My head tingled and tickled. It was as if my wolf ears were about to pop out. I had to turn my head. Or I had to close my eyes.
But what woman would miss this ecstatic scene!
I watched his actions, forgetting that it was rude. His solid chest was barely exposed.
'I definitely touched there in my sleep...'
Ack! I urgently covered my mouth, afraid that words unfiltered by my brain might burst out. Just then, Noelier opened his mouth with a strangely languid expression.
"Can you also calm the heat in my body?"
'No, that line...!'
But in the end, I couldn't help but gape.
What he said was one of the famous lines from 'The Red Book' that I saw a few days ago.
As my face flushed with shock, Noelier stopped unbuttoning. It was a precarious situation, with his chest barely visible.
My gaze was automatically fixed on his solid chest. As he approached, his white chest came into view.
Besides, that restraint is...
It felt like my eyes were going to pop out.
'Nosebleed!'
I raised the hand covering my mouth to cover my nose. That is how stimulating his appearance was. It was harmful to my heart.
"W-wait a moment!"
At my shout, their footsteps came to a sudden halt as they approached.
"Eve?"
"W-why are you untying that? Are you going to kill me?"
"...Are you going to kill me?"
"I, I'm a woman too! Seeing things like that..."
I shook my head vigorously, suppressing the words I could not say.
"...Isn’t this it?"
He asked back in a slightly flustered voice. It was a completely different voice from when he delivered his famous lines.
"And! Where did you learn such shameful words?"
"...I learned it from a book. I thought that would allow me to fit it better."
"Book?"
What on earth is he reading? It was full of completely incomprehensible words.
No, and honestly, who wouldn't be flustered when someone exposes such a white chest and spits out words like that?
...Of course, that didn't mean I disliked his chest. I could have welcomed him with open arms and even clapped with my feet. But next to us...
'That's right. You little rats!'
I quickly turned my gaze to Rachel beside me. Zion and Rachel are the protagonists of a bleak novel. This kind of early education was wrong.
'Watch this when you're all grown up!'
It was just as I reached out my hand to quickly cover Rachel's eyes.
"Huh?"
Rachel was already covering her eyes tightly with her small, fern-like hands.
As we fell silent, red eyes were revealed between her chubby fingers. Rachel's eyes, blinking slowly as if flustered, turned toward Zion.
Along with her, Zion, who had been quietly nestled in his arms, let out a cry of 'Ah!' Noelier and I met Zion's gaze.
Zion covered his eyes tightly with his hands and shouted.
"I closed my eyes! You can do it now!"
What are you doing!
***
“Please come in.”
"... Thank you."
Noelier came into our house after greeting us with a serious face.
What on earth happened to him?
I glanced at the bookshelf, recalling the book I had read last night. It was where I had hidden the red book.
'It doesn't seem like you know about that book.'
The bookshelf was exactly as it had been arranged. This means the books had not been found by anyone yet.
But that line...
'Gasp. No way... is your taste... that kind of thing?'
Our tastes were different. Of course, I wouldn't have that kind of conversation with Noelier, though.
Noelier hugged Zion and stared at the ground with a dejected expression. He looked just like a puppy that had been severely scolded by its owner.
Rachel was standing beside them, pounding her chest in frustration.
"You can't even spoon-feed me when I serve it to you, why?"
Rachel clicked her tongue after saying that. It was the tone of an old soul who had lived life to the fullest.
What on earth are those siblings talking about?
I approached them holding the tea I had prepared.
“Sister.”
Then, as if nothing had happened, Rachel stuck close to my leg. She rubbed her face against mine and acted all cute.
"..."
Noelier was looking at Rachel with eyes full of envy.
'Is it hot after all?'
Come to think of it, he did say earlier that he had a fever.
Still, I couldn't show physical affection in front of the children. Instead, I offered Noelier a cold cup of tea.
“Please drink.”
"..."
Noelier accepted the teacup, only nodding without replying.
"..."
"..."
Only the rattling of windows in the wind and the crackling of the campfire filled the cabin.
Zion and Rachel, who had also kept their mouths tightly shut, just rolled their eyes in the silence between us.
Zion patted his shoulder as if to comfort him.
"Hang in there, big brother."
"..."
"I still like you, big brother."
Noelier hugged Zion tightly with a slightly moved look on his face. It was a hug so full of affection that anyone watching would believe they were biological brothers.
"Cheer up. I was told that getting discouraged by something like this isn't acting like an adult."
Where did you learn to say that...?
It seemed that Zion had learned nothing but strange ways of speaking from the book I was shown to study.
If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have shown it. I let out a small sigh.
Noelier quietly nodded, as if Zion's words were quite comforting. Then Zion patted his shoulder and spoke as if making a suggestion.
"Let's go sledding. There's a big lake nearby. Once in a while, men need to catch up."
Noelier nodded at Zion's enthusiastic suggestion and stood up from his seat.
“I’ll be back.”
"I'll be back, sister."
I watched the two people walking away with a look of disbelief. Soon, the door closed in vain.
"...It seems like my sister has high standards."
Rachel, who had been watching the scene with me, suddenly spoke up. I lowered my head and looked at Rachel. She was looking at me with a slightly strange expression.
"...Who are you talking about? Me?"
“Yes, my sister.”
"I'm not that high."
I just want a pretty, well-behaved man who listens to me.
Am I too picky? Doesn't everyone go through this?
As I tilted my head, Rachel blinked her eyes as if she couldn't believe it.
"What is your ideal type, sister?"
“My ideal type?”
I pointed at myself with my index finger. Rachel nodded as if urging me to speak.
At that nod, I thought deeply about my ideal type.
Fair skin, slightly upturned eyes, a sharp jawline, and a beautiful appearance.
'Come to think of it...'
Right. My ideal type was exactly Noelier.
However, it was impossible to say this in front of his younger sibling.
"Well, haha."
I smiled awkwardly and shrugged my shoulders lightly. A corner of my chest felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
"What's the point of saying this? My little mouse is too interested in her older sister."
"..."
"Come on, let's go out and ride the sleds together."
"...Tch."
“Rachel?”
As I tilted my head and blinked, Rachel stood up from her seat with a displeased expression.
It felt like, 'Okay, since you say so, I'll go with you.'
It must be a misunderstanding. I didn't think much of it and left the cabin with Rachel.
***
I headed to the lake with Rachel.
When the children got tired of snowball fights, they would often go sledding there. Of course, they suffered a bit from the heat that occasionally shot out of Rachel's hands.
Sure enough, Noelier and Zion were at the lake.
Of course, Zion was the only one riding the sled. Since Noelier had more heat than Rachel, it was clear that the ice would melt just by his feet touching the surface of the lake.
“Brother!”
After riding the sled to his heart's content, Zion wriggled out of the lake. Then he ran to Noelier and opened his arms.
Noelier carefully embraced Zion. Zion enjoyed his warmth with a satisfied look on his face. He ran to the lake to ride the sled again.
I shook my head in disbelief as I looked at Zion like that.
'You just needed a human heater, didn't you?'
To think he's already so quick-witted. I wonder who he takes after.
I shook my head slightly and approached Noelier.
Noelier, sensing my presence, stood up from his seat.
“...Why did you come out when it was cold?”
"I was worried you might have a hard time because of Zion."
“What about the hardships?”
Noelier shook his head as if it were preposterous. Just then, Rachel, who was standing beside me, muttered softly.
"It would be faster if I were reborn."
“...Rachel?”
"Sister, be my bride in the next life."
Rachel, having rambled on with incomprehensible words, rushed toward Zion.
Comments
Post a Comment