Track 02. I Am Strange (Part 4)

Since it was a hot southern expedition, they were dressed lightly, and his smooth skin was soon revealed. Perhaps because of his water attribute, or because he was frozen, his skin was as pale as snow.

‘At least it’s getting darker.’

If it were broad daylight, she wouldn’t have had the courage to do this.

‘Kanin, you have to open your eyes.’

Praying desperately, she pressed her body as close as possible to Kanin’s cold skin, especially near his heart.

Twitch.

His stiff fingers trembled slightly, as if they were beginning to thaw. Seeing this, Vivi bit her lip hard. Then, she pressed her lips back onto his.

‘How much of Kanin’s mana have I received in the past?’

Usually, it was through holding hands or hugging.

But this was the first time they had been this close.

Thump. Thump.

Her heart raced wildly. Her head felt dizzy, and heat coursed through her body.

‘Beautiful.’

His body, from his flat chest to his sharp hip bones, was perfectly sculpted.

‘Kanin is a man.’

It was such an obvious fact, but she only realized it now, seeing him half-n*ked.

‘Kanin.’

An unbearable surge of affection filled her heart. As she kissed his lips and planted a light kiss on his long neck,

His lips, now regaining some color, moved faintly.

“…Vivi?”

“You’re awake?”

She tried to raise her head to face Kanin, but his arms, which were tightly holding her, made it impossible. Kanin, who was rubbing his cheek against her hair, whispered in a languid voice.

“Warm.”

“That’s because you were frozen stiff.”

“Vivi.”

“Yes.”

Kanin’s lips touched her forehead. After planting a small kiss, he murmured with his eyes closed.

“Feels nice.”

“……!!”

It must have meant that it felt nice because it was warm, but at that moment, Vivi’s heart started racing as if it were running a marathon.

‘Oh my god. This is too suggestive.’

Perhaps it was because Kanin usually exuded such an overly restrained atmosphere. His languid and subdued voice tickled her ears unbearably.

‘This is strange.’

Without realizing it, she tensed her thighs. And at that moment, she felt a sense of shame toward herself for being drawn to Kanin.

‘Kanin already has a girlfriend.’

And she herself was about to attend a matchmaking meeting soon. 

Was it truly okay to be this physically close, skin to skin?

More importantly, was it okay to feel attracted to him?

‘No. But if I hadn’t done this, Kanin might have died. Who knows when another fire-attribute mage would arrive here?’  

If his heart had frozen, his life would have been over. Vivi convinced herself that this was something she had no choice but to do.

“This is a rescue operation, Kanin. Let’s not give it any other meaning. I’ll forget about this once it’s over, so you don’t have to feel embarrassed.”

Even in the darkness, she could feel Kanin’s gaze clearly fixed on her face. Despite her words, she was too embarrassed to look at him.  

“……Vivi, hold me.”  

After a brief silence, Kanin spoke in a deeply subdued voice.  

‘Is he feeling unwell somewhere?’  

“Kanin, are you uncomfortable? If you tell me, I can focus my mana there.”  

At that moment, one of Kanin’s large hands, which had been embracing her shoulders, subtly moved down her spine and pressed firmly against her waist.  

“Ugh.”  

The movement caused Vivian to cling tightly to Kanin’s chest. Something large and firm rubbed against her thigh through his pants.  

‘His… g*nitalia.’

Though inexperienced, she wasn’t ignorant about such matters. Realizing what it was, her face flushed a deep red.  

“Uh, um, Kanin.”

She wanted to ask if he could adjust his position a bit, but the words wouldn’t come out of her mouth.  

“It’s too cold.”  

Muttering like that, Kanin completely covered her lips with his.

“Hmm.”  

Unlike when she had explored his lips on her own earlier, this was a completely different kiss.  

When she tried to avoid his tongue, which suddenly invaded her mouth, by pulling her head back and closing her lips, Kanin firmly pressed the back of her head with one hand.

‘Cool.’  

How long had it been since she felt such a chill? She had been on the verge of fainting from the heat of the Siskiya Mountains as well.  

‘This feels like a dream.’  

In the end, Vivian nestled into Kanin’s body, repeatedly kissing him as he led.  

* * *

“For now, it’s better for us to stay here until daylight.”  

Having completely driven out the cold and regained his usual composure, Kanin ran a hand through his hair as he spoke.  

Amidst all the chaos earlier, the two of them had ended up far from the camp. While they had a signal flare, using it now could attract monsters as well.

Since neither of them was seriously injured, there was no need to call for their comrades. They could keep warm without a campfire and create water as needed.  

Vivian looked at Kanin with curious eyes.  

‘It’s the first time I’ve seen Kanin without glasses.’  

Since childhood, Kanin had always worn glasses, so his bare face without them was unfamiliar.  

‘This look isn’t bad either.’  

He had an unexpectedly fierce aura that was quite attractive. Seeing her glance at him repeatedly, Kanin eventually couldn’t help but ask.  

“Why do you keep staring at me like that?”  

“Ah, no reason.”  

Vivian quickly lowered her gaze.  

‘He’s so ascetic.’  

His voice was cold and firm, as if it wouldn’t allow any temptation.  

‘Yet he was hiding such a body under his shirt.’  

His white, exposed skin was taut with muscle, forming a sleek, flawless outline. Without realizing it, Vivian found herself glancing at his abdomen before covering her eyes with her palm.  

‘Ugh, stop thinking. Stop thinking.’  

If she kept thinking about it, she’d become too conscious of it. She didn’t want things to become awkward while they were alone in the mountains.  

“…….”  

“…….”  

A silence fell between them. How strange it was. A silence that had never felt awkward before now seemed unbearably so.  

‘Should I suggest that we move to find the others?’  

Such thoughts crossed her mind. Just then, Kanin, who had been lost in thought, suddenly asked.  

“So what were you talking about with Ain?”  

“What conversation? With Ain?”  

Vivian had recently grown close to Ain and talked about various things, but she couldn’t figure out what conversation Kanin was referring to.  

If she had talked with Ain, there was only one topic.  

“Oh…….”  

Ain’s brother. Her future match.  

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t told Kanin anything.’  

With all the changes happening in her life recently, she hadn’t managed to tell Kanin, who should have been the first to know. Slowly, she opened her mouth.  

“Well, we were talking about Ain’s brother.”  

“Ain’s brother? Raphael Brille?”  

“Oh? You know his name? Impressive.”  

Vivian blinked in surprise. Kanin’s lips twitched slightly.  

“So why him? You aren’t interested in ordinary people.”  

“Well, you see.”  

Kanin was right. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have had any reason to meet him.  

“My grandfather set up a matchmaking meeting without consulting me, and he’s the other party.”  

“…….”  

The air seemed to grow cold for a moment. Vivian glanced at Kanin, who didn’t respond.  

“Kanin?”  

“Yes.”  

Kanin was rubbing his eyes with his palm, as if something had gotten in them.  

‘Was it my imagination?’  

She thought she felt a fluctuation in mana. As she tilted her head in confusion, Kanin asked in a casual tone.  

“So, are you going to the meeting?”  

“Oh? I guess so?”  

“What about being a mage?”  

“Ah, that…….”  

That question left her speechless.  

Most female mages didn’t marry. Vivian had never imagined marriage would ever become a topic in her life.  

‘But I’ve decided to go to the meeting. To live a normal life through marriage.’  

She had decided to resign from the Moonlight Division after this expedition.  

“I’m not sure.”  

But she couldn’t bring herself to tell Kanin those words.  

‘What would Kanin say to me?’  

Would he say I did well, or would he find me pathetic?  

Either way, her heart would waver. So she clamped her mouth shut like a child trying not to get scolded.  

Kanin’s blue eyes turned to her. Under the moonlight, they glowed like a wolf’s.  

“So that’s why you asked me about marriage?”  

“N-not exactly. I got a strange message.”  

“What message?”  

Facing Kanin, who frowned and asked, Vivian swallowed hard. Slowly, she opened her mouth.  

“Someone said they wanted to lick my chest……”

“What?!”  

She thought he would realize he had sent it by mistake, but instead, Kanin shouted in a voice she had never heard before.  

Rolling up his sleeves to his elbows, he muttered menacingly.  

“That guy, I’ll kill him.”  

He wasn’t joking; he seemed ready to head to the capital and kill Raphael Brille right away. Vivian hurriedly clung to Kanin’s arm.  

“Wait! Wait! Wait!! I’m not saying Ain’s brother sent that message!”  

Kanin looked at her with eyes asking, ‘Then who sent it?’ Vivian almost shouted.  

‘You sent it!’  

While she was agonizing over that message, he remained clueless.

But once again, she couldn’t bring herself to tell Kanin about the message. She mumbled a reply.  

“I-it was a wrong message meant for someone else…….”  

“Really?”  

“Of course. Who would send me a message like that?”  

“You…….”  

Kanin clicked his tongue. Then, returning to his usual calm demeanor, he sat down on the ground.  

“So?”  

“What?”  

“What’s the connection between that weird message and asking me about marriage?”  

“Well, I just got curious. Do other people date like that? And, Kanin, do you have…….”

Someone you love.  

Thump.  

Her chest tightened, and she swallowed those words again.  

‘This is really strange.’  

Before receiving that strange message, Kanin had just been a close childhood friend—nothing more, nothing less.

But why did her heart flutter so much now?  

‘Did something inside me change?’  

As she let out a shallow sigh, Kanin answered in a blunt tone.  

“I don’t have such a woman.”  

“Liar.”

Vivian had told the truth, but Kanin’s answer was a lie.  

‘Fine. You just don’t want to tell me.’

Pouting her lips, Kanin frowned.  

“Why are you pouting?”  

“I don’t know.”  

She turned her head away. Tears welled up for no reason.  

‘Am I someone Kanin can’t trust?’  

He didn’t know she was trying to become independent to support his relationship.  

While she was lamenting, recalling the hardship of enduring the heat alone, Kanin wrapped his arms around himself and mumbled.  

“I’m cold.”  

“Oh.”  

Now that she thought about it, Kanin had been frozen solid once after being hit by Ice Breath, only to be thawed again.

‘Even if I worked hard to warm him, the chill must still linger.’  

This was an opportunity for Vivi, who had always received help from Kanin, to finally return the favor. She spread her arms wide.

“Come here, Kanin.”  

“…….”  

Without a word, Kanin wrapped his arms around her waist. He was much taller than her, but by embracing her waist instead of her shoulders, his gaze naturally met hers.  

Meeting his sparkling blue eyes without his glasses, her face flushed uncontrollably. She spoke in an embarrassed tone.  

“Don’t look at my face.”  

“Why?”  

“Because it’s embarrassing.”  

She had seen Kanin’s face countless times before, so why did it feel so embarrassing now?

‘It’s just strange. Ever since I got that text message, everything feels strange.’

Her palms tingled with a ticklish sensation. Perhaps hearing her rapidly beating heart, Kanin blinked slowly and asked.  

“Should I close my eyes?”  

“Yes.”  

“Then you close yours too. I’m embarrassed too.”  

‘That’s unusual.’  

Vivian had always been the one with big emotional swings, while Kanin remained calm. He seemed like someone who had never experienced emotions like embarrassment or shame. But today, he admitted he was embarrassed.  

‘Kanin must have been holding back too.’  

Thinking this, she closed her eyes. A deep darkness enveloped her, bringing a moment of peace.  

However, she soon realized that was a mistake.  

With her eyes closed, she became acutely aware of the sensation. The skin cooler than hers, like the earth with deep waters flowing beneath, the smooth texture, and the crisp scent.  

Thump, thump, thump.  

Her heart felt like it would burst.