By Zephyria 
While eating, I tried to ask Aska about various things, but I didn’t get much out of it. Andrew also seemed to have a lot of questions for me, only asking difficult questions that were hard to answer, so the conversation didn’t flow smoothly.
In the end, the meal ended without me gaining anything.
After a brief farewell, Aska walked with Andrew towards the exit of the store, seemingly to see him off. As I went up to the second floor, I turned my head and saw Andrew speaking with a serious expression.
“Are you really going to give up? You’ve been preparing for so long. The aspects are different from the Ruins you’ve discovered so far, so there must be something unique. Why are you suddenly saying you’re not going?”
I was curious too. From what I heard, it seemed like he unilaterally called it off. Could it be because of me?
“Aska.”
Sakira called me as I stopped halfway up the stairs. I took her hand and went back up to the second floor, saying,
“I need to come up with a new name too.”
“You’re right. Do you have anything in mind?”
“If I don’t want to stand out, something common and ordinary would be good.”
The room I arrived in was neatly organized. Almost the entire wall was a window, making it great for looking outside.
“It’s getting a bit chilly as the sun starts to set. Shall I bring you some warm tea?”
“Bring some for yourselves to drink together. And call Abyss too.”
It was time to have the conversations I couldn’t have because of Andrew. I also needed to come up with a name and decide what to do in the future.
Treating the illness and minimizing the pain were the top priorities, and both were solved at once. Aska said that I needed to get treatment periodically for a full recovery, though…
Was kissing the treatment method? I have to do that heart-unhealthy thing every time?
Regardless of my preferences, there was no choice for the sake of treatment.
I felt faint for some reason and sighed, accidentally biting my tongue.
“……”
Did I make this mistake because my mind was complicated? I bit it hard, and it hurt so much that tears welled up in my eyes. I raised my hand and lightly touched the tingling tip of my tongue, and a little blood came off.
I was dumbfounded and speechless. It was a good thing I was alone; if someone had been there, I would have looked like a fool.
I clenched my mouth shut and endured the pain when I heard someone approaching. I turned my head and saw Aska, who should have been on the first floor, coming in through the window.
“What?”
Why leave the perfectly good door and come through the window…? No, how did he even get up here in the first place? There’s no balcony or anything.
I was about to ask him why he was coming that way when it happened. Aska, who had strode in without a word, raised my chin with his hand and lowered his head.
The hood was so big that my entire face went inside. My vision darkened, but I could see Aska’s face clearly.
Was it because he was always covered by the hood? It felt like I was seeing him for the first time in a long time. It was dark, and his long, flowing hair obscured my view, but it wasn’t enough to ruin the experience.
I stared at his face, which was getting closer and closer without blinking, and his eyes, which were fixed on me, and then his lips touched mine. The distance was so close that I couldn’t even see his face properly anymore.
Aska tilted his head slightly to the side and slipped his tongue into my mouth.
“……”
Why is he suddenly kissing me again? Is it for treatment? But does it have to be done so urgently? Coming in through the window and doing it without saying a word?
But the feeling was slightly different from when we first kissed. He didn’t gently lick the inside of my mouth or entangle his tongue with mine. It was as if he simply had a purpose, touching the sore spot with his tongue…
Chu…
“……?”
Chu chu. Slurp…
He started sucking on my tongue, making noises, as if a baby was sucking on a bottle. It wasn’t very strong, so it didn’t hurt, but I couldn’t help but be flustered by the unexpected action.
Every corner of my body tingled from the bizarre act I was experiencing for the first time, and I shuddered so much that I almost had a seizure. In the end, I couldn’t stand it and pushed him away forcefully. Aska fell away, and my vision cleared again.
I wanted to stick out my tongue and scratch it with my fingernails. If I hadn’t heard Abyss’s voice from behind, I might have actually done it.
“Weren’t you downstairs?”
Sakira came in after him, and I ended up missing the opportunity to ask Aska why he sucked on my tongue like a candy. Feeling strangely uncomfortable, I rubbed my lips roughly with the back of my hand before realizing something.
My tongue was tingling just a moment ago, but the pain was gone. Was I not feeling it because I was flustered? Or was the injury too minor and healed quickly? Or was it healed by kissing? Even such a trivial injury…?
“……”
I paused, thinking that far. Could it be that he knew I had hurt my tongue and kissed me? No, how?
“Would you like some candy too?”
Sakira, who was preparing the tea, asked me then. I frowned at her with suspicious eyes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Sakira asked, looking bewildered at my expression.
“Did you see?”
“Yes? See what?”
“Why candy all of a sudden?”
“It was just there…”
I realized that I was overreacting to her flustered voice. I quietly took the candy, put it in my mouth, and said,
“Now tell me who I am.”
“Before that, there’s something I need to confirm first.”
“What?”
“When you’ve forgotten everything, what does it mean if you only remember one person’s name?”
At that question, I turned my head to look at Aska.
Why does he keep wearing the hood? It’s not that I want to see his face, but it’s frustrating because I can’t see his expression. I sighed and answered,
“They were either deeply in love or mortal enemies. If it’s the last person I saw before losing my memory, they could be the culprit who made me like this.”
“I think so too.”
Abyss and Sakira’s gazes turned to Aska. They stared at him as if telling him to say something if he had anything to say. Aska asked briefly,
“So what?”
“It means there’s no guarantee that you won’t harm Kyle.”
I thought so too. I was being swayed by his face and atmosphere, but there were still many suspicious things. I couldn’t completely trust him just because I remembered his name.
“So what if there’s no guarantee? Whether you believe me or not doesn’t mean anything to me. I’m just where I need to be.”
Aska didn’t seem to have any intention of revealing his identity. Why is he keeping it such a secret? I finally asked what I had been suspicious of all along.
“Were we secretly seeing each other?”
“What?”
“You’re twenty years old now, right? Five years ago, you would have been fifteen. No matter how much of a playboy I was, I wouldn’t have openly dated a child. Is that why you’re keeping it a secret? Because it was an inappropriate relationship?”
It was an absurd assumption, but it was a highly probable answer in my mind. But Aska didn’t answer even after a long time.
I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Please take off that frustrating hood. Why are you still wearing it indoors? I can’t see your expression, so I don’t know what you’re thinking.”
“There’s someone else here.”
“What?”
“There’s someone else here.”
I repeatedly heard words I couldn’t understand. His voice was full of an indescribable annoyance.
“Can’t you take off your hood if there’s someone here?”
I asked, not knowing what he meant, but I realized it as I spoke. Come to think of it, if he had lived in this harsh world with that face, it would be understandable. It wasn’t just that he was pretty or handsome; he was so beautiful that it was worth hiding.
That being said, I was still wondering why he wasn’t revealing his identity, but further questions and answers seemed meaningless.
“Are you not going to reveal your identity even if we disappear like this?”
At Abyss’s question, Aska said fiercely,
“You can’t hide anywhere now. I’m warning you, if I see even a hint of that, I’ll kidnap you and make sure you never meet again.”
Kidnap? Is he going to kidnap me?
“The only reason I’m being polite is because I know you’re my only escort knight. Because I know it’s your job to protect Kyle.”
Was it because it was an unexpected answer? It was a thrilling moment, but my body twitched when his name came out of his mouth. It wasn’t the first time I had heard it, and he was just calling my name, but I felt like I had witnessed an embarrassing scene.
“So please don’t do anything unnecessary. I don’t want to be nagged at later when my memories come back.”
I raised my hand and groped around my chest. The beating of my heart was getting stronger and stronger.