A Recipe for Obsession
Elisio Gremlina, the genius alchemist, had a new dilemma.
It was none other than Rofel Teufel, the very first friend she had ever made in her life.
Whenever she met him, she found herself staring intently at his face, her cheeks flushing red.
Even the smallest gesture of consideration from him made the corners of her mouth twitch upward, filling her with immense joy.
When his warm words echoed in her ears, the resonance of his voice would linger in her mind for a long time.
Even when she went to sleep, the moments they had shared that day would vividly resurface, and she would dream of him.
While she had always felt comfortable and happy spending time with Rofel, lately she had begun reacting intensely to his every single action.
The moment she realized she was unconsciously counting down the hours until she could see him, she knew.
This emotion was, without a doubt, love.
However, that love soon manifested as a deep, troubling dilemma.
Before delving into the nature of her dilemma, it was worth noting that ever since she recognized her feelings, she had unconsciously begun investigating Rofel.
He was the eldest son of the Teufel family, a house located in the remote borderlands, and a student who had just entered the Academy's magic department this year.
Although the Teufel family held noble status, they possessed nothing particularly special compared to other aristocrats. They were merely a common borderland family barely maintaining their title by inheriting their ancestral estate.
If she had to point out a single outstanding trait, it was that their bloodline possessed a decent talent for magic.
Even so, it was nowhere near the level of the prestigious mage families, including those from the Magic Tower.
Furthermore, even before matriculation, Rofel's tall, striking build and gentle personality had made him a target of interest for numerous noble ladies.
But most fortunately, he did not yet have a fiancée.
From there, she went further, documenting his height, weight, daily routine, and even what he ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
She followed him stealthily, ensuring he never noticed, and recorded every single detail without missing a beat.
She was as engrossed in her research on him as she would be when locked away in her laboratory.
Whenever she realized what she was doing, Elisio would startle herself.
"T-This... this is just stalking...!"
Yet, it would have been a relief if it had ended at mere stalking.
After all, wasn't she just slightly more curious about her subject than the average person?
The real reason she was agonizing so deeply was not her love itself, but something tightly intertwined with it—her sexual desire.
From her perspective, having met him quite frequently by now, Rofel was... incredibly lewd.
With his sharp features and handsome face, he already exuded a dark, decadent, and strangely sensual allure.
In truth, he had not yet shown any outstanding academic performance, but his looks alone had captured the attention of quite a few noble ladies.
Yet, he would approach her with a warm smile on that very face and whisper sweet, gentle words.
For Elisio, who had never had any significant interaction with anyone regardless of gender, the stimulation was simply too intense.
And that wasn't all.
With the recent change in seasons, the attire within the Academy had grown thinner.
Consequently, Rofel had begun wearing shirts so thin that they would turn translucent if he sweated, and to make matters worse, he walked around with his sleeves rolled up.
The faint outline of his well-toned skin and muscles would trace against the fabric, occasionally peeking through the gaps in his clothes to present a dizzying spectacle.
Moreover, whenever she saw the prominent veins bulging on his thick, muscular forearms exposed by his rolled-up sleeves, she couldn't help but gulp.
She had always been somewhat aware of it, but once she became conscious of her feelings, she realized just how dangerous Rofel's physical appearance truly was.
Yet, whether Rofel knew the danger of his own body or not, he would draw close to her with that obscenely attractive frame and even initiate physical contact.
On top of that, the thick scent of his body whenever she was near him filled her with a sense of pure ecstasy, making her breath hitch and grow ragged.
Indeed.
Her dilemma was that it was becoming increasingly difficult to suppress these hot, tingling sensations toward him.
Whenever they walked together, she wanted to squeeze his thick arm between her large breasts and feel his solid warmth against her skin.
When sitting beside him, she would find herself staring blankly at his toned chest visible through the gaps in his shirt.
Looking at his lips as they parted to speak in that quiet, warm, and gentle tone, she wanted nothing more than to press her lips to his and slide her tongue inside.
Seeing him in the distance at the gymnasium, drenched in sweat after training, made her want to leap straight into his arms and inhale his scent.
Ultimately, every single night under her blankets, she would comfort herself while endlessly fantasizing about holding him and being held by him.
Having endured these feelings for so long, she eventually found herself researching aphrodisiacs, love potions, and sleeping pills without even realizing it.
Still, that didn't mean she was planning to drug him and take him by force right away.
She still possessed a shred of reason.
She could still distinguish between what was acceptable and what was not.
She merely rationalized it as preparing for a hypothetical "just in case" scenario.
However, a certain day marked the point where her final boundaries of reason and conscience crumbled.
"Haa... haa... Ro-Rofel... W-What should we talk about this time...?"
Elisio was currently on her way to find Rofel.
Normally, meeting him during lunch on weekdays was enough, but since her feelings had deepened, she wanted to spend even more time with him.
That was why she was heading directly to his dormitory today.
"Hehehe... T-There he is... Huh? Ro-Rofel?"
As she neared the dormitory, she spotted Rofel rushing out of the building.
Dressed up as if he had prior plans, he was running off somewhere in a hurry.
Wondering what was going on, she quietly followed him.
Soon, she saw Rofel talking to another girl in a scenic spot that looked perfect for a romantic date.
"...Rofel...?"
She recognized the girl beside him instantly.
It was Lilit Tistina, a daughter of the high noble Tistina family and one of the Academy's most famous figures.
If her memory served her right, Lilit definitely had someone else she liked.
Almost everyone in the Academy probably knew.
That Lilit Tistina of the Magic Department liked Marc Visus of the Knight Department.
No, the relationship between Lilit and Marc didn't matter to Elisio right now.
What truly mattered to her was why Rofel and Lilit were together, walking around a date spot, and talking so happily.
Of course, to Rofel, Elisio was merely a friend.
Yet, for some reason, she felt an urge to march right up to them and demand to know what was going on.
But she couldn't bring herself to do it.
She still couldn't speak to strangers, and she utterly lacked the courage to intrude upon the two of them in this situation.
Rofel was giving another girl the same warm smile he always gave her, and he was even holding her hand.
Elisio felt a tight constriction in her chest, as if she couldn't breathe properly.
In the end, she spent the entire day watching them from afar, unable to say a word to Rofel, before returning to her dormitory alone in misery.
To make matters worse, she stayed up all night tossing and turning, unable to stop thinking about what kind of relationship Rofel and Lilit shared.
The next day, the moment she met Rofel during lunch, Elisio spoke up.
"Ro-Rofel...! U-Um... I have something to ask you... It might be a bit personal, though... Can I ask?"
"Huh? Of course, Eli. What's with the formality between us? Ask me anything."
"U-Um... I saw you by chance... really, just by chance... yesterday, over the weekend. I saw you with L-Lilit Tistina... W-What is... your relationship?"
She was always prone to stuttering and trembling, but today it was exceptionally severe.
She was terrified that he might give her the worst possible answer.
"Ah, my relationship with Lilit? Haha, we're just friends."
"F-Friends...?"
"Yeah. We happened to start talking not too long ago. I listened to some of her worries, and we got closer as we talked about this and that. Why do you ask?"
"A-Ah...! U-Um... from what I know, L-Lilit likes M-Marc Visus... the hero of the terror incident... That's why, when I saw her walking around with you, I... I wondered if you two were in a relationship..."
"Hahaha, I see. You're right, Lilit does like Marc."
"...? T-Then why...?"
"Well, you see... Ah, this is a secret, though..."
Rofel leaned in close to her ear, as if sharing a deep secret.
The sensation of his breath and the sound of his voice right next to her ear made her freeze instantly.
"Lilit said she was going to confess to Marc... so we were looking for a good date spot together."
"...! I-I see...!"
"Yeah. She was hesitating all by herself, so I offered to help. We ended up walking around together because of that. Anyway, Lilit and I are just friends."
Upon hearing Rofel's answer, Elisio's face instantly brightened, and a wide grin spread across her lips.
She let out a deep sigh of relief.
Of course, that makes sense. I was worrying over nothing, she thought.
Thanks to that, she was able to enjoy their conversation and part ways with him happily that day.
However, that evening, as she lay quietly under her blankets, anxiety began to creep back in.
Because if her memory served her right, Lilit's gaze and reactions when she was with Rofel had been far from ordinary.
Her eyes had been dripping with sweetness, deeply moist as if she were damp with desire, unconsciously scanning every inch of Rofel's body.
Even Lilit's reactions, smiling automatically at Rofel's minor gestures of consideration.
Those were unmistakably the eyes and reactions of a woman deeply in love, looking at the man she adored.