A Slap for a Reward

Sampo had originally only wanted to quietly lie beside the Trailblazer for a while.

But he kept feeling that Stelle was showing faint signs of waking. The girl seemed to be having a nightmare, sleeping restlessly.

He lay on his side beside the Trailblazer, propping his head up with one hand as he watched Stelle with an ambiguous smile.

Hard to imagine. Truly hard to imagine.

Snow swirled outside, yet the room was pleasantly warm. With the curtains drawn, the room was pitch-black, giving him an immensely dependable sense of security. Under such circumstances, he was even lying in the same bed as the Trailblazer. Though there was quite a distance between them—enough room in the middle to fit a Gepard.

But Sampo did not care about such superficial things. It did not matter how far apart or close together they were. As long as he could be a little closer to the Trailblazer and listen to her peaceful breathing as she slept, he was already satisfied.

Mm... if he could tease her a little too, and watch her little face turn red from his teasing, that would be even more interesting.

As Sampo thought this, he did not realize the Trailblazer had already awakened.

Stelle slowly opened her eyes and saw Sampo across from her, lying on his side with his head propped on one hand, happily lost in thought.

She did not want to sleep anymore. For one, she had slept enough the night before. For another, the effects of the alcohol had indeed worn off. And third, it had really hurt when Aha gave her that "cheat ability" just now—hurt so badly that she was completely awake now.

She might as well stop pretending to sleep and get up already.

The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was Sampo's delighted face.

She deliberately coughed twice and watched Sampo's gaze slowly return to focus before finally landing on her face.

Sampo was still quite principled. While Stelle had been asleep, he would absolutely not take advantage of her. But since she was awake, there was no longer any question of "taking advantage," so he leaned closer, nearly touching Stelle.

He reached out, lifted a lock of the girl's hair, and wound it around his fingertips.

"You're finally awake, Stelle. I've waited for you so painfully long." Sampo's voice carried the aggrieved tone of a resentful husband. "Didn't you say you were going to buy me Mulled Wine? How did you end up getting completely drunk and being sent back by Gepard?"

Look at that. Just look at that.

What was with that kind of main-wife statement?

Stelle suddenly felt a little guilty. Following Sampo's line of thought, she seemed like some heartless lover, while Gepard was like a mistress barging in between them.

"Oh, right. Speaking of which, where's Gepard?"

Stelle quietly changed the subject.

She looked around and only then realized Gepard was nowhere to be found.

It was no wonder. Stelle had fallen asleep right when Gepard left, so it was only natural that she did not know.

"The first thing you say after waking up is to mention another man?"

Sampo released the Trailblazer's hair, looking utterly heartbroken. "Why not show a little concern for me? Old Sampo waited for you for so—very long."

Who could withstand Sampo acting cute? Though she knew it was mostly an act, Stelle still willingly took the bait.

"Sampo, I didn't expect the Mulled Wine to hit me so quickly after I finished it. My head still hurts so much. Help me, okay?"

Stelle's voice was softer and gentler than Sampo's, with an even more obvious note of coquettishness.

She had the air of someone throwing caution to the wind. After all, there were only the two of them in this room. After all, they were already sharing a bed. And after all, she would have to win Sampo over sooner or later.

Since that was the case, why not skip all those unnecessary steps and start winning him over directly?

Having made up her mind, Stelle immediately acted on it.

She put on a deeply troubled expression and swiftly burrowed into Sampo's arms.

The man carried a pleasant scent of ice and snow. Stelle rested her head against Sampo's arm, her hand unconsciously clutching his clothes. As though only belatedly realizing this was inappropriate, she gently released her grip instead.

Then her fingers seemed to brush over the bare skin at Sampo's waist. The man had not expected this turn of events, and his body stiffened and trembled at the unforeseen touch.

Aha: Oh? Old Sampo is unexpectedly quite innocent, huh?

Stelle, how could you do this?!

Sampo quietly condemned the Trailblazer in his heart. How could she tempt him? Tempt a grown man like him into being bewitched, tempt him into making a mistake.

He could clearly feel the string in his mind called reason stretched taut, as if it might snap at any moment.

Stelle, the accused party, had no idea what kind of crime she had committed.

Her fingers continued to pinch Sampo's lean waist again and again. If she had the nerve, she could even reach farther in and feel around, easily touching Sampo's abs.

Stelle took the opportunity to bury her face completely in Sampo's chest.

That way, all her expressions were hidden while she committed her mischief.

Other than herself, no one could see the drooling look on her face right now.

Enough. That was enough. Do not keep going.

Sampo's body remained completely still. It was not that he had yet to recover from his shock, but because he knew the best thing he could do now was not move around. Otherwise, he truly was not sure what he might do.

The only thing the man could do was reach out and firmly seize Stelle's troublesome little hand, stopping her reckless antics.

Stelle wanted to throw those same words—"not sure what I might do"—right back at Sampo.

In this world, no one could stop her will to Trailblaze & Elation!

Stelle struggled hard twice, but Sampo held her wrist tightly in his hand, making it impossible for her to break free.

She had only just started getting into it, and he had interrupted her right away. What a buzzkill.

Just then, Stelle recalled what Aha had told her earlier.

If you think this book is good and don't want to lose it next time, please remember to add it to your bookshelf.

Should she try that newly added "Elation Switch" in her mind? "Flipping the switch will make you seem like a completely different person," or something like that. It sounded fascinating—what should she do? Maybe she should try it now?

No sooner thought than done. Stelle decided to put the idea into action.

Sampo, who was gripping Stelle's wrist, looked utterly confused.

From what he knew of the Trailblazer, she was not the sort to simply submit without resistance, was she?

So why had she truly gone still and obedient after having her wrist caught?

Just as Uncle Coldlegs was drowning in confusion, Stelle's strength suddenly became astonishingly great—greater even than his. Not only did she break free of his hold, she shoved him onto the bed in one swift motion.

"Wha...?"

Sampo fell onto the bed, shocked beyond belief.

But what shocked him even more was yet to come. His cry had only made it out as a single syllable before the Trailblazer pounced on him—

Hey, hey, how had Sampo suddenly been stripped of all initiative?!

And...

The man pinned beneath her stared at Stelle in surprise.

Stelle seemed like a completely different person. Where was that little greedy kitten from before, touching this and feeling that?

Her face was filled with calm composure. The corners of her lips curled up slightly, bearing a smile of absolute confidence.

Yet her gaze remained unhurried and serene, as though she had complete certainty about what was about to happen.

One hand clasped around Sampo's neck, feeling his lively pulse beat against her palm. She did not squeeze hard; it merely gave Sampo a faint feeling of suffocation, not even enough for him to feel pain.

How? How had this happened?

How had Stelle suddenly become so... forceful?

It was simply—completely impossible to resist...

Sampo vaguely sensed something strange about his body. An eerie thrill flooded his mind, coupled with the urgent lack of air as it stimulated his brain.

If he wanted to break free, he probably could, right? All he had to do was brush aside Stelle's hand around his neck.

Yet Sampo could not do it at all. Faced with the Trailblazer's effortlessly composed gaze, he could not even muster the thought of resisting.

"Sampo."

Stelle's lips moved without making a sound. His cheeks had turned faintly red from the slight lack of oxygen, and he anxiously craned his neck, desperately trying to read her lips.

She mouthed each word clearly. First, she called his name, then slowly formed four words.

When Sampo realized what Stelle had said, his eyes suddenly widened.

He had not misread that, had he? Had Stelle just said, "Sampo, I like you"?!

Huh? What kind of insane development was this?

Who confessed while choking someone?!

The man blinked dazedly, laboriously breathing through his mouth as his mind raced. Like him—did the Trailblazer like him?

Elation Stelle gazed at Sampo's face, which looked as though he was both enduring and enjoying it.

She could not stand it anymore!

She absolutely had to "reward" Sampo properly!

At that thought, Stelle's smile widened.

Before Sampo could make sense of anything, the sound of something slicing through the air suddenly rang out beside his ear.

The familiar faint misty fragrance of the Trailblazer rushed over him.

His gaze locked onto Stelle's raised hand. In the blink of an eye, that palm—the one that usually gripped a bat—was smoother and more delicate than he had imagined, its uncallused center carrying a faint chill as it struck his face with a smack.

Sampo's head instantly tilted to the right.

He... had been hit?

He had actually been slapped?

However.

Sampo licked his lips. To his surprise, he did not mind at all.

His focus was not on the slap. The most important thing was—Stelle had confessed just now, right?

Was that even a thing?!

She choked him while confessing, then the second after saying "I like you," she fresh as anything slapped him across the face. Was that right?

Was that right, Trailblazer? Was this how you treated Sampo?!

Yes. It was absolutely right!

Was this slap his punishment?

No, it was more like a reward.

This was exactly Sampo's thing.