Roleplay and Promises
"Li-Lilith? Just a second... Uup?!"
Lilith climbed on top of me and sealed my mouth with her soft lips.
"Chuuup.... Chup... Churup..."
The kiss that followed was nothing like the ones she had given me before. When she fed, Lilith usually avoided using her tongue. She would occasionally slip it in, but she always seemed to hold back. Even during real kisses, she had shown some restraint. But now...
"Hnn... Chururup... Chup... Haa... Chup..."
She wasn't content with just licking every corner of my mouth—her saliva was flooding in as well. The scorching kiss felt like she was trying to devour me whole, leaving my head spinning.
"Lil... ith... Just... a moment..."
The kiss continued without giving me a chance to breathe. Her saliva and breath poured in, so hot and sweet that I found myself unconsciously responding to her movements.
-Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
"Guest... master key... Is something wrong... Please respond..."
I thought I heard the staff member's voice from outside, but none of it mattered. All my attention was focused on Lilith.
Just as Lilith clung to me, pouring out her emotions—
-Bang!
"Guest! Is everything alri—"
The door burst open and the staff member stepped inside. Their eyes widened at the sight of us tangled together.
"Chuuup!"
Lilith sucked hard on my tongue once before breaking the kiss and lifting her head to face them.
"...What?"
"W-well, your food is ready, but you didn't answer, so I thought something might have happened..."
"Leave it and go."
"Pardon?"
"I said leave it and go."
"Y-yes, ma'am! Enjoy your time together!!"
-Thud!
The staff member set down the plate of desserts and scurried out, slamming the door behind them. Lilith glared at the closed door for a moment before turning back to me. Her eyes glowed a vivid crimson.
"Sorry about the interruption."
"Lilith."
"No. I don't want to hear it."
"You don't even know what I'm going to say."
"It's obvious. You're going to tell me to stop."
"...Lilith."
"I said no."
I tried to push her back with my hands, but—
-Thud. Thud.
"...What are you doing?"
Her hair had wrapped around my wrists and pinned them to the floor.
"You said you'd wait as long as it took."
"I changed my mind. Now that we're lovers, I don't want to give you up."
"I'm not asking you to give up. I'm just asking for a little time."
"...How long?"
For a moment, I was at a loss for words. I had vaguely thought that if I just took some time, I could sort out my feelings. But looking back, that was nothing more than mental escapism—it solved nothing.
"Just a little—"
"Exactly how long?"
The time it would take for me to like Lilith not as family, but purely as a romantic partner.
"...One year."
"Too long."
"Lilith..."
"I can't wait anymore. Every single day—every second I'm with you—my feelings keep growing. How am I supposed to endure that...?"
I was speechless for the second time. I had assumed our feelings for each other were the same. But Lilith's feelings ran much deeper. To an Outer God who lived for eternity, a single day was smaller than a grain of sand—truly insignificant. Yet Lilith said she could feel her heart swelling with every passing second. From her perspective, that growth must have felt impossibly fast.
While such intensity could have felt burdensome, I found myself thinking that Lilith was...
"Thank you, Lilith. For loving someone as insignificant as me so much."
It was embarrassing, but not burdensome. Despite having no mana, no money, no family name—nothing—she had thrown her heart at me anyway.
How could I not like her after this...?
"One month."
"...Two days."
That was way too short... At my incredulous look, Lilith's lips twitched.
"...Three days?"
Was she actually reading my expression right now? Even while pinning me down like this? Seriously, how could she be this cute?
"One week. I'll sort out my feelings before this time next week."
"...You promise?"
"Yes."
"Swear it."
"I promise—"
"Pinky swear."
...What? How old did she think I was? A pinky promise? Lilith seemed completely serious. She held her little finger up in front of my face. Her hair released one of my hands. With a faint smile, I hooked my pinky around hers.
"I promise."
"Now stamp it."
I naturally raised my thumb, but Lilith's thumb was lowered. When I looked at her questioningly—
"The stamp is with your lips."
"...You're serious?"
"It's the least I can do to endure for a week."
So this was her insurance. Every single thing she did was adorable.
"What about the desserts?"
"...I'll store them in my pocket dimension and take them with us."
"...One week. Please hold on until then."
"Okay. I'll try to go back to being the usual Lilith."
"And release this hand too, please."
"Okay."
Once both hands were free, I rotated my sore wrists. Then I wrapped my arms around the back of Lilith's neck. She relaxed her supporting arms, naturally settling on top of me once more.
"...Am I heavy?"
She was. Honestly, with a figure like hers, it would be shameless to expect her to weigh any less.
"Not at all."
Actually, the weight made Lilith's warmth feel even more real. The warmth enveloping my entire body lifted my mood. And because we were pressed so close, I could hear her heartbeat again. Our two hearts beat in near-perfect sync, both racing at a rapid tempo.
Before the staff member had rung the bell, that heated atmosphere had returned, and Lilith's lips drew near. Then suddenly—
"...Lilith. We're just kissing, right...?"
"......"
"Lilith...?"
"...I'll try."
What did she mean by—
"Chuuup!"
----
After leaving the room, we descended to the first floor.
"Welcome back~ Did you enjoy your time?"
The staff member alternated glances between us with a knowing smile. It was the same one who had entered our room earlier.
"Um... I'm sorry about that."
"No, I'm the one who should apologize for not reading the mood."
"Ahem..."
"Hehe. By the way, do you know what can overcome sweet love?"
Overcome sweet love? While I was pondering, the staff member continued.
"The answer is love as hot as fire—hot enough to melt sweet, chocolate-like love!"
God, I couldn't even lift my head from embarrassment.
"Come again~!"
After paying, we stepped out onto the street and couldn't look at each other for a while. I kept stealing glances at Lilith, and at some point our eyes met. Since avoiding each other's gaze felt awkward, we simply stared at one another for a moment.
"...Lilith. You have hair in your mouth."
"Ah... You have marks around your lips too."
Just as we were awkwardly trying to fix ourselves—
-Grrroooowl
Come to think of it, we hadn't eaten the desserts and had just stored them away. Which meant I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.
"...Hungry?"
"...Yes."
Eating the food Lilith made inevitably meant being alone together, and right now... I was too embarrassed to face her directly.
"How about that place over there?"
"...Sounds good."
For the same reason, we deliberately chose a crowded restaurant. The meal ended quickly. I barely tasted anything, practically inhaling the food. We finished earlier than expected and decided to head back to the academy. Honestly... there wasn't much else to do here anyway.
On the way back, a cafe caught my eye.
"Thirsty?"
"Aren't you thirsty?"
We spoke at the same time. We stared at each other blankly.
"Pfft..."
"Heh..."
We burst out laughing simultaneously. In the now lighter atmosphere, I pulled Lilith's hand—the one I'd been holding since leaving Sweet Love—and linked our arms again.
"...Arthur?"
"...It's still today. The day hasn't ended yet."
The roleplay period was supposed to last until today. And today wasn't over.
"What would you like to drink?"
"Um... I haven't had much coffee before..."
I didn't drink it often either, but Lilith rarely ate regular food while sweets and desserts were no problem for her.
"Then let's get a sweet latte. Hot? Or iced?"
"...Hot."
Order received. In that case, for me...
I approached the counter and placed our order with the staff member.
"One hot latte and one iced americano... with two extra shots."
The staff member gave me a puzzled look.
"Iced? In this weather?"
It was a bit chilly, but...
"Yes, I want to cool down a bit."
"Ah, then I'll have mine iced too."
Lilith chimed in from beside me.
"...One iced latte and one iced americano with two extra shots."
The staff member tilted their head but quickly prepared the drinks.
"Here you go."
"Thank you."
I took a sip of my coffee. The bitter aroma filled my mouth. The two extra shots had definitely been worth it. My mind felt clearer. The cold temperature was perfect for cooling my heated body. Lilith seemed satisfied too, happily sucking on her straw. Her cheeks puffing in and out with each sip were incredibly cute.
"Can I try yours?"
"Go ahead."
I took a sip of the coffee Lilith offered.
"It's nice and sweet."
"...I'm not even surprised anymore."
"Huh? About what?"
Lilith pointed at the straw.
"Indirect kiss."
Ah...
"...Honestly, I've already gone past the point of being surprised by something like that."
"Fair enough. Can I try yours too?"
When I offered my coffee, Lilith sucked on the straw the same way. Then her delicate brows furrowed.
"Ugh... Bitter!"
"It is. It's already a bitter americano, and I added two extra shots."
I'd ordered it extra bitter on purpose, like a stimulant. Lilith kept sucking on her own coffee, trying to cleanse her palate.
When we reached the academy's main gate, Lilith pulled on my arm to stop me.
"What's wrong?"
"...As your lover, can I ask for just one thing?"
Why was she acting like this again...
"Lilith. You said you'd hold back..."
"Just this once..."
...How could I refuse when she was looking at me with those sparkling eyes?
"...What is it?"
Suddenly, Lilith started unbuttoning her uniform. I panicked and grabbed her wrists.
"W-what are you doing?!"
"Don't worry. No one else can see us right now."
I looked around and confirmed that passersby weren't glancing our way. Lilith unbuttoned nearly half her uniform and pulled her top aside slightly. Her pale skin glowed milky white in the sunlight. Her collarbones—ones that could captivate any man's gaze—were exposed.
"...Suck on it."
"......What?"
"A kiss mark..."
...What was she saying right now?! Lilith blushed under my horrified stare.
"Stamp it for me."
"...I already stamped it with my lips."
"It's not enough. I need to see it to feel reassured."
I quickly scanned our surroundings.
"...This really won't be visible to others, right?"
"Yeah. Don't worry."
"Haa..."
Letting out a deep sigh, I hesitantly pulled Lilith into a tight embrace. Naturally burying my face in her neck, I slowly lowered my head until my lips met her collarbone.
"Chuuup... Chup... Chuuup..."
"Hnn!"
This was insane. It wasn't even an important spot, so why did this feel so erotic?
"Chup... Chup... Haa..."
When I pulled away, it had swollen red.
"Does it hurt?"
"...No. Thank you."
Please don't thank me for something like this...
Just as I was about to pull away—
"...Should I do it for you too?"
"What?"
"A kiss mark..."
"......"
I thought about it for a moment, but... the answer was obvious.
"...As long as it won't show..."
"Okay, I'll do it on your collarbone too."
I loosened my tie and pulled down my shirt, exposing my collarbone slightly. Lilith buried her face near my neck the same way and slowly descended toward my collarbone. Then—
"Chuuup..."
"Ugh...!"
"Chup... Chuuup... Chup..."
It felt stranger than I'd expected. The soft lips felt good, but the suction was somewhat unpleasant. When Lilith pulled away, she buried her face against my neck.
"Did it hurt?"
"...No. It just feels... strange."
We continued the embrace for a while before slightly pulling apart. Our bodies overlapped again, but this time our lips met. The sweet scent of the latte we'd drunk earlier mixed with Lilith's natural fragrance, creating a pleasant aroma. After a moment, we parted to catch our breath, and Lilith murmured—
"...Bitter."
"Mine was sweet, though."
"...It's unfair."
"So you won't do it?"
Lilith shook her head and pressed her lips against mine again. We finished the kiss relatively quickly and walked hand in hand toward the academy. The moment we crossed the main gate, Lilith hid her presence from others and clung tightly to my side. With our arms linked, she rubbed her cheek against my shoulder.
"...Are you disappointed?"
"...Yeah."
"Please hold on for just one week."
"I said 'within' a week."
"...Right. A maximum of one week."
I had a feeling she'd use up every last day.
"This week has practical evaluations, so it'll be busy."
"...Nervous?"
"Hmm... Not really? After all, you'll be with me, Lilith."
"Yeah. Just relax, Arthur. I'll protect you no matter what."
"That's reassuring."
"Feel free to rely on me as much as you want~"
Thinking back, everything had started with the practical evaluation. Not long ago, it had felt like an insurmountable wall I couldn't even imagine crossing. Now it felt like a minor hurdle.
...Hanging out with an Outer God really has made me bolder.
Feeling my own change anew, I rubbed my cheek against Lilith's head as she clung to me. Just as we were heading to the dorm, savoring the sound of our beating hearts—
"Aaaaaah! Arthuuuuur!!"
Someone was running toward us at full speed. The voice was clearly a woman's—high-pitched—but the way she ran looked like a serf fleeing from a slave hunter.
"...Letia?"
I could feel Lilith's arm tightening painfully around mine, but I didn't show it. Letia reached me in an instant and thrust something in front of my face without even catching her breath.
"Y-you! W-what is this?!"
What Letia held out was a small newspaper. The academy's infamous newspaper club—ranked number one as the most avoided club—published a daily paper covering campus news and a weekly compilation. The one Letia showed me was the daily edition. Slightly larger than a palm, its front page was dominated by—
"...Huh?"
-Breaking News. An extraordinarily beautiful woman spotted near the academy shopping district. Her companion: a second-year cat boy?!
It was a photo of Lilith and me with our arms linked.