Sonya’s Heart Melts
The most effective way to soothe an Ice Dragon—grrrk…! Without realizing it, a chill rises in my hand. My entire palm becomes encased in ice crystals. Sharp, icy claws jut from my fingertips. They’re so keen they could tear the person before me to shreds in an instant.
‘Oh no… I was actually jealous. Truly jealous.’
Jealousy had driven me toward Eros, but the sense of betrayal was just as impossible to ignore. Betrayal toward Breeder. It wasn’t as though he had cheated on me, yet the feelings I held for him were genuine. I had thought we were finally growing closer, only to feel the distance snap back in a single moment.
‘If he tries to make some shameless excuse or pretends he doesn’t know what happened…’
I might not be able to hold myself back anymore. My heart feels as if it has frozen solid. Reason numbs under the shock. A merciless cold rises from the depths of my chest.
Tap, tap, tap…!
“Um, Sonya…?”
Breeder’s voice reaches me from behind. He calls my name. Normally it would be gentle and warm, but right now it sounds stiff. He must know exactly what he’s done. If he has any shame, he’ll apologize. But a mere apology won’t be enough to calm me now.
“Y-Yes? Did you call me?”
I force myself to act nonchalant and only turn my head slightly. I still can’t bring myself to meet his eyes. If I see him standing there half-naked, the image of him tangled with Eros will flood my mind again.
“…You called me, yet you have nothing to say?”
For now, I decide to watch how he reacts. No matter how angry I am, I still like him too much to freeze him on the spot. If he truly repents and begs forgiveness, then perhaps I can forgive him—on the condition that he becomes mine.
“Sonya? Did you… see everything?”
He meets my gaze and speaks carefully, studying my expression the whole time.
“Hah? You really thought I wouldn’t have seen? And the way you said that makes it sound like you wish I hadn’t.”
I grumble without looking at him. My tone grows prickly without my permission. Of course it does—I’m genuinely disappointed in him. Instead of apologizing right away, he’s trying to gauge the situation and smooth things over.
Grind…!
Anger surges again, manifesting as frost. Sharp ice forms at my fingertips as my emotions flare.
‘To have the person I like stolen away by my closest friend and classmate…’
We weren’t officially dating, yet the sense of loss is overwhelming. Cracks spread across my frozen heart. If I can’t have him completely, I want to freeze him solid. Even that would be better than losing him.
“S-Sonya?! Could you listen to me for a moment?”
Thud…!
He grabs my shoulders and forces me to meet his eyes. Breeder’s dark gaze appears beneath my lowered stare. He even bends down so he can look straight at me.
“P-Please step back…! I don’t want to hear any excuses—!”
I try to push him away, shouting in anger—
Thump, thump, thump…!!!
The moment our eyes truly meet, my chest begins to tremble. More precisely, my once-frozen heart suddenly starts pounding as though it has begun to thaw.
“Haaah—♡”
“S-Sonya?”
I had meant to glare at him and give him one last chance to explain. Yet for some reason…
Thump! Thump! Thump!
My heart races wildly. It happens the instant our gazes lock. No matter how hard I try, I can’t tear my eyes away from Breeder’s dark pupils.
“W-What on earth…?”
The heart that had been frozen solid by anger and betrayal suddenly melts like snow.
‘W-Why am I acting like this…? I still have so many things I want to demand answers for…’
※ Affinity with target has decreased!
Sonya (Lv.350) — Absolute Trust → Favorable
Warning: If affinity drops to Hostile, further conquest becomes impossible.
Damn it. This is bad. I’ve experienced affinity drops before, but the situation makes this one far more worrying. And this is the first time it has dropped an entire stage at once. She must feel deeply betrayed.
“S-Sonya?! Could you listen to me for a moment?”
If I leave things like this, her affinity might fall even further.
Thud…!
I hurriedly grab Sonya’s shoulders and meet her eyes, leaning in close. Her sorrowful expression comes into view—pink irises glistening with unshed tears. Anger and betrayal swirl in her gaze.
“L-Let go of me…! I don’t want to listen—!”
She immediately turns her head away, refusing to look at me. She’s clearly furious. Even so, I stubbornly stay close. I have to win her heart back. This mess is my fault, after all. Besides, if I stay here any longer, I have the distinct feeling my entire body will freeze solid.
Whoosh…!
The moment I finally manage to lock eyes with her after chasing her gaze—
“Haaah—?! W-What is this?!”
Sonya lets out a sudden gasp the instant our eyes meet. At the same time—
Dragon Heart (Love Attribute) is currently active.
Dragon’s Allure has charmed the target dragon.
(Remaining Duration: 21 minutes 37 seconds)
An unexpected system message appears.
‘Dragon’s Allure? Ah, right…!’
The skill that activated while I was with Eros has now affected Sonya as well. I hadn’t expected it to still be active. Judging by the timer, less than ten minutes have passed. Eros really did finish quickly. I hadn’t even been satisfied yet.
“B-B-Breeder…?”
“Ah, Sonya? Are you all right?”
Sonya’s voice trembles violently under the charm’s influence. At least it no longer carries that icy tone from earlier. Her anger seems to have softened considerably.
“S-Sir… Breeder…?”
She repeats my name in a shaky voice.
※ Affinity with target has increased!
Sonya (Lv.350) — Favorable → Absolute Trust
‘What? It recovered immediately?’
I’m incredibly relieved. It’s all thanks to Dragon’s Allure. Not only has her tone returned to normal, her affinity has been restored as well. Who would have thought that losing control of my desires would actually help me?
“—Nngh♡”
Sonya’s shoulders tremble. She lets out a strange sound. Her gaze has already dropped downward, as though she can no longer bear to meet my eyes.
“Sonya? Anyway, I’m sorry.”
While her eyes are still wavering, I seize the chance. She doesn’t seem to have completely forgiven me yet.
“…At first, I only wanted to return Eros’s Dragon Heart. But then it—”
“T-That’s enough…!”
“Hm? Sonya…?”
She suddenly cuts me off. Her gaze remains fixed on the floor.
“That’s enough now. More importantly, Sir…? I have a question…!”
“A question? All of a sudden?”
“I-It’s just that…”
She changes the subject abruptly and struggles to continue. Her head is still lowered, but her face is flushed bright red. Whatever she wants to say, she’s clearly hesitating.
“Why have you been acting strange since earlier? Your whole body is shaking…”
Even though Dragon’s Allure has restored her affinity, she continues to tremble. She keeps avoiding my eyes, yet I no longer sense any anger. She simply looks unsure how to voice what’s on her mind. If that isn’t it, then…
“Are you cold, perhaps?”
Swish…!
I pick up the blanket we had been rolling around on and drape it over her shoulders. Then I realize how ridiculous the idea is—an Ice Dragon feeling cold?
“T-That’s not it…! I-It’s just…”
“Hm?”
“Do all human males… have such a large tail like a dragon…?”
“What? A tail?”
Still staring downward, Sonya finally forces the words out. Following her fixed gaze, I realize—
—it’s pointed directly at my lower body.
Thump!
And there, just as she described, a “tail” is standing upright. My body part is protruding in the opposite direction. Only now do I remember we’re both still completely naked. Even without any lighting, a dragon’s eyes, adjusted to darkness, would see everything clearly.
“Cough…? That’s not a tail, it’s—”
Grab!
Before I can finish my flustered explanation, Sonya takes my hand. Her touch is soft now that the icy chill has vanished.
“Sir…? You said you wanted to apologize earlier, didn’t you?”
“Yes? Well, I did, but…”
“I-In that case, as an apology…”
“…As an apology?”
Gulp!
I swallow dryly at the sudden tension. Surely she doesn’t mean what I think she means…
“W-Would you… hold me the same way you held Eros—?!”
“……?!”
“If you do, I’ll pretend none of what just happened ever occurred……!”
Squeeze…!
She makes the rather outrageous request while gripping my hand even tighter, as if begging me not to refuse. Warmth radiates from her palm—far warmer than I ever expected from the Ice Dragon.
“S-Sonya…? What are you saying all of a sudden?”
“I’m different from Eros—! So……!”
Whoosh…!
After trailing off once more, Sonya finally lifts her head and looks straight at me.
“…Please hold me!”
Her eyes, now meeting mine properly for the first time, burn with an intense emotion that no Ice Dragon should possess.