Senior, I've Come to Visit - Side Story 12

***

I spent a few peaceful days.

I worked at the Magic Tower as usual, visited Iella’s home in between, and time passed quickly. Above all, since no one was there to keep me from sleeping, I slept long and deeply every day.

The night before Nardi left for the subjugation, I thought I’d lose my mind. Whenever I was about to climax, he changed positions or switched to touching, blocking me from coming at all. Only when the faint light of dawn began to brighten did he finally let me climax, by which point I was on the verge of tears.

Then, only a few hours later, when he was leaving for the mission:

“Eat properly and sleep well, okay?”

“….”

His complete contradiction left me speechless.

He was the only one who didn’t let me sleep, yet he kept insisting that I should eat well and sleep well.

“You were really awful. Last night, no, this morning you didn’t even let me sleep….”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it because I love you too much.”

Still, after a few days passed and I slept as much as I wanted, all the resentment melted away. I started to miss Nardi, and I began looking forward to seeing him again.

The periodic separation caused by his subjugation missions was of course bittersweet, but it also brought a subtle thrill. After being apart for a few days, seeing him again felt exciting and even heart-fluttering.

My heart thumped now as our reunion drew near.

Two days ago, the subjugation squad had departed back for the capital, and today they were scheduled to arrive at the Magic Tower and disband. Even during work hours, going to greet the subjugation squad returning to the Tower was allowed, even encouraged, so I planned to go soon. Uncharacteristically excited, I kept glancing toward the window.

It was about time for him to arrive….

“Eloise! Looks like the subjugation team arrived!”

Lupina entered the lab, bringing the news. I shot up from my seat and began walking.

“I’ll be back shortly.”

“Take your time, hahahaha!”

“Then I’ll treat this as a break.”

“Break time is always good!”

Leaving Lupina and Mireille behind, I exited the lab. Walking down the hallway, I paused in front of a mirror to check myself. We’d already seen everything there was to see of each other, but since it’d been a while, I wanted to look a little pretty.

I straightened the white lab coat neatly, combed my hair with my fingers, then tied it back. Maybe because of the excitement, my light blue eyes sparkled more than usual and my cheeks were slightly flushed.

At that moment, loud cheers sounded from outside. The subjugation team must have arrived, so I hurried my steps. I headed toward the Safety Department building, walked outside, and after going quite a distance, I saw a large crowd already gathered, greeting and chatting. My eyes automatically searched for Nardi.

“Oh.”

Even among the tall men, he stood out clearly. Nardi, towering above the rest, looked healthy with no injuries. Surrounded by people, he said something with a bright smile. I began walking toward him.

“Hello.”

“Hello.”

“Hello.”

Exchanging greetings with those around me, I pushed through the crowd. The tall men blocked my view, so I couldn’t see Nardi well. The moment I rose onto my toes and peeked out, my eyes met his.

“…!”

Before I could read his expression, he strode toward me in long, fast steps. In the blink of an eye, he reached me, lifted me into his arms, and spun me around several times on the spot.

“Ahahahahahaha-”

Being held and spun so wildly made me burst into laughter. After twirling around and stopping, he kept holding me tight and showered my head and face with kisses.

“Hahaha, put me down, put me down…!”

I shouted while giggling, dizzy and overwhelmed. Even after Nardi lowered me to the ground, he bent down and kissed me over and over, smooch, smooch, smooch, smooch- It felt like he intended to make up for every missed kiss all at once, and I couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly.

I could feel people’s eyes on us, but I didn’t have the leisure to care. We usually tried to restrain ourselves in public, but after being apart for days, stopping him now was impossible. All my attention was on the Nardi right in front of me.

“Wait, wait, are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

Only after showering me with kisses did he hold my cheeks in both hands and stare down at my face. I looked up at him too, studying him closely for the first time in days. Aside from being slightly tanned from the sun, Nardi looked exactly the same as always, without a single scratch.

As he stared at my face intently, he buried his face in my neck and inhaled deeply. Like a dog checking its owner’s scent.

“Haa… I thought I was going to lose my mind because I missed you so much. Have you been well?”

“Mmhm.”

“Did you eat properly?”

“Yeah.”

One of his hands covered my stomach, stroking me in slow circles over my clothes.

“Let’s see… your belly got flat again?”

“No, it’s always been like this.”

“Liar, you were so nicely full before.”

“I’m not lying.”

He hugged me tightly again and rocked me gently.

“It feels like your whole body got smaller too. Why are you so tiny and fragile, my baby?”

“Shh!”

Good grief, what if someone hears him!

“I’m always the same. You always say that whenever you come back from a subjugation.”

He always said I looked small and fragile. Probably because he’d just come back from a place filled with huge men and rampaging demonic beasts.

“It really hurts my heart how small and fragile you are.”

“You’re the one who just got back from something dangerous. Are you really sure you weren’t hurt? Is your body completely fine?”

I’d seen his face, but I couldn’t see the parts covered by his clothes. He gave a sly grin and whispered into my ear.

“I’ll show you later. Check for yourself.”

…Ha.

“So you are fine.”

“What about you, Eloise?”

“Hm?”

“How were you? Were you okay without me?”

It wasn’t a simple greeting. There was a clear meaning behind his question.

“…So-so.”

“Did you use the gift I gave you?”

“….”

I knew it.

Even though he looked normal on the outside, the fact that he was asking whether I used the replica of his genitals made my face burn.

Ah, seriously….

“I don’t know….”

When I averted my gaze, he stubbornly leaned in to catch my eyes again.

“Did you use it?”

“It’s a secret.”

“There are no secrets between us.”

“…I’ll tell you later.”

In bed, where the embarrassment was at least slightly more manageable.

The truth was, I’d used it quite usefully… but saying so now was mortifying.

“Hahahaha, alright. I’m really looking forward to tonight then.”

“….”

Thinking about tonight suddenly terrified me. Nardi was insane not only before a subjugation, but after one too.

Still, I was so happy he was back. I lifted my arms and wrapped them around his waist.

“I missed you.”

“Aww, did you miss me?”

He asked in a baby-talk tone like he was coaxing a child, then looked at me more seriously.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“I love you way more.”

“No, I love you more….”

“Just let me win this one. I love you so much more.”

“Hahaha, okay.”

Held securely in his protective arms, I felt his warm body heat.

Maybe because we’d been apart for days, I felt his importance all over again, and my chest tightened with emotion. Feeling happy, I hugged him tightly.

The End