"Whew, now we should get some answers soon." Mona finally relaxed; her research had made big strides, and all that was left was to wait for Lumine to bring back their intel.
Truth be told, she was exhausted; even a genius astrologer like her felt drained by this pace.
And for some reason her body felt strangely hot.
It didn't seem like a fever—she didn't feel unwell, just hot. Ever since she'd eaten Stelle's roasted boar at noon it had started, and after some broth tonight it got worse.
She figured it must be the tonic effect of the wild boar; since it didn't hurt, she didn't worry about it.
"All right, done." Mona packed up her things and turned to Stelle, who sat behind her.
The little tent was already pitched, yet Stelle hadn't crawled inside; she just stared at the leaping campfire, lost in thought.
"Stelle?" Mona walked over, bent slightly, and looked down at Stelle's cheeks glowing red in the firelight.
"Huh?! Wh-what's wrong!?" Startled, Stelle jerked her head up.
She hadn't expected Mona's face to be right there when she looked up.
Both froze for a second; Stelle was the first to look away.
"It's late. Aren't you going to rest?" Realizing she'd been too close, Mona took a quick step back, steadied herself, and asked.
Before pitching the tent Mona had told her she could turn in first—no need to wait.
After all, Mona didn't know how long she'd be working, and night wasn't when monsters were active, so interruptions were unlikely.
"Um, I-I'll keep watch tonight. You sleep first, Mona." Stelle answered, guilt flickering in her eyes.
"Keep watch? No need…" Mona blinked, then stood and glanced around.
It was still dark, but the moonlight spilled straight onto their little cliff tonight.
From the look of things, they were perfectly safe.
Though she'd asked Stelle to stay just in case, the odds of real trouble were slim.
Heck, she couldn't even be sure her real motive had been protection at all.
"You must be tired too—hunting and roasting…" Recalling the awkward earlier scene, Mona grew bashful and lowered her voice.
"Anyway, don't sit out here. I can set up some little alarms around us; no need to stand guard."
"Th-then… all right." Stelle met Mona's eyes for a moment, then nodded as if accepting fate.
Whatever happened, she couldn't dodge it now.
She'd struggled enough; the rest would unfold on its own.
Besides, Mona was exhausted—maybe she'd fall straight asleep.
—
Only now did Mona sense something off—she was about to share a tent with Stelle.
This morning it wouldn't have crossed her mind, but after what happened at noon she couldn't not think about it.
The feel of Stelle's touch was still vivid.
Whether from embarrassment or awkwardness, any close contact now would drag those memories back.
After all, the tent was tiny. When she'd bought it she'd considered only needing space for one, but there'd been another crucial factor.
Money.
Same material, smaller size meant cheaper. Mona had never cared about luxury, so she'd chosen the smallest one.
Which meant that with Stelle lying behind her, their backs pressed tightly together.
Mona could feel the warmth from Stelle's back.
And the little tent was filled with Stelle's scent.
Her heart pounded faster than she'd ever known.
She didn't understand why, but the person behind her seemed to radiate some special magnetism, pulling her in.
Her body felt hotter by the moment—what was happening? Unlike Mona, who was bewildered by her own body's reactions,
Stelle was surprisingly calm.
Not sleepy, just staring blankly at the tent fabric.
Mona hadn't made the move she half-expected, and she couldn't decide whether that was a relief or a tiny disappointment.
She even wondered if her succubus constitution had stopped working.
If it had, that might be a blessing—otherwise she'd keep tangling with more and more girls.
"Sigh…" Stelle exhaled softly.
Then she realized only Mona and herself were here; the sigh had been too loud.
Uneasy, she waited, but Mona never asked why she'd sighed.
Had Mona fallen asleep?
Stelle tilted her head in puzzlement.
From this angle she could only see Mona's shoulder, and it looked as though Mona's breathing had quickened.
"Mona?" Stelle called uncertainly, but Mona didn't answer.
Stelle sat up at once and carefully checked on Mona beside her.
Yet the instant her hand brushed Mona's body she jerked it back.
Mona's skin was burning hot.
"Mona?!" Stelle panicked, wondering for a moment if Mona had fallen ill.
But on second thought it didn't seem like sickness; rather, it looked as if she had swallowed some… special drug.
Yes, the symptoms were exactly like those Lumine had shown after drinking that potion.
How had this happened?
"Stelle… I… I'm so hot." Mona rolled onto her back, gazing at Stelle with glazed eyes.
"Mona, are—are you okay? What exactly—"
"I don't… know… Ever since lunch I've been like this." Mona spoke in broken phrases, yet her eyes stayed fixed on Stelle.
Somehow she sensed that the strange heat had to be quenched in a particular way.
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