The Lingering Chill
The soft, lingering sound of deep breathing filled the room.
“Hmm… It feels like it’s taking a bit longer today than yesterday.”
“Yeah. Maybe it’s because we’ve been taking them back-to-back.”
In general, consuming elixirs one after another was obviously not recommended. Most elixirs that could be called true treasures were packed with immense energy. If someone impatiently devoured them without restraint, they wouldn’t just fail to recover—they’d lose control of the raging power inside and ruin their body entirely. There were countless stories of people destroying themselves because they couldn’t handle elixirs properly.
That was exactly where an alchemist’s skill came into play. Elixirs weren’t only for the physically robust. They could cure an incurable disease a child had been born with, or restore vitality to an elderly person whose body and mind had grown frail from illness. Since such people couldn’t absorb the full power of an elixir, it was often divided into smaller portions for them to take gradually.
But an elixir’s effects didn’t simply halve just because you cut it in half like a cake. That was why alchemists were necessary. Of course, since Lilina’s abilities were exceptional, she would have minimized any side effects and ensured that splitting the dosage multiple times wouldn’t cause problems. After all, money-loving Lilina had no reason to tamper with something she’d been paid a fair price for.
Still, sitting here blankly watching the meditation end was incredibly boring. If I had been alone, I might not have been able to endure it.
With that thought, I quietly turned my head toward where Eloise was sitting and our eyes met.
“...”
“...”
“Pfft…”
“Ugh…”
Eloise, caught staring, reacted like an elementary schooler who’d been caught doing something wrong and quickly looked away. I smiled and spoke up.
“Eloise. Come over here for a second.”
“Huh?”
“Hurry.”
Eloise and I were sitting on chairs we had brought in from another room in Chloe’s quarters. They weren’t quite as luxurious as the ones Chloe usually used, but they were still high-end and comfortable. And most importantly, they were wide enough that two people could sit together without feeling cramped.
Eloise, as if reading my thoughts, made a horrified face and whispered urgently.
“...Are you crazy? No matter what, now is definitely not the time…!”
“Come on. Quickly, before Chloe opens her eyes.”
I leaned back in the chair and shifted inward, creating enough space that if I spread my legs, there would be plenty of room for Eloise to sit between them. And even though she was complaining like that, I knew she wouldn’t refuse me.
“Haa…”
Eloise, who already knew she couldn’t break my stubbornness, let out a long sigh. She glanced once at Chloe, who was still sitting with her eyes closed, then slowly rose from her chair and approached me.
When I patted the spot I wanted her to sit, Eloise hesitated one last time before plopping down in front of me. I spread my arms and pulled her into my embrace.
Hearing her familiar, slightly nasal voice, I buried my face in the nape of her neck. Though she squirmed at first, Eloise soon accepted my touch as if she didn’t particularly dislike it.
Of course, taking her clothes off would have been too difficult to clean up afterward, so I decided to enjoy things as they were. Even in this position, I could still give a proper massage.
I gently placed my hands on both her shoulders and began kneading the tense muscles. Although I had called it “enjoying myself,” I couldn’t actually strip her naked, so I figured this would serve as practice for the massage I’d eventually give Chloe.
Eloise seemed to realize I wasn’t about to do anything inappropriate. Her tension eased, and her posture relaxed.
I pressed lightly on the areas I was massaging and slowly pushed strength into my fingertips.
“Mmm… Haaah…”
Watching Eloise melt under my touch, I confirmed the effect was working and continued the massage. Once she was fully relaxed, I moved on to gently kneading her neck as the real massage began.
“Ugh… G-go easy…”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Though Eloise sounded like she was in pain, it wasn’t discomfort—it was a reaction to the ticklish sensation. I slowly worked my way down from her neck to the area around her shoulders and neck, where I found some slightly knotted muscles.
“Ughhh…!”
“Eloise… Why is this part so tense? For someone with such small breasts…”
“S-shut up…!”
Ever since my breasts had grown larger, I had realized that these lumps of fat caused quite a bit of inconvenience in daily life. The academy uniform we were required to wear wasn’t too bad, but my casual clothes on the weekends often didn’t fit properly, which was rather uncomfortable. The same applied to underwear. In the past, these large breasts had even put strain on my neck and shoulders.
Come to think of it, it doesn’t bother me at all lately. Maybe it’s because my overall physical abilities have improved…
Other students sometimes stared when I passed by, but since I didn’t particularly care, it wasn’t much of an issue.
“Hii…!”
“Ah, sorry. I got distracted for a second.”
When I accidentally applied too much pressure and Eloise let out an adorable moan, I apologized and briefly lifted my hands. Looking at the slightly melted Eloise in front of me, I licked my lips.
A single bead of sweat glistened on the nape of her neck, half-hidden by her orange hair, and slowly trickled down. Acting on instinct, I buried my face in her neck and began licking and sucking with soft, wet sounds.
“Eep! W-wait…! Calm down a little…!”
“Shluurp… Slurp. Mmm…”
After spending a little time savoring Eloise, my bored mood completely vanished. As expected, teasing Eloise while keeping her close was the most fun.
“Chu. Should we stop here for now?”
“Heh… Haaah…”
I patted the panting Eloise and helped her adjust her posture. She leaned against me as if exhausted. The air in the room had grown a little warmer, and I found myself sweating a drop as well.
While supporting Eloise’s light weight and straightening my slightly disheveled clothes, she finally came back to her senses. She let out a deep sigh and said,
“Hey… Shouldn’t we at least be careful in here? It feels like you’ve been getting worse lately about not watching where you’re doing things…”
“Don’t worry. I have my ways.”
When Eloise spoke with a hint of concern, I soothed her and fixed her collar back into place. After returning her to her original seat, I went back to mine as well. I took a breath and looked toward where Chloe was sitting.
“Huu…”
Not long after, Chloe began to stir. Eloise and I immediately grabbed towels and cups of fresh water and approached her. Fun was fun, but we still had work to do.
“Huu… Thank you.”
“Of course. Please turn around for a moment.”
“Ah, no. W-wait a second…”
“Yes? Oh, alright.”
Chloe accepted the cup Eloise handed her, took a few sips of water, and began to regulate her breathing. I approached with a towel to wipe away her sweat like I had the day before, but Chloe stopped me with a strangely flustered expression.
In the suddenly awkward atmosphere, Chloe smiled and said,
“It’s fine today. It looks like I sweated quite a bit. I’m planning to wash up right away.”
“Ah, I see.”
I set the towel down anyway, figuring she could at least wipe the sweat from her forehead, and stepped down from the bed. Eloise reacted similarly, as if thinking it was no big deal, and came over to my side. Chloe draped the towel around her neck, let out a short sigh, and climbed down from the bed.
She was dressed in a robe similar to yesterday’s, but this time it clung slightly to her skin from sweat, giving her a moist, glistening appearance. It was incredibly alluring.
“Um… Lady Chloe. Should I bring the crimson elixir?”
“Ah, that. Yes, I do need to take it. Now that you mention it, I forgot about that.”
Chloe seemed a little off. More precisely, she looked somewhat dazed. The word “flustered” seemed to fit best. Her reaction was different from yesterday, and right now she appeared a bit out of it. Moreover, she was subtly avoiding both Eloise’s and my eyes.
It was strange enough that she was avoiding my gaze, but avoiding even Eloise’s—someone she trusted—was even more unusual.
As I watched Chloe drink her water, a sudden intuition struck me. I recalled the sight of her just moments ago, meditating after consuming the elixir.
The elixir made from Luna Sphere, which carried a cold energy, occasionally released frigid air that formed frozen crystals around it. The intensity varied, but it was strong enough that simply approaching the area felt like standing in front of an air conditioner blasting cold air. Even Eloise and I, sitting a short distance from the bed, could feel it.
And just now—while I had been massaging Eloise under the pretense of giving her a massage—I had definitely been sweating.
A series of memories flashed through my mind in an instant. The moment I realized what it meant, my eyes met Chloe’s golden ones.
Ah. She was listening.
In that split second, I caught the rapid tremble in her pupils.