Ellyn carefully picked up her plate once she'd finished eating, humming softly as she padded toward the kitchen.

She set the plate into the sink, turned on the small water crystal, and began washing. Her hands moved clumsily, the soap slipped from her fingers twice, and the plate nearly clattered back down.

She kept at it, ears twitching with focus.

"Mou… this isn't so hard," she muttered under her breath, tail swaying behind her. A little too much foam gathered on the dish, but she scrubbed until it gleamed, then rinsed it with far more water than necessary.

When she finally set the plate onto the drying rack, Ellyn straightened with a little victorious smile.

"See? I can do this too…" she whispered to herself, proud of the small accomplishment.

She dried her hands, then peeked toward the living room where Hazuki was sitting casually on the couch, already flipping open a book from his side bag. His calm, ordinary presence there made her chest feel oddly warm.

Ellyn smiled softly and slowly walk toward him.

"Hazuki?"

"Hmm?" He didn't lift his eyes from the page, the steady scratch of paper under his thumb as he turned a sheet.

"What are you reading?"

"Some book, about the history of this world." His tone was casual, almost offhand.

Ellyn tilted her head, curious. "You can read the book now?"

"Mm. Thanks to Ridan teaching me… or maybe when he possessed me before." Hazuki tapped the open page with his finger, as if to test the words there. "It's like my brain just figured it out somehow. Good thing I've got him during my journey."

Ellyn slid closer across the small space, then lowered herself gracefully to sit in front of him, her knees tucked to the side. She leaned gently against his arm, golden eyes glimmering as she peered at the pages. "Let me join reading it too."

Hazuki finally looked down at her.

"Ellyn…"

"Yes?" Her ears twitched lightly.

"Can you stop using that transformation skill?"

Her lips pursed, and she angled her head with mock innocence. "Hmm? I don't think there's a problem with that, right?"

Hazuki stared at her for a long second before letting out a small shrug. "…If you say so." He shifted the book slightly to her view and resumed reading.

Ellyn's lips curved into a subtle smile as she nestled a little closer, her tail brushing against the couch in quiet contentment.

Hazuki tried to focus on the words in the book, but his eyes kept straying.

The soft sway of Ellyn's tail brushed against the couch, hypnotic in its rhythm. Her ears twitched, small, delicate movements that made his fingers itch with the urge to reach out.

And worse… her thigh. Smooth, pale, just barely revealed where her dress shifted as she leaned in.

Hazuki swallowed hard, forcing his gaze back to the lines of text that blurred before him.

Don't do it, Hazuki. Don't even think about it.

He clenched his teeth, forcing his gaze back onto the page. But his eyes betrayed him again, sliding lower, catching the faint line of her cleavage where the fabric of her dress dipped.

Just a glimpse, yet enough to make his chest tighten.

Inside his head, alarms were blaring.

Damn it! This is torture! She's right here, and I...

No! No, no, no! She's still a kid! If Ridan catches me staring, he'll call me Lolizuki for the rest of my life!

He shut his eyes for a moment, trying to breathe evenly, but the problem didn't go away. Her scent, her warmth pressed against his side, the way she leaned in.

Hazuki's breath caught in his throat as he realized what had just happened. Her small hand had guided his own against her waist, pulling him closer until her warmth pressed against him.

"Ellyn…" His voice was tight, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Hmm?"

She tilted her head up at him, golden eyes gleaming with mock innocence, her ears twitching lightly.

"Yes?"

Hazuki swallowed hard, trying to keep his composure. "We… shouldn't do this."

"Do what?" Her voice was soft, feigning confusion.

Her tail curled lazily around the side of his leg, brushing against him as she leaned even closer.

Hazuki's jaw tensed. "I mean… my hand is currently hugging you."

"So?" she countered without missing a beat.

"I'm your fiancée. Isn't it natural? I'm comfortable like this."

Hazuki felt his heartbeat pounding harder in his chest. His rational thoughts screamed at him to pull away, to keep the distance, but her warmth, her scent, the softness pressed into him… it was suffocating.

He forced himself to look straight ahead at the book in his other hand, but his voice came out lower than he intended. "…You're making this really hard, you know that?"

Ellyn only smiled, resting her head against his arm.

Then she slowly lifted her gaze, golden eyes locking onto Hazuki's face.

Hazuki's eyes wandered.

First to her lips.

Beautiful.

Inviting.

Then higher, to her golden eyes that shimmered with quiet emotion.

He didn't even realize it himself, but his body was already moving. Hazuki leaned down slowly, breath brushing across her face as the space between them closed.

Ellyn's ears twitched once before she shut her eyes, her lashes lowering softly as her lips parted.

And then, his lips touched hers.

Warm. Soft.

The world seemed to still in that moment.

Ellyn responded without hesitation, tilting her chin upward, returning the kiss with gentle pressure as her hands rested against his chest.

Hazuki couldn't think straight anymore.

All he knew was the kiss.

Soft, sweet, and warm. His chest thudded as if it might burst, the taste of her lips pulling him deeper and deeper.

Her scent filled his senses, faintly floral, faintly wild, uniquely her. It clouded his thoughts until there was nothing else.

His arm tightened instinctively, pulling her closer, unwilling to let go.

Ellyn wasn't resisting.

She wasn't pushing him away.

She was returning the kiss.

Her lips pressed back against his, timid at first, then with a soft, deliberate certainty. Her small hands, once resting lightly against his chest, curled into the fabric of his shirt, clinging to him as though anchoring herself.

Hazuki's breath caught, his heart stumbling in its rhythm. He deepened the kiss without thinking, tilting his head to taste her more fully, every ounce of his restraint fraying under the reality of her response.

Her tail curled tight around his arm, trembling, betraying just how much she was pouring into this moment.

For the first time, Hazuki's mind went blank.

( End Of Chapter )