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→ The Darkness that Came from the East (4) ←

1.

What the hell is going on?

Siwoo’s body froze for a moment, completely taken aback.

When faced with an unexpected thing, people tend to freeze like this.

This was something he never could have predicted, so it wasn’t a wonder that he was in a complete shock.

Eloa’s pajama top was completely ripped open, as if someone had torn it off with force, something that would never happen normally.

With three out of five buttons undone, it had practically lost its purpose.

“…”

Siwoo felt like he should look away, but he couldn’t.

As if captivated by a beautiful piece of art, his gaze remained still.

His dear master, Eloa Tophereth, was laying there, letting her show-white breasts exposed.

He had anticipated to see her cleavage, and since she wore a sports bra all the time, he expected her breasts to be bigger than what he used to, but it turned out that they were bigger than he could have imagined.

Maybe leaving her chest bare gave her a buff somehow…

With only using his eyes, he judged that they were roughly around D cup.

Their shapes were beautiful, like perfectly cut peaches split in half and placed upside down.

At their tips, the small nipples glistened, showing off their color. The pale pink areolas formed a faint gradient that resembled plates holding fruits.

Add that to the partially removed top, as if she had hastily took it off in the middle of their love making, her peach-like breasts looked incredibly alluring and enticing.

“…”

“…”

Then, slowly, his mind caught up with reality.

Due to an unfortunate accident, her breasts ended up exposed.

So, how exactly would she react?

Just as he started feeling anxious about what kind of awkward explanation that he had to pump out, he heard a muffled breathing sound coming from her.

“…F-Fuu…fu…”

To that, he closed his eyes, letting out a sigh of relief.

Luckily for him, Eloa had fallen asleep at that moment.

Her snores sounded louder than usual, but she had completely closed her eyes since earlier, so he completely believed that she really was asleep.

“Phew… Thank God…”

Siwoo muttered under his breath.

“…”

Meanwhile, Eloa remained frozen stiff. Just like a rabbit playing dead, she felt her heart racing.

It was so loud to the point that she was worried Siwoo would notice it.

Wait!

Then she realized she couldn’t relax just yet.

While she had succeeded in pretending to sleep, her breasts were still exposed.

And Siwoo was still here.

Stay calm, stay calm.

But, nothing’s changed!

Nothing’s changed at all!

The whole point of me asking for a massage is to avoid seeing him as a man!

I should act as if I’ve woken up briefly and play it cool!

Eloa’s mind raced as she tried to navigate the awkward situation.

But from the moment she faked sleep out of panic, the likelihood of her goal coming true became slimmer and slimmer.

Now that she had lost her perfect chance, there was no guarantee that it would come up ever again.

“Hmm…”

While Eloa fidgeted, trying to come up with the timing of her waking up, Siwoo’s hand slid away from her neck.

Suddenly, a vivid scene flashed in her mind.

The scene of Siwoo playing with Periwinkle’s breasts as if they were his own.

For some reason, she could vividly recall that scene when he roughly pounding on Periwinkle, squeezing her breasts to the point of crushing them, sucking and tugging on her nipples, even sapping them.

With trembling eyelids, she hesitated to wake up, and now became stuck in place.

Why am I remembering this now?

Huh?

She knew that the scene lingered in her mind wasn’t because she saw him as a man, or thought of him romantically, but because of how shocking the sight was.

Or at least that was what she was trying to tell herself.

At that moment, she heard his voice.

The sound of him gulping echoed like thunder.

“Master, are you asleep?”

Though it was a simple question, it felt like a turning point that could change her life forever.

She could either pretend to have just woken up, rub eyes sleepily and show him that she didn’t care about this trivial thing just as she planned…

Or continue pretending to sleep and avoid the awkwardness altogether.

And, what she decided to do was the former.

Except that her body refused to listen to her.

In truth, she doubted that she could even act casually once she opened her eyes.

She couldn’t even figure out how to look at him.

Normally, even if he were to gently massage her chest while she was sleeping, she wouldn’t wake up.

And now that he found him fully exposed and defenseless…

What is he gonna do?

Eloa anxiously awaited his response.

Since he thinks that I’m completely asleep, will he grab them? Or…touch them at least…?

B-But, that…shouldn’t happen! T-That’s just inappropriate! As she struggled internally, thinking of various unsettling scenarios.

-Rustle!

He made his move, catching her attention immediately.

Even with her eyes closed, she could tell the subtle movements of anyone moving nearby.

She could sense the warmth radiating from his body, the sound he made and even his own shadows. With all those, she could roughly tell what he was doing.

Now, he was extending his hand towards her chest.

She held her breath, anxious about what might come next.

“Is she having another nightmare?”

He carefully touched the fabric, trying his best to avoid touching her skin as he buttoned up her clothes.

But, his movements felt oddly slow, even though he was just adjusting her attire.

And she quickly figured out why.

Normally, it wouldn’t take this long for someone to fasten a single button.

But, it took him this long because he was trying hard not to look at her half-naked body while he was doing so.

He was showing his consideration to her, even though he believed that she was fast asleep.

Siwoo…

Eloa couldn’t help but be touched by this.

At the same time, she felt embarrassed for jumping into conclusions about him trying to do something weird to her while she was asleep.

Compared to my disciple, I’m just a pitiful excuse of a teacher…

Meanwhile, Siwoo carefully buttoned up her clothes, letting out a sigh of relief when he was done.

Then, he wrapped his arms gently around her legs and back.

He scooped her up, who was lying across the bed, carried her like a princess and lied her down flat.

Finally, everything is over!

Now that she was able to fall asleep peacefully, she felt a sense of relief. That emotion was mixed with a sense of defeat since she failed to fulfill her resolve in less than an hour.

Then, Siwoo’s large hand delicately stroked her tangled hair.

At first, her body tensed up as she wondered what was going on, but the touch soon calmed her down.

“…”

Because it felt comforting.

Just like back when she comforted Ravi whenever the latter was having a hard time, she could feel his warmth and care in his touch.

Meanwhile, Siwoo was completely unaware that Eloa was awake, mistakenly thinking that her stiff expression came from her nightmare.

But that was what had been happening for a while, so he didn’t doubt his conjecture at all.

How long has he been doing this?

This lasted for quite a while.

Her hair slowly flowed through his fingertips.

Everytime she felt his fingers touching her scalp, she felt a sense of coolness.

And above everything, she felt a strong feeling of affection and connection between them.

How their relationship worked, however it was he looked at her…

Everything seemed unimportant at that moment.

Now that she let go of the tension, her body gradually relaxed.

All those tension and confusion she felt earlier melted away like snowflakes facing the spring sun as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Before long, she finally entered a deep slumber.

“Fuu…”

That night, she didn’t have a nightmare.

Instead, she found herself dreaming of riding with Ravi through the wide-open field of the Mendel Hills.

It was the first time she had ever slept so soundly in years.

2.

Siwoo blinked his eyes open.

It felt like he had slept a bit longer than usual today.

Normally, he would’ve woken up at dawn, but today, the pleasant sunlight streamed through the window.

“Hm?”

As he gradually opened his eyes, a pinkish silhouette caught his attention.

Then, he felt a comforting touch on his head.

“Are you awake?”

“Huh? What’s going on?”

He was momentarily confused.

The person who had been gently stroking his head was none other than Eloa.

Wearing an apron over her pajamas, she sat on the bed, gently running her fingers through his hair.

“Nothing, I just had the urge to try something.”

Normally, whenever she looked at him, she had this subtle, yet enchanting smile that showed how she was content just being with him.

But today, her expression was softer and kinder than usual.

It was the kind of look that he’d imagine she used to give to her deceased apprentice witch.

“You look like a baby when you sleep.”

Blushing at her words, he got up. Running his hand through his tousled hair, he asked.

“How long have you been watching?”

“Not for long. You were sleeping so soundly today, so I didn’t want to disturb you. Anyway, it’s good that you’re up now. I’ve made you breakfast, so come on out.”

Eloa got off the bed and headed to the kitchen.

Siwoo followed her slowly, noticing a pot bubbling on the induction stove.

He also noticed the smell of chicken noodle soup, one of Eloa’s favorite dishes.

It was also a dish he had been having almost every morning lately. Perfect for the time since it wasn’t too spicy and was easy on the stomach.

Not only that, Eloa also prepared bacon that emitted a subtle smoky aroma along with slices of toast that crisped up nicely in the toaster.

“Wait a moment, it’ll be ready soon.”

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“Why do you keep asking me that? You know my answer already, just sit back and relax.”

Eloa bustled around as she prepared the delicious-looking breakfast.

Like usual, Siwoo set the table with plates and milk.

“Thanks for the food.”

“There’s plenty of them, so just dig in!”

She was right, the amount of food was more than enough to feed two people.

With her skillful hands, Eloa whipped up a meal that could easily feed a whole family.

It wasn’t like she didn’t know that Siwoo didn’t really need to eat much due to his spirit body.

Perhaps, she just enjoyed seeing him eat heartily.

Of course, since the food both looked and smelled so good, there was no way Siwoo could resist them.

As always, Eloa waited for him to take the first bite.

“…Why are you staring at me like that?”

But this time, even after a while, she only stared at him without taking a bite of her food.

“Siwoo.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

Her sudden expression of gratitude caught him off guard, but he could vaguely understand what she meant to say.

Ever since she met him, she had found a sense of ease.

No longer did she feel the tense feeling, like a taut bowstring that could snap at any moment, just like when she did back when they first met.

To her, who had experienced the pain of loss, Siwoo seemed to have filled a void, just like a cute pet.

Her gratitude probably stemmed from the solace he provided, a sentiment that lingered faintly in her mind.

“Thank you so much.”

Eloa clasped her hands together, hoping that this peaceful happiness would last.

She knew that it might never come true.

But, she hoped for it anyway, despite how futile it was.