Perhaps it was both her and my first time kissing, which made our expressions oddly similar.

Except for the fact that she had her eyes closed while mine remained wide open, the two of us were equally frozen, our minds completely blank, our faces tinged with a blush of embarrassment.

Alright, it’s time to admit it... Yes, I’m a virgin—a pure, untainted virgin boy. This was my first time being so intimate with a girl. Naturally, my brain had shut down. But thankfully, ViniVini was just as flustered, which allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief.

There’s a certain advantage to having someone who’s even more clueless than you right by your side.

It makes me feel unstoppable.

About five minutes later, ViniVini released her grip on me, her entire body abruptly collapsing onto my lap from her previous clinging posture. She rested her head on my legs, her eyelids fluttering open, staring directly at me.

I stared back at her.

“That.”

ViniVini opened her mouth.

Huh?

“That…”

What?

“THAT!!!” Just as I was furrowing my brow, wondering what she was trying to communicate, she suddenly grabbed her head and screamed loudly, sitting upright in a flash.

She was so fast that I didn’t even have time to dodge her. With a resounding *thunk*, her skull collided with my chin. The sharp pain radiating from my lower jaw damn near brought tears to my eyes.

“AAAAHHHH!!!”

ViniVini was still screaming hysterically. She ripped the covers off me and buried her head under them, leaving only her adorable little hips raised high in the air.

It looked like she had entered the “realizing I’ve done something incredibly stupid” meltdown phase.

“ViniVini, calm down…”

Even through my own nervousness, an instinct told me I had to take action. After all, I’m the guy here—which means I need to take the initiative at times like this. That much I understood clearly.

Just as my hand reached out toward ViniVini’s raised bottom, she peeked out from under the blanket, her hair a disheveled mess, staring at me with wide, unfocused eyes.

The next second.

“I... I... I…”

Three stammered "I’s" escaped her lips, entirely failing to tell me what she wanted to say.

So naturally, I asked.

“...Are you okay?”

“AAAAHHHH!”

Her reply was another scream, this time supplemented with cobra-like writhing and twisting.

“I! I! I!!!”

So what IS it?!

“Rogied!”

She suddenly shouted my name, startling me into sitting bolt upright.

“Yes, yes! I’m here!”

“...I need…”

“I’m leaving!!!”

Having started to say something meaningful, she abruptly resorted to fleeing, covering her face as she scrambled off the bed, hastily jammed her feet into her shoes, and bolted toward the door.

Since her hands were still covering her face, she smacked straight into the closed door with her head...

*THUD!*

...Just the sound alone made me wince sympathetically.

But acting like it didn’t hurt at all, she rubbed her forehead and proceeded to bash into the door a second time...

*THUD!*

“You need to open the door if you want to leave! Breaking it means you’ll have to pay for it!”

I couldn’t help but remind her.

The word "pay" seemed to snap her back into consciousness. She turned to cast a grateful smile my way, only for her face to twist into a grimace upon seeing me. She pinched her nose before swinging the door open wide and fleeing the room.

In an instant, I was left alone.

But regardless of appearances, I wasn’t calm inside either... Just listen to my racing heartbeat—thump thump thump—it’s pounding so quickly.

I walked over to the door, poked my head out to make sure ViniVini wasn’t nearby, and then returned to the bed.

“AAAAHHHH!!”

Mimicking her, I buried my face deep into the blankets.

“Calm down, Rogied! Calm down! Sure, you’re a virgin, but right now, you have a chance to change that right in front of you! So think carefully—what do you really want to do?!”

“Make a move on ViniVini!!!”

"Alright, alright. Now let me ask you a few things first. Number one: Do you actually *like* ViniVini?!"

“LIKE HER!!! ViniVini is the ultimate airhead! She’s amazing! Her figure’s amazing! Her personality’s amazing! And the best part is, she lets me boss her around!!!” I shouted loudly in answer to my inner dialogue.

“So! Make your choice. Will you pretend nothing happened and run away, or chase her down and make your wish come true?!”

“Make my wish come true.”

I didn’t hesitate to pick the latter option. Straightening my back, I flung off the blanket and focused my unclouded gaze on ViniVini’s single bed.

Then I rolled around on it, inhaling deeply and repeatedly for several lungfuls.

... A girl’s scent—it’s absolutely intoxicating...

“Wait, what is wrong with me?! I’m still acting like a virgin, aren’t I...”

I slapped myself hard across the cheek, scrambling out of bed to throw on clothes. After a quick splash of water to freshen up, I pushed open the door and took off jogging.

The plan in my heart was already crystal clear:

Find ViniVini → Talk things over face-to-face → Admit I’m happy when I’m with her → Confess I like her → Make a move.

...No, no, that’s not nearly efficient enough. Words won’t cut it—the key is to *show* her how I feel.

So the plan revision was this:

Find ViniVini → Make a move.

“......”

Half an hour later, I stopped dead in my tracks, crashing forehead-first into a nearby wall.

“I’m an idiot, aren’t I...”

---

Day six in Goinbair City.

Though the Adventurer’s Festival was winding down, the streets were still packed with merchants and adventurers striking deals. Not far away, vendors staged entertainment performances to showcase their wares—whether by arranging mock battles between adventurers or using provocatively dressed female professionals to attract foot traffic.

It wasn’t nearly as congested as the previous days, when the crowds were shoulder-to-shoulder, but the bustle remained vivid enough to capture the essence of Goinbair’s unique “adventuring culture.”

If I had to sum up Goinbair’s Adventurer’s Festival in one sentence, it’d definitely be: “Those provocatively dressed beauty professionals are seriously top-tier—their hips are curves of perfection, their chests rivaling mountains… Wait, Rogied! Ever since ViniVini kissed you, something’s clearly off with your brain! Damn it, snap out of it!”

I punched myself in the face.

Passersby stared curiously at the deranged-looking teen who was mumbling to himself and slapping his own cheeks.

I shook my head sharply, forcing the mental image of every gorgeous lady adventurer’s face to transform into ViniVini’s.

Instantly, my self-proclaimed gentlemanly demeanor returned.

...Because the thought of ViniVini dressed provocatively and parading about was ten times as chaotic as anything else!