BONUS: Under the Stars (Explicit Version of Chapter 39)

“Oooh, so you’ve heard them.”

Ravel and Seko have listened carefully to Zhang’s story.

“You’re the one with the most experience regarding relationships right now, give me some advice! Bam!” Zhang pleads somewhat aggressively.

“What am I? A Q-Tube video tutorial?” Ravel clearly avoids giving out any advice.

“Looks like you’re his new Li’l Joe after Yutaka,” Seko teases.

“When I patted Eleona on the head and called her a good girl, I felt I was saying the truth.”

“Hahah, what do you mean? You felt you were saying the truth?” Ravel giggles at Zhang’s usual uniquely formed sentences.

“My advice would be to work on expressing yourself more clearly!”

Amidst the laughter, a rustling sound from the forest startles the group, bringing an abrupt end to their mirth.

“D-don’t tell me there’s a bear!” Ravel’s voice trembling with fear.

“Who’s there?! Show yourself!!” Zhang calls out to the forest.

But from the darkness emerge Ares and Zinia, hand in hand. The couple’s faces are flushed with a mix of bashfulness and embarrassment, smiling under their noses, feeling incredibly relaxed.

Both of them pass the trio without any word or even a nod of their heads.

“…It seems there’s a different couple, much more experienced than me and Fantasia here…”

“…I was wondering where they have been for so long…”

“…”

***

After everybody reunited, they washed themselves with water and retired into their separate tents, exhausted from the day’s mountain adventure.

As the campfire slowly goes out, Ravel finds himself unable to fall asleep. The thunderous snores from Zhang, Seko and Yutaka indicate their discomfort on the hard ground.

Ravel’s eyes then fall upon Ares’ relieved and satisfied face. Of course you’re the one to be happy even in your sleep after that.

Ravel decides to go for a short walk and heads to the cliff. When he reaches the spot, he stumbles upon Fantasia sitting on a blanket, clad in her sleeping clothes, gazing up at the night sky.

“Couldn’t sleep either?”

“I wanted to enjoy the stars. They’re the most visible from this spot.”

“Can I join you?”

“No.”

Ravel flinches after the sharp response.

“My boyfriend is gonna beat you up, random stranger.”

Fantasia knew that Ravel was standing behind her but she chose to tease him.

“Your boyfriend is a pretty stupid guy to let a beautiful girl like you all alone here during night, exposed to all kinds of dangers.”

“If you don’t stop degrading my boyfriend, you’ll be the one exposed to danger.”

“Oh? Let’s see it.”

Ravel presumptuously approaches her from behind, he kneels down on the blanket and gently brushes aside a strand of Fantasia’s hair, tucking it behind her ear with care. As he does so, his fingertips graze the nape of her neck, creating a tingling sensation that sends a shiver down her spine.

“How dare you.”

“Should I stop?”

Not giving her a chance to respond, he kisses her delicate neck, feeling the fair skin on his lips.

“You may continue, but don’t tell this to my boyfriend.”

Fantasia lifts her hands and reaches for Ravel’s head, allowing herself to be swept away by his summer kisses.

As she squirms with her legs, his gaze falls upon her right thigh, across which a painful looking scar spreads.

“Does it hurt?” He carefully reaches out to feel for himself.

“Not anymore. Please don’t look…” She says so but she enjoys every touch with her closed eyes.

“Is that why you had the long trousers instead of shorts?”

“It happened during one of the hiking trips with my father years ago.”

Ravel stands up and positions himself in front of her, getting closer to her thighs.

“That scar is very beautiful. Your leg experienced the flow of time and it shows visually. Compared to your other leg, it seems like it has its own life cycle. There must be an intriguing story behind that.”

Fantasia’s surprised by the choice of Ravel’s words but she transitions into a warm smile.

Ravel kisses her once-injured thigh and then gets to the other one.

“You’re a peculiar guy, Ravel Unique.”

“Done with the random stranger role play kink?”

“Shut up.”

Drawing closer to her face, Ravel kisses her eager lips. As he makes a certain move with his right hand on her lower body, a gentle moan escapes her lips.

“Did I go too far?” He whispers.

“N-no… you can go on… if it’s you, I’m okay with being touched anywhere…”

“I’m not brave enough like those two to do it when our friends are around… but I can at least do this.”

An electric current of intimacy surged through her body. Illuminated by the reflection of the moon above them and fueled by an overwhelming bond, Fantasia entrusted her most sacred essence to the one she loved.

***

The eight sunrise of July arrives, tickling Ravel’s content face with its rays, waking him up.

Fantasia lays curled up and tightly clings to him, still lost in dreamland. He attempts to move his left arm but it is pinned down by the weight of her whole body.

Oh my god, I don’t feel my arm.

He gently caresses Fantasia’s cheek with his fingers, coaxing her awake.

“Baby?”

“Mmm…” Fantasia murmurs, her eyes still closed.

“Baby, wake up.”

“Mmmmmh…”

“Please roll over, at least.”

“Whyyyy…”

“My left arm is dead…”

“So whaaat, that one didn’t do anything…”

After she blurts out the sentence, she quickly opens her eyes, realizing the slip of her words.

“E-eh, good morning!!” She jumps up, finally releasing Ravel’s arm from its entrapment.

“Heh, good morning.”

“We fell asleep under the sky?”

“Isn’t it pretty awesome for our first night spent together?”

“What if a wild piggy ate us?!”

“Then you wouldn’t be worried about it now…”

Seeing her disheveled hair and sleepy face in the morning light, Ravel couldn't help but find her irresistibly adorable.

***

Having packed the tents and ensuring the fire couldn’t relight by itself, the group sets off toward their next destination.

Descending the path’s quicker than the ascent, even if they have to match Seko’s pace due to his injured ankle. Despite the pain, Seko puts on a brave face, claiming it no longer bothers him.

“So what’s our next stop Big Bro?” Ares wonders.

“We’re gonna visit Smolenice Castle but, unfortunately, we’ll only see it from outside as it’s closed today for some reason. It’s only about 15 minutes to the train station from there so our trip is going to be over.”

“Aww, I don’t want the trip to end yet!” Fantasia protests, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“We can easily make more plans!” Eleona suggests. “But please, no more hiking!”

“Yeah, I’d gladly go for another trip with my bitches!” Zinia raises her right hand, still clasped with Ares'.

“Aren’t you calling us ‘bitches’ a little too often?” Yutaka voices his annoyance.

“It’s just her way of showing affection. Since she bears no ill will towards us now, she has to express herself in some way,” Eleona enlightens the gang.

“P-president? You’ve been pretty down… i-is everything okay?” Leanna asks Silveria, who has been silently following the group since the morning.

“I’m not down, Leanna, I’m just thinking.”

Zhang and Yutaka support Seko in the walking, as they beckon Ravel to join them.

“You had an amazing night, eh?” Zhang teases Ravel.

“We saw it all,” Seko adds.

“W-w-what did you see???” Ravel’s face spells horror.

“You were sleeping next to a girl you love under the night sky. I call it a win,” Yutaka explains.

Oh, so you mean that…

“Y-yeah, it was pretty awesome,” Ravel’s eyes keep darting nervously. “Wait, you saw us sleeping?!”

“Everybody saw you, we all got up earlier to catch the sunrise but because of someone, we had to turn away!” Seko expresses his frustration.

“Well it’s not my fault all of you snored like hell!”

“What are you guys talking about?” Fantasia approaches them with a curious smile.

“Nothing!” They shout in unison.

“Oh, okay,” She glances at them suspiciously.

“There it is! The castle!” Zinia spots the medieval structure in the distance.

As the group emerges from the dense forest, a breathtaking sight greets their eyes. Majestically perched upon a hill, Smolenice Castle stands like a sentinel, its towering walls casting long shadows in the sun. Its fortified silhouette is accentuated by the warm hues of the ancient stones, hinting at a storied past.

“So mesmerizing~!” Fantasia gasps, awestruck by the sight.

“Hey, Ravel, you did mention we should take some extra, old clothes with us, why?” Yutaka inquires since Ravel wouldn’t explain prior to the trip.

“Hehe. We’re gonna play a little game.”

CHAPTER 39: END