Chapter 147: Iona's Observation Diary (2)
Chapter 147: Iona's Observation Diary (2)
After getting thrashed in our sparring match today, as usual, I followed Iona as she announced the end of class and began observing her.
Her height is about a hand span's difference from mine. She’s on the taller side for a woman, but the fact remains that she’s shorter than me.
However, her limbs are quite long compared to her height. I’ll have to calculate her reach as being slightly longer than it appears to the eye.
Now that I know I’m no match for her in close-quarters combat, distance management will be crucial from here on out.
“Hey, hey. Student Yandel? Class is over, so why do you keep following me?”
“Well, I’m just seeing off my respected professor.”
“I didn’t even hit your head today….”
Iona let out a deep sigh.
In that moment, her chest heaved, drawing my gaze.
The more I look, the more incredible it is. How on earth was she hiding something of that magnitude?
Out of pure curiosity, I let my eyes sweep down from her neck for a moment.
“???”
I felt a sense of incongruity.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve had many more occasions to undress women lately, but I’ve developed a useless ability to estimate measurements even through clothing.
I wonder if it’s thanks to my reliable staple trait, Excellent Memory….
At any rate, observing Iona’s body closely revealed many fascinating things.
While her chest is large, it’s smaller than Fay’s. Her hips and thighs don’t quite compare to Elisha’s.
Her waist? Carla’s waist is much thinner, tracing a more supple curve.
However, Iona had a perfect balance of all these features.
It wasn't just good; it was so good that the parts created a synergy.
Is this what the maximization of femininity looks like?
I finally understand the setting that a vampire’s body is sculpted to seduce the opposite sex.
As I was nodding to myself in admiration, Iona, seemingly unable to take it anymore, stopped in her tracks and put on a mock-angry expression.
“…Student Yandel! Haven’t you been looking at inappropriate places for a while now? No matter how pretty and charming I, Professor Iona, may be, this is crossing the line!”
Since I couldn’t honestly say I was looking at her chest, I decided to make up a vague excuse.
“What are you talking about, Professor? I was just admiring your movements.”
“Huh…?”
“You walk with an exaggerated, almost jumping gait, but your center of gravity remains fixed slightly below the middle without wavering. I imagine any posture feels similar to you.”
“That… is true, I suppose?”
“Even though I’m a mage, I enjoy using my body to fight in various ways, so I simply couldn’t take my eyes off your form.”
“Hehe… even if you praise me like that, you’re not getting anything! Really!”
Her joy was short-lived. Iona chuckled and shook her head.
“But, but. Isn’t Student Yandel the same? Being able to perfectly control your body and cast magic in any situation?”
“Uh, well….”
It’s thanks to the System Correction, but I can indeed do something similar to Iona.
“I won’t ask whether that’s innate or something you learned through training! It’s a bit clumsy, but the important thing is that you can do it!”
“…….”
“There’s no need to follow me around like this… unless, unless. If you have something to say, just say it now! Listening to a student’s concerns is also a professor’s job!”
It’s because I want to land a hit on you somehow. …I couldn’t say that.
If she knew, she’d naturally be on guard. I mustn't let her know, at least until I succeed.
But perhaps because I was so flustered, nonsense spilled out of my mouth.
“Actually… I’ve been thinking about you ever since I ran into you at the library the other day.”
“Wait, wait, wait! Student Yandel! We agreed to keep that a secret!”
Right. Why did I bring that up?
It would be… difficult to take it back with a vague excuse now. Yeah.
Since it’s come to this, I have no choice but to ride the momentum.
“But I can’t help it if it’s on my mind!”
“Why are you the one raising your voice?!”
A flustered Iona tried to cover my mouth, but I shouted a step faster.
“You like pink hair too, don’t you, Professor?!”
“Stop, stop! Student Yandel is a student! And Professor Iona is a prof—huh? What did you just say?”
Iona, who had been awkwardly fumbling with my lips, tilted her head.
My memory couldn't be wrong. The book Iona and I had grabbed at the same time was definitely a novel with a pink-haired woman on the cover.
“I asked if you like pink hair too, Professor.”
“…….”
To the blank-faced Iona, I rambled on for a long time about why pink hair is great.
Right up until the bell rang, signaling the end of the break.
Ding— Dong—
Did the sound of the bell snap her out of it? Focus returned to Iona’s eyes, which had been vacant until a moment ago.
“Right, right! I like pink hair too, but that’s enough for today! You should hurry to your next class! I have to get to my next class too!”
“Ah… yes. I’ll be going then.”
Did I pull that off?
Letting out a sigh of relief inwardly, I gave a quick bow and hurried back to the classroom.
Though the murmurs coming from behind me drained all my strength.
“To think Master liked pink hair that much… I wonder if dyeing magic or hair dye would be better….”
“Carla. That’s too extreme. First, we should test the waters with a wig or something….”
“…No, I just said that randomly, so don’t take it seriously.”
Of course, I’d find it interesting if there were pink hair in front of me.
Even on the Eurelia Continent, where hair colors are vibrant, pink hair is rare.
Anyway, I thought it might be okay to follow Iona openly, but I guess not.
I’ll have to observe her more carefully from a distance in the future.
*
Second break.
Iona was dazing off in the sunlight, perhaps because she didn't have a next class.
She occasionally exchanged greetings with passing students, but that was it.
Normally, sunlight would be a deadly poison to a vampire… but unfortunately, light won't be Iona’s weakness.
Righteous Light herself bestowed a blessing upon the vampires who took humanity's side and joined the Union.
Thanks to that, anyone can walk around under the sun.
It essentially meant that the title of Daywalker, which could only be obtained if one's regeneration was faster than the rate at which the sun collapsed their body, was now handed out to just about anyone.
Of course, the vampires who sided with the Evil God would still melt away under light-attribute attacks without exception….
Regardless, the important point for now is that light is not Iona’s weakness.
I made a mental note that it would be better to use lightning-attribute magic instead.
Third break.
Unfortunately, nothing happened.
If I had to say something, it would be that she hasn't entered her laboratory even once so far.
It’s difficult to follow her into the lab, so this was actually a relief for me.
Lunchtime.
The Academy’s cafeteria is basically free. Of course, if you want to eat something more expensive and delicious, you can order it for an extra fee.
The quality of the basic meals provided is also quite high. They even offer infinite refills.
Because of this, everyone uses the cafeteria except for a very small minority… and it seems Iona was part of that minority.
The Central Plaza was overflowing with students enjoying their youth, either skipping lunch or eating packed lunches they brought themselves.
In a corner of the plaza, Iona was sucking on a blood pack.
Right. A vampire is a vampire because they consume blood.
However, did she say it had been a long time since she directly sucked blood or consumed human blood?
It’s probably the blood of some suitable livestock.
The expression on Iona’s face as she ate looked very sour, as if she were drinking vegetable juice.
I also took a spot a reasonable distance away and, pretending I had prepared it beforehand, shared emergency rations taken from my Inventory with Carla and Elisha.
Calling them emergency rations was an understatement; the food was warm and delicious, as if it had just been cooked.
A typical Subspace Pocket only has space expansion applied, so the flow of time remains normal.
But the Inventory stops the flow of time entirely, so food put in a month ago maintains its exact state from that moment.
I continued to observe Iona while pretending to enjoy a meal outdoors, but nothing changed.
Iona continued to swallow every last drop with that same sour expression.
It seems she isn't satisfied with the blood she’s currently consuming.
I can use this.
Of course, she won't be shaken simply by the sight of blood.
If that were the case, she would have gone into a blood-crazed frenzy during every battle… and Iona is far beyond that level.
But what if my blood actually entered her mouth?
…No. Because of the Blood Shift magic, she won't bleed no matter how much she’s injured.
Then I should draw some blood in advance and have it ready.
What if I splashed it right in her face in the middle of a sparring match? What if even a single drop touched her lips?
Even Iona would be forced to hesitate for a moment.
I finished my meal, making a mental note to draw some blood before going to bed.
Last break.
I realized a startling fact.
Iona hasn't gone to the bathroom once so far…!
Is it because she only consumed one blood pack? Or do vampires simply not need to go?
How curious.
However, it seems unlikely I’ll be able to use this during a sparring match.
After school.
The time has finally come.
Pretending to head to the dormitory, I sent Carla and Elisha ahead and threw on my Transparent Robe.
After school, when students are gone, she’ll likely show a more relaxed side of herself.
Hoping she would expose something that could be a weakness, I slowly followed behind Iona.