Re:Zero -Starting Life in Zero

The girl raised her hand to smooth the silver strands of hair that had fallen to her cheek, revealing the small, pointed ears unique to elves.

"Green, look over there, it looks like Subaru!"

Emilia suddenly raised her hand and pointed to the octagonal pavilion in the courtyard downstairs, her voice carrying a hint of curiosity typical of someone who's just watching the drama unfold.

The shadows of the two people in the pavilion were intertwined under the warm lamplight. Natsuki Subaru leaned against the cool stone pillar, his eyelashes trembling in surprise.

The female soldier in light armor raised her hand to hold the back of his neck, placed her other hand against his waist, and leaned down to kiss him fiercely.

His neat short hair swept across Subaru's reddened jawline with a touch of brute force, making even his struggles look awkward.

"It's that Miss Sera from before! It seems she and Subaru have become best friends."

Emilia exclaimed in surprise, her eyes filled with recognition and acknowledgment of this affection.

In that instant, she realized that her feelings for Green were not unusual, but simply a perfectly normal thing.

"Ordinary" and "common" have always been the two words that young girls yearn for most.

"Wow, this development is too slow!" Green also quickly looked closely, a maternal smile curving his lips.

Emilia's cheeks flushed as she looked at the scene. Her small hand, which had been resting on the edge of the carved balcony, quietly moved towards Green and gently touched his palm.

After a brief moment of surprise, Grimm grasped Emilia's hand tightly, took a step back, and encircled the girl between himself and the balcony railing. He gently rested his chin on her shoulder, immersing himself in the ambiance of Chanel.

"Lia, has Parker ever told you what kind of relationship is beyond best friends?" Green's voice was soft, brushing against her ear, with warm breath.

Emilia curled up slightly, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

"Beyond the closest of friends... it should be like family, always together..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she pursed her lips in annoyance, feeling that the answer was wrong, but she couldn't think of anything else, so she could only let the heat on her cheeks burn all the way to her neck.

In fact, Parker never taught her anything about love and romance.

Even the childish rumor that "kissing can lead to pregnancy" was something she heard from the nine-year-old young master of the Mezas family many years ago.

But she dared not say this aloud. If Green knew that she had believed a child's nonsense, she would be laughed at for a long time. So she could only secretly let Parker take the blame for her.

Green wiggled his nose and gently brushed against her soft ear, causing a slight tremor to run through the girl's shoulders and neck.

"Haha, that's true. That feeling of wanting to be family with someone, missing them when you can't see them, feeling empty inside. When you're together, you feel at ease, wanting to share the little things in your heart, and when your heart is at peace, you always unconsciously get sleepy..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Emilia yawned for no apparent reason, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.

Remembering Green's words, she hurriedly perked up, raised her hand to cover her mouth with her fingertips, her eyes still slightly moist from just falling asleep.

After calming herself down, the girl looked up and softly said, "Green, I don't understand what this feeling is..."

"...It's love, like the love between my parents, the kind of love that makes them want to stay together for life."

"Dad... Mom..."

Emilia murmured the two unfamiliar yet warm words, her voice trembling slightly at the end.

"Jules..." A sharp, stabbing headache suddenly struck, causing her body to twitch slightly for a moment, and her fingertips instinctively tightened around Green's hand.

Green's heart tightened, and he quickly steadied her.

He then gently turned her body around, cupped her small face in his hands, and said with concern, "Are you alright, Liya? Don't think about anything else, just look at me like this."

Those two words just now gently pried open the seal on Emilia's memories, and a blurry fragment flashed by.

But in Green's arms, the discomfort in her mind was quickly dispelled by shame.

The girl avoided eye contact with Grimm, her voice trembling as she murmured, "You're...you're too close, Grimm..."

"What's there to be shy about?"

Green chuckled softly, his fingertips gently touching her chin, a flicker of emotion in his eyes. "Isn't this a privilege only the closest of friends have?"

His thumb gently traced her soft lips as he leaned down, getting closer and closer to her.

Their warm breaths mingled, carrying each other's scent, sweet and intoxicating.

"Lia, let me see your little tongue..."

"Um……"

Emilia obediently closed her eyes, murmured a sound, and parted her lips slightly, sticking out a small section of her fragrant tongue.

Green's lips gently covered hers, holding her firmly in his arms. His kiss was slow and tender, without a trace of rudeness, just like a feather brushing against her lips, making them feel soft.

In the heat of the moment, Green also began to use his self-created power—the dishonest hand.

The hand gently slid down the soft curve of her waist, the fingertips brushing against the folds of her waistline, pausing briefly at her hip before giving it a light pinch, the pressure neither too light nor too heavy, carrying a hint of intimate teasing.

"ah--"

Emilia trembled with fright. She suddenly raised her hand and pressed it against Green's chest, using the force of her panic to jump out of Green's arms.

"G-Grin, where were you...touching just now?" The girl bit her lip and staggered, her eyes filled with panic and she dared not look at him. Her pointed elf ears trembled violently, and she could not even finish her sentence.

Grimm chuckled sheepishly and explained, "Sorry, Leah, doesn't this just mean my body loves you more than my soul... How about we kiss again?"

"Da-meh."

Emilia kept a straight face and crossed her arms in refusal.

"You bad Green! I'm not kissing you again today, hmph!"

The girl pouted and turned around, like a startled little rabbit, and quickly ran towards the party corridor. Her skirt swept across the carved railings of the balcony, leaving a faint fragrance in the air.

Green watched her flee in a panic, and helplessly smoothed his hair with his hands.

"Damn Lia, how can you run away halfway? This is giving me a challenge!"

He shook his head, no longer wanting to stay on the balcony in the breeze, and slowly walked towards his room.

The moment I pushed open the door, the expected empty room was filled with the faint sound of voices.

……

"Hurry up, Betty! Mimi's been waiting forever!"

Mimi spoke first, her voice tinged with urgency, her little hands crookedly clutching a few playing cards.

Betty glanced at her sideways and snorted, "Shut up, don't disturb Betty's thinking. But you, you just swapped cards with the Black Tarot, didn't you!"

Black Tarot? Green remembered, it was Mimi's younger brother.

I looked around several times but couldn't spot the person. There was only a little furball with notes stuck to its face huddled to the side, trembling.

Upon seeing Green enter, the little guy quickly ran over for help.

"Big Brother Green, why don't you play with my sisters? No matter if I'm the landlord or not, my sisters won't let me win, waaaaah—"