Just then, I heard the door to the bath open. Reflexively, I turned around and saw Elena there standing without a stitch of clothing on.
I hurriedly turned my gaze away.
“Wh, wh, wh…..”
“I’m here to wash your back.”
“Why aren’t you wearing any clothes!”
“Do you have to wear clothes to take a bath?”
“Th, that may be true, but….!”
I was almost taken aback by Elena’s argument.
“I, I’m a man too! I mean, you should be a little more careful.”
“What happens if I’m not careful?”
“I, I’m going to attack you.”
“Hmm. I don’t think you got the guts though.”
“Uuu.”
She hit me where it hurts. Even though it’s only been two days since we met, I feel like she’s already figured me out.
Elena’s finger touched Termito’s back. He panicked and stifled his voice.
Elena’s hand touches Termito’s back firmly, as if to confirm its presence.
“You’ve got a bigger back than you look.”
He doesn’t know what she meant by that, and a question mark appears in his head.
“What do you mean?”
“At first glance, Teru’s back may look unreliable, but it’s actually well-trained. No wonder you finished chopping all that wood in a day.”
He felt itchy, and his back shrunk. I don’t think I’ll be able to look directly at Elena for a while.
“You were an adventurer, right? That explains why you’re so well trained.”
Despite Elena’s praise, I had mixed feelings inside.
The truth is, I haven’t been able to do anything adventurous.
“You have a great back, well-trained and without a scratch on it.”
It must have been a casual remark. It was probably just lip service to make Termito happy.
Even so, I felt as if I had been touched by something I didn’t want to be touched by, something that was stuck deep in my soul.
From the bottom of my soul, an inexplicable feeling welled up.
“I’m not that great. I’m still a bit of an adventurer. I wanted to be an adventurer who fought a lot of monsters, defeated them while being covered with scars, and then boasted about my heroic tales to other adventurers in the tavern. I wanted to be that kind of an adventurer.”
I was a jerk, I thought to myself, but I couldn’t stop the depressed emotions that were pouring out of me.
Tears flowed down my face as I realized how pathetic I was.
“But I couldn’t do it. I was so scared. I couldn’t move my body and there was nothing I could do. I ran away from the monsters, and I ran away from my dreams. But I couldn’t let go of my pride. I knew in my heart that it was impossible, but I’m still miserably clinging to being an adventurer. That’s who I am now.
That’s why, I’m not the great person like you say, Elena.”
I said it. I took it out on Elena, who had nothing to do with it, by spewing out the darkness that lay dormant inside of me.
I wondered what kind of face Elena was making right now. Is she angry? Disgusted? I wonder if she’s looking at me with contempt for running away from my dream. I was too scared to turn around.
I stood up and headed straight for the changing room.
“I’m sorry. I’m going to cool down a little.”
In the end, my life is all about running away. I’ve run away from my dreams, and now I’m trying to run away from Elena. I just told myself that I had no choice.
“Wait a minute.”
She grabbed my hand as I tried to escape.
“I’m sorry. For being insensitive. I’m really sorry.”
Stop it. Please don’t.
I tried to shake off Elena’s hand but she grabbed me again.
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just wanted to….”
“…Please don’t apologize.”
“But….”
“Please don’t apologize!”
Elena’s shoulders jerked at the sudden outrage.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Elena. I talked about myself and made you feel bad. There’s nothing for you to apologize for….”
The back that Elena had felt so large earlier now looked terribly unreliable. Behind her, she heard a voice that sounded like it was holding back a sob.
I’m sure he’s blaming himself. She hated herself so much that she couldn’t stand it.
Elena grasped Termito’s hand tightly.
“That’s not true. I owe you an apology, too.”
There was no reply from Termito. But there was no sign of escape. Elena continued.
“I’ve been a bit mean to you today. I thought it would take a few days to turn that much wood into firewood. I wasn’t trying to embarrass you, you know? I just wanted Teru to stay here as long as possible. That….is the selfish reason why I bothered you.”
“……..”
“I don’t know what kind of past Teru had. You might have been in pain and suffering that I don’t know about. I may not be able to understand all of it. I may not be able to heal the wounds that are etched in your heart.
Still, I want you to stay here. I want you to be with me.”
“Elena-san….”
“I don’t want to be alone anymore…”
Termito’s grip on her hand tightened.
She had been aloof since I met her, but I felt like I could hear her true feelings for the first time.
I was happy. I was happy that she relied on me. That she needed me. That she recognized me, the person who kept running away from their dreams. The fact that she wanted me to stay here no matter what happened was the greatest relief of all.
I wiped away my tears and tried to remain calm. I muster my courage. At this moment, I must say goodbye to the uncool part of me of the past.
He squeezed Elena’s small hand back tightly.
“In that case, can I stay here for a while? Actually, I don’t have any family. There’s no one waiting for me back in town. But if Elena-san needs me, I’ll be more than happy….”
“Teru…”
Elena was so overcome with emotion that she hugged Termito.
“Thank you.”
“U, um, your chest…”
A soft touch pressed against his back. It was small, but it was definitely there, asserting its presence fiercely on Termito’s back.
“Don’t be shy. This is just a service from me.”
“B, but….”
Termito could feel heat gathering in the lower part of his body.
“But, what is it?”
Elena’s white fingers toyed with Termito’s body. From his lower abdomen to his thighs. It was like a slow glide.
Tsutsutsu, the little fingers danced with each other. As if to confirm the feeling of Termito’s thighs, to confirm their temperature.
He foolishly stood up, even though he had not been touched on the main part.
It’s gonna be bad at this rate. I’ll come.
“I, it’s no good, such a…”
With a trembling voice, I protested as best as I could.
“What’s wrong with what? Even though your body is in so much pleasure.”
Elena mockingly continues the act.
Elena could see it. My “man”.
Just the thought of her being able to see it makes my head and body go into overdrive. I think it’s bad that such a pretty and beautiful woman is seeing the thing that could conceive a woman when it’s aroused, and staining her scarlet eyes with the reflection of my own, but strangely enough, instead of her feeling disgusted, it’s more like—–
“Uuu.”
The electric current of pleasure running through his brain made Termito pass out.
Just then, I heard the door to the bath open. Reflexively, I turned around and saw Elena there standing without a stitch of clothing on.
I hurriedly turned my gaze away.
“Wh, wh, wh…..”
“I’m here to wash your back.”
“Why aren’t you wearing any clothes!”
“Do you have to wear clothes to take a bath?”
“Th, that may be true, but….!”
I was almost taken aback by Elena’s argument.
“I, I’m a man too! I mean, you should be a little more careful.”
“What happens if I’m not careful?”
“I, I’m going to attack you.”
“Hmm. I don’t think you got the guts though.”
“Uuu.”
She hit me where it hurts. Even though it’s only been two days since we met, I feel like she’s already figured me out.
Elena’s finger touched Termito’s back. He panicked and stifled his voice.
Elena’s hand touches Termito’s back firmly, as if to confirm its presence.
“You’ve got a bigger back than you look.”
He doesn’t know what she meant by that, and a question mark appears in his head.
“What do you mean?”
“At first glance, Teru’s back may look unreliable, but it’s actually well-trained. No wonder you finished chopping all that wood in a day.”
He felt itchy, and his back shrunk. I don’t think I’ll be able to look directly at Elena for a while.
“You were an adventurer, right? That explains why you’re so well trained.”
Despite Elena’s praise, I had mixed feelings inside.
The truth is, I haven’t been able to do anything adventurous.
“You have a great back, well-trained and without a scratch on it.”
It must have been a casual remark. It was probably just lip service to make Termito happy.
Even so, I felt as if I had been touched by something I didn’t want to be touched by, something that was stuck deep in my soul.
From the bottom of my soul, an inexplicable feeling welled up.
“I’m not that great. I’m still a bit of an adventurer. I wanted to be an adventurer who fought a lot of monsters, defeated them while being covered with scars, and then boasted about my heroic tales to other adventurers in the tavern. I wanted to be that kind of an adventurer.”
I was a jerk, I thought to myself, but I couldn’t stop the depressed emotions that were pouring out of me.
Tears flowed down my face as I realized how pathetic I was.
“But I couldn’t do it. I was so scared. I couldn’t move my body and there was nothing I could do. I ran away from the monsters, and I ran away from my dreams. But I couldn’t let go of my pride. I knew in my heart that it was impossible, but I’m still miserably clinging to being an adventurer. That’s who I am now.
That’s why, I’m not the great person like you say, Elena.”
I said it. I took it out on Elena, who had nothing to do with it, by spewing out the darkness that lay dormant inside of me.
I wondered what kind of face Elena was making right now. Is she angry? Disgusted? I wonder if she’s looking at me with contempt for running away from my dream. I was too scared to turn around.
I stood up and headed straight for the changing room.
“I’m sorry. I’m going to cool down a little.”
In the end, my life is all about running away. I’ve run away from my dreams, and now I’m trying to run away from Elena. I just told myself that I had no choice.
“Wait a minute.”
She grabbed my hand as I tried to escape.
“I’m sorry. For being insensitive. I’m really sorry.”
Stop it. Please don’t.
I tried to shake off Elena’s hand but she grabbed me again.
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just wanted to….”
“…Please don’t apologize.”
“But….”
“Please don’t apologize!”
Elena’s shoulders jerked at the sudden outrage.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Elena. I talked about myself and made you feel bad. There’s nothing for you to apologize for….”
The back that Elena had felt so large earlier now looked terribly unreliable. Behind her, she heard a voice that sounded like it was holding back a sob.
I’m sure he’s blaming himself. She hated herself so much that she couldn’t stand it.
Elena grasped Termito’s hand tightly.
“That’s not true. I owe you an apology, too.”
There was no reply from Termito. But there was no sign of escape. Elena continued.
“I’ve been a bit mean to you today. I thought it would take a few days to turn that much wood into firewood. I wasn’t trying to embarrass you, you know? I just wanted Teru to stay here as long as possible. That….is the selfish reason why I bothered you.”
“……..”
“I don’t know what kind of past Teru had. You might have been in pain and suffering that I don’t know about. I may not be able to understand all of it. I may not be able to heal the wounds that are etched in your heart.
Still, I want you to stay here. I want you to be with me.”
“Elena-san….”
“I don’t want to be alone anymore…”
Termito’s grip on her hand tightened.
She had been aloof since I met her, but I felt like I could hear her true feelings for the first time.
I was happy. I was happy that she relied on me. That she needed me. That she recognized me, the person who kept running away from their dreams. The fact that she wanted me to stay here no matter what happened was the greatest relief of all.
I wiped away my tears and tried to remain calm. I muster my courage. At this moment, I must say goodbye to the uncool part of me of the past.
He squeezed Elena’s small hand back tightly.
“In that case, can I stay here for a while? Actually, I don’t have any family. There’s no one waiting for me back in town. But if Elena-san needs me, I’ll be more than happy….”
“Teru…”
Elena was so overcome with emotion that she hugged Termito.
“Thank you.”
“U, um, your chest…”
A soft touch pressed against his back. It was small, but it was definitely there, asserting its presence fiercely on Termito’s back.
“Don’t be shy. This is just a service from me.”
“B, but….”
Termito could feel heat gathering in the lower part of his body.
“But, what is it?”
Elena’s white fingers toyed with Termito’s body. From his lower abdomen to his thighs. It was like a slow glide.
Tsutsutsu, the little fingers danced with each other. As if to confirm the feeling of Termito’s thighs, to confirm their temperature.
He foolishly stood up, even though he had not been touched on the main part.
It’s gonna be bad at this rate. I’ll come.
“I, it’s no good, such a…”
With a trembling voice, I protested as best as I could.
“What’s wrong with what? Even though your body is in so much pleasure.”
Elena mockingly continues the act.
Elena could see it. My “man”.
Just the thought of her being able to see it makes my head and body go into overdrive. I think it’s bad that such a pretty and beautiful woman is seeing the thing that could conceive a woman when it’s aroused, and staining her scarlet eyes with the reflection of my own, but strangely enough, instead of her feeling disgusted, it’s more like—–
“Uuu.”
The electric current of pleasure running through his brain made Termito pass out.
