Chapter 64: ☆Even if it’s me...
Under Merinu-san’s guidance, we were led in front of a certain door.
When she knocked and her voice replied, Merinu-san confirmed it and opened the door.
As we stepped inside, Elysia-san was sitting at a two-person table by the window, drinking tea.
She was wrapped in a white one-piece dress, and the dress beautifully outlined her figure.
Merinu-san bowed to Elysia-san, checked that I had entered the room, and closed the door behind us.
This building had only one entrance on the main street side, but it had normal windows on the back street side — an interesting design.
...It was the opposite of what was usual, which was precisely what made this building so interesting.
When Elysia-san saw my face, she smiled gently and beckoned me over.
As I walked to the seat across from her, I watched her expression.
She looked bright and energetic — no trace of the darkness or gloom I had seen when we first met.
Her lively appearance made me happy, so I smiled and sat across from her.
"Are you all right from the injury?"
"Yes, it was a light one. I applied medicine and it’s already healed in three days."
"That’s good. When you returned, your clothes were torn, so I was worried..."
"I’m sorry for making you worry."
Elysia-san let out a relieved sigh, and I felt sorry and lowered my head.
The moment I looked up, Merinu-san had placed a freshly brewed pot of black tea in front of me.
I thanked Merinu-san and took a sip.
When Merinu-san confirmed I had finished my tea, she bowed to Elysia-san and left the room.
The side window was open, and a gentle breeze came in, making Elysia-san’s hair flutter.
Her long, glossy, straight blonde hair reaching her waist sparkled beautifully every time it moved.
The faint floral scent of the breeze reached my nose.
Elysia-san gently held her fluttering hair with one hand, looked out the window, and smiled.
"The wind is nice today."
"Yes, it’s the most comfortable time of day."
"...Won’t you speak a little less formally?"
When I looked back at Elysia-san, she was smiling at me with a troubled expression.
At her suggestion, I gave a wry smile and took another sip of tea.
Somehow, Elysia-san’s atmosphere made me feel both distant and respectful.
It wasn’t just her elegant presence — I felt something that made me want to speak in formal speech.
She was saying she wanted that, so if I didn’t, I would make her uncomfortable.
"I understand... Elysia-san."
"Elysia... yes, please call me that."
"...Elysia, my words are a little... no, quite rough. Will that be okay?"
"Yes. That way... will make me feel more relaxed."
"Is that so..."
Elysia-san smiled happily and tilted her head slightly, looking straight at me with her honest eyes.
Feeling embarrassed, I scratched the back of my head with one hand.
Seeing my awkwardness, Elysia-san covered her mouth with the tip of one finger and laughed.
Her body moved slightly with the laugh, and her large breasts swayed cutely.
Erika was the same — I still couldn’t understand why someone with such a slender figure had such large breasts.
Her waist was also clearly defined.
Had she really been undernourished until recently?
It was true that her skin and flesh looked better than when I first met her...
Elysia-san laughed for a while, then turned her gaze back to the window where the gentle breeze continued and began to speak.
"I’ve been having tea with Nimi-san lately."
"With Nimi?"
"Yes. Nimi-san has been taking good care of me. I haven’t had many conversations with women my age, so it’s very enjoyable."
"That’s good."
"...Before, the woman who had that kind of expression was Nimi-san, wasn’t she?"
Elysia-san looked at me and smiled as she asked.
I nodded with a wry smile, realizing we had become close enough for her to ask such things.
When she saw my nod, Elysia-san continued with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"...May I ask something more personal?"
"...Sure."
"It’s about... whether you had any resistance to embracing Nimi-san as your stepmother?"
"There wasn’t. I don’t regret it at all even now, and I’m glad I became her lover."
At Elysia-san’s question, I immediately answered with a smile.
My instant reply made Elysia-san smile with envy as she held her cup with both hands and took a sip of tea.
Seeing that expression, I continued.
"If Nimi-san had become unhappy because I embraced her, then embracing her myself and making her happy would be far better."
"What if Nimi-san... had tried to run away from that?"
"...I don’t really want to say this, but if she tried, I would have forced her to stay no matter what."
At my rough answer, Elysia-san gave a small sigh with a wry smile.
At that time, Nimi had stopped, so I was able to focus on comforting her heart.
But if my words hadn’t stopped her and she had continued toward the idiot son, I would have forced her to stay by embracing her no matter what.
Even if she cried or rejected me, Nimi’s appearance at the time hadn’t looked like she would stop with words.
I was truly glad she had stopped with my words.
Just thinking about the "what if" made me feel murderous toward the idiot son.
Seeing my expression, Elysia-san smiled with envy and placed her cup on the table.
She then rested both hands on her own breasts, her eyes filled with a deep, determined melancholy as she asked,
"Even if it’s me... even if I’m dirty, will you embrace me?"
"...I can embrace you... but I don’t want a purely physical relationship."
"Eh...?"
"If it’s a relationship like that, I want to be your lover and make you happy."
"...Happily?"
"Besides, Elysia isn’t dirty. She has protected Erika with her own body — she isn’t dirty at all."
"Raide-san..."
Elysia-san’s cheeks flushed faintly and her eyes grew misty at my words.
If anyone said Elysia was dirty, I would eliminate them with all my strength.
But how could I explain it to Erika?
It would be wonderful to become Elysia’s lover, but it would be meaningless if the two of them became estranged.
...Should I go to Erika right now and apologize?
Seeing my troubled expression, Elysia-san smiled beautifully even while blushing.
"It’s fine with Elysia-san, okay?"
"Hm?"
"When I came to see you today... didn’t Erika-san say ’please’ to me?"
"...So that’s what you meant."
I recalled Erika’s words and let out a wry smile with a sigh.
I had thought "please" was just a polite way of saying she wanted me to become Elysia’s lover.
Normally, I would never have imagined that someone like Elysia would ask me to be her lover.
Looking straight into Elysia-san’s misty eyes with a serious expression, I said,
"I’ll make you happy, and I’ll do everything I can so your smile never disappears. So please become my lover."
"...Won’t you regret it?"
"There’s no way."
"...My body is..."
"It’s not dirty, and I won’t remind you of that."
I stood up and approached Elysia-san, kneeling on one knee in front of her and looking up.
Because the fabric of her dress was thin, I could see that her nipples were slightly erect.
I was promising her a joyful daily life where she wouldn’t have time to remember anything unpleasant.
I might not be able to forget completely, but I could surely dilute it.
To dilute those painful memories, I would work hard.
As I looked up at Elysia-san with sincere eyes, she turned her body toward me, blushed beautifully, and smiled shyly.
"Yes... please make me happy."
"Of course."
"...T-that is..."
"Hm?"
Elysia-san nodded happily at my words, then hesitated as if she had something difficult to say.
Tilting my head at her, she silently extended both hands toward me as if asking for something.
While wondering what she wanted, I extended one hand and was enveloped by her soft, smooth touch.
Before I could realize it, she grabbed my hand and pulled me toward her.
Because I was still kneeling, I couldn’t brace myself and my face slammed into her stomach.
The soft sensation of her abdomen was accompanied by the floral scent that had come in with the wind, wrapping around me.
...Now I remember — this is the scent of lilies.
It’s refreshing yet glamorous, and somehow rich.
Elysia-san gently hugged my head with both arms as if embracing me while I buried my face in her stomach.
Her large breasts were placed on top of my head, and I could feel the shape of her breasts changing to match the shape of my head.
At that moment, the lily scent and Elysia-san’s own scent grew thicker and stimulated my nose.
Then, right beside my ear, Elysia-san whispered in a beautiful voice — shy yet seductive —
"I want you to embrace me..."
