Vol 2 Chapter 27 – Please… hold me【Vol 2: The Cat-Eared Girl, Eclair】

I carried the unconscious Eclair back to her house, laid her in bed, and finally caught my breath. It was already night.

Lantern light flickered on the wall, casting quiet shadows. Beneath it, Eclair breathed softly in sleep.

“Eclair, do you think she’s okay?”
“Yes. Her tension just snapped. —Are you all right, Theo-kun? The spot where you were hit is still swollen.”
“Ah, yes. The potion you gave me knocked the pain back.”
“Good. But don’t push yourself.”

With that, Milfy-san lowered her eyes a little and quietly stood.

“Then I’ll head home.”
“Huh? Already?”

The words slipped out. It felt… a little cold, somehow. Maybe that came through, because Milfy-san smiled gently.

“Right now, the one Eclair needs is you. Take care of my cute ‘little sister,’ okay?”

She patted my shoulder and stepped out of the room.

In the quiet that followed, the lantern’s flame quivered faintly.

I’m what Eclair needs…?

As I turned the meaning over—

“…Pervy monkey.”
“Wah?”

A voice from the bed made me jump. At some point, Eclair had opened her eyes.

“You scared me. You were awake?”
“Mm. Mil-sis seemed to notice.”

I hurried to pour some water and handed it to her. Eclair pushed herself up, said “Thanks,” and took a swallow.

“…Ugh. Your cheek’s swollen.”
“It’s nothing.”
“It is something, idiot. Why did you pull a stunt like that?”
“It wasn’t a stunt.”
“It was. You could’ve gotten yourself killed.”
“But you saved me. That was cool.”
“Th-that was a fluke… And in the end, Mil-sis did the saving.”
“Well, true.”

When I gave a wry smile, Eclair lowered her violet-blue eyes, pinched the blanket between her fingers, and sighed.

“I really can’t hold a candle to Mil-sis.”

Her voice held resignation and a touch of loneliness.

“…I’ve always looked up to Mil-sis.”
“Eh?”
“We grew up in the same village. She was strong, kind… always shining. I wanted to be like that too.”

The lantern cast shadows along her profile. Her slender fingers tightened on her lap.

“I came to this city because I thought if I chased her back, I could change too.”
“…”
“But it was no good. I couldn’t make dungeon dives work at all, and in the end she always had to bail me out…”

Eclair stared down, fidgeting with the edge of the sheet.

“Same with the heat curse. I begged her to take me to that dungeon, and because of me… I dragged Mil-sis into it too.”

Her words fell one by one, tinged with sadness.

“…I’m the worst. I drag people around for my own convenience and cause trouble. Even today… you got punched because of me…”
“Eclair…”
“S-so you can… just… stop worrying about me… I don’t want to see someone get hurt because of me…”

Her last words were rasped with tears. The fist she clenched trembled.

…So that’s it.

I finally understood why I couldn’t leave Eclair alone.

She’s the same as me.

I used to hate myself too. No cool skills. No power to protect my friends. I was scared of drifting farther and farther from the self I wanted to be.

I worked hard and it didn’t pay off, and eventually my lack of confidence curdled into resignation. I kept repeating “someone like me” in my head. Just like she is now.

—But.

Milfy-san saved me from that.

“Have some confidence, Theo-kun. You’re a wonderful person… far more than you think.”

I can’t say how much those words saved me.

So this time it’s my turn. I want to save her—the girl who’s starting to hate herself the way I did.

I opened my mouth softly.

“Eclair. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

Eclair slowly lifted her face. The lantern light caught the tracks of her tears with a little glint.

“I don’t think I got punched because of you. I did what I wanted to do.”
“B-but if I were as strong as Mil-sis, that wouldn’t have…”
“Milfy-san is Milfy-san, and Eclair is Eclair.”

I tried a small smile.

“You’re not straightforward, you posture, your mouth’s pretty sharp. But underneath that, you’re a hard worker, a little clumsy, a little lonely… and all of that is Eclair.”
“…”
“So don’t hate yourself anymore. You’re a wonderful person—far more than you think.”

Those were the words Milfy-san once gave me. A saving light that never went out, deep in my heart.

Now I wanted to pass it to her.

Eclair stared at me without a word. The moon slipped behind a cloud, and the room grew darker. In the shaky lantern glow, I couldn’t quite make out her expression.

Soon enough, the weight of my own words started to feel embarrassing.

“Uh, um… haha. Kinda cheesy, huh. S-so… you should get some rest—”

I started to rise from my chair when—

“Wait.”

That single word pinned my back in place.

“Don’t… go yet.”

Her voice trembled. But beneath it, a firm will burned.

“Eclair…?”
“I… I still can’t like myself that quickly. But—just for tonight, I want to try being a little honest.”
“R-right…?”
“So, um… will you help?”

I asked what she meant, and she turned her face away. Even by lantern light, I could see her cat ears burning red down to the roots.

“Uh… as in, what exactly?”
“…Y-you’re so dense!”

She pouted in embarrassment—then, in a shaking voice, said:

“P—Please… hold me.”

Vol 2 Chapter 28 – I… with just my chest, already…! ♡【Vol 2: The Cat-Eared Girl, Eclair】

At Eclair’s request, I snuffed the lantern light. The room wrapped itself in night’s stillness. Only moonlight from the skylight dimly traced our outlines.

We sat side by side on the bed’s edge—close enough that a small shift would bring us to touching. The silence was heavy. My heartbeat sounded unnaturally loud.

“A-are you really sure about this? Eclair…”

“Don’t sound so tense. You’re making me lose my nerve.”

Her cat tail swayed anxiously.

I never imagined she’d be the one to suggest this.

“I mean… I thought maybe you were forcing it.”

“It’s fine. I’ve decided. I’m trusting you.”

Eclair exhaled quietly, rolling her shoulders to ease the tension.

“You’re an idiot, reckless, thoughtless, weird, and perverted—a total mess, basically…”

“W-wait, that’s harsh!”

“That’s payback for what you said earlier.”

She smiled mischievously, then fixed me with her violet eyes.

“…But I felt your real desire to help me. So—I trust you.”

“Eclair…”

“Be gentle, okay? My dispel specialist.”

Her soft smile glowed quietly in the moonlight. Something tight in my chest unfurled with those words.

If that’s what she wanted, I had no reason to hesitate.

“…Alright.”

I gently placed both hands on her shoulders. She trembled slightly but didn’t pull away. Instead, she closed her eyes, waiting for me.

Her lips were tense with nervousness, but I sensed resolve beneath them too.

I slowly lowered my lips to hers.

“Mm…”

Her shoulders jerked. But just as quickly, tension drained from her body. Her tentative lips gradually softened, yielding.

“Nh… kiss♡ Ah… h-hn♡”

I tilted my head slightly and kissed her again. This time she pressed back faintly. Hesitant but not resisting. In fact, she was accepting it.

“Ah… mn, mm♡ L-lick♡ Mn, kiss…♡”

Tongues found each other gradually, entwining slowly. With each movement, her breathing grew shallow. Her arm crossed my shoulders, hands sliding softly down my back.

Eclair’s lips were so much softer and warmer than I’d imagined. I never thought the day would come when she’d reach for me like this.

“Ah…♡ Hah, hah…♡”

When I pulled away, she exhaled in thin, trembling threads. Her violet eyes fluttered half-open, glistening faintly with tears, fixed on me.

“…Can I undress you?”

“Y-yeah…”

Eclair dropped her gaze shyly. I followed it to the white tunic covering her chest. Gently, I caught its hem and slowly lifted.

The fabric slipped upward, and pale skin appeared in the moonlight.

Her frame was delicate—modest but perfectly shaped. The peaks trembled slightly in the cool air, blushing a beautiful color.

“…You think it’s small, don’t you,” Eclair whispered.

“W-what? No, that’s not—!”

“Liar. When you were researching the dispel method before, you had that face.”

She… noticed?

She puffed her cheeks indignantly.

“And you were comparing me to Mil-sis in your head, weren’t you?”

That too…?

“L-look, Eclair…”

“It’s fine. I know I can’t compete there.”

Her expression wavered uncertainly.

“But… does it… disappoint you?”

The tentative question made my heart skip.

“N-no! Not at all. You’re… really beautiful. I couldn’t look away.”

It was true. Flawless skin. Delicate contours. I forgot to breathe.

“…Idiot.”

Her embarrassed murmur sounded angry, but there was something pleased beneath it.

I ran my tongue along her soft skin.

“Ah…♡”

A sweet sound spilled from her lips.

“Hah… a-there…♡ No… there…♡ Nngh♡”

Each time my tongue traced her, her slender frame jerked. The sensitivity was incredible. Maybe that was true—smaller meant more responsive?

I want her to feel more…

Driven by that desire, I savored her body carefully, methodically.

When my tongue finally reached her peak—

“Kyah?!”

She arched, gasping a high, sharp cry.

“Ah, aah♡ Hah, mn♡ A-there… th-that♡ Nngh♡”

I rolled it gently between my lips, and bell-like moans filled the room.

The cat-eared girl pressed her hands over her mouth, but the sounds escaped anyway.

“W-wait, no♡ This is… too much, I’m feeling too much♡ Hah, ah♡ …Ah♡ N-no, no, I… just from my chest… already♡”

“What—?”

Before I could process it, her body convulsed violently and—

“Fuaaaaaaahhhhh!!♡♡♡”

She came with a shriek.