The Greedy One
Let's rewind a few minutes. Having finally cleared my head in the cool night air, I suggested to Lilith that we head back to the academy. She countered with a simple question.
"Do we really have to go back today?"
When I just stared at her blankly, not understanding what she meant, Lilith took my hand and led me somewhere. Our destination was a high-end lodging with a sleek entrance. The staff member who looked between Lilith and me handed over a room key with a meaningful smile. My mind still wasn't working properly, so I simply followed Lilith's lead.
Once inside the room, Lilith said she would shower first and headed for the bathroom. That brings us to the present situation.
As reality slowly returned and I pieced everything together, only one conclusion made sense.
"...This?"
Is this... that kind of situation?! The realization hit me like a hammer to the head, snapping me back to full awareness. A glance at the bathroom showed light seeping through the gap in the door. The light flickered occasionally, confirming someone was inside. The sound of water wasn't just flowing—it was the dull, heavy noise of liquid hitting something and then falling in clumps.
Lilith asking if we really had to return today. The suggestive atmosphere of this lodging. And Lilith going in to shower first. No matter how I looked at it, there was only one way to interpret this.
'No, no, no, no.... She's serious?!'
I couldn't believe it. 'Lilith and me...? W-well, it's not like I... hate the idea or anything....'
A sharp tension made my legs tremble. Goosebumps covered my body and cold sweat ran down my back when—
"Arthur. Could you bring me a towel?"
"Y-yes! A towel?!"
"Yeah, there aren't any in here."
I shot to my feet and began searching the room with clumsy movements.
"Ah, here it is!"
—Whoosh
"Can you hand it over?"
"!!!!!"
The bathroom door opened and Lilith's hand reached out. Thankfully the door slid sideways, so from this angle I couldn't see inside—only the extended hand was visible. 'Calm down, heart!!' My heart pounded violently at the sight of Lilith's elegant, water-slicked hand emerging from the steam.
I approached slowly, turning my head away as I handed her the towel.
"H-here..."
"Thanks. You should get ready to shower too."
"Y-yeah!"
A short while later, Lilith emerged from the bathroom looking fresh and fluffy.
"Whew~ That feels so much better. You should hurry up and wash too."
I hesitated before stepping into the bathroom, which was still thick with steam. Within that humidity lingered a faint, sweet scent. My gaze dropped involuntarily.
".....I'm going insane, seriously."
----
After finishing my shower, I absentmindedly searched the shelf for a towel.
"Ah, she said there weren't any towels in—"
At that moment, my fingertips brushed against something. It felt rough when merely grazed, yet yielded softly when pressed.... Huh? This shouldn't be here....
"A towel?!"
It was a white, fluffy towel. Staring blankly at the towel now in my hands, I slowly raised a hand to clutch my forehead.
"I got tricked again...!"
She must have deliberately sent me to fetch it just to embarrass me.
".....I'm seriously losing it."
I quickly dried myself with the towel, threw on my clothes, and burst out of the bathroom.
"Lilith!"
I had intended to confront her, but—
"Hm?"
The moment she turned to answer, I froze.
"....Uh....."
She was wearing a nightgown trimmed with delicate lace. 'Is that what they call a negligee?' I think I'd seen the name in some book. The entirely black garment suited Lilith's pale skin perfectly. Lying half-reclined on the bed in that outfit, gazing at me, she looked like a goddess from myth. 'Well, she is a goddess, technically.'
Noticing my stare, Lilith's eyes curved gently.
"What is it~? Is something wrong?"
Her smiling eyes made me feel as though my heart had been cleansed. The urge to argue vanished completely, leaving only a rapid heartbeat in my chest. Lilith pulled back the blanket to make space and patted the spot beside her.
"Come here."
Without realizing it, I approached the bed and slipped under the covers. A rich fragrance immediately assaulted my nose. The sweet scent emptied my mind and made my vision sway dizzily. Barely regaining my senses, I stopped Lilith as she drew closer.
"Lilith, I—"
"I know."
".......What?"
She pulled my outstretched hand, pushed her pillow aside, and rested her head on my arm instead.
"A... arm pillow?!"
As I flustered, Lilith's hand rose to my cheek.
"We're family, after all."
"......"
"Right?"
Lilith had stolen my words exactly, without missing a single syllable. That was right. We were family. What kind of family would do that sort of thing? While showering, I'd agonized over it endlessly, but in the end this was the answer I'd reached.
"As long as we're family, we can't cross that line, can we?"
"No."
I took a slow breath and spoke again.
"Lilith is precious to me."
Lilith listened calmly to my sincere confession.
"As a man, I like Lilith very much, but as family, Lilith is also incredibly precious to me."
The meaning of family held great weight for me. Because I'd longed for one, I'd made that wish, and as a result we'd met. Through Lilith, I'd learned how happy it was to have someone unconditionally on my side. Therefore, I didn't want to give up this familial relationship. If we crossed that line, I feared this bond might break. I was terrified.
"Hehe, I knew you'd say that, Arthur."
Lilith accepted my opinion, which was perhaps close to nonsense—actually, it was complete nonsense.
"The towel. You knew there weren't any, but you called me anyway, didn't you?"
Even Lilith showering in the first place had been strange. She could return to perfect cleanliness in a single second if she wanted, so why bother showering? It didn't make sense. Lilith pouted and grumbled.
"I-I put in quite a bit of effort, you know. I thought maybe you'd take the bait."
"I'm sorry. I do want to, but...."
"No. I'm the one who should apologize. I must have been too impatient."
Lilith drew closer and embraced me warmly.
"I'll wait as long as it takes. When you're ready, when you want to change our relationship, just tell me. I'll accept it anytime."
What I'd said was, even to my own ears, full of selfish nonsense. Wanting both Lilith as a woman and Lilith as family—I really was incredibly greedy.
"Thank you, Lilith. For saying you'll accept even someone like me."
"No. It's because it's you."
Lilith met my eyes and smiled brightly.
"I like you."
—Thump
Ah, my resolve nearly crumbled in an instant. That smile was cheating, wasn't it?
"I like you too."
Our faces naturally drew closer, breaths intertwining.
—peck
"...We're family, though. Is kissing allowed?"
Our words and actions didn't match at all, but honestly, I had something to say about that. Smiling, I threw back the words Lilith had once said to me.
"Huh? Don't family members kiss each other without hesitation?"
Honestly, we'd already done so much that stopping here would have been impossible anyway. And to add a small excuse—
"Lilith, you didn't eat today, right?"
"....Yeah."
"Shall we do it now?"
"....You're mean."
All we did was have a meal together. Of course, the moment of draining life force was very brief compared to the long mealtime, but we tacitly agreed not to point that out.
----
Once again, the first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was a beautiful face. I'd grown so accustomed to this situation that I no longer felt surprised, but my heart still raced uncontrollably. When I spoke the command, the blackout curtains slid open, letting in just the right amount of sunlight. Gazing at Lilith's fair face sparkling in the light, I muttered.
"Come to think of it, isn't it a bit artificial that this situation keeps happening?"
No matter how much Lilith slept, it was strange that I always woke up first. I spoke as though someone might be listening.
"Sometimes it would be nice if Lilith woke me up instead...."
Lilith's breathing seemed to grow slightly uneven, but I decided it was just my imagination. When she showed no sign of waking no matter how long I waited, I sighed helplessly. It seemed the sleeping princess would only wake with a kiss.
—peck
—peck
—smooch!
Then Lilith slowly opened her eyes.
"Did you sleep well, Lilith?"
"Yeah. What about you, Arthur?"
"I did too."
"What do you want for breakfast?"
".....Anything's fine."
"Hmm... You know that's the hardest answer, right?"
"But whatever Lilith makes is delicious, so it's hard to choose."
"Pfft... Well, that's true."
—peck
Lilith's sleepy mumbling was so adorable I couldn't resist. Startled at first by my surprise attack, she soon smiled softly and responded in kind.
—peck
—peck
We spent a while rolling around in bed like that, enjoying a peaceful holiday morning.
----
Breakfast was Old One Roast for the first time in a while. ....Was it really that long? 'One day counts as a while, right?' The moment I bit into the tender flesh of an Old One, I nodded instinctively. 'Yeah. This is it!' The expensive restaurant we'd visited yesterday had been delicious in its own way, but Lilith's cooking carried a special kind of emotion.
"Is it good?"
I answered with a quick kiss on Lilith's cheek. After finishing both our meals, we stood side by side at the sink brushing our teeth. Come to think of it, Lilith probably didn't need to brush her teeth, but.... well, there was no reason not to either. 'How should I put it.... This really feels like we're a married couple....' When I glanced at Lilith, our eyes met. Unlike Lilith, who smiled brightly, I quickly turned my head away in embarrassment.
I thought back to what I'd said last night. Loving her but asking her to remain family.... What a crazy thing to say. I could only feel sorry toward Lilith for accepting it. And while reminiscing, I came up with a way—whether it counted as repayment or not—to ease my guilt.
I spat out the foam filling my mouth.
"Lilith."
"Hm?"
"Want to do some role-playing?"
".....Hm?"
Lilith gave me a confused look. With her cheeks slightly puffed and eyes wide, she looked incredibly cute. Smiling faintly at the sight, I continued.
"I'll take that as a yes."
"I love you, Lilith. Please go out with me."
—Clatter
The toothbrush in Lilith's hand fell into the sink with a loud noise.
"W-what?!"