The smoke I exhaled—Natsu watched it with a frown.
Blowing at it, waving it away with his hand.
Those movements, like he hadn’t grown up since we were kids, made a small laugh rise up.
And then, suddenly, I wondered.
“What are you talking about? Of course I do.
Erza, Mira—ah! Cana’s a woman too!”
Just as expected, or rather… exactly that.
At Natsu, who looked puzzled, I spoke in an exasperated voice.
“They’re all people we know.”
Natsu raised one eyebrow, like he was about to say I was the weird one.
To Natsu, who turned away looking bored, I blew out the smoke I had inhaled.
“—ugh, it stinks after all.”
Through the gaps as he waved his hands, I could see his chest.
It should be nothing but muscle.
And yet, for a moment, I looked—
because there was something I didn’t want to admit.
I pressed the cigarette into the ashtray on the counter,
and put my hand on the table where Natsu sat, leaning in to look into his face.
“You—never held a woman?”
In this place where mages and drinkers gather,
for someone to grow up this innocent—it was almost a talent of Natsu’s.
“What does ‘hold’ even mean?”
The distance I leaned in was close—
because Natsu didn’t even try to pull away.
His slightly open mouth came into view.
It was supposed to be nothing more than killing time, just teasing…
Bringing my mouth close enough to almost touch,
I licked along his upper lip.
The feeling was smoother than I imagined,
and I hurriedly swallowed.
“…I’m asking if you’ve done anything past this…”
So that it would reflect in his widened eyes, I forced a grin,
and traced his lower lip with my thumb.
The moment I thought his breathing stopped for a second,
his face turned red all at once.
The next thing I felt was a fist driven into my stomach.
“…tch—you don’t have to hit me just because you haven’t…”
I barely avoided dropping to my knees,
but I couldn’t help rubbing where I’d been hit.
“Hey, Natsu—don’t get serious… like that…”
I ended up overhearing that,
and decided to go on a slightly longer quest.
