FFF-Tier System, SSS-Rank Wife-Chapter 48: Not so bold, after all

I reached out... and touched Selia’s bare shoulder. And now, with nothing in my way but the strap of her outfit that held up the upper part of her light robe in the way of my hand, I could feel the softness and warmth of her skin under my fingers directly.

*Gulp*

It was only for a moment, but I’d really touched her! And while not in some obnoxious, perverted, or distasteful way... Still! It was the first time I was the one to initiate the skin contact!

Sure, I’d already planted my face directly into her soft and delicious thighs, only to then take a nap — twice — on her lap.

But in both of those times, I was merely a subject of Selia’s playfulness and teasing rather than the one making it happen.

The difference was clear.

At least, for me, it was.

But, judging by Selia’s reaction, said difference was just as clear to her as it was to me.

Selia twitched a little when I touched her shoulder. She then waited for half a second, raising her guard as she tried to figure out what I was going to do next...

Only to then completely melt when she realized that just touching her shoulder was my entire purpose.

Her eyes widened in surprise. Her face took on a look of a frightened, startled squirrel.

Most importantly of all, however, she didn’t appear to be angry.

’Phew...’ I resisted the desire to wipe my forehead, one born from the stress of acting so boldly. ’I was fully prepared to lose my hand here and now,’ I thought, pulling my hand back right as Selia turned her head a bit to look at it, as if she needed a visual to confirm what was happening.

For just a second more, I looked at her, still all cutely startled and taken aback, before turning on the spot and stepping away. Wasting no time, I moved away from the girl and over to the kiln.

Then, as I stood before the small, smoking bump in the ground, I breathed out a long sigh of relief.

Right now, I couldn’t bring myself to face Selia, not after getting so damn bold with her!

’Well, just in case...’

I took a fresh breath.

"I apologize if you found that unpleasant," I spoke out, pushing all of myself to keep my voice firm and steady, my words spoken through a steady throat and with a firm breath out of my lungs carrying them away.

Then, before I had to bear with Selia’s response, I reached out with my hand towards the burning-hot mix of earth and clay that made up the kiln’s outer shell.

’Focus, man!’ I told myself, gritting my teeth to the point of having my jaws hurt, all in a bid to deter my thoughts from the memory of what had just happened.

Right now, I had to focus. If I didn’t, what would ever be the point of touching Selia in a bid to obtain the fire-seeing ability, through which I could prove the most important out of all the guesses I had about this potential ability of mine to rewrite my fate?

And so, I ignored the sting of bringing the palm of my hand as close to the fiery source of heat as I did, gritting my teeth through this slight torture as I tried my absolute best to focus on whatever this supposed new ability of mine could entail.

A rustle from behind announced that Selia stood up herself as well. Then, following a short moment of silence, just as I managed to put all the needless thoughts aside and gather my focus up, even going as far as starting to sense something in the very distant corner of my perception...

Press.

Selia suddenly appeared directly behind my back, only to push her hands out and then wrap them over my chest right as she pressed herself down against my back.

"Wha...?!"

Startled, I nearly jumped away. And through this half-executed jolt, I failed to measure the distance, bringing my hand just half an inch over the layer of earthen clay — way too close to what the pain receptors in my palm could accept.

"Ah!" I uttered a small, pained scream, pulling my hand back...

Only to then realize again just what the actual fuck had happened.

"Be careful. It looks really hot," Selia advised, her head peeking out just next to my own face, her chin extremely close to just rest down over my shoulder.

"..."

All I could do was just stand still, trying to restrain just how much I was internally freaking out and work through the moment to figure out... WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WAS ACTUALLY HAPPENING?

And as if to nail the point of her victory even further, Selia then leaned her head to the side, resting it down on my shoulder over the cushion of her own, silk-like hair.

"Would I offer you my bare lap to sleep on if I found you touching me unpleasant?" Selia then asked in a soft whisper, one that pierced my ears, my brain, and then the whole of my spine, quickly defeating all of my attempts to remain calm and focused.

The kiln? This new... no, the very first ability I was about to develop to prove that my methods of rewriting my fate worked? Even the danger of getting my hand burned if I wasn’t careful...

All of it lost its relevance in my head, replaced with nothing but the sensation of having Selia wrapped all over me.

The gentle pressure of her arms over my chest as she held me tightly in place. The two soft bumps flattening against my back. The slight tickle of her hair brushing against me, mixed with the barely noticeable warmth of her breath upon my cheek...

I was still a man!

How could anyone expect me to think about anything else in this moment but a fairy-like beauty wrapping herself all over me?!

"I..." I attempted to say something, only to fail miserably when my voice ended up stuck in my throat, my mouth refusing to do its job properly.

And in response, Saintess only tightened her hug, almost as if she wanted me to think of nothing else but her chest pushing hard against my back!

"Saintess...!" I groaned weakly, too awkward to even come up with anything better to say.

’I guess now I understand all those dense and cowardly characters in the novels I’ve read about...’ I gritted my teeth in silent frustration. ’It’s one thing to be bold when you are sitting with a pack of chips and your phone in your parents’ basement, and another thing to actually be bold when faced with something like this in actual reality!’

At this point, I almost wanted to cry... From happiness? From frustration? From a sense of powerlessness?

I didn’t even know myself.

And after all of that...

Saintess stretched her lovely, plump, crimson lips into a wide grin.

"Not so bold, after all," she brought her lips even closer to my ear only to utter another whisper, this time one infused with as much sensuality as those lovely, perky lips of hers could spark out.

I pressed my lips into a thin line, gritting my teeth in a bid to somehow survive this unbearably pleasant ordeal, all the while trying to ignore the pleasant thrill moving up my spine from when Selia whispered directly into my ear from so close, her lips nearly brushed against it.

Then, she finally relaxed her hands a bit only to turn her head and, while still peeking out from over my shoulder, turn her attention back to the kiln at hand.

"So?" her voice changed, her tone indicating a question. "What did you get from getting all touchy-feely with me?" she asked, refusing to let go of me, even after she relaxed her hold.

While all I could do was repeat in my head, like some sort of a mantra—

’Empty your thoughts, empty your thoughts, empty your thoughts!’