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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Zaped
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Camilla was now completely on top of me.
Her words were slurred, and her body limp.
But she was stubborn, refusing to lie down when I tried to help her.
She pressed her palms against my thighs, wrapped her arms around my back and waist, and clung to me.
“Camilla, are you cold? Why are you shivering?”
“Cold.”
She’d catch a cold at this rate.
The rain was still coming down outside, and the basement was damp and chilly.
“Hold me.”
“Wait a minute. Let me get a blanket.”
I managed to free an arm and unfolded a blanket, carefully shaking it out to avoid dust, and draped it over Camilla’s back.
My hand brushed against her skin.
“Sorry.”
I tried to pull my hand away, but Camilla grabbed my wrist.
She asked in a low voice,
“You were watching me earlier, weren’t you? When I was moving the luggage.”
“No.”
As soon as I denied it, she tightened her grip on my wrist.
She deftly twisted it, forcing me to relax, and guided my hand to her back.
I swallowed hard.
“You were looking here, weren’t you?”
The small of her back, the curve between her waist and hips.
Exactly where I’d been looking.
Still holding my wrist, she rubbed my hand against her back.
“No, I wasn’t.”
I should pull my hand away, but her skin was so warm and soft.
It reminded me of the cat my friend used to have.
It would pretend not to notice me, then suddenly jump into my lap, just like this.
And the cat’s fur had been just as warm.
“Really?”
Camilla released my wrist.
But I still couldn’t bring myself to remove my hand from her back.
Every time she slightly lifted and swayed her hips, the sensation on my fingertips changed.
I couldn’t help it.
I cupped her waist with my hand.
This time, she gently moved her body up and down.
“Hee, I win.”
Her red hair fell over half her face.
She shook her head, looking up at me triumphantly.
Her eyes were unfocused.
A happy, purring cat.
She looked at me, her breath coming in short gasps.
“…Can’t you be as honest with your words as you are with your body?”
“If you tell me why you’re doing this.”
“I don’t know.”
Before I could say anything, she pressed her lips against mine.
Wasn’t this cheating?
Silencing me like this.
She moved her lips slightly, then pulled away.
This time, she gripped my thighs.
Squeezing the most sensitive spots.
“It’s all your fault. Confusing me like this. I don’t know if you’re a good guy or a bad guy. I don’t know if I can trust you. I don’t know if I can bet my life on you.”
She pressed her thumbs into the muscles of my thighs, questioning me.
“But you keep saying you just want a deal. Right?”
“R- right.”
“What’s yours is yours. What’s mine is mine. Fine. That’s fine. Let’s say that’s okay. But trust isn’t like that, is it? Isn’t it about taking a risk? I trust you. Why don’t you trust me? Why? It’s not fair. It hurts.”
Camilla sniffled and pressed her thumbs harder.
My knees twitched involuntarily.
The sensation shot up my groin and down to my toes.
I couldn’t speak, afraid I’d make a strange noise.
Did she think I was ignoring her?
Her breathing grew ragged.
“I can’t stand it. It’s not fair. I’m angry. I know! I know! That you shouldn’t trust anyone, but! I know! But… it hurts…”
She was definitely drunk, but I didn’t understand what she was getting at.
“Camilla, what are you talking about? Who shouldn’t I trust?”
Her eyes focused slightly.
Her breathing grew even faster, her chest heaving.
Her lips trembled, and she finally exhaled,
“…You’re a spy from Minsk, our enemy!”
When you’re shocked, your body goes limp.
I knew that, but I didn’t know my jaw would go limp too.
My mouth dropped open, just like in cartoons.
Camilla’s eyes welled up.
“I- I knew. Hans said so too, and everyone in the Central Branch thinks so. But, but no one knows your face. I’m the only one who knows who you are, so don’t worry too much.”
“No, wait. That’s really not true.”
Camilla shook her head, refusing to listen.
Her long, red hair slapped against my cheek.
“Of course you’d deny it… I didn’t want to say anything. I was scared of what would happen if you knew I suspected you. But… I didn’t want to keep my distance from someone who saved my life twice, someone who made me such delicious stew… I can’t handle complicated things…”
The more she spoke, the more tangled things seemed to become.
“Camilla. I told you before. I don’t belong here.”
“Yes. You’re not from Elza, and you’re not from Römer, so you must be from Minsk! ”
This was insane.
“You don’t look like someone from a faraway land. Who are you trying to fool? What, did you fall from the sky?”
“I woke up here. Really.”
She kissed me whenever I said something that sounded like nonsense.
This was cheating.
And how could I not react when she whispered like that, gently stroking my lower abdomen?
“…Just let me be fooled. Idiot. I know. I know everything. But even though I know, let me be fooled by you! So I can pretend to be crazy too! … Just give me a little leeway.”
I didn’t trust my own words anymore.
I just hugged Camilla.
Camilla didn’t trust my words.
She only trusted my body.
It worked.
I wrapped my legs around hers and slowly stroked her back.
I kept my mouth shut and let my actions speak for themselves.
Her trembling subsided.
But the physical discomfort was becoming unbearable.
Camilla seemed to notice, deliberately rubbing against me.
Hiccup.
Hiccup.
Her cheeks flushed, her eyes glazed over, but the corners of her mouth kept turning up.
“…Okay.”
I finally surrendered.
Camilla nuzzled her head against my chest and mumbled,
“Sleep with me now. Even if we keep things separate, let’s sleep together. We’ll still take turns keeping watch.”
“Okay.”
“Stay close to me even after we’re done. Don’t leave.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t leave me alone… I’m scared…”
“I won’t.”
“Get to know me.”
“Huh?”
She took my hand and pulled.
Across her back, down her waist, and under the elastic of her dolphin shorts.
My fingers twitched involuntarily, brushing against her.
Camilla pressed my hand down, urging me further.
“…Want me. Let me want you too… That’s… what you call… fair…”
Surprised by her words, I looked at Camilla.
She was smiling faintly, her eyes half-closed.
But her expression was brighter than ever.
She lowered her head.
“…Camilla?”
“….”
“Are you asleep?”
She mumbled something, but she seemed to have reached her limit.
She even let out a soft snore.
She was completely limp, like someone had pulled the plug.
She said what she wanted to say and just fell asleep.
I couldn’t leave her like this, so I wrapped her in the blanket and laid her down.
She stirred a little, but I managed to gently roll her onto her side without waking her.
Now, if I could just free my arm…
Camilla’s eyes suddenly snapped open.
Her yellow eyes gleamed.
“You jerk.Gotcha.”
Before I could react, her hand slipped inside my pants.
“C, Camilla, wait! Ah, ah!”
“I have to punish you.”
I’d been had.
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Dawn.
It was still raining.
The pleasant smell of earth.
And a… rather musky scent.
Elza’s Tears was truly good liquor.
No hangover whatsoever, despite how much we drank.
Which meant we remembered everything from last night.
“Sorry.
Did it hurt last night? I was clumsy, it being my first time.”
Camilla hid under the blanket, genuinely apologetic.
As she should be.
“Well, it’s not broken.”
My reply was laced with bitterness.
Camilla, looking worried, asked sideways,
“Can’t you walk yet? Is it sore?”
Well, when someone squeezed a certain body part that hard…
“…Ah, I thought it would be fine since it’s as hard as a dumbbell handle… Sorry. It was my first time…”
It felt like our roles should be reversed.
Listening to her, I felt a sense of identity crisis.
I tried to stand up to show that I was fine, but my posture was awkward.
“Hey, don’t push yourself.”
Camilla stood up too, but I had to push myself.
The feeling was getting stranger.
It seemed to be still raining outside, so a shower might help.
I took a step, then another, and stopped.
A cramp.
Probably from walking with an awkward gait.
“Even if I told you to stay in bed…”
Camilla, immediately assessing the situation, scooped me up into her arms.
“Hup!”
she grunted, carrying me like a princess.
“Hey, aren’t I heavy?”
“A little, but… it’s my fault.”
So she was going to use me as a barbell for her atonement bench press?
Seeing her arms bulge and her chest strain, it seemed so.
“…I’m really sorry. I- I thought you’d like it…”
The feeling was getting weirder, but seeing Camilla so apologetic…
“…It wasn’t bad.”
“Really?”
“But next time, please don’t squeeze it like a pastry bag. It’s still a body part.”
She couldn’t answer, just turned her head away, her neck flushing crimson.
This was getting more and more awkward.
No, for the sake of my dignity, I had to change the subject.
“Ahem. If you’re really sorry, how about teaching me some exercises?”
“Huh? Exercises?”
“You said we’d work out together, but we haven’t had time these past few days.”
This was also part of my plan to get closer to Camilla.
It seemed like we communicated better physically than verbally.
And Camilla, being a former athlete, was an expert in exercise.
…Besides, I couldn’t live with this embarrassment any longer.
“Okay…”
I’d asked for exercise lessons, not a marriage proposal.
Camilla nodded shyly.
The rain continued outside, showing no signs of stopping.
“I’ll wash you.”
Camilla unzipped her toiletry bag.
“Oh, no. I can do it myself… Ow.”
“You can barely stand. What if a zombie comes? In exchange, you can wash me too. That’s fair, right? You can keep your underwear on if you’re uncomfortable.”
Blood rushed to my lower region, oblivious to the situation.
“Ugh…”
“What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t tell her my groin hurt.
I just nodded vigorously.
Camilla blushed and gathered a towel and soap.
“But, Johan.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s a bit weird to wash with clothes on, right?”
“Uh, uh?”
“No one’s going to see us anyway. And with the rain… so…”
Camilla started taking off her clothes in front of me.
Even though it was dawn, there was enough light to see the contours and shadows of her body.
“So take yours off too. Shouldn’t we be fair? If you really want, I can just take off your pants…”
…In the end, I shuffled after her, wearing only my slippers.
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damn bro was the sub