<Chapter 82>
#9. Each One’s Role (6)
At Calix’s dazed murmur, Melty’s body froze stiff. Originally, he had planned to stash the book away in some corner as soon as he entered the room. The problem was that after briefly conversing with Johaim and then encountering Calix, the book had been forgotten to the recesses of his memory.
“Th-that! I mean… that is…!”
Melty panicked and floundered, stretching his leg as far as he could. He was desperately trying to cover the book, but sitting on Calix’s lap, there was no way his foot could reach the book that had fallen to the floor. As Melty struggled and squirmed, trying to move his foot, Calix firmly rested his chin on top of Melty’s head and read the ominous title.
“‘Everything About My Lover, From Dating to Bedtime’?”
“Aaah!”
When seen with his eyes, he hadn’t realized, but hearing it aloud, it was quite a risqué book title. Having failed to hide the book, Melty raised his hands to cover his face. Calix stared at the back of Melty’s bowed head for a moment, biting the inside of his cheek hard to suppress his laughter.
Though he tried not to make a sound for the embarrassed Melty’s sake, it was impossible to hold it back completely. Despite Calix’s desperate attempt to suppress his laughter, Melty could clearly feel his body shaking through their touching skin, and he grumbled with a sullen expression, glaring sideways.
“If you’re going to be like that, just laugh out loud.”
“Kuk, pffft. Hahaha.”
As if Melty’s permission was the starting signal, Calix burst into laughter and could only manage to stop when his eyes began to water. Having laughed so heartily, Calix relaxed his body and ruffled Melty’s round head with his hand.
“What were you so curious about that you read such a book? If you’d asked me directly, I would have answered everything. Where did you even find something like that?”
“It-it’s not like that! And that wasn’t something I found somewhere—it was in the library!”
“Ah, really?”
At Calix’s half-hearted response, Melty stomped his feet with all his might. Though it was an attempt to escape from his embrace, Calix had no intention of letting Melty go so easily and instead pulled him in even deeper. Rubbing his lips against Melty’s pretty curved ear, Calix asked with a voice still tinged with laughter.
“So was it helpful?”
“H-helpful? What do you mean! I know how to do everything without reading something like that!”
“Really? What do you know how to do?”
At Calix’s question, Melty’s mouth shut tight. The word ‘bedtime’ in the book’s title suddenly seemed especially prominent. Though he knew perfectly well that Calix’s question wasn’t really meant to be answered, Melty’s brown eyes darted busily between the book and Calix.
“…octopus suction cups?”
“Kuk.”
Calix burst into laughter again at Melty’s tiny whisper, which sounded like he was mumbling something. Calix easily realized that the term “octopus suction cups” came from Melty’s first kiss with him.
“I’m telling you clearly, stop laughing.”
Melty gave a small warning as he side-eyed Calix, who was laughing so hard he could barely breathe. At his warning, Calix barely managed to hold back his laughter and rested his cheek on Melty’s head while catching his ragged breath.
“Ah, my stomach hurts.”
“If you’re done laughing, could you let me go now?”
“I don’t want to.”
Calix had no intention of releasing the soft, warm body that fit so perfectly in his arms. The irritation that had surged to the top of his head because of Johaim’s clinginess toward Melty had disappeared in an instant. Nuzzling his cheek against Melty’s fluffy, soft hair, Calix asked:
“How impressed were you that you brought the book with you?”
“…I wasn’t impressed, I accidentally brought it without realizing! I was going to put it back! No, why is a book like that in the library in the first place?”
“Who knows.”
“Seriously, stop laughing.”
Melty glared at him, saying this was his final warning. The fierce glare attack didn’t feel scary at all, perhaps because Calix knew it came from embarrassment and shame. Rather, it seemed cute and mischievous.
“Earlier you told me to laugh?”
“That was then. The laughing time is over now!”
Calix smiled slightly at Melty’s boldness in setting a time limit on laughter and turned him around so they could face each other. Suddenly finding himself face-to-face with Calix, Melty blinked with a blank expression.
“What?”
Looking at Melty’s face full of question marks, Calix spoke in a brazen, nonchalant voice:
“If you studied so hard with the book, you should try putting it into practice.”
“I-I didn’t read that book! And I know how to do everything without reading it! I’m good at it without having to read something like that!”
Calix leisurely appreciated Melty’s face, which had turned bright red as he earnestly defended himself. Though he clearly knew that this chattering was just empty boasting from embarrassment, he had no intention of pretending not to notice.
“Really? What are you good at?”
With this sly question, Calix’s hand touched Melty’s soft bottom. As soon as his hand made contact, Melty let out a deflated “Hieek!” sound. Finding it cute how his already round eyes widened even further, Calix laughed and leaned in closer, bending his head. Melty reflexively raised his hand to block Calix’s face as he approached as if to kiss him. At this feeble barrier, Calix deliberately kissed his fingers with an audible sound.
“Didn’t you say you’re good at everything?”
“I-I didn’t… s-say that…”
“Yes, you did.”
Melty fidgeted uncomfortably at Calix’s smiling face, rolling his eyes here and there. Pulling Melty’s bottom, which he was holding, even closer to himself and completely blocking any escape route, Calix whispered in a low voice with a smile.
“You should show me what you’re good at.”
“…Why should I show such things to Calix-ssi?”
“We’re lovers, aren’t we?”
At Calix’s brazen yet confident statement, Melty hesitated momentarily. Perhaps because his hands were wrapped around his bottom, Calix’s eyes gleamed dangerously at the adorable little furry bundle that wriggled and rubbed over his thumbs.
“‘Temporary’ lovers!”
“Even if temporary, lovers are lovers. You don’t dislike me, right?”
When Calix exaggeratedly drooped his eyes, Melty became even more flustered. Realizing that Melty had fallen for his act, Calix thoroughly maintained his facial performance while inwardly smiling. It was cute and lovable how Melty would fall so readily into traps he set, despite sometimes being so mischievous. Truly, Melty Crosel had an abundance of talent for bewitching people.
“…Was it a lie? Do you dislike it?”
“I’m not lying! It’s not that I dislike it, but, I mean… I’m still thinking about it…”
“Can’t you think about it while doing it?”
“Um…”
Watching the hesitating Melty, Calix decided to thoroughly use the weapons in his possession. Finding the exact facial angle that worked best on Melty, Calix looked at him with a pitiful expression. Naru, who had taken his usual position on Melty’s wrist and was witnessing Calix’s obvious scheming, shook his head with a disgusted expression.
Melty, who hadn’t noticed Naru’s reaction, gradually quieted his breathing. To Melty, who had recently begun to find Calix’s face handsome, his pretty-boy tactics were deadly. Melty, who had been hesitating with large twitches of his body, swallowed hard.
‘I’ve practiced before, so it should be fine, right?’
He didn’t want to hear the “octopus suction cups” comment again. Before getting started in earnest, Melty cleared his throat with “Ahem! Ahem!” Calix glanced at his perked-up ears and waited leisurely for him to be ready. The brown eyes, clearly showing signs of nervousness, eventually captured Calix’s face.
Melty’s outstretched hands clapped onto Calix’s cheeks. It was hard to tell whether this was skinship or an attack, but thinking of the reward that would follow, Calix maintained his smiling face. Pulling Calix’s face toward himself and pressing their foreheads together, Melty whispered quietly.
“I’m only doing this once.”
Admiring his expression, which still showed signs of shyness, Calix’s lips curved gently. As if saying ‘go ahead and try your best,’ Calix obediently closed his eyes. Melty, staring at Calix’s face, tightly closed his own eyes and slowly approached him.
With a soft sensation, their lips overlapped. Though Calix willingly opened his mouth, Melty’s progress stopped there. It was much better than the “octopus suction cups” time, but it was a kiss so brief it was disappointing, causing Calix to open his eyes with discontent.
“See? I did well, right?”
Seeing the brown eyes gleaming with excitement as if self-satisfied, Calix couldn’t help but burst into laughter again. While Melty blinked in confusion at Calix’s laughter, his body was suddenly laid down on the sofa. Melty belatedly understood the situation as he looked at the soft sofa touching his back and Calix’s arm blocking the side so he couldn’t escape.
“…Huh?”
Calix leisurely smiled as he firmly pressed his lips on the forehead of Melty, who was making a blank sound. At their behavior, which seemed intent on starting a beehive, Naru obediently unwound his body from Melty’s wrist and retreated to a corner. Glancing at Naru, Calix returned his gaze to Melty, who had settled beneath him.
“Wh-what are you trying to do?”
“What am I trying to do? It seems like you couldn’t learn properly from the book, so I’m going to teach you properly myself.”
“You don’t need to teach me!”
Completely ignoring Melty’s voice, which had risen in pitch, Calix met his eyes and smiled brightly.
“Now then, shall we learn diligently?”
