episode_0274

Yuri gently stroked Princess Narita’s hair.

Such beautiful hair. Yuri washed, dried, and brushed it every day, meticulously caring for it, but she was naturally blessed with gorgeous hair.

So Yuri treated the Princess’s hair like a precious jewel every time she touched it. Even after countless battles, it remained undamaged, seemingly as strong as her body, but still, Yuri’s heart wouldn’t allow her to be careless.

Was she tired from the many events of the day? After rambling on to Yuri about various things, the Princess soon fell asleep on Yuri’s thigh.

Soft, quiet breathing. Gently sweeping away the bangs that fell over her brow, Yuri lightly touched the Princess’s cheek.

“…Mmm.”

Was she dreaming? She moaned, slightly furrowing her brows.

Yuri found the sight incredibly cute and smiled naturally. She began to gently stroke her hair, soothing her.

Rustle-

The Princess stirred in her sleep. She moved her head slightly, then turned it completely, burying her face between Yuri’s legs.

“…Oh my.”

Yuri felt the Princess’s breath on her thin lace panties. Warm, soft breathing. Yuri, without realizing it, became slightly excited.

“I didn’t plan on this tonight…”

The Princess felt the same. She didn’t seem to be planning on having sex tonight. Her mind was burdened with too much.

She simply wanted to clear her head, and if Yuri initiated things, it might annoy her. Yuri could now control her own libido.

That is, if there were no temptations. Right now, the completely naked Princess was sleeping with her head resting on Yuri’s lap.

Moreover, her lips were touching Yuri’s most precious area. A moist sensation was being transmitted through the panties.

“Ugh, there…”

It was somewhat surprising. To think she would be so actively seeking intimacy even in her sleep. Yuri felt an overwhelming surge of emotion and abandoned herself to the Princess’s lips.

Smack- slurp-

Gently pressing her lips against the vulva, she traced the cleft with the tip of her tongue. Sucking on the clit like candy, Yuri couldn’t help but tremble.

“Aaah, aaah…♡”

Even without consciousness, the Princess was pleasing Yuri’s body. This fact filled Yuri’s heart. The promise she made to dedicate her life to the Princess was still, even now, the best decision of her life.

Suddenly feeling a powerful presence, Yuri slightly turned her head. And she was startled.

“Really… I didn’t intend to do this.”

Her erect penis was standing tall. Seeing it larger than usual, it was clear that even if her heart wasn’t in it, her body had been accumulating a lot of desire.

Yuri supported the Princess’s head with her hand and slowly got up. She carefully laid her down on the bed, then moved her body towards the Princess’s lower body.

“It’s all the Princess’s fault…♡”

Slightly pushing aside her panties to reveal her vulva, she grabbed the Princess’s penis and swallowed it whole. Yuri shook her hips all night until her erection subsided.

* * *

When was the last time… I voiced what I wanted, what I longed to do?

The driving force of life. People can live even without it. One’s heart continues to beat even without harboring a fantastical dream.

It wasn’t like this from birth. It just became this way sometime along the line.

I gradually stopped inviting my friends to hang out, stopped looking at the clothes and food filling the marketplace on my way home, and started to mindlessly pass by the flowers blooming along the road.

And so, I drifted endlessly with the passage of time, without staying in one place.

I thought it was perfectly normal.

Naturally, I didn’t enjoy games. I did play them occasionally at my friends’ urging. However, I couldn’t replicate the expression on my friend’s face as they gazed at the computer screen.

I just hunted monsters, completed quests, and leveled up as instructed. That repetitive work had become a part of my life.

No. Perhaps I did enjoy it. The game and reality, both were worlds of repetitive work, yet they were slightly different.

Even if it was the same shade of gray, there was a difference. A student studying at school, and an adventurer hunting in a dungeon. Even as merely an extra, living two lives surprisingly soothed my boredom.

Looking back now, I think I was most at ease when playing games. So I got deeply immersed in Akasto.

One day, I met a unique character. It was an NPC I could encounter in the Adventurer’s Guild.

Having played Akasto diligently, I quickly realized something. This NPC wasn’t widely known. Its trigger conditions were hidden.

In fact, because I had repeatedly focused on hunting and quests, ignoring other storylines, I couldn’t pinpoint the trigger except for this particular instance. It’s quite ironic that because I lived like a machine, without interacting with people, I was able to meet her.

This NPC was also special. She had a somber expression and spoke little. She was like looking into a mirror. Upon closer inspection, she was a pretty girl.

For a while, I lived with her. To be precise, I hunted and completed quests with her. To some, it might just seem like I was simply playing a game.

But when I was with her, I truly felt like an adventurer in the world of Akasto. It wasn’t a matter of game addiction blurring the line between reality.

It was my second reality. In either reality or the game, I was just one cog among countless others. A small, insignificant component of this world, whose presence or absence made no difference.

They say that people become recluses when they get addicted to games. I didn’t understand that.

Because I, who was addicted to Akasto, was making progress, day by day. In a way, it’s natural. Because I didn’t see the game as just a game.

Of course, it wasn’t groundbreaking progress. I should say that I finally began to follow a somewhat more productive life. I started to look forward to the next day, all thanks to that one NPC.

It was the same hunting, the same quests, the same leveling up, but each day felt new. It was like a bit more of me improved each time I woke from sleep.

I had drinks with other adventurers, strolled through the royal city streets talking to merchants, and even discovered a small dandelion in an alleyway.

Naturally, living two lives was demanding, physically, mentally, and time-wise. I studied at school during the day and played games at night, sacrificing sleep.

Every day was tough, but there weren’t any days that were equally enjoyable. The joy of each day was different. The happiness that I couldn’t see until I found it, existed there.

The NPC also changed along with me. Perhaps it was still incomplete, or she didn’t share stories about her past or family, but we engaged in plentiful conversations.

It was different from the changes that occurred with increased favorability. It was exclusively our relationship that grew. However, she cultivated herself as well. Sometimes, she’d wear pretty clothes, or on her days off, she’d pull me along, saying, “Let’s go to a new restaurant!”

My heart pounded. It wasn’t my usual heartbeat. My heart beat even without dreams.

But this was different. It happened after I found a purpose in my life; this fluttering feeling, every time I thought of her.

I didn’t quite understand what it was. And not knowing was perfectly fine. When I went into the world of Akasto, she would be waiting for me at the Adventurer’s Guild, just like always.

Because unchanged, repetitious tasks are what I do best, and what I enjoy most.

And nothing lasts forever.

The day came when I had to make a final choice. An invasion scenario. Unknown assailants chased her — the special NPC — and I had to protect her.

A desperate situation. The assailants’ target was her, as confirmed by her; she said that she could live if she surrendered herself, otherwise she would die. A character that I had nurtured for years would vanish. My second life would disappear.

Yet, I didn’t give her up. Just a game NPC? I, who lived in that second life, didn’t see it that way.

What looked like a choice was perhaps fate. I risked my life to save her, and immediately after confirming her survival, my character closed her eyes.

It felt like I stared at that black screen for a long time. I could no longer meet her. There was no guarantee that I’d encounter her again. Her trigger conditions remained undiscovered.

But that wasn’t the end of my life.

Gazing at the black screen, I made a promise to her. I vowed I’d never return to my life before meeting her. I promised that I would not fade to gray again.

I created a new character and started a third life. Recalling the second life she was a part of, I resolved to live my first life with even greater dedication.

“Someday, I will…meet you again,——.”

* * *

I woke up feeling refreshed.

It felt as if all the accumulated fatigue and stress had vanished. I looked at Yuri lying beside me and recalled the previous night.

I had merely been ranting. Even so, my heart felt lighter. I seemed to have slept soundly, not even dreaming, but was it simply because the complicated emotions had subsided after waking up?

I slightly lifted the blanket to check for the naked Yuri clinging to my arm, and realized it was more than just that.

“This is the first time I’ve been eaten while sleeping…”

What a mischievous person. I watched over her until she opened her eyes, and together, we began a new day.

I’m not exactly sure… but I feel like…I should just do my best. If I dedicate myself to the tasks at hand, perhaps I’ll eventually discover meanings I didn’t know before.

With that mindset, I moved forward.