“!”
Ketron jerked his head up.
He heard Eddie’s heartbeat, which he had been focusing on since entering the library, suddenly grow louder. It was pounding heavily, as if startled by something—thump, thump, thum.
Without hesitation, Ketron tossed aside the book he was holding and walked toward the bookshelf where Eddie was.
Eddie was standing dazed between the bookshelves, holding a book.
Ketron could hear his heart beating violently, thump, thump, thump—as if he had received some kind of shock.
Ketron knew what he needed to do.
Without hesitation, he pulled Eddie into his arms. Although Eddie was quite tall with a decent build, he fit comfortably within Ketron’s broad embrace, natural for a born swordsman.
“…!”
Eddie struggled briefly, perhaps surprised at being suddenly pulled into an embrace, but upon realizing it was Ketron, he relaxed.
“Eddie, what happened?”
From a distance, only Ketron would have heard it, but being this close, the pounding heartbeat was clamorous. The silence of the library made the sound of the heartbeat even more audible.
After staying silent in Ketron’s arms for a while, Eddie called out to him in a cracked voice.
“…Ket.”
“Yes.”
“Was the history section this packed before too?”
Ketron raised his head slightly. Eddie was standing between the bookshelves labeled history.
Asking if it had been this full before? Ketron tilted his head in confusion.
“Yes. It’s history, after all.”
Books about imperial history, continental history, and various local myths and legends—of course the history corner would be packed full of books. That was standard.
Both earlier and now.
“I see.”
The voice that responded lacked strength. It sounded so exhausted that Ketron’s gaze filled with bewilderment.
He could see the back of Eddie’s neck soaked in cold sweat. And his body trembling slightly, despite being in Ketron’s embrace.
Eddie gently pulled away from Ketron. Was he leaving the embrace? Ketron, somewhat displeased by this, had made a sulky face, but when Eddie faced him and then nestled back into his arms, Ketron momentarily failed to maintain his composure.
This was unexpected.
Of course, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. Ketron gently embraced the person who had returned to his arms, now facing him.
He could feel the trembling body gradually finding stability in his embrace.
For a moment, the image of Eddie that Ketron had recalled in the bathroom before, the one he had even climaxed to, flashed in his mind, but he quickly tried to erase such thoughts.
…The reason he thought of Eddie in that moment was because the crying face he had just seen had left a strong impression in his mind. Otherwise, why would he involve this person in satisfying his vulgar desires? Especially recalling such thoughts at a moment like this.
Ketron consciously pushed those thoughts away. Fortunately, being concerned about the person in his arms made pushing away such thoughts not too difficult. He stroked the silver hair that was nestling against his chest. The feeling of the fine hair scattering between his fingers was pleasant.
…This way, you’re more like a cat.
The desperately clinging body was quite pleasing. Ketron didn’t know why.
Ketron didn’t bother asking Eddie why he was acting this way.
This man seemed solid but was sometimes endlessly unstable. He appeared to be a dependable adult but could be as unstable as a child left by the water’s edge. Ketron now knew this too.
“Ahem, ahem.”
The sound of someone clearing their throat was heard. Looking to the side, people in the library were subtly directing their gazes at the two. It was the librarian who had made the throat-clearing sound.
Not a good place for this. Ketron clicked his tongue and spoke.
“…Shall we go back?”
Going back. Expressing it as if returning to that inn was natural felt somewhat unfamiliar to him, but it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.
Nod, nod. Eddie nodded with his head still buried in Ketron’s chest.
Thinking that the sensation of the softly swaying hair brushing against him wasn’t bad, Ketron gently stroked Eddie’s back, then carefully took his hand and pulled him along.
* * *
After returning from their outing, Eddie lay on his bed in his room, groaning. Nothing particular hurt, but his mind was a mess.
Maybe I shouldn’t have gone to the library after all.
He eventually thought this. I should never have gone.
Perhaps it would have been better not to know. Such things.
Like suddenly realizing this world was inside a novel.
Haah, Eddie sighed.
Eddie occasionally had such thoughts.
Maybe this world wasn’t a novel but merely another world modeled after the contents of a novel. Surely he hadn’t just plopped into a book like the protagonists of some animation.
No. Maybe that was it.
He knew nothing about this possession, and having fantastically possessed a fantasy novel, nothing that happened could be considered strange.
Lying face down with his nose buried in the pillow, Eddie exhaled “haaa.” He knew it would be best to forget about it quickly, but that wasn’t easy to do.
When Eddie sighed for what felt like the hundredth time, there was a knock at the door.
“Yes, come in.”
Eddie had assumed it would be Gerold, but after a moment of silence when the door opened, he had to widen his eyes in surprise at the unexpected visitor.
“Ket?”
It was Ketron. Looking as if he himself hadn’t expected to formally enter Eddie’s room like this, Ketron peeked his head in hesitantly and subtly examined Eddie’s expression.
He really looked like a cat.
Ketron didn’t say anything in particular. But even though Eddie wasn’t the most perceptive person, he couldn’t miss why Ketron had come.
He’s worried about me.
Throughout their library visit, Eddie’s expression hadn’t been particularly bright, and since returning, he had been holed up in his room. With his good hearing, Ketron might have heard all the sighing too.
Maybe I made him worry.
“Ket, come here.”
Eddie invited Ketron, who wasn’t moving from the doorway. As if he had been waiting for those words, Ketron immediately closed the door and came inside.
Perhaps because Eddie’s room had an overall bright tone, Ketron’s all-black appearance from head to toe stood out starkly.
Though he had come in, Ketron stood by the door like someone shy, making no effort to come closer.
“I said come here.”
Only after Eddie repeated himself did Ketron slowly approach Eddie’s bed.
Looking up from his lying position, Eddie freshly realized just how large Ketron was in various ways.
Hmm, it might be barely possible.
Eddie moved closer to the window and patted the space beside him.
Ketron made a troubled face, clearly understanding what the gesture meant. Despite having been rejected once before, Eddie smiled. As if he knew Ketron wouldn’t refuse this time.
Eddie was lying on a bed that was adequately spacious for one adult male. They would have to squeeze together, but it wasn’t so small that two people couldn’t lie down at once.
But Ketron stood his ground, not moving.
Finally, Eddie used his special move.
“I’m feeling down.”
It was true that he was a bit depressed with all his thoughts, but an undeniable smile played on his face as he said those words.
“……”
“Hmm?”
Eddie had stretched out his legs to show there was space to stretch out. To Eddie, this was definitely enough space.
Ketron didn’t know how to win against Eddie.
Ketron looked at Eddie’s confident face, sighed softly, then approached Eddie’s side. Eddie happily grabbed the sturdy waist before him.
If Ketron was determined, he could have stood immovable despite Eddie’s efforts. But he easily yielded to Eddie’s pulling force.
Ketron hesitated briefly at the lack of space, but eventually moved slowly to settle beside Eddie and lay down.
“Phew.”
Having finally taken his place beside Eddie, Ketron let out a small sigh.
It was uncomfortable. The beds at Eddie’s inn were generally spacious, but for Ketron they were a bit tight even when used alone. Naturally, it was cramped with Eddie there too.
Of course, the physical discomfort was separate from any discomfort with the person sharing the bed.
No, was it a bit uncomfortable?
Ketron felt his heart beating faster than usual for some reason. He didn’t know why.
As for Eddie, his situation was much better than Ketron’s. Although their bodies were pressed tightly together, it wasn’t particularly uncomfortable.
Rather, with one side of the bed sinking deeply, his back against the wall, and Ketron’s body covering the front, it felt like being in a secure nest, which wasn’t unpleasant at all.
Eddie wiggled around to rest his head comfortably against Ketron’s chest.
For a while, they both remained still. The difference was that Eddie felt at ease, while Ketron’s entire body was rigid with tension. Nevertheless, it was a peaceful time in its own way.