I heard the greenhouse door close as Noah left. Finally, some peace and quiet.

I turned to look at the person beside me with a shocked expression, as though I’d been waiting for this moment.

“What are you doing hiding here too?”

“I was here first,” Lynen replied, seemingly incredulous.

“I clearly told you to leave. Fine, I’ll go somewhere else.” I tried to move out from behind the vines, but just then—

Clunk, clunk.

The greenhouse door opened and closed again, perhaps Noah returning. Footsteps followed.

“Oh!”

I pressed myself backward against Lynen. His spot had particularly dense wisteria flowers hanging down, effectively concealing us. This also meant I couldn’t see outside and could only hear the sounds.

“Move over a bit, Lynen!”

“Calliphe, these footsteps don’t sound like Noah’s…”

“Be quiet! What if we’re discovered?”

After my hushed scolding, Lynen asked with a hint of laughter in his voice, “Are you really taking this hiding game so seriously?”

“Just hiding here is already a big concession. Finding us should be somewhat challenging, don’t you think? Besides…”

The truth was, I felt somewhat uncomfortable letting Noah see us pressed so closely together.

“Besides what?” he prompted.

“Besides, there’s no need to unnecessarily hurt his feelings.”

“Feelings?”

After confirming that Noah’s presence had moved a suitable distance away, I whispered, “Noah doesn’t know about our contract engagement.”

“So?”

“He firmly believes we’re going to get married. How heartbroken will he be when our contract ends and we part ways?”

“…So you don’t want him to see us together?”

“Exactly.”

Suddenly, I recalled what Noah had said at the Harvest Festival: ‘I said I’m family. He clearly hoped that Lynen and I would marry and adopt him.’

But for me to survive, I needed to achieve the hidden ending, which meant finding Noah a different family. One of the conditions for reaching the hidden ending was entrusting Noah to one of the potential guardians. The penalty for failing to achieve the hidden ending was my death.

That’s why I didn’t want to give the child false hope. Maintaining an appropriate distance from Lynen was the right thing to do. I didn’t want Noah to feel excluded.

With this perfectly rational and cool-headed reasoning, I made my request to Lynen: “So it’s best if we remain undiscovered until Noah leaves.”

“…”

“Lynen?”

“I understand.”

Hmm? His voice sounded somewhat curt.

“What are you doing? Come closer.”

“Huh? Oh!”

Our arms were already pressed together, but now we were so close that our chests touched. He had pulled my waist firmly against him.

His scent, reminiscent of winter’s lingering chill, suddenly enveloped me along with the fragrance of wisteria flowers. Instinctively, I pulled my head back and arched my waist slightly.

“No, wait…”

“Shh.”

Lynen immediately closed the distance I had created.

“Noah is looking for us.”

“Ah…”

With each word he spoke, his lips seemed close enough to touch mine.

Thump, thump.

The footsteps were leisurely, almost like someone on patrol. They seemed heavier than Noah’s would be, but I had no opportunity to pay closer attention.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Lynen’s gaze as he looked down at me. His eyes seemed to cast a spell, drawing me in.

The air grew humid. Gradually, the footsteps outside became inaudible. The intensifying scent of wisteria flowers was making me dizzy.

My gaze, which had been fixed on his eyes, slowly slid downward.

“…”

No, I needed to regain my composure.

‘I should use my ability. That would dilute this strange atmosphere.’

I grabbed Lynen’s forearm supporting my back and pressed it firmly.

“I’ll give you mana…”

Strangely, my hand trembled slightly. I couldn’t apply much force.

Lynen seemed to notice this. His gaze darkened as he looked at me, his forearm tensing and hardening.

This sent shivers down my spine, and I unconsciously swallowed.

‘Don’t look at him. Just use your ability without looking.’

His arm muscles were so tense that my hand hurt. Eventually, I moved my hand gradually upward, pressing firmly against him—past his tightly flexed muscles above the elbow, across his shoulder, to the nape of his neck.

I needed to stop, yet my hand continued moving.

I grasped his tense jaw and gently pressed my thumb against his firmly closed lips. They felt soft, dry, and hot.

My throat burned, and my thumb trembled involuntarily. I knew I should stop, but I couldn’t pull my hand away.

Taking this as some kind of signal, his closed lips parted. The soft, moist tip of his tongue briefly touched my thumb.

In that moment, I held my breath.

‘…No.’

Yet my actions contradicted my thoughts.

Smooch.

I gently pulled his chin forward and kissed him.

My impulsive action shocked even myself. Where had the rationality and intellect of the direct descendant of a prestigious magical family gone?

I hastily released his chin.

“T-this is just an accidental contact with no meaning. I was simply caught up in the moment. So I want to make it absolutely clear that there’s no other significance—”

Before I could finish, Lynen descended upon me.

He consumed and invaded me so thoroughly that I felt almost devoured. His tongue explored every corner of my mouth.

“I-I’m not… finished… speaking.”

“I’m listening,” his husky voice penetrated the moisture-laden air.

“Continue.”

“Ah.”

What kind of manners was this, covering my mouth while telling me to continue?

Even more astonishing was my own reaction.

Could my competitive spirit activate even in this situation?

Despite my dizzying state, I fought for dominance with him as he invaded me. Gripping his collar tightly, I too attempted to consume part of him.

But my enthusiasm outpaced my stamina, and I soon found myself panting. Despite surely noticing this, Lynen didn’t release me.

Like when he was out of his mind with mana deficiency, he grabbed the nape of my neck while emitting beast-like groans from deep in his throat.

He bent forward, arching my waist further back.

‘No, at this rate—’

Just as I struggled against the strange captivation that prevented my thoughts from becoming words—

Rustle, rustle. The sound of leaves brushing against each other awakened my foggy mind.

Oddly, the sound grew progressively louder.

“…?”

Lynen paused like I did and reluctantly pulled away from me.

He pushed aside the wisteria flowers that had been blocking our view to identify the source of the noise.

And then—

“Gasp! Could that be fairy mint?!”

We saw fairy mint plants filling the entire greenhouse. They were still growing, covering the other plants.

Like foam overflowing from a small bathtub, they multiplied rapidly before suddenly creating an explosive wave that pushed Lynen and me out of the greenhouse.

“Ahhh?!”

We were swept away by the mass of flowers and pushed outside the greenhouse.

Poof.

Removing flower petals from my mouth, I said, “I didn’t expect them to bloom this abundantly…”

Was this why?

An unfamiliar system message appeared:

[A mini-event has occurred due to the explosive blooming of fairy mint!]