"Ahahaha! Why are you staring like that? Are you moved?"
......
"These are from today. Super fresh, right? I even caught them myself!"
I tossed ten red salmon through the bars. I didn’t need to lure him in one at a time this time—Varen came willingly all the way into the Lightstone glow.
Last time, I’d brought him a dead fish, and I had felt guilty about it ever since. Seeing fish still thrashing in my hands made my shoulders lift in pride.
Of course, the price was that my arms felt like they were going to fall off and my legs were shaking. Having a dragon as a dependent was breaking my human spine.
Varen looked at the salmon on the floor for a moment, then picked one up in his mouth.
It had taken me ten minutes of strength contests to catch one. But chomp, chomp, gulp—Varen finished it in three seconds.
"...Is it good?"
It is.
All my labor melted instantly. Watching a dragon eat this happily made my eyes sting.
That mountain-sized body—he lowered his head to bite something tiny compared to him with those sharp incisors, then lifted his jaw slightly to pass the salmon toward his molars. Chomp, chomp, gulp. Gone in two bites.
Cute.
If I said that, he’d get offended and growl again, wouldn’t he?
...That would also be cute.
"Eat slowly. I’ll go get more."
It’s fine. This is enough.
"If you’re grateful, you can just say so, you know."
......
Tch. He’s shy.
Varen’s table manners were good. He must have been starving, and yet he didn’t lunge or devour wildly—his movements were elegant.
After swallowing each fish, he would swipe his lips with that molten-red tongue—cleaning his mouth as he ate. Excellent behavior.
As the dragon’s stomach filled, my own chest filled with an overwhelming feeling. If I opened my mouth, I would shout about how adorable he was. To avoid interrupting the meal, I bit down on my lip.
A few of the red salmon were still twitching. Even hours after being caught, the vitality clung on. Even the fish in this world were extraordinary.
Then the dragon sniffed the scent of one still alive. He lifted one heavy forepaw and tapped—tap, tap—stunning it into silence.
It wasn’t just the salmon that got stunned.
"AaAAaAACK!! CUTE!!"
What... what are you doing?
"Do that again!!"
I couldn’t hold back anymore.
I grabbed my own hair and sank to the ground, gasping. Varen stared in alarm.
"Hah... hah... Cute... Just let me touch you once... please..."
I shoved my arm through the bars and waved it. The dragon scowled and growled at having his meal interrupted.
A petty yet shameless feeling rose up. I’d climbed mountains for him, gone fishing, suffered, done everything. Would touching his tail once really kill him?
This was Jed’s fault. Living under constant threat of death made me conclude: if I didn’t want to die full of regrets, then while I was still alive, I needed to be honest with my desires.
"Please... Just once. Just one time...."
Even so, Varen only stared and continued eating, faster now, not savoring.
You bastard. If you won’t let me touch you, at least let me watch the eating longer. Tears pricked from resentment.
...I’m finished.
"Then let me touch your tail."
...Sigh.
The dragon let out the deepest sigh I had ever heard. Not figurative—an actual the ground might crack kind of sigh.
You are... a very strange human.
His voice was exhausted beyond measure.
And then—it happened.
The thick golden tail swept around his body once, circling, and the tip reached the bars—right in front of me.
"Wh—what does this mean?"
The dragon’s tail was within arm’s reach. I stammered.
Varen turned his head away, expression pained.
You said you wanted to touch it.
"R-really... I can?"
If you do anything foolish, I’ll kill you immediately.
What counted as foolish?
Holding the tail in my arms?
Rubbing my face into those shining scales?
If I died touching a dragon’s tail... wouldn’t that be a worthy end?
My vision swayed. My breath came hot like when Yangsooni overheated.
"J-just a little. Just gently...."
Haa... Insane creature.
"Yeah... I think I’m going insane... hoo...."
A once-in-a-lifetime chance. Like a thief facing treasure.
I took quick breaths. Then, very carefully, I extended my hand so the dragon wouldn’t startle.
My hand slipped through the wide bars... and touched the dragon’s tail.
A shiver shot up to my skull.
"Hh... hh...."
Don’t make weird sounds.
When my palm touched, Varen flinched too—muscles shifting beneath my fingers, clearly felt.
I slowly stroked along the tail. I could die with no regrets, but I forced myself to stay conscious.
The texture wasn’t what I expected. I had assumed cold, reptilian skin.
"You... have a higher body temperature than I expected."
Dragons are hot-bodied.
"I thought you were a reptile—but you’re warm-blooded... like a mammal...."
Mammal?
How was this possible? I had judged from appearance alone—giant reptile—but dragons had features of other classes mixed in.
And the scales—up close, shimmering gold—were not dry. Smooth. Slightly moist. Almost like amphibians.
"Your scale structure is definitely reptilian, but the smoothness is like an amphibian...."
What is amphibian?
And along the top ridge of the tail—feathers. I had thought it was just layered scales from afar. But no—soft, fine feathers.
"Feathers... Well, you do have wings. So bird traits, too."
What are you even talking about....
"And your teeth are carnivorous mammal dentition...."
Even in fantasy, could such hybridization occur?
Base morphology: reptile.
Thermoregulation: mammalian.
Surface tissue: amphibian.
Appendage: avian.
Genetically impossible. No modern biological theory could define this.
Now I understood why ancient people called incomprehensible nature divine.
"This is... a blessing from a god."
What?
"I didn’t understand before. Dragons are... truly perfect organisms."
Now, the being in front of me felt sacred.
I lifted my hand from his tail... and gently pressed my lips to it. A gesture of reverence.
What are you doing!
Tch. And the mood had been so good.
The bars were suddenly empty. The dragon had yanked his tail back the instant my lips touched it, retreating with eyes full of shock.
You... you... what are you—
"Come here. I haven’t touched enough."
Wh—why would you put your mouth on me—
Other monsters liked kisses. Varen was apparently in puberty.
"When something is beautiful, you want to kiss it."
...Beautiful?
"Yes. You are truly beautiful."
When I first heard a dragon was here, my heart thundered. At our first meeting I was frozen in awe; the second time, I felt I could do anything for him.
Dragons were beautiful, dazzling, breathtaking, majestic, handsome, and even cute—
I knew you were insane. But you’re thoroughly insane.
...If only he would shut up.
Varen was perfect except for his mouth. He always dumped cold water on my sincere affection.
You are the strangest human I have ever met.
Not unusual—strange? That killed the mood.
My knees had buckled from touching him; I hadn’t noticed I was kneeling. I rose, expression hardening.
"You’re really acting high and mighty. Just wait—if you ever ask to be petted later."
Insane. Completely insane. That will never happen. Don’t expect it.
His tone was so rude my pride stung.
So what if he’s a dragon?
...Well, yes, that does matter.
A page of memory I thought would be precious to me alone ended as soon as it began. The lingering soft warmth on my palm was too vivid, so I opened and closed my hand.
Varen was still backing away, shaken. Apparently, a ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ kiss scared him more than torture.
"Stop running. I need to talk to you."
No.
"You’re saying no before even hearing it."
Whatever it is, no.
He was already slipping into the shadows. Anyone watching would think I was the predator here.
"Sss—get over here."
......
"Hey. No. Come here. Don’t make me unlock the door and kiss you again."
Hands on my hips, I spoke sternly. Varen let out another enormous sigh, then crept forward.
His sharp, proud eyes drooped into a look of pure displeasure. Despite having fewer facial muscles than humans, dragons had no trouble expressing emotion.
