The Archer's First Lesson
I spent a long while admiring the holes that flickered into and out of sight behind Baek Hwayeon's hips.
Speaking as though that place were her face itself, I opened my mouth.
"Is it hard for you?"
"No. I still have enough mana for now."
"Do you do this kind of exercise often?"
"I kept it up steadily during my first year at the Academy, but after that... this feels like the first time in ages."
"Let's hear the reason."
"Well... in my first year I was still just an Awakener candidate, not fully Awakened yet. Back then the instructors and supervisors checked our training constantly... After I Awakened, personal training became free choice. And after that..."
In short, she worked hard when someone was watching her every move, then grew lazy the moment it turned into self-directed practice.
I could guess why.
Awakening.
I'd heard that the equal classes everyone received before Awakening changed completely afterward. Of course they split people by specialty—healers, mages, and so on—but they also ranked them by the size of the mana measured in the post-Awakening tests. The stronger you were, the better the treatment and the more thorough the management. Over time that gap only widened, didn't it?
Common enough story. No one could shout about equality or rights. Putting a handgun and a tank on the same level and calling it fair was nonsense from the start. Even regular schools divide classes into honor students and stragglers.
"What did you mostly do after the supervision stopped? Just shoot arrows?"
"At first I tried the sword and a few other things. None of them suited me, so the last one I settled on was the bow. All I had to do was stand still and shoot."
"For someone who says that, your arms show no muscle development at all."
I delivered that line while staring idiotically at her ass. But unless she had eyes in her asshole, she had no way of knowing where I was looking. She probably thought I was examining her body with a professional eye.
"That's... because my mana is so low... I can only shoot about ten times a day."
"You couldn't even pierce a Red Devil's skull, and you only shoot ten times a day? Not even healing? Then you never practiced shooting without mana? Rapid Fire drills or anything like that?"
"......"
Her reaction made it clear she had never done any of it.
Then what the hell did she spend her time doing at the Academy? Even with weak mana, this is practically neglect, isn't it? Lee Donggeul was the same. These goddamn Academy bastards.
"You wasted your time at the Academy. From now on, just trust me and follow. The more faith you place in me, the more solid the reward I'll give you. And my lessons are top-secret. Absolute no leaks. Understood?"
"Yes. But... did Lee Donggeul take lessons like this too?"
"...Ahem. Well. The method differs for each person. She's a healer, isn't she? Right now I'm checking whether Hwayeon is suited for archery or not. Why? Getting cold feet? Other people's lessons could actually be poison for you, so from now on don't get curious and don't ask. And telling them about this lesson is also absolutely forbidden."
"I'm sorry. I don't dislike it. It's not even that hard. And I'm not close with them anyway, so we barely talk."
"All right. I'll take your word for it."
As she said, using mana for a few push-ups and squats wasn't particularly taxing. But she had neglected exercise so thoroughly that the continuous movement had her body pouring sweat. From the nape of her neck down her back it was soaked, a drop or two already starting to trickle. Her thighs and the space between them felt damp too; the front was probably the same. The faint soap scent that had clung to her grew thicker, turning the air strangely erotic.
"...?"
I aimed a soft hooo~ of breath straight at her anus.
After several minutes of squats her body jerked as if shocked, anus and buttocks clenching hard. Yet no scream or moan came out. Only Baek Hwayeon turning to look at me with rabbit-wide eyes, both hands covering her asshole.
"What's wrong?"
"N-no... I just got startled. Suddenly there was wind on my... anus..."
"Must have been me moving around. Sorry. But I never told you to stop squatting."
"Ah... I'm sorry."
She resumed the squats. Watching her hurry to obey without another word, I felt something hot rising inside my chest. Was this the urge to conquer her? I began to wonder how far she would go if I tormented her more intensely. I wanted to find out what she simply could not endure.
Still, I couldn't jump straight into anything bizarre. Everything has an order that must be kept.
I moved behind her again as she restarted the squats and, in the same way as before, blew a sharp puff of air at her anus.
"Heup."
A tiny voice, almost too soft to hear, escaped her. Whether it tickled or not, the moment the air touched her the tightly closed hole rose slightly; then the up-and-down motion of the squats resumed. Next I blew a long, drawn-out hooooo~. This time her hips swayed left and right as if trying to dodge my breath. That clenched little hole looked terribly cute. Yet Baek Hwayeon never stopped squatting.
I smiled darkly to myself.
This is only the first lesson and she's already this obedient. Maybe I can go further right away.
"Curious why I'm doing this?"
"Yes... Does blowing air into my anus raise my mana?"
"As if. I was simply testing how your body reacts to unexpected stimulation. How was it?"
"It felt cool. Ticklish too... but embarrassing. I've never shown this hole to anyone before..."
"It's fine. I'll keep the secret as well."
"Thank you."
Nearly ten minutes of squats had left her entire body drenched in sweat, her breathing fairly rough. Good thing her hair was neatly tied up; otherwise the damp strands stuck to her back would have been a mess. Her beautiful physique and looks left nothing to be desired. The sweat only heightened the lewd atmosphere. One thing, though—her razor-sharp obedience was a little boring. That was a shame. I wanted to order something she simply could not follow, or at least make her agonize over whether to obey or refuse.
"Let's slow the squats down. This time I need to check the lower part."
"The lower part? Where?"
"I'll handle that. Just do the squats several times slower than before."
"Yes... uugh."
Even while using mana, the unfamiliar muscle work had her thighs screaming, and that pain began to show clearly on her face. I lay down beneath her hips. Her rear filled my entire field of vision, drawing closer then pulling away again—a truly fantastic sight.
"Too fast. Slower, and lower your hips further."
"Um... if you stay there, the sweat will..."
"I'm fine. I've been holding my breath against the smell of sweat this whole time."
"What? Then I'll go wash right now—"
"No. Keep going exactly like this. Your body mustn't cool down. You have to keep sweating."
Her paused hips descended toward my face once more. Her pussy and anus were laid bare. Then, regrettably, they rose again.
"From now on, stop only when I tell you."
"Yes..."
"Now!"
She froze at the lowest point of the squat, hips dropped toward the floor. With my face right underneath, a little lower and my nose would have been buried in her pussy.
"Hold that position. There's something I want to see."
"Khh... y-yes..."
As time passed she grew more strained. Her thighs trembled, and her hips shook with them. Bit by bit the position of her rear sank toward my face. I blew another soft hooo~, this time aiming the air at the slit in front rather than the anus.
"Hyaahk... I... I can't keep this up... my mana's gone too..."
"Good. Stand up now."
Watching Baek Hwayeon show no resistance even while I stared at her most private places, two feelings coexisted. One: this is too boring. Two: raising the Synchronization Rate today will be no problem at all. Just because things were progressing a little easily, just because it was a little dull, I wasn't about to stop with a body this lewd right in front of me. My cock had already been straining to tear through my pants for a while now.
"Your motor skills seem more than adequate. Form was good too. Once your mana increases, you'll be set."
"You say that so easily, but it doesn't just increase."
"It's fine. I know a method. Come stand in front of me, would you?"
She nodded and approached. I was sitting on the edge of the bed again; with her right in front of me, her sweat-slick breasts and cute navel sat directly before my eyes. Her pussy was at the perfect height for my hands.
"From this moment I'm going to touch Baek Hwayeon's body."
"......?"
"It's important. Will it be difficult?"
"No. But after I wash..."
"Absolutely not. That would ruin the effect. This is better."
"What effect? But the sweat—"
"I intend to locate the mana inside your body. Is that all right?"
I lifted my head. Baek Hwayeon met my gaze straight on. Those light brown eyes were truly beautiful. She slowly nodded her consent, and for the first time I laid my hands on her.
My fingertips gently traced her body. First the thighs. I lightly stroked the long stretch of her legs, then rose to give her hips a soft squeeze.
"Mmm..."
"If a sound comes out, let it out naturally. Don't hold it in."
"Yes."
I kept kneading both cheeks with both hands. Moisture gathered at my fingertips—sweat that had run down her back all the way to her rear. Whether from tension or the squats, her ass was clenched tight and hard to work.
"Relax your hips."
A light rub loosened the tension; the flesh grew far softer. I gripped both cheeks hard at once. The pressed-together mounds parted, her anus surely on full display, but from my position I couldn't see it—frustrating.
"Um..."
"What is it?"
"Your... breath is too hot, Team Leader. And my stomach is really ticklish."
My face was almost touching her abdomen. At her remark I reluctantly put some distance between us. Instead I released her hips and moved my hands to her waist. From there they slid along her sides and climbed to her breasts.
"Hnn... ticklish."
Breasts of just the right size and beautiful shape seemed to rise to meet my hands. I spent a long time caressing them, savoring the feel. Soft flesh that molded perfectly to my palms. I extended a single finger and circled her nipple, then lightly brushed the tip.
"Hmm..."
Her whole body trembled at once. Her sensitivity was better than expected. Given how freely she exposed herself I had wondered, but fortunately her body responded with exquisite sensitivity.
I let the open fingers trail down her abdomen toward her rear. Past the pubic hair that seemed to warn me away, down to the red slit below. At the same moment Baek Hwayeon's legs began to quiver.
"If standing is hard, would you like to lie down?"
"If that's all right, then excuse me."
I should have made her lie down from the start. She was more than ten centimeters shorter than me, and sitting on the bed limited how I could touch her. Once she was lying down, my hands could freely reach every part of her body.
"Hwayeon. Have you had sex before?"
"Sex, you mean?"
"Yes. Do you do it often, by any chance?"
"No... I've never experienced it."
"Then masturbation?"
My blunt question brought a slightly flushed look to her face. Yet she seemed to regard the present situation not as something lewd but as a process for her own growth. Apparently deciding she must not lie or act shy, she opened her eyes wide and answered clearly, word by word. Did she think of me as some professor or doctor?
"Once..."
"You mean once a week?"
"No. Just once. Back in Academy days."
Don't tell me all three of our girls are virgins? I didn't particularly prefer virgins. In fact I'd never been with one. Even Shin Haneul, whom I'd lived with, had other relationship experience before me; only I had been the first-timer then.
"I see."
A small problem had appeared. If the first experience went disastrously, it would be hard to do it again later. So I had to be careful—extra careful... yet right now I wanted it badly.
Ah, fuck it. If she wants stronger power, she'll come looking for me again even if it hurts a little today.
"That's exactly why!"
"Pardon?"
"Baek Hwayeon's body is in terrible shape right now. Look at this after just a few squats today. Drenched in sweat. The sour smell is intense, isn't it?"
"Th-that's why I said I'd go wash—"
"No. If it weren't like this I never would have known the true state of your body."
"Just how bad is my body? Is it really that bad?"
"Your mana is completely blocked and won't come out. We have to clear that blockage."
"Please do it. Why is it like that? Will it hurt a lot? Or does it cost money?"
"Money's fine. There will be pain, but more than that it looks like you'll have to sweat violently."
"My legs have no strength left..."
"I'm not telling you to squat. This time I'll help you."
I pulled her into a sudden embrace. Then I turned my head and began kissing her neck.