Chapter 76: No More…?
"..."
Moments passed.
Then many seconds.
And, soon enough, the stunned Hilda, whose lips had been stolen by the little dummy, realised why there had been no movement.
...Why their lips were still connected.
'S, she passed out...'
Bewildered over the multitude of emotions fluttering throughout her body, Hilda pulled herself away, leaving behind a trail of glistening saliva between their lips as they parted.
Hilda smacked her lips as she slowly took in that lingering, fantastical sensation of their previously connected lips.
Moving her eyes to the little dummy's sleeping face, "You're crying again, you big, big little dummy..." Hilda meticulously wiped the tears from the little dummy's face, but once her fingers arrived near her lips-
"Ahem!"
-she turned her eyes away with steamy, red cheeks staining her face.
'Isn't it meant to be between boys and girls, though?!'
These thoughts inevitably arose when that heated moment came flashing back. And, it was to be expected, because as far as she knew, only boys and girls got together.
Her Papa always told her to be careful of boys, and he never mentioned girls...
"Hmm..."
Suddenly, she cocked her head to the side.
'Does that mean Papa thinks girls are fine?'
Alas...
This foolish young girl wasn't the brightest mind in town, where one would usually assume that it meant that it was off limits, she had the complete opposite in mind.
Nevertheless:
"...Sleep well."
Pushing her lips onto the little dummy's forehead, she choked inwardly from the lips to skin contact, then tucked the sleeping big, big little dummy into bed.
-----
The next day.
...This is awkward.
Distant chirping fizzled through the windows, filling my bedroom with their muffled, sweet noises. But, other than these faint sounds, the room was dead silent.
Even our breaths were quiet.
Side by side, Hilda and I fiddled with our fingers respectively. It was a struggle to sit by her side after what I'd done yesterday, let alone talk-
Ugh!
Why did I k, ki-
Ba-dump!
My heart skipped a beat in ecstasy once yesterday's memory came flying back up into the forefront of my embarrassed brain. The hands that had previously been scrunched up on my lap came smacking to my face in shame; what have I done...?
Am I a pervert?
Liking two girls at the same time?
But my heart cannot deny the truth!
I love them!
Both!
...Still.
"H, Hilda?"
"E, eek! Y, yes?!" Jumping in her seat, Hilda's voice grew several pitches higher as she tried to hold herself together.
"Ahem!" Clearing my throat, "There's something I need to tell you."
Unbeknownst to me, Hilda's face had grown red, ripe like a fresh tomato, upon hearing those seemingly suggestive words.
"W, what is it!" Her voice grew another pitch higher; it was practically screeching at this point.
And I-
"You'll have to take care of me from now on. More specifically, you're going to have to save my life over and over again from now on. Don't ask questions, alright?"
The high-pitched harmonica drew to a screeching halt, and Hilda clacked and turned her head to the right like a half-broken robot, "...What do you mean?" Her words came out like a whisper, yet they rang clear in my ears.
Sighing, "Didn't I just say no questions?"
Grip.
Hilda's firm grip landed on my wrist, and she peeled my left hand off my face, revealing my flushed cheeks.
But her face;
Hilda's ruby eyes;
They oozed with frosty mist.
"Can I help?"
Her playful, bashful demeanour drifted into the wind, leaving behind a frigid, ghostly remnant of the usually childish Hilda.
Releasing my umpteenth sigh, I shook my head and awkwardly turned my eyes away from hers, "No, you can't."
Squeeze.
Her grip on my wrist gently tightened, "Okay. I'll be there for you, no matter what."
"...Mhm." I pushed out a faint, squeaky response.
And;
Anyways;
It's time.
The clock ticked over, and the bedroom doors groaned open as footsteps echoed in.
With her dark-blonde hair bound in a bun and her arms crossed over her white apron, the Maiden stared at us from beyond the door's boundary.
"It's time."
Her voice shot and shattered the warm, yet frigid atmosphere roaming hazily about Hilda and I.
"...Understood."
Clasping Hilda's right hand with my own, I slowly peeled her fingers off, one by one. Then, gifting her a prim and proper smile, "I'll be back."
And I left.
I was too afraid to face Hilda at that moment.
"..."
...Because I was afraid I'd witness her bubbling, heart-breaking tears drifting down her face.
-----
Days passed.
The aurora set, the world plunged into darkness, and, once the time was right, the aurora rose once more.
This cycle repeated over and over again.
Yet, oddly enough, the seasons never changed.
And soon enough, the time had come.
It had struggled
It had bled.
It had fought.
And now, it shall reap its reward.
...For this creature shall now take its Second Step.
Bathing in the light of the aurora, I stared up at the distant clouds; at the glistening shimmer of the vast lake and the teasing outline of the far-off, supposed Uclidian Mountain Range.
Sipping in the cool air, I raised these two fragile hands of mine towards the skies.
Spreading my fingers, the light oozed through the skin, revealing the frail veins pumping a plethora of Cursed blood.
"Little dummy, I should take you back inside. The cold air may ruin your already poor health." A soothing, feminine voice echoed from beside me, drawing my eyes towards their figure.
Warmly gazing down at me from a tall height, Hilda's face and body had changed drastically in the past 3 years and a few months. Hilda has grown extremely beautiful in these few years; her skin practically sparkled, and her facial features were soft and feminine.
Not to mention her body; I wouldn't doubt you if you'd told me she were 16 or 17.
She's.... Bountiful... To say the least...
Her curled, plump lips drew my eyes irresistibly. I had to force my eyes away with a flushed face; I still can't handle her.
Put simply:
Hilda is downright gorgeous.
And I'm in love with this gorgeous lady.
...Even worse-! Or, uh, even better? She has dedicated all her attention to me during this time! It's like only I exist in her eyes!
And, of course, I'm happy!
Seriously happy!
But my heart can't handle it!
Literally.
Not figuratively but literally, can't handle it.
If my heart rate spiked too high, my tattered heart could rupture once more, pushing me to the brink of death.
...Whatever.
Pouting, I sighed, "Fine, let's go back inside."
"Of course, little dummy."
Then came the inevitable.
Stepping over to my side, Hilda leaned over, blasting me with a wave of her fragrance. She slipped her right arm below my knees-
"Hap!"
-and picked me up with one hand, supporting both my legs and buttocks. And, as usual, I wrapped my weak arms around her neck for a semblance of support, but realistically speaking, unless I circulate my Curses, I don't have the strength to hold myself.
I was almost like a toddler in her arms.
"Comfortable?" She asked while looking me in the eye with crinkles in the corners of her mesmerising eyes.
"Mhm." Mumbling in return, I snuggled into her neck and chest; her breasts were soft and cushiony, allowing me a comfortable rest. Plus, they were large, excessively so, meaning I had plenty of space to plant my head.
Hilda promptly carried me into my bedroom from the cold terrace, cold relative to my weak temperature resistance; any other child would find the weather pleasant.
Still:
Hehe, her body is so soft~
My mind was in another dimension. I was too lovestruck to bother paying attention to all the other useless things.
Noticing my expression, Hilda teasingly squeezed my cheeks, "Naughty girl." And jokingly called me out for my, ahem, inappropriate actions.
But she doesn't stop me!
I'm allowed!
I have her consent!
...Alright, maybe I don't have her consent, but she's mine!
"Hehe, you can stop me if you want~" Nuzzling her chest, the arms wrapped around her neck squeezed tightly as I slithered one hand to her cheek and returned the attack.
Warmly smiling at my antics, Hilda carefully planted me in my desk chair. She neatly tucked my legs and made sure that my dark pants didn't tug tight on my skin. I'd raised a couple of complaints over that issue in the beginning.
I relaxed both hands over my knees, and Hilda, as usual-
Squish.
-she overlapped her much larger, softer, practically boneless hands over mine. Squeezing my fragile hands, she knelt to my level and gazed into my infuriatingly white eyes.
"Little dummy, any today?"
Receiving her endlessly melancholic and loving gaze, I gently shook my head, "No, nothing today. And..."
I squeezed her hands back and lightened the darkness oozing in the back of my eyes, "Maybe, just maybe, I won't have to again after tomorrow."
A rush of vibrations clamoured through my hands once Hilda heard my words; her body shook violently as she bit her lips with a veil of liquid misting up her eyes, "Is, is that so...?"
She choked on her words; in fact, she practically spat them out.
Hilda could hardly believe her ears, and, similarly, I could hardly believe my own words.
But, it's true.
The 200th punishment from last night may have been the final one.
Mother has been hinting at it, and the Maiden has been piling her frustrations on me recently in a manner that seemed to resemble that of a girl who was about to lose her favourite toy. So, it should be over soon.
...I hope.