Chapter 5: A Drunken Mistake

"...Tch. Who the hell prepared such a dangerous drink?"

I capped the bottle and stuffed it back into my bag.

Throwing it away felt like a waste. Lovefruit wine was a luxury, even among nobles.

The taste wasn’t bad, either. If I just used a detoxification spell while drinking, it should be fine.

Once I got back to the castle, I’d secretly enjoy it by myself.

With that decision made, I turned my gaze back to Yusuke.

He was sitting in seiza, his face pale, looking like his entire world had just crumbled.

"I’m sorry, Milia... I’m really sorry. I mean, I’m truly… sorry..."

Yusuke had turned into a broken record, repeating “I’m sorry” over and over.

I’d told him the wine had a love potion effect, but he still seemed convinced it was his fault.

"...I don’t care about it. Besides, I was the one who gave you the wine."
"But… I did something terrible..."
"You just grabbed my butt, right? It’s not like it’s gonna shrink or anything, so I don’t care."

Well… to be honest, it wasn’t just that.

I was pretty shocked. Even now, I still feel a bit… unsettled.

If it had happened for no reason, it would’ve been the kind of thing that instantly ended friendships.

But this was different. An accident.

Yusuke blaming himself like this wasn’t right.

So I decided to act like it was no big deal.

"But—"
"What, you wanna do it again?"

"HUH!? N-No! I’d never—!"

I smirked at him as he frantically waved his hands.

"That’s all it was. So I’m not gonna start hating you or anything. Stop apologizing already."

"I-I’m s-sorr—"

"Hmm~?"

"Ugh... th-thank you, Milia."

"Well, alright. That’s more like it."

Not that I deserve any thanks, though.

I mean, in the end, the village chief was the one who prepared the wine, and I was the one who handed it to him.

The root cause? Me.

And the root cause of that? The village chief.

If we’re breaking it down by responsibility, it’s about 80% the village chief, 20% me, and… Yusuke is maybe 1%?

Wait. That adds up to 101%.

…Ah, whatever.

Anyway, considering how much of that love potion he drank, the fact that he only grabbed my butt shows that Yusuke has pretty strong self-control.

The difference in our physical strength is insane. If he had really lost his mind, there’s no way I could’ve pushed him off.

If he’d seriously pinned me down… I would’ve had to—

…Wait, what the hell am I thinking?

Stop. Stop.

Maybe I’m still a little affected by the wine too.

I thought I cast a detoxification spell, but… hmm.

Anyway, moving on.

There’s one thing I realized.

Even though he grabbed my butt, I didn’t feel disgusted.

I mean, I’m able to think, Well, I’ll let it slide, so it’s not like it really bothered me.

Back in this world, just having a nobleman hold my hand was enough to make me feel sick.

But this time, nothing.

During our journey so far, we’ve been through some dire situations—plenty of moments where we ended up holding onto each other just to survive. But in a normal, non-emergency setting?

We’ve never really touched.

This guy’s a virgin, so he’s got this weird sense of distance… like he’s got an invisible barrier around him or something.

"Hey, Yusuke. Give me your hand for a sec."

"Huh? My hand…? Sure, but…"

I took the hand he offered and held it.

"Huh…!?"

"Ah… I’m just using magic to check if the love potion has completely worn off. Stay still."

"O-okay… got it…"

I lied effortlessly and started examining his hand.

…It’s rough and firm.

Definitely a man’s hand.

But still… I don’t feel any discomfort.

Touching him doesn’t feel unpleasant.

And if he touched me… I think I’d be okay with it.

"…………"

I glanced up.

Yusuke’s face was bright red.

The love potion should be long gone by now… Oh, right. On the outside, I am a beautiful girl, after all.

"W-well, good. Looks like the detox worked."

I quickly let go of his hand.

Maybe it’s because we’ve been traveling together for so long.

I feel more at ease with him than with anyone else.

Yeah… it’s a good thing I don’t feel disgusted when we touch.

Reassuring myself, I turned toward the window.

…It’s dark.

We really shouldn’t be wasting time on something so stupid.

If we don’t get some sleep, tomorrow’s going to be rough.

Sigh…

"It’s already late. Let’s get some sleep, Yusuke."

"Ah, yeah, you’re right…"

Ignoring the lingering awkwardness, I started getting ready for bed.

…There’s only one large bed.

This, and the love potion wine.

In other words, this was probably the plan all along.

I sighed and glanced at Yusuke.

…He was clearing a spot on the floor, laying out a rough cloth.

This guy’s really planning to sleep on the ground without a word, huh?

Normally, I’d just say, “Why don’t we share the bed?” but… well, considering what just happened, it’s too awkward.

Besides, even though I told him it’s fine, Yusuke still looks like he’s carrying a mountain of guilt.

I’ll let him sleep on the floor for now.

It’s probably better for his mental state this way.

"Alright, good night, Yusuke."

"Yeah… good night, Milia."

I turned off the magic tool that served as our light and lay down on the bed.

At the same time, Yusuke settled on the floor.

We turned our backs to each other, and I closed my eyes.

Tomorrow, it’s back to life in the royal castle.

The deadline that bastard of a father gave me is creeping closer.

I only have a little time left before I’m forced to marry some random guy I don’t even know.

The time I have left to be free is limited.

…If it comes down to marrying a stranger—

No. Let’s not go there.

I used to be a man.

And Yusuke knows that.

So, that option is off the table.

Ah, damn it.

Two years ago, I shouldn’t have told Yusuke about my past life.

I didn’t want to lie, so I told him the truth.

I don’t want to regret that decision… no, I really don’t.

But still…

"…………"

If I hadn’t told him, would I have been spared all this pain?

I don’t know.

I don’t understand anything.

…There’s just so much I don’t understand.

---

I left the frontier village and began my journey back.

Though, to be honest, all I’m really doing is sitting in a carriage.

It’s not much different from the trip there.

I glanced at Milia, seated across from me.

Our eyes met—

Or at least, I thought they did.

I quickly looked away.

Yesterday… I hurt her.

I ended up harassing her—someone with a woman’s body but a man’s heart.

I’m the worst.

Milia called it that “erotic manga-like wine” and forgave me, but… that doesn’t erase what I did.

I still remember everything after drinking that fruit wine.

The sensation of touching her with my own hands.

And that’s why I feel so guilty.

Even if it was the love potion, even if it wasn’t truly me, I’m ashamed of myself for giving in to my desires.

That’s why I still can’t bring myself to talk to her.

Every conversation we’ve had recently has been started by her.

"…Oh, by the way."

"Huh?"

Yeah, like this.

If she doesn’t start the conversation, it doesn’t happen.

"This’ll probably be the last time we travel together—"

"What? The last…?"

Is it because of what happened yesterday?

Did she start to hate me?

Or is it because of—

"Yeah, the last. We’re both going to have fiancés soon, right? Married people can’t just go traveling together like this."

"…That’s true."

"So, this is it. Our journey… probably ended when we defeated the evil dragon."

"…………"

"This was just an extra. Like a little bonus chapter or something."

"…Yeah, I guess so."

She said it so sadly.

And then—she smiled at me.

"We’ve been through a lot, huh? Like when we went to Nazari Port to catch a ship."

"Ah, yeah. The ship we boarded had smuggled goods—"

"Right, right. It ended up taking two weeks before we could set sail."

"Haha… that was rough."

I forced a bitter smile, and Milia laughed.

"And then there was that time we almost got lost trying to cross the mountains in winter."

"Oh, the Hieral Mountains."

"Yeah, that was a lesson. Always listen to the locals."

"But thanks to Milia’s magic, we managed to make a fire… and the snowstorm wasn’t so bad with the earth wall you made."

"In other words, if I weren’t a magic genius, we’d have frozen to death. You should be thanking me, you know? Hmm~?"

"...Well, it was because Milia dropped our luggage that we only had one blanket for warmth."

"Don’t bring that up. That blanket was huge, and we could’ve shared it just fine."

"…Except Milia’s a restless sleeper, so by morning, my side was gone."

"You’ve gotten bold, huh~?"

"Ugh, sorry."

Milia happily reminisced about our past.

"And then there was that dance party at the border count’s place."

"Ah… that time. Lady Aida, who taught us how to dance, was terrifying. I still see her in my dreams sometimes."

"I’m used to it, so I didn’t get scolded as much… but you’d only been here for a year… no, maybe two years at that point, right?"

"Yeah. It was my first time dancing, too. Isn’t that harsh?"

"…You’re going to be a noble now, so you’d better learn how to escort someone at a dance party. So, think of it as a necessary experience."

"Well, I guess you’re right."

Bitter memories. Painful memories.

There were troubles, and the journey wasn’t exactly smooth.

But still.

"Well… it wasn’t bad. I’m glad I got to travel with you one last time."

At Milia’s words, I nodded with a smile.

"…I had fun too. Traveling with Milia."

"Of course. How could you not, traveling with such a cute beauty like me?"

I looked at Milia’s face.

That teasing, joking expression… it was a look I’d seen countless times during our travels.

"Haha… yeah. Milia is cute, after all."

I agreed with her, hoping to tease her back.

I thought she might get flustered…

But there was no response.

Wondering what was wrong, I turned to look at her.

Then—

“...Don’t say stuff like that with a straight face. It’s creepy.”

She covered her mouth and turned her face away.

“S-sorry…”

...I guess I took the joke too far.

I got a little carried away.

“Do you say stuff like that to girls at evening parties too? If you get stabbed one day, don’t expect me to heal you.”

No, I don’t…

I only say things like that to Milia.

But there’s no way I can tell her that—

“Sorry, I’ll be more careful…”

“You better be, idiot.”

Milia kept her mouth covered, her gaze fixed on the window.

The journey we once enjoyed.
The days we spent chasing adventure together.

Those days are over.

And someday… we’ll go our separate ways.

We can’t stay the way we’ve always been.

We have to say goodbye to the past—to the carefree days when we roamed wherever we pleased.

Chewing on that reality, I closed my eyes.

The gentle rhythm of the carriage wheels rolling over dirt.

That soft rocking was the only comfort I had left.

That’s how it felt.