“!”
I was pulled onto the bed and Dale hugged me.
“D-Del?”
My voice trembled with surprise.
Why is he doing this suddenly?
Dale wouldn't do this.
“Oh.”
I turned around and immediately relaxed.
Dale was asleep with a look on his face that made it impossible to tell if he was hugging me or a rock.
I stared at the ceiling.
The distance was so tight that if I accidentally moved even a little, I would kiss Dale.
She looked at Dale and then looked away again.
He was sleeping so deeply that I felt bad waking him up.
'But I will be misunderstood.'
Yesterday I was misunderstood for innocently trying to change his clothes, and now if he sees me like this.
"millimeter."
I tried to push Dale away, but his body was heavy and stiff and wouldn't budge.
I always knew he had a great face, no matter what angle I looked at it from, but seeing it pinned was new.
I gently pressed my forehead to his cheek to check his temperature.
'It seems like the fever has gone down.'
He seems to be back to normal.
'He just needs to take more medicine.'
But then I saw Dale's sleeping face.
I had a strange feeling.
‘I feel like I've seen him before.'
It was a strange feeling.
Of course I had seen him months ago
‘But…….’
As I stared at his sleeping face, I couldn't help but think of something else.
This vague, tingling feeling in my stomach, like I'm about to sneeze and then catch myself!
Why do I feel strange?
At that moment, my eyes met a pair of golden eyes.
"……, Did you sleep well?"
“…….”
“……?”
“…….”
Dale jumped and stumbled and looked at me with eyes as wide as a rabbit.
His face froze, eyes wide and confused.
I explained quickly.
"Oh my God!
I didn't hug you!
Dale hugged me!"
“!”
A person's face can turn red, then turn white, then turn blue.
Dale's face was changing color every second.
“Why…how…I…did…that….?”
“You were sick, I gave you medicine, and you fell asleep.”
“I fell asleep…….no way.”
Dale's face turned pale and white.
“I lay down and slept, and she hugged me this morning.”
But Dale's eyes narrowed in confusion, as if he didn't quite believe me.
It was clear that he thought there was something more to it.
However, it was better to see him move like this.
“Don't you remember what happened yesterday?”
“I'm sorry, I don't remember much.”
I looked at the pale Dale and smiled.
“You don’t remember at all……after what you did to me?”
“!”
“Dale was amazing yesterday.”
“…….”
“Remember?”
Dale looked at me with trembling eyes.
He didn't seem to know if his memory was perfect or not.
"I'm sorry."
The apology went out without any hesitation.
“Did you do something……to Enya?”
He seemed wary of even uttering words.
He ran his hands through his hair, frantically trying to remember what happened last night.
Sincere frustration was reflected on his face.
“It was not action, but words.”
“Can you tell me, by the way, what you said?”
"What?"
“You can't possibly...”
Dale bit his lips, turning paler.
“Something about the empire.”
"Empire?
I don't think so."
“……Well, then maybe about the Imperial Palace.”
“Imperial Palace?”
Dale kept pressing me.
What's wrong with Dale?
“I don't think so, either that, or I've got some kind of...uh.”
Dale's hands shook and suddenly his eyes opened wide.
Then he covered his mouth with his hand.
Dale stared at me with a shocked look.
“Is this memory correct?”
“Yes, it is.”
“……!”
Dale stared at his hands in disbelief, his face turning far more purple than white.
“I was holding Enya’s hand tightly…….”
"What?"
He mumbled convinced.
"That's right, I think I did.
It wasn't a dream."
His complexion changed, as if he was about to crumble into dust.
“Calm down, you just held my hand!”
I grabbed Dale's hand and he stiffened.
“You told me not to go, and I told you I'd be here for you, that's all.”
"……Yes."
It was a long sigh.
Dale visibly relaxed, freeing himself from the weight that had settled on his shoulders.
He ran his hand over his face and sat still, as if a weight had been lifted from him.
And now, as he had been doing for some time, he was kneeling on the bed.
His previously white face was now turning red.
“I'm sorry.
I touched Enya.”
He wiped his face and looked at me nervously.
“By any chance, is this contract void?”
"What?"
Dale sighed dryly, then lowered his voice.
“After what I showed you.
Is that okay?”
“Of course, who breaks the contract because the other party is sick and requires care?”
"What?"
Dale's question was funny.
But he didn't look like he was joking.
I put my hand on Dale's forehead to check his temperature.
She caressed him gently.
“I liked the fact that you were sick because it meant you thought I was someone you could trust.
Even wild animals go to places where they feel safe to rest.”
“Wasn’t I… ugly?”
Dale asked worriedly.
What is ugly?
What is ugly?
Was he ugly?
Was it ugly in appearance?
Was he joking?
No, no, no.
By the look on my face, Dale's question had not gone unanswered.
I shook my head.
“Dale, listen.”
I put my hands on each of his shoulders and spoke sharply.
“Dale is so handsome, even if he was drooling and falling asleep, everyone would still call him handsome.”
“!”
"Good?"
But Dale didn't seem to believe me.
“And you know what’s more important than that?”
Dale shook his head.
“We're almost friends now.”
"…… friends."
Dale's eyes widened for a moment.
Dale blinked, his round eyes shining like gold.
“Don't you think we're more like real friends than just rented friends?”
“…….”
“Yes, because friends are closer and dearer than contract friends.
Contractual relationships are on the left, and friends are on the right.”
I made a wide sweeping motion with my hand.
“Dale is moving further and further to the right.”
“Friends…….”
Dale, who had been muttering something vague about whether he liked it or not, suddenly looked up.
He stared at me.
I added to Dale's words.
“That's good, because you can always rest next to your girlfriend.”
“This makes it special.”
Dale nodded in understanding, then straightened up and stood up, looking at me.
After his illness, Dale seemed stronger.
Our eyes met as I turned my attention to the delicious scent of his body.
My heart skipped a beat, then he whispered.
“I want to have a special relationship with Enya.”