More than a month had passed since the incident in Hell. The demon society had undergone great changes after the restoration and loss of some of the pure-blooded devils, but this did not bother the dragons at all. The Ouroboros flock remained in its territory, not caring about the problems of the rest of the world. The initial sharp defensive reaction of the dragons had softened. This was greatly facilitated by the elimination of the hidden threats of the future princess of the dragon race.
The numbers on the calendar slowly replaced one after another, and the end of the year was inevitably approaching. The dragon family decided to spend this significant event with their loved ones, far from the bustle of the city. For this, Silence rented a hot spring resort, which was now completely at their disposal. Apart from their group, only a few hotel workers were supposed to accompany them in this deserted place.
— You first, Hitori, — Silence greeted the girl who appeared from the magic circle with a smile. — Wait in the living room with Ophis for now, the others should arrive soon.
— Nobu still hasn't come?
— No. She went to see her aunt in Okinawa. You should understand her situation yourself — the girl had gradually distanced herself from them lately. She also took advantage of the current situation by moving to the "outer zone", which further reduced her contact with the Ouroboros couple. — Let's not talk about sad things. I'll go get our couple now, tell the others.
— Okay — after seeing the young man off, the guitarist entered the hall, where she hugged the head of the family. — Hello, Ophis. How are you feeling?
— Hello, good, — the Dragon God gently stroked his slightly rounded belly. — Does your family mind your absence for the New Year?
— He-he-he! — she laughed sheepishly, remembering the overreaction of her caring parents. — Let's just say they didn't mind. Hello, Esdeath, and thank you.
— You're welcome, — the blue—haired girl placed a drink in front of Ophis as well, and sat down on a chair. — Has Silence already left?
— Yes, he went to get Hachiman and Hiratsuka-sensei, — she called her friend by her last name, more out of habit.
— I see, — dejectedly putting the full glass aside, the ice dragon felt a piercing gaze on herself. — W-what?
Ophis didn't answer right away, continuing to watch her closely. The girl felt the pressure from her God, but tried to appear unperturbed. The staring continued for several minutes, and eventually Ouroboros' lips spread into a smile.
— Nothing. Continue to take care of my husband, — she deliberately emphasized, emphasizing her status. — As long as you know your place and don't cross the line, you can be with him. However, if you cross the line... Silence will come to terms with my decision.
— ... Why?! — Having endured the killing intent, Esdeath clenched her fists until they bled. She wanted answers, even if it cost her her life. — Why do you allow her — her finger pointed at the silent Hitori — to be so close to him, but not me?!!
— Ha-a-a-a... — a heavy sigh escaped Ouroboros. This conversation had been brewing for a long time. — The answer is simple: Hitori's feelings are familial love. She treats him like a brother, while you...
There was no point in continuing to talk, everyone understood perfectly well what the girl meant. An awkward silence hung until the rest of the guests arrived.
***
The location Silence had chosen was far from any major cities. An exclusive two—story hot spring inn was built on top of a mountain with nothing but wild nature around. He had to use magic to get the building for himself alone. The principled owners refused to rent the inn out even for a huge amount, ten times their potential profit. They wanted to let many people enjoy this opportunity, but the dragon had other plans.
— Ah, good! — Vritra blurted out, draining another glass of sake. Having received the long-awaited freedom, the dragon enjoyed the pleasures of life to the fullest. —How nostalgic.
— The scenery is stunning, — Hachiman agreed with him.
Not all of the dragon couple's friends decided to go on this trip. Tannin preferred to stay home and keep an eye on the restless youth, while Crom Cruach was simply not interested in such things. The evil dragon was going to visit his old acquaintances and have a good fight.
There were three guys in the open-air hot spring now. The spring, divided into zones by a fence, opened up a beautiful view of the untouched forests around. On the other side of the bamboo wall, the female part of the group was also sitting and enjoying the view. Tiamat, as a good friend, accompanied the pregnant Ophis to help in case of an emergency. Besides them, there was a young teacher and two other members of the Ouroboros pack.
— Do you really have to act like a strict nanny? — Ophis asked with a grin. — I'm not that fragile.
— You are indeed strong, Ophis, but you underestimate the significance of this event, —Tiamat complained once again. — The god of all dragons is pregnant. This child is important to each of our race.
— Yes, yes. You say that as if I don't care about the safety of my child. — The dragon queen had nothing to say to such a statement.
While Hachiman and Shizuka soon left the spring, the rest of the group continued their gathering. Since they were dragons, they didn't care about such a trifle as a slight frost, so they stayed for another hour to watch the setting sun slowly fade away.
The group gathered in the common room, where a feast had been prepared for them. They chatted cheerfully among themselves as they waited for midnight. As the clock approached twelve, everyone except Ophis was in varying degrees of drunkenness. Even the ancient dragons were affected, because Silence had obtained one of the best brands of magical alcohol.
— Ten, nine, — they began counting down the last seconds. Each of them held a glass of alcohol and a glass of Ouroboros juice. — Three, two, one, zero. Happy New Year!
As the chimes struck, the group clinked their mugs with congratulations. After chatting for a while, everyone began to wander off to their rooms. Seeing her friend gently hugging Hachiman and quietly whispering to him, Ophis realized that the couple was going to take their relationship to the next level today.
— If neither of them screws up, of course. He-he-he! — She created sound barriers in each room as a gift.
— What are you talking about?
— Oh, just like that. Let's take Hitori to her room instead.
The pink-haired girl, clearly having had too much to drink, was nodding off, ready to pass out at any moment.
— Okay, — the young man leaned over his friend and gently shook her shoulder. — Hitori, it's time to go to bed. Let us walk you.
— I don't want to, — she refused weakly. Blinking a few times, Goto turned her gaze to the remaining couple. — Can I come with you?
—Well...—
—I want to go with you!— — She grabbed Silence tightly and started whining. — Please. I'll be lonely sleeping alone.
— Okay, okay, you'll sleep with us tonight, just don't cry.
— Hooray!
— Ha! — Ouroboros was amused, watching this spectacle. — It seems you can't refuse her request
Without answering, the young man simply picked up the drunk girl in his arms and went to their room.
***
Hitori felt warm and safe in Silence's arms, so she quickly fell asleep. However, as soon as the guy let her go, laying her on the wide bed of their room, the pink—haired girl immediately opened her eyes.
— Don't go, — the girl grabbed his hand, afraid that the young man would leave.
— Calm down, I'm not going anywhere, I just need to take off my outerwear, — the dragon gently unhooked his friend's hands, who didn't even notice Ophis lying down next to her, and began to take off her jacket. — See, I'm still here.
The guy's mockery went past Goto's ears, because her attention was focused on the raised T—shirt, or rather on Sai's trained stomach, outlined by muscles. She continued to soar in the clouds until the young man leaned over her.
— Are you frozen, are you unwell? — he put his palm on her forehead. — Should I use magic?
— No. No need, — the girl looked enchanted into the dimly glowing yellowish eyes when their faces were not far from each other. — Silence, I love you.
— Huh? I love you too, — seeing the pink-haired girl's outstretched arms, he decided that the girl wanted to hug him, so his drunken brain could not react in time to the sudden kiss. — What?
— Hitori, — while the young man was in a slight prostration from the touch of soft lips, Ophis put her hand on the shoulder of her drunk friend and turned her towards herself. Despite their close relationship, the dragon god did not want to tolerate such a thing. — Don't do that again... — she wanted to forcibly sober up the girl, but she again made a surprise attack.
— Ophis! I love you too very much, — full of joy, Goto hugged her friend and kissed her without hesitation. Her movements were clumsy due to her inexperience, but it was completely compensated by the girl's diligence. — I'm so glad I met you back then at the street performance. Thanks to you, my life has completely changed and become filled with bright colors. Every day for me is filled with happiness, waiting for the next meeting with you two, — her voice gradually faded, and her grip on Ophis tightened as tears came out of her eyes. — So please don't abandon me. I don't want to be alone again. You'll still be here when I wake up, right?
— Yes, we'll stay with you, Hitori, — Ophis gently stroked her hair, forcing Silence to act with just one look. The young man climbed onto the bed and embraced them both. — We're not going anywhere, so you can sleep peacefully. Even if you yourself want to leave us one day, no one will let you go. You're our favorite.
— Forever... — Hitori muttered sleepily and fell into the kingdom of Morpheus, smiling at her friend's dangerous statement. — together...
The couple looked at each other's faces for a long time, without saying a word, but a storm reigned in their thoughts, caused by the peacefully snoring girl in their arms. Having come to nothing, they decided to put everything off until later. This event was too sudden and required long reflection and decision-making.
— Good night, my goddess.
— Good night, my silence.
***
— Um... my head, — the pink-haired girl muttered pitifully as soon as she woke up. An attempt to massage her head failed at the very beginning. — What?
The girl's surprise was understandable. She had not yet fully recovered from the previous evening and did not fully realize her situation. Blinking, Goto managed to see what was preventing her from moving. "Why?!" — the guitarist mentally screamed, finding herself squeezed on both sides by her friends. "Could it be... — intimate images flashed in her head, how they had given in to lust last night. — No-o-o! How could I behave like that? How should I feel around them now? "
— Good morning, — the guitarist's flickering woke up the dragons. — Did you like last night?
— Huh? A-a-a... — the girl, surprised by the sudden question, could not find an answer.
— Don't make fun of her, Silence, — seeing Hitori's face turning red, Ophis came to her rescue. — She probably hasn't fully recovered yet, and here you are with your questions.
— Ha... ha-ha-ha... What happened yesterday?
The worried girl tried to understand whether what she saw in her head was real or not. Some discrepancies between what she sees now and what happened in her head added a faint hope.
— Well, you overdid it with alcohol yesterday and decided to spend the night with us, — the teenager's heartbeat increased, waiting for the continuation of the story. — When she entered the room, someone wasn't going to go to bed so easily, — the young man looked at his friend's embarrassed face with a grin. — You started confessing your love to me and Ophis, — "Nooo! So it's all true!" — Ha-ha! But as soon as she started to hug you, you threw up. After removing the after-effects with magic, we had to hug you together to calm down your tears and hysteria.
— Huh?! R-really? — "So it was just a dream."
The girl didn't know how to feel. On the one hand, she was glad that she hadn't done something stupid under the influence of alcohol. On the other, she felt a pang of regret. Despite everything, Hitori loved them both, and she didn't really like this development of their relationship. However, the guitarist knew one thing for sure — she would never touch alcohol again. She was overcome with too much shame for her behavior.
END.
So my story has come to an end. The ending is a bit clunky, and the Omake leaves an open ending about the harem. Thank you for your attention, dear readers, and I kindly ask you to comment and rate my book. Good luck