The dawn light gently filtered through the curtains.
— Rustle.
It was a deep night when everyone should have been asleep, yet faint sounds of friction could still be heard from the bed.
It wasn’t very loud, just barely audible if you paid close attention.
Soft whispers of fabric brushing against fabric filled the air.
Squeeze, Squeeze.
Listening even more closely, there was the faint sound of skin touching skin.
“…Haah.”
A sweet sigh surrounded the bed.
Lina hurriedly moved her hand to cover her mouth.
Her breath was hot, and the scent from her hands was making her excited.
‘… It smells naughty.’
Lina bit her lower lip, trying to suppress her growing excitement.
This was a rare opportunity.
She didn’t want to waste it on a fleeting moment of pleasure.
From the beginning, Lina had no intention of falling asleep tonight.
‘… This is precious.’
The moments spent lying beside Ian were precious, every minute, every second.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t had any chances to be close to Ian recently.
Since receiving Ian’s ‘reward’ last time, their relationship had shifted slightly.
If she desperately asked, he would sometimes press his hand gently against her neck—close enough to feel intimate but not too much.
Lina had achieved a goal she had desperately longed for, at least to some extent.
“…Mmm.”
But this was a different matter entirely.
Ian lay next to her, close enough that their skin could touch without even trying.
Although it wasn’t an intentional situation, it was still the moment she had dreamed of.
As a result, her breathing became more ragged.
Each time their bodies brushed, a current of sensation spread throughout her.
“…”
Lina had already lost completely to Ian.
Even though her mind had been in a fragile state, she had fought Ian sincerely—and lost.
She lost in strength. She lost in intellect.
The moment he pressed his hand mercilessly against her neck was still vividly etched in her memory.
A perfect defeat.
That defeat was significant.
It meant there was someone capable of bringing her to her knees.
As if to say, she was nothing in front of him, that he could crush her if he wanted.
It was terrifying…
But at the same time, it was exhilarating.
Just like how living beings instinctively try to leave their offspring before death.
This was a sexual attraction engraved in the primal instinct of defeat.
And that person was lying right beside her.
Lina couldn’t resist.
— Slide.
At first, she pretended to brush against his arm.
She lightly ran her hand along Ian’s arm, feeling the firm muscles and thick veins through the back of her hand.
Ian didn’t wake up. So, Lina grew bolder.
Squeeze.
Next, she touched his fingers. Those long fingers that had once wrapped around her neck.
Focusing on Ian’s steady breathing, Lina intertwined her fingers with his.
They were long, and thick.
Each one felt like a solid rod.
Squeeze. Press.
Lina pressed Ian’s hand a little harder.
‘… I can make an excuse up to this point.’
Even if Ian woke up, she could say it was a nightmare, that she was scared.
But beyond this…
“…”
Lina bit her lip hard.
She had to swallow the saliva that kept pooling in her mouth.
Rationally, she knew she should stop. But she didn’t want to.
This was the first time she had touched Ian’s strong hand like this.
And more than anything, Ian was still deep in sleep.
His calm, steady breathing hadn’t even faltered, indicating how deeply relaxed he was.
That fact emboldened Lina.
“…Sorry.”
She whispered softly into Ian’s ear.
And then, Lina grasped Ian’s hand with both of hers.
She raised his hand just enough to reach her chest, being careful not to lift it too high, worried that Ian might wake up.
‘I can lower it to my face myself.’
Lina glanced at Ian.
Thump, Thump, Thump.
Her heart pounded wildly at the thought of doing something she knew she shouldn’t.
The mix of thrilling excitement and tension made her mouth fill with saliva.
Swallowing hard, Lina brushed her hair back and held it in place, ensuring it wouldn’t brush against Ian and wake him.
She carefully extended Ian’s index and middle fingers.
Lina was someone who liked to experience things through all five senses. She couldn’t let an opportunity like this pass by.
“Haap!”
Without hesitation, she took Ian’s fingers into her mouth. Even though it was just two fingers, her mouth felt full.
‘This is what Ian tastes like…’
Slowly, she ran her tongue along his fingers, savoring the taste, the scent, and the rough texture of his skin.
It was exactly as she had imagined. Her mouth was filling up so much that she almost drooled.
“…!”
In a hurry, Lina moved her mouth lower on his fingers, taking them deeper into her mouth.
“…Slurp.”
She barely managed to swallow the saliva before it spilled, but…
“Ugh.”
Ian’s fingers had gone so deep that they touched the back of her throat.
“…Guh.”
She couldn’t make a sound. If she pulled them out now, the sudden movement might make a noise.
So, she stayed still, enduring the foreign sensation deep in her throat.
Gulp, Gulp.
Her throat instinctively tried to rid itself of the intrusion, and Lina barely managed to suppress the gagging sensation.
Her breathing became labored. Her vision blurred.
‘I… I’m going to… die…’
Finally, her throat adjusted, and the uncomfortable gulping stopped.
“Pwah…!”
Lina hurriedly pulled Ian’s hand from her mouth.
Thankfully, she managed to keep from making too much noise.
‘That… that was close.’
Or so she thought, but there was another problem.
Though it was clear, there was a sticky substance on Ian’s hand that could hardly be called saliva.
“Wh-what should I do?”
Lina panicked. Wiping it off only made her own hands sticky.
Should she lick it off again?
But her mouth was already messy.
As she debated, her rational mind came to a conclusion.
“…”
For the first time, her desire and reason aligned.
She knew that if she got caught now, there would be no turning back.
And that made her even more excited.
Lina whispered softly into Ian’s ear.
“This is your fault for not waking up.”
She lowered Ian’s hand beneath the covers.
His arm was long enough to reach her lower body.
As soon as she slipped his hand inside—
“Haaahng!”
A moan escaped her lips, louder and more ragged than she had intended.
Lina quickly looked over at Ian.
Thankfully, he was still sound asleep.
But.
— Rustle.
Danya stirred, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked over at them.
‘I… I need to think of an excuse…!’
Lina opened her mouth, ready to say something—anything.
But.
“Haaah…”
Instead of words, another breathy moan slipped out.
Danya’s eyes grew even wider, but Lina couldn’t manage an explanation.
Instead.
“…Hmph.”
All Lina could do was quietly place a finger over her lips.
◆
— Rustle!
— Scrub, Scrub!
I woke up to the sound of something being cleaned.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Lina washing the bed linens, and Danya wiping my body.
“… What are you doing?”
At my question, both Lina and Danya visibly panicked as they replied.
“D-did you wake up, nyah?”
“G-good morning, Ian!”
“Why are you suddenly doing laundry?”
“I-I just felt like it, nyah!”
“Th-the weather is nice!”
Hmm.
I glanced at the two of them with a slightly suspicious look, but then I just shook my head.
Well, I suppose there are days when you just feel like doing random things like laundry.
Besides, they’re doing it for me, so I have no reason to complain.
Though it seems to be raining outside despite the “nice weather” they mentioned.
But with Lina, the human dryer, around, I don’t have to worry about that.
Still, for some reason, my fingers feel sore.
What’s going on?
When I lifted my hand to inspect it, I saw Lina and Danya flinch from a distance.
“…?”
Well… never mind.
Now that I think about it, I do recall having a rather rough dream.
Yesterday was a bit mentally taxing, so maybe that’s why.
There was also this strange, damp sensation lingering throughout.
“I think I had a dream about falling into the ocean.”
“Lucky dream, nyah!”
“Y-yeah! The ocean is vast and deep! It’s definitely a lucky dream! You’re going to find something really important!”
Hmm. Is that so?
“Lina, I didn’t know you could interpret dreams.”
“Uh? Ehehe…”
Lina awkwardly avoided the question, which was unusual for her.
Despite a few unclear moments, it wasn’t a bad morning overall. Somehow, the air even felt sweeter than usual.
Breakfast with Danya and Lina had a pleasant atmosphere too.
“I’m heading to the library for a while today.”
“Wash up before you go, nyah!”
“Of course.”
Once I arrived at the library, the scene was the same as always— the librarian sitting behind the desk, expressionless, reading a book.
‘…Today might not be the best day to ask her.’
I passed by the librarian without a word.
It’s not that I don’t trust her… but asking for books on topics like “Dimensional Wanderers” or “Possession” would surely raise some eyebrows.
This isn’t about whether she trusts me, but whether it looks suspicious to her.
Because of that, I’ve run into a significant problem.
The Lichten Academy library is far larger than I imagined, and the sheer number of books crammed into its shelves is overwhelming.
I’ve been to the library plenty of times before and prided myself on knowing my way around, but now I see that was just arrogance.
“Dimensional magic… Dimensional collapse… Dimensional…”
I didn’t expect there to be so many subcategories under the keyword ‘Dimension’.
Searching for books alone proved more difficult than anticipated.
In short, I wasn’t making much progress.
“…Dimensional wanderers are nothing but filthy scum.”
The only trace I found was an incredibly hateful comment about wanderers.
Well, I can’t blame them.
Most wanderers probably take over someone’s body and live their life as they please.
Who would like that?
But there’s one thing I can deduce from this.
“There are almost none of them.”
The information is nearly non-existent. It’s not that it’s being controlled—it’s just that no one seems to know about it.
This suggests that dimensional wanderers are rare, perhaps only known by a select few at the top of the power structure.
In other words, even if I went around shouting “Wanderer!” no one would know what I was talking about. Should I give it a try?
Just as I was considering it, someone whispered from beside me.
“…Dimensional Wanderer.”
The voice was cold, quiet, barely audible.
It was the librarian, standing there with her usual expressionless face.
