Warmth filled his arms, the girl's soft, even breaths sounding against him, her exhaled heat brushing his neck.
Clearly, after staying up late yesterday, Levy had fallen asleep again.
"Then let's sleep a bit more."
Basking in her warmth, Roland closed his eyes contentedly, ready to doze as well.
Only—pressed so close together, and with the girl having changed her clothes—
So...
"Hey, don't you ever get tired?"
Levy cracked her eyes open, amber gaze fixed on his profile.
"Strictly speaking, it's not my fault. What man could hold back in a situation like this?" Roland looked aside and kept talking. "Especially with such a cute girl in his arms."
"Mmph..."
Whether from shyness or something else, color bloomed over Levy's delicate face, rosy as a ripe apple, tempting enough to bite.
Noon.
Water pattered in the bath, steam billowing. Through the frosted glass door, the girl's graceful curves showed in soft outline.
Outside, Roland washed his hands and took a new outfit from the wardrobe, laying it out.
He headed to the bedroom. The gourmet tablecloth covered the low round table; two steaming bowls of ramen sat there, and a separate bowl was heaped with dorayaki.
Rebooted, Mini-Dora sprawled happily atop the tablecloth, hugging a dorayaki and nibbling away.
Last night, after Mini-Dora fell asleep, Roland had forced a shutdown.
Given how things might go, it could happen again. Sorry, Mini-Dora.
He apologized inwardly, grabbed a book at random—looked like a biography from the title.
"Entertainment in this world is really sparse."
Flipping the pages, Roland mused.
From what he'd gathered these past days, relaxing meant drinking at taverns or wandering the streets. There was billiards or card games, but nothing you could do quietly in a bedroom at night.
So, besides doing the things lovers do... there was only reading.
He suddenly missed having a phone.
Propping his chin, Roland glanced at the briefcase on the desk, an idea rising.
The bath door slid open. Steam rolled out as Levy stepped out and spotted the change of clothes.
Obviously, they weren't hers.
She held up the black T-shirt, something about it familiar, and thought back.
Hadn't they bought this while shopping together?
Towel-drying her damp blue hair, Levy slipped into the shirt in high spirits and padded over.
On a girl shy of one-sixty centimeters, the oversized black T-shirt hung like a loose dress, the hem brushing her thighs.
No pants at all.
Roland noticed the view beneath the hem, then calmly averted his eyes despite himself.
Levy sat cross-legged on the clean carpet. Staring at the steaming ramen, she yawned sleepily.
All his fault. She'd meant to sleep in, but not only hadn't she, she'd ended up paying extra on top.
"Pervert."
She shot him a sidelong glance and muttered.
He accepted the title cheerfully and ate his ramen at an unhurried pace.
"Funny, who was it last night who got so out of it she even told me how she once disguised herself as a little kid to infiltrate a dark guild member's house."
Roland's lips curved as he teased.
In that state, Levy had answered everything he asked, and he'd learned plenty of interesting tidbits.
Like how she'd once done a covert mission by passing herself off as a little girl without using Transformation Magic.
Or how a guild member once used a portrait of Erza for dart practice and got beaten half to death when she found out.
"You were obviously leading me on."
Levy bit hard on her chopsticks, flustered and annoyed.
Lunch finished—they'd called it breakfast, but it was clearly lunch—the two dawdled a bit, then got ready to head to the guild.
In this weather, sitting at home was dull; better to enjoy the bustle.
"Rain again?"
Stepping outside, fine droplets kissed Levy's cheeks, cool and clear, freshening her head.
She gazed up at the gloomy sky and murmured.
Strange. Every time she was alone with Roland, it seemed to rain.
"It started last night. Isn't this mood nice?"
Roland opened an umbrella behind her and chuckled.
"It doesn't feel romantic at all... it's just cold!"
They walked close under the umbrella toward the guild.
Fairy Tail.
By the time they arrived, it was two in the afternoon.
The rain had kept many members who'd planned to take jobs inside the hall.
Roland scanned the room and spotted quite a few unfamiliar faces.
"Yo, Roland!"
Wakaba, pipe in his mouth, called while playing cards with Macao. Nearby sat Jet and Droy.
Both were staring hard at Levy trailing behind, emotions twisting inside them.
There was barely any point dancing around the truth of those two's relationship.
"Hi, Jet, Droy!"
Levy waved with a bright smile, as lively and cute as ever.
"Hi—hi?"
Jet and Droy met each other's eyes and realized the problem at once—had Levy just woken up?
If she'd come in with Roland... then hadn't they slept together?
"Levy... it's afternoon now."
Jet forced a stiff smile and reminded her haltingly.
Looked like they really didn't stand a chance.
"You're late for your shift today!"
Just then, Mirajane passed with a tray and reminded her gently.
"Ah—sorry, I forgot to call the Shadow Battalion!"
Only then did Roland realize he hadn't given any orders today; he rubbed his neck, a little embarrassed.
The motion made Mirajane blink. Her pretty eyes fixed on the red mark at his throat.
That looked... like a kiss mark?
A powerful sense of crisis surged up in an instant.
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