Dragon Era 18: Secret

Dragon Era 18

Lately, Ai has been acting a little strange.
I first noticed it while we were eating dinner together.

「Um, Ai?」
「Yes! What is it, Sensei?」

She’s staring. Staring hard.

「Do I have something on my face?」
「Huh? Ah—yes.」

When I asked on impulse, Ai stood up, came around the table, reached her arms around my neck to pull me close, and pressed her lips to my cheek.

「There was… meat grease… on you.」

Ai’s face was as red as my scales. Part of me thought she didn’t have to force herself if she was that embarrassed, but at the same time my chest overflowed with affection.

「Uh, thanks.」
「It’s nothing.」

But we both got so embarrassed we could hardly meet each other’s eyes. Ever since we officially became husband and wife, we’ve been like this—just seeing each other’s faces makes us self‑conscious. We’re not middle schoolers, I told myself.

…But it was odd. If that’s the case, then why had Ai been staring at my face so intently?


* * *


From that day on I often felt Ai’s gaze on me.
Whenever I happened to notice, she’d be staring fixedly at my face. When I looked back, she’d turn away as if nothing had happened, so I pretended not to notice and watched her out of the corner of my eye.

Before long I realized she wasn’t only looking at my face. Sometimes from the side, sometimes from behind, she would stare at me.

You do tend to follow the one you love with your eyes, I suppose, but even so it felt excessive. And the way she averted her gaze whenever I looked her way was puzzling. Lately she’d gotten so good at it that the instant I tried to bring her into view she would perfectly act as if she hadn’t been looking at all.

What on earth was driving her to do all this? A dragon’s keen senses can pick up even a gaze, so in truth all of Ai’s efforts were in vain…

「Ai, is there something you want to tell me?」

One day I couldn’t take it anymore and asked my wife.

「Eh?」

Ai’s large eyes went round in surprise; after her gaze wandered in hesitation for a moment, she lifted her face as if steeling herself and looked straight at me.

「Um, Sensei,」
「What is it?」

Her adorable manner made it feel like I could hear her heart’s voice; I couldn’t help but smile.

「Um, can I… hug you tight?」
「Huh?」

But at her next words I found myself reacting just like she had a moment ago.

「Is that… not allowed?」
「N-no, um… of course it’s not that you can’t.」

Flustered, I somehow managed to answer.

「Thank you!」

At once Ai’s face lit up and she squeezed my foreleg tight.
The sensation was so incredibly soft that I froze up from head to tail.

Not only the two ample mounds pressed against me, but the supple arms around my foreleg, the smooth belly pressed close, and the faint touch of her legs were all indescribably soft. So soft I worried a creature like this could even exist.

The old me would have died of awkwardness and embarrassment. But now it was different. She was officially my wife. Which meant I was allowed to revel in this softness to my heart’s content.

Just as I was about to focus all my nerves on my arms and really commit, Ai popped away from me.

No way—did she read my mind? In a world of magic it was possible.
As a chill ran down my spine, Ai looked up at me from under her lashes and said,

「Can I… have this arm too?」
「Huh? Oh—sure, of course.」

When I nodded, she happily took the other foreleg and hugged it. I doubted there was much difference between left and right, so what was that about?

Then she wanted to hug other parts too—both legs, my torso, my tail, even the spines on my tail, wrapping her arms around each.

She’s taking measurements.

「…Ai, why were you measuring my body?」

When that blissful yet baffling time ended, I asked her. It’s not like I can wear clothes in this dragon body.

「Um… it’s a secret.」

She put a finger to her lips as she answered. Said that cute, I couldn’t press her any further.

「You’ll tell me eventually, right?」
「Yes! I think it’ll be finished in about a week!」

She said finished. So she really was making something.

「All right. I’ll look forward to it.」
「Ah—」

At my reply Ai let out a small sound as she realized she’d let it slip.
I couldn’t help but smile at her.


* * *


「This way, Sensei.」

Three days later, Ai said she had something to show me and took me along.
She headed for the northern side of the village, toward the cave we use as an icehouse. That was enough for the idea to click.

If it were something to wear, she wouldn’t need to take me all the way there—she could just hand it to me. What else would require my measurements?

Most likely a picture. She’d painted a mural. Big enough to need checking the size. Looking back, she must have been watching me so closely to capture my form.

「Um… I tried painting a picture of you and me, Sensei.」

Sure enough, she said that and then led me around to the back of the icehouse, pointing there with an embarrassed look.
What was there was… very hard to describe—a thoroughly avant‑garde painting.

「What do you think?」

Ai looked up at me with eyes full of expectation.

「Uh… it’s… amazing! I mean, this must have been a lot of work.」

At the very least, the big red thing that looked like a beached shrimp was probably me.

「Yes! I worked hard on it!」

It was nearly life‑size; whatever the quality, it couldn’t have been easy to paint something that large.

「I think I did a good job on Nina‑san’s hair—the way it flips up like ping!」
「Yeah, true.」

Oh, that was Nina. I thought it was some kind of bug…
Not feelers—hair, huh.

「And this one here?」

She indicated the figure on the other side, standing opposite with me in between.
If that was Nina, then nine times out of ten this one would be Ai.

「Yes, that’s Ken!」

Whoa—! I almost mixed up Ai and Ken!

「I see, Ken… nicely—」
「Ah, no—sorry, that was Dalga‑san.」

She mixed herself up too!? I was about to say it was nicely done!

「Where are you, Ai?」
「Um, here.」

Taking the plunge, I asked; Ai pointed to my mouth—or what seemed to be my mouth.
She’s being eaten!? Ai, I’m eating you!? Is that okay!?

When I reflexively looked at her face, Ai lowered her gaze to the ground, cheeks flushed.
Wait, what’s that reaction? Don’t tell me Ai has a wish to be eaten by me…!?

「I drew it myself, but now I’m getting embarrassed. I mean—it’s a kissing scene…」

Right! Of course it is!
Though it really looks like my fangs are stabbing in… is that okay?
What if people in the future see it and take it as a maiden offered as a sacrifice to a dragon?
I mean, Ai did come to me as a sacrifice, but still.

Well, calling it a mural, she’d probably taken my inability to enter the icehouse into account.
It wasn’t inside the cave but painted on the outer rock face, so one day the wind and rain would wear it away.

…Thinking that made the picture suddenly feel precious—something to cherish.

「Thank you, Ai. It’s a really good picture.」
「Yes!」

When I said it from the bottom of my heart, Ai’s expression softened with delight.

「Then let’s have Nina-san and the others—」
「On second thought, maybe don’t.」

And I said that from the bottom of my heart. Nina doesn’t know the concept of going easy or giving polite compliments.

「Why not?」

Ai blinked and asked.

「…Because I want it to be our little secret.」

It was a bare spot, hemmed in by trees and rock. Nina wouldn’t go out of her way to stop by.

「Just the two of us…」

Murmuring that, Ai gave a little chuckle.

「Yes. A secret, Sensei.」

The truth of it will be a secret even from Ai herself. With that vow in my heart, I nodded.