Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"..."

It was all just a matter of luck.

Fortunately, the ground subsided unexpectedly in the arena, allowing them to escape safely. If it hadn't subsided—

...If he hadn't fallen, he would probably have dealt with the remaining monsters, picked up Ryu, and taken her out, successfully rescuing her.

This young man can definitely do it.

Ryu couldn't help but feel that way now.

"Bell...would you like to listen to me?"

By the time Ryu noticed, the words had already slipped out.

Just like I did one day at the maze park, I told everything to the boy next to me.

She told the boy everything that had happened to her, including what happened to the Astrea Familia; she told him everything that she had kept from everyone else.

His own sins, mistakes, and regrets were all exposed to the boy.

"—This is what the male animal tamer (Jarlo) meant by sacrifice."

"..."

After recounting everything in detail, Ryu seemed to evade the issue by letting her gaze fall on the floor.

The old wound, exposed on its own, was hot and painful.

She is now terrified of hearing the sounds coming from the boy's lips.

Slowly, Bell began to speak:

"Then... you should still live, shouldn't you...?"

He lowered his eyebrows and said with a smile.

"Because those people that Miss Ryu cherishes... fight because they want Miss Ryu to survive."

"what……"

"Even an idiot like me knows that if Miss Ryu dies in a place like this... Miss Alicia and the others will be furious."

I'm annoyed that she doesn't understand other people's feelings.

He spoke slowly, word by word, as if carefully explaining something to a child.

Bell didn't look down on her or scold her; he was just a little angry.

It's like saying, "If you do this again, I won't forgive you," trying to get Ryu to change her mind.

With a temperament similar to Seele, and eyes like those of Alexandra.

The boy's pupils curved into crescents again, as if revealing a bitter smile.

Liu was deeply attracted by the deep red color and placed her hand on her chest as if to press it down.

My heart is beating very fast.

She had that feeling. That was all.

Therefore, her current desire to connect with the boy is merely a psychological effect.

Liu lowered her eyes and clenched her fingers into a fist.

"Be, Bell."

"...?"

"Let's... cuddle together."

“…Huh?”

Bell looked at Ryu in confusion, and froze when he heard the request.

It took him a long time to understand the meaning behind the words, and his cheeks gradually flushed red.

Ryu's cheeks turned red, and even the tips of her ears turned red. She then stammered, her tongue almost tied in knots, "..."

"What we're doing now... is so inefficient. If you really intend to survive with me... then... we should use our body heat to keep each other warm...!"

"Huh? Ah! But... but...!?"

"Now is not the time to be shy... Look, your body is so cold."

Bell, who was stuttering, opened his eyes wide as Liu grasped his hand.

That hand was as cold as ice, and the skin was very pale. In Bell's case, this was partly due to excessive blood loss. He was currently only relying on the vitality of a high-level adventurer to get through the time being, not a long-term solution.

Although Liu was shy, everything she said was correct.

She genuinely cared about the boy's health.

"But... but still... Miss Ryu is an elf, that..."

"You don't need to worry about that. In an emergency, elves... hugging dwarves wouldn't be a problem, probably..."

She brought up racial issues to silence Bell's concerns.

The boy could only wail and could no longer find words to refute.

"No, but Bell... you can't... have bad intentions."

"……What?"

"Once I find out, I will definitely take action and teach you a lesson..."

Despite having brought it up herself, Ryu was killed by her own shame and started listing out the precautions.

Bell was stunned.

"Uh, no, no, I meant I thought you wouldn't have any impure thoughts about my body, it's just... I, I mean...!"

Just as Ryu's mind was in utter chaos, unable to completely relinquish her elven obsessive-compulsive nature, and her face was flushed more than ever before...

"Ha... Ahahaha! Ah, it hurts, it hurts..."

"What are you laughing at...!"

Bell laughed.

Seeing him press his hand against his body, which was aching from laughing, Ryu panicked.

Ryu thought indignantly, "I was clearly talking to you about something serious," but Bell still smiled and said:

"I'm sorry, I just feel very relieved for some reason... because Ms. Ryu is still Ms. Ryu after all."

This means that seeing that even though Ryu showed a different side, she was still the same spirit he knew made him feel relieved.

After hearing what he said, Liu opened her eyes slightly and then fell silent.

A sensation that made her face feel hotter, and a feeling that made her heart itch, washed over her.

Finally, Bell mentally prepared herself and timidly observed her expression.

"Uh, so... what should I do...?"

"..."

"We're not wearing clothes, so if we hug each other, wouldn't that cause a lot of problems? Uh..."

Hearing this...

After a long silence, Liu stood up without saying a word.

She walked with difficulty on one foot, stopped in front of Bell, and turned her back to him.

Then, she took off the cloak she was wearing.

"────"

With a soft thud, the cloak slipped to the ground.

Her fair neck was fully exposed, and her supple back was also on display.

The dripping water slid down her neck to her slender waist and was absorbed by the only remaining pair of underwear.

Ryu could feel Bell holding his breath, his whole body tense and stiff. Ryu, with his back to him, was also blushing.

Even though it was impossible to see her from behind, she covered her chest with her arms and sat down on the ground.

A brief silence passed, but for Liu at this moment, it felt like an extremely long time.

When her sky-blue eyes lowered involuntarily, it was probably because her intentions had been conveyed; one could sense a resolute determination emanating from behind her.

Bell straightened his back.

Ryu's heart skipped a beat.

Bell timidly crossed her arms from behind to the front.

Ryu's shoulders were trembling.

Then, there was no distance between the two.

"..."

"..."

Bell hugged Liu tightly from behind, pulling her into his arms.

Ryu's back pressed tightly against her thin chest.

The boy crossed his arms over Liu's naked chest.

At first, I felt a burning shame.

The two bodies exchange body temperature.

The cold touch of skin turned into warmth as it embraced Ryu.

The initially pounding heart gradually calmed down, gently tapping Ryu's back time and again. The pleasant rhythm melted Ryu's heart like a cradle.

The stiffness gradually disappeared from the two of them.

The two voices of the heart merged and became indistinguishable.

In this way, it was as if it were natural, and the two of them leaned against each other.

Bell lay on Ryu's back, and Ryu rested her back against Bell's chest.

Is it warm?

"Yes, it's very warm..."

"That's good……"

"Yes……"

“…………”

“…………”

The dialogue, as always, didn't last long.

However, it was by no means an uncomfortable silence.

The sound of clear, babbling water confirmed this.

Bell slightly parted his legs, letting Ryu nestle between them. Although Ryu felt warm, Bell, who was embracing her, must have felt very cold.

Ryu called out to him and pulled the cloak that had fallen to the ground over to him. Bell draped it over his back, covering Ryu's entire body.

Bell's face was right next to Ryu's face.

The gentle breath blowing against her ear or neck made her feel a little ticklish.

The breath gently caressed the elf's slender ears several times.

"Miss Ryu..."

"...?"

"So Miss Ryu is actually quite petite..."

"...My height should be about the same as yours."

"Uh... that's true, but... how should I put it?"