Chapter 103: [KISS, KISS, FALL IN LOVE!]

’He’s… he’s carrying me…’

Eli’s face burned, heat rushing all the way to his ears. Kairo’s grip was firm and unyielding, one muscled arm hooked beneath his thighs like Eli weighed nothing, his broad shoulder bracing Eli’s back.

It wasn’t the awkward “princess carry” he dreaded—it was worse.

With Kairo’s sheer strength, Eli was seated against his arm like a child perched on a parent’s hip, his legs dangling, his hands instinctively clutching onto the hard lines of Kairo’s shoulders for balance.

The familiarity only made it worse. ’Just like last time. When the ogres surrounded us…’

“Woah. Kai, what are you…” Mio’s voice trailed as he stepped closer, brows raised.

Kairo cut him off before the question finished. “Eli’s abilities can benefit those who are near him. Don’t you remember the ogre fight? I carried him then too.”

The explanation was simple, clinical, but the way Kairo’s eyes flicked down to Eli made it feel… personal. “He needs to stay close. To me.”

The steady stare lingered long enough that Eli felt his throat go dry. His blush deepened until he had to drop his gaze.

“I hope you don’t mind.”

Eli swallowed hard. “…I-I don’t.” The words came out thinner than he wanted, cracking under the weight of the moment.

He shouldn’t have said anything, because immediately—

“But he’s blushing,” Zaira whispered loudly to Mel, her grin wicked.

Eli’s head snapped up, mortified, his blush spreading even hotter.

“Shut up,” Mel whispered back, but his shoulders shook like he was barely holding back laughter.

’Is it that obvious? Oh my God—it is. They’re all staring. This…is embarrassing.’

He preferred it when it was just him and Kairo, because then at least the shame would be less.

Eli bit the inside of his cheek, trying to school his expression, but the harder he tried, the more aware he became of Kairo’s solid warmth beneath him, of how securely he was being held, of how natural Kairo made it look.

’Get your act together. You’ve been through worse. Caelen didn’t bring his team and you both almost died. Having them here is…better—’

Ding.

The familiar sound cracked through his thoughts like thunder.

Eli’s eyes flew wide, his heart lurching into his throat. The SYSTEM.

He almost jumped in Kairo’s arms, but Kairo’s hold on him didn’t budge an inch, steady as stone.

[SYSTEM MISSION – ACTIVE]

Task Name: KISS, KISS, FALL IN LOVE!

2

Objective: Kiss target’s [KAIRO] cheek once.

Oh.

Eli’s brain blanked out, his mind short-circuiting so hard he almost forgot to breathe.

Of course. Of course this would happen. He should have expected it—hell, he should’ve anticipated it from the very beginning.

The System had already made him flirt, blurt, and stumble his way into ridiculous situations. This was just the next inevitable step, wasn’t it?

But still—

’A kiss? Now? With Kairo? Are you fucking serious?!’

And what was with that task name?

It was absurd. Completely insane.

And yet there it was, glowing right in front of his eyes, cruel and undeniable.

’Out of all the tasks, all the stupid things you’ve made me do—you pick this moment? This timing? We’re about to march into an S-Class dungeon! Not a date, not a coffee shop, not even a goddamn safe house—AN S-CLASS DUNGEON!’

If he weren’t being carried, Eli would’ve buried his face in his hands. Instead, his fingers dug into Kairo’s shoulder, clinging tighter than he realized.

Kairo didn’t even seem to notice, his expression unreadable, voice cutting through the air like a blade: “Let’s go inside now.”

He shifted his stance, one arm locked firmly around Eli as he stepped toward the pulsing gate.

And Eli—Eli was still staring at the shimmering blue text hovering mockingly in his vision.

A kiss. On Kairo’s cheek.

The absurdity of it nearly made him laugh, except nothing about it was funny. His chest was tight, his palms clammy, and he felt the hot prickle of sweat at his temples.

’No. No, no, no. Absolutely not. This is Kairo. Mister “I don’t like liars.” You think I can just lean in and plant one on him like it’s nothing? He’ll kill me. Actually kill me. He’ll slice me in half before I even touch him.’

And yet…

The memory of his mother on the hospital bed flickered like a cruel slideshow in his mind—her pale face, the tubes, the steady beep of the machines that kept her alive.

Then Lucas—dark circles under his eyes, shoulders weighed down with exhaustion far too heavy for someone his age.

That image hit harder than the danger of the dungeon in front of him.

Eli grit his teeth. At this point, he didn’t even care about the punishment anymore. It wasn’t about the System’s twisted penalties, it wasn’t about pride.

He just needed to gather as many affection points as possible—faster, more, always more. Because those points were his only shot. His only bargaining chip to get his body back.

But God… he really didn’t want to kiss Kairo’s cheek.

So he almost wished—no, begged—that the target had been Caelen instead.

Caelen, the shameless peacock, always smirking, always leaning too close just to get a rise out of him. With Caelen, he could’ve laughed it off.

Tripped, stumbled, called it a joke—Caelen would’ve teased him, probably demanded a second one, but at least he wouldn’t have stared at him like he’d committed blasphemy.

But Kairo?

KAIRO?

Just the thought of leaning in close to him, that stone-faced wall of unreadable calm, made Eli’s stomach twist into painful knots.

’How the hell am I supposed to pull this off? He’s literally carrying me like luggage into an S-Class dungeon. What do I even say? “Thanks for the ride, here’s a smooch?” Do I pretend it’s gratitude? Do I fake a trip? God, if I miscalculate even slightly, he’s going to drop me on the pavement—or worse, skewer me with blood magic.’

Eli’s face was on fire. His chest hammered so hard it felt like everyone around could hear it.

And speaking of everyone—the Twilight Guild wasn’t making things easier.

Zaira was stretching her arms loose, her grin sharp as if she couldn’t wait to slice something apart. Mel was muttering under his breath, already distracted, probably planning to complain about his twin later.

The gate loomed larger with every step Kairo took, its unstable edges pulsing in and out like the jagged breath of a living creature.

The air around it buzzed, flickers of eerie blue light casting shadows across their faces. The ground itself trembled faintly with each pulse—like a colossal heartbeat echoing from another world.

And Eli?

He was trapped. Trapped in Kairo’s iron grip, sitting on his arm with nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and a mission weighing on his chest like a guillotine blade.

A kiss. Just one kiss.

And yet, in this moment, it felt like the most impossible, most dangerous, most terrifying task the System had ever forced on him.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep