A person's mind is more fragile than one thinks.
Even if it seems steadfast, it can collapse from the smallest trigger, at which point a choice between two options is forced upon you.
Become a shut-in, or become dependent on something.
It seems that overseas, people often become dependent on drugs made from the blood and flesh of monsters, but in Korea, where those are hard to find, it's common to become dependent on things like games, the internet, or religion.
The earlier stage is still relatively better. With the right counseling and medication, you can recover quickly.
But if the mind becomes ill and that illness festers, things get complicated.
"Hyunwoo, you won't leave me behind, will you? Right?"
"…"
[13:24]
'I have to go soon, though?'
Even someone who lacks perception will become perceptive when their life is in danger.
Survival instinct is usually like that.
Iris, gripping my wrists with both hands and quietly looking up at me, was insanely beautiful.
The height difference between Iris and me was about one head, so naturally, I was looking down at her.
Perhaps because of that, even though she was wearing a dress with little skin exposure, the cleavage of her bosom, clearly visible, was driving me crazy. If I stayed like this, I felt like I'd get a hard-on and cause a setting collapse by bringing a mortar to this other world.
Of course, although it was embarrassing, it was definitely a situation that any man would find amusing. However, my back was soaked with cold sweat trickling down.
My instincts had been screaming at me to run away from here since a while ago.
'…This is driving me nuts.'
I repeat, I'm a mage.
Although I'm just a scrub barely scraping the 1st Circle, I've become able to sense the mana of nature and feel the magical power of others.
In other words, it also meant that I had awakened the so-called sixth sense.
Being able to feel what ordinary people can't meant that I was no longer an ordinary person, and to put it positively, if I returned to Earth and continued to grow steadily, I could seize wealth and fame that others couldn't obtain even with a lifetime of effort.
But if you ask if that's all good, I can firmly say NO! in the current situation.
The distance between Iris and me was close enough that I didn't need to reach out.
Thanks to that, I could watch and experience her incredibly beautiful face, touch her chest, and smell her fragrant scent from a front-row seat, but conversely, the magical power I had been feeling from Iris since a while ago was unusual.
Iris's magical power was fluctuating like an active volcano about to erupt at any moment.
It was fluctuating so violently that the skin near me was prickling as if needles were piercing it, and my brain was aching from the residual magic power flowing out.
'That's her magic power in a suppressed state…?'
It was really out of the blue, but it was time to review what I had just learned.
Basically, mages accept the mana of nature, undergo a process of self-assimilation, and convert it into magical power.
The magical power converted in that way gathers in the heart, the fuel tank, and becomes the fuel to use magic.
Perhaps because of its special nature gathered in the heart, magical power has a fairly direct impact on a mage's emotions.
Sadness, regret, hatred, resentment, self-blame, jealousy, anger.
The stronger the negative emotions, the more violently the magical power fluctuates.
Just like a sea with strong waves is more threatening than a calm lake, there is a merit that the output of magical power becomes stronger the stronger the negative emotions, but because there is a problem of rapid magical power consumption and the risk of having your magic power figured out by the opponent, mages consider maintaining an unwavering spirit at all times as the basics among basics.
This was something that Iris had emphasized several times during class.
"Hyunwoo, what are you thinking about?"
The current Iris was dangerous.
It meant that the 8th Circle Archmage was so caught up in negative emotions that she had forgotten the basics among basics.
In a situation like this, nothing would be strange if it happened.
"Nothing in particular…"
"Liar, Hyunwoo's voice subtly drops when you're in trouble or want to avoid the topic."
Her green eyes, shining as brightly as if a light had been turned on even in the dark cave, turn towards me.
Her gaze sweeps through me from head to toe, as if everything in my head is being exposed.
Then, Iris's left hand passed over my cheek as if caressing it.
"Like now."
My current feeling was very concise and simple.
'…I'm going to shit my pants.'
If I were an ordinary person, I wouldn't be trembling like this. At most, my legs would be shaking a little?
All of this was because of the mana circle, which allowed me to feel magical power.
To me, who could feel magical power, the current Iris was like an 8-ton truck with a broken engine.
It meant that I didn't know when she would crash into me.
Of course, Iris wouldn't take such drastic action, but… you never know in this world.
'This, she must be misunderstanding something…'
It was a problem that could be solved with a proper explanation.
I don't know what she's misunderstanding, but her condition has been bad since I said I was going back, so I think that's probably it.
The current situation is definitely difficult, but what if I think about it the other way around?
It means that Iris doesn't like the situation where I'm going back.
'…I shouldn't laugh.'
The corners of my mouth keep trying to rise.
Still, if I laughed in this serious situation, the atmosphere could really go south.
Even if I'm clueless, I had that much sense.
"Iris, that's not─"
"It's okay, you don't have to say anything."
I had decided to properly explain the situation and break this thin ice. But what came back was a slender index finger pressing down on my lips.
"I understand. Hyunwoo also has his own life, so I can't just be stubborn."
At that moment, the magical power that had been fluctuating in her body became as calm as if it had fallen asleep.
"Instead."
Iris approached, her face flushed red and about to explode.
"…Please kiss me."
***
According to an article I saw on a community site a while ago, the first kiss feels like a hot spicy pollack roe entering your mouth.
Frankly speaking, my impression was that I didn't understand what that meant at all.
Hot spicy pollack roe? I've never even eaten regular spicy pollack roe, so hot spicy pollack roe.
The analogy was so strange that it seemed like it was written by a science guy.
The reason why I'm suddenly thinking about this is.
"…"
It's because I think I'm going to experience that first kiss.
Iris, her entire face flushed red and about to explode, with her eyes tightly closed and her lips pursed towards me, comes into view.
I don't like repeating myself, but this is real.
'Damn pretty…'
When I was in high school, there was a guy in my class who was so obsessed with idols that he skipped classes and followed concerts, autograph sessions, and even their schedules.
I really thought he was crazy back then, but now I think I understand a little.
I can guarantee that no ordinary idol can dare to stand next to Iris.
Just like a slightly prettier squid doesn't become a fairy just by standing next to one.
"Will you…?"
There was no particular answer, but not avoiding it was enough of an answer.
'…Just a moment.'
Haa, haa. I secretly checked if my breath smelled, and thankfully, it didn't.
Just when I thought everything was really ready, another worry suddenly crossed my mind.
'…But how far is this allowed?'
First of all, I definitely know that I absolutely can't just start deep-kissing like in porn.
Then what about the most basic bird kiss?
But considering that Iris even allowed me to touch her chest, wouldn't a bird kiss be too childish for us?
No, solving a more fundamental question should be the priority.
Is it okay to put in my tongue, or not?
'Iris asked me to kiss her first, so wouldn't it be okay to put in my tongue?'
That thought was dominant, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that a woman's heart isn't that simple.
There's a saying that 'A' is different from 'E', and there's an adage that you should never blindly believe and follow a woman's words and actions.
'…Let's not take risks.'
It's a shame, but let's not ruin things by being impatient.
Because time is ultimately on my side.
Rather, if I suddenly put in my tongue and start sucking, there seemed to be no answer other than an ending where I'd end up burying my face in the water and committing suicide.
"Hoo…"
Twitch! Iris showed an excessive reaction to the sigh I let out slightly because of nervousness.
As you can tell from her flushed face, Iris was incredibly nervous.
Iris, who seemed to be about 170 cm tall, had to bend her waist slightly to match my eye level since I was about 190 cm tall.
I could see Iris, her lips pursed, at a lower eye level than usual.
'Her eyelashes… are really long.'
Thump, thump, thump.
That's strange.
My heart definitely didn't beat this wildly even when I touched Iris's chest.
Right now, it was thumping so much that it wouldn't be strange if the entire mana circle exploded.
As our distance became close enough for our breaths to touch each other, I carefully grabbed her chin with my hand.
Soon, I was under the illusion that my nose would be paralyzed by the fragrant scent coming from her, and at the same time, I.
Peck.
Lost my reason.
·
·
·
·
"Slurp, smack, haah… Hyunwoo…"
Red flesh intertwines.
Sticky saliva that wasn't completely swallowed stretches out like a thread before breaking.
It was like a honey pot that didn't dry up even if you swallowed it greedily.
It was actually sweet.
I felt like my head was filled with fog.
The minor worries from a while ago had long been forgotten.
Grasp!
"Ah…?! Hyunwoo?"
When I grabbed her butt, Iris seemed to be surprised by the shrill sound.
But she didn't shake off my hand.
"…Slurp."
The fact that she was concentrating on the kiss again without any particular restraint felt like tacit consent to me.
Even while senselessly mixing our tongues, my hands didn't know how to rest, and they groped and teased her buttocks. Her firm yet soft butt was really big.
It was impossible to grab with one hand, and the skin under the thin dress was extremely stimulating, just like when I touched her chest.
"Heuah, heung, euup…"
As time passed, my touch became increasingly unrestrained.
Not content with simply groping her buttocks, I would caress her waist like a lover or intentionally gather the area commonly referred to as under-buttocks fat to feel the jelly-like, bouncy texture.
Every time I did that, Iris would twitch, but she still didn't stop me. Rather, she would stick to me more tenaciously as if asking me to do more.
Then suddenly, I became greedy.
Even if it's thin, wouldn't it be much softer and more pleasant to touch bare skin directly than to touch it over clothes?
My hesitation was short, and my actions were quick.
Caressing her thighs, I slowly stroked up the dress as well.
The dress, which had been blocking exposure, rolled up, starting with the exposure of her pristine white ankles, shins, knees, and then her fair thighs appeared to the world.
"Hyunwoo, that's…"
Iris, who seemed like she would stay still no matter what I did, called out to me in a slightly trembling voice.
I understood. Her dress had already become like a miniskirt.
If I went up just a little more from here, the entrance to the secret garden that no woman should show to anyone would be revealed.
'Tch… is this the end?'
It was a shame, but I didn't want to force someone who didn't want it.
No, if it were another woman, I would have just pushed through, but Iris's innocent eyes stimulated the triangle of my conscience, which had already been worn out.
Was it because of Iris's voice that grabbed me? I could feel the atmosphere, which had been hot, chilling down.
It wasn't just me; Iris's expression reminded me of that.
"…I'm sorry…"
"Ah, no!"
I lowered my head briefly.
Just like when I touched her chest, I recklessly started deep-kissing and even touched her butt as I pleased.
It was a clear mistake.
"…Please raise your head. I really don't mind."
Her appearance, forgiving me generously for making a mistake, even made me feel a strange deja vu.
As I made eye contact with the kind Iris, my lower body, which had been swelling up to the point of aching since a while ago, began to pulsate.
"Then can I touch you again?"
"N, not right now…!"
Tch, what a pity.
Still, the fact that she said not right now means that she'll allow it later, so you can see it as a relatively positive response, right?
Just as I was lost in a delusion of joy, I suddenly remembered the time limit and hurriedly took out my phone.
[00:03]
"Ah."
[00:02]
I clearly didn't do anything other than kiss and some skinship, but I ended up burning over 10 minutes with that.
[00:01]
"I, instead, next time, I'll… all the wa…"
[00:00]
[Returning to Earth]
Just like the power of the monitor that had been showing a dazzling screen was cut off, the moment the timer reached 0 seconds, I was back in my room.
"…I didn't say goodbye."
I'll be able to see her again soon, but I was still a little sad that I didn't say goodbye properly.