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—Urania’s POV
　
「Urania, are you awake?」
「……」

As I was curled up in bed, I heard Lily’s worried voice. Right now, I really don’t want Lily to talk to me, so I ignored her, but she entered the bedroom anyway.

「Urania?」
「…… Lily…」

After mumbling something at the entrance, Lily climbed up the bed and caressed my head while gently speaking to me. I hesitated for a moment but unable to resist, I eventually decided to answer her call.

「Urania, you did great today.」
「…… But I lost.」

I did my best, I worked really hard, and I put my all into it. Those are all just excuses.
I went in with the intention to win and I couldn’t. I didn’t produce any results.

「Was Tebby tough? What about Sola?」
「…… He was tough. I couldn’t, reach him, at all.」

My voice is shaking. What does Lily want to hear from me?

「I thought that I could reach him, but after he transformed, I couldn’t do anything at all……」

I thought that I cornered Tebby. It wasn’t by my own power alone but I thought that we had an equal fight. But it was different. Tebby wasn’t serious. Tebby didn’t even look at me.

「I couldn’t, reach Sola, at all. I couldn’t, even, touch her.」

My tears are flowing out. I was made painfully aware of the gap between us. Against the transformed Sola, my blade couldn’t reach, not even a millimeter of it. I couldn’t even land a light scratch on her.

「I won’t lose in speed! I was so confident about it! But! With speed! I couldn’t win!」

Together with my tears, the feelings I wanted to keep hidden gushed out.

「It’s not, just Tebby, and Sola! Even Ethel, Jassie! Everyone else! Unlike me! Unlike me……」

They’re not-……

「Lily!」
「Woah!?」

I reflexively embraced Lily. Once again, I’m here taking advantage of Lily’s kindness.

A defective like me doesn’t deserve someone who can do anything like Lily.

Rather than me, someone like Sola or Tebby would be better by Lily’s side, but I can’t even say that to her.

「Lily.」
「Yeah?」
「I’m inexperienced.」
「I’m still inexperienced as well.」
「I’m useless.」
「That’s not true.」
「I’m defective.」
「You’re not.」
「Please don’t hate me.」
「Of course I won’t!」
「Don’t leave me all alone!」
「Naturally.」
「Do-!? Nhmmm!?」

Something soft suddenly blocked my mouth.

「Nmm……!」

A moment later, I finally realized that it was Lily’s lips. It’s not our usual pecking kiss. I instinctively pursed my lips, but Lily easily entered through.

「Ah- Fwa……Nngh……!」

I attempted to pull back my head in order to escape, but before I knew it her arms were already tight around my head and it couldn’t move at all.

「Ngh……Hgn……Pwah! Haa……Haa……」

After thoroughly ravaging my mouth, Lily finally separated our lips.

「Urania, it’s alright. I’ll never abandon you and I’ll never come to hate you.」

Saying so, she gently embraced me. I can feel my heart skip a beat. And I can feel the fog clouding my heart, melt away.

「Urania…」
「L-lily……」

Locking eyes with her, we gently kissed. At first, we were only brushing our lips against each other, Then we locked lips, and lastly, our tongues entwined and our saliva mixed together……

I feel Lily’s arm around my back slowly going lower. And in reply, I wrap my arms around her back and bring myself closer to her. Lily wants me. And there’s nothing that has ever made me happier than this fact……

「Nn, nnh……?」

As I woke up the next day, I couldn’t move my body at all.

「Are you awake, Urania?」

Shifting my line of sight to where the voice came from, I saw Lily half-naked, or rather with only her panties on, carrying mugs in both hands while peering at me.

「Morning Lily.」
「Morning Urania. Can you get up? I got some tea, but would you like water instead?」
「…… Tea is fine.」

I remember last night, Lily and I made love with each other all night long. Still, I can’t even move my hips and legs properly right now, so I don’t understand how Lily is doing just fine.

「We overdid it a bit, huh. I’ll help you up, whoop!」

Lily helped me sit up and passed me the tea. With everything that happened yesterday, I felt parched and dehydrated, so the cold tea really permeates through my body.

「What?」
「No, it’s just, we’ve finally gotten this far.」
「What’s with that?」

Since Lily was looking at me with a smile, I couldn’t help but ask her with a sharp tone, but I also didn’t quite understand what she said. Still, well, that is true. It should be about a year since we met? I would have never thought that we would end up this way.

「You know, I… have something I have to tell you.」
「What?」
「The truth is, I thought of a way to cure your disease.」
「Eh?」

Saying so, Lily caresses my stomach, at the area below my navel. It’s a bit ticklish, but it feels warm and pleasant.

The “Diseased”, or more specifically the people afflicted by the side effects of the drug used to cure the “Children’s Disease” are said to be unable to achieve beast transformation. The “children’s disease” is an illness that starts with a fever caused by an abnormal surge of magic power which would result in headaches, vomiting, and difficulty in breathing. When non-beastkin are afflicted by the “children’s disease” their total magic power slightly increases, so I heard that it’s sometimes even celebrated.

In the case of beastkin, the organ inside the body that stores magic power stops functioning because of the cure. Since the magic power necessary for beast transformation would come from that organ, the beastkin that are treated with the cure would be unable to use beast transformation.

「In Tebby’s case, for example, it’s the horns. For Sola, it’s the tail. Since the place where beastkin stores magic power is different even from clan to clan, there’s no single solution. In your case Urania, it would be here, below the navel. Would you understand if I say it’s the dantian?」

After caressing my lower abdomen, then she knocked at a certain spot as if to draw attention to it. And I just noticed it now but, Lily, why am I naked?…… I don’t even have underwear on……

「The reason its functions halted is because it was temporarily emptied of magic power. Due to that, it stopped functioning, and even after it’s supplemented with magic power, magic power would flow somewhere else, so it doesn’t reactivate. To restart its natural function, it’ll be necessary to forcibly fill it with magic power and reawaken it. Like, this!」
「Higck!?」

Lily sharply stuck her finger into my stomach, causing me to cough out. Just when I was about to complain to Lily, I felt my abdomen burning up with heat, as if all the heat in my body gathered in that place.

「After that, as long as it’s injected with magic power, its functions will recover. With the use of medicine, it should take about 2-3 years.」
「…… If not medicine?」
「There are also ways to directly inject magic power. Though because of where it is, the methods are limited……」

In this case, it’ll be 2 to 3 months, said Lily.

Inject magic power from the outside. The place: lower abdomen. What these words imply is painfully obvious.

And I’m sure that the reason Lily hesitated up until now, is because she knew that I would choose this without any second thought.

「Lily, please! As fast as possible!」
「Understood.」

Hearing my plea, Lily nodded without hesitation. I have no regrets. I’d hate it if it was some stranger I don’t even know, but since it’s Lily, there’s no problem.

「Then, I won’t hold back, okay?」
「Li, ly?」

　On top of the bed the next day, I slightly regretted my choice.¹

1. Silva: So.. they have sex…