Take Your Lips Away from My Mouth

A protagonist’s treasure—even if taken by villains—can only ever end up as a toilet seat.

That was what surprised me: the three from the Rosiyan Empire really did take the sealed treasure from the ruins, just as the script foretold—a massive ice-attribute magic stone.

But they were unlucky.

The moment Kefir unleashed her true power, that treasure destined for the protagonist immediately merged into her body.

After Kefir leveled up, I didn’t even need to imagine what she would do in her fury against the three Rosiyans.

As icy shards and flurries swirled, I chose to flop down and play dead.

By the time I dared open my eyes again, the Rosiyan trio had been frozen into shivering blocks of ice, with only their eyeballs still rolling helplessly as they watched us leave.

On our way back, we ran into Louis the Twenty-Third, who had been knocked out cold with his head bleeding after being struck by a rock from Nilu.

When Kefir heard from me about Louis the Twenty-Third’s little act of revenge, she immediately drew her sword.

Big boss, you’re not that kind of protagonist!

The bright, noble heroine can’t just go: “You hurt my servant, I’ll kill your whole family!”

After much persuasion from me, Kefir decided to preserve the evidence of the Rosiyan trio’s cheating and drag Louis the Twenty-Third back to camp to hand over to Queen Louis the Fourth.

After all, that was the choice the script gave her—the outcome with the least consequences for herself.

By then, night was falling.

At the Britannia camp outside the ruins, Miss Nilu was tending to my wound with teary eyes and a runny nose.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Euclid… it’s all my fault…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. No big deal. I, Euclid, have seen all kinds of situations.”

Pain aside, Kefir had obtained her destined treasure.

Nilu hadn’t “max-leveled,” and was now clumsily bumping into me while treating my injury.

Taking a bullet was definitely worth it.

Just when I was counting my blessings, Kefir burst into the tent, clearly having just handed Louis the Twenty-Third over.

When she saw Nilu pressed close to me, her brow twitched, but she calmed herself quickly.

“Euclid, how are you?”

“Nothing serious~”

I gave her an “OK” gesture.

If it weren’t for Miss Nilu’s—uh—over-enthusiasm, I would have stopped her earlier.

At this rate, she’s about to wrap my arm up like a Megaman cannon.

“Rosiyan firearms are still in their testing phase. They look intimidating, but their killing power isn’t that high.”

“Eh?”

“In any case, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Kefir’s gaze still held a trace of doubt.

But at that moment, Nilu seemed to sense something and quickly stammered:

“Mr. Euclid, the bandaging is done! I… I’ll go make dinner for you and the lady right away!”

She practically fled the tent, leaving just Kefir and me together, bathed in the unstable glow of the magic stone.

“Euclid, I already apologized to Nilu. I shouldn’t have… let her stay behind just because of my silly thoughts.”

I understood what she meant, but I pretended not to.

Her next words, though, couldn’t be ignored.

“And… to you as well. Sorry. For all the bold words I said, in the end, I still let you…”

Wait.

Is she about to make another excuse to wall-pin me?

Yes, everything I’ve done for Kefir looks suspiciously like flirting, but really, I just want to cling to her thigh and rely on that protagonist aura.

Anything beyond that—forget it.

Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t live long enough to enjoy it.

In this script, I only survive by “clinging to Kefir’s thigh,” not by clinging to Kefir herself.

If I ever crossed that line, I probably wouldn’t live to see spring.

So—I needed to defuse this pink atmosphere.

“M-me? Of course I’m fine! I, Euclid, have traveled all across the West! Don’t worry about me.

Kefir, haven’t you grown stronger? Do you feel some indescribable power flowing inside you now, making you feel like you’re invincible?”

“Not that exaggerated.”

Kefir gave a small, playful smile.

“Though… after absorbing the magic stone, I do feel my mana for ice magic is overflowing, almost endless.

But as for my actual ‘rank,’ that still needs testing back at the Empire. My own feeling doesn’t count.”

“Don’t worry. You definitely leveled up.”

I gave her reassurance.

The script said it clearly: 【Kefir obtained the magic stone from the ruins and advanced her magic.】

Her protagonist aura had grown stronger.

That meant my own life was safer.

How could I not be happy?

“…If you knew, then why did you rush in like an idiot!?”

Having been distracted earlier, Kefir finally remembered her anger.

She puffed her cheeks and scolded me:

“I was scared to death!”

“Haha~ wasn’t it for the sake of clinging to your thigh?”

“Euclid! I’m not joking! You’re just an ordinary person who can’t fight. So stay in the back and stop—every single time—”

“The truth is, I need to make sure you can grow stronger.”

Yes, part of it was selfish.

But it was also for her.

“I’m following you for that very reason.”

“!”

Kefir’s voice suddenly went sharp.

Her hands fumbled nervously, then—

With a flushed face, she punched my shoulder.

“Ahhh!”

Boss, hit me anywhere but the wound!

It’s bleeding again!

“S-sorry! I didn’t realize!”

Panicked, she leaned in close to check.

But at that exact moment, I bent my head down in pain—

【Ssshhh】

Our lips brushed together, perfectly aligned.

Until the smell of dinner wafted in from outside and broke the spell, Kefir and I stayed frozen, silent and stiff as wood.

Only our breathing filled the space between us.