episode_0112

“The world is spinning…”

As Noah’s vision swayed back and forth, he blinked his eyes slowly. Someone was talking to him from the side, but due to his dazed state, he couldn’t understand.

“Here, have this!”

When a cold glass was handed to him, Noah raised the cup to his lips with a blank expression and swallowed its contents. As the cold water went down his throat, his mind cleared up.

“I thought you had a weak tolerance for alcohol, so I gave you something light… I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m fine.”

No one who says they’re fine after drinking is actually fine, but thanks to the cold water, Noah momentarily seemed quite composed.

“But…”

“Rather… I’m feeling a bit tired, so I’ll head up now.”

“Oh… Yes! I’ll inform the chef in advance, make sure to have hangover soup tomorrow!”

Since they served alcohol day and night, hangover soup was a part of the inn’s morning menu. The bartender felt sorry, expecting Noah to suffer from a hangover the next day.

As Noah’s briefly awakened mind started to cloud over again, he didn’t catch the woman’s expression.

“What was I trying to do? Clearly… um…”

His thoughts abruptly stopped as his head spun dullly. Noah fumbled through the dark memories as if an opaque curtain had fallen, barely recalling what he intended to do.

“Yes, I wanted to have a proper conversation with Lian…”

“Mm…”

Noah ascended the stairs with a flushed face. People coming up or down automatically avoided him, recognizing the telltale signs of intoxication.

“Ah, finally here. Phew…”

Even though it was a man’s face, a cute smile spread across it almost unchanged. She hummed softly to herself.

“This stress is killing me! I need to escape…”

She chuckled as she opened the door and stepped inside.

“Oh, Noah! …You’re back.”

Despite coming out of the bathroom, Lian anxiously waited for Noah, who was nowhere to be seen. It was akin to a father waiting for his daughter who went out at dawn.

Lian looked at Noah with relief, but then was taken aback by the sudden smell of alcohol.

“Uh, Noah?”

“L-Lian…”

With a disheveled face, Noah rushed towards Lian, resembling a gesture similar to someone embracing another.

Unconsciously, Lian turned her body to avoid him. Before she knew it, his hands covered her chest area, like a child seeking comfort.

As Noah’s hand flailed in the air, he took a few steps forward before stopping abruptly. Lian, with a bewildered expression, stepped back.

Thud.

As the bathroom door hit his back, Lian desperately stared in that direction.

“He’ll be caught before reaching there!”

Like prey about to be caught by a predator, Lian shivered uncontrollably.

“It’s hot…”

“Eek!”

In a swift motion, Noah threw his robe on the floor, starting to unbutton his shirt. With a few buttons undone, white bandages came into view.

Lian pressed herself against the bathroom door as if lava were rushing toward her, covering her mouth with both hands.

She fervently prayed inwardly for Noah not to notice her and head towards the bed. But today, as always, fate had abandoned her!

“Huh? It’s Lian… I had something to say to Lian…”

Noah, with a flushed face, started running towards Lian. Lian trembled like a cornered mouse.

*creak*

“…!”

At that moment, the sound of salvation was heard. It was the sound of the bathroom door, previously broken by Noah, being pushed open by a strong force. Lian hastily opened the door and went inside.

“Oh no! This is a dark fantasy world!”

If it were a comedic world, there might have been at least a place resembling a breath-like corner, but there was nothing here.

Lian was nothing more than a pitiful prey who had walked into their own grave. Like a mouse seeing a cat in front of them, Lian trembled and stepped back.

“Liaan…”

“Uh, Noah. Let’s calm down. First, let’s calm down…”

Lian pretended to calm down a person excitedly leaning against the bathroom wall. Perhaps due to such efforts from Lian, Noah showed a very rational behavior.

*thud*

To prevent the group from being disturbed, the bathroom door was closed. With a trembling voice, Lian expressed a hopeful expectation.

“No-Noah, are you coming to your senses?”

“…”

“Uh, Noah? Are you okay?”

Suddenly, Noah bowed deeply, bent his legs, and sat down. Concerned that something might be wrong, Lian cautiously approached Noah after sliding off the wall.

“Noah, Noah?”

As soon as they were within a step’s distance…

“Are you alri…cough!”

“Liaan!”

Noah jumped up like a rocket and hugged Lian around the waist. Lian staggered and bumped their buttocks backwards.

Fortunately, there was no bone-crushing sensation from being embraced by the pretty girl.

“Noah, you always have something on your mind.”

It felt like a voice whispering in their ear, “I sat down to gain momentum…”

*swish, swoosh*

“No-Noah?”

Noah, who had been hugging Lian’s waist, crawled up to their chest like climbing a tree. A well-ripened red face brushed against Lian’s chest.

“Ugh…”

Internally screaming, Lian raised both hands, eyes shaking uncontrollably. Having grown up in a world where one could become an experimental subject if they did something reckless, Lian’s actions were akin to survival instincts imprinted on their body.

“Why, why isn’t anything happening?!”

Usually, when such a happening occurred, someone would appear to change the situation dramatically, or the hugged person would suddenly make pizza, turning the situation into a dreadful one.

“Lian, Liaaan…hehe..”

But right now, nothing was happening at all! It was strangely quiet!

The reason was that Noah had a crush on Lian, and Lian also liked Noah. Unless it involved giving birth to new life, even light skinship during a crush was allowed due to their broad-mindedness.

Even a unicorn! That pure! Lian was an unknown piece of information.

“What’s going on? I felt really awful just now?”

Feeling dirty, Lian momentarily regained their senses. They barely lowered their hand and grabbed Noah’s shoulder.

“Hey Noah… um, it’s late now, so how about sleeping in bed…”

“Silly…sillysilly!”

“Ugh!”

Noah cutely rubbed their face against Lian’s chest. It would have been better if they had dressed properly as usual, but it was hard to find composure with the chest clearly visible under the white bandage.

In Noah’s childhood, his tongue became dull like a gesture, and Lian seemed to lose her mind. Before she knew it, Lian’s face had turned as red as Noah’s.

The problem didn’t end there.

“Huuk…”

“…?!”

Noah suddenly started crying. Lian froze as if hit by a beam turning her into stone. With a voice soaked in tears, Noah said, “Lian… was bad… Huk, don’t suddenly distance yourself from me.”

“Uh… That’s right. I was bad.”

“You’re a bad girl.”

Acknowledging that Lian was indeed bad, Noah nodded while gently tapping Lian’s chest with a warm cheek. Unlike usual, the clear ‘determined’ expression on his face was incredibly cute.

‘Cute… Really cute.’

Lian began to think of the situation as if a cat that used to always pat her hand was now approaching and acting coquettishly.

It seemed like that was the only way to stay sane. Detecting Lian’s trick, Noah blinked his eyes and looked up at Lian.

“Why did you do that?”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you suddenly distance yourself from me like that?”

“Uh… Well…”

Cold sweat started dripping down Lian’s face. Normally serious, Noah, in a drunken state, just narrowed his eyes.

“…Are you not going to tell me?”

Sobbing, Noah started to cry. Lian’s pupils were restless.

Do you know what happens to a comedic character who rejects the tears of a tearful maiden?

They die physically and socially. (However, this applies only to morally upright women.)

As Noah sobbed and locked eyes with Lian, the cold sweat streaming down Lian’s face increased.

“Well, the thing is…”

In front of Noah’s pitiful tears, Lian had no choice but to confess.

“After seeing you in front of the bathhouse, I’ve been overly concerned.”

“…Have you started hating me?”

With a sullen face, when Noah asked, Lian urgently replied, shaking her head.

“No, actually, I find you cute, so it’s awkward – … Ah.”

The words spilled out uncontrollably, like spilled water.

After a brief silence, Noah widened his eyes and said, “Cute? Me?”

His voice sounded slightly sobered by surprise. However, before he could fully recover, the alcohol took hold of him again.

“Oh, really.”

Living unaware that hamsters, dogs, and cats thought they were cute, Lian received a blow akin to them saying, “Am I cute?”

“Very, very cute.”

“Hee…”

Feeling uplifted by those words, Noah said, “Then I’ll show you!”

“Huh?”

And just like that, the engine of their conversation came to a halt.