Escolleia (5)
"Huh? Wait a moment."
"What's wrong?"
"How did you already build a tower with 20 floors?"
Pure red eyes blinked in response.
"I just built it!"
"Just like that?"
"Yes!"
That's absurd.
Up to the 5th floor was easy, from the 10th floor, she had to concentrate, and the limit came when she reached the 15th floor.
However, Rosaria surpassed her high score while Yuria was momentarily distracted.
She looked down at her with a dumbfounded expression, and she blinked her eyes with a smile.
"No way! That's a lie! What trick did you use!"
"Rosaria doesn't do things like lying."
"Then can you build it again?"
"I haven't finished building it yet?"
"Build it again! Quickly!"
"Okay."
Rosaria broke the tower supported by mana and started building it again.
Click, click, click!
The rapidly rising tower.
At the same time, Yuria's mouth dropped open.
'Same speed. No, it's faster than before.'
She built it at an even faster pace, as if she had remembered the forgotten technique while doing it again.
Rosaria built and built diligently.
Finally, she reached the 60th floor, and her tower collapsed.
"It collapsed. But it's still amazing, right?"
"Uh..."
For the first time in her life, Yuria felt that someone was genuinely amazing.
However, she couldn't say it out loud and didn't easily admit it.
She was burning with determination not to lose, so she pulled the stick she was holding towards herself.
"Again! I can definitely do it like a Roton too!"
"You can do it!"
"Don't cheer for me! This is a competition!"
Yuria growled.
She gathered her mana and concentration to build the tower.
Even though she monopolized tower building due to her competitive spirit, it was the happiest time for Rosaria.
***
"Ugh..."
Reed groaned and carefully woke up.
His body was hot.
It was so hot that it felt like he was going to die.
On the contrary, his head was cooling down.
Something soft and cool was wrapping around Reed's chin and cheek.
Reed cautiously opened his eyes.
Blurry focus brought blue hair and a wall into view.
It was Dolores.
"Are you okay?"
Am I okay?
His head felt like it was about to break, his insides were turning upside down, and his body was weak.
"I feel like I'm going to throw up."
"I'll give you some water."
Dolores carefully lifted him up and poured water from a glass into Reed's mouth.
As his thirst and nausea subsided, he was able to endure the discomfort.
"I'll lay you down again."
Dolores held Reed's head and made him rest his head on her thigh.
Only then did Reed realize that he had been resting on Dolores' thigh until now.
"Is there a reason for me to be like this?"
"They said that after you drank two glasses of Volcano, you should apply a cold compress to your face. They said it would cook if the temperature rises."
"No... No."
He understood the cold compress with both hands, but was there really a need for a knee pillow like this?
He wanted to ask, but he thought there must be a reason, so he left it alone.
"What did I do?"
"You didn't do much. After the Tower Master drank both glasses..."
"What happened after that?"
"You fainted. While sitting."
"Anything else?"
"Really, nothing else happened. That's why everyone gave you the nickname 'Black Knight Reed, who died sitting.'"
'Black Knight Reed, who died sitting.'
'Not bad.'
It looks very honorable to be a black knight who fell from exhaustion.
It could be said that it was the most honorable disgrace among all the disgraces.
"So everyone found out that you didn't only drink a single glass."
"Since sending one person to the grave is enough to satisfy everyone, there shouldn't be a big problem."
He tried to smile bitterly, but as he spat out a laugh, a headache rushed in and he swallowed his laughter.
Reed looked up at her with a blank expression.
Blue hair and a wall.
Tilting her head, she looked down at Reed, blocking the chandelier light.
Her face looked strangely red, perhaps because of the shadow.
"Why are you staring at me like that? Do you need something?"
Although he was still slightly intoxicated, he had relaxed enough to speak his true feelings.
Reed, who had been looking at her face, opened his mouth.
"Your cheek..."
"Yes?"
"Can I touch your cheek?"
"…Cheek? You mean… this?"
She pointed at her cheek with her finger, wondering if she had heard wrong, and Reed nodded his head.
Dolores hesitated for a moment, then moved her head towards his hand.
Reed pinched her cheek.
The cheek that entered his hand was...
Soft and squishy.
He drew a circle with his thumb, brushing the smooth skin texture.
As a noblewoman who had grown up finely, she took meticulous care of herself, leaving her skin flawless.
It was a perfect balance between Rosaria's remaining baby fat softness and Phoebe's firmness.
Although Reed had delicate hands, he instinctively became careful not to scratch her skin by mistake.
"Do you like it? Something like this?"
Dolores asked cautiously, not understanding.
Reed, who had been touching her cheek with a blank expression, replied.
"It's calming."
"Really? I don't understand, but…"
Dolores left Reed alone.
He had suffered so much because of her, so couldn't she do at least this much?
After fiddling with her cheek for a while, Reed took his hand off.
His head, which felt like it was going to break, had calmed down somewhat thanks to the cold sensation from both hands.
As Reed tried to get up from her lap...
"Master."
Dolores held Reed's face and laid him back down on her lap.
She looked at him with her blue eyes.
"Why?"
"I remembered something I wanted to do."
"What do you mean?"
"You said that if I wanted anything, I could ask for anything."
'Well, yes, but at this timing?'
Reed was puzzled but nodded his head and waited for her to speak.
"I want to call you like we did in the past."
"In the past?"
"When you called me Dolores and I called you my Oppa."
What she wanted was a very small wish.
However, it was a wish she had longed for a long time.
"It might be a bit difficult in public, though?"
"Of course, only when we're alone. I know how to distinguish between public and private matters."
Wouldn't it be fine in private?
Since Dolores seemed to have a clear boundary, Reed obediently granted her permission.
"Can I call you that now? I'm letting my guard down."
"Yes, go ahead."
"…Oppa."
"Yes."
With her lips trembling as if something was tickling her, Dolores uttered the word once more.
"Oppa."
"Yes."
"Hehehe, oppa."
"…?"
His eyes widened at the sound of her laughing like a mischievous woman.
It was a sound coming from Dolores.
She seemed to realize it too, as she covered her mouth with both hands trying to suppress her laughter, but the sound still leaked through her fingers.
"Hehehe, I can't stop laughing. Why is the word 'oppa' so funny? But it does seem a bit funny. When I call you oppa, it's like, like, yeah."
'Did she take some drugs?'
Reed sneakily turned his head and looked at the table where the water glass was placed.
There was the water glass Reed had emptied and wine.
A wine bottle with the cork removed.
"You drank too?"
At that, Dolores shyly spread her index finger and replied.
"I only had one glass. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to do this knee pillow with a clear mind."
No wonder.
Her face seemed flushed, and it was because of that.
"Was that wish not something you came up with while drunk?"
"No? Actually, I was spacing out thinking about it, and I accidentally attended the wine tasting."
"…"
He had roughly guessed, but it was a little disappointing to hear that it was really because of that.
Still, it's a relief.
I drank it all, so I'm the only one who can see this disgrace.
Reed closed his eyes again.
Since she was giving him a knee pillow like this, he fell asleep again.
"Oppa."
"What now?"
"I'm sorry, but can you get up now? My leg is so numb that I think I'm going to die. And I feel like I'm going to laugh again because of this."
"…"
Reed got up from Dolores' lap, and at the same time, Dolores burst into laughter.
She loosened her numb leg, laughing alone.
