“This kind and beautiful young lady—oh, and that girl who loves kicking people with her boots! Today, our inn is running a special promotion!”
“…Who are you calling someone who loves kicking people with boots?”
Beatrice’s brow twitched. She started rolling up her sleeves, fully intending to educate this green-haired girl on a crucial detail: she didn’t just like kicking people with boots—she also loved punching them with her fists.
Compared to magic, the satisfying thud of a fist landing had its own special thrill.
Sensing she was about to get violent, Aurora hurriedly stepped in front of the girl to block her path.
“Come on, don’t take it out on a kid, Beatrice,” she said with an awkward laugh. “Weren’t you tired? Let’s just get a room and rest already.”
Turning to the green-haired girl, she asked, “So, about that promotion you mentioned?”
“Oh! Right, it’s a discount for couples staying together!”
“Couples… Then maybe we shoul—”
Clink.
Before Aurora could finish, a bright gold coin dropped into the girl’s hand with a crisp sound.
“One room,” Beatrice said, cutting her off and pulling the still-stunned Aurora back to her side.
“G-G-Gold?!”
The girl’s brain short-circuited for a moment at the sight of the glittering coin. When she finally processed what had happened, her face lit up with uncontainable joy.
This was a gold coin! She had never seen one in her life, let alone held one in her hand. Of course she was overjoyed.
But there was a problem. This entire inn wasn’t worth even close to a gold coin. Renting every room wouldn’t even come close. And she certainly didn’t have enough silver coins on hand to make change.
“Um, miss… We don’t have change for something like this. Do you have copper coins? Just seven coppers will do!”
“No need for change. Lead the way.”
“N-No change?!! R-Right away, my beautiful and very generous lady! This way, please! I’ll give you the very best two rooms we have!”
“No need for two. We want a couple’s room.”
“Eh? But—”
“Lead the way.”
“Y-Yes ma’am!”
The green-haired girl stumbled ahead in a flurry of excitement, eagerly leading the way.
“…Beatrice, isn’t this a bit too extravagant?” Aurora whispered, tugging gently at the hem of Beatrice’s dress.
“You gave her that much money—you could’ve at least asked for two rooms.”
She knew Beatrice’s habits well by now. The woman was careless with money and hated hassles. Most likely, she had just grabbed whatever coin came out of her pocket first and couldn’t be bothered to dig around for silver.
As for not asking for change—well, carrying too many coins was annoying, so she probably decided to just leave it.
Beatrice had no concept of budgeting. She only remembered she needed money when her pockets were completely empty, and then she’d casually go take on some job to earn more.
Aurora had tried lecturing her about it many times… not that Beatrice ever listened.
“I want a single bed,” Beatrice said flatly. “Bad mood today. I want to hug something when I sleep.”
As she spoke, her eyes glanced meaningfully toward Aurora.
“…Fine, alright.”
Aurora sighed, already resigned to the fact she’d end up sleeping straight through to the afternoon again.
After climbing to the second floor, they stopped at a door lavishly decorated with oversized flowers.
The door had a heart painted in pink, and inside the heart was a doodle of a stick figure in a dress kissing another stick figure in a suit.
“Wait, wait!”
The green-haired girl suddenly stopped them, pulling a crayon from her pocket and scribbling on the door.
“There! All done!”
She stepped aside to reveal her new masterpiece: the stick figure in the suit now had a long white wig and a dress, while the other figure wore a classic witch’s outfit—complete with a hat.
She handed the room key to Aurora with a grin.
“Congratulations on your marriage, you two~ Heehee!”
With that, she skipped away down the hall.
“Wh-what do you mean, marriage?! That kid’s talking nonsense,” Aurora huffed, her face flushing.
She and Beatrice shared a pure, innocent friendship. At most, you could call them close as sisters. That was it.
She turned to Beatrice, who didn’t respond. Instead, she took the key from Aurora’s hand, opened the door, and walked straight in.
Aurora, already used to her silence, followed without another word.
Inside, the room matched the over-the-top flowers on the door—gaudy and excessive. Pink hearts were painted all over the walls, the curtains were drawn, and only the flickering candlelight illuminated their faces faintly.
The one large bed in the room was covered in pink flower petals. With the see-through pink curtains framing it, the entire setup could easily stir anyone’s imagination.
“…Feels like they went a little overboard.”
The room’s strange atmosphere of forced intimacy made it hard to breathe. Aurora had a creeping suspicion that anyone doing those kinds of things here might actually suffocate from the sheer awkwardness.
She shuffled up beside Beatrice and whispered, “Maybe we should switch to a normal room?”
“This one’s fine. Going to sleep.”
Beatrice closed the door, tossed her broom and hat to the side, kicked off her boots, and climbed onto the bed.
Rustle, rustle—soon enough, her large witch robe was off and discarded on a nearby table.
Her pale skin was now fully visible, her lithe figure perfectly outlined by the tight black undergarments clinging to her body.
Just as she reached to unfasten her bra, she glanced toward Aurora.
“What are you waiting for? Undress and get in already.”
“O-okay…”
Blushing, Aurora obediently slipped off her dress and climbed onto the not-so-large bed. To avoid one of them falling off in the night, the only real option was to cuddle close.
Honestly, it felt like the bed had been designed with exactly that in mind.
Once Beatrice removed the last piece of clothing covering her, she slid under the blankets.
Lifting one side of the covers, she motioned for Aurora to come in.
“It’s cold. Hurry up and get in.”
“I’m coming, I’m coming.”
Aurora didn’t have the habit of sleeping naked, so she kept her underwear on as she slipped into the blanket.
“Ugh, the scent of these flowers is so strong…”
“Don’t even know if I’ll be able to fall asleep.”
“Go to sleep.”
With a snap of Beatrice’s fingers, the flickering candlelight in the room was instantly snuffed out.
The room fell into complete darkness. Held tightly in Beatrice’s arms, Aurora quietly waited for sleep to come.
Their skin pressed together, radiating a gentle warmth. Beatrice’s calm, steady breathing echoed in Aurora’s ears.
Suddenly, she was held even tighter. A soft, pale thigh resting at her waist began to move restlessly against her skin. Beatrice’s delicate face was now much closer, her warm breath clearly audible.
Aurora knew this state well—it meant Beatrice had entered deep sleep. No matter how she was shaken or called, she wouldn’t wake up now.
But things were different for Aurora. Being rubbed against like this made it hard to fall asleep. The spots being touched tickled, and her mind couldn’t calm down.
“I really want to run…”