Lakis lifted his head at Yuri's call. He also didn't forget to manage the fierce expression on his face before turning to the person behind him. An expression made docile in the blink of an eye, faced Yuri.
"I know this might sound really strange but…"
Yuri looked straight at Lakis and just spoke bluntly.
"Can I hold your hand once?"
Lakis was startled in that moment. He looked at Yuri with an expression like he was doubting his ears.
For a brief moment, Yuri considered actually telling him that it was customary to greet people with a handshake in the east. But for some reason, she didn't think Lakis would believe it, and she felt like that would just make the mood even worse so she quit while she was ahead.
And she just spoke honestly.
"I don't think I'll be able to sleep if I don't hold Mr. Lakis' hand right now."
At that moment, Lakis' expression turned strange. Right now, in his head, the bug was raising an uproar and shouting for joy.
Yuri was looking forward to a positive answer from Lakis. If Lakis refused, she didn't mind being shameless and looking for the opportunity to grab his hand. In other words, this didn't mean much to Yuri.
Lakis stared at Yuri for a while, looking a little troubled. Then soon, his eyes cooled slightly. In his mind, he rewound the events of last time.
Every time she touched his hand, Yuri reacted abnormally. No, apparently it wasn't just holding hands that elicited that reaction from her. The same thing happened when he touched her face last time.
—What are you doing, Lakis! Nod already! Hurry! Ah, hurry…!
The worried bug nagged Lakis.
Yuri was also looking at him and waiting for an answer. Fortunately for Yuri, when Lakis finally opened his mouth to speak, the words that came out were permission.
"…If it's briefly."
A slightly hoarse, low voice scratched her eardrums. Soon after, Lakis slowly stretched his hand to Yuri.
Lakis accepted Yuri's strange request without even asking why. A part of him did want to re-check exactly what happened when he touched her but honestly, another desire preceded his curiosity.
Seeing Lakis gesture for her to come from his spot of the sofa, Yuri walked forward like she was possessed. Perhaps it was because the lights were purposefully dimmed for Lakis' sake but the subtly lit living room had a somewhat unusual atmosphere.
She noticed Lakis' hair was wet from the bath he had not too long ago. To think a patient with such a large wound was going to shower alone, no normal person would even attempt this. At this rate, give it just a week and he might be flying around.
Just before she reached Lakis, Yuri paused for a moment and took a breath. Then she placed her hand on Lakis' outstretched palm.
Huaa!
Instantly, the same warmth she felt before poured into her. Her empty heart grew warm and filled with happiness. It felt…
It felt so good.
Like spring on a barren land, Yuri's deserted face gained a rosy color. Wanting to get closer to the source like before, she intertwined her fingers with the hand she was holding. More intense energy flooded into her from the tightly clasped palm against hers. Her body slowly began to lose strength as she grew immersed in the euphoric happiness.
Lakis reflexively caught Yuri's wobbling frame.
In her befuddled state, Yuri felt something supporting her and leaned comfortably into it. Her body settled down like it was sucked into Lakis' embrace.
"…!"
Her long, black hair fell over his shoulder like a waterfall. The breath hitting his neck and ear felt itchy, causing Lakis to stiffen. Yuri didn't perceive the position they were in right now but before she knew it, she was sitting on Lakis' lap and completely leaning on him.
Lakis had only just reached out to support Yuri because she was staggering but now, he was frozen because of the shocking situation he was suddenly faced with.
There have been countless women who fearlessly tried to cling to him like this in Carnot. Of course, there had never been any who succeeded. Because on all such occasions, Lakis ruthlessly disposed of them without mercy. But now, he couldn't do anything about the person in his arms and was just frozen like a rock.
There was a sweet scent lingering at the tip of his nose. A warm temperature seeped into him from where their bodies touched. In that moment, he even forgot about the pain brought about by Yuri pressing on his wound.
Lakis' mind felt dizzy from the fragrance of her skin and he clasped their knit fingers tighter. His mouth felt dry. His hand in the air finally fell down to touch her warm body. And the breathing on his neck brought chills to his frame.
Then suddenly, Lakis felt suspicious.
"…Ms. Yuri?"
His lips parted after a brief hesitation and her name finally came from his mouth for the first time. But all he heard was a drowsy groan and the shallow sound of breathing from beside him; he could barely call it a reply.
At first, he didn't have any composure to think but as his senses slowly returned, he realized that something was strange about this situation. Shortly after he held her hand, Yuri stumbled like she had lost her balance. Then she fell into his arms like this and her breathing grew unstable. Of course, even when she rubbed her face against his hand last time, he felt there was something strange but…
'Bug. You didn't do anything strange, right?'
Lakis sharply asked, his voice filled with suspicion but no answer came.
"Ms. Yuri. Please wait."
Lakis felt he couldn't let this continue so he tried to unclasp their hands and wedge Yuri off. But sensing this, Yuri held his hand even harder. Lakis' fingertips wriggled but he still couldn't shake Yuri off.
Yuri was filled with an emotion, like her monochrome world had turned colorful in an instant. But it was strange. The fact that she felt so happy she could cry was strange.
Like last time, longing and delight were crashing into her like a wave and she couldn't hold back. But if the emotion of that time could be described as 'almost crying', this time, those feeling truly became tears and spilled out.
The moment a tear slowly slid down Yuri's cheek, Lakis noticed something wet on his shoulders. Her body shook slightly, for a different reason from before.
After a while, Lakis stiffly but gently lifted his arm from Yuri's waist. His hand moved slowly, with hesitation which he was unused to.
Then he touched Yuri's face like last time.
His moving hand touched her wet cheek, as if gently stroking it then it soon moved to lift her head. Guided by his hand, Yuri unconsciously took her chin off his shoulders.
And finally, Lakis and Yuri's eyes met.
Lakis' clear blue eyes stopped in its path as he took in her tear-stained eyes.
The moment their eyes were in close proximity, Yuri suddenly came to her senses. And following that, a wave of agitation spread across her face. Honestly, once she took Lakis' hand, she forgot about his existence. But as soon as their eyes met and she was jarred back to reality, she began to feel rather embarrassed at this situation which she had not been able to perceive before. Moreover, she had even shown herself crying to someone else.
This wouldn't have happened if she hadn't held hands with Lakis in the first place, and she also wouldn't have felt this emotion.
Right then, the tears fell down from her eyes again. This time, she had no chance to avoid it as her falling teardrops dampened his chest. Instantly, Yuri tore her hand away from Lakis, as if trying to forcefully him off, then she jumped out of his knees.
Still frozen, Lakis' gaze followed her movement and looked up at her.
As soon as the warmth in her hand disappeared, the waves of overflowing emotion inside her disappeared without a trace. Even her heart which was entangled in chaos quickly sank down to a still.
The brief magic was soon over.
Yuri dryly swallowed before slightly opening her mouth.
"Thank you."
Thankfully, the voice that came out of her mouth was dull enough that she was familiar with it.
"Thanks to you, I've checked what I was curious about."
And so did her face.
"Then, I'll be going to my room now, please get some rest too, Mr. Lakis."
After speaking like she was notifying him, Yuri turned around without wasting even a second and walked away.