Petting
“…Mm.”
More than when I stroked her head, it really did feel like I was petting a cat.
My outstretched hand met Cecilia’s soft skin.
From barely a handspan away, she looked up at me and let out a warm, expectant sigh.
“…Hyaah♥”
The moment my hand moved, a sweet voice spilled from those soft pink lips.
I glanced at the tail wriggling behind her back, then kept moving my hand even more slowly and gently than before.
“Mm, hoo…”
A trembling quiver transmitted through our pressed-together bodies.
I wrapped my free arm around her waist so she wouldn’t fall as the strength left her legs — but…
This was, uh…
The closeness was a bit, well…
“…Hueh?”
Cecilia, who had been looking up at me, suddenly tilted her head.
My expression must have looked a little strange… probably.
“How about we, uh… change positions for a bit?”
The soft pressure against my stomach snapped my reason back into place.
I gently released the arm around her waist and patted her shoulders.
“Let’s keep going while sitting down.”
If we stayed like this, my self-control would collapse halfway through.
Belatedly realizing how close my reason had come to melting away, I broke into a cold sweat inwardly as I spoke.
Yeah, this wasn’t good. Not at all.
I hadn’t even told Cecilia to “take care of her body” that long ago.
If I lost my composure while petting her, I’d have no face left to show.
As much as I liked her, respect was necessary.
Well, living together meant some contact was inevitable.
…Still, if possible, I’d prefer a little less contact with her chest, at least.
……Because they were big.
Not that I disliked it, of course — but keeping my composure every time they pressed against me was genuinely hard.
“Up we go.”
“Mm.”
I sat Cecilia down at the edge of the soft bed.
She still seemed weak, swaying a little, then looked down at her own body and broke into a silly grin.
“Ehehe. What a weird feeling…♪”
“What kind of feeling?”
“Well, I can’t put any strength into my body. And, mm, how do I put it…? It tickles?”
No strength and a ticklish feeling.
That was certainly strange. It was just the skin under her chin.
Still, if it was the Reverse Scale, I knew it was a dragon’s vital point, so the sensitivity made sense…
“…I’ve gotten used to fantasy without even realizing it.”
“Hmm? What was that?”
Cecilia perked up at my absentminded mutter.
I wondered how to explain it, then figured framing it around our situation would work well.
“Just… being together feels natural now.”
Huh, the nuance shifted a bit there.
“♪”
But she looked happy, so that was fine.
Smiling with delight, Cecilia nuzzled her head against my legs as I stood in front of her.
I happened to be wearing shorts, so the ticklish sensation of her hair made a laugh slip out unbidden.
“Mm, hehe. …So soft, Cecilia.”
“Really? Do you like it?”
“Very much.”
“Hihi♪”
At my honest words, Cecilia lifted her head again.
Then she pressed her cheek firmly against my knee and beamed up at me with a cute smile.
“Mm. Eunhyuk is soft too♪”
“I don’t grow much body hair. It’s a little embarrassing.”
“But I like it, you know?”
“…It’s a little embarrassing.”
I reached out and gently stroked Cecilia’s silver-white hair.
As my hand moved in soft pats, she closed her eyes languidly.
Then she began letting out happy little breaths that were almost like humming.
“—♪ …—♬”
Looking at her like this, she seemed closer to a fairy than a dragon.
With that thought, I leisurely enjoyed the feel of Cecilia’s hair.
“By the way, Cecilia.”
“Mm?”
Something suddenly occurred to me, so I spoke up.
Cecilia cracked her eyelids open and looked up at me.
“That thing earlier — the coat aegyo. Was that your own idea?”
“Ah. That.”
Cecilia dipped her head a little, looking bashful.
After a moment’s wait, a somewhat quieter voice spilled from her lips.
“…There’s a girl in my class named Ella.”
“Ella?”
“Yeah. She’s a succubus, and…”
At what followed, I raised an eyebrow slightly.
Succubus Ella?
…The one I met this morning?
“She said there was something she wanted to try and asked if I’d help.”
“Ah~…”
“She wanted me to try that thing on a guy nearby, and… tell her about the reaction. Yeah. She asked me to report back on the reaction.”
Still resting her head against my leg, she finished speaking.
I nodded.
I had a pretty good idea of what that meant.
So that succubus had been fanning the flames from both sides.
I didn’t know her intentions, but well.
“Mm.”
…The results were good, so I’d call it fine.
It was cute, too.
Cecilia gently pressed her ear into my hand and let out a soft, adorable sound.
I was smiling quietly at the sight when she suddenly whipped her head up.
“Sooo?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“When’s the chin?”
I couldn’t help a wry laugh at what came next.
I lowered myself a little to match Cecilia’s eye level.
Looking at her from the same height, I gently slipped my hand under her chin.
“Ah♥”
As if she’d been waiting for it, Cecilia lifted her chin.
The way she looked at me with sparkling eyes carried a kind of endearing eagerness that was hard to put into words.
“Mm♥”
I began moving my hand gently, as if petting a small cat.
Her tail bouncing, her ears twitching.
I found every reaction adorable, but was careful not to stroke too hard.
“Ehehe. Here, mm, it feels so weird…”
“Is your chin normally sensitive?”
“No? I only found out today too. …Mm♪”
I nodded, puzzled by Cecilia’s words.
So that meant Ella knew about a beastkin trait that even the beastkin herself didn’t know?
I let out a slightly dry laugh, torn between gratitude and disbelief.
“Mm, don’t get distracted…”
“Oh.”
“…Look only at me right now?”
At Cecilia’s next words, I flinched.
…How did she notice?
“Ah. Mm, ehehe♪”
But she was right.
I should focus on Cecilia right now.
I gently placed my free hand on her cheek.
As I stroked it, she happily layered her own hand over mine.
“It’s warm…♪”
Cecilia’s cheek was just as warm.
Heat radiated from her flushed face, and the hand she’d placed over the back of mine was wonderfully warm too.
“Mm.”
Suddenly, this seemed like a good opportunity.
Scratching under her chin and stroking her cheek, I studied her face from the same eye level.
The first thing that caught my eye was those clear sky-blue irises.
I always thought it, but they really were like jewels.
Her eyes, gleaming beautifully in the lamplight, soon dropped downward along with her reddened cheeks.
My gaze must have embarrassed her.
I was a little embarrassed too, but…
…Wondering when I’d next get a chance to look this closely at the face of someone I loved, I pushed down the shyness and kept studying her.
I noticed her eyelashes were surprisingly long.
Her eyes curved softly into a charming cat-like shape, and her skin was flawlessly clear.
Her lips were small.
Cecilia’s skin had an overall pale pinkish tone.
In the same way, her lips held a youthful peach color and shone moistly.
I felt the urge to touch those soft-looking lips just once, but…
“A-aren’t you looking too much, Eunhyuk…?”
Apparently that was as far as she’d go.
I could see Cecilia pouting with a flushed face.
From her expression, I could tell she wasn’t sulking — she was just embarrassed.
“Sorry, sorry. You’re nice to look at.”
With the hand that had been stroking her cheek, I gave her head a couple of gentle pats.
“Mm…” was all Cecilia said before I withdrew my hands from her.
“…Alright! Shall we make dinner?”
“Huh? Sounds good, but already?”
“I haven’t gone grocery shopping. I was thinking of picking up some vegetables and a few other things. Want to come with me?”
“Yeah!”
Her unhesitating answer made me smile warmly again.
I stroked her head one more time, then pulled two coats from the wardrobe and handed one to Cecilia.
“What’s on the menu tonight?”
“It’s starting to get cold, so shabu-shabu today.”
“Shabu-shabu?”
“It’s similar to that hot pot we had last time.”
I set my coat aside for now and looked for outerwear first.
Long pants and a top.
What I was wearing now was indoor clothes that doubled as underlayers, so putting things over them was fine.
“Any vegetables you don’t like?”
“Mm… not really? I eat everything.”
“Got it.”
I smiled contentedly as I put on my coat.
I put on my shoes and opened the door.
Just as I was about to step outside—
“Today was fun.”
Something soft and warm squeezed my hand tightly.
Looking beside me, Cecilia beamed at me with a bashful smile.
“Shall we go?”
“…Yeah.”
What a clingy little catgirl.
Feeling the soft touch of her hand, I slowly walked out onto the path.