It was drizzling.
The lovesick girl sighed, realizing she had missed another chance. She thought of herself as a mature adult, but now she couldn't deny that she was still just a child in transition.
"Hmm... I wish I could see him."
Even though she knew she should be patient, her heart yearned for him.
He was a soldier stationed an hour's walk away from the city. It wasn't surprising they didn't get to meet very often.
Especially when bad weather made it necessary for him to walk that long distance in the rain. If he caught a cold, there would be no way she could forgive herself if she let him come.
Still.
"...I wish we could see each other at least once a week."

She felt like a child who had been let down by the sky after looking forward to a picnic, and even though she knew it was childish and short-sighted of her, she couldn’t help but feel deflated at the thought of not seeing him for another whole week.

"What’s with that gloomy face, Sylvie? Want a drink?"

The bartender tapped on the barrel across the counter.

"No thanks. It’s still broad daylight."

"Haha, I see. Well, you’re only nineteen so it wouldn’t be surprising if you didn’t feel like drinking yet."

"Whether I’m thirty or forty, I don’t think people who start drinking in the middle of the day are very good company on weekends either."

"You’re such a goody-two-shoes. No wonder you’re MacLean’s daughter."

"It has nothing to do with my mother."

Her mother was an elementary school teacher and her father a bureaucrat. It couldn’t be denied that she came from a serious household, but Sylvia thought drinking should only happen at night after work or on weekends.

By the way, in Celesta you’re allowed to drink alcohol starting at seventeen years old, so age-wise there’s no problem.

“...sigh.”
Looking up at the dark sky through the window, Sylvia sighed. She finished off her lunch gratin with a gloomy expression, gazing at the street corner where Ernie usually stood aimlessly.

Sylvia MacLean (human female, 19 years old, height 152 cm) and Arnie Boyd Jr. (ogre male, 18 years old, height 277 cm) had been dating for three months.
An unwritten rule of meeting up had formed between them.
On Sundays around noon, they would meet at the pub near town that was frequented by Ernie’s unit, the Crossbow Corps. If circumstances allowed it, they’d spend time together at the arena or go on a picnic in the mountains.
Ideally, they wished to communicate more closely, but Ernie lived far away in his unit’s barracks. The military made it difficult for outsiders to approach him, and paper was still too expensive to use frequently for correspondence.
Even if Ernie wanted to come see her, Sylvia worked during weekdays. Her curfew was strict, and both of her parents were stern people who hadn’t yet introduced her to Ernie. There was no way they could meet otherwise.
So the only way they could see each other was by following their usual routine: meeting up as planned and spending time together if everything went well.

Since we started dating, our love has grown stronger and stronger. Sylvia really wanted to be with me all the time, but she was frustrated by this waiting game. She didn't want to take any drastic actions that might inconvenience Arnie. Every day, she reminded herself that she should act like an older sister.

"Hmm."

"What's wrong? Are you feeling depressed because of the rain? Or did you finally get a boyfriend who wants to go on a date with you?"

The barmaid asked her casually as she looked at Sylvia.

"……Huh?"

Sylvia was slightly surprised.

Although she hadn't told her parents, Sylvia wasn’t trying to hide her relationship with Arnie. She thought the barmaid would have noticed since this place was right across from their meeting spot.

"...Well, no."

"Oh? Oh oh oh."

The shopkeeper grinned lecherously at Sylvia’s serious answer.

“Sylvie-chan finally got a boyfriend? This is breaking news! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What… are you talking about?”

“Well, yeah.”

She pretended to poke her with her thick elbow. Of course, the counter was in the way and her arm couldn’t reach Sylvia.

“Beautiful, serious, famous Sylvie-chan, who’s turned down countless men. Impregnable, aloof, pure and innocent, a flower on an unreachable hill in the working-class district.”

“…I didn’t reject them.”

Since she went to elementary school, indeed several boys had pursued her persistently. But somehow none of them felt right, so she rejected all of them.

Thinking back now, it was inevitable that they would feel inadequate for Sylvia. They lacked the reliability to protect her if need be, the warmth to envelop her, and the purity to make her want to take care of them. Most importantly, there wasn’t a calm atmosphere in which she could spend hours with them.

In this sense, Sylvia’s standards were high, and Arnie was an exceptional existence.

However, Sylvia had never thought of herself as a high-maintenance girl. She figured she was just an ordinary woman who kept her distance from romantic entanglements. There were plenty of guys who would approach any woman they could, so it seemed natural to her.

"Maybe I’ve been more popular than I thought?"

"Haha, this is wartime; capturing men isn’t easy. No prince charming will come sweeping you off your feet from afar. If there’s a chance to get a guy right in front of you, it would be foolish not to take it."

"...Oh, so that’s how it is. They don’t usually come to me?"

Sylvia had her own special someone. He might not have been a prince, but he was the ideal boy for her.

Thinking about this made Sylvia feel incredibly lucky and happy. Since he took their relationship seriously, she figured it wasn’t too much to ask if they couldn’t see each other for a week or so.

Seeing Sylvia suddenly smile, the innkeeper gave an odd look.

"Look at you, crying one moment and laughing the next."

"...Yeah, I guess I’m happier than I thought."

"Well, that’s fine. If you feel like it, tell me about your boyfriend sometime, Silvy."

"Yeah. …I think I've been watching you a lot."

"Really? The old lady often sees young men… hmm… it must be Anzeross-kun, right?"

"...Who's that?"

"There’s this really handsome soldier around."

"That’s not it. Hehe♪"

No matter how good-looking or serious the actor might be, Ernest-kun is unbeatable, Sylvia thinks quite seriously. When you like someone, even their freckles are charming.

So as things turned out, she was in a good mood and stood up to leave the tavern.

A beautiful woman with a smile will attract far more people than one with an unhappy face. Without realizing it, half of the men in the tavern were staring at Sylvia.
Given that they couldn’t work due to the rain and had been drinking all day, it was almost natural for them to develop some sort of lecherous thoughts toward this lone girl.

“Hey, miss. Pour me a drink. You must be bored, right?” One of the drunkards grabbed Sylvia’s arm. The owner had gone into the kitchen and no one was watching.

“N-no! What do you want?”

“What? Don’t tell me you don’t know how to pour drinks yet? I said pour some sake for me. And while you’re at it, why don’t we have a little fun together?”

“No...”

“Come on, now!”

Sylvia was pulled forcefully and stumbled onto the floor.

“Oh my, sorry about that… My hand slipped.”

The drunkard lifted her skirt with his hand, exposing her underwear to the other drunks who cheered. “Haha, give us a little more service, okay? I’m not trying to take advantage of you.”

“No...”
Sylvia recoiled in fear. She fully realized that she had no allies around her.
She felt dizzy thinking about what this drunk might do to her before his wife and the gendarmes could exact their vengeance on him.
“Here…”
The drunk reached out, while Sylvia tried to crawl away from him by a few centimeters.
At that moment, a huge hand intervened.

“What’s this?”

“Oh, you shouldn’t...do stuff like that.”

Sylvia had been crawling under the table and couldn't see everything clearly.

Even so, she immediately recognized that soaked hand and the timid voice.
“Ah… Arnie-kun!?”
She was scared. But he came to help her again.
In Sylvia’s heart, something that had already been on the verge of breaking suddenly changed with a sound.
It was the moment when love turned from like to truly loving someone.

His heroic act with just his hands was enough to seal Sylvia's maiden heart.

“Hey you, don’t get cocky just because you’re big. Even an Orc wouldn’t dare.”
The man was a mercenary. He had some skill in him.
Even though he was drunk, he didn’t want to fall behind even one young orc.
But...

"Hmph, what a cheap sword. It looks like it hasn't been properly maintained at all."

When I reached out to give the ogre a taste of his own medicine and found no sword there, I saw that a young man had taken it without permission and was examining it.

It was Andy.
"Hey kid, you can’t just go touching someone else’s sword..."

"Oh, put down the drink,"

Just as he reached out to Andy, his head was picked up by an even larger finger than the ogre's before. The finger twisted his head around like a screw, and when it let him go, there was a giant bovine face in front of him.

"Ah!"

He couldn’t help but recoil; facing off against two ogres without any weapons was terrifying enough.

Andy, Arnie, and Kelly came to the tavern cheerfully despite the rain.

On days off, Andy and Kelly wanted to drink just as much as anyone else. They had initially planned on leaving Ernie in charge of counting weapons while they went out together, but when Ernie pleaded with a face that looked like he was about to cry, saying, "I really meant to go see Sylvia today, she might be waiting," they reluctantly agreed to finish quickly and head out together.

"Teasing someone with a girlfriend is our way."

"You should show some maturity for once, Smalls. We can torment Boyd later."

"That's true."

"...Um, am I going to get tormented?"

'Of course.'

Andy and Kelly weren't exactly cruel, though; they couldn’t leave Ernie in the lurch when Sylvia was waiting out in the rain.

So the three of them marched through the downpour singing marching songs as they made their way to drink. When they opened the door, it was straight into Sylvia’s big predicament.

Andy and Kelly were visibly upset about leaving poor Sylvia hanging.

"Hey you drunks. There are three things I can't stand in this world: low-ceilinged junk shops, pickled herring, and people who make their subordinates miserable."

Kelly raised his hand high and lectured the drunkard. With an ogre over three meters tall, raising his arm made it nearly five meters long. Even in this two-story atrium bar, he pulled him up so high that it seemed to touch the ceiling, sobering even the most drunken patron.

“Stop it, you ogre! Do you think the garrison will just sit by and watch?”

He shouted at Kelly. Kelly looked at Andy with a shrug and laughed.

“A drunk who tried to assault a woman sure has some nerve.”

“That’s right… remember this, human scum. In Celesta, ogres can become soldiers or even elite troops like constables. Our Arnie might even become an ace knight one day. Here, we hate idiots more than half-elves and ogres!”

With that, Kelly grabbed the drunkard by his head and threw him out of the window.

The man flew through the wooden lattice as Kelly struck a muscular pose right after throwing him.

The sheer force impressed everyone so much they couldn’t help but clap.

“Hmph, worthless scum… hey Isaac, let’s break this sword.”

“Don’t. We’ll pay for the drinks and give it to your wife.”

"Ah, it'll probably be about half of today. …Alright, let's drink!"

"Yeah!"

Andy and Kelly got excited and started drinking at the counter, only to get scolded by the barmaid right away. She said that they were silly kids who didn't even need to break a window, but her voice was slightly gentler than when she had been watching them from the side with Ernie.

"Sorry, Sylvia-chan. Next time I'll call for bodyguards during the day too."

"Yes..."

Sylvia clung onto Ernie's hand like she was seeking protection, blushing furiously as she fell in love again.

Even the insensitive barmaid finally realized who Sylvia's "boyfriend" was. She had no idea that a beautiful girl like Sylvia would have an ogre boyfriend with such a rugged face.

"...Anyway, you there, young ogre, you'll catch cold if you stay all wet."

"Oh, it's nothing really."

"Don't be shy. There's nobody using Room 3 on the second floor today, so go dry yourself off in there. Towels are in the closet."

“H-Huh?”

“Sylvie, help me out here.”

“What…?”

This was the best she could do. She winked at him playfully.

The second floor of the tavern was half open and half a brothel.

Soldiers like Andy, who loved to drink but were weak against it, often passed out there, though it was technically supposed to be for lovers’ trysts.

In this simple room, Arnie was being undressed and wiped down by Sylvie.

“…Arnie’s really big.”

“O-Of course he is!”

“Yeah. He looks so strong.”

“From an ogre.”

“...Yeah. I love you, Ernie—even as an ogre.”

“Ugh…”

Ernie turns bright red; he’s always at a loss for words when faced with Sylvia’s straightforward affection.

Smiling at him, Sylvia confesses her feelings without any pretense or evasion: “You saved me again.”

“I-I just did what I could,” Ernie stammers.

“But it made me so happy. You’re always there to protect me when I’m in danger. It made my heart skip a beat.”

“Heh...I left everything up to Isaac and Smisson, though.”

“Both of them were really angry on your behalf.”

“…Yeah. I’m glad I’m not alone, and that I joined this team,”

“Yes. Arnie-kun, it’s good you’re here.”

Silvia hugs Ernie, who is standing on her knees with his head at about the height of a person.

“I’m so happy you came to help me… I’m really glad I met you…”

“Miss Silvia?”

“…I was scared. Really, really scared. But Arnie-kun saved me. I love you so much… I felt like I was the luckiest girl in the world!”

“…Me too, I feel happy.”

“Yes… say it. Say that you love me…”

“I… love you, Miss Silvia…”

“Say it properly. Say ‘I really love you.’”

“I love you, Sylvia,”

“Then...”

“I love you too.”

“…♪”

Sylvia shuddered.

He had confessed his love to her first. From such an ideal man.

Just being loved by him was the greatest joy as a woman, and her core grew hot and wet with pleasure.

Ernie found Sylvia so cute that he held her close.

The two wrapped their bodies around each other, still growing in affection like a snowball rolling down a hill. It was a blissful moment.

“…mm”

A while later, Sylvia pulls away.

And at that moment, they both notice the seam of his sleeve is slightly torn.

“Ah...”

“Was it from when you pulled me earlier?”

“I guess so.”

Ernie thinks for a moment. Actually, despite appearances, he’s quite handy with a needle and thread. He was going to suggest fixing it enough to let her leave without anyone noticing, but just then Sylvia nods and suddenly starts undressing.

“What...? S-Sylvia-san, if you’re going to take off your clothes, I’ll go out—”

“No way!”

Sylvia stops Ernie from getting up in a hurry. He obediently sits back down with his eyes closed as she climbs onto his lap while still in her underwear and pulls open her eyelids with both hands.

“Nwahh, b-because!”

“Ernie-kun, listen to me. Look at me.”

“…………”

“We’re lovers now, aren’t we? We’ve been lovers for three months already… …Is it okay if I look?”

“U…”

Ernie looks over cautiously toward Sylvia.

He blushes even more as he sees her beautiful and defenseless lingerie-clad form, his eyes darting around nervously.

“Yes…”

“…Ernie-kun. I think it’s alright now.”

“What?”

"I thought it would be okay if I became just yours today, Ernie. …No, that’s not right. It’s not ‘okay’; I want to become yours. I really want you to love me more than anyone else."

"…Silvia-san?"

"Do you hate me? Can’t we do this together?"

"B-but, I’m an ogre…"

"It’s okay. I’m human too."

"N-no, I mean it doesn’t make sense."

"I understand everything. I know that you’re a different species from me. And I know that maybe you don’t find me attractive from your perspective either. But still, I like you. I want to be loved by you."

"T-there’s no way! From my point of view too, Silvia-san is really… attractive. But, would it just be a bother for you in life if it was with me?"

"Ugh!"
Silvia lost her patience.

Sylvia knew that Arnie loved her, and it was clear from everything but his words. However, he was just too kind and considerate to think that he could ever defile her.

Then,

“Arnie-kun, I’m sorry!”

“Eh…!? What!?”

She pulled down Arnie’s underwear, exposing the erection inside.

It popped out, a relatively small size compared to his large body.

“Wah…”

“Hehe. …I mean it this time.”

After teasing him with an evil smile at his flustered expression, Sylvia took hold of his member and began stroking it with both hands.

I'm not a stranger to seeing Ernie's dick. A few months ago, when he had sustained serious injuries all over his body, I'd even forced myself to help him urinate out of a sense of responsibility.

So, I wasn't completely embarrassed facing it now. But this was the first time handling it with sexual intent, and things weren’t going as smoothly as I hoped.

“Ugh… like… this…?”

“Silvia…”

“I’m sorry, I’m not very good at this… I’ve never done this before… but I really mean it!”

Desperation made Silvia put her mouth on Ernie’s dick. She knew there was such a technique, but she only had knowledge of how to rub it with her hands and didn’t know what to do next.

Looking up, she saw that Ernie looked confused. Not because he found it pleasurable or anything like that; rather, he just couldn't figure out how to react to Silvia’s actions.

“…Do you understand? I really love Ernie-kun. I can keep licking your dick as much as I want, but…”

“But what?”

“…Sorry, but I don’t really know what to do… But I want you to love me truly… I want you to take me.”

“…I mean, ‘take’…”

“Can you really take me?”

Sylvia’s sexual knowledge couldn’t keep up with her actions as she openly raised the white flag.

In its place, she had made up her mind.

“I want you to grab my body and shove your dick inside of me. I want you to treat me like a tool for rubbing your cock. And I want you to come in me over and over.”

“S-Such…”

“If it tears… do that. If you really love me, then do it…”

Sylvia was truly driven by this sense of urgency.

She didn’t care if she got hurt here. As long as she could be connected with Arnie like this. She wanted to prove herself as a woman and connect more deeply with him in his manly way.

Ernie’s growing affection for her was overwhelming, and she desperately wanted to consummate their love with him in a near-panic.

“…Silv, Bia…san”

“…”

And then,

“…Really, I’m gonna do it? I am a guy, you know?”

Under the mounting pressure from Silvia, Ernie finally began to loosen his restraint.

“Yes.”

“And even though I look like this, I have a huge interest in women. If you let me, I might do some really amazing things every time we go on a date,” he said with desire that made her shiver. She was so happy she could cry, no longer fearing the terror of not being able to express her love or having it rejected.

“…Do something amazing. Let me experience something amazing every week♪”

“…………Ugh, I don’t know anymore.”

“I don’t know either…♪”

They discarded their undergarments and removed all clothing.

Now they revealed everything to each other. Their hearts and bodies were completely exposed.

Silvia spread her arms wide and accepted Arnie’s hands.

“Yes, there… It’s wet…”

“It’s been wet… I’ve been waiting for you to hold me, Arnie-kun… I’ve been trying so hard to get ready for your cock…”

“……Haa… Haa… Kuh…”

“…Yes, it’s okay. You can enter me. Do whatever you want…”

“Yes, do what you like…”

“S-Sylvia, saa!!”

Silvia’s waist and legs were grabbed by both hands, her legs spread apart as Ernie pressed his hips against hers.

Though he was careful with the strength of his grip, Ogre’s powerful arms tore through her hymen in one swift motion rather than slowly stretching it open.

“Nkua…!!”

“…Haa… haa… This is so… hot and… pleasurable…”

“…Yeah, I can feel Ernie-kun inside me too…”

Ernie’s penis was surprisingly small compared to his massive body. It was larger than the average human’s but still rather small for an Ogre.

However, this worked out well for both of them. Even when he inserted it all the way to the base, Sylvia wasn’t damaged.

He could pull and thrust deeply with full force.

And since Sylvia was relatively light and small compared to Ernie, she shook vigorously from his movements. As a virgin himself, Ernie had never experienced sex before, so he got lost in the pleasure of being inside a woman for the first time and kept using Sylvia without restraint.

“Uwa, ah, ahh… Agu, ah, …Shirubia-san… It’s so good, I can’t stop… Sorry, sorry… Sorry…!”

“Aa, aa, hyaa, aaa, aaa!! Hi, i, iaahh!!”

Both of them were beyond reason from the moment of penetration. Overwhelmed by their experience, they continued to be shaken for Arnie’s ejaculation.

“…Ha, ahh… Nn, ah… Aah♪”

Even so, Sylvia had a happy expression on her face. As a woman, she was undoubtedly satisfied by Arnie, who was the ideal man she wanted.

“Aaah, aa, ah… Uaah!!”

Arnie was lost in ecstasy. He could think of nothing but ejaculation now. And he slammed Sylvia’s hips against his own.

He slammed his head into her womb.

“Uaaaaaahhh!”

“Haa, aah… ah, ah… aahh, naah♪”

Cum spurted out in a huge orgasm.

“…I really did it…♪”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“…Don’t apologize or I’ll get mad.”

“…………S-Sorry…”

“Hey!”

Ernie’s cheeks were smacked with a loud snap.

「...Mm.」

And she kissed Arnie to silence him.

“Am I... your girlfriend, Arnie?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t girlfriends allowed to do naughty things with each other?”

“Well, if you put it that way, then yes, I suppose we are.”

“But let’s make sure to pick a proper place first.”

“Yes.”

“And be gentle.”

“Yes.”

"I want to do it roughly."

"...That's hard."

"It’s not. Arnie can only be gentle, if you just leave him alone."

"...I guess so."

"Yep!"

"Hey Smisson."

"What is it Isaac?"

"...Do you think they’re doing it?"

"...No, I vote for them having a sweet talk."

"I vote for the one throwing a meaty feast."

*Correct answer: Both.

“Damn, I’m pissed no matter what.”

“…I’ll bully you both when we get back.”

“I’ll bully you too.”

The waitress smacked each of them on the head with a tray.

“Are you guys military men who make it your job to ruin other people’s happiness?”

“N-no! This is our right!”

“Damn it, if someone’s happy, they should be bullied so everyone else can feel a little better!”

“I’m an idiot for getting excited about how well the two of you did.”

“Even if I was the one who got excited.”

“Hey.”

“…Pay up. Now, in full.”

‘I’m really sorry.’

This was a month before Selen’s arrival.

A gentle, drizzling rain.

"I missed my chance again," the young maiden sighs.

She had tried to believe she was a sensible adult, but she was forced to realize that she was still in the midst of shedding her childhood.

"Sigh... I want to see him."

She knows she should be patient, yet her heart races with anticipation.

He is a soldier, stationed at a lonely outpost a full hour's walk from town. It is only natural that they cannot meet often.

Moreover, when the weather turns bad, he would have to trek that hour-long path through the rain. Knowing he might catch a cold, it is only understandable that he stays away.

And yet.

"...I just want to see him, even if it's only once a week."

She finds herself thinking that a single tryst per week wouldn't be too much to ask.

She feels like a child who was looking forward to a promised picnic only to be betrayed by the sky; she knows she is being immature and impatient, but even so, the thought of not seeing him for another week makes her heart wither.

"Why such a gloomy face, Sylvie? Want a drink?"

From across the counter, the landlady taps a wooden keg with a rhythmic thump-thump.

"No thanks. It's not even midday yet."

"Ahaha, is that so? Well, I suppose at nineteen, you aren't quite in the mood for it yet."

"Whether I'm thirty or forty, anyone who starts drinking in the middle of the day—even on a day off—is trouble."

"So serious. Just like Professor McClain's only daughter."

"That has nothing to do with my mother."

Her mother was a teacher at the elementary academy, and her father, a government official. There was no denying she came from a strictly upright household, but Silvia firmly believed that alcohol was something to be enjoyed at night, once everything else was done and it was time for bed.

Incidentally, since drinking is permitted from the age of seventeen in Celesta, there was no issue with her age.

"...Sigh."

She looks up at the dark sky through the window and sighs.

She gazes at the street corner where, usually, Arnie's massive frame would be standing, looking somewhat out of place. Feeling the loneliness wash over her, Silvia hung her head and mechanically finished her lunchtime gratin.

---

It had been three months since Silvia McClain (Human female, 19 years old, 152 cm) and Private Arnie Boyd (Ogre male, 18 years old, 277 cm) began dating.
An unspoken rule for meeting had formed between them.
Around noon on Sundays, they would meet in front of the tavern on the outskirts of town, a place frequently used by Arnie's unit, the Crossbow Corps, provided circumstances allowed.
From there, they would spend their time happily, going to the arena or having picnics in the mountains.
Ideally, they would be in constant contact, but the Crossbow Corps barracks where Arnie lived were far away. Being a military installation, it was difficult to approach, and even if they tried to communicate via letters, paper was still too expensive for frequent use.
Even if Arnie wanted to come to see her, Silvia worked during the weekdays. Furthermore, her curfew was strict, and since both her parents were stiff, formal people, she had yet to introduce Arcius. It was impossible for them to meet otherwise.
Therefore, they could only meet through a routine of meeting at the usual spot and, if all went well, going on their usual date.
Since they started dating, their level of affection had steadily increased; Silvia truly wanted to be with him twenty-four hours a day. This "waiting" relationship was maddeningly frustrating, but she couldn't bring herself to take bold action for fear of causing Arnie trouble. Every day, she reprimanded herself, telling herself that she was the older one.

"Sigh."

"What's wrong? If you're feeling this depressed by a little rain, does that mean you've got a boyfriend you're dying to go on a date with?"

The landlady asked casually, watching Silvia.

"............?"

Silvia blinked, momentarily stunned.

While she certainly hadn't told her parents, she had no intention of keeping her relationship with Arnie a secret.

Especially since this tavern was directly in front of their meeting spot; she had assumed it would be impossible for the landlady not to notice.

"...I mean, yes, but...?"

"Oh! Oh my, oh my!"

The landlady flashed a sly, gossipy grin at Silvia, who had answered with a deadpan expression.

"So, our dear Silvy finally has a boyfriend? Now that's a scoop. Why didn't you tell me?"

"What do you mean... 'that'?"

"Well, you know."

Grinning, the landlady made a motion as if poking Silvia with a plump elbow. Of course, since they were on opposite sides of the counter, her elbow couldn't possibly reach her.

"The famous, beautiful, and serious Silvy—the girl who has rejected countless men. The ironclad, solitary, pure, and innocent flower of the downtown district, they call you."

"...I didn't... reject anyone like that."

Ever since her days at the elementary academy, several men had indeed pursued Silvia with relentless persistence. However, for lack of a better word, the "feeling" just wasn't right, so she had turned them all down.

Looking back now, it was inevitable that those men felt insufficient to her. They lacked the reliability to protect her when it mattered; they lacked the tenderness to envelop her; they lacked the purity that made her feel like she had to be by their side; and above all, they lacked that gentle atmosphere that allowed her to spend hours in their company.

In that sense, Silvia's standards were high, and Ernie was a rare find.

However, Silvia had never once considered herself a "flower on a high peak." Most of the men she encountered were the type to throw themselves at any woman they saw, and she had simply thought of herself as an ordinary girl who kept her distance from romance.

"Maybe... everyone else was just dating more casually?"

"Ha! In these times, catching a man is like going to war. A prince isn't just going to come riding from afar; if you have a chance to snag a man right in front of you, it's only natural not to be picky."

"...I see. But... they did come for me."

He had come for Silvia. He might not have been a prince, but he was, at the very least, the ideal man in her eyes.

Thinking about it that way made her feel like an incredibly lucky woman, and a wave of good spirits washed over her. Since he was dating her so earnestly, she figured she shouldn't complain about not seeing him for a week.

Seeing Silvia suddenly start to beam, the landlady made a strange face.

"Oh my, the crow that was just crying is already laughing."

"...Yeah. I just realized that I might be unexpectedly happy."

"...Well, that's fine, I suppose. If you feel like it, you should tell your bo-y-f-r-i-e-n-d to your old auntie, Silvy."

"Yeah. ...I'm pretty sure you've seen him plenty of times, though."

"Do you think so? The young lad I see often... hmm... is it Anzeros?"

"...Who is that?"

"There's this incredibly handsome soldier..."

"No, that's not him! Hehe♪"

No matter how handsome or ruggedly striking he might be, Silvia believed with all her heart that no one could compare to Ernie. As the saying goes, when you're in love, even flaws look like charms.

---

And so, having ultimately been cheered up, Silvia stood up to leave the tavern.

A beautiful woman with a smile attracts far more people than a beautiful woman with a frown. Without Silvia even realizing it, the gazes of half the men in the tavern were fixed upon her. It was a predictable outcome that the men, unable to work due to the rain and lost in their drinking, would harbor slight impure thoughts toward a single young girl.

"Hey, little lady. Pour me a drink. You look like you've got nothing better to do, right?"

One of the drunks grabbed Silvia's arm. It happened in the moment the landlady had stepped into the kitchen, her back turned.

"Ah—! W-what are you doing!?"

"What, you're too young to know how to pour yet? I'm saying pour the booze. And hey, why don't we have a little fun while we're at it?"

"N-no... please..."

"Just do it, hey!"

With a violent tug, Silvia was jerked forward. She stumbled and was pulled down toward the floor.

"Whoops! Sorry about that... my hand slipped."

The drunk man flicked her skirt upward. As her underwear became visible, the other drunks erupted in cheers.

"Haha! Give us a little more service! It's not like we're going to eat you!"

"No...!"
Silvia recoiled in terror.
She had become painfully aware that there were no allies around her.
She knew that eventually, the Madam and the Military Police would deliver divine retribution to this drunkard, but the mere thought of what unpleasant things he might do to her on a whim before then made her head spin.
"Here comes..."
The drunkard reached out. Silvia scrambled backward, inching away centimeter by centimeter.

Then, a massive hand thrust itself between them.

"Huh?"

"U-Um... that's... not really a good idea, sir..."

Having scrambled to escape under the table, Silvia couldn't see the full picture.
Even so, she knew instantly who that soaking wet hand and that timid voice belonged to.
"Ah... Arnie-kun!?"
She had been terrified. And he had come to save her again.
Within Silvia, something that had already been at its breaking point felt as though it were shifting with a resounding crack.

It was the moment when "like" turned into "love," and blossomed into "devotion."

The heroic sight of nothing but that hand was more than enough to deliver the finishing blow to Silvia's maiden heart.

---

"Who do you think you are? Just because you're a bit bigger doesn't mean an Ogre like you can act tough."

The man was a freelance mercenary. He had some confidence in his skills.

Even though he was drunk, he had no intention of being outmatched by a single young Ogre.

However...

"Hmph. Cheap sword. The maintenance is terrible."

As he reached out to teach the Ogre a lesson, he realized his sword was gone. A young man had taken it without permission and was currently inspecting it.

It was Andy.

"Hey, kid, don't touch a man's sword—"

"Whoa there, leave the booze alone."

As Andy reached out toward him, his head was pinched by a finger even larger than the Ogre's.

With a twist of that finger, Andy's head was spun 180 degrees like a screw. When his vision stabilized, he found himself staring at a massive bovine face.

"Eek!"

He froze. Facing two Ogres empty-handed was a terrifying prospect.

---

Andy, Arnie, and Kelly had arrived at the tavern through the rain, full of energy.

Even Andy and Kelly wanted to drink on their day off. Initially, they had tried to rush out, leaving Arnie in charge of inventory management, but Arnie had pleaded with a tearful face, "I was actually planning to go see Silvia-san today... she might be waiting for me." Reluctantly, they had finished their business quickly to join him.

"Our style is to harass anyone with a girlfriend."

"Come on, show some maturity, Smyson. You can bully Void later."

"True enough."

"...U-Um, am I the one being bullied?"

"Naturally."

Despite their words, Andy and Kelly were far too soft-hearted to commit the atrocity of letting Arnie stand up a girl who was waiting for him in the rain.

So, the three of them had marched through the rain, singing marching songs in competition, only to burst through the door and find Silvia in a dire situation.

Seeing what was happening to Arnie's girlfriend, Andy and Kelly were actually much angrier than they looked.

"Hey, drunkard. There are three things in this world I cannot forgive. Low-ceilinged general stores, blue shiso, and people who make their subordinates unhappy."

Kelly thrust his hand high into the air to lecture the drunkard. When an ox-like ogre standing over three meters tall raised his arm, it reached nearly five meters. Even inside the tavern's two-story atrium, a favorite haunt for ogres, the arm was hoisted so high it nearly touched the ceiling, sobering even the most hard-drinking patron.

"S-stop it, you ogre bastard! You think the MPs will let you get away with this!?" the man screamed.

Kelly locked eyes with Andy and shrugged with a grin. "Coming from a drunk who tried to manhandle a woman, that's rich."

"Exactly. ...Mark my words, human! In Celesta, an ogre can become an MP or even an elite soldier. Our Ernie might even become an Ace Knight one day. Around here, fools are hated more than ogres or half-elves!"

Still pinching the man's forehead, Kelly swung him away with a heavy whoosh.

The drunkard went flying, crashing right through the wooden window shutter, and Kelly immediately struck a muscle pose. Overwhelmed by the sheer spectacle, the entire tavern erupted into applause.

"Tch, piece of trash... Hey, Isaac, let's just break this sword."

"Don't break it. I'm giving it to the landlady to pay for the drinks."

"Well, it's worth about half of today's tab. ...Alright, let's drink!"

"You bet!"

Andy and Kelly leaned into the counter, energized, only to be immediately scolded by the landlady. "You idiots, you didn't have to break the window," she said, though her voice was somewhat gentle. She had returned around the same time as Ernie and the others, having been watching the commotion with bated breath.

"Sorry, Silvy-chan. I'll make sure to call for a bodyguard during the day from now on."

"Y-yes..."

Silvia was clinging to Ernie's arm as if her life depended on it, her face flushed crimson as she fell even deeper in love with him.

Even the landlady, who was usually all talk and little perception, finally realized who Silvia's "boyfriend" was. She had never imagined that the boyfriend of the beautiful Silvia would be such a rugged-looking ogre.

"...More importantly, you young ogre boy, you'll catch a cold if you stay that soaked."

"Oh, no, I'll be fine..."

"Don't be modest. Room 3 on the second floor is empty today, so go dry yourself off. There are towels in the closet."

"U-understood."

"Silvy-chan, why don't you help him?"

"Eh...?"

This was the landlady's utmost attempt at being thoughtful. Despite her age, she gave a playful wink.

---

The second floor of the tavern was half open-atrium and half inn. While it was a frequent haunt for Andy and other soldiers who loved drinking but couldn't hold their liquor, it also served the less wholesome purpose of a place for trysts.

In a simple room in such a setting, Ernie sat with his clothes removed, diligently being wiped down.

"...You really are huge, aren't you, Ernie?"

"I-it's because I'm an ogre."

"Yeah. It's so reassuring."

"It's because I'm an ogre."

"...Yeah. Including the fact that you're an ogre, I love you, Ernie."

"Ugh..."

Ernie turned bright red. As always, he was flustered by the sheer directness of Silvia's affection. Smiling at him, Silvia confessed that she had fallen for him all over again, without any pretense or embellishment.

"You saved me again."

"I-I only stepped in a little bit."

"But it made me so happy. Knowing you're always there when I'm in danger... my heart just skipped a beat."

"Haha... I did leave it all up to Decurions Isaac and Smyson, though."

"They were both angry for your sake, Ernie."

"...Yeah. I really feel like I'm not alone anymore. I'm glad I'm in this squad."

"Yeah. I'm glad you're in this squad, Ernie."

Silvia embraced Ernie's head—which was about the size of a person's torso—as she hung from his neck while standing on his lap.

"...I'm so glad you came, Ernie. I'm so glad I met you..."

"Silvia... san?"

"...I was scared. When I was so, so scared, you saved me. I really, truly love you... I thought to myself, I am so incredibly happy...!"

"...I'm happy too."

"Yeah. ...Hey, say you love me."

"...I love you, Silvia-san."

"Say you really love me."

"I really love you, Silvia-san."

"Then..."

"I love you."

"...♪"

Silvia shuddered.

He had beaten her to the words. To a man this ideal.

That alone felt like the greatest joy a woman could experience; the core of her body grew hot, damp, and tremulous.

Finding her so adorable, Ernie pulled her into a gentle embrace.

Enveloped by and enveloping the person whose affection continued to grow like a rolling snowball—it was a moment of pure bliss.

"...Nn."

After a while, Silvia pulled away.

It was only then that they both noticed the seam of her sleeve was slightly torn.

"Ah..."

"I guess it got caught when it was pulled earlier."

"...Maybe."

Ernie fell into thought, wondering what to do. Despite appearances, Ernie was actually capable of sewing. Just as he was about to suggest that he could mend it well enough to get home without anyone noticing, Silvia nodded toward something and suddenly began to strip.

"Wh—! S-Silvia-san, if you're taking that off, I'll ex..."

"No!"

Silvia stopped Ernie as he tried to stand up in a panic.

Obeying her, Ernie sat back down with his eyes squeezed shut. Before his eyes, Silvia, now in her underwear, climbed onto his lap and used both hands to forcefully pry his eyelids open.

"Wawa! Um, but!"

"Ernie, listen to me. Look at me."

"............"

"We're lovers now, okay? We've been lovers for three months already. ...It's okay to look, you know?"

"Ugh..."

Ernie tentatively turned his gaze toward Silvia.

Faced with the sight of the beautiful, defenseless Silvia in her lingerie, he blushed more intensely than ever, his eyes darting around erratically.

"...Yes."

"...Hey, Ernie. ...I thought, maybe it's okay now."

"?"

"Today, I thought... maybe it's okay if I become yours and yours alone. ...No, that's not it. It's not 'maybe it's okay.' I want to be yours alone. I want you to love me more than anything else in this world."

"...Silvia-san."

"Arnie, do you dislike me? Is this... something you can't do with me?"

"...B-but, I'm an ogre, you know."

"That's okay. I'm human, too."

"...No, I mean, that's not what I meant..."

"I understand everything. I know perfectly well that we are different species. I know that, from your perspective, I might not be attractive. Even so, I love you, Arnie. I want to be loved by you."

"T-that's not true! To me, Silvia-san, you're truly, so incredibly attractive... but, I just... I feel like I'd only be a burden to your life."

"Honestly!"

Silvia grew impatient.
She knew. She could feel, through everything except his words, that Arnie loved her.
But as expected, Arnie was too kind, too much of an overthinker; he believed he had no right to defile her.
In that case...

"Arnie, I'm sorry!"

"...E-eh!?"

She pulled down his underwear, exposing his member.
With a little boing, his erect penis emerged—looking almost undersized compared to his massive frame.

"Wha—!"

"Hehe... I'm serious."

Giving a slightly mischievous smile to the flustered Arnie, Silvia began to stroke him with both hands.
This wasn't the first time she had seen him like this. A few months ago, when Arnie had suffered severe full-body injuries, her sense of responsibility had even driven her to assist him with urination.
Because of that, she could face it without too much embarrassment. However, this was her first time handling a male organ for sexual purposes, and it wasn't going as smoothly as she had hoped.

"Ugh... l-like... this...?"

"Silvia-san..."

"S-sorry, I'm bad at this... I'm clumsy, and I've never done this before... but I'm serious, okay...!"

Overwhelmed by emotion, Silvia pressed her mouth to him.
She knew such a technique existed, but her knowledge was limited to it being an extension of stroking with her hands, so she felt lost the moment she actually used her mouth.
Looking up, she saw Arnie wearing a troubled expression. It wasn't an expression of pleasure, but rather one of pure confusion, as if he simply didn't know how to react to her actions.

"...Hey, do you understand? I really love you, Arnie. I'm happy to just keep licking you like this. But..."

"...But?"

"...I'm sorry, the truth is, I don't know what to do... But I want you to truly love me... I want you to take me."

"...E-even if you say 'take you' like that..."

"You really can take me, you know?"

Silvia, whose sexual knowledge could no longer keep up with her actions, simply waved the white flag.
In its place, she had made up her mind.

"I want you to grab my body just like this, force yourself into me, and use me like a tool to rub your cock against. I want you to use me to find pleasure, over and over again."

"T-that's..."

"I don't care if I tear... just do it. If you love me, then do it..."

From the bottom of her heart, Silvia was driven by a desperate sense of urgency.
She didn't care if she was left unable to walk. If that was what it took to truly connect with Arnie, it was worth it. She wanted to prove that she could commune with his masculine side as a woman. And she wanted to connect with him even more deeply, more and more.

Her swelling affection for Arnie had become uncontrollable; she craved an exchange of love with him to the point of near-panic.

"...Sil, via... san."

"............"

And then.

"...I'm really gonna do it, you know? I'm a guy, after all."

Under the weight of Silvia's persistent advances, Arnie finally began to let his restraint slip.

"Yeah."

"I might not look it, but I'm actually really interested in women, you know? If you let me, I might end up doing something crazy every time we go on a date."

Silvia trembled with joy at that raw desire. The fear that she couldn't fully express her love, or that it wouldn't be accepted, had vanished, replaced by a happiness so intense it brought tears to her eyes.

"...Do something crazy. Make me experience something amazing every single week♪"

"............Ugh, fine, don't blame me then."

"I won't... either♪"

They cast aside their underwear, stripping away every last layer of cloth.
There was nothing left to hide from one another. They showed each other everything—heart and body alike.
Silvia spread her arms wide, welcoming Arnie's touch.

"Yes, right there..."

"You're wet..."

"Yeah... I've been wet for so long because I wanted you to hold me, Arnie... I was trying my hardest to get ready to welcome your cock... okay...?"

"...Haa... haa... ngh..."

"...It's okay. You can put it in. You can do whatever you want..."

"Sil-Silvia-san!!"

Silvia's hips and legs were gripped by his hands and forced apart, her body pressed firmly against his waist.
Though he tried to moderate his strength, an ogre's powerful arms were difficult to control; there was no "slowly" when it came to her hymen—he pierced through it all at once with a sharp snap.

"Ngh... ah...!!"

"...Haa... haaa... God, it's so... hot... and feels so good..."

"...Yeah, I can... feel you inside me, Arnie..."

Compared to his massive frame, Arnie's penis was quite small. While it was certainly large compared to the human average, for an ogre, it was a size he could never boast about.
However, this worked in their favor. Even when he inserted his shaft all the way to the base, he wouldn't break Silvia.
He could thrust deep and dynamic, pulling all the way out and driving back in.
Furthermore, Silvia was small enough in his eyes that he could shake her with true, vigorous intensity. Since Arnie was a virgin experiencing his first time, he lost himself in the pleasure of sex with a woman, mindlessly "using" Silvia.

"Uah, ah, ah... Agh, a... Sil, Silvia-san... it feels too good, I can't stop... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... I'm sorry...!"

"Ah, ah, hya, ah, ah... hie, i, iaah...!!"

Once penetration had occurred, neither of them had any reason or restraint left.
Tossed about by the overwhelming sensation, Silvia simply thrust her hips back and forth, driven by the singular goal of bringing Arnie to climax.

"...Ha, ah... n, ah... ah♪"

Even so, Silvia wore a look of pure bliss.
As a woman, the knowledge that she could undoubtedly satisfy Arnie's ideal was a source of profound happiness.

"Uaa, ah, ah... uaa!!"

Arnie was possessed. He could think of nothing but ejaculation.
And so, he continued to slam Silvia's hips against his own.

He slammed his glans against her cervix.

"Uaaaaaaaah!!"

"Haa, ah... ah, ah... ahh, ngh♪"

He ejaculated with a massive, erupting force.

"...I really did it...♪"

"S-sorry about that."

"...If you apologize, I'll get angry."

"............S-sorry..."

"Hmph!"

With a sharp smack, she pinched both of Arnie's cheeks.

"...Ngh."

Then, she silenced him with a kiss.

"I'm... Arnie's lover, you know?"

"Yes."

"Lovers are allowed to have sex, okay?"

"...If you say it like that, I'm going to start thinking it's okay to do it whenever."

"Just make sure you think about the location."

"...Yes."

"Be gentle."

"Yes."

"And be rough, too."

"...That's difficult."

"It's not difficult. If I leave you to your own devices, you'll only ever be gentle."

"...I... I guess so."

"Yup♪"

"Yo, Smyson."

"What is it, Isaac?"

"...Hey, do you think they're fucking?"

"...I vote for the side where they're just having a sweet little talk without doing anything at all."

"I vote for the side where they're holding a feast of carnal desire."

Note: The correct answer is both.

"Dammit, I'm frustrated either way."

"...Let's go bully them when we get back."

"Let's bully them."

The Madam delivered a single blow to each of their heads with a tray.

"Is it your job as soldiers to interfere with your comrades' happiness?"

"T-that's not true! This is a legitimate right!"

"Dammit! People who are happy should just let themselves be teased so everyone else feels a little happy too!"

"I must have been a fool to feel even a little flutter in my heart watching your exploits."

"Even if an old lady is the one feeling the flutter..."

"Hey."

"...Pay the tab. All of it, right now."

"I am so, so sorry."

This was sometime one month before the arrival in Selen.

A steady drizzle fell from the sky.

Another chance missed, thought the lovestruck maiden, sighing. She thought she’d become a sensible adult, but she had to admit she was still shedding her childish skin.

"Haa… I want to see him."

Even though she knew she should restrain herself, her heart raced. The other party was a soldier, stationed at an outpost that took an hour’s walk from town. It couldn’t be helped if they couldn’t meet often.

And if the weather turned foul, she’d have to trudge through that hour-long journey soaked to the bone. Thinking about catching a cold made it impossible for her to go.

Still…

"…I wish we could see each other even just once a week."

She found herself wanting to meet only once a week. Like a child eagerly awaiting a picnic, only to be betrayed by the sky—she knew it was childish and impatient of her, but still, the thought of not seeing him for another week made her heart sink.

"What’s with that gloomy face, Silvia? Care for a drink?"

Her mother tapped on the sake barrel across the counter.

"No thanks. It’s not even late afternoon yet."

"Haha, is it? Well, at nineteen, you probably don’t feel like it."

"Whether you’re thirty or forty, someone who tries to pick up a girl on her day off in the middle of the day isn’t worth much."

"You’re so serious. Just like your old man’s only daughter."

"That has nothing to do with Mom."

Her mother was a teacher at the Primary Academy, and her father was a bureaucrat. It couldn’t be denied that she came from a strictly proper household, but Silvia thought alcohol was best enjoyed at night, after which she could just sleep.

By the way, drinking was permitted in Celesta from the age of seventeen, so there were no age-related issues.

"…Haa."

She sighed, gazing up at the dark sky through the doorway. Usually, her beloved Arnie’s massive frame would be standing absentmindedly at that street corner, but today, she felt lonely and ate her lunch—gratin—with a drooping spirit.

Silvia McReynolds (Human Female, 19 years old, 152 cm tall) and Arnie Boyd (Ogre Male, 18 years old, 277 cm tall) had been dating for three months.

An unspoken rule of rendezvous had formed between them.

Around noon on Sundays, they would meet in front of the tavern on the edge of town that Arnie’s unit, the Crossbow Brigade, frequented—if their schedules allowed. Then, they’d spend time together happily, going to the arena or having a picnic in the mountains.

Ideally, they could communicate more often, but Arnie’s Crossbow Brigade barracks were far away. Because it was the military, it was hard to approach, and even if they tried to contact each other by letter, paper was still too expensive for frequent use.

Even if Arnie came to see her, Silvia worked on weekdays. And with strict curfews at home, and both her parents being stiff-necked people, she hadn’t been able to introduce Arnie to them yet. There was no way they could meet.

So, all they could do was wait for their usual rendezvous, and if it went well, go on their usual date.

Since they started dating, their love had only grown stronger, and Silvia, who wanted to be with him every waking moment, found such a waiting relationship unbearably frustrating. But she couldn’t bring herself to take any drastic action for fear of inconveniencing Arnie. Every day, she scolded herself, reminding herself that she was the older one.

"Haa."

"What’s wrong? You look gloomy in this rain—did you get a boyfriend you want to go on a date with?"

The tavern owner asked Silvia casually as she watched her.

"…………?"

Sylvia looked a little bewildered.

Even though she hadn’t exactly been hiding her relationship with Arnie from her parents, she certainly hadn’t thought she was keeping it a secret. Especially not at this bar—it was right in front of their usual meeting spot; she’d assumed her mother would’ve noticed something.

"...So?"

"Oh my, oh my, oh my."

Her mother gave Sylvia a lecherous grin in response to her deadpan answer.

"Finally, Sylvie’s got a boyfriend—what a scoop! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?"

"Tell me what?"

"Well, now."

Grinning mischievously, her mother pretended to poke her with her plump elbow. Of course, the elbow couldn’t actually reach Sylvia across the counter.

"Sylvie’s such a beauty and so proper—she’s famous for it. The men who’ve been rejected by her are countless. Impenetrable, aloof, pure as the driven snow… the high princess of the neighborhood."

"...Rejected? I don’t think so."

Ever since elementary school, Sylvia had certainly had a few persistent suitors. But somehow, she just never felt the right connection and turned them all down.

Looking back, it’s no wonder she found them lacking. They didn’t have that dependable strength to protect her when needed, that gentle warmth to envelop her, that pure sincerity that made her want to be with them, or even that easygoing atmosphere where they could spend hours together without a care.

In that sense, Sylvia had high standards, and Arnie was an extraordinary exception.

But she’d never thought of herself as some unattainable high princess. Most guys were the type to hit on every woman they saw, and she just figured she was a perfectly ordinary girl who kept her distance from romance.

"Maybe everyone else is just more casual about dating."

"Hmph. Catching a man these days is like going to war. The prince isn’t exactly going to come riding in on a white horse, so if you’ve got a chance to snag one right under your nose, you can’t be too picky."

"...I guess. Still feels weird."

He’d come for her. Maybe not a prince, but at least the ideal guy for Sylvia.

Thinking about it, she felt incredibly lucky. And since he was genuinely serious about her, she figured she couldn’t complain about not seeing him for a week or so.

Her mother gave her an odd look as Sylvia suddenly broke into a smile.

"Oh my, the crow that cried is laughing now."

"...Yeah. I just realized I might be pretty happy."

"...Well, whatever. Let me know if you feel like telling Old Woman about Sylvie’s *boi—*friend."

"Yeah… though I think she already knows."

"Really? The young thing Old Woman keeps watching… hmm… could it be Anzeros?"

"...Who’s that?"

"There’s this super-handsome soldier around here."

"Nope. Heh heh!"

No matter how handsome or rugged, Arnie was in a league of his own—Sylvia was quite serious about that. Once you fell for someone, their flaws became endearing.

And so, feeling much better, Sylvia stood up to leave the bar.

A beautiful woman with a smile is far more captivating than one with a frown.

Unbeknownst to her, half the men in the bar were already staring at Sylvia.

It was only natural that the drunks stuck inside due to the rain would develop a little lustful interest in a single girl.

"Hey, cutie. Pour me a drink, will ya? You got nothing better to do, right?"

One of the drunks grabbed Sylvia’s arm. Her mom had retreated to the kitchen, so she wasn’t watching.

"Y-You… what are you doing!?"

"What? Can’t a fella get a pour from someone as cute as you? I’m asking for a drink. And maybe some fun while we’re at it, huh?"

"N-No!"

"Just do it, come on!"

Sylvia was yanked roughly. She stumbled and fell to the floor.

"Oops, sorry… my hand slipped."

The drunk slapped up her skirt with his hand. Her underwear was exposed, and the other drunks cheered.

"Haha, give us a little more service, why don’t ya? I ain’t gonna eat you or nothing."

"N-No…"

Sylvia shrank back in terror.

She knew for sure there wasn’t a single ally around.

Her mom and the military police would probably get revenge on this drunk eventually, but the thought of what he might do to her before then made her dizzy.

"Here…"

The drunk reached out. Sylvia crawled away just a few centimeters.

Then, a giant hand intervened.

"Huh?"

"Dude… that’s not cool."

Sylvia had crawled under the table, so she couldn’t see the whole picture. Still, she instantly recognized the soaked hand and the quiet voice.

"Ah… Arnie?!"

She was scared. And now he’d come to help her again.

Inside Sylvia, something that had already been at its breaking point shifted with a click.

The moment when liking someone turned into loving them, and then into love.

Even just the hand was enough to deliver the final blow to Sylvia’s maiden heart.

"You little punk, just because you’re a bit bigger doesn’t mean some half-baked ogre gets to mess with me."

The man was a mercenary from the docks. He had some skill in his hands.

Even drunk, he wasn’t about to let a young ogre get the better of him.

But.

"Hmph, cheap sword. Not even properly maintained."

He reached out to teach the ogre a lesson, only to find no sword there. A young man was casually inspecting it.

It was Andy.

"Hey kid, don’t touch someone else’s sword…"

"Oh, uh, put the drink down for a sec."

Just as I reached for Andy, my head was plucked up by a finger even bigger than the ogre's from before.

With a crack, my head was twisted and rotated 180 degrees like turning a screw, revealing a massive bull ogre’s face where it had been.

"Ugh!"

I couldn’t help but recoil. Facing two ogres empty-handed was way too terrifying.

Andy, Arnie, and Kelly were cheerfully heading to the tavern in the rain.

Even Andy and Kelly wanted to drink on their day off, just like Arnie. At first, they’d tried to sneak out without him, leaving him in charge of counting the weapons, but Arnie had pleaded with a tearful face, "I was actually planning to meet Sylvia today, she might be waiting!" So they reluctantly finished up quickly and came along.

"Normally, I mess with guys who have girlfriends."

"Show a little maturity for once, Smason. You can bully Void later."

"That's true."

"... Uh, am I getting bullied?"

Of course, Andy and Kelly thought, but they couldn’t do something as cruel as ditching Arnie while a girl waited in the rain. They were soft at heart after all.

And so, the three of them marched into the tavern singing a marching song in the rain, only to find Sylvia in a huge pinch as soon as they opened the door.

They were pretty pissed off, even more than it looked like.

"Hey, drunkard. There are three things I can’t stand in this world: shops with low ceilings, green parsley, and people who make their subordinates miserable."

Kelly raised his hand high and lectured the drunkard. A 3-meter-tall bull ogre’s outstretched arm was nearly 5 meters long. Even in a two-story tavern favored by ogres, he could pull the guy up so high he’d hit the ceiling, sobering even the most drunken of drunks.

"Hey! You ogre bastard! Do you think the constabulary will just ignore this?!"

The drunkard ranted and raved. Kelly exchanged a look with Andy and shrugged, chuckling.

"A drunk who tries to assault a woman has a lot of nerve."

"Tell me about it... Remember this, you human scum: in Celesta, ogres can be constables or elite soldiers. Our Arnie might even become an Ace Knight. Here, idiots are hated more than ogres or half-elves!"

Still holding his head, Kelly whooshed the man away.

The drunkard crashed through the wooden window and out into the rain, and Kelly struck a muscle pose without missing a beat.

Overwhelmed by the sheer presence, the whole tavern applauded.

"You scumbag... Hey, Isaac, let’s break this sword."

"Don’t break it. We can use it for drinks and give it to your wife."

"Well, maybe half of today’s tab. ... Alright, let’s drink!"

"Yeah!"

Andy and Kelly got hyped up and crowded the counter, immediately getting yelled at by their wives. "You idiots, you didn’t have to break the window!" But even as she scolded them, her voice was a little softer than usual, having watched the whole thing with bated breath since they’d returned around the same time as Arnie.

"Sorry, Sylvia. I’ll make sure we get guards during the day from now on."

"Y-yes."

Sylvia clung to Arnie like she was holding onto his life. She was blushing bright red, completely smitten with him again.

Finally, even the oblivious wives realized who Sylvia’s "boyfriend" was. They had no idea that the handsome Sylvia would be dating a hulking ogre.

"... More importantly, you ogre kid, you’ll catch a cold if you stay soaking wet like that."

"Oh, well, I’m fine."

"Don’t be shy. Go wipe yourself off in room 3 upstairs. No one’s using it today. There are towels in the closet."

"Hah, haaah."

"Silvia, you should help him out."

"Eh…?"

That was the best she could muster in terms of consideration. Uncharacteristically for her age, she winked at him.

The second floor of the tavern was half open-air and half lodging.
Andy and other soldiers who loved their drinks but couldn’t handle them often flopped around there, but it was also a place with a rather… unsavory reputation.
In such a simple room, Arnie was being stripped of his clothes and diligently dried off.

"…Arnie, you’re still so big."

"O-Orge…"

"Yeah. So reliable."

"Orge…"

"…Yeah. Including the fact that you’re an Orge, I love you, Arnie."

"Ugh…"

Arnie’s face turned bright red. He was always at a loss for words in the face of Silvia’s straightforward affection.

Smiling at him, Silvia confessed without hesitation or pretense that she had fallen for Arnie all over again.

"You got saved again, didn’t you?"

"I-I just put my hands on her a little bit."

"But I was so happy. You’re always there when I’m in danger. It made my heart flutter!"

"Haha… I left it all to Isaac and Smisson, the squad leaders."

"Both of them were angry for Arnie’s sake, weren’t they?"

"…Yeah. I guess I’m not alone after all. I’m glad I’m in this squad."

"Yeah. Arnie, you’re in the right squad."

Silvia embraced Arnie, standing on her knees and hanging onto his neck, which was about the size of a person’s torso.

"…I’m so glad Arnie came. I’m so glad I met Arnie…"

"Silvia…-san?"

"…I was scared. When I was really, really scared, Arnie saved me. I really, truly love you… I thought, I’m so happy…"

"…Me too, I’m happy."

"Yeah… Say ‘I love you’."

"…I love you, Silvia-san."

"Say ‘I love you’!"

"I love you, Silvia-san!"

"Then…"

"I adore you."

"…♪"

Silvia shuddered.

"I love you, even before you do," he said. To a man like that.
Just hearing those words was the greatest joy a woman could feel, and my core burned, wet with trembling.

Arnie found Sylvia so endearing that he gently embraced her.
He wrapped himself around the person whose affection for him was still growing exponentially, and she wrapped herself around him. It was a blissful time.

"…Mm."
After a while, Sylvia pulled away.
And it was then that they both noticed the seam of his sleeve was slightly torn.

"Ah…"

"Must've been when you were pulling me earlier, huh?"

"…Maybe."

Arnie pondered what to do. Actually, despite appearances, Arnie could sew. "I can fix it enough so you won't be seen," he started to offer, but then Sylvia suddenly began taking off her clothes.

"N-No, wait, Sylvia-san! If you're going to take them off, I—"

"No!"

Sylvia stopped Arnie from rushing up.
He obediently sat back down, eyes still closed, and she climbed onto his lap in her underwear, then yanked open his eyelids with both hands.

"Nwah! But—!"

"Arnie-kun, listen to me. Look."

"…"

"We're lovers now, you know? We've been lovers for three months already… Look, it's okay, you know?"

"U-uh…"

Arnie cautiously turned his eyes toward Sylvia.
He blushed furiously at the sight of Sylvia’s vulnerable, beautiful form in her underwear, and his gaze darted around helplessly.

"…Yes."

"…Right, Arnie-kun? …I think I'm ready now."

"?!"

"I thought, maybe today, I could become yours alone. …No, that's not right. It's not maybe, I want to be yours alone. I want you to truly, deeply love me."

"…Sylvia-san—"

"Arnie-kun, do you dislike me? Can't we do this?"

"…B-But, I'm an Ogre…"

"It's okay. I'm human too."

"…No, that's not—"

"I understand everything. I know I'm a different race from you. I know you might not find it attractive from your perspective. But even so, I love you. I want to be loved by you."

"T-That's not true! Even from my perspective, Sylvia-san is truly… but I'm worried that I'd be a burden on your life."

"Sylvia!"
Sylvia was at her wit’s end.

Sylvia knew. It was clear from everything but his words that Arnie loved her.

But still, Arnie was too kind, too thoughtful—she couldn’t bring herself to believe he deserved to defile her.

Then.

"Arnie, I'm sorry!"

"...Eh?!"

She yanked down his underwear, exposing his cock.

Plok. A flaccid member emerged from Arnie’s massive frame—a disappointingly small size for him.

"W-wa—"

"Hehe… I’m serious."

Sylvia smirked playfully at the flustered Arnie before rubbing his cock with both hands.

It wasn’t the first time she’d seen it. Months ago, when Arnie had suffered a severe injury with bruises all over, she’d forcibly helped him pee out of sheer responsibility.

So she wasn’t entirely embarrassed now. But still, this was the first time she’d touched a man’s genitals in a sexual way—and things weren’t going as planned.

"Ugh… is… is this how you do it…?"

"Sylvia…"

"S-sorry, I’m bad at this… I’ve never done it before… but I’m serious!"

Overwhelmed, Sylvia brought her mouth to Arnie’s cock.

She knew techniques existed, but her knowledge was limited to just extending the hand-rubbing—she was lost as soon as she tried putting her mouth on it.

Looking up, Arnie wore a troubled expression—not pleasure, but pure confusion about how to react to Sylvia’s actions.

"...You get it, right? I really like you, Arnie. I could lick your dick all I want like this. But…"

"...But?"

"...Sorry, I don’t really know what to do… but I want you to love me so badly… I want you to rape me."

"...R-rape… even if I—"

"Can I really let you rape me?"

Sylvia’s knowledge of sex had finally caught up with her, and she honestly waved the white flag.

But in return, she’d steeled herself.

"I want you to grab my body like this, force your dick inside, and use me like a tool to rub it. I want you to get off on me, over and over again."

"T-that’s—"

"Even if I tear open, do it. If you love me, then do it…"

From the bottom of her heart, Sylvia was driven by this desperation.

If she ended up unable to stand afterward, so be it. If that meant truly connecting with Arnie, then fine. She wanted to prove she could intertwine with Arnie’s masculine side as a woman—and connect with him even deeper.

Her swelling affection for Arnie had spiraled out of control, bordering on panic in her desire for their love to intertwine.

"...Sylv… ia…"

"……"

And then.
"...Are you really gonna do it? I am a man, you know?"

Under the mounting pressure of Sylvia's advances, Arnie finally began to loosen his grip on reason.

"Yeah."

"Looks like I'm not just some monster, huh? I've got a lot of interest in women, you know? If you let me, I might do some crazy stuff every time we go on a date from now on!"

The desire made Sylvia tremble. The fear of not being able to express her love, of not being accepted—gone. She was so happy she could cry.

"...Do some crazy stuff. Make me experience something amazing every week~"

"...Ugh, I don't know anymore~"

"I... I don't know anymore either~!"

She discarded her underwear as well, eliminating all fabric.
Nothing would be hidden between them anymore. Every part of their hearts and bodies, everything shown to the other.
Sylvia spread her hands wide, welcoming Arnie's grip.

"Yes, right there..."

"Already wet..."

"Yeah... I've been so wet because I wanted you, Arnie, to hold me... I was desperately trying to get ready for your dick~?"

"...Haaah... Haaah... Kuh—"

"...Yeah, it's okay. You can go in. Do whatever you want~"

"S-Sylvia-san!!"

Arnie gripped her waist and thighs with both hands, spreading her legs apart and pressing Sylvia firmly against his hips.

He was careful with his strength, but the Ogre's powerful arms didn't allow for a gentle breaking of the hymen. In one swift motion, he pierced through.

"Nngg...!!"

"...Haaah... Haaah... Whoa, it's so... hot and good~"

"...Yeah, I feel you too, Arnie... inside me..."

Arnie's dick was surprisingly small compared to his massive body. It was larger than the average human, but by Ogre standards, it was definitely not something to brag about.
However, that worked out perfectly for them. Even fully sheathed, Sylvia wouldn't be harmed.
They could thrust in and out with all their might, reaching deep.
And from Arnie's perspective, Sylvia was light and small, truly shaken by his movements. Since this was Arnie's first time as well, he was lost in the pleasure of sex with a woman for the first time, relentlessly "using" Sylvia.

"Uwah, ah, ahh... Agg, uh... S-Sylvia-san... It feels so good, I can't stop... Sorry, I'm sorry~! I'm sorry~!"

"A, a, hyaa, aah, aah... Hii, i, iiaaah...!!"

Neither of them had any reason or restraint left after penetration.
Overwhelmed by the experience, they were simply thrusting and writhing for Arnie's release.
"...Haaah... Nngh... Aah~"

Even so, Sylvia wore a blissful expression.
As a woman, she was undeniably satisfying Arnie's ideal man, and that made her incredibly happy.

"Uwaaa, aah, a... Uaaaa!!"
Arnie was completely absorbed. He could only think about coming.
And he slammed Sylvia's hips against his own.

"Smack, my dick slammed against your womb."

"Uwaaaaaaa!!"

"Haa, aah… ahh… ahhh, ngh!"

I came with a spectacular, geyser-like burst.

"...I really did it…"

"S-sorry, man."

"...You'll get mad if you apologize."

"…S-sorry…"

"Tch."

Smack. I slapped Annie’s cheeks.
"…Ngh."

Then I kissed her to shut her up.

"I’m Annie’s girlfriend, you know?"

"Yeah."

"Girlfriends get to have sex, right?"

"...If you say that, I think it's okay to do it, yeah?"

"Just make sure you at least consider the place."

"...Yeah."

"And be gentle."

"Yeah."

"And be rough too."

"...That’s hard, man."

"It’s not. If I leave you alone, you’ll only know how to be gentle, right?"

"...I guess so…"

"Yep!"

"Yo, Smason."

"What’s up, Isaac?"

"...Hey, do you think they’re screwing?"

"...I vote for the two of them just having a sweet talk session without doing anything."

"I’m voting for the carnal feast."

※Correct answer: Both.

"Damn it, I’d be pissed no matter what."

"...Let’s tease them when we get home."

"Let’s tease them."

Just then, Mom came over and gave each of those two a tray to the head.

"Is it your job to mess with your comrades' happiness, soldier?"

"N-no, that's not it! This is a legitimate right!"

"You bastards! Happy people should just take their beatings and make everyone around them a little happier!"

"Were you an idiot for getting even a little excited about your performance?"

"Even if an old hag like her gets excited—"

"Yeah, well—"

"…Pay up. The whole damn amount, now."

“I’m so sorry.”

This was a month before Selen’s arrival.

A steady, pattering rain falls.
The girl in love sighs, realizing once again that she has missed another chance.
She had convinced herself she was now a sensible adult, yet she could not help but acknowledge that she was still shedding her childhood skin.

"Haa... I really want to see him..."
Even though she knows she should hold back, her heart races with longing.
Her beloved is a soldier, stationed alone in a remote outpost an hour's walk from the town. It's unavoidable that they can't meet often.
And if the weather turns bad, he'd have to wade through the rain for that entire hour just to reach her. Thinking about him catching a cold makes it clear why he hasn't come.

Still...
"...I really want to see him at least once a week."
She finds herself thinking that even a single meeting every week would be enough.

It's as if she were a child eagerly awaiting a picnic promise, only to be betrayed by the sky; she knows she's being far too childish and short-tempered, yet whenever she thinks about not seeing him for another week, her heart feels crushed.

"Hey, Sylvia, what's with that gloomy face? Want to have a drink?"
The tavern owner taps a sake barrel against the counter with a cheerful clink.

"No thanks. It's still daytime."

"Aha, is it? Well, at nineteen, I guess you wouldn't feel like it yet either."

"Whether I'm thirty or forty, people who try to hook up on weekdays during the day aren't very respectable," she replies firmly.

"You're serious. No wonder you're Master MacLean's only daughter."

"That has nothing to do with Mom."

Her mother is a primary school teacher, and her father is a government official—a household known for its seriousness beyond doubt. Still, Sylvia believes alcohol should be enjoyed at night, followed by nothing but sleep.
By the way, Celesta allows drinking from age seventeen, so there's no issue with her age.

"Haa..."
She gazes up at the dark sky through the wooden shutters and lets out another sigh.
Looking at the street corner where Earnie's towering figure should always stand, filled with affection, she feels lonely once more. Sylvia slumps in her seat while finishing off her lunchtime gratin with a absent-minded swipe of her fork.

Sylvia MacLean (human female, 19 years old, 152 cm) and Arnie Boyd (Ogre male, 18 years old, 277 cm) have been dating for three months.
Between them, an unspoken agreement has formed regarding their meetings.
Around noon on Sundays, they gather if possible in front of a tavern on the outskirts of town—a place frequently visited by Earnie's unit, the Crossbow Corps.
Then they spend time together, either heading to the arena or going for a picnic in the mountains, enjoying each other's company.

Ideally, they'd be able to stay in close contact, but Earnie's barracks are far away. As soldiers, they're naturally difficult to approach, and while letters could bridge the distance, paper remains too expensive for frequent use.
Even if Earnie tried to come visit, Sylvia works on weekdays, her household enforces strict curfews, and both her parents are stern people—so she hasn't been able to introduce him yet. There was never supposed to be a chance to meet otherwise.
Thus, their only option is to meet as usual, and if things go well, enjoy a date just like always.

Since they started dating, Sylvia's affection has grown steadily; she truly wishes they could be together all the time. Yet the idea of taking bold action worries her that it might bother Earnie, so she remains paralyzed. Every day, she reminds herself: I'm the older one.

"Haa..."

"What's wrong? Feeling down because of this rain means you've finally found a boyfriend you want to go on a date with, huh?"

The tavern owner asks casually while watching Sylvia.

"…………?"

Silvia was taken aback for a moment.
Although she hadn't told her parents, Silvia had no intention of secretly hiding her relationship with Earnie.
Especially since this bar was right in front of the meeting spot; surely her mother would have noticed.

"…Well, but?"

"Oh my. Oh my, oh my."

Her mother responded with a straight face to Silvia's answer, then broke into a smug, worldly grin.

"So it's finally true—that little Silvia has a boyfriend? This is top-secret news! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Huh… what do you mean by that?"

"Well…"

While still grinning, her mother pretended to poke Silvia with her plump elbow. Of course, the elbow couldn't reach Silvia through the counter.

"Famous for being beautiful and serious, little Silvia has been rejected by countless men. An impenetrable lone flower, pure and innocent—the high mountain blossom of the lower town."

"…What? Rejected?"
Since her days at elementary school, several men had indeed persistently approached Silvia. Yet, somehow their feelings just didn't align, so she had turned them all down.
Looking back now, it's clear that what felt lacking for Silvia was inevitable: they lacked the reliability to protect her when needed, the gentleness to envelop her, the sincerity that made one think, I must be there with you, and above all, the calm atmosphere that could last for hours together.
In that sense, Silvia had high ideals, and Earnie was a rare existence.

Still, Silvia had never once thought of herself as such a "high mountain blossom." Many men would casually approach any woman they saw, while she simply believed she was just an ordinary girl who kept her distance from romantic entanglements.

"Maybe everyone ended up dating more casually than I thought?"

"Hah! Catching a man is like war in these times. There's no prince coming to fetch you from afar; if you get the chance to catch one right here, you can't afford to be picky—that's just how it goes."

"…I see. So he didn't come?"
He had come to Silvia. He might not have been a prince, but at least he was the kind of boy who fit Silvia's ideal.
Thinking about this made her feel incredibly lucky, and Silvia's mood lifted considerably. Since he was seriously dating her, she reasoned, there was no need to complain if they couldn't meet for a week or so.

Seeing Silvia suddenly start beaming, her mother wore a peculiar expression.

"Oh my, oh my—the crying crow is now laughing!"

"…Yeah. I think I might be happier than I realized."

"Well, that's fine. But when you're in the mood, do tell old lady me about your boyfriend, Silvia-chan."

"Yeah… I think he's been watching us quite a bit, actually."

"Oh? The young guy old lady me often sees… hmm… could it be Lord Anzeros?"

"…Who is that?"

"There's this incredibly handsome soldier around."

"No way. Heh heh♪"

No matter how handsome or stoic an actor might be, Silvia genuinely believed none could compare to Earnie. Once you fall for someone, even a pimpled face becomes charming—that's just how it goes.

After all that, Silvia finally cheered up and stood up to leave the bar.
A beautiful woman with a frown attracts far less attention than one with a smile.
Without Silvia realizing it, half the men in the bar had their gazes fixed on her.
For men who had been drinking away their days, unable to work due to the rain, harboring even a slight illicit thought toward a lone young girl could be considered a natural consequence.

"Hey, miss. Pour me a drink, will ya? Got some free time, huh?"
One of the drunkards grabbed Sylvia's arm. It was an incident that occurred while her wife had retreated into the kitchen and wasn't watching.

"H-h-what are you doing!?"

"What? You're still acting like a little brat and don't know how to pour? I mean, pour some sake. And hey, why not do something fun too? That's what I'm saying."

"N-no..."

"Come on then, yeah!"

With a sudden, forceful tug, Sylvia was yanked forward. She stumbled and was pulled down onto the floor.

"Oh my, sorry... slipped up," the drunkard said as he flicked her skirt aside. Her undergarments were exposed, prompting cheers from other intoxicated patrons.

"Hah, give us a bit more of a show. We're not here to eat you or anything."

"N-no..."

Sylvia shrank back in terror.
She realized with chilling clarity that she had no allies around her.
While justice—her wife's wrath and the gendarme's retribution—would surely fall upon these drunkards eventually, the thought of what kind of unpleasant things might happen to her before then made her feel as though her soul would fade away.

"Here..."
The outstretched hand of the drunkard. Sylvia crawled a few centimeters to escape.

Suddenly, a massive hand broke into the scene.

"Huh?"

"Oh, no... that kind of thing isn't very nice."

Crawling under the table, Sylvia couldn't see the full picture.
Still, someone instantly recognized the soaking wet hand and the restrained voice.
"Ahh... Arnie-kun!?"

It was terrifying. He had come to her aid again.
Within Sylvia, something that had already been on the brink of breaking shifted with an audible crack.

That was the moment love transformed into deep affection, evolving into true love.

The sight of his courage, displayed through mere hands, was more than enough to shatter Sylvia's maiden heart completely.

"Hey, you! Just 'cause your body's big doesn't mean you can act like some arrogant ogre!"
The man was a mercenary stationed at the sink. He had considerable skill and experience.
Even though he was drunk, he had no intention of letting even one young ogre best him.

But...
"Hmph, cheap blade. Not properly maintained at all."
Reaching out to teach the ogre a lesson, he found no sword in his hand. The young man had already snatched it and was examining it on his own.
It was Andy.

"Hey kid, don't touch someone else's weapon..."

"Oh, hey, put that drink down over there."

As Andy reached out to help, his head was suddenly seized by a finger far larger than the ogre's from earlier and lifted up.
With a twist, his head was rotated like a screw, flipped 180 degrees as if being unscrewed—and there, staring back at him, was the face of a colossal ox.
"Huh!"
He instinctively recoiled. Facing two ogres empty-handed was far too terrifying.

Andy, Earnie, and Kelly had arrived at the tavern in high spirits despite the rain.

On their day off, both Andy and Kelly wanted nothing more than to get drunk with friends. They'd originally planned to rush through things quickly while leaving Earnie to manage weapon inventory—but when Earnie looked on the verge of tears and pleaded, "I was actually planning to meet Sylvia today! She might still be waiting!" they had no choice but to finish up together in a hurry.

"Harassing guys with girlfriends is just our style," Andy muttered.

"You'd better show some maturity for once, Smaysom. We can bully Boyd later."

"That's true."

"...Uh, so... am I supposed to get bullied?"

"Of course," the voice replied coldly.

Yet neither Andy nor Kelly could bring themselves to do something as despicable as making Earnie stand them up while a girl waited in the rain. No matter what, they were too sweet-hearted.

The three of them marched through the rain, singing battle songs competitively on their way to drink, only to find themselves suddenly thrust into Sylvia's dire predicament when they opened the door.

Andy and Kelly were far angrier than their appearances suggested—especially since it was Earnie's girlfriend after all.

"Hey, drunkard! There are three things I can't stand in this world: low-ceilinged general stores, blue basil, and anyone who makes my subordinates miserable."

Kelly raised her arm high to lecture the drunkard. If an ogre could extend its arm like that, it would stretch nearly five meters. Even inside the two-story open-concept tavern, where ceilings were already a concern for regular patrons, she hoisted him up until he seemed about to touch the roof—enough to sober even the most hardened drinker.

"W-wait! Stop it, you ogre bastard! Do you think the宪兵 will just stand by and let this happen?"

He screamed in protest. Kelly glanced at Andy, shrugged, and laughed.

"That's exactly what drunks who try to assault women always say."

"Exactly. Remember this, human: in Celesta, ogres can become both憲兵 and elite soldiers. My Earnie might even become an Ace Knight someday. Here, it's not half-elves or anything else—it's idiots who get hated the most!"

Still holding his head, Kelly suddenly hurled the man away with a powerful throw.

He smashed through the window shutters and flew out into the rain. Without hesitation, Kelly struck a dramatic muscle pose.

Overwhelmed by the sheer impact, everyone in the tavern broke into applause.

"Keh! You lowly scum... Hey Isaac, let's break this sword."

"Don't break it. We'll offer it to Mom as payment for the drinks."

"Well, maybe half today's bill at least... Alright, let's drink!"

"Yeah!"

Andy and Kelly cheered, leaning over the counter—but were immediately scolded by Mom. Though she chided them for being foolish kids who didn't even need to break a window, her voice softened slightly as she watched Earnie and the others return around the same time, having nervously observed from halfway through.

"Sorry, Sylvia-chan. From now on, I'll make sure to call bodyguards during the day too."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Sylvia clung tightly to Earnie's side like a lifeline, her face flushed red as she fell back in love with him all over again.

Even Mom, who had been so emotionally distant and insensitive until now, finally grasped that Sylvia's "boyfriend" was none other than the ogre. She couldn't have imagined at first that such a beautiful woman would be dating a burly-faced ogre.

"...By the way, you there, little ogre boy—if you stay soaked like this, you'll catch a cold."

"Oh, no, I'm fine with it."

"Don't be shy. Room 3 on the second floor is empty today—you can go wipe yourself off. There's a towel in the closet."

"Haa... haa..."

"Silvia-chan, let me help you out."

"Eh...?"

This was the captain's best effort to show care, though it lacked any real maturity. With a sharp wink, she flashed a grin that felt far too youthful for her position.

The second floor of the tavern was split: half an open loft, half a boarding house. Soldiers like Andy, who loved alcohol but had weak constitutions, often ended up passed out here. In truth, it was more of a rough-and-tumble den—a place not exactly known for wholesome vibes.

In one of those spartan rooms under such circumstances, Earnie was having his clothes stripped away while being hurriedly wiped down.

"...Earnie's really big, huh?"

"Oh, from the Ogas!"

"Yeah. You're so reliable."

"From the Ogas!"

"...Yeah. Including everything about you being from the Ogas... I love you, Earnie."

"Uu..."

Earnie turned bright red. As usual, he was completely flustered by Silvia's straightforward affection.

Smiling at him, Silvia confessed without hesitation or pretense that she had fallen for Earnie all over again.

"You really came to my rescue again, didn't you?"

"I... I only reached out a little bit!"

"But I was so happy. Whenever I'm in danger, you're always there for me. My heart just skipped a beat."

"Hehe... Well, Isaac and Smayson were left handling everything on their own..."

"Both of them got angry for Earnie's sake."

"...Yeah. I finally feel like I'm not alone anymore. I think this squad is great."

"Yeah. You're lucky to be in this squad, Earnie."

Silvia wrapped her arms around Earnie's neck, standing on her knees and hanging from his shoulders like a pendant.

"...I'm so glad you came. I'm so glad I got to meet you..."

"Silvia...?"

"...It was scary. So terrifyingly scary. But when things were at their worst, you saved me. I really, really love you... I thought, 'Wow, I'm so happy'!"

"...I'm lucky too."

"Yeah... Hey, say it. Say you like me."

"...I like you, Silvia-san."

"Say you love me."

"I love you, Silvia-san."

"Then..."

"I love you."

"...♪"

Silvia trembled all over.

"I love you," he said, anticipating my needs. To such an ideal man.
That alone made me feel the greatest joy a woman could experience; my core burned hot, grew wet, and trembled.

Earnie found Silvia so adorable that he gently embraced her.
He wrapped himself around her, who was wrapping herself around him, as their love continued to grow exponentially in an endless cycle. It was a blissful moment.

"……nnn."

After a while, Silvia pulled away.

And only then did both of them notice that the seam on her sleeve had torn slightly.

"Ahh…"

"Could it be from when you pulled it earlier?"

"…Maybe."

Earnie pondered what to do. In truth, despite appearances, he was skilled at sewing and could easily mend it before anyone noticed. Just as he was about to suggest fixing it, Silvia nodded affirmatively in response to something he said, then suddenly began undressing.

"W-wait… S-Silvia-san, if you're going to take off your clothes, I should too…"

"No!"

Silvia stopped Earnie from rushing up hastily.

He obediently closed his eyes and sat back down. Before him, now in just her undergarments, she climbed onto his lap, then with a sudden motion, used both hands to pull her eyelids open wide.

"Nnnngh… um, but…"

"Mr. Earnie, listen to me. Look at this."

"…………"

"We've become lovers, haven't we? We've been lovers since three months ago… Look, please?"

"Umm…"

Earnie cautiously turned his gaze toward Silvia.

At the sight of her beautiful, vulnerable form in undergarments, he blushed intensely and darted his eyes around nervously.

"…Yes."

"…Well, Mr. Earnie… I've been thinking…"

"Huh?"

"I was thinking that today, maybe it's okay for you to be mine exclusively… No, wait—that's not quite right. It's not just 'okay'; I want to belong only to you. I truly want to be loved by you more than anything."

"…Silvia-san…"

"Mr. Earnie, do you dislike me? Can't we do this together?"

"…B-but, I'm an ogre…"

"It's fine. I'm human too."

"…No, that's not what I meant."

"I understand everything. I know you're a different species from us ogres. I also know that you might not find me attractive from your perspective. Yet, I still love you. I want to be loved by you."

"T-there's no reason for that! From my point of view, Silvia-san is truly charming… but I worry that being with you might cause trouble in your life."

"Ugh!"

Silvia grew exasperated.

Silvia understood. It was clear beyond words that Earnie loved her; the message came through in countless ways.
Still, Earnie was too gentle, too thoughtful—he couldn't bear to think he might soil her.

Then...

"Ear-nie-kun, I'm sorry!"

"...Eh? Eh!?"

She pulled down his underwear and exposed his penis.

With a soft pop, his erection emerged from his large frame—small enough to seem inadequate when compared to his bulk.

"Waaah..."

"Hehe... I'm serious."

After flashing Earnie a mischievous smile at his flustered state, Silvia began rubbing his penis with both hands.

She had seen it before—not for the first time. A few months ago, when Earnie suffered severe injuries from a full-body contusion, she had insisted on helping him urinate out of a sense of responsibility.

So she wasn't entirely shy about facing it. Yet, touching male genitalia with sexual intent was new to her, and things didn't go as planned.

"Ugh... I-I don't know... like this..."

"Ms. Silvia..."

"I'm sorry, I'm clumsy... I've never done this before... but I mean it!"

Overwhelmed, Silvia opened her mouth to his penis.
She knew such acts existed, but her knowledge was limited to what she could do with her hands; now, facing the act of oral contact, she felt utterly lost.
Looking up, Earnie wore a troubled expression—not because he found it pleasurable, but simply unsure how to respond to Silvia's actions.

"...Do you understand? I truly like you, Ear-nie-kun. Your penis... I can keep licking it as much as you want. But..."

"But?"

"...I'm sorry. Honestly, I don't know what to do... but I really want you to love me... I want you to fuck me."

"Eh? F-fuck me?"

"Really, is it okay if I get fucked?"

With her sexual knowledge failing to keep pace with her actions, Silvia raised a white flag honestly.

In exchange, she had made up her mind.

"Just hold my body as it is, force your penis inside me, and use me like a tool for friction. I want you to feel pleasure deeply and repeatedly through me."

"S-such a thing..."

"It doesn't matter if we tear apart. Do it. If you truly love me, then do it..."

From the depths of her heart, Silvia was driven by this urgent desperation.
Even if she lost her footing right here, as long as she could truly connect with Earnie, it would be fine. She wanted to prove that, as a woman, she could share intimacy with his masculinity. And beyond that, she craved an even deeper bond with him.

Her growing affection for Earnie had become uncontrollable; she desired their emotional and physical union so intensely it bordered on panic.

"...Silvia...-san..."

"..."

And then...
"...Are you really going to do it? I'm a man, after all."

As Sylvia's advances piled up, Earny finally began to loosen the reins of his reason.

"Yes."

"Even though I look like this, I have a huge interest in women? If you allow it, I might do something amazing every time we go on a date?"

That desire thrilled her so much that Sylvia trembled. Having just turned from the terror of being unable to express her love and not being accepted, she was now so happy she could barely hold back tears.

"...Do something amazing. Let me experience something amazing with you every week♪"

"…………Ugh, I don't know anymore."

"I also... I don't know anymore♪"

She stripped off her underwear, removing all fabric entirely.

No longer hiding anything from each other—heart and body alike, they revealed everything to one another.

Sylvia spread both arms wide, accepting Earny's hand.

"Yes, right there..."

"Wet..."

"Yes... I've been wet wanting to be held by you, Earny-kun... I was trying my hardest to get wet to welcome your penis...?"

"...Haa... haa... kuu"

"...Yes, it's okay. You can go in. Do whatever you like..."

"S-Sylvia-san!!!"

Sylvia had her waist and legs gripped by both hands, her legs spread apart, and she was pressed firmly against Earny's hips.

Though he tried to control his strength, the ogre's powerful arms meant the hymen wouldn't slowly stretch—it burst through in one sudden thrust.

"Nkuu...!!"

"...Haa... haa... Oh no, it's so... hot... and feels amazing..."

"...Yes, I can feel you inside me too..."

Earny's penis was surprisingly small compared to her massive body. Even by human standards, it was larger than average, but for an ogre, it was far from impressive.

Yet, this worked in their favor. Even with full insertion to the base, Sylvia wouldn't be damaged.

He could thrust dynamically all the way to the base without restraint.

And since Sylvia appeared light and small from Earny's perspective, he shook her so dynamically that she nearly flew apart. Earny himself was still a virgin, so overwhelmed by the bliss of his first sexual experience with a woman, he lost all self-control and kept "using" Sylvia relentlessly.

"Aa, ah, ahh... agu, ah... S-Sylvia-san... it feels so good, I can't stop... I'm sorry, excuse me... excuse me...!"

"A, ah, hyaa, aa, aah... hii, i, iaah...!!"

Both of them, once inserted, had no reason left—completely consumed by the experience.

Overwhelmed by it all, Sylvia was shaken back and forth endlessly, just for Earny's release.

"...Haa, aa... n, ahh... aa♪"

Even so, Sylvia wore a happy expression.

As a woman, she was undeniably satisfying Earny's ideal man—and that made her deeply, profoundly happy.

"Uaa, aa, ah... uaaah!!"

Earny became completely absorbed. He could think of nothing but reaching climax.

Then, he slammed Sylvia's waist against his own hips.

Slapping his glans against her cervix.

"Uaaaaaaahhhhh!!"

"Haa, aah... ah, aah... aah, nngh♪"

He climaxed with a powerful, spurting ejaculation.

"...Really did it...♪"

"I'm so sorry!"

"If you apologize, I'll get angry."

"...S-so sorry..."

"Eh."

She slapped both of Earny's cheeks sharply—pachin.

"...Nngh."

Then she kissed him, silencing Earny.

"I... am your girlfriend, right?"

"Yes."

"Does that mean we can have sex?"

"...If you say something like that, I'd think it's okay to do it?"

"Just make sure to pick the right place."

"...Yes."

"And be gentle."

"Yes."

"But also be intense."

"...That's hard."

"It's not. If you just let go, Earny-kun can only be gentle."

"...Y-yeah, I guess."

"Mm-hmm♪"

"Yo, Smayson."

"What's up, Isaac?"

"...Hey, do you think they're doing it?"

"...I'd vote for the ones just talking sweet nothings without even touching."

"I'm voting for the ones hosting a feast of lust."

※Correct answer: Both.

"This sucks either way, damn it."

"...Let's bully them when we get back."

"Let's bully them."

The two of them were then struck once each on the head by their teacher with a tray.

"You soldiers—your job is to ruin your comrades' happiness, is that it?"

"N-no way! This is a legitimate right!"

"Damn it! Happy people should be humiliated straight away so everyone else gets a little happy too!"

"I was stupid for getting even a tiny bit excited by your performances."

"Just because an old lady like me got excited..."

"Huh?"

"...Pay up. Full amount, now."

[Seriously sorry]

This happened one month before Selen's arrival.