Chapter 157: Academy IF Side Story – The False Family (3)

Chapter 157: Academy IF Side Story – The False Family (3)

“Th-thank you for the hairpin. It’s so pretty. Haha..”

“Right..? Ahem. I picked out the prettiest ones I had.”

Meichen tried to break the slightly awkward atmosphere by smiling and brushing it off.

However, she didn’t let go of my hand.

She fiddled with her hands, gazing at mine.

Then, she gave a faint smile.

“Shall we.. head to the library now..? Y-you said you needed your major textbooks.”

“Should we? Ahem. Let’s stop by the convenience store first. I’ll buy you something delicious.”

“Really? Hehe..”

The atmosphere was strange earlier.

Although I felt a little disappointed that the mood was broken.

I left the room with her.

Even as we headed to the convenience store, Meichen’s hand subtly brushed against mine.

We arrived at the library, feeling the subtle warmth exchanged between us.

Was it my imagination that Meichen’s cheeks were strangely flushed as she chose books?

I unconsciously paid attention to her as I picked out books.

‘I’m going crazy..’

Did I tease her unnecessarily earlier?

Meichen, who would normally wear a haughty expression, had a strangely shy look.

Since she didn’t seem to dislike it, I was relieved, but.

Then, I flinched slightly at her outstretched hand.

“Cecil. This is the book you said you needed, right? Advanced Elemental Magic.”

“Huh? Yeah.. That’s right. I’m a bit of a klutz when it comes to elemental magic. There are too many types of elemental magic, so my head hurts..”

“Even a top student like you has unexpected flaws? Great. I, Meichen Brown, will give you a special lecture. Consider it an honor.”

“Oh. Meichen’s lectures are reliable. Seeing you teach me before, you seem to have a talent for teaching.”

“Hmm, hmm. Well, it’s just.. I only taught the basics..”

Meichen’s face turned red at my compliment.

Self-praise is a habit, but when I’m being so forward, she immediately backs down.

That gap is truly adorable.

I smiled and finished our library tour with her.

The spoils of war were four major textbooks.

Three are mine, and one is hers.

What’s more, the one Meichen borrowed isn’t even an elemental magic textbook.

Looking at it this way, her talent in elemental magic is truly outstanding.

Most of it is probably built through effort, though.

I smiled brightly and unconsciously stuck close to Meichen.

At the same time, Meichen’s pleasant scent wafted towards me.

She must be wearing perfume, as the subtle scent was pleasant.

The scent tickled my nose, and I couldn’t help but sniff.

“Sniff sniff..”

“Uh, huh? What’s wrong..?”

“Your scent is nice.”

“Th-what are you suddenly talking about?! G-get away..”

Meichen was startled by my sudden scent confession.

Her ears turned completely red, and she pushed me away, looking very cute.

Then, she paused for a moment, noticing the surrounding stares.

The students walking in the hallway were staring intently at us, who were stuck together.

Ah, I guess I stuck too close.

I coughed awkwardly and released my arm around Meichen’s waist.

“…Want to go to the convenience store?”

“Again? I don’t mind, but..”

Thus, we were able to have a second snack break at the convenience store, avoiding the students’ gazes.

Feeling the strange atmosphere between us.

****

CRASH-

A massive pile of books spilled from Meichen’s embrace onto the floor.

I stared at the terrible sight and clicked my tongue in disbelief.

“What.. is that..?”

“Elemental magic textbooks. What else? Didn’t you ask me to teach you how to study the other day?”

“This is too intense..”

“You have to study this much to build a solid foundation. Theory is practice. Don’t you know the basic rules of magic?”

“Ughhh.. I hate studying..”

Even though I’ve started to enjoy studying magic.

Elemental magic was truly difficult and painful knowledge.

However, since I came all the way to Meichen’s dorm room and opened my desk.

I thought I should still do what I had to do.

The professor had also announced a pop quiz a few days later.

It was a painful process that I couldn’t avoid.

I sat down gently in front of the mountain of textbooks with a resigned expression.

“Anyone would think you’re about to die.. We’ll take it easy, so don’t worry too much..”

“Ugh.. My head already hurts..”

“You really hate elemental magic, don’t you..”

Meichen chuckled and shook her head.

Still, one consolation was that Meichen’s lessons were quite fun.

“Here.. look at this. Fire and water elements are conflicting elements, but if you add the earth element here and create a formula.. Ta-da. The elements don’t scatter and don’t clump together.”

“Oh.. it really does, doesn’t it?”

On Meichen’s hands, as she explained the formulas, small spheres spun like planets.

Magic visualizing fire, water, and earth elements respectively.

The spheres moved in unison and then combined to maintain a solid form.

In this way, she made me understand the problems not just through words but also through practical experiments.

Honestly, in terms of accessibility, it’s much higher than Adela’s teaching method.

It’s wrong for a student to compare herself to a genius professor like Adela.

But Meichen’s lessons were surprisingly intuitive and fun.

‘She’s really a master of teaching..’

My eyes widened at the formulas that went straight into my head.

However, no matter how fun the lessons were, they were still lessons.

“Haaah.. I’m tired..”

I gave up after only two hours of class.

The afternoon class was also free, so I intended to fill the afternoon with studying.

But it seems I’m just not suited for elemental magic.

I found practical mana exercises more fun than elemental magic, which involves combining and dividing dozens, hundreds of elements.

Besides, the nature of elemental magic itself is focused on research rather than combat.

I don’t think I’m cut out to be a scholar, no matter what.

“Still.. this is the first time I’ve done this for two hours without a break. Good job. Let’s rest a bit and finish up.”

“I need sugar.. sugar..”

Meichen seemed quite proud that I managed to endure the lesson.

She smiled brightly and took out a box of chocolates she had placed under the desk.

It was a box to recharge with sugar while studying, but half the chocolates were already gone.

Meichen also seemed to like the chocolates and ate them frequently.

I chuckled and picked up a chocolate, popping it into my mouth.

The sugar spread, and it felt good to have my brain recharged.

“Hehe.. I should smell Meichen’s scent..”

Then, I suddenly remembered the pleasant scent from earlier and snuggled close to her body.

“Kya, kyaaah?!”

Meichen let out a short scream.

Her face turned extremely red, and her gaze flickered between me and the air.

Meichen had been increasing her physical contact lately.

But she was quite weak to my advances like this.

“Wh-what scent are you sniffing.. It’s like you’re a pervert..”

“Because I like it. Do you wear perfume?”

Sniff sniff, as I hugged Meichen’s neck and engaged in physical contact, she fidgeted and closed her eyes tightly.

I shouldn’t keep doing this.

But every time I approach her, her reaction is so cute that I can’t help myself.

“…Yes.”

“Huh? Really? What perfume are you wearing? It smells like sweet flowers..”

Was she really wearing perfume?

I looked intently into Meichen’s eyes with a curious expression.

But, is there a reason to wear perfume at the Academy?

I haven’t seen her hanging out with other students besides me.

It’s unlikely she has someone she likes.

She also tends to prefer being alone.

“I, I just received it as a gift a while ago. It’s a honey flower fruit perfume.. I got it from someone I know who’s a perfumer.”

“Oh.. Isn’t that fruit delicious when you drink it as a beverage? That’s awesome. Can I smell it a bit more?”

“Uh? Uh.. Th-that’s fine.”

I was already bothered by the scent whenever it wafted over.

This time, I decided to smell it to my heart’s content and satisfy my desires.

I giggled and buried my nose in her neck.

‘The scent is really good..’

Meichen flinched slightly, perhaps bothered by my breath on her neck.

At the same time, she clenched her fists tightly.

Her reaction is so cute the more I see it.

I gently took her hand.

Meichen seemed to like holding hands more than I thought.

“Wait a moment.. Ugh.. It’s too close..”

“The scent is strongest here. Wow.. it’s sweet, but.. what should I say..”

As I smelled the scent, I started to feel a little strange.

It felt like my heart was pounding.

My head felt a little fuzzy.

“Uh.. Cecil..?”

“The scent.. is really good..”

Drawn by the alluring scent, I unconsciously pressed my body against hers.

Meichen’s eyes widened with a thoroughly flustered expression.

****

‘Why is she acting like this..?’

Meichen thought, feeling Cecil’s warm body against hers, stammering.

She was extremely flustered right now.

She had been told that the perfume she received was a ‘likability-boosting perfume.’

– If you wear this, you can seduce anyone!

The perfumer who gave her the perfume had said so.

Did she misunderstand the difference between ‘seducing’ and ‘likability’?

Meichen stared at Cecil, who was clinging to her.

With half-lidded eyes, she was intertwining her fingers with Meichen’s.

“Uh.. Ce, Cecil..? Wait a moment..”

“The scent is really good.. sweet.. what should I say.. it makes my head fuzzy..”

Swish-

Before she knew it, her hands were held, and Cecil brought her face closer to Meichen’s.

Cecil’s body smelled of fresh flowers.

Her cascading brown hair and cute eyes.

Meichen also felt her mind spinning from Cecil’s beauty and aura.

“Um.. Th-this.. it’s too close..”

“Why..? Do you dislike it..?”

“It’s not that I dislike it.. but.. what should I say.. Ugh..”

Their faces grew closer, now just a breath away from touching noses.

Cecil, exuding a sensual atmosphere, began to gently push Meichen towards the bed.

“I like you..”

And then, at Cecil’s words, spoken in a low voice.

Meichen swallowed hard.

Her heart pounded like crazy, and her face felt like it would explode from the heat.

‘Aaaahhh..’

She screamed internally, not a scream, but a silent cry, and gazed into Cecil’s moist eyes.

She was already beautiful, but.

Seeing her like this, I really don’t know what to say.

She was as beautiful as a fairy or an elf from a fairy tale.

While stammering in confusion, Cecil buried her face in Meichen’s neck.

Perhaps it was due to her breath, but a strange feeling began to arise.

“Excuse me.. Cecil..? P-please calm down a little..”

She tried to push Cecil away, but Cecil showed no signs of moving.

She just hugged Meichen’s body tightly, pressing her body against hers.

Feeling her soft yet stimulating body against hers, she could no longer resist.

“Ce, Cecil..”

“How about you..?”

At the question asked while hugging her body, Meichen had a half-melted expression.

She felt Cecil’s warmth and her mind was blank from the unfamiliar sensation.

Feeling Cecil’s lips on her neck, she gasped ‘Ah!’

And then, she hugged Cecil tightly as well.

“…I like it.”

With those words, Cecil patted Meichen’s head.

It was an affectionate, truly pleasant touch.

Her tightly clenched hand slowly loosened and moved towards her waist.

What will happen to me now?

Swallowing hard, she felt Cecil’s slender fingers approaching and slowly closed her eyes.