The Gloomy Alchemist
"Hehe, hehe... Hehehehe..."
A young woman was shaking her shoulders, laughing creepily inside a laboratory in a grand mansion.
Her messy, tangled dark hair, streaked with yellow, hung down long and twitched slightly in sync with her laughter.
The unkempt hair cast a shadow over her otherwise beautiful face, creating a strange, eerie atmosphere.
Meanwhile, her round glasses faintly reflected the light in the darkness. Her current appearance was the very definition of gloomy.
Yet, despite the slight sense of aversion she might evoke, she possessed a remarkably beautiful face.
Because she spent all day cooped up in her laboratory with virtually zero exercise, her body carried a bit of extra soft flesh.
Her belly protruded slightly, giving her a soft, chubby look, but she didn't look fat at all.
On the contrary, her breasts and hips—which were even larger than Seraphina Serion's—combined to exude a voluptuous, thick charm of their own.
At any rate, the name of this beautiful girl giggling to herself in the dark laboratory was Elisio Gremlina.
She was one of the main heroines of the original game, Heart-fluttering Stormy Harem Transfer Student, and a genius alchemist blessed with natural talent.
"R-Rofel... Rofel's r-reply... Hehe... Hehehe..."
Her mouth stretched in a creepy, ear-to-ear grin.
The reason for her joy was none other than the letter from Rofel Teufel that had just arrived.
Calculating the time it took for the letters to travel, he must have written his reply the moment he read hers.
Remembering exactly what she had written, she had opened his letter with a mix of anxiety and anticipation.
And the reply was absolutely incredible! Even now, an hour after reading it, Elisio was still repeating the words in her head.
She giggled, realizing she had worried for nothing. There was no way Rofel would ever say anything to hurt her.
"T-That's right... There's no way Rofel would betray me... Hehe... Hehehe..."
"I-I'm sorry for doubting you even for a second, Rofel... Hehehehe..."
Clasping Rofel's letter tightly against her incredibly voluptuous chest, Elisio lay down on the sofa in the corner of the lab.
She kicked her feet in the air, unable to contain her overwhelming excitement.
But soon, her abysmal stamina gave out, and she went limp.
Despite the minimal movement, she was already breaking a sweat.
"Phew... Rofel..."
She unfolded the letter she held tightly in both hands to check the contents again.
It was as if she wanted to savor the words just a little bit more.
Dear Elisio Gremlina,
Hi Eli, it's been a while since we exchanged letters like this.
I was wondering why I hadn't heard from you, since it's so unlike you, but now I know the reason. I'm just glad it wasn't because of a bad accident or illness.
"Eli... Eli... Hehehe... The nickname Rofel gave me...! Hehe..."
"Eli" was the name Rofel used when they were alone.
After they became close, he had given her this nickname, saying that "Elisio" felt a bit too formal.
Looking at the word "Eli" written in his handwriting, Elisio felt an ecstatic sensation, as if he were actually whispering the name right next to her.
By the way, reading your letter made me really curious.
What kind of research could possibly engross you so much? You have to tell me all about it the next time we meet.
"Hehehehe... I-It's fine, Rofel... Soon... you'll experience it with that body of yours... step... by step... in vivid detail...! Hehehe..."
The potion Elisio Gremlina had been brewing while cooped up in her lab during the break was a special concoction.
It was a custom potion made by extracting only the necessary components from the various drugs Rofel had personally tested for her, mixed with herbs and body parts of monsters known to boost stamina and vigor.
Still, to think you were worrying about me like that. If I had known, I would have visited you myself.
Come to think of it, back at the academy, once you got focused on something, you wouldn't even notice if the lab caught fire. Some might call you eccentric or strange, but I always thought that side of you was really cool.
You look incredibly beautiful when you're intellectually focused on your research.
But you always forgot to take care of yourself when you got like that. I remember dropping by your lab to brew tea or give you a light massage.
"Ah... Ah...! Rofel...! To think you care about someone like me this much...! Hehehehe..."
And thank you for worrying about my marriage prospects.
Honestly, it was something I was quietly stressing over too. Having to go on matchmaking dates with noble ladies I've never even met right after graduation didn't sit well with me either.
But fortunately, it looks like I'll be able to resolve it soon. I've made up my mind.
"Hehe... Hehehe...!"
She had already read this letter dozens of times.
Her favorite part was coming up next.
A lewd smile spread across her face, saliva already pooling at the corner of her mouth.
Just as you said, I think a close friend I've spent time with is much better than some stranger from another noble family. Someone who has been by my side, sharing the same memories and experiences.
It's embarrassing to admit, but I didn't realize until now that such a person has been right next to me all along.
And I finally made my decision. When I think about it, there's really no better marriage partner.
Someone I met at the academy who has stayed by my side ever since.
Haha, that's all the hints you get. It wouldn't be fun if I told you everything in a letter, right? I'll tell you myself when we meet again at the academy.
So... look forward to it, Eli.
"Kyahahaha~! Hehe! Hehe! Ahaha~! I-I don't know, I don't know, I don't know...!!"
Elisio hugged the letter tightly to her chest and rolled back and forth on the sofa.
With a deeply flushed face, she let out all the joy she was feeling.
"Y-Yes... I knew a day like this would come for me too...!"
"The rosy days I only read about in books...!"
"N-No, it won't stop there...! The deep red days I only saw in erotic paintings too...! Hehehehe!!!"
She rolled faster and faster, as if trying to sweep all the dust off the floor with her clothes.
If her laboratory hadn't been in the basement, people would have come down to complain about the noise.
After quite some time, she finally dragged herself back onto the sofa.
"...Hehe."
Perhaps she had exhausted her stamina from moving around so much, or perhaps her excitement had finally cooled down.
Soon, she lay quietly with her eyes closed, holding Rofel's letter like a precious treasure.
And she began to reminisce.
About the day they first met.
"Ugh... I-I ended up coming after all..."
Elisio Gremlina walked toward the Great Hall for the academy entrance ceremony, her head and shoulders slumped low.
Her legs, perfectly fine and uninjured, trembled nervously with every step.
Truth be told, she hadn't wanted to come to the academy at all.
Of course, the academy offered excellent professors, great facilities, and research materials.
But the Gremlina family could easily provide all of that.
In fact, the family's private facilities might even be superior to the academy's.
For someone like her, who only wanted to shut herself away and focus on research, there was absolutely no reason to attend.
However, her father had a different opinion.
"Your attitude of pursuing and exploring knowledge is excellent, but... that behavior of yours must be corrected."
"You can't even strike up a conversation with someone you meet for the first time, and you still stutter! Can you truly call yourself a member of the Gremlina family like that?"
"So I have decided. Elisio Gremlina, you will enroll in the academy. The application and registration are already complete, so take this opportunity to experience what they call 'social life.'"
"B-But..."
"Stuttering again? *Sigh*... Since you were young, your attitude was different, so I thought you would become a renowned scholar..."
"Still, do not worry too much about leaving home. Most students at the academy are noble ladies, so they will all have basic manners. The research facilities there are also excellent, so you can continue the research you love."
"In the first place, if you do not go to the academy, I have no intention of supporting any of your research from the family funds."
"T-That's..."
And so, Elisio was forced to enroll in the academy against her will.
Now, she was heading toward the Dandelion Academy Great Hall to attend the upcoming entrance ceremony.
As expected of a place where noble ladies from various nations gathered, the Great Hall was bustling with students and their accompanying servants.
"Eek? E-Excuse me... I... I need to get through...!"
She wanted to slip away to a quiet corner, but her quiet, stuttering voice failed to reach anyone's ears.
As she was jostled and pushed around by the crowd, it seemed impossible for her to even reach her assigned seat.
It was at that moment that a piece of equipment, being moved by magic for the ceremony preparations, bumped into her.
"U-Ugh!?"
Elisio's weak body couldn't withstand the impact.
The world spun, her glasses flew off, and an unpleasant sensation of weightlessness enveloped her entire body.
She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the painful impact that was sure to follow.
"Ah...!"
One second.
Two seconds.
...
Why wasn't it hurting?
Instead of pain, she felt only the warmth of a firm hand supporting her waist.
"Are you alright? Ah... it looked like you were about to fall."
A man with a dependable build, whose name she didn't know, was holding her close, supporting her waist.
Although she couldn't see clearly without her glasses, a very handsome face was close to hers, causing Elisio to blush without realizing it.
"...! A-Ah...! Y-Yes! T-Thank you..."
The man picked up her glasses from the floor.
Fortunately, they weren't cracked, but they seemed to have gathered a lot of dust.
Though her vision was blurry, Elisio could see him blowing warm breath onto her glasses and carefully wiping them clean.
"Here you go. Don't worry, I wiped them with a clean handkerchief."
He handed back the squeaky-clean glasses.
With a dazed expression, she adjusted her glasses and looked at him clearly once more.
Messy, thick black hair and sharp dark eyes that carried a hint of decadence.
The man she would never be able to forget for the rest of her life.
Rofel Teufel was looking down at her with the gentlest smile in the world.