It was tiring... It was extremely tiring. We fought hordes of sturdy monsters, my demon still hadn't gone away, and keeping up with the Dynamic Zone was draining me. My strength was leaving me at an alarming speed, as if it were being wrung out like a wet rag.

"Seems like we're safe now," Caligo remarked after the fight.

Crimson groaned, cracking her neck. "Good work."

"I'm going short on spells," Jerald remarked.

"Let's rest for a bit," Crimson suggested. "We should also eat. And you, Snowflake, clean yourself up."

We followed the suggestion and decided to camp in a more suitable area to replenish our energies.

Jerald was taking care of the meal, slowly boiling some water over a campfire made for the occasion. "Could you give me some of the water?" I asked him. "I need it to wash myself."

"Hm, sure." He then poured some into a basin.

I moved behind a nearby tree. I didn't need to take off my clothes; with the hot water and a damp cloth, I slowly managed to clean up the mess I was. It was not the same as a warm bath, but better than nothing.

Not that I had the energy to clean myself properly anyway; I was literally about to fall asleep... my eyes constantly fighting my will to keep them open, my body swaying from exhaustion. I just wanted this day to end so I could rest.

"You look sleepy, Argenta," Caligo commented, staring at my face as I returned to the others, sitting beside them.

"Hmm-hm..."

"Did you rest at all last night?" Crimson asked me.

"Huh... I don't know..." I replied. I was dead last night. Does that count?

"Um..." Crimson looked at me perplexed as she furrowed her brow.

"Did you?" I then asked the others.

"No, but you're in way worse shape than all of us," she pointed out.

I ignored the answer and reached for some warm food Jerald had just cooked thanks to the little campfire. I was so exhausted that the bowl could have escaped from my hands at any moment.

"Snowflake..." Crimson suddenly reached for my hands, holding them still. "You're trembling again."

"Ah... it's nothing, really," I replied with a forced smile, trying to mask my weariness. "I'm just tired."

"You're resting for today," she said.

"I can still fight," I countered.

"No. You listen to me, as your coordinator," she remarked with a firm voice and angry glare. "You're resting for today."

I would've liked to protest further, but both my sleepiness and the fire in her eyes silenced me. "Fine..." I sighed.

Crimson's expression grew satisfied. "Good. Now eat, and then take it easy."

Resigned, I turned my attention to the food; just some stew Jerald had managed to whip up, but it was enough to warm my body and relax some of my nerves, with some of the tension leaving my body.

I finished my food in silence, feeling the weariness pull at me even more fiercely. By the time I handed my empty bowl back to Jerald, I could barely keep my eyes open. Even so, using all of my willpower, I continued to fight against them, glancing at the demon from time to time.

"It should be about time, shouldn't it...?" I asked myself internally.

Crimson in the meantime retired inside a tent, only to come out of it some minutes later, approaching me. "I laid out a bedroll for you. Go get some sleep."

"What? I don't want to sleep," I protested. "I'll just stay behind."

"You can barely keep your eyes open. Go."

Well, this was a problem. I wouldn't have been able to see the demon from inside the tent...

"No," I retorted.

Crimson's eyes narrowed as she stood with her hands rested on her hips. She took me by the arm, lifting me up from my seat and pulling me against my will.

"No, Crimson! AH!" I was thrown inside the tent.

"Be a good girl and rest. I'll keep watch," she said, closing the tent flap.

"Crimson!" I scrambled back to it, trying to open it.

"What?" she asked as soon as I opened it. "You want some company?" she then added with a smirk.

Of course she had to make that stupid comment right in front of Jerald and Caligo! I could feel my cheeks burn because of it, and frustration. "No... I don't want company. I want to be out of here!"

"Just sleep, or I'll make you," she said. For some reason, it didn't sound like a joke.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"Don't worry," Caligo intervened, looking at me. "If monsters approach, we'll make short work of them."

I sighed. They couldn't understand why I wanted to stay awake and out of that tent, and I couldn't tell them. I didn't want to. Just like I didn't feel comfortable putting my confidence in these people to protect me in my sleep. But, at the same time... I also had to make an effort to at least have faith in Crimson.

"Enough..." I conceded. "I don't have the strength to argue. Bye," I said, closing the tent flap before throwing myself to the bedroll. I guess I'd just summon it once awake to check if it wanted something...

The softness of the bedroll was... damn comforting. Despite my initial reluctance, the fatigue quickly overtook me, pulling me into a deep, dreamless void. The world around me quickly faded away...

... I abruptly woke up at the rustle of the tent flap. "Crimson..." I called, my voice still groggy.

"Hey, sleepyhead," she said, lighting the lantern in the tent.

I squinted against the dim light, my brain slowly waking up. I could hear the soft sounds of night insects all around, and the faint whistle of the wind. It was night.

"How long did I sleep?" I murmured.

She quickly slid next to me, leaning in to give me a kiss. "You slept the whole day," she replied. wrapping her arms around me to pull me into another kiss.

"Wait, wait Crimson." I broke free from the kiss, sitting up to the bedroll. "Fill me in. What happened while I was sleeping?"

"Not much, really. I've already reported our progress today, and we made some changes. Jerald went to another team, while Leonard is now with us; he's keeping watch right now. Caligo is sleeping in his tent, and this is ours," she explained, her voice low to not make noise, before leaning in to kiss me again.

Of course, her stupid lips, even when not coated in sweet and luscious lipstick, along with the warmth of her touch, had to melt me. I hate this girl.

No, that is not correct... I hate the sensations she gives me.

No. That is also wrong... I hate feeling so... vulnerable...? Weak...? Pathetic...? I don't even know...

Is this what happens when I allow myself to relax? To lower my guard? Do I really crave warmth so much? Am I really that desperate for love to the point of melting away like ice on molten lava the second she holds me close? Is this the result of living in the shadows because of my mother's death? Distrusting every human being and any attempt to break through the unbending barrier I erected to protect myself?

Why do I even feel this way? This doesn't make any sense! I didn't feel like this last time. Am I getting progressively worse or something? What would my mother even think about something like this? How would she react, were she in my shoes?

Maybe I'm just overthinking again... Perhaps, she would allow herself to indulge... to explore these feelings...?

I sighed internally. This girl really is trouble, but... fine. In a way, I don't even really mind...

So, I savored her stupidly soft lips, and I welcomed her intoxicating tongue as I basked in her comforting embrace. And I would've continued to do so, but as usual, she wanted to take it further, slipping her hands under my clothes, which I had to stop.

"Hm- No, Crimson," I breathed as I broke free from the kiss, looking deeply into her eyes. "You're out of your mind if you think we're doing it here."

"Didn't you miss me in these last two weeks?" she softly asked with her husky, seductive voice.

"Yes, I did." I did? "But I'm not doing it here; I'm tired and stained and sticky with monster blood, and there's people around," I replied, sliding away from her grasp.

"You're tired? You've slept all day," she said with a mocking smile.

"Yes, I know. But I'm tired. And, besides, we really should know each other better. Don't you think?"

"Hm. So, you want to know about me?" she asked.

"About us."

She sighed, bringing herself back, laying down on her stomach and propping her chin on her hands to look at me. "Alright, alright. You start though. What do you want to talk about?"

I looked at her, slowly pulling my knees to my chest, averting my gaze as I released a voluntary disappointed and overly dramatic sigh before letting my eyes fall once again on her.

She looked at me with confusion, her eyes blinking. "What?"

"I didn't say you had to stop the kisses..."

She stared at me for a moment before bursting into a teasing laugh, pushing herself up to get closer. "You're really a hard girl to please, you know that?" she remarked, gently lifting my chin, letting her lips meet mine once again.

"I'm aware," I said between the kisses. "I'm complicated..."

Eventually, accompanied by kisses, we lay down together.

"Anyway..." I digressed. "Tell me a bit about yourself."

"What do you want to know?" she asked after landing another soft kiss.

"Well... I don't really know," I confessed, reciprocating the kiss. "I've told you a bit about my mother already. So, what about yours? And your parents in general."

"Right now, they're quite boring," she replied, shrugging faintly. "My mother was once the Guild Leader of the Amalgamated Thorny Roses; now she's just a housewife. And my father was a guard for the capital; now retired."

"Wait, your mother was the Guild Leader of the Amalgamated Thorny Roses? Why are you here then?"

"There's not much of a reason, really. I just didn't want to have it easier by following her steps," she explained. "Besides, I already had to put up with her at home. I'd rather not do it inside a guild as well."

"Hmm," I let out in surprise.

"What about you? What about your parents?" she then asked, giving another tender kiss.

"I've never met my father. And my mother..."

Good question.

"Huh... my mother... um..."

Crimson's lips curled up, and her face contorted as she stifled a laugh. "Well, I think I understand why you're such a complicated girl now!"

She laughed. She laughed at my ignorance. And were my mother here, I bet she would laugh, too! Seriously, who was she?! I now had more questions than ever about her.

I found myself pouting at the face of her laugh as I averted my gaze. "She never recounted me shit about herself..."

Crimson kept laughing softly about it, looking at me with an amused smile.

"All I know is that she was part of a theater... and that she taught me how to live in this world..." I murmured. "And nothing else than doubts... about everything else about her."

Crimson gently caressed my cheek, leaning in to give me another tender kiss. "It's alright, Snowflake."

I stood silent, looking down as a sudden wave of sadness washed over me, thinking of her.

"Hey?" she called.

"Perhaps it was a stupid idea talking about us..."

"No, not at all," she said, lifting my chin to make me meet her gaze. "Now I know more about you, and you know a little more about myself. We're a couple, Snowflake. Remember? And we just shared a moment as one."

"Hmm..."

"I love you," she whispered as she looked into my eyes, brushing off a strand of hair from my face.

"Okay..."

"We can continue chatting. Or, if you'd like, we can just kiss," she proposed, her lips playfully smacking against mine.

"I think I just want kisses right now."

"Just kisses?"

"Just kisses."

She gave me a soft smile, before reaching over to shut off the lantern, plunging the tent into a comforting darkness. Yet, the faint glow of moonlight filtered through the fabric, casting shadows around us.

With a delicate touch, she traced the contours of my face. Then, without a word, she leaned in and brushed her lips against mine. A tender kiss at first, gradually deepening until our breaths synchronized. But I did not mind any of that, and I peacefully allowed myself to drown in the sensation she evoked within me, until I grew addicted.

A peculiar addiction, without a doubt. Never had I thought I could become so addicted and enamored to something so much; not kisses, especially. Her kisses, particularly.

Eventually, fatigue softened our edges, and still wrapped in the warmth of our embrace, we drifted into a soothing and affectionate sleep.