After a rowdy meal, Rei-san and Fia-san said something along the lines of "I'll leave the rest to the two youngsters", as if they were chaperones who sent us on an arranged date, and then, they went to their room.
I've already finished bathing, and since it was still too early to go to bed, Sieg-san suggested that we drink some alcohol.
[...Heehhh… I didn't know there was a place like this in this house.]
[Yes, my father had a friend who was once invited to play the role of Hero and permanently lived in this world, and seeing the porch that he had in his house, father liked it and built the same thing in this house.]
[I see, it certainly is a porch.]
Behind the house that Sieg-san showed me, there was a Japanese style porch, though there doesn't seem to be a garden of any kind outside.
But still, I don't know if I should say it's because it isn't perfectly identical with the porches we had in our world, but it feels different around here... Sieg-san laid out a large cloth, that seems to act as a leisure seat, on the edge before sitting down.
When I was prompted to sit down too, there was nothing like a garden for me to look at, but the city of Rigforeshia itself was decorated with trees, and they have an elegant feel around them.
[Are you okay with alcoholic fruit juice?]
[Ah, yes.]
[Then, here, Kaito-san.]
[...Thank you.]
Sitting down on the edge of the porch and accepting the glass Sieg-san held out to me, Sieg-san gently smiled before pouring some alcoholic fruit juice into my glass.
The color of the fruit juice is light brown, so I thought it was plum wine for a moment, but the faint aroma wafting through the air is of a fruit I'm sure I'm familiar with...
[It's an alcohol made from ripple fruit, called Rivel.]
[Heehhh... It smells good, isn't it?]
I see, ripple... apple liquor huh, what do they call this back there? Was it Calbados or Calvados? I don't really remember which one it is, but it's my first time drinking one, so I'm looking forward to it.
After Sieg-san poured me a glass of Rivel, I also poured some on the glass Sieg-san held in her hand, and lightly clinked our glasses together, making a toast.
(T/N: Not the bread one.)
Taking a sip, the aroma of aged and elegant ripple spreads with the alcohol, and the refreshing acidity and natural sweetness are very delicious.
The bitterness of beer and the taste of sake is delicious too, but this kind of elegant alcohol is also good.
Well, be that as it may, it would have been an interesting sight seeing someone sitting on a carpeted porch, drinking alcoholic fruit juice in one hand but... Though I say it like that, I don't think too much about it since I was drinking coffee on a tatami mat on the balcony on my first day in this world.
[Kaito-san, here... Some dried fruits.]
[Thank you. Thank you for the food.]
As I'm savoring the taste of the Rivel, Sieg-san gently holds out a plate of dried fruits.
I've heard before that eating chocolate or dried fruit with brandy as a snack, so trying it out, I felt the pleasant crunchiness of the fruits, and they have the right amount of sweetness that helps mellow the taste of the Rivel.
[Come to think of it, Sieg-san, are you a strong drinker?]
[Me? Hmmm, so-so, I guess.]
[That sounds like a line from someone who is a hard drinker.]
[No, no, my alcohol capacity really is normal... Of the three of us, Lilia, Luna, and I, Luna is the best at drinking. At least, I've never seen her be drunk before.]
[Heehhh...]
It seems that Lunamaria-san is a strong drinker. She certainly has such an image. On the other hand, Lilia-san seems to be quite the weak drinker, though it might just be me assuming that.
While I was thinking about that, Sieg-san seemed to have read my thoughts, giving me a gentle, wry smile.
[Just as Kaito-san imagined, Lili is weak to alcohol. She's exactly the type who gets dead drunk after a few cups.]
[Ahaha, I don't mean to be rude, but I guess she's exactly what I thought.]
[Incidentally, I don't like ale or beer, and I prefer wine or alcoholic fruit juice.]
[Arehh? Beer also exists in this world?]
To my surprise, I heard there's beer in this world too. I remember seeing mayonnaise and chocolate as well, so I guess it wouldn't be strange for beer to spread out huh.
In that case, there might be some Japanese sake somewhere too... Perhaps, Neun-san might already have it.
[Yes, it's very popular in the Symphonia and Hydra Kingdom, but it's not very popular in the Archlesia Empire.]
[It isn't popular in the Archlesia Empire? Ahh, could it be because there are many dwarfs living there?]
[That's exactly the reason. Dwarfs like strong drinks, so they don't seem to like beer very much.]
[I see... Are elves not too keen on beer too?]
[No, many of the elves prefer beer. I'm simply not a fan of it... but, let's see. The most popular would have to be wine.]
As we continued chatting peacefully like that, tipping our glasses and enjoying a leisurely and comfortable time, I suddenly saw Sieg-san's face, illuminated by the moonlight and the pale light of the Illumination Magic Tool.
I couldn't help but gaze at her reddish face, looking slightly tipsy from the alcohol, and even added a somewhat glossy look to her originally beautiful face.
Thereupon, Sieg-san seemed to have noticed my gaze a little later, tilting her head with a gentle smile on her face.
[...Are you curious about my ears?]
[Ehh? A- Ahhh, errr, let's see. I guess I'm curious since they're the defining characteristics of the elves.]
It seems that she thought I was looking at her ears instead of her face, and Sieg-san pointed to her ear... to her long, thin ears peculiar to elves.
I can't really say I was captivated after looking at her face, so I just agreed with what Sieg-san said.
[I wondered if it would hurt if you were sleeping while laying on your side or something like that...]
[Ahh, I see. However, it's alright. The ears of us elves are much softer than those of humans.]
[I- I see...]
Seeing Sieg-san's gesture of lightly touching her own ear after saying that, I'm starting to feel like I really want to touch her ears.
I'm not sure how to describe this feeling... It might be a little different from the desire to touch a cat's toe beans or feeling someone's breasts, but as a human... no, perhaps, it was my desire as a man to touch the soft parts that a man doesn't have.
...Wait, what the heck are these idiotic thoughts on my mind right now? Even if we're lovers, I can't just be insensitive and ask her if I could touch her ears...
[...Do you want to touch them?]
[Gfuuhh!?]
[Kaito-san!?]
[...Kerhem... Kerhem...]
[A- Are you alright?]
Her statement, which seemed to completely see through my heart's desire, made the alcohol come into my trachea from surprise, choking me out of air.
[I- I'm sorry... I'm alright... So, ummm, errr, does that mean it's alright for me to touch them?]
[Eh? Yes...]
I would love to touch her long, soft ears, but I'll make sure to ask her again.
Since Sieg-san is a kind person, it's possible that she only agreed because she cares about me, and that she actually doesn't want to, so I'll strengthen the detection capabilities of my Sympathy Magic and tried asking Sieg-san's response...
[I- I don't like it if it were other people... B- But if it's Kaito-san... I'm fine with it. W- We're lovers anyway.]
[!?!?]
When I heard Sieg-san's reply, I immediately regretted making my Sympathy Magic stronger.
The burst of affection gushing from Sieg-san, along with her bashful fidgety gesture, feels as if a giant hammer had just struck my brain.
S- She's too cute... I- I feel like my reasoning just received damage from a direction I didn't expect.
Feeling my heart beat at a considerable rate, I almost unconsciously reached out my hand to Sieg-san who was slightly hiding her face.
[...T- Then, excuse me.]
[Ahh!? Wait a mo—— Hyyaaann!?]
[!? I- I'm sorry!? D- Did I put too much strength?]
I thought of touching her ear since she gave me permission, but in the middle of the process, Sieg-san tried to stop me, but it was already too late and my hand was already touching Sieg-san's ear.
Just as Sieg-san said, her ears were so soft and good to touch, just as if I'm touching marshmallows but... immediately afterwards, Sieg-san loudly yelped and I hurriedly withdrew my hand.
[...N- No, errr... The ears of us elves can even read the wind... so, umm, they're sensitive. So, please... be gentle.]
[Y- Yes, I'm sorry... T- Then, once again...]
[Yes... Hnnn... Fuaahhh...]
[They're really soft...]
[I- Is that so... Nhyyuuu... Auuu... Hyaahh...]
It seems that the ears of elves are very sensitive, so I need to touch them gently. After apologizing for touching her ears too fast, I reached out to Sieg-san's ears again and gently touched them.
They're smooth and soft, yet resilient enough, and it feels as if they're sucking my hand, making them comfortable to touch... This could turn into a habit.
And it seems that she really is very sensitive, as every time my hand moves over her ear, Sieg-san makes a small, erotic moan.
Somehow, it's kinda making my heart beat really fast though!? Eh? I'm just touching her ears now, right!? H- However, because of the alcohol, Sieg-san strangely looks erotic… T- This is dangerous, any more than this...
[T- Thank you.]
[Haahhh... Y- Yes.]
[Errr, ummm, somehow… I'm sorry.]
[N- No!?]
[...….]
[...….]
Arehh? I thought we were talking normally earlier, but I'm so nervous now that I can't look at Sieg-san's face!?
A somewhat awkward silence dominated the place, where Sieg-san and I stared at each other in silence for a while, before both of us sat back down on the porch.
And as if to shake off the awkward atmosphere, I once again brought my glass to my mouth... sitting at a slightly closer distance than we had earlier...
Dear Mom, Dad——– It seems that when you become lovers with someone, you would really feel lots of things differently, as Sieg-san's gestures suddenly started making me feel a bit nervous. Anyway, just as Sieg-san said, the ears of the elves——- they were very soft.
**********
{Author's Notes}
Calm and carefree, just like a mature couple, but innocent, just as if they were dating their first lovers... What a harmonious combination.