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Chapter 192: Interlude – First Night (2)
That evening.
When the trainees returned from their museum tour and scattered to their lodgings to spend the last night of their field trip...
“…What?”
I turned to Iris, my eyes wide open.
“Professor Elisha prepared an empty room for us?”
“Yes. Originally, Albert was supposed to use it, but since he went to the main building, there’s an extra room.”
“Hmm… Are we allowed to use that room as we please?”
“P-Professor said it’s fine!”
Iris clenched her fists as she exclaimed.
“Since the field trip ends tomorrow, let’s have a light drink together tonight!”
Technically, drinking among trainees during the field trip was against the rules.
But it’s not like they brought minors on the trip.
Everyone here was a full-grown adult, so the school didn’t strictly enforce it.
‘The problem is, I’ve caused a bit of trouble on this field trip already.’
I was already on thin ice with the school, so breaking another rule felt risky.
But if Professor Elisha gave her permission, it shouldn’t be a big issue.
“Should we invite the others?”
“N-No! Let’s drink just the two of us!”
“…Just the two of us?”
“Yes!”
Iris swallowed nervously, her expression tight with tension.
‘Come to think of it, we haven’t really had a chance to be alone recently.’
When the demonic forces attacked, I spent time with Professor Elisha, and during the trip, I was alone with Yurina at one point.
But Iris and I hadn’t had a moment to ourselves.
‘Although… there was that one time before.’
I recalled the disaster that occurred when I accepted Iris’s invitation to her dorm room, and my face grew hot.
Shaking my head to dispel those memories, I opened my mouth.
“Alright, then. It’s been a while, so let’s have a drink together.”
“R-Really?”
“Yeah. Ah, I’ll stop by the store and grab some drinks.”
“I already have drinks! Professor Elisha gave me some!”
“…Really?”
While we were at the museum, she must’ve made preparations for this private time together.
“Then let’s head there right away.”
“…T-This way.”
Iris led me to the room that had originally been prepared for Albert.
Click.
“…….”
“…….”
An awkward silence settled over us once we entered the room and closed the door.
Iris cleared her throat unnecessarily and walked to the table, sitting down.
When she opened the bottle of luxurious wine Professor Elisha had given her, a fragrant aroma filled the room.
“This must be a good wine.”
“Ah, yes. Professor said it was hard to get and gifted it to me.”
“Considering she usually looks for cheap booze, that’s unusual.”
We clinked our glasses in a toast.
Soft moonlight streamed in through the window, the pleasant sound of crickets filled the air, and the wine’s rich fragrance lingered.
It was a romantic atmosphere—one that could intoxicate you even without drinking.
Iris broke the silence.
“How was the museum tour?”
“Well, it was boring.”
It’s hard to find a museum tour exciting unless there’s some special event.
“Fufu. But didn’t you meet Grace and speak with her? That must’ve been special, right?”
Iris elegantly sipped her wine as she continued.
“Come to think of it, what kind of person was Grace?”
“Well…”
“I’ve only seen her in pictures… but she must’ve been soft-spoken and gentle like Pope Marianne, right?”
“……”
I’d mentioned meeting Grace in the tomb, but I hadn’t described her personality.
To Iris, who grew up in the Holy Kingdom, Grace must’ve seemed like an endlessly merciful and compassionate saint.
“Uh… yeah, something like that.”
“As I thought.”
Iris’s eyes sparkled as she nodded.
“I would’ve liked to meet her in person… It’s a shame she disappeared.”
“Well, only a part of her spirit remained. But still…”
“Hm?”
“Ah, nothing. Don’t mind me.”
“What? You’re making me curious.”
I briefly considered giving Iris the relic Grace had left behind.
But I decided it’d be better to show it to Professor Jade first, so they could turn it into an artifact before I handed it over.
“By the way, what did you do at the dorm?”
“Well… We had dinner together, went to the hot springs… and…”
“And?”
“C-Cough. Never mind.”
Suddenly remembering something, Iris’s face turned red, and she avoided my gaze.
She carefully spoke after placing a hand on her chest to calm herself.
“Um… Dale.”
“Yeah?”
“Today, Professor Elisha, Yurina, Lanez, and I… had a little talk.”
“…!”
I flinched at the names she mentioned.
“You know how they feel about you… don’t you?”
“Well…”
“Fufu. You don’t need to look so guilty. I’ve told you before, haven’t I? Other people might think it’s strange, but… I don’t think this kind of relationship is all that bad.”
“……”
“But…”
Iris set her wine glass down and slowly stood up, walking over to me.
Swish.
She carefully sat on my lap.
The soft warmth of her body pressed against me, and her fragrant scent tickled my nose.
“A-Iris…?”
“But… sometimes… I want to be greedy, too.”
Iris gazed at me with hazy eyes, as though drunk, and lightly traced my lips with her fingertips.
“Do you remember what I said before? That I would be… your first.”
Slowly, her lips met mine.
The sweet taste of fruit wine mixed with the soft sensation of her tongue as it explored my mouth.
“…Iris.”
“Hehe.”
Iris stuck out her tongue playfully.
“Come to think of it, we made another promise, didn’t we?”
“Another promise?”
“Oh my, are you pretending not to remember now? You promised to grant me one wish if I won the treasure hunt.”
“Ah.”
Now that she mentioned it, I did make such a promise.
“My wish is…”
Trailing off, Iris blushed.
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Before she could even finish her sentence, I leaned in and kissed her once more.
“Mmph…”
I didn’t need to hear her wish to know what it was.
“D-Dale…”
“…Should we shower first?”
“N-No, it’s fine.”
Iris looked at me with eyes that smoldered, as if she could no longer hold back.
“Dale… I just wanted to ask, just in case.”
“Hmm?”
“Is this… your first time, too?”
“……”
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t my first, but—
‘In my past life, Iris was the only one anyway.’
I nodded slowly.
“Yeah, it’s my first.”
“Hehe. I see.”
Iris let out a relieved sigh and smiled shyly.
Holding her as she sat on my lap, I carried her to the bed.
Lying on the bed, Iris gripped my hand tightly with a nervous expression.
“Being here, where Lady Grace’s grave is nearby… it feels like we’re doing something wrong.”
“Should we stop, then?”
I asked teasingly, and Iris pouted her lips.
“If you stop now, I’ll get really mad.”
“I’m joking.”
I chuckled softly and gently stroked Iris’ hair as she lay there nervously.
I could feel her faint trembling through my fingertips.
Thinking about how much courage she must’ve gathered for this moment made me sigh.
‘I should’ve created the opportunity first.’
I’d known what she wanted for a long time.
I knew, yet I ignored it.
I avoided her, using the excuse that I wasn’t ready yet.
‘Because I was scared.’
Yeah.
I was scared.
Afraid that the happiness I’d worked so hard for would crumble like grains of sand.
Just like it did in my past life.
Afraid that I would lose everything again.
Even though I knew how she felt, I ran away like a frightened child.
‘What a pathetic fool.’
When I turned back time to that day, I swore I would change the future.
I vowed to protect everyone this time.
And yet here I was, running away because I was scared of losing it all.
“…Dale?”
Iris reached out her hand toward me as I stood still.
“Hehe. What are you so afraid of that you’re trembling like this?”
Seeing me shake, her tension seemed to ease a little, and she smiled mischievously.
“Are you worried you’ll mess up?”
“It’s not that…”
“It’s okay. I heard it’s normal to make mistakes the first time.”
“……”
As she patted me on the back to comfort me, a surge of emotion bubbled up inside me.
‘That’s not it at all.’
I was just trying to calm my emotions when this ridiculous misunderstanding happened.
The unfairness of it, combined with a strange sense of determination, made me stubborn.
‘Fine, I’ll show you just how good I can be.’
Even if Iris was the only one I’d ever been with—whether in this life or the last—
I still knew plenty about her.
Where her weak spots were, what positions she liked.
Everything.
Slowly, carefully, I began to undress Iris.
“D-Dale…”
The confidence she’d had while patting my back was gone as she now looked up at me nervously.
As I gently caressed her, I grinned.
“Don’t worry.”
I’d make her feel so good she wouldn’t even know what hit her.
* * *
Six hours later, the room was still blazing with heat that even the winter wind couldn’t cool.
I’d pulled out every bit of my past life experience and successfully carried out the first night.
Crash!
A glass shattered against the wall.
“Y-You bastard…!”
Iris, her face red with fury, grabbed me by the neck.
“Gah! I-Iris…”
“Y-You said it was your first time! You said it was your first time, you liar!”
“It was…!”
“First time? First time, huh?”
Her expression twisted angrily.
“How the hell does someone do that on their first time?!”
“Well… that’s…”
There’s a story here, I swear—
Slap!
“You jerk! I trusted you… I really trusted you…”
Iris began to cry as she punched me repeatedly.
“Who was she?! Huh? Who did you practice with, you bastard?!”
“W-Wait! Calm down, Iris!”
“Calm down? How could I calm down right now?!”
As her tears streamed down her face—
“You… It was you!”
I blurted out impulsively.
“H-Huh?”
Iris froze mid-punch and stared at me.
“What… What do you mean by that?”
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