Night had fallen.
Elfea and I finally stepped into the room—which, honestly, was barely enough for two people. One bed. One blanket. A space that was supposed to be cozy felt more like a coffin.
I stood awkwardly in one corner. Elfea stood in the opposite one. We exchanged glances… awkward silence.
"O-Okay… I'll just sleep on the floor, alright? You take the bed." I tried to act like a gentleman, though my heart silently screamed in agony.
Elfea eyed me suspiciously, her gaze narrowing.
"Are you sure? Or is this just some act so you can sneak into the bed in the middle of the night?"
I flinched.
"I-I'm not a night predator, Elfea! Please don't accuse me of such things!" I frantically waved my hands.
Elfea chuckled softly, clearly enjoying herself.
"Just teasing, Rey. But seriously… if you sleep on this cold floor, you might not even wake up tomorrow."
Huh… now that she mentioned it, that is a possibility. Could it be… Elfea actually cares?
A theory began forming in my head.
"Then… how about you sleep on the floor, Elfea? You're an elf—your body's probably stronger than a human's. Plus… aren't you like, a hundred and fifty years old?" I tried flipping the argument.
Elfea glared at me.
"Rey… you do know that half-dragons can live up to a thousand years, right? Which means I'm still technically a teenager."
Thud.
Wait. That means I'm sharing a room with a teenager… in a fully grown body… who's older than me… but still mentally young—ugh, my brain's crashing!
"I… give up…" I flopped onto the floor, burying my head under a pillow.
Elfea just sighed and facepalmed.
"Humans are so weak…"
But I could hear her giggle.
And somehow, her laughter that night… felt warmer than usual.
So yeah…
Our first night as official partners started with a war of nerves, mutual suspicion, and ended with me curled up on the freezing floor, hugging a ragged pillow, teeth chattering.
"Rey… are you sure you're not cold?"
Elfea's voice came from the bed above. I was trembling on the icy floor that felt like a frozen slab.
"Y-Yeah… I'm a man. A real man. A man who endures pain. Cold. Heartbreak."
I tried to sound tough, even though my teeth were rattling like maracas.
Elfea peeked over the edge of the bed.
"You sure it's not shame you're trying to endure?" she grinned.
I groaned.
"Enough with the teasing, Elfea. I need to focus on surviving hypothermia."
A few moments of silence passed. Then…
"Hey, Rey… you know there's a dragon legend that says… if you sleep too long on a cold floor, certain parts of your body might… you know, shrink. Permanently."
I jolted upright.
"W-What?! Which… which parts?!"
Elfea looked at me coolly.
"You know. The ones macho guys love to brag about."
My face turned tomato red.
"E-Elfea! Don't say weird things like that!"
Elfea covered her mouth, holding back laughter.
"Hahaha… oh my gosh, your expression is priceless. Didn't think you'd react that strongly."
I sighed in defeat.
"Alright fine… for safety's sake, I'll sleep on the edge of the bed. The farthest corner. I promise I won't touch you or… shrink anything."
Elfea was quiet for a moment… then nodded casually.
"Alright. But if you try anything funny, I do have Dragon Fire, you know."
I instantly froze like a statue.
"O-Okay. Noted. I'll lie here like a gravestone."
That night, I lay on the edge of a narrow bed, back turned to Elfea, trying my best not to move… or even breathe too loudly.
Inside, I wept.
So this… this is what it's like to live—well, room—with a half-dragon girl?
Morning came.
I woke up with a pounding headache, a sore back, and…
Wait.
Why do I feel something warm behind me?
Slowly, I turned… and froze.
Elfea—at some point during the night—had moved. Now, she was curled up against my back!?
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I-Is this… a dream?
I swallowed hard, trying to shift away without waking her. But, of course…
"Rey… are you trying to escape?"
Elfea's voice—low and dangerous—sliced through the air.
I stiffened instantly. Slowly, I turned around… and yep. She had one eye open, glaring at me like a tiger rudely woken from its nap.
"I-I can explain this, Elfea! I didn't mean anything weird! Really! I'm an honest person!" I panicked while waving my hands.
Elfea squinted.
"Why's your face red like a boiled shrimp, then?"
"B-Because… I was cold! Yeah, cold!"
She gave me a knowing smirk.
"Sigh… humans really are weak."
Then, to my surprise, she sat up, stretching and yawning.
"Well, I didn't expect the bed to be that small. We kinda had no choice but to end up squished together."
Wait. Did… did I unconsciously crawl onto the bed last night?
I froze again.
No choice? Elfea… don't tell me you're actually… secretly clingy?
Before I could form another theory, a pillow smacked me in the face.
"Come on, get up already. Didn't you say you're joining the tournament? Don't tell me a narrow bed defeated you."
I sighed deeply.
"Yeah, yeah… but next time… can we get a room with two beds?"
Elfea grinned.
"If you're paying, sure."
Ugh… my life is seriously hard.
So began our first morning as official partners—with a near heart attack, embarrassment overload, and… a hotel bill no one wanted to pay. Of course, I paid.
I had just finished fixing the pillow—now officially a victim of last night's mental war—when Elfea stood up, casually fixing her long hair which—unfairly—still looked flawless despite just waking up.
Meanwhile, I looked into the mirror and saw a disaster zone. My hair looked like a bird's nest hit by a blizzard.
"You humans are so tragic," Elfea commented casually while combing her hair with her fingers.
"Look at you. One night's sleep and you already look like you got mauled by a snow bear."
I sighed.
"Do you always wake up looking like you just finished a magazine shoot?"
Elfea smirked slyly.
"Took you this long to notice? That's the advantage of being a half-dragon."
I recoiled.
"I-I didn't get to choose my race at birth, Elfea! That's… that's literally discrimination from the universe!"
She chuckled softly.
"Excuses, Rey."
I rubbed my temples.
"Yeah… my life is a series of excuses and tragedies… including financial ones."
Elfea glanced at me, winking.
"Well then… how about becoming my servant? Maybe I'll protect you, Rey… or at least get us a softer bed."
I instantly took three steps back.
"W-Wait… do half-dragons just enjoy exploiting humans?! Is that like… your hobby?!"
She only shrugged.
"Wanna find out? I've got fire."
Thud.
I sat down in a corner, head lowered like a chick scared of its mama hen.
"E-Elfea… I swear, I'll be a good partner… and avoid the flames of doom…"
Elfea laughed in triumph.
"Good. You learn fast, Rey."
And so… a morning I thought would be normal turned into another session of being Elfea's entertainment.
Somehow… I had a feeling I wouldn't survive a week with her.