The Fiery Gift
With that, Chloe wiped the sweat from the other armpit as well and declared, “That’s enough. The rest can be a shower.”
She was pretending to be calm, but the way her shoulders trembled told me everything. I gave a silent nod and picked up the towel, then quietly slipped out of bed.
Eloise had already joined me, and she now stared at Chloe in exactly the same posture.
“Huu…” After pulling the half-open gown back into place, Chloe let out a long sigh.
She was a lot more exhausted than she wanted to admit, but the faint trace of cold air still clinging to her exhale told me she definitely needed rest.
“Anyway, today was really great, Eloise.”
“It was nothing. It was only what I was supposed to do, after all.”
“Hehe. Right. And Serina… you did well too.”
While stroking Eloise’s head, Chloe hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand exactly like before and slowly ruffled my hair. Since I had become no different from her pet, I simply relaxed and enjoyed her touch. Surprisingly, it didn’t feel bad at all.
“Yes… thank you for your hard work.”
“…”
“Hehe…”
Enjoying the warm feeling, Chloe smiled and let go of me.
“Well, please take care of me from now on. It ended a lot quicker than I thought. You two can go now.”
After gently patting the two little puppies, Chloe’s farewell sent us both bowing lightly before we slipped out of her room.
While watching Chloe wave from the door crack, Eloise and I moved toward the dormitory building and left the campus.
***
“…It wasn’t anything special.”
“Probably because of the alchemist’s skill. And I guess from tomorrow it will take a little longer. Apparently, with potions like this that are split up, it usually doesn’t take too long.”
“Hmm… that’s a shame.”
“Why?”
“No, originally I was planning to relax Chloe and ‘conquer’ her under the pretext of giving her a massage. But after seeing her today, I think she feels embarrassed about showing her body.”
Things ended so abruptly and she was kicked out so fast. I felt a little disappointed.
Eloise listened to my words, her eyes narrowing like slits, and let out a sigh as if she felt sorry for me.
The sound of her shoes clicking on the pavement was the only thing filling the silence while we walked. Thinking for a moment, Eloise spoke up, sounding impatient.
“No, do you really have to do it that way? You worked so hard to make the potion, where are you going to use it? I specifically made the potion using the opposite of your aura with the ‘Flower of the Fire Demon,’ so I thought you’d use that.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“In plain words. It’s just for the occasion of entering under Chloe this time, so give her the potion you prepared as a gift. It’s a weak one anyway, and there’s quite a bit of it.”
“No, I get what you’re saying, but I don’t think Chloe would willingly drink the potion just because it’s a gift.”
Eloise’s logic made sense, and I had the same thought, but at this point trust hadn’t been built yet. Even if I gave it to her, Chloe probably wouldn’t drink it, so I kept it hidden.
But Eloise looked at me again with a dumbfounded expression.
“Where would I use it? Unlike you, I have trust from Chloe.”
“Oh… that’s true.”
In short, it was about using Eloise’s trust to feed her the potion. If Eloise was there, Chloe might lower her guard and drink it.
“But is it okay? It’s basically betraying Chloe.”
“Ugh… that’s definitely true…”
Eloise stopped walking, sighed as if she had realized something after saying that, and looked at me. Her unconscious help felt really good to watch.
“Hehe. I see, you chased after Chloe with your eyes but filled your heart with me. Ah, Eloise, you definitely like me…”
“Ah!”
“Stop! I got it!”
As I squeezed her small body back into my arms and spun her around, Eloise mewled like a cat.
“But I know what you’re saying, Eloise. In other words, you’ll help me?”
“…Yes. At least you’re not planning to hurt Chloe for revenge, right? It’ll be… a somewhat embarrassing thing.”
“Embarrassing? That’s nothing but an act of love, affection, and reconciliation!”
“Ughhh…”
When I lifted Eloise’s arm and raised her up, she flailed around and then threw herself into my arms. While smelling her scent and struggling to escape, Eloise eventually relaxed. As I carefully moved my arm, I gently pulled her mask aside. Eloise’s body stiffened for a moment before calming down. Recognizing the sign of permission, I smiled and slowly peeled the mask away.
“Ugh…”
“Come on. Breathe slowly. Don’t worry. It’s late, and there’s no one around. Even if anyone sees, it’ll be too dark to tell.”
“Huu… haa… huuh…”
As if we were one body, Eloise stuck close to me and slowly sank into my scent. At first, the sudden new smells made her breathe hard, but soon she recovered to normal. When I looked again, she had completely wrapped herself around me and buried her face in my neck.
“…Here.”
“Huh? What?”
“…Let’s go quickly.”
“Haha. Okay, okay.”
I gave her cheek a light kiss and we started walking. She wanted to go fast, and we both knew why. My sturdy body carried Eloise all the way back to the room without any trouble. After that, the night we spent together—Eloise completely lost in my scent and in heat—was only natural.
***
“…So this is the rare potion made with that valuable thing?”
“Yes… I bought it with all my effort as an apology to Chloe!”
Sitting on a luxurious chair, Chloe rolled the red pill in her palm and examined its smooth surface with wide eyes.
I lowered my head submissively and desperately, answering her words. Following Eloise’s advice, I cooperated with her to gift Chloe the potion I had made. Of course the amount was substantial, so I didn’t give her everything. I packed a sufficient amount into a box and handed it over.
“…You went to the black market?”
“Yes!”
“Hmmm… I heard the black market isn’t somewhere anyone can go.”
Her golden eyes, sparkling with curiosity and suspicion, locked onto me. The answer came from Eloise.
“The location of the black market is hidden, but many students already know it exists. I dug through rumors to find the entrance.”
“Hmmm… must have been tough. But how did you get the potion? I’ve heard of the ‘Flower of the Fire Demon’.”
“T-that was… I happened to acquire it by chance while working at the black market…”
“Hmm… well, since it was a problematic item, Eloise would never have crossed paths with it.”
Everything wasn’t perfectly clear, but with Eloise’s guarantee, Chloe seemed to accept it without further comment.
While Chloe was watching the potion, Eloise secretly sent me a thank-you sign. She gave a faint smile. Without Eloise, Chloe probably wouldn’t have drunk the potion I gave her as a gift.
“Well, thank you for the gift. How do I take it?”
“It’s a substance with the opposite aura of Rune Sapphir. Of course it’s more diluted than the original potion, so you should drink it in small amounts several times. The order is first Rune Sapphir, then use it to settle the cold sensation.”
“Hmmm… the method is simple.”
Listening to Eloise’s explanation, Chloe nodded, put the red pill back into the box, and closed the lid.
“Well, for now thanks. I was given it as a gift, and it seems to harmonize well with the potion I’m already taking, so I’ll start drinking it from today.”
“Yes, sister. According to my check, there’s no problem. And… the effect too.”
“Huh…? What? Eloise, did you drink this too?”
“Of course. Before you drink, I tried it first just in case. Luckily there was no issue absorbing it, and the effect… was better than I expected.”
“Really? Then let’s try it today too.”
Since Eloise had already tried it, Chloe packed one potion bottle and one red pill at the same time. That’s why she didn’t notice Eloise’s flushed face.
In reality, Eloise had drunk one last night and spent the night tangled with me to cool her burning body. As with the previous incense, Eloise was strongly affected by this kind of tool. The trust was so deep it was almost suspicious—denser than trusting Chloe herself.
“Well, it’s good that it’s good.”
With that thought, Eloise and I started preparations alongside her.