I'm the Only One With a Different Genre - Chapter 217

Chapter 217

The Sound of Cracks

***

A world rushing toward destruction, terrifying monstrosities that make one’s mind reel just by looking at them, and humans growing accustomed to killing for survival.

To protect Lian, whose soft hands had never even properly held a sword, Iris had to stay sharp and focused.

…At least, she was supposed to.

“…”

“Uh…uh? Wh-why are you looking at me like that?”

“…”

“Iris…?”

Without saying a word, Iris looked up at Lian and pushed her cheek toward him. Realizing what she wanted, Lian’s eyes darted around nervously, and his face flushed red.

Tap, tap.

When she even raised her index finger to tap her cheek, Lian couldn’t escape and tightly shut his eyes.

*Smooch.*

A soft breath lightly touched Iris’s cheek and then pulled away. If Iris had a tail, it would be sweeping the ground in sheer delight by now.

Lian, his face as red as if it had been painted with crimson, covered his lower face with the hand that Iris hadn’t grabbed.

‘It’s just a kiss on the cheek… Why am I so embarrassed?’

It wasn’t even a kiss on the lips, just a peck on the cheek, yet it felt like his face was about to explode. His face was so hot that it seemed like steam might come out of his ears.

Iris’s face was also red, but nowhere near as much as Lian’s. Lian sneaked a glance at her.

With a sweet smile that looked like melted sunlight, she twitched her cheeks, resembling a hamster with its mouth stuffed with sunflower seeds or perhaps a baby rabbit.

She was incredibly cute.

The fact that such a lovely expression was because of his mere kiss made his heart skip a beat. Without realizing it, Lian’s gaze lingered on her soft, cherry blossom-colored lips.

What kind of reaction would she have if he kissed her there? Would her face turn as red as his? Or would she hide her face in surprise? Her lips looked so soft—softer than her cheek.

Such desires, which any lover might have, began to cloud his mind. But soon, Lian snapped back to reality, his face pale with shock.

‘W-what am I thinking…?’

He quickly shook his head to scatter the vivid imaginations running wild in his mind. It wasn’t enough, so he slapped his cheek with the hand that had been stroking his face.

*Slap!*

“O-Oppa!”

He had meant to snap himself out of it, but the sound was louder than expected. Iris, her face stiff with worry, approached and took Lian’s hand. Now, both of his hands were caught by Iris.

“Why did you hit yourself all of a sudden?”

“Ah, uh… th-that is…”

He couldn’t possibly say, ‘Because I had bad thoughts about you,’ so he awkwardly stammered out a lame excuse, cold sweat running down his back.

“Th-there was a mosquito! A bug! I was trying to catch it! Haha! But I missed!”

It was a fairly plausible excuse, or so he thought, feeling relieved. But then Iris’s hand moved toward his face.

With a gentle motion, her soft hand caressed his cheek. The touch, as delicate as if handling fragile glass, was filled with affection and concern, and Lian froze like a statue.

Only then did he notice Iris standing on her tiptoes, struggling to maintain her balance. Reflexively, Lian lowered his head.

“If a bug shows up, I’ll catch it for you, so don’t hit yourself.”

“No, I can handle a bug—”

Before he could finish speaking, Iris’s hand slid down and gently grasped his chin. In an instant, her soft lips were right in front of him. He held his breath, and at that moment, something soft touched his cheek.

*Smooch.*

With a light sound, the heat that had been cooling down in his cheeks flared up again.

“If you do that again, I’ll bite you.”

“O-okay.”

Lian nodded like an obedient puppy at the playful pinch on his cheek, and Iris smiled as brightly as a fully bloomed flower.

‘Wow…’

That smile alone could probably destroy entire nations.

Her smile was so dazzlingly beautiful that it made him wonder if he was standing in the middle of a flower field in heaven, rather than a ruined street.

Mesmerized, Lian stared at Iris. When he snapped out of it, they were walking hand in hand through the desolate streets.

The goal of today’s journey was to find food and supplies, but the atmosphere between them felt more like a springtime date.

*Screech!*

*Crunch.*

*Growl!*

*Crack!*

Occasionally, grotesque monsters would appear, but they were effortlessly cut down by Iris’s sword.

Although she couldn’t use mana, an unknown force was aiding her, allowing her to easily slice through even 3-meter-tall monsters.

‘…It’s Lian’s power.’

Iris instinctively realized that the force assisting her was related to the protective barrier that the Gag God had mentioned Lian possessed.

‘Is Lian okay?’

As she recalled the power Lian had used to protect her, the image of Lian, his body covered in cracks, came to mind.

Then, the memory of the Gag God embracing him surfaced, and her grip tightened involuntarily. Lian, who was holding her hand, let out a small groan from the sudden pain.

“Oh.”

“…! O-Oppa, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. Did you see something scary?”

Looking at Lian, who gazed down at her with gentle eyes, Iris felt her anxiety melt away. For reasons she couldn’t explain, she was certain that the person in front of her was Lian.

Perhaps when she had lost consciousness, she had been transported here with Lian. Or maybe she had entered his inner world.

Whatever the case, one thing was clear: the person in front of her was Lian, and she had to protect him.

‘For now, I need to focus on protecting the Lian in front of me.’

And so, the two continued walking through the ruined world.

***

About half a month had passed. Both of them had grown accustomed to surviving in the world that was slowly collapsing.

During the day, they would search for supplies. At night, they would sleep, holding each other in a safe place.

They maintained cleanliness by fetching water from a nearby river. It was easy to find products for hygiene maintenance, as they were scattered everywhere.

There was a semi-transparent monster living by the river, but strangely enough, it helped maintain the water’s purity.

It would gulp down any humans who approached the clean water, but if you threw a corpse into the river, it would devour it and allow you to use the water for a short time.

It didn’t just eat human corpses; it also devoured the bodies of other monsters, so the two of them had no trouble using the water.

The most difficult thing to obtain was food. Places like supermarkets had been looted or the food had rotted beyond use.

They had nothing to barter with.

They scavenged food from corpses or received offerings from people who, for some unknown reason, treated Iris as if she were a deity.

In addition, they would search for corpses at night and harvest sweet fruits from trees that bore flowers and fruit during the day.

As the days passed, the distance between the two grew rapidly closer.

Iris’s brakes were broken, and Lian couldn’t find a reason to refuse her.

“Ha…”

“Hoo…”

Neither of them was used to kissing yet, so they would hold their breath, pressing their lips together, and then pull away. They hadn’t progressed to a full kiss yet, but it was still a significant step forward.

The sight of them holding their breath and then pulling away made them both laugh, exchanging honeyed glances.

After that, Iris wanted to kiss him whenever she had the chance. While it might have been fine for Iris, who seemed to carry the scent of flowers even without washing, it was an overwhelming request for Lian, who was just an ordinary man.

‘Let me… let me wash up first!’

Every time he shook his head in silent protest, Iris would pout. As a result, after washing up thoroughly by the river, he had to kiss her until she was satisfied.

After she had showered him with kisses, to the point where his lips felt hot, a contented Iris would snuggle into his arms.

Her hair, softer than any fabric, brushed against his arm, and listening to the sound of her heart, which couldn’t completely hide her emotions, made his mind go hazy.

The world was clearly ruined, but it felt as though he had finally found peace.

‘I’m happy. I wish this moment could last forever…’

For the first time, Lian, who had only been trying to survive, began to have a real desire. He started to dream of living together with her in a world where she could continue to breathe and exist.

*Crack.*

That… was the sound of rejecting the power of authority.

Somewhere, the sound of something cracking could be heard.

End of Chapter