Chapter 2
The Shape That Makes Me
(Part 3)
After seeing off my demon friend, Baldro, I suddenly felt an elbow tap lightly against my back.
Turning around, I saw my master—Akatsuki—looking up at me. When our eyes met, he smiled softly.
“You two seemed pretty close. Is he your girlfriend or something?”
His tone was teasing, but I could sense a hint of irritation in it.
It seemed I had appeared at a rather inconvenient time and accidentally soured his mood.
“No, not at all. Despite appearances, he’s a man, so he couldn’t be my girlfriend.”
“Huh!?”
When I revealed Baldro’s gender, my master’s eyes widened in shock.
He glanced in the direction Baldro had gone, perhaps wanting to confirm it for himself, but the demon was already out of sight.
“…You know what, never mind the gender thing. More importantly, Dia—no cheating! Should I just wrap you up in magic chains?”
“That would be quite embarrassing in public… but, well, I don’t dislike being restrained by you, so I suppose that’s fine.”
“…I’ve thought this for a while, but you’re kind of a hardcore masochist, Dia. Any girl who fell for you at first sight would end up crying, I think.”
“Only when it comes to you. Anyone else, and I’d rather die.”
He sighed as if to say good grief, but I could tell he was still pouting slightly, lips pursed in displeasure.
After a moment’s thought, he reached toward my shoulder. His warm fingers brushed the side of my neck—it tickled a little.
“You take jokes way too literally, Dia. Maybe I should just leave a mark here—so the girls who try to get close to you know you’re taken.”
Even as he said that, his fingers kept gently tracing my shoulder.
The touch was soft, but I knew I’d have to grab his arm and use real force if I wanted to stop him.
His lips were smiling, but his eyes were not. Deep in those red irises, I saw a flicker of the madness I’d glimpsed the day we met—
a predator’s gaze that never lets its prey escape, that longs to possess and dominate completely.
And that gaze… I had always found unbearably beautiful.
The shiver running down my spine—was it fear, or pleasure? I couldn’t tell.
But whenever that dark possessiveness and need for control was directed at me, my heart pounded uncontrollably.
It’s only been a few weeks since our reunion, yet my master—aside from his body and our surroundings—was still the same in soul and personality as he once was.
This was the first time he had shown jealousy since we reunited, and strangely, that made me happy.
I gently placed my hand over his, the one still resting on my shoulder.
“That’s fine. Leave your mark—until you’re satisfied.”
I could feel the corners of my lips lifting against my will.
I wondered what expression I was making right now. Hopefully not one that would scare him.
“…Let’s just go.”
Whether he was exasperated or content, I couldn’t tell, but he withdrew his hand from my shoulder.
Then, with that same hand, he tugged lightly on the hem of my clothes, leading me forward as we began walking.
Oh? I blinked in mild surprise—was that all?
When I moved up to walk beside him, finding it awkward to trail behind, he quickly let go of my clothes. I leaned closer as we walked and whispered:
“You don’t have to hold back, you know?”
“No need… I’ve already left plenty of marks under your clothes.”
Ah, that’s true. I touched my own body through the fabric—pressing lightly with a fingertip, I felt a faint sting.
Honestly, I shouldn’t say this, but… he’s the one who’d make his lovers cry at first sight.
After that, we chatted as usual—about the town we were heading to, what we wanted to do there, and other trivial things.
Apparently, he wanted to secure some means of transport, but funds were short, so we decided to continue our journey on foot.
Before our reunion, he had lived off the wealth earned by selling various goods in his past life, but it seemed that fortune had finally run out.
The reason we stayed so long in this town was that he’d been working part-time jobs to earn some money.
I have more stamina than a human, and I had no intention of opposing his decision.
Still, I worried about him. He must have pushed his legs to the limit searching for me all this time.
Even just being able to travel by carriage would ease his burden considerably—but for that, we needed funds…
“We’ve stayed in this town long enough. Time to move on. We’ll be leaving Willsville now—might have to camp outdoors tonight… hmm, hopefully we reach by tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it.”
My master always seemed cheerful whenever we were exploring new towns.
If I could keep seeing that smile, I’d do anything.
The pleasant tailwind that brushed against us felt as if it were cheering us on in our journey.
