The crown of his head looked round as he looked down. Even though it was a dark night, Naro’s fair and clear skin was particularly noticeable. His eyes moving this way and that, perhaps anxious about being caught, were cute. When Naro started chewing on his lips, Ray, worried he might get hurt, touched his lips with his hand.
Then Naro suddenly stopped his actions and slowly raised his head. Ah, again. Naro’s face was dyed bright red again. He had seen his earlobes or both cheeks flush a few times before, but this was the first time seeing his face completely flushed like this.
Moreover, his slightly upturned eyes, as if flustered, reminded him of Pin, the cat raised at Mellian’s mansion.
“D-don’t.”
At the voice crumbling small, Ray unconsciously clenched his fist tight. It was strange. Something kept bubbling up inside him, and only one thought circled in his head.
He wanted to touch Naro.
It was a feeling that was the same yet different from when he had embraced Naro and held hands without reserve.
“I said no. What if someone really comes in?”
At that moment, hearing a voice from ahead, Ray and Naro simultaneously raised their heads. A man and woman who had been talking while standing side by side with their shoulders embraced whispered something to each other, then suddenly started kissing.
The man grabbed the woman’s waist, and the woman wrapped her arms around the man’s neck as their bodies overlapped seamlessly. The skinship that had begun in earnest intensifying happened in an instant. Naro’s mouth fell open at the low moans that could be heard occasionally.
Though he shouldn’t watch out of consideration for those two people enjoying their tryst, he couldn’t tear away the scene once it entered his eyes. And it was the same for Ray. But unlike Naro who was flustered and fidgeting, Ray was watching the two with an expressionless, or perhaps somewhat persistent expression.
He had worried about what to do if they did something more, but fortunately the two only exchanged a few more deep kisses before disappearing back into the banquet hall with satisfied smiles.
“Haah.”
At the same time as hearing the balcony door close, Naro let out the breath he’d been holding. Of course he had been quiet to avoid being discovered by those two, but when they started kissing, he unconsciously held his breath. As a result, his breathing became slightly rapid, as if he had been submerged deep underwater and come up to the surface.
“L-let’s go out now too.”
The moment he was about to leave, worried about Mellian, Ray grabbed Naro’s hand again.
“Naro, we haven’t done our morning greeting lately.”
Naro froze right there. As soon as he raised his head, Ray tried to rush straight toward his face, but Naro successfully blocked his mouth with his palm.
“S-suddenly? It’s not even morning right now.”
“It doesn’t matter if we make up for what we missed now.”
“Wait, Ray.”
Naro pushed Ray’s face away while putting strength into his hand. It was enough force to resist, but Ray surrendered his body to Naro’s touch.
“What I said earlier, I was serious about that. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t act so familiar like this anymore.”
“You won’t even do morning greetings with me anymore?”
“…Yeah.”
Naro paused briefly before nodding. At the firm answer, Ray’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Why? Explain the reason to me. So I can understand.”
“So… those actions you usually do to me are actions that lovers do among humans.”
“Lovers?”
Ray tilted his head.
“It means people who love each other. Those two people standing there earlier, you saw them too, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Kissing or giving pecks are things people who like each other like that, lovers, do. But you and I…”
Naro trailed off again. Usually when Ray didn’t know a word or didn’t understand something, Naro would explain in detail. He just needed to do that this time too, but the words wouldn’t come out as calmly as usual.
“…You and I aren’t lovers. So doing those kinds of actions is strange.”
“But you and I like each other.”
Naro felt a tingling sensation in his heart for a moment. Those words sounded sweet, but conversely, knowing the meaning too well also made his heart ache slightly.
“That’s different from the ‘liking’ of those two people we saw earlier.”
“Liking is different? How? I don’t understand what you’re saying at all. I like you, so what’s different?”
Ray’s expression had also become serious at some point. Naro let out a short sigh and opened his mouth.
“Ray, I’m the person who saved you when you were injured and dying. You, who had just emerged from your egg, were in that cave badly injured, and I diligently nursed you. Because I wanted to save you. And I heard something about the Dragon Tribe’s characteristics—dragons follow well the person they see immediately after being born. Even if it’s not their blood-related parents or family.”
Ray maintained quiet silence. Naro looked at those clear green eyes for a moment before continuing.
“The first person you saw after being reborn from the egg was also me, and I even saved you. So I think you follow me well like family. That liking and the liking between lovers are different. So I’m saying that your actions in a relationship without that kind of romantic affection aren’t right.”
He must regard himself as family. Ray saying he likes him, the embarrassing words and the actions of coming close—all of it could be seen as stemming from that familial love. Well, Ray was a dragon, not a human, and his memory wasn’t intact either, so his standards of normalcy were bound to be different.
He should have told him from the beginning. That family members usually don’t embrace each other’s waists, say they want to suck on fangs, or kiss when waking up in the morning.
He should have set clear standards for Ray. But he hadn’t done so. Why? Because at the time, he hadn’t thought it would become a problem. Because he hadn’t anticipated at all that a day would come when he would receive Ray’s actions differently. Perhaps he had fallen into a trap he’d dug himself.
“Then did you dislike the actions I did?”
“…”
Dislike them? Rather, he was scared of liking them too much, so he was trying to pull out before it became irreversible. But he couldn’t say that. Since Ray’s liking stemmed from familial love, he suddenly had a premonition that he would be the one hurt in the future.
“It’s not that I dislike them, I’m saying they’re not right. So… I think it would be good to reestablish the distance between you and me.”
Naro delivered the conclusion he’d reached himself to Ray. Of course, with the most important core still hidden away.
“Someday you’ll come to understand the difference in liking that I’m talking about.”
Someday, if someone pretty and wonderful like Mellian, someone perfectly suited to Ray appeared, Ray would be able to understand these words too. What that difference was.
“Honestly, I don’t really understand. Why emotions are so complicated either.”
Ray’s voice had sunk considerably. Before long, clouds covering the sky blocked the moonlight. Naro felt a bit saddened by the voice resembling the darkness that came as the night deepened.
“But if that’s what you want, Naro, I’ll do that.”
Naro knew. That Ray always supported his words and actions, even decisions he considered somewhat reckless. So he vaguely knew that Ray would accept this request too.
“…Yeah, thank you.”
Naro finally raised his head and looked at Ray. He was smiling with the corners of his mouth raised, but no happiness could be felt from that smile.
Naro and Ray, who had entered the banquet hall, headed toward Mellian. Her complexion looked worse than at first, so Naro quickly checked on her.
“I’m fine. Just a little tired.”
Soret, who was beside her, also looked concerned, her expression troubled.
“It would be better to go back now.”
At Naro’s words, Mellian nodded. In any case, she had shown her face at the banquet she was invited to and magnificently countered the curious gazes without yielding, so this was enough.
“Mellian, take care. Could I perhaps visit the mansion later?”
Before leaving the banquet hall, Soret asked. Her voice was quite careful, probably conscious of the fact that Mellian had been keeping people away due to health problems.
“As you wish.”
Mellian spoke stiffly, but it was the same as accepting Soret’s words. Receiving her bright farewell, Mellian, Naro, and Ray boarded the carriage together. Mellian, as expected tired, let out deep sighs as soon as they departed.
“I’m sorry for being away for so long.”
“It’s fine. I’m grateful you came. If I’d come alone, I probably would have been too nervous to say anything. But you two…”
Mellian, who had been continuing to speak, hesitated. She looked back and forth between Naro and Ray sitting side by side and tilted her head.
