Je...alousy (3)
Je...alousy (3)
Professor Liana, who had gently pushed me under the desk, manipulated a magic tool.
"Come in."
- Yes, excuse me.
Click— The magic tool activated, and the lab door opened. Soon, guided by a high-ranking wind spirit, Lee Ha-sol entered.
She hadn't changed much since the Freshman Welcome Party.
Fresh green hair and eyes. A faint smile on her lips. The only difference was that the cumbersome ornaments had been removed from her cadet uniform.
Step by step, Lee Ha-sol approached. About to offer a greeting, she caught sight of the mountains of documents piled on the desk and her eyes narrowed in a smile.
"I apologize for visiting so close to the end of your workday."
"There's still quite some time before I'm off. No need to apologize. How could a professor ever find a cadet's visit bothersome?"
"Thank you for thinking so."
"Now, now, please, have a seat right there."
Professor Liana smiled brightly and waved her hand, offering a seat.
Smiling back, Lee Ha-sol didn't hesitate and settled into the chair in front of the desk.
"......"
Between the two of them was the long office desk. Hidden inside it, I blinked.
The space under the desk was so spacious that I could crouch inside with room to spare. I couldn't fully stretch out my arms, but it wasn't cramped either.
It actually felt a little cozy. You know, that feeling of hiding in a wardrobe for no reason.
- Swoosh...
"?"
As I sat quietly in this unexpected situation, Professor Liana's hand came down over my head.
A hand stroked my head as if to confirm I was being good. But it was a bit too far away, so the touch was clumsy.
I shifted my knees against the floor and pressed closer to her legs.
Conveniently, I saw her thigh right at eye level, so I rested my chin there.
The soft flesh gently supported my chin.
As I'd felt when I used her lap as a pillow, it was incredibly comfortable. Professor Liana's personal scent also drifted up, providing a sense of calm.
Professor Liana flinched.
"...Shall I get you something to drink? Tea? A cold drink? I have almost everything."
"Mm... My throat is a little dry, so could I trouble you for something cool? The kind doesn't matter."
Even through that, the conversation continued. Professor Liana, who gave my cheek a weak pinch, nodded.
"Yes, yes, Aurora? Please."
- Yes, yes, the water spirit who's reached high-rank and still runs petty errands is on her way...
"Ahaha... Thank you. I'll enjoy it."
Lee Ha-sol let out a small laugh as she accepted an orange drink. After wetting her throat for a moment, she soon got to the main topic.
"I applied for the 'Understanding Spirits' lecture you opened. I was just wondering if it would be a problem if my affinity is close to a single attribute."
As I'd heard earlier, Lee Ha-sol's business was a problem concerning spirits.
"A single-attribute affinity... In your case, Lee Ha-sol, would that be the wind attribute?"
"Yes, I contracted with some lower wind spirits I met by chance. But I'm finding it difficult to contract with spirits of other attributes."
"I see. It's rare, but not unheard of."
Spirit Affinity is an affinity applied to the species known as 'spirits.'
Because of that, usually, even with different attributes, one can at least succeed in contracting through affinity.
But there are occasional exceptions.
"Your unique ability is wind-attribute. If it's a derived affinity from that, there's a high probability it would be single-attribute."
"As expected, is that the case? Indeed, I only confirmed my Spirit Affinity after my unique ability manifested."
Commonly known as a Derived Affinity. This is a case where the affinity leans toward the attribute itself, not the spirit.
Lee Ha-sol's unique ability is a powerful wind-attribute ability.
Her attribute affinity must be so strong that its scope extends even to spirits of the same attribute.
Which would be the reason she can only contract with 'wind' spirits specifically.
'But is it okay for me to overhear this?'
As I rubbed my cheek against the soft thigh, I suddenly wondered if this was really alright.
A superhuman's combat capabilities are critically important information. While the general outlines can be shared, the core details are strictly confidential as a rule.
Wasn't I right now hiding Homogenization for that very reason?
Of course, this current conversation isn't exactly a big secret...
'Ah, it's so soft.'
Such worries briefly crossed my mind, but I quickly let them go. I leaned my head against her thigh and just tuned out.
"Anyway, you immediately recognized it was probably a wind-attribute-related issue."
"Who doesn't know the unique ability of the 122nd Cohort's Top Admission cadet?"
Professor Liana smiled brightly and shrugged.
"The faction that Cadet Lee Ha-sol belongs to is quite powerful, isn't it? And given exactly which faction it is... I hear all about it whether I want to or not—just how overjoyed they are, you know?"
"Ahaha..."
At Professor Liana's playful words, Lee Ha-sol replied with an awkward laugh. The slight flush on her cheeks suggested she was a bit embarrassed.
'Makes sense.'
122nd Cohort's top seat, Lee Ha-sol. After I met her by chance last time, I naturally looked up information about her.
I didn't have to dig deep. Maybe because of the title of Siyoram's Top Admission, a lot of information was already out in the open.
Among that was the faction Lee Ha-sol belonged to.
'The Tower Faith.'
A religious force that emerged after the Great Cataclysm. The gods they serve are the Towers that appeared in the world.
To be precise, Growth, Space, Observation, Harmonization. And the Tower of Knowledge, which is not known to the public.
'Mm...'
The Towers are gods who played a crucial role in ending the Chaos Period, and the Tower Masters who manage these Towers are also worshiped as gods.
Therefore, their respect for the organizations created by gods is absolute.
The most representative is the Association. Everyone knows the Tower Faith is extremely cooperative with the Association and its members.
The Observer Corps is the same. It's famous for treating them with utmost respect, as a noble force that announces the foreshocks of various catastrophes and accidents.
Such tendencies are maintained at Siyoram as well.
'Is it even more so here?'
In a way, it's more intense than the other two. From the Tower Faith's perspective, a Siyoram cadet is a member directly supported and taught by a god.
'They must be making quite a fuss.'
Lee Ha-sol belongs to the Tower Faith. I don't know if she's a deeply devout believer, but I've heard she's been receiving support since she was young.
And this Lee Ha-sol entered Siyoram. That alone would be cause for joy, but she's even the Top Admission student.
The pious upper echelons must be so honored they're probably weeping tears of joy.
'......'
At that thought, my expression soured for a second.
In the original work, Lee Ha-sol herself didn't appear, but the Tower Faith did, and frequently.
To be precise, they entangled themselves with me.
They had a lot of involvement with the Special Admission Cadet 'personally' designated by the Tower Master of Growth...
- Swoosh.
'Hm?'
Just then, a slender hand suddenly appeared before my eyes.
Between her fingers was a tiny cookie. I blinked and looked up to meet Professor Liana's gaze.
Professor Liana silently mouthed words.
- The talk is going a bit long. Sorry. At least eat this.
She had slipped me something while Lee Ha-sol looked away for a moment.
'It's tasteless though...'
No matter how tasty or expensive the cookie, once it enters my mouth, it's nothing more than equalized nutrients.
My palate has gotten so finicky lately, food like this isn't particularly welcome.
- Thank you.
I didn't let that thought show. I may not welcome the cookie, but I did appreciate Professor Liana's thoughtfulness.
Smiling quietly, I took the cookie into my mouth.
As I silently munched on it, Professor Liana raised the corners of her mouth and kept feeding me cookies.
My mouth had been feeling idle anyway, so I obediently accepted them.
And the conversation continued through it all. She must have seen the signs that the talk would go long and tried to fill my stomach in advance.
- Munch munch...
How many cookies had I been fed like that?
Suddenly, my eyes were drawn to her fingers dusted with cookie crumbs.
I didn't think much of it. Maybe the habit of biting the fingers Baek A-rin offers me had set in.
"Slurrp..."
I put her crumb-covered finger into my mouth and sucked.
"Hik—!"
"Pwah..."
Professor Liana clamped her legs together. My face was squeezed between the soft thighs closing in from both sides.
* * *
"Hik—!"
"Hm?"
At the sudden sound, Lee Ha-sol tilted her head. Startled, Liana quickly put on a smile.
"Ah, hahaha! The spirits are playing pranks."
- We didn't do it?
- Oh dear. Now we're being framed, too. What's the point of living!
- Liana... we know love is important, but to trample on our bond like this...
Letting the regional broadcast playing in her head wash over her, Liana raised the corners of her trembling lips.
"Ah. Professor, do you usually live with your spirits? But isn't that number a bit too many for that?"
"They're not with me all the time. I mostly keep them in a separate meadow or garden I've prepared for them."
"Ahh... Now that you mention it, the Spirit Casters I've occasionally met also kept their own separate plots of land."
"That's right. There is the issue of distance, but it's simply more convenient to have a separate place set up."
Thankfully, it passed smoothly. Letting out an internal sigh of relief, Liana sipped her tea and subtly lowered her gaze.
"Slurrp..."
Lee Ha-yul, who had crawled under her office desk. There was no deep meaning to it.
Knowing that Cadet Lee Ha-sol's business was light, she had playfully shoved him in there.
There was a bit of jealousy mixed in, too.
He'd had a deeply passionate kiss with Atra, enough to lose consciousness, they said. Feeling a little impish, she'd played a prank.
'But I didn't expect this.'
Lee Ha-yul blinked, his face pressed between both her thighs. As she slowly spread her legs apart again, which had clamped shut on instinct, she saw her finger still caught in his mouth.
The moist warmth enveloping her finger, the fleeting sensations brushing against it, sent a shiver down her shoulders.
'But why would he...'
Why did he put it in his mouth and suck on it?
When she looked down with that question in mind, Lee Ha-yul, who had been darting his eyes around, sucked on her finger a few more times before gently letting it go.
A finger without a crumb, slightly wet with saliva. Her finger flinched at the relatively cool outside air.
- Lick.
"...Hik..."
That wasn't the end.
After inspecting the finger he'd just let go, Lee Ha-yul now extended his tongue and licked it.
A tongue with an indescribable texture tickled her finger.
Because she had braced herself in advance, just in case, she didn't show a big reaction.
'No, don't tell me...'
It was about then that Liana realized Lee Ha-yul's intention.
The tongue was licking every spot, as if cleaning something. Lee Ha-yul had been tidying the cookie crumbs on her finger.
Pretending to drink her tea, Liana covered her mouth with her teacup and her shoulders trembled faintly.
Wiping it off? Of course, she liked it, but the method was just so...
'Should I call this lewd... or innocent...'
A worry rose in her mind. But judging by Lee Ha-yul's eyes, it didn't seem to have any lewd intent. They were just thoughtless eyes.
After confirming that, Liana kept her mouth from hanging open blankly.
'This child, seriously. Once he opens his heart, the approach is absolutely relentless.'
What was the turning point? Lee Ha-yul, drawn to Liana's maternal nature, had opened his heart before, but the decisive moment was probably after that kiss.
With that as the catalyst, the curse had been alleviated solely regarding Liana, and Lee Ha-yul's own emotional walls had crumbled.
The problem was that the wall had completely and utterly collapsed. He opened himself up entirely, as if to say it was fine for someone to come in and trample to their heart's content.
'I think I really need to educate him on this...'
No matter how much he's opened his heart, he's opened it too much.
To put it bluntly, if Liana were to pressure him into some request, she felt like even if it was difficult for him, he'd overexert himself to grant it if she pushed enough.
Of course, Liana had absolutely zero intention of making such a request, but what if someone did?
"...Professor?"
"Ah, hahaha. These kids keep playing pranks... I'm sorry. I'll send them away for now."
"Ah, yes..."
Lee Ha-sol nodded in understanding.
"......"
And then, with an odd expression, she glanced under the desk.