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Is a housewarming party… like this? (5) – unedited

As soon as he came up to the room, Evan threw himself onto the bed.
Patting on his big belly and stretching out is similar to my old self on a vacation.
Not strange at all.

“Evan, get some rest.”

“Where are you going?”

I planned to go to the market to sell another jewel and buy Merson’s new hair dyes.

“To the market.”

“If you need a porter, can I go with you?”

“No, it’s okay.
Just in case Chenin comes.
Wait for Chenin here.”

“Okay.
Have a safe trip.”

Right after Evan finishes speaking, he pulls the blanket over his head.
Then he only snuck his hand out and waved it with an insincere ‘goodbye’.
He was going to get a good night’s sleep.

“I’ll open the door and go, so you have to get up as soon as someone appears, okay?”

“Don’t worry.”

And …..
He snored.
Hey, didn’t he fall asleep too fast?

Evan’s languid attitude did not make it easy for me to go.
I took Merson’s hand, who was already standing at the door waiting for me to come out, and brought him back into the room.

“We’re not going?”

“No, I will go alone.”

“No.”

Chill–

My body trembled when Merson said ‘no’, perhaps because of the memory of what had happened at the temple the other day.
I muttered in a hoarse voice, scribbling meaningless things with my fingers on his chest.

“Look at Evan.
What if Chenin comes?”

“I will wake him up now.”

I managed to grab Merson’s forearm as he was frighteningly rolling up his sleeves.
He was so strong that I could have been dragged along if Merson hadn’t stopped himself.

“He is sick.
And when it comes to sleep, you can’t wake up easily just by forcing yourself to wake up.”

“Then let’s wait until he wakes up.”

“If they’re closed…….”

Merson’s brow narrowed.
The frown on his face started to make me nervous.
I can’t even boast that I’m okay to Merson because there was the dangerous situation last time.

However, it was better for one person to stay here and one person to go to the market.
Besides, whenever Merson goes out, he catches attention with his striking appearance, so I’d rather go and come back soon.

As I continue to hesitate, Merson roughly covers my shoulders and pulls me into his arms.

“If Erina gets hurt again, then I really don’t know what will happen to me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t mean for you to apologize.
Please understand me for not being able to send Erina out alone.”

“But, Merson.
I can’t stay by your side forever…….”

Ugh-

He hugged me so tightly that I couldn’t breathe.
I patted Merson on the back, but he held me tightly in his arms and seemed unwilling to let go of me.
As if he wouldn’t even leave a space between my body and his own for a grain of rice.

“You have to be by my side forever.
Whether it’s thousands or billions of years.
Whether it’s years beyond time.”

“… that would kill me.”

“Do you think I will let you?”

Merson’s confident words suddenly felt like a stone had been lodged in my throat.
For me, who had to leave this world soon and cross the dimension, I could not have this uncomfortable conversation.
I immediately brought up another topic to pass it on.

“Okay.
You’ll protect me well so I don’t die.
So, I will go to the market alone.”

“You don’t have to create a crisis from the beginning.”

“I hate being locked up.
It’s not protection, it’s confinement, it’s torture.”

Merson’s body trembled, and his arm, which had been holding me strongly, slowly fell and finally freed me.
Merson’s eyes that were looking at me were vibrating violently.
His expression of not knowing what to do is pitiful.

“What’s the matter?”

“… Did I just confined and torture Erina?”

“No, that’s not what it means…….”

Wait, this might be an opportunity to get out.

“That’s what I said.
But I just had a similar feeling! I want to go to the market, Merson.
Let me go!”

“But…….”

“You will protect me.
Right?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll trust you and go out.”

Merson lowered his eyelids and seemed to be struggling, but then nodded as if he had made up his mind.
Then he gently caressed my cheek and kissed me on the bridge of my nose.

“I’ll teleport you to the market.
It’s the same for coming back.
When your matter is over, return to the place you were teleported to first.”

“It will consume a lot of magic.”

“Don’t worry because Erina is here.”

Uuhh-

This is enough.
It seems that Merson himself has reached an agreement, so I need to keep pace with this.

“Good.”

As I answered, a sigh came from Merson’s mouth, and he smiled weakly.

“You have to come quickly.”

“Yes.”

Blue light surrounds my body and the space begins to warp.
And again, my stomach was rumbling.
I felt nauseous, uugh–

* * *

“I will die.
I have to get used to it quickly.”

The lively market street was crowded with many people.
I exchanged gold coins at the jeweler I visited once before and bought a handful of magic tools for dyeing.
Since I had a goal, my shopping ended in a flash, just as Merson had hoped.

I will show Merson after returning home so quickly and safely that he’ll think, ‘Oh, I’ve made a fuss for nothing.’

I walked, being careful not to drop the dye that was precariously piled up in a clunky paper bag full in my arms.

Carrying full bottles of hair dye through the crowded streets was not an easy task.
If even one fell off, I had to put all the dye on the ground and pick it up again.