Future Plans (1)
Future Plans (1)
"Hiccup."
Ria lets out a hiccup.
Trapped in my embrace, unable to escape anywhere, Ria's body, which had frozen stiff, began to heat up.
'...I'm really going to die at this rate.'
It seems she's embarrassed because of the nobles' gazes.
It seemed too late to push through the nobles approaching us and make a run for it.
Since everyone probably wanted to ask a lot of things, it looked like they intended to block us from escaping.
'Bina.......'
To teleport outside the building, I needed Bina first, so I looked around.
"Whehng, I liiike this wine~."
In the distance, I spotted Bina, drunk on wine, staggering and receiving affection from the nobles.
Young ladies were giggling and touching, stroking Bina's cheeks.
'That's not it, then.'
In that case, there was only one way left to avoid this tremendous attention and protect Ria.
Outside the terrace where a cold wind blew.
'It's quite high.'
It was a considerably high position.
A height where an ordinary person would definitely die.
Of course, it was a perfectly safe height for me.
Confident, I glanced down at Ria, who was trying to wriggle free.
-P-please, let me go...!
With her mouth, Ria desperately pleaded for me to let her go.
She grabbed my forearm and gave me a pitiful look, which made me feel like teasing her a bit.
"...Ria."
"Ye, yes...?"
Ria tilted her head.
I grinned at her and then gently lifted Ria up.
"Hold on tight."
"...!?"
Ria flailed her arms too.
Before Ria's disgraceful state was exposed to the nobles, I hurriedly jumped off the terrace to the outside.
"Kkh-hup...!"
Along with the sound of Ria swallowing a scream, I felt her tightly hug me.
"You scared meee...!"
"Hahaha......."
The lodgings prepared for Ria by the kingdom.
Having escaped there, I had to take an earful from Ria.
She said she knew how dangerous it was to jump out the window, then pounded on my chest and said her palms were sweaty, even showing me her hands.
I wondered why she was showing me her sweaty hands.
But she was cute, so I just interlaced my fingers with hers.
"Wha, whawhawhat are you...eugh...reallyyy."
Ria bowed her head deeply and covered her face with her remaining hand.
'Cute.'
At that, I let out a stifled chuckle.
"Sorry, you seemed too embarrassed. I couldn't help it."
"...Haa."
She let out a deep sigh and then wordlessly headed towards the bed.
Then, Ria, who had jumped onto the bed, let out a sigh and began to glare at me.
'Why, why is she acting like this?'
"...I'm tired. I'm going to sleep now."
"Uh, okay."
It seemed Ria was properly angry because I kept teasing her even after the sudden action.
I instantly realized that quickly getting up and leaving was the only way to survive, and just as I was about to leave my spot, Ria hummed a bit and opened her mouth.
"Where are you going...?"
"...?"
When I turned to look back at her, Ria, unable to erase her dissatisfied expression, slowly patted the spot next to her.
"Lie down here."
"Uh...?"
"Don't want to? Then fine."
Ria snorted and turned her head.
'...Is it really okay for me to lie down?'
For a moment, my head felt numb.
This wasn't the first time lying down in the same place as Ria.
When camping, it was often quite dangerous, so we frequently had to sleep huddled together.
Of course, after the female and male party members increased, we didn't necessarily sleep huddled together.
However, it didn't seem uncomfortable just because it was a long time ago.
Rather, it should be called the fluttering feeling that comes from the change in our relationship.
But since Ria had given permission, it would also be strange for me to leave, so I slowly sat on the edge of the bed.
"...Uuum."
"...Ahaha."
Ria's awkward laugh burst out immediately.
'She seems awkward too.'
I gave an embarrassed smile, and just as I was about to get up from the spot—
"D-don't go, stay sitting a bit longer...! Let's talk about the old days...!"
"Old stories?"
"Umm, future plans are good too......."
Ria said not to go and tugged on my sleeve.
"...You're not sulking, are you?"
"...A little?"
She said she was sulking a little and cautiously checked my reaction.
At that, I burst out laughing and slowly lay down next to Ria.
The bed was wide, so we didn't necessarily have to hug tightly, but—
"The window's open, so it's cold."
"Y-yeah, it is."
"...Come a little closer this way."
"Hurg."
Using the open window making it cold as a reason, we hugged tightly.
My heart began to beat like crazy.
"...All my sleepiness flew awayyy."
"Really?"
Ria covered her red face with both hands and complained that she wasn't sleepy now.
It seemed she had originally been really sleepy and intended to sleep.
'...Am I like a comfort object to her?'
Thinking that made me feel a bit more at ease.
A comfort object? I could be that as much as she wanted.
Because the feeling of liking hugs was greater than feeling nervous about them now.
'Come on...! Come here!'
While preparing to accept Ria's acting spoiled as much as she wanted, I spread my arms wide—just then.
"A-anyway, the bed... now that I see it, I feel a bit more nervous somehow...! It's a space where a man and woman share intimacy, right. W-we too, someday...? T-that, th-th-that's not too far in the future, we'll share it, right!"
"...!?"
As she said that, Ria turned to lie facing me, who was about to hug her with arms spread wide, and met my eyes, which were flinching.
"......."
"......."
We froze like that, unable to say anything.
What broke that silence was none other than—
"...T-this is, s-still too s-soon, I-I'm not prepared yeeeet......."
Ria, who was almost sobbing.
At that, I was so startled I couldn't help but sit up.
"T-that's not it!? Hey, Ria!? Are you crying? N-no, I was just going to hug you tightly like a comfort object so you could sleep well."
I definitely thought Ria might be scared.
Well, the Holy Kingdom is quite seriously conservative in this regard.
Moreover, they probably didn't actively teach this kind of knowledge to a holy Saintess like Ria.
They might have thought she wouldn't end up with the Hero.
So I tried to calm Ria down by saying I didn't harbor any such ulterior motives, but...
Upon hearing that, Ria rather shed the tears she had been holding back.
"Eugh... Does the Hero-nim not feel any attraction to my body?"
"Huh...?"
"I-I may be a bit short, but I think my feminine parts are definitely there...! Really!"
"Ri, Ria...?"
Suddenly, Ria pounced on me.
"T-that's not it!"
"What do you mean that's not it...! You're saying you had no thoughts at all on the same bed as your fiancée!? That means you don't even see me as a woman right now...!"
Ria asked with a serious expression.
This was the first time I'd seen Ria this angry, so I was just flustered.
"...I-I practiced this part alone, hard."
I wanted to ask if a Saintess should really be doing that, but...
Since what Ria was mimicking was merely at the level of a peck, I let out a sigh of relief.
"O-oh, is that so?"
"Is this not it...?"
"......."
"W-what, if need be, I'll kiss the Hero-nim tonight and try to have a baby...!"
Wondering what on earth the priests taught Ria, I pressed my forehead.
"...Ria."
"Yes?"
"I'll teach you step by step later."
"...Eh?"
My face turned completely red.
I hadn't expected to say such a thing to Ria.
Somehow, I began to feel vulgar, so I tried to quickly change the subject, but...
"What more are you going to teach me...? I've never even kissed on the lips beforeee."
Our perverted Saintess seemed to have zero immunity to this kind of talk, so I couldn't steer the conversation away at all.
'...No choice.'
Feeling I should teach her accurately and wholesomely here...
I slowly imparted knowledge to Ria, and...
upon hearing it, Ria...
-POP!!!
"A-ah... I see."
"...Yeah."
"...I'm sorry. I didn't know anything."
Her face red, she emitted a poof of steam from her head.
After one commotion passed.
After Ria calmed down, we lay side by side on the bed again.
"Future plans."
"Yes... We should make them soon, since tomorrow the Hero Party will officially disband."
"......."
I had roughly made some.
'Want to go back to my destroyed hometown village and live farming.'
My destroyed hometown village.
I want to go back there, farm, and spend the rest of my life.
If I'm with Ria, it probably won't be too boring.
"About three kids would be nice."
"...Th-three...!"
"Yeah, three."
"I want to have just two. Too many would be tiring."
Saying that, Ria smiled.
Here, I thought it would be right to follow Ria's opinion.
'Because Ria is the one who suffers the most when giving birth.'
Anyway, the one who goes through the pain of childbirth is Ria.
"We'll have as many as Ria wants to have. Within a limit that's not burdensome."
"...Okay."
Ria smiled, ehehe.
'I never thought the day would come when I'd have this kind of talk with Ria.'
It felt like a dream to be discussing child plans together.
As if we had really become a married couple.
'Soon, we really will become a married couple.'
Looking at the ring paired with Ria's, I gave a slight smile.
"Let's live quietly after retiring."
"Yes, let's live quietly without being swayed by anything else."
Up until this point, I truly thought we could live quietly.
In the distant future.
"Kyaaaah! The Saintess's chastity is in danger!"
"Marry me!!!"
"Come back to the Holy Kingdom! The Holy Kingdom!"
I truly never dreamed in my wildest dreams that I'd live being harassed by all sorts of troublemakers.