Chapter 218
Chapter 218
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 218
Chapter Title: How Far is 'A Little'?
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A pale white hand reached out, a towel held within it. Kalli’s purpose in approaching me was obvious.
Softly.
So, I didn't resist when the towel touched my body.
Kalli’s “little bit.” I could faintly sense that it was slowly manifesting between us.
Gently, softly.
The soft feel of the towel as it carefully brushed against my skin, as if caressing my cheek. And through that thin layer of cloth, I could clearly feel her touch, as if she were handling something precious.
Because her affection felt more vivid and significant to me now.
So I didn't just shyly accept it.
“……”
I gazed at her face as she drew near, taking in the sight of her.
Her face wasn't as flushed as it had been the first time I'd been rude to her. And our spar hadn't left her panting or out of breath.
Even though I had awakened a skill, I was well aware that an incomparable gap still existed between us.
So while my own breath was ragged, hers was perfectly composed.
But in a completely different sense…
“…”
Kalli, who met my gaze for a moment before carefully steadying her breath, came into sharper focus.
Her gaze, her every gesture as she cautiously wiped me down while studying my reaction—it all slowly registered.
…And as I felt the strange heat in her eyes, I had an odd realization.
Unlike me, her eyes couldn't quite meet my gaze. It was as if…
For a moment, it gave me the strange illusion that our roles had been reversed.
‘Then again, maybe it's not an illusion…’
That peculiar feeling made me smile faintly.
“Instructor Kalli.”
I spoke as I became aware of her hand moving down my neck.
“…Ah, was I a little too rough?”
At my words, she carefully eased the pressure of her hand on the towel, and I gently shook my head.
“No. I was just wondering if this is also part of the 'little bit' you mentioned.”
I asked as if just to confirm.
A strange warmth was spreading through my body from where her hand touched me.
On my face, my neck, and now her hand settled on my collarbone, spreading another kind of heat through me.
“Ah, yes. This is… right. This is also 'a little bit.'”
She faltered at my words but answered faithfully. I nodded, a corner of my heart fluttering.
I had to admit, I couldn't help but feel happy that Kalli was showing her affection for me like this.
But was this affectionate relationship of ‘a little bit’ a one-way street, something only she could give me?
The question arose in my mind.
“…Then, Instructor Kalli. Is it okay for me to express it back?”
Before I had even begun to contemplate our relationship, Kalli had already drawn a line, permitting only “a little bit” between us.
It meant that no matter how much my feelings for her grew, there was already a set limit to how far our relationship could go.
“Wh-what do you mean by that?”
Seeing Kalli blink blankly at my question, I carefully raised my hand.
I understood our current situation as instructor and cadet. And I understood her feelings, so I had no intention of approaching her recklessly.
But simply receiving affection didn't sit right with my personality.
So I decided to show her with actions rather than words.
Softly.
I gently placed my hand over hers, which had stopped at my collarbone.
“……!”
Her hand trembled. I gave it a slight squeeze and let a faint smile escape.
“You said 'a little bit,' so I won't ask for more than that. We shouldn't, not yet… I understand that we'll have the precarious relationship you mentioned. But I don't want to just receive affection.”
Unlike my usual stiff responses, I spoke more casually as I conveyed my intentions to her.
If Kalli was going to allow me a little, then even if it was just a little, I wanted to be proactive too.
Just receiving her affection like this was enough to make me happy. In fact, the joy was greater than I'd expected, and I could feel my feelings for Kalli growing even stronger.
But affection isn't something one should only receive.
I knew that you had to express as much as you received.
“……”
As her lips hesitated and her eyes, avoiding my gaze, began to tremble violently, I came to a simple conclusion.
‘So, it's okay.’
In matters of affection, I believed anything other than a “no” was a “yes.”
Softly.
I gently caressed her still hand, a smile constantly threatening to break free.
“Ah……”
At my touch, her body flinched. I caressed her hand more freely, as if it were my own, marveling at the thought.
“To think such a delicate hand…”
It was astounding that just moments ago in our spar, this hand had felt like an insurmountable wall.
Slowly.
I lowered my head, my eyes falling on her hand. It was translucent and soft.
Somehow, the wall I had felt during our first spar felt even more immense now, after I had evolved my trait and awakened a new skill.
It was like seeing something that was previously invisible, finally grasping its true, greater form. I had keenly felt Kalli's strength today.
The power she wielded when she properly manifested her trait, Vibration, was nothing short of overwhelming.
Facing her as a close-range combatant made me feel an absolute gap in power. Every clash felt like hitting a massive wall.
When I thrust my spear, the very air would ripple before it even met her sword, twisting its trajectory. I had to pour in even more power just to keep it on the right path and meet her blade.
…It made me realize just how much Kalli had been holding back and matching my pace in our previous spars. Her strength was on a different level.
Even after manifesting the skill, the Seven Forms of the Asura Spiral, I felt I still had a long way to go.
And yet, now.
I was caressing that hand as if it were my own. When I grew bolder, interlacing my fingers with hers…
Thud.
She couldn't even hold on to the towel she was gripping.
As I watched the towel flutter to the ground, her unresisting hand felt strangely sensual.
Slowly.
I raised my head and looked at Kalli. Seeing her face, now completely flushed, filled me with satisfaction.
The woman who had seemed so powerful just moments ago was now reacting this way to my simple touch. The contrast was incredibly alluring to me.
“Instructor Kalli.”
“…Huh?”
Her voice was weak, and I couldn't hold back my smile.
Such a strong woman was now at a loss because of my light touch, my soft call.
My small expression of affection had rendered her strength meaningless, drawing out a reaction like that of a lovely young girl.
The feeling grew stronger, and I found myself voicing the thought.
“How far is 'a little bit'?”
Just what was the limit of the “little bit” she had permitted?
…As I asked, I felt the fear I’d been holding onto begin to crumble.
The fear that accepting her affection would dull my resolve.
The fear that I wouldn't be able to move forward properly…
It all felt so insignificant now.
‘Perhaps it was an empty fear after all.’
With that thought, I took her in.
Her trembling red eyes were endlessly lovely. Her slightly parted red lips trembled faintly. I saw it all.
Each of her honest reactions stirred a different feeling within me.
‘Really…’
It seemed Kalli had no idea what kind of feelings her reactions were awakening in me.
Slowly.
Aware of our intertwined hands, I didn't apply much force.
Through our connected hands, I gave a gentle tug, pulling her toward me.
With a soft rush.
…Without any resistance, she let me pull her in, and I embraced her without hesitation.
***
With a soft rush.
It happened so suddenly that Kalli couldn't comprehend it.
“……!”
By the time her eyes widened, it was already over. As his arms wrapped around her, her thoughts seemed to grind to a halt.
‘Something is…’
Compared to her own careful approach, Cadet Han Cheon-seong's attitude toward her… felt so different from before.
It felt strangely skillful.
And it was so sudden… she didn't know how to react.
The way he had suddenly placed his hand over hers.
The way he had gently caressed it, his sensual gaze fixed on her…
And the mysterious smile that never left his lips…
Besides that, his other actions seemed like those of a different person.
His bold question about the line she had permitted left her momentarily speechless.
…And then.
The next thing she knew, she was in his arms.
He was a little bigger than her. Being held in his slightly broader embrace felt completely, utterly different.
Gently.
She even felt a soft hand stroking her back.
“…”
At that, she bit her lip, unconsciously trying to suppress the strange sound that threatened to escape.
Even Cadet Han Cheon-seong's touch felt peculiar. For someone who had embraced her so boldly, the hand caressing her back was so careful, creating a stark contrast.
In a way, it felt as if he was only using enough force to keep her from pulling away, simply holding her in his arms…
“……”
His hair, so different from her own, brushed against her cheek. She carefully raised her arms and wrapped them around his waist.
‘Why… is it so different?’
She understood what had happened.
He had hugged her, and this wasn't the first time something like this had occurred.
She had embraced Cadet Han Cheon-seong last week, so perhaps this was just the reverse of that.
But it was… so, so different.
The feeling of being held by Cadet Han Cheon-seong was so different it was almost unbelievable; it couldn't even be compared to that time.
“…”
With each soft breath, a tickling sensation fluttered in her chest.
As their bodies pressed together, she could smell his faint scent.
Realizing it was Cadet Han Cheon-seong’s scent made her heart pound as if it would burst.
It felt… as if her body were floating, and a heat that prevented her from thinking clearly swirled within her, threatening to erupt.
“Instructor Kalli. How far is 'a little bit'?”
And at the voice that seemed to whisper in her ear, she acted without thinking.
Tightly!
She tightened her arms around Cadet Han Cheon-seong's waist, hugging him even more strongly…
It was a purely physical reaction, completely different from what she had been thinking in response to his words.