Desire
Desire
The walk back to the mansion.
It had barely been a month, yet the new students had already adapted to the academy, walking the freshly warmed streets in pairs.
'They can still afford to relax.'
But once the Grade Evaluation in May was over and the detailed data came out, they would be swamped. Even without that, they would gradually cut back on those leisure moments on their own.
Rankings. Top Seat and Second Seat.
In a place that encouraged duels among students and even professors, special benefits were reserved for those who held high ranks.
But the academy was equally generous to those who never neglected their training—students who grew steadily, little by little.
A rising rank wasn't strictly necessary. Higher ranks simply opened a wider range of choices. Show enough effort—fixing flaws flagged in prior evaluations, shoring up weak points—and the academy would provide a perfectly serviceable elixir.
Since the same elixir was given to everyone except the Top Seat and Second Seat of each grade, no one fell behind because of it.
Of course, slack off and your ranking would plummet in an instant.
- Hurry up, it's about to start.
- We still have thirty minutes, you know?
- We've got to buy popcorn!!
Maybe it was because they couldn't leave campus.
Students moved briskly toward the heart of the grounds to use the amenities and recreation facilities.
'...I should start cutting back how often I return home.'
I had no intention of forcing it, but if possible, I wanted the kid to form all sorts of connections. Even if some turned sour, I wanted her to experience plenty, use it as fuel, and grow strong. Strong enough that she'd no longer need me as a crutch.
As I walked on, the unobtrusive bustle gradually receded. The sounds of people faded, replaced by the tender rustle of leaves swaying in the spring breeze.
I passed through the maze of unfading white blossoms and opened the mansion door.
'Looks like she didn't burn the place down.'
Claire's mana drifted from the kitchen.
There was still plenty of time until dinner, but for someone with so many rough edges left to smooth, she needed every minute.
"You're back?"
- Peep?
As I changed shoes and headed for the study, Baek Ha-na cracked her door open halfway and poked her head out, the little troublemaker perched on top.
"Yeah."
"I thought you'd be a little later."
If I had humored Yoon Do-sik about the rift incident, I'd easily have returned two hours later. But.
"It ended early."
"I see."
Since she'd sent emails asking when I'd return and was waiting for me, I had little choice but to come back.
I passed Baek Ha-na, who was grinning like an idiot, and walked toward the study. She slipped out of her room and quietly followed.
To avoid disturbing Claire while she was deep in concentration, I bypassed the kitchen, entered the study, and took a seat. As if she'd been waiting, Baek Ha-na walked over and planted herself on my lap.
She leaned her back comfortably against my chest, opened the book in her hands, and rested it on the desk.
It was the same primer Claire had once used to teach Baek Ha-na to read. Now it belonged to the little mischief perched atop her head.
"Alright, get down."
She didn't even ask permission anymore—just did her thing. I'd clearly coddled her too much. Though it was probably because she knew that if there was urgent business, I would've said something before we came into the study.
Unlike me, who still didn't understand, this kid who had suddenly shot up seemed to be gradually figuring me out.
- Ppippiruruppi~
"You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?"
- Ppuruppuruppu~
No matter which letter Baek Ha-na pointed at, only sounds that never broke free of Ha-na's mold came chattering out of the little troublemaker's mouth.
"It really looks like she's messing around..."
- Ppeep~?
Baek Ha-na tilted her head down and gently rubbed the fairy's small cheek with her index finger.
"She seems to understand simple words now, so why can't she speak...?"
I looked at the little rascal, her pale green eyes glittering.
Baek Ha-na was right. She likely understood the meaning of simple words by now. Her intense curiosity meant she learned fast. Above all, the fairy was no fool.
"Hup, hup."
- Pppyaaaaang!!
The moment Baek Ha-na's fingers tickled her side, the fairy collapsed onto the floor and started thrashing around.
Yet even then, the only sounds that escaped her remained those chick-like peeps. Partly it was a different vocal mechanism, but there was also the problem of a fundamentally different physical structure.
'A bit more growth will solve it, though.'
Just as Oberon once communicated with humans.
If the little thing could mature fully, Baek Ha-na's wish would come true.
- Peep, peeee!!
Unable to endure Baek Ha-na's tickling, the creature fluttered her wings and fled the study. Probably heading to Claire.
'Hmm.'
Since the fairy had witnessed Claire's failed attempts alongside me more than once, she'd simply watch quietly nearby without interfering. Or maybe she'd just snack on the cookies left on the table.
Shhk.
A weight settled against my chest. I lowered my head and met Baek Ha-na's sky-blue eyes, staring up at me.
"What did you do today?"
"Nothing you need to know."
"Tch~"
It didn't matter if she knew, but rules were rules.
'...Not sure if I got the point across.'
I'd already decided which personnel to cut, regardless of what Jaden and Lee Hyeok drafted. I'd ordered them to submit a list mostly to gauge their overall competence.
The list I'd given Choi Min-sik was likewise tailored to the vacancies that would open up.
With the preliminary talks wrapped up, all Choi Min-sik needed to do was meet them, finalize minor details, and sign the contracts.
"Hmm......"
A small puff of air tickled my chin.
Baek Ha-na's expression had grown languid.
"Do you have something to say?"
"......."
She stared up at me silently for a long moment.
- Perk.
She abruptly brought out her beast ears and tail.
The snow-white tail above her trousers swayed over and landed on the back of my hand, resting on the armrest.
"......Want to touch?"
And then she said something I couldn't quite follow.
"Are you asking me to touch it?"
"...No. I said it's okay if you do."
It's okay.
I didn't get the distinction.
Then she stuck her lips forward, practically asking for a smack. An incredibly irritating pout.
"...You looked upset."
"Did I."
"......Yeah."
My first reaction was confusion.
What part of me had given her that impression?
I raised the hand her tail hadn't reached and touched around my mouth. It was normal, of course. My lips formed their usual flat, expressionless line—neither turned up nor turned down.
"I just, just... had a feeling."
"A feeling."
A feeling, was it.
"It's, how should I put it.... I think your scent, or something, was a little heavier than usual...."
Her speech gradually trailed off, and the perked white ears atop her head folded in half.
'I'm not sure.'
My emotions had flared in the meeting room, true, but I'd shaken all that off before leaving. Afterward, I met Yoon Do-sik and gave Kim Seong-won a mild warning, but that was all.
Still, if that's what the kid felt, then something must have been off with me.
Just as I was sensitive to her, this child—whose body had done all the growing—was sensitive to me in turn.
Shhk.
"......?!"
I so much as curled my fingers around her tail, and her back went ramrod straight.
"W-Woo-jin?"
"Didn't you say I could touch it?"
"Ah, r-right... yeah...."
Her head, which she had lifted to look at me, slowly dropped. Before long, even her hands, which had been resting on the desk, were tucked demurely onto her knees.
"It's soft."
"Uh, y-yeah."
The fur was as white as her hair.
Long and impossibly soft, as if it didn't belong to this world.
"Softer than anything I've ever touched."
"I-is, i-is, is that so...?"
Flick-flick!
The folded ears rapidly straightened and folded again, over and over.
"If, if Woo-jin wants... y-you can touch it whenever you like...."
"I'll remember that."
"......Okay."
I stroked her tail a few more times, then stopped.
"You can, you can touch it more...."
Baek Ha-na, who had kept her head down, subtly lifted her chin and looked up at me again.
"I've touched it enough."
"Oh, okay...."
Her freed tail swayed gently back and forth, brushing against my thigh.
Silence settled over us.
Baek Ha-na remained on my lap, just swishing her tail. Almost as if hoping I'd touch it a little more.
But if I kept going now, I felt like I'd end up petting it forever. I needed to restrain myself.
"Uhm......"
The kid, who had kept her mouth shut for a while, fidgeted with her fingers on her knees and spoke.
"Is there, is there anything else you want me to do...?"
"Can't think of anything."
There was plenty I wanted, but nothing she could grant just because I said it out loud.
"A, a massage, or something, would be okay too.... yeah...."
I watched her back, slightly hunched with her head and shoulders lowered, and carefully reached out to lift her up.
"Eh?"
I cleared the open primer aside and set her down on the desk. So we could face each other properly.
Baek Ha-na said nothing. She just stared at me with bewildered eyes.
I called her name.
"Baek Ha-na."
"Y-yes?"
The formal speech that always slipped out when she was nervous made an appearance.
I reached out and placed my hand on her head as she stared at me with wide, round eyes. Then, as I'd always done, I slowly stroked her hair.
"Just having you by my side is enough."
"Eh, uh, eh...?"
A rosy bloom of heat spread across her pale face. Meaningless syllables tumbled from her foolishly gaping lips.
"Euh, euhee...."
Soon, the full blossom of warmth pulled the corners of her mouth up into a silly grin. That smile—it resembled one I'd seen before.
The night of the full moon.
The easy, careless smile the girl had worn when she collapsed, drained by the aftermath of her awakening.
The one I'd hoped she would show only to me.
Just as my hand drifted down from her head, about to brush her heated cheek—
- BOOM!!
"Kyah?!"
An explosion rang out beyond the half-open door. Baek Ha-na flinched and whipped her head around.
I curled my outstretched fingers into a fist and spoke.
"I should probably go check on that."
"Y-yeah, you should. Big Sis!!"
Baek Ha-na hopped off the desk and ran toward the kitchen.
"......."
A clenched fist.
I think there's something seriously wrong with this damned body.