IPTYFM

CHAPTER XXXlll

“Johann, the command post might relocate soon. Let’s just hold out through this winter.”

At the time, my talk of holding on seemed almost laughable, especially since that officer hadn’t really come looking for me.

“We’ll see each other again.”

That single sentence had both Johann and me thinking of moving and leaving the village, feeling like patients suffering from delusions due to nervous exhaustion.

But now, those delusions seemed to be turning into reality. Yet, we couldn’t leave.

The war dragged on, hardening people’s hearts and raising prices even more compared to when we first settled here early this year. Leaving for an unfamiliar place felt like a suicidal move.

Merely surviving here had become precarious, making the thought of leaving a luxury.

The hope that the harvest season would bring a plentiful table was dashed. The government had decided to implement rationing for essentials.

With rations insufficient, flour and sugar, already hard to come by, became even scarcer.

People became desperate to secure food before winter. We, too, took to the forest whenever possible to gather mushrooms, berries, and roots.

“Johann! Look here.”

Today, after finishing our farm work, we stopped by the forest on our way home. Venturing deeper than usual, we stumbled upon an untouched walnut tree. While I picked the unrotten walnuts, Johann collected firewood.

“Ah, Johann… uh, not here.”

We had intended only to wash our hands before heading home. Splashing water at each other turned into play, and before I knew it, I was lying on a pile of leaves.

“It’s getting too chilly for this outside…”

But I didn’t earnestly push Johann off me. While it was chilly outside, the landlady inside was frosty towards us.

We lived on the third floor above a bakery near the school. Mrs. Becker, the building and bakery owner, was much stricter and more sensitive than Mrs. Bauer.

“Rize, where are you going?”

“To the attic. Why do you ask, Mrs. Becker?”

“It’s nothing.”

Her peculiar nature made her keep a distance, treating us almost like intruders, even questioning where we were going whenever we opened the door.

Only after dealing with Mrs. Becker did I realize how much more lenient and free-spirited the farmers were.

“Flee from sexual immorality! All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body! Those who commit such acts will not inherit the kingdom of God!”

Whenever we shook the bed or the dining table, Mrs. Becker’s voice, reciting passages from the Bible at full volume from beneath the floorboards, was guaranteed to follow.

Being frowned upon for having marital relations seemed absurd. Wasn’t it the landlord’s fault for the thin floors that carried noise so easily?

Though my thoughts were defiant, the constant disapproval made it difficult to act confidently. As a result, we hadn’t properly made love for over a month.

A month of abstinence for newlyweds was harsh enough to turn them into wild animals in the broad daylight of the forest.

“We can do it without undressing.”

Johann’s hand, slipping beneath my cardigan, untied the vest and unbuttoned the blouse.

“Ah…”

The moment his moist and soft hand from the creek water grasped my nipple, I felt a dizzying thrill and began rubbing my thighs together.

“Ah… Ha… Uh…”

After sharing a deep kiss that left me breathless, his lips grazed my cheek and then trailed down my neck. I had become accustomed to expecting him to suck and nibble on my nipples.

“Ah…”

Feeling disappointed that it couldn’t happen today, I almost changed my mind.

A little undressing wouldn’t freeze me to death.

“Johann… touch me more.”

Moreover, his cold hands felt surprisingly good. I found myself eagerly pressing my erect nipples into the palm of Johann’s cold hand.

‘Wouldn’t the chilly air of the forest also feel pleasant?’

The thrilling sensation of my nipple being sucked into Johann’s warm mouth and then exposed to the cold air, damp with saliva, made my nether regions spontaneously moist.

At that point, I gave up on hesitating and began to unbutton my cardigan with my own hands. But before I could get far…

“You’re already wet.”

“Ah!”

A finger that had slipped inside my bloomers and brushed against my slick folds forced me to stop with a shriek.

“Ah, Johann… Ah, I think I’m going to come…”

My focus was entirely on the stimulation between my legs. Gasping and writhing under the overwhelming sensation, I threw my head back.

That’s when my eyes met those of the man looking down at me. It wasn’t Johann.

Major Felkner?

“Ah!”

I screamed and scrambled up to hide behind Johann. Johann quickly grabbed the axe he had set aside and stood between me and the man.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Johann’s question sounded like a protest, but there was no answer. The man standing on the slope wasn’t looking at Johann but at me, crouched and hiding behind Johann’s legs.