10. The Shocking First Kiss
But in the deep sea, where the breath of the sun could not reach, there was darkness where no light penetrated at all.
Dante was a warrior accustomed to battle. When hunting monsters, he was mechanical and showed no hesitation. He never wavered about cutting a monster down in a single stroke.
He was kind to Lina, but merciless to monsters. To him, granting a swift, painless death with a single cut seemed the greatest kindness. At such times, he showed not a shred of emotion.
Yet once the monster was felled, he would flash a bright smile and boast to Lina.
See? Look how much money you just made. Isn’t the boss amazing?
Lina liked that. She liked that she was the one who brought that warm smile to his face.
But Dante didn’t seem the same. Lina keenly sensed that he felt no flutter toward her.
Even so, it was fine. Lina had him almost all to herself every day. She was technically working, but still. The situation itself felt like good fortune.
It’s like a dream.
Dante always wanted to provide things for her—help her earn money, teach her defensive techniques for emergencies. There seemed to be so much he wanted to do.
So he must have wanted her to experience a ball as well. As if he enjoyed that something trivial to him might be important to someone else.
“You’re going to the ball, right?”
“Yeah. I can’t waste all that effort.”
Dante smiled charmingly at her reply. Time suddenly stopped, and Lina felt as if only Dante existed in her world.
Naturally, her eyes drifted to his lips. Realizing how dangerously close they were to hers, Lina’s face flushed rose-red.
“…But why did you make me practice dancing with you?”
“Why? Because it’s a pity that you only save money and don’t know how to have fun.”
“Pity? Are you feeling sorry for me right now?”
“N-no? You misunderstood. It’s just that it’d be a shame if you missed out on that kind of big event.”
The man who seemed confident about everything now wore an awkward expression.
“To be honest, I don’t like balls either. It’s burdensome when women confess to me.”
“Wow, what a playboy! Have that many women confessed to you?”
Dante just gave a sheepish grin.
“Don’t you do that, okay?”
“…!”
His voice was light, almost teasing. But Lina’s heart dropped. Dante was speaking indirectly to her.
Did he notice my feelings?
Lina kept the conversation going as if nothing was wrong, but her mood sank in spite of herself.
“…You can’t decide where your heart goes. Just like you can’t make someone accept it.”
She’d thought this was enough. That it was enough to be the reason for his warm smile.
But this time Dante didn’t brush it off with a laugh. It was as if he wanted to make his sincerity clear.
“I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me.”
His expression was almost cold, leaving no room for compromise.
“What do you… mean?”
He averted his gaze. Gentle, but unmistakably a refusal.
“…”
Lina’s insides churned. She’d asked, but she didn’t want the answer.
She had a feeling their relationship was about to end. Maybe he was already thinking of leaving.
Why had she started this conversation at all? She wished she could take it all back. How nice it would be if she could erase everything and start over.
“…!”
At that moment, a pitch-black darkness poured into Lina’s head from somewhere.
“—Hah…!”
A splitting dizziness crashed over her. Breathing became difficult. It felt like a desperate scream echoed from far away.
There was no physical pain, but she couldn’t draw a proper breath. She couldn’t think straight.
Time seemed frozen. Dante stared at Lina without even blinking. The wavering wind stopped.
Dante!
Lina couldn’t move, as if strapped to an electric chair. In her mind she reached out to him, screaming nonstop.
The unbearable agony climbed higher and higher. When the shattering tremor reached its peak at the crown of her head—
“…!”
The pain vanished in an instant. Peace filled Lina’s eyes. A thin beam of light seemed to descend right before her—as if guiding her to a new world after death.
“What’s wrong, Lina? What are you thinking so hard about?”
They had been dancing and exchanging a few words when Lina suddenly grew downcast. Dante, who had spoken without thinking, was startled.
Lina’s face trembled ever so slightly. Her pupils began to dilate.
“Lina? What’s wrong?”
Her movements went stiff, like a machine that sputters to a final halt when it’s low on fuel. Like a broken piano whose keys won’t press.
It was only a fraction of a second, but Dante sensed immediately that something was wrong.
“Lina? Lina! Snap out of it!”
A crackling noise came from nowhere. Lina flickered—vanishing like a mirage and reappearing, then vanishing again.
“Lina!”
Dante shouted and pulled her into his arms. It felt like she would disappear forever, to somewhere he couldn’t reach.
He hugged her tight, desperate not to let go.
“Lina!”
Then her dilated pupils slowly settled. Her trembling violet eyes finally met his gaze.
“Are you alright?”
Dante cupped her cheeks with both hands and brought his face close to hers.
“…”
Lina stopped blinking and looked straight at him.
“Lina?”
Relieved, yet afraid she might vanish again at any moment, he couldn’t bring himself to let go of her face.
“You’re okay, right?”
Her eyes held his. In that moment, amethyst-like irises shone with a soft silvery purple light.
“…”
To Dante, she suddenly felt unfamiliar. He sensed a maturity in her face that didn’t match her age.
“Lina…?”
Entranced by the captivating, unfamiliar look in her eyes, Dante unconsciously relaxed his grip.
Whose bewitching, mature gaze was this? And why wouldn’t it let him go?
While he was flustered by that strange feeling, Lina suddenly took both his wrists and rose on tiptoe.
“…!”
Her face drew near. A clean scent of sea-lavender overwhelmed him until he could hardly breathe.
Dante closed his eyes without thinking. Lina also closed hers and quietly pressed her lips to his.
It was their first kiss.
It was a quiet kiss. Their eyes closed on their own, and all sensation gathered at their damp lips. He felt her cautious mouth.
He flinched at first and froze, but soon accepted her lips and moved warmly.
Lina gently sucked his soft lips. He, in return, traced along hers.
She wasn’t sure, but was he stroking her hair? It felt like it. Perhaps she was doing the same.
He wrapped one arm around her waist and supported her head with the other.
Then, as if he’d been curious for a long time, he kept, and kept exploring Lina’s lips.
Held in his arms, Lina trembled, feeling like she had become something very precious.
“…!”
Something smooth slipped warmly and softly between her lips.
She started and tensed, but the unbelievable tenderness made her open to him.
Moist warmth entered her. It carefully swept her mouth, tasting sweetness. Lina shivered at the astonishing delight. It felt like they had become one.
It was as if he was making sure he wouldn’t lose her. Lina, conversely, felt as if she was being reassured—and she liked that.
So she followed him without thinking, and he drew her in, drinking her in with a gentle fragrance. At the same time, Dante stroked her back softly and held her even closer.
Overcome by an inexplicable, comforting feeling, a single tear slipped from Lina’s eye.
When Dante carefully lifted his face, his features were flushed with the same color as Lina’s.
“…”
With slightly trembling hands, he held her cheeks and gazed down at her with deep eyes.
“…”
His thumb wiped away the trace of her tear. He looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t bring himself to. Lina couldn’t speak either.
They were filled to bursting, completely absorbed in each other’s eyes.
At that moment—
A crackling sound tore at their ears. Lina startled and let go of him.
The surrounding forest began to warp grotesquely. The rustle of the wind, Dante’s breathing—everything stopped.
A cool mechanical voice sounded.
“W-what is this?”
Panicked, Lina stepped back. Dante, still holding those warm feelings, was frozen like a paused screen. In the open air, she alone was breathing.
The incomprehensible situation pressed down on her. Her heart pounded like it would burst.
“W-what’s happening? Someone explain!”
At a loss, she clung to Dante, hugging him tightly.
“Dante! Wake up—this is bad! Something’s happening!”
But Dante didn’t move, like he had turned to stone.
The entire world around them crackled. A realm of darkness and light blinked on and off like a flickering fluorescent lamp.
“Dante! Wake up!”
Terror seized Lina at the thought of losing him. She hugged him desperately and screamed.
“Dante!”
