How to Subdue an Arrogant Hatchling
“Come on, kiss me as passionately as you love me. Hurry, before Sonya gets back—♥” Eros suddenly presses her lips toward me, her eyes squeezed shut in a shy gesture. Yet her mouth runs nonstop with bold words. She clings to me without hesitation, demanding a kiss while her soft chest presses against my abdomen, sending a warm, ticklish sensation through my body.
‘What the hell is this girl doing?’ Her behavior feels completely alien. She’s always been willful, but she used to get embarrassed. Even when she acted mischievous or rough, she still seemed like a shy girl. Now it’s as if I’m facing an entirely different student—one who boldly demands a deep kiss from me.
“Um, Eros? What exactly are you—?”
“Huh? What do you mean? Didn’t you hear me? I said kiss me—♡ Hurry up?”
“Aha.” Now I get it. Eros must have done something to the danggo fruit. I’m not sure what exactly, but that’s why the system message appeared earlier and my Dragon Heart purified it.
“……”
“Huh? Why no reaction—Hah?! W-what?! Teacher, don’t tell me—?!”
When I simply stare at her without responding, Eros pulls back slightly, looking flustered. She seems to have realized something is wrong—that her trick didn’t work on me.
I roughly understand now why the system message mentioned “mental interference.” ‘As expected of a Love Dragon, she has the ability to charm people—’
“So Teacher really is a virgin?!”
“?????”
While I’m still piecing things together, Eros suddenly points at me and shouts. ‘Virgin? What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that now?’
“Once someone falls under my allure, they’re supposed to beg and plead for my love… But you don’t even know what a kiss is? You can only react like that if you’re a virgin!”
“Wait, what kind of logic—?”
“Kukuk—♡ Don’t make excuses, Teacher. In the end, you’re just pathetic in front of a woman, right?”
Eros really lives up to the nickname “Zero s.” This isn’t about lacking perception—it’s blind confidence in her own ability. Or maybe she’s just… simple-minded?
“…Still a virgin at your age~♡ Well, that’s actually kind of endearing. It means I’ll be your first woman♥”
I’m too stunned to speak. Eros keeps twisting everything to suit her own narrative.
“Heh…” A hollow laugh escapes me at the sheer absurdity.
“I figured you’d be useless except for that pretty face, but this is even worse than I expected. So you really were a virgin—♡ Does that mean Lady Eros has to teach you everything from start to finish~?”
—Grin grin♥ Eros keeps teasing without pause, circling around me while chattering in that infuriatingly smug tone. After everything that happened with Sofia yesterday, hearing her call me a virgin is beyond ridiculous.
“Haha… Eros, how about we stop the jokes now—”
“Fine! Let’s call the jokes here! As the Love Dragon Eros, I shall personally instruct you on the passionate ways men and women express affection!”
“???”
“Don’t make that dumb face—be honored instead!”
Good grief. She has zero awareness. She still thinks I’m under her charm? Is she pure, or just hopelessly naive? Her sheer confidence makes me hesitate to even correct her.
“Alright! Let’s pick up where we left off!”
“Huh? Where we left—?”
“‘Huh?’ is not an answer! Stop acting clueless…!”
—Slide, squeeze…! Still interpreting everything her own way, Eros suddenly presses close again. Before I can react, she leans in once more. My body remains frozen in disbelief. No matter how much I explain, she won’t listen.
She assumes the same posture as before, but this time her purple eyes stay open, boldly meeting mine.
“Ahem…! I-I’ll start by teaching you what a kiss is… S-so first, turn your head this way…!”
“No, I really think there’s a huge misunderstanding here.”
“Don’t laugh, Teacher…! D-don’t be shy and just—!”
Her face grows bright red, completely at odds with her bold words.
“T-this kind of chance doesn’t come often, you know?! Do you have any idea how hard it is for a Love Dragon to bestow love upon a human!?”
Look at that—she’s already stuttering. I can’t let this continue. If I stay like this, our lips might actually meet.
‘I need to push her away and explain properly…’
As I try to lean back, her arms tighten around my waist like a vice.
“Kuhk…?!”
Her hands may be small, but they’re ridiculously strong. No matter how much I struggle, I can’t break free.
“E-Eros? I think you’re misunderstanding something…! I’m completely fine right now! So let go—!”
“Mmmh……♥”
“A-are you even listening anymore?!”
It’s no use. Eros keeps pushing her lips forward, ignoring everything I say.
—Twitch! She even stands on tiptoe, flapping her long ears like wings as she lunges straight for my mouth.
—Thud! The danggo tree stands firmly behind my back. ‘At this rate, I can’t retreat any farther. What am I supposed to do…?’
Instinctively, I tilt my head back to avoid her. This could have been a good chance to form a contract, but pretending to be charmed by her doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t have the confidence to keep up the act, and I can’t even imagine what Sofia and Derke would do if they found out. I don’t have the energy to deal with that kind of fallout either.
“Wait, stop! I-I have something to say…!!!”
I shout while desperately dodging her advance.
“Don’t be shy—just give me your lips……♥”
But Eros remains relentless, her face flushed as she slowly closes in. Just as her lips are about to touch mine—
‘Ah, that’s right! Sonya did something like this earlier…?!’
A fragmented memory flashes through my mind.
—Grab! Recalling how Sonya had subdued Eros, I seize both of the horns sprouting from her head with both hands, stopping her charge like a desperate matador.
Then, surprisingly—
“Hgyaaaaah—♥?!”
She lets out an enormous moan. The effect of grabbing her horns is overwhelming. Just holding them makes her voice tremble as if she’s losing her breath.
—Flop! Her entire body suddenly goes limp.
“Hauuuu…♥”
Despite having been clinging to me so tightly moments ago.
“…D-don’t touch the horns♡ It’s unfair to go for such a sensitive spot before even kissing……♡!”
So horns really are a sensitive area. Her reaction earlier had been pretty intense too. It wasn’t just Sonya’s special touch—apparently, any part of a dragon that hasn’t fully humanized is a weak point.
—Rub, stroke…! To test the theory, I gently run my thumbs along her smooth horns.
“Heuuk—?! I-if you touch them so gently like that…♡ I-I won’t be able to resist……?♥”
—Tremble tremble♥ Just as expected, Eros shudders with every stroke, her voice turning sticky. Her half-melted face presses fully against me now.
This might be another dragon weakness besides their reverse scale. To think I could subdue the willful Eros so easily.
‘Alright, once I calm her down, I need to head back to the outpost…’
Just as I’m steadying myself to return quickly—
—Flap! Flap…!
“Haaah…! B-Breeder Teacher?!?!”
“Huh? That voice……”
“I heard Eros screaming and came running… W-what exactly are you two doing right now?!”
Turning around at the familiar voice, I see Sonya standing there with her pink wings spread. She must have finished her report and come looking for us.
‘Hah, if even Sonya misunderstands, this is going to be a huge headache……?’
“Aah? I can feel it! Breeder’s warmth……!” Sofia murmurs while looking around the lounge in the old dormitory building.
“Is that really true, Senior?!”
“Where is Breeder Oppa right now—desyong?!”
—Clink…! She falls silent for a moment at her juniors’ questions, gently touching an empty plate that still carries Breeder’s lingering presence—the very dish that had held stir-fried sausage and vegetables just moments ago.
“He hasn’t been gone from here for long…! I was worried because of that pit we saw at the first outpost, but it looks like he moved on to the next one without any trouble.”
“Then we should hurry and move too—eiyap!”
“Right! He’s probably already reached the outpost near my personal training grounds by now!”
“Alright, Raylin? I’ll be counting on you to guide us again this time.”
“Yes! Let’s move right away!”