Little Pink Starfish

When Eira came to his senses, the first thought that crossed his mind was that he was utterly doomed.

Time… how much time has passed?

He tried to sit up but immediately groaned. His entire body ached—his waist, stomach, arms, and legs—there wasn’t a single part of him that wasn’t sore. After being thoroughly exhausted the entire night, every muscle in his body screamed in protest.

He wasn’t particularly tired thanks to all the sleep he got, but his body refused to cooperate.

Lifting his heavy eyelids, the first thing he saw was last night’s selection window.

1. Insist it’s just a seasoning. (Main Quest Failure)

2. Tell the truth. (Bed Ending)

Bed Ending? Eira was startled, but after looking closer, he realized it wasn’t spelled “Bad” but “Bed” instead.

This damn system… just like with :Dragon!

He tried to grab the small stone stuck to his cheek, but he lacked the strength and could only let out a deep sigh.

After groaning for a while, he finally lifted his head. The fireplace was burning brightly thanks to the multiple mana stones he had tossed in. The air was warm enough that, despite the thin blanket covering him, he didn’t feel too cold.

Stretching his limbs with a satisfied sigh, Eira suddenly gasped.

“My powder!”

Frantically scanning the room, he spotted the glass bottle rolling on the floor. Snatching it up, he quickly examined the contents—half of the Exenflarion Powder had disappeared overnight.

He felt a pang of grief at the wasted, precious powder but quickly forced himself to think positively.

No, wait. I secretly fed this to a dragon, and both I and the city are still intact. Plus, I still have half left. That’s not so bad.

Tucking the bottle safely into his subspace storage, he turned his attention to his research journal, which had been tossed to the other side of the room. He flipped through the pages to check for any missing sections—only to freeze at what he saw.

Scrawled in messy, smudged handwriting, as if written with a charred twig:

3rd Observation: Lover covered in powder—highly preferred.

Eira stared at it in disbelief, then let out a dry chuckle before closing the notebook.

After storing that away as well, he lay back for a moment, staring at the dust particles floating in the air.

His responsibilities were undoubtedly piling up, but considering he was already late, what was another half-day?

Besides, when you’re this drained, rest is necessary.

Watching the flickering flames in the fireplace, his mind wandered to the chemical composition of mana stones and the process of complete combustion—until he suddenly snapped out of it and began rummaging through the bed.

There must be some of Yanu’s hair around here…

Lifting the blankets and scanning the floor, he searched for a strand of that unmistakable red hair.

Just as he was focused on his task, the door creaked open.

Yanu entered, casually draping a cloth over his shoulder, carrying two large water buckets filled from the river.

Setting one down by the fireplace, he grinned.

“You looking for something?”

It was then that Eira realized—he was lying completely naked on the bed, stomach-down, with his entire body exposed.

…Oh.

Not that it mattered after everything that happened last night, but still—he hastily pulled the blanket over himself, pretending nothing had happened. He had no intention of starting another round first thing in the morning.

With a heavy thud, Yanu placed one of the warm water buckets near the bed. It was roughly carved, likely shaped by hand rather than cut with tools.

The other bucket was left to heat over the fire.

Then, dipping the cloth into the now-warm water, Yanu wrung it out and looked at Eira expectantly.

“Come on, I’ll wipe you down.”

For all his beastly behavior, he was surprisingly well-mannered when it came to taking care of his lover.

Eira had grown up as a noble and was used to being attended to, even in the labyrinth, where he was a well-known mage.

But this… this was different.

Hesitating for a moment, he reluctantly lowered the blanket.

Yanu started with Eira’s face, carefully wiping away the remnants of the night before.

His touch was unexpectedly gentle. He worked his way downward, taking his time to thoroughly clean every inch of Eira’s skin.

Once the first bucket cooled, he swapped it for the one warming on the fire, continuing the process as if performing a proper bath ritual.

It was incredibly soothing—almost like sinking into a hot spring.

Eira sighed, melting into the warmth.

Meanwhile, Yanu had probably just washed himself off in the freezing river.

“Thanks.”

Feeling refreshed, a natural smile spread across Eira’s lips. The heat from the cloth had even eased some of the soreness in his muscles.

Of course, it didn’t completely erase the aftermath of last night, so when he clumsily reached for his clothes, wincing slightly, Yanu clicked his tongue.

“You really need to build some stamina.”

Eira ignored him.

Oh, sure. Says the guy with 9,999,999 stamina to someone barely pushing 800.

He had actually improved a bit lately from all the running around, but compared to Yanu, it was laughable.

As Eira sluggishly put on his clothes, Yanu sat on the edge of the bed, watching with a thoughtful look before finally speaking.

“By the way, that weird experiment of yours—you can keep doing it if you want.”

Eira spun around so fast that he nearly tripped over his own clothes.

“…Seriously?”

His voice was cautious, but his face lit up like the morning sun. His gray-blue eyes sparkled with excitement.

After all, since becoming a full-fledged labyrinth mage, never once had a high-intelligence test subject—er, a willing participant—voluntarily agreed to his experiments.

“Yeah. It seems pretty interesting.”

Eira hesitated briefly.

But his minuscule sense of guilt was immediately crushed by the overwhelming enthusiasm of a true researcher.

“Thank you! I promise I’ll be careful!”

Not wanting to risk Yanu changing his mind, Eira quickly expressed his gratitude.

This was way too good an opportunity to pass up.

Yanu, meanwhile, just chuckled, as if thoroughly entertained by his eagerness.

Reaching out, he stroked Eira’s cheek with the back of his hand.

“Come on, let’s go eat. My treat.”

Now completely happy, Eira hurriedly finished dressing and opened the door—only to freeze in place.

[Yanu Lezjedet’s Affection has increased by 1.]

Current Affection: 6

Eira’s expression turned slightly conflicted.

He should be happy… but something about it felt off.

Why is his affection increasing like this?

Sure, it was great that his experiment was progressing and he was gaining favor, but…

Did Yanu’s warped way of thinking play into this?

…Or was last night just really satisfying?

Well, either way, gaining two points in a single day made the exhausting night worth it.

Stepping outside, Eira shivered as the cold air hit him.

A thin layer of snow coated the streets, already melting into slush. Winter was approaching fast—soon, all of Solar would be buried in white.

Since the weather called for something warm, the two of them headed toward the steamed bun shop.

The shop owner, Wolf, greeted them with his usual bright, sun-like smile.

“Welcome! Good morning! What can I get you?”

Before Eira could decide on his order, a familiar figure entered.

It was Hera.

She was a regular among regulars—so much so that every time Eira came to buy steamed buns, she was already there. Whether it was because of her immense love for buns or for some other reason, Wolf always greeted her with an especially warm smile.

“Hello, Hera. How was the hunt?”

“Hah! Wolf, you know me—I always do well!” Hera grinned. “This time, I took down a few hundred monsters in one go! There was a whole swarm of Kabolos and Traturas bursting up from the ground. Would’ve been great if you were there to see it—what a sight it was!”

As always, she exaggerated her accomplishments with great enthusiasm.

Eira, meanwhile, was lost in thought.

Kabolos and Traturas, swarming together?

That was a phenomenon he’d only read about in records—a rare case of multi-species monster clustering.

I wish I could’ve seen it myself…

Of course, the part where she supposedly sliced through them all in one swing was clearly nonsense.

…But more importantly—

Which bun should I order?

And also—

Are these two… interested in each other?

No matter how he looked at it, Wolf and Hera’s interactions seemed a little too friendly.

His thoughts bounced around in all directions, but in the end, he finally made his choice.

“Four meat buns, three soup buns, and three spicy buns, please.”

“You got it! I’ll steam them up right away.”

As Wolf busied himself preparing the order, Eira turned to Hera, who was watching him with a casual expression.

“So, where exactly did you see the Kabolos and Traturas?”

“Mm? Where?” Hera tilted her head, thinking for a moment before pointing. “Somewhere near that mountain peak over there. That area’s always crawling with monsters. Maybe the soil’s just good for them? You dig even a little, and they come crawling out like ants. Just the other day, I stomped on the ground, and a giant Cordo burst out! Thing was massive—as big as a house, with legs like tree trunks!”

She dramatically gestured at an old scar on her arm.

“It gave me this beauty. Its horns were so damn sharp—came this close to cutting me! But of course, I took it down with one clean slash—”

As she spoke, Yanu—who had been quietly watching—suddenly lifted his gaze.

His sharp red eyes locked onto Hera.

Sensing the attention, Hera blinked.

Then, with her usual friendly demeanor, she flashed him a bright smile.

Yanu, after a brief pause—

Smiled back.

For some reason, the air between them grew strangely tense.

Just as Eira was about to say something, the small stone resting on his hand suddenly shot forward.

With an almost magnetic force—

It smacked itself right onto Yanu’s cheek.