"Is it morning...?"

As his eyes moved to glance outside, slender rays of sunlight were seeping in. He couldn't tell the exact time, but judging by the dim light, it was clear that the sun had risen not too long ago.

It was only then that he truly confronted the state of the cabin, which was in utter disarray. The makeshift bed, made of dried straw covered with cloth, had lost its original shape, spewing its innards here and there. The corner was littered with various items that had fallen or been scattered.

The liquid stains scattered across the walls and floor, and the finger-shaped indentations, spoke volumes. The overpowering scent of two rich fragrances permeated the small space, leaving no doubt about the events that had transpired there.

"..."

Yuder recalled the first manifestation of his second gender in his previous life as he looked at these traces. Before losing consciousness to the heat of his mating season, the despair-filled scene of that office had briefly flashed in his mind, and it bore a striking resemblance to the cabin before him now.

However, there was a significant difference between then and now. Yuder, looking at the storm-ravaged scene, felt no despair.

His thoughts were solely focused on a cool and detached assessment of reality.

‘...I'll clean up later.’

His body was so languid and relaxed that he didn't even want to twitch a finger. It wasn't so much fatigue as it was a sensation akin to the fullness after a hearty meal. He couldn't quite explain the disparity between the hunger he felt in his empty stomach and the satisfaction in his body, but his mind seemed mostly clear.

‘I think my strength... has somewhat recovered.’

He could feel it without having to use his powers. The sensation wasn't entirely back to normal, likely due to the lingering effects of his heat period.

The fact that he didn't immediately get up and move around when he felt hungry, preferring instead to stay entwined in the warm embrace, was evidence enough that the aftereffects hadn't completely worn off. Yuder exhaled thinly, listening to the rhythmic heartbeat against his cheek where he lay on the chest.

Then, the man holding him opened his eyelids smoothly.

Without asking if he had awoken, Kishiar blinked slowly several times and drew Yuder's body closer. As their faces neared, he stared into his eyes, which soon swirled red. Their lips naturally overlapped.

"Mmm..."

The moment their tongues gently entwined, a tingling sensation spread from the root of his tongue down his spine. In the languid pleasure that seemed to drain the strength from his body, Yuder felt a reflexive tension in his waist.

The thought of hunger returned only after the long kiss had ended.

"...Aren't you hungry?"

It felt like a long time since he had used his voice. There was a slight sting in the back of his throat. His voice, half-lost, felt strangely unfamiliar. Kishiar responded by pressing his lips against Yuder's nose.

"It's been five days; it's natural to be hungry. Are you feeling a bit better now?"

His voice was also husky, but Kishiar, always possessing a pleasant voice, didn't sound odd at all.

'Actually...'

He had never thought a husky voice could be sexually stimulating, but now, he could understand why someone might think that.

The man, who always spoke with a strong and clear voice, now whispered languidly, causing a tingling sensation deep in his chest. It felt as if he was witnessing something incredibly rare and special.

"…Wait. But how many days have passed?"

Yuder spoke, trying to ignore the flickering embers of strength within him.

"…Has it been five days?"

"Since you entered here, the sun has set and risen five times, so it seems so."

"…"

Though slightly perplexed, Yuder counted the days in his feverish memories and soon nodded in agreement.

'I must be hungry by now.'

During their heat period, the Awakener's bodies suppress all desires and responses, except for those related to sexual urges. They hardly feel any effect from not eating or sleeping until the end. This is why Awakeners who take sleeping pills and force themselves to sleep, not eating for days, remain surprisingly unharmed.

Some birds in the north survive their lengthy mating season without eating anything, so perhaps the Awakeners, too, burn through their accumulated life force during their heat period.

'But even if that's the case for me, what about Kishiar…'

As far as he remembered, Kishiar had not left his side since they entered this place. Even if he managed to sneak out for brief moments, it seemed impossible for him to have eaten anything, and Yuder couldn't help but worry as he looked at him intently. He seemed to read his mind and answered.

"I'm fine. If I were so frail to collapse after just five days, I wouldn't have lasted this long."

"Still… You didn't have to endure this. You could have just pushed me away and gone out to eat."

With Kishiar's abilities, he could easily have caught something to eat comfortably. He could have also contacted Nathan Zuckerman occasionally for food… It seemed unnecessary for him to starve with Yuder, and as he regretted this, Kishiar laughed briefly.

"Why are you laughing?"

"No, it's just… You're still you, no matter the circumstance."

Yuder stared at him, not quite understanding his meaning. He continued.

"You fiercely ordered me not to hold back for these five days, and now you wonder why I did."

"…"

Had he done that? His fevered mind slowly recalled the past.

'So, I did.'

With words, body, or scent, Yuder had relentlessly tried to break down his walls. Whenever he showed any sign of restraint, he aggressively encouraged him to let everything out. He had been like a wild beast.

Yuder understood perfectly why he had done it, but it also felt like something he wouldn't do, a side effect of the heat period.

But that didn't mean he had nothing to say.

"The 'not holding back' I mentioned then and what I'm referring to now are different. I meant…"

"I know. You mean there was no need to go without food during the heat period."

"…"

As Yuder pursed his lips, Kishiar continued with a feigned look of injustice, smiling.

"But let me be clear, I never really held back this time. If you look at the state of this house, you and I, it would be unfair to say otherwise."

Kishiar's gaze drifted towards the lower half of their bodies, stained with the evidence of his unrestrained passion. If one were to say that this was the most significant mark of his lack of restraint, it wouldn't be entirely incorrect.

'I remember telling him before that if our heat periods weren't overlapping, there was no need to worry about consequences, yet he rarely finished inside.'

Honestly, Yuder preferred it when Kishiar released inside. More precisely, he relished the thrill of being intimately connected when Kishiar reached his peak.

The chances of successful reproduction among second gender Awakeners were exceedingly low, especially when their primary genders matched. Even during overlapping heat periods, the likelihood of conceiving was slim. In a world struggling for survival, finding an Awakener who managed to conceive under such rare circumstances was even rarer.

There were a few instances in his previous lives where an unplanned overlap of heat periods with a partner led to pregnancy, but that wasn't the case with Yuder.

'Perhaps back then... it was because Kishiar’s vessel was already deeply cracked.'

It was impossible to know what Kishiar from a past life thought about this matter. However, in this life, even knowing the slim chances, Kishiar was always cautious.

But this time, for the first time, he let go of his reservations and released himself into him as he wished. Yuder still vividly remembered the overwhelming sensation of warmth filling him.

'Pregnancy, huh...'

The word, once seeming from a world entirely different from his, now felt earnestly real for the first time, perhaps an aftermath of his heat period.

He had never contemplated having a child to continue his bloodline. After his grandfather's passing, he never felt the need for kin, as more pressing matters occupied his mind. He was certain this would remain unchanged. But what about the current Kishiar?

Had the man, who had grown accustomed to living as a Duke unable to leave an heir and later became a second gender Awakener, ever entertained such thoughts?

Lost in these unfamiliar ponderings, Yuder abruptly brushed them aside when Kishiar spoke.

"Skipping meals was less important than what I desired right in front of me, so I did as I wished. Frankly, I'm not that hungry now. What I crave is not elsewhere, but right here."

His words were laden with a blatant sexual undertone, yet at the same time, they carried a profound desire to consume in the most literal sense. Yuder recalled how Kishiar had relentlessly licked, sucked, and devoured every inch of his body, biting his lip as a sudden surge of heat rekindled deep within him.

"So... are you alright otherwise? No issues apart from hunger?"

"...There are none."

"Yes. Perhaps it's time to rise. Water is here, but for a meal, the rest must be fetched from outside…”

Kishiar hesitated for a moment as he tried to rise. It was because of Yuder, who pressed down on his chest, lifting his upper body to prevent Kishiar from getting up.

“Before that.”

Yuder, while conversing, glanced down at his rejuvenated manhood, wetting his lips with his tongue. A slow flame flickered in his cool, dark eyes.

“It seems there's something else that needs resolving.”

“…You said you were hungry, didn’t you?”

Kishiar softened his eyebrows and smiled. However, his eyes were already intensely fixed on the man with black hair above him.

“It's a problem that you said such things, Commander. Now that the fire has been ignited, what can we do?”

“Yes… I was wrong to do this to someone still under the effects.”

Kishiar firmly grasped Yuder's buttocks. As he gently spread the flesh, a wet mucus trickled out from the suddenly opened crevice.

Yuder clenched his teeth, feeling the rising heat, and almost simultaneously, the flame in Kishiar's eyes kindled.

Only after one more time did Yuder finally have the energy to rise and clean the house. His restored abilities were less than half of his usual, but even that was enough to tidy up and organize the small cabin.

While he washed the entire house with water without moving a finger and used the wind to move the remaining items, Kishiar went out and returned with a mountain of fish and fruit. Their luggage, which contained a change of clothes, was also with them. A courier bird was also included.

“You've brought quite a lot. Where did the courier bird come from?”

“It came from Nathan. He said he arrived at the destination first and has been doing well for five days.”