exclusion from others while studying hard, entering the royal capital’s academy early to prove herself more capable than anyone.
Her worth was far beyond this.
She didn’t deserve to be treated like this.
She didn’t deserve to be taken advantage of in a drugged state.
I really am an idiot.
If this were an anime, he’d definitely be called a herbivore protagonist.
So be it. At least his conscience was clean.
"I-I’ll go buy you some water. I’ll be right back."
Felyn took a deep breath and pulled away from Viloti’s gentle embrace.
It wasn’t easy.
No matter how rational or professional he was—his arms held a soft, fragrant, flushed, and clearly abnormal beauty.
He forced himself to push out all the bad thoughts.
Right now, only one image remained in his mind.
It was the first time he met Viloti.
Early morning, at the school gates.
That was the first time Viloti went to school after her psychological trauma.
The petite girl stood alone in the crowd.
Her hands tightly clenched the straps of her bag,
Even with her eyes closed and lips trembling,
Even with fear and struggle written all over her face,
She still took one step after another toward the school.
I can’t do that to someone like her.
I can hate her, be annoyed by her, even stay away from her, but I mustn’t crush her spirit.
He didn’t look back at Viloti again and walked straight out the door.
"I did it..."
Felyn leaned against the wall, feeling a wave of cool air.
Strangely, that oppressive heat disappeared after a few breaths.
Why did the drug’s effect wear off so quickly?
Aside from a slight dizziness, he no longer felt that overwhelming desire.
While Felyn was still puzzled,
He turned his head and saw that elf girl—Mirian.
She was crouched at the door crack trying to peek in, her butt sticking high in the air.
In her hands was a magic imprint, continually channeling something into the room.
"Mirian? What are you doing here?"
–
"Viloti, I’m coming in."
Viloti sat on the sofa, having tidied up her appearance.
Her long pink hair had been neatly brushed, her collar buttoned again.
Her cheeks were still slightly flushed, but her eyes had calmed.
It seemed she’d also sobered up after he left, realizing her body hadn’t reacted strangely.
"Hurry up and apologize."
Mirian slid dramatically to her knees in front of Viloti, sobbing and explaining everything that had just happened.
Viloti’s cheeks turned redder.
If there was no drug, then everything she did—her thoughts and actions just now,
Even licking her lips—was all voluntary?
This cruel truth made Viloti want to bury herself in a hole.
I actually... actually did that kind of thing...
Is that what I really thought deep down?
(End of Chapter)