* * *
Just the thought that I’m dating someone like that makes me dizzy, and I lower my head.
But lowering my head while being held in Bati’s arms only means I end up burying my face into his chest.
I feel my nose press into his soft pecs and quickly lift my head again.
“If you don’t plan to go again, don’t go tempting me.”
“S-Sorry!”
I really don’t have the stamina, so go easy on me, okay?
Looks like I really do need to train harder, just like Bati says.
No, more importantly—
“…Bati.”
My face heats up again, embarrassingly.
I’m just shortening his name to a nickname, but why does it make me feel so shy?
I meant to say it casually, but my voice came out all shaky.
“….”
But I wasn’t the only one with flushed cheeks.
Bati, being called by that name, couldn’t look me in the eyes either.
I noticed the tips of his ears turning red.
Cute.
“Bati.”
“…Yeah.”
This is a weird feeling.
We did way more embarrassing stuff last night—why are we getting all flustered over this?
Even when we had to change rooms because the bed frame broke during sex, I wasn’t this embarrassed.
But this is different. It’s not just embarrassment.
I feel all soft and warm inside.
My heart feels light and airy.
So yeah. I’m just really happy.
It finally feels real—that we’re a couple.
I wish the name Raul wasn’t just two syllables.
It’s too short for a nickname.
I want to give him something too… but I’ve got nothing.
After some thought, I nervously press a kiss to Bati’s cheek.
His skin feels a little hot against my lips.
Bati pulls me into a tight embrace.
That’s more than enough for me.
“Raul.”
Even without a special nickname, when Bati says my name, it always sounds so sweet.
His voice isn’t emotionless anymore—it’s filled with feeling, just for me.
Now that I think about it, he used to call me with that same soft voice even before…
It’s funny, how I kept making excuses, trying not to believe it.
Anyone could’ve seen he was treating me differently.
Sure, Bati didn’t have many friends.
But even then, he wouldn’t be having sex or feeding someone just because they were “just friends.”
‘…But why does he like me?’
That thought suddenly pops into my head.
No, seriously.
I used to doubt that Bati liked me, and I had good reasons for it.
It’s not like I ever did anything to make someone fall for me!
If I think about it honestly, haven’t I messed up more than I’ve done right?
Even now, I ran into Gaspar at the worst possible time and made a fool of myself because I was convinced it was divine intervention.
The reason he likes me… Hmm. Is it because of my face?
But if Bati were into looks, he could’ve teamed up with any number of other good-looking guys already.
Or is it because I’m good at sex…?
No, don’t think such indecent thoughts about Bati!
‘Should I just ask him once?’
He might get mad if I confess that I’ve regressed, and it feels awkward to bring it up.
But this might be my only chance to ask and clear this up.
“Um… Bati. What do you like about me?”
I ended up blurting it out.
“Huh.”
Batista—no, Bati—let out a dry laugh.
He clearly wasn’t thrilled.
But what about it didn’t he like?
He pinched my side—hard.
Ouch.
“Why are you so insecure?”
“Me?”
“You’re all crushed and crumpled as you ask.”
W-Was I?
But can you blame me for being doubtful?
Bati said he didn’t like me, but I still clung to him.
And on the very first day we started hanging out, he had to witness me getting into a fight with Vasco.
And that wasn’t even the worst of it.
I got dragged through the mud trying to hook people up, got chewed out and thrown aside with a “don’t ever do that again,” and even now I’m flip-flopping between past and present like I’ve completely lost it.
So how can I not be insecure?
Thinking back, I can’t imagine what he saw in me.
Maybe Bati just has really weird taste.
But I definitely can’t say that out loud.
He’d get upset!
“It’s not that I’m insecure. I just honestly can’t figure it out? I mean, we haven’t even known each other that long.”
I rambled on.
“But you were already kind to me from the moment I asked to tag along. You even came with me to Cheps. You didn’t say anything, but I could tell—you only went because you were worried about me, right?”
“……”
“You must’ve been mad that I kept bringing other people around, but you forgave me right away. Thinking about that made me wonder—are you just naturally that kind of person, or were you already into me back then?”
Bati’s eyes, which had been full of displeasure, slowly softened.
Before long, instead of annoyed, he looked a little embarrassed as he lowered his gaze.
Good. Seems like I didn’t offend him, and my question got across.
Oh.
Bati suddenly pulled me into a tight hug.
Is he shy?
I didn’t have the guts to rush him, so I just quietly let him hold me and waited for an answer.
And honestly, shy Bati is adorable.
What could he be thinking about?
Now I’m even more curious about his answer.
He’ll tell me… right?
“Since when, huh…”
His low voice rumbled by my ear.
I shivered without meaning to.
That low tone felt like it was sliding across my whole body.
How can a single word sound so sexy?
‘This guy is my boyfriend?’
“I’m not really sure. But I was interested… from the very beginning.”
Huh?
That early?
In me?
Was there anything that would justify that?
When I first became an adventurer, Bati was already a well-known name.
Not exactly called the “King of Adventurers,” but definitely notorious enough to be called a monster—with awe and fear.
Meanwhile, I’d only managed to leave home at twenty-two after endless arguments with my parents.
Bati had already left the temple at seventeen to follow Gaspar and was making a name for himself.
Compared to him, my start was really late.
So of course I thought he was incredible—someone already storming battlefields at my age while I was just starting out.
So when I first met Bati, I was genuinely starstruck.
I eagerly introduced myself and said to call me anytime if he ever needed stealth or infiltration.
But Bati, who was always wary of people, would never be kind to someone he just met.
I still remember the way he coldly looked down at me with eyes like ice and said, “You’re loud,” before walking off.
‘Wait, how is that the reaction of someone interested in me?’
It felt more like he hated me.
That’s how normal people would interpret it, right?
Unless… maybe Bati found that meeting so boring he completely forgot about it, and instead thinks the time I helped him out was our first real encounter?
That would at least make some sense.
After all, I did help him.
That must’ve made him curious to figure out what kind of guy I was.
Whether I was some clingy nuisance who’d latch on just because Raul Florenti helped him once, or a rat who’d dig up dirt and go around badmouthing him.
“You mean when I helped you out?”
“…You don’t remember?”
What?
“No, I do!”
Bati looked kind of disappointed, so I shook my head hard.
“It wasn’t at Swindlin’s entrance, right? I really wanted to meet you back then. The moment we locked eyes, I tried my best to get your attention and asked you to call me if you ever needed help.”
The answer I got was “You’re loud,” though!
“But you just said that and left. Honestly, I don’t think that kind of interaction screams ‘interest.’”
“That’s…”
Bati hesitated, surprisingly.
Not like he was shy, but like he was carefully choosing his words instead of blurting them out.
What the heck?
I never expected Bati—a guy with the social grace of a rock—to be this considerate.
“I was… a little disappointed.”
…….
“D-Did I say something wrong?!”
If this is his filtered response, I don’t even want to know what the original was.
‘Disappointed?! All I did was say hello!’
* * *
