MTM 71

Gulp.

Unlike what he had feared, Harto was relieved when he heard the sound of the medicine sliding down Zed’s throat. But just in case, he kept his lips against Zed’s and held his neck tightly.

“Harto…”

A low voice brushed his ear, calling his name. Harto immediately pulled his lips away and looked at Zed’s face.

“Zed…? Are, you… ha, ha… are you alright? Ha, ha…”

Maybe he had focused too much on the kiss. Harto spoke between rough breaths. In contrast, Zed looked completely calm, unlike Harto who was struggling to breathe.

“Zed… do, do you recognize me…?”

When Harto asked with a trembling voice, Zed smiled. The smile shone like starlight, and Harto thought for a moment that his heart had stopped beating.

“Harto…”

Just hearing his own name, instead of “Monster,” made his whole body tremble. While Harto felt his heart pound as if it might explode and was frozen, Zed lowered his head and kissed him again.

“Mm…”

This time it was different. It was not a kiss filled with desperate craving, but gentle. Every place their lips touched brought a feeling that made him feel like he was melting, and Harto closed his eyes and burrowed into Zed’s arms. This kiss felt like savoring sweet fruit juice, or like soft candy melting at the tip of his tongue.

Feelings he couldn’t quite put into words swirled within him dozens of times. But one thing remained constant: Zed’s kiss was so good.

“Ah…”

How long had it been? Zed slowly pulled his lips away and leaned his head on Harto’s shoulder.

“Ze… Zed? Are you alright?”

Feeling the weight droop against his shoulder, Harto barely held himself up and looked at Zed. His eyes were closed, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep. His face looked more peaceful now, and that made Harto relax for a moment, until a burning sting spread across his lips and made him flinch. He brushed his lips with his fingertips. They were hot and throbbing.

“They’re swollen…”

The marks where Zed had bitten and sucked him were still there. It was lucky he had come to his senses and given him the elixir, or his lips would have been in even worse shape.

Then he suddenly realized something strange.

‘…Wait? If he called my name, that means he had already regained consciousness, right?’

If Zed had recognized him, why had he kissed him again?

The question crossed his mind, but a smile soon appeared on face.

Even if this had been nothing more than a fleeting moment for Zed, his first kiss had been wonderful. He did not care that it had been with a man instead of a woman. Zed was the most precious person to him now, and that made him feel it was fortunate that his first had been with him.

“Hmm…”

Harto tried to calm his excited heart and looked at Zed’s sleeping face. His clear features, long eyelashes, and lips that were slightly red and swollen drew his gaze.

With such a handsome face, how had he never kissed anyone until now? The thought made Harto curious.

“He won’t… do it again, right?”

Feeling a pang of regret, Harto recalled the kiss he had shared with Zed and laughed softly with a red face.

“…Ah, this isn’t the time for that!”

Harto hurriedly pulled himself together, he carefully laid Zed down properly, and quickly gave the elixir to the others. He let it rest in their mouths and poured water in. Fortunately, both swallowed it.

“Phew…”

Only then did Harto relax release, and he collapsed on the ground.

“Ugh… it’s cold…”

He belatedly felt the cold. He was naked, and he could just find clothes from the pack and put them on, but the problem was the others. They were all drenched and asleep, and if left like that, they would be in danger.

While thinking about what to do, Harto’s gaze landed on the thick vines of the flower scattered around them.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

Early in the morning, Zed opened his eyes slowly to the noise near his ear. Because he had been soundly sleeping, his mind was blank for a while, but he soon realized where he was.

Even in the morning, the sunlight of the desert was intense. But thanks to the makeshift canopy spread above his sleeping bag, it was not too hot. The tent was made by hanging a cloak over wooden poles fixed into the sand.

Unlike yesterday, the desert was much quieter, and since there was no wind, it even felt cool.

‘Where did he get wooden poles…?’

As he blinked with that thought, Zed turned his head toward the source of the sound. He saw Allen.

Swish, swish.

Allen was wiping the blade of a sword he had bought from a weapon peddler, and he was singing a strange song with a lively face.

“Our pretty one~ saved everyone from a terrible beast~ Monster Harto~ looks like an angel but isn’t an angel~ if you call him an angel, Zed will shout! He’ll get mad~ not an angel~ but a monster~”

The tune was all over the place, but he did not seem to care at all and looked very pleased with himself.

“Harto, can I ask how you made this stick?”

“I tied the stems together with knots and fixed them by searing them with fire.”

In front of the blackened campfire, Leon and Harto sat side by side and talked.

“Ah, I see. You’re handier than you look! Hmm, but Harto. Aren’t you hungry?”

“Hungry?”

“I’m a little peckish. I wonder if there’s anything left to eat…”

“Want to eat this?”

When Leon started to rummage through his bag, Harto pulled out several blackened potatoes from the fire using a stick he had made himself. He had put them in the fire the night before just in case, and it was a good thing he had.

“Oh! When did you make those…!”

“Give me one too!”

As soon as Leon shouted, Allen stretched out his hand from behind. Leon used magic without touching them and flicked a potato through the air. Allen caught it with both hands, then screamed.

“Hot! Hey! How could you throw something that hot at me!”

Allen juggled the potato from hand to hand in panic, and Leon burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. Harto also started laughing along with him.

“Phew… Burnt potatoes taste the best. You roasted them well.”

“Thank you, Harto.”

“Yeah.”

When Leon blew on the potato and peeled off the charred skin, soft white flesh appeared. The smell of the freshly baked potato made all three of them forget the heat as they quietly ate.

Rustle.

Watching them in silence made Zed feel hungry, so he slowly rose from his sleeping bag.

“You’re finally up?”

Allen looked at him and spoke before turning his attention back to the potato. Harto gestured for him to come over and took one from the fire, wrapping it carefully in a handkerchief.

“Thank you.”

After taking a bite, Zed slowly looked around. Unlike when he had first woken, he began to notice differences one by one.

The canopy was not fixed by wooden poles but by tightly woven stems, and the firewood was not branches but dried stems. All around them, strange stems lay scattered like corpses.

“You look like you want someone to explain what happened.”

Leon noticed Zed’s expression and spoke with a sullen tone, but he had no intention of explaining and focused again on his potato.

“Right. Harto was making a passionate speech a while ago. You were the only one sleeping soundly.”

Allen added to the teasing, saying Zed had missed all the fun while taking it easy.

Zed was dumbfounded.

“Why are you two acting like that? Harto? Can you tell me what happened?”

Instead of those two who only grumbled nonsense, Zed directly asked Harto. But Harto only glanced at him and turned his gaze away when their eyes met.

“L-let’s eat the potatoes first…”

Harto mumbled and bit into his potato.

“What’s this? Did I just see something weird between you two…?”

Allen narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Harto’s reaction.