Chapter 56

R&e;ａ​&d; ̀ｏ​ｎ K​a‍&t;Reаd&i;​ｎ​ｇĊafe

“A… kiss?”

Frey blinked, her voice sounding dazed and unfocused.

It seemed my suggestion had been too unexpected.

With a blank expression, Frey tilted her head, as if struggling to process my words.

A kiss? A kiss?

Muttering to herself with trembling lips, her face flushed red as the meaning finally sank in.

“W-What nonsense are you saying?! Are you insane? Have you lost your mind?!”

Exactly the reaction I expected.

I’d react the same way.

If someone suddenly proposed a kiss out of the blue, I’d probably think they’d gone mad too.

Frey flusteredly tried to pull her hands free from my grasp, but I gently tightened my fingers, intertwining them with hers.

This way, she wouldn’t be able to escape easily. Blocking her retreat, I spoke with unwavering seriousness.

“I’m not joking.”

“Y-You…! I-I’m not judging your preferences, but don’t drag me into them!”

Yeah… If I’m being honest, she’s not entirely wrong.

I am a guy.

Though I was living in Lucia’s body, my mind was still that of a male’s.

Just because I’d lived as a woman for a month didn’t mean the identity I’d formed over the years had vanished.

But this wasn’t the time to explain that in detail.

Choosing my words carefully, I began to speak.

“I’ve thought about it—about how to wake Alice from the depths of her subconscious.”

Alice had sunk so deeply into her own mind that even Frey, her alternate persona, couldn’t reach her.

Her psyche had hidden itself so thoroughly that one could almost believe her personality had been lost entirely.

“We need to stimulate her. To give her such a strong, undeniable shock that she’ll have no choice but to wake up.”

“…And your solution is a kiss? Isn’t that way too extreme?”

It’s not my idea. It’s what Eugene came up with.

In the novel, when faced with a similar situation, Eugene had concluded that only a powerful stimulus could awaken Alice.

But half-hearted measures hadn’t worked.

Hugs, or kisses on the cheek or forehead, hadn’t been enough to rouse her.

So he had chosen a more radical approach.

A kiss.

With Frey.

“I get the intention, but… a k-kiss is just too much…”

“It’s precisely because it’s extreme that it might work. A simple nudge won’t be enough. It needs to be a real shock.”

“A hug or maybe a peck would…”

“A peck might work, but hugs? We already tried that.”

“…”

When Frey had fallen asleep earlier, I’d hugged her tightly, as if she were a pillow.

She was so warm and comforting that I couldn’t help but enjoy it.

And Frey, who had been starved for human contact, had clung to me in return.

When I tried to pull away, she mumbled in her sleep as if caught in a nightmare, so I hugged her again until she calmed down.

Hehe, next time, maybe Frey could be the one hugging me.

Though if she does, I’d better make sure my limbs are smooth and polished… maybe I should prepare myself to become the perfect hugging pillow. Cut everything unnecessary off, polish the edges, and burn them smooth with heat.

…Hah. Just thinking about it made my mouth water~♡

No, no, no. Stop it. This isn’t the time to be distracted.

“You can say no. If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll find another way. I won’t force you.”

“…”

The situation was similar, but there was a critical difference between Eugene and me.

Eugene was a man.

I was a woman.

Even though my mindset was still a male’s, my body was female.

And Frey was heterosexual.

As one of the main heroines of “The Dawn of the Sword”, Frey’s preferences were no secret.

At first, she despised Eugene.

She had fiercely hated and distrusted him, viewing him as the guy who had stolen Alice away.

But over time, as she observed him through Alice’s eyes and spent more time with him, her perception began to change.

Slowly. Gradually.

Like clothes soaking up a gentle drizzle.

Frey’s feelings toward Eugene turned from hostility to admiration, eventually growing into something more.

The target of her jealousy shifted as well.

She stopped resenting Eugene and instead found herself envying Alice.

Just as Alice had fallen for Eugene, so had Frey.

It made sense; they were originally the same person, after all. Their preferences weren’t so different.

But Frey wasn’t someone who was interested in same-sex relationships.

She was a normal girl who naturally felt attraction and affection toward the opposite sex.

Asking her to kiss another woman… she might very well feel disgusted or humiliated.

If it were me in her position, I’d feel the same.

The thought of kissing another man would fill me with revulsion and shame, so much so that I might just bite my tongue.

Though… for Lucia, the reasons for biting my tongue might be a little different.

The hurdle was higher than it had been for Eugene in the novel.

Frey’s reluctance was perfectly understandable.

If she rejected the idea, I had no intention of forcing her.

After all, I wasn’t here to torment Frey or Alice—I just wanted to help them.

“…Ugh.”

Frey covered her face with her hands.

So she didn’t want to do it after all.

I figured as much. I hadn’t expected much to begin with.

Should I start thinking of alternative methods?

“Lucia.”

After a brief moment to steady her breathing, Frey called my name.

“Hm? What is it?”

“You… you’re okay with this?”

“Okay with what?”

“K-kissing me. Are you really fine with it? Doesn’t it bother you?”

…Her reaction was softer than I’d anticipated.

I was bracing myself to get slapped.

What a pity…

“I’m fine with it. This is to help Alice and you, right? Honestly, I’d be thrilled. Getting to kiss a cute girl like you? Count me in anytime.”

“…You’re not just doing this to satisfy your own desires, are you? Are you, uh… a lesbian or something?”

“If I had to classify myself, I’d say I’m pansexual.”

Frey let out a long sigh and shook her head in disbelief.

Then, she looked straight at me.

“…Do it.”

Her voice was so faint it barely registered, even when I focused.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that. What did you say?”

“…Do it.”

“Um, excuse me?”

“Ugh, for goodness’ sake!”

Frey suddenly shouted, her face flushed bright red like a ripe tomato.

“Kiss me already! You’re the one who brought it up, so you do it!”

Her embarrassment was so intense that tears welled up in her eyes.

Her crimson face looked like it was about to overheat; it was so red I almost worried touching her might leave burns.

Frey relaxed her posture, her head tilted up as she gazed at me.

Her teary eyes, shimmering like dew, were both pitiable and endearing.

I carefully wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with my sleeve. Each time my fingers brushed her face, her shoulders twitched slightly.

Swallowing nervously, I took a step closer.

Our breaths mingled as the distance between us shrank. A sweet scent tickled my nose.

Thump. Thump.

My heart pounded fiercely.

This unfamiliar feeling left my breathing uneven.

‘…Is this really okay?’

It felt hypocritical to hesitate after I was the one who suggested it.

But now that the moment was here, doubt crept in.

Was this truly the right thing to do?

Up until just moments ago, I had been confident.

But as I saw the nervous, tense look in Frey’s eyes, hesitation took root.

Alice was the main heroine.

Frey, as her other persona, was intrinsically tied to Eugene, the protagonist.

Could I really take the first kiss of a girl bound by fate to the story’s hero?

Then again, this would be my first kiss too. Lucia was also a heroine, wasn’t she?

Was this really okay…? Was it okay for two heroines to kiss each other…?

“…What are you waiting for? Don’t drag this out—it’s embarrassing,” Frey muttered, fidgeting with her bandaged fingers.

A pang of guilt surged within me.

There was a sense of moral transgression, as though I was seducing an innocent girl into doing something forbidden.

The weight of this guilty pleasure left my mind spinning.

But this was for treatment.

Yes, treatment.

This wasn’t a kiss—it was a form of emergency medical intervention.

There was nothing to be ashamed of.

“…I’ll do it.”

I clasped her hands again, fingers interlocked awkwardly but firmly.

“…Do whatever you want.”

Being shorter than me, Frey had to tilt her head upward to meet my gaze.

Her blushing face, framed by red cheeks, looked more fragile and vulnerable than Alice’s ever did.

Her fresh and bashful reaction was so cute it almost made me laugh out loud.

Slowly, I leaned forward.

Frey’s face drew closer and closer.

Her tightly shut eyes quivered as if trembling in anticipation.

The soft, pink hue of her lips stood out sharply in my vision.

Our breaths mingled. Sweet, intoxicating tension dulled my rational thoughts.

“…If Alice doesn’t come back, I… I won’t let this slide…”

Her breath, warm and honeyed, brushed against my lips, leaving me dazed.

At this point, it was impossible to distinguish which breath was mine and which was hers.

To Frey’s less-than-threatening warning, I responded in kind—with action.

A soft, warm sensation met my lips.

The faint sound of a kiss echoed strangely in the quiet air.

My body tingled with heat.

Frey’s trembling cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red.

“Hnn…”

Her gaze.

Frey’s gaze.

It was too overwhelming.

Too oppressive.

Too forceful.

Too domineering.

She didn’t care about my consent—not even a little.

She looked at me as if I were just a tool to achieve her goal.

“Heh… heheh….”

A strange sound escaped my lips before I could stop it.

This… this was a first for me.

Author Note

A/N(Author’s note):
Lucia likes being forced.
What a strange taste.

Translator Note

T/N(Translator’s note):
Wow, can this be considered NTR? 

Hmm, how wild~ Heh.