Among Family
Among Family
A brief but immeasurable silence passed.
"......."
[It's a misunders,standing]
I blurted out an excuse. I realized immediately it was futile. The voice the necklace produced sounded terribly confident.
[Really]
[Really a misundersta,nding—]
"A kiss?"
[......]
Lee Ha-sol tilted her head and murmured. My shoulders twitched.
"A peck on the lips?"
[W-wait a second]
I flapped my arms in a panic, and Lee Ha-sol stopped talking.
[Th-the words just came out wrong]
It wasn't exactly precise, but the curse's circumvention condition was, roughly, a kiss. Admitting that, though, was an entirely different matter...
[This necklace does this sometimes]
[It works great, but occasionally it just randomly pulls the owner's mental images ou—]
[Bbblblblblb]
I hastily tapped the necklace to shut it off. With a thwack-thwack-thwack, the battered necklace's voice cut out.
- It's really not. Please believe me...
"...Hmm."
Lee Ha-sol tilted her head at the plea sent by sound transmission. Her half-lidded, pale green eyes landed on my lips.
The look she gave me was peculiar.
Come to think of it, my cheeks were still squished by Lee Ha-sol's hand, making my lips stick out. I squirmed free of her touch and shook my head from side to side.
- Reallyreallyreally.
"...Aha? It's reallyreallyreally?"
Blinking, Lee Ha-sol grinned. The curve of her eyes, the corners of her lips. At her open mischief, a pout formed on my face.
"Is that so? To look Ha-yul in the eye and have a conversation, I have to give him a kiss?"
- Don't tease me...
"Mm... Ah, I thought it felt familiar. Isn't this from a storybook? I'm sure it was a storybook I read to you a long time ago..."
Wait, the thought had crossed my mind, but an actual story like that existed? I shook my head furiously, internally horrified.
"Hey, why are you bothering my junior disciple?"
Suddenly, hands slipped under my armpits and hoisted me up. It was Senior Daera, who had been playing with a lightning spirit nearby.
"Bothering? I'm just playing with him."
"He's pouting. That means you're being a pest."
[Senior...!]
My dangling face was filled with touched emotion.
Of course, being called a 'kid' aside, the senior talking like that had teased me plenty about my height too, but at least right now, she was taking my side.
"Ha-yul, did I upset you?"
[No. I wasn't upset.]
It had been awkward, but I hadn't felt the slightest unpleasantness.
Rather, while Lee Ha-sol's expression had been subtle, I was deeply relieved that she held no negative feelings.
"That's a relief."
At my answer, Lee Ha-sol smiled gently.
"...Ahem. Anyway, we've rested enough, so let's continue."
Senior Daera, clearing her throat with a cough, set me down, then glanced briefly at my lips and patted my back.
.
.
.
It's a rather shameless thought, but I'm talented at many things.
I could list them forever, but the reason any of those talents hold up is thanks to my unique abilities: All-Rounder and Mana Affinity.
On top of that, from the very beginning, I've been accumulating an immense amount of information with the Authority of Observation, and now I'm efficiently stockpiling and utilizing it with the Authority of Knowledge.
In short, the things I can do now outnumber the things I can't.
"Hoooh..."
Senior Daera, slumped on the ground, let out a deep breath. Between her lips, lightning energy seeped out with her breath, flashing.
"This... it's seriously wondrous every time I receive it."
[Is it?]
"Yeah... ugh... hoo, hooo..."
Senior Daera murmured, her eyes half-open as if in a daze.
Her cheeks were flushed a pale pink. The warmth of her heated body spread into the surroundings and transmitted through the palm I'd pressed against her back.
'It's going well.'
I sharpened my focus further.
The act I was performing now was simple.
A type of Mana Refinement.
It involves expelling the relatively turbid mana from Senior Daera's body, clearing the spell residue clogging her circuits and core, and improving them for smoother flow.
Of course, it wasn't as simple as it sounded.
Common knowledge would call it nonsense.
Assisting the internal operation of mana. I'd received it a few times early on from my master and Professor Liana too. It was merely the degree of externally stimulating mana to guide its flow.
That was the limit.
Meaning, it's impossible for anyone less skilled than them.
Receiving external mana is a dangerous and difficult task.
For a superhuman packed tightly with their own innate talent, the influx of foreign innate talent fundamentally causes a violent reaction.
To perform an operation, you have to inject mana into the body, and a repulsion occurring is common sense.
'But I can do it.'
Mana Attribute Change, the precursor step to Homogenization.
If I change my mana to match the other person's, no repulsion occurs. Because I'm not just mimicking the properties—I'm adopting the innate talent itself.
Of course, it's possible with pure mana too, but this way is much easier.
'And detection isn't an issue.'
The post-injection phase is also a problem.
Interfering with the complex circuits spread throughout the body and the ceaselessly flowing mana is near impossible.
A problem that doesn't apply to me.
Even basic qi sense can grasp it sufficiently, and with the Authority of Observation as well, it can't possibly be an issue.
"Haaa..."
The lightning energy that entered her body wriggled slowly. When it found impurities, it guided them out; it circulated through the circuits, improving the structure and clearing the pathways wider.
The core was too delicate an organ to touch significantly. It shouldn't be tampered with in the first place, being an organ dense with innate talent.
Instead, I gave a different kind of help.
I returned the mana, altered into lightning energy, back to pure white and left it in her core.
There was no repulsion. The pre-configured mana dissolved and settled into her core.
I couldn't expect a dramatic change, but it might increase her mana capacity and have a positive effect on her core.
"Mmn... haaa..."
[......]
During the process, the moans turned oddly suggestive, perhaps because her senses went a little strange.
Lee Ha-sol watched Senior Daera, who flinched with a flushed face, with an awkward expression.
[Senior Daera is done...]
"Ah..."
After roughly twenty minutes, I removed my hand. Senior Daera let out a small gasp of admiration and slumped her shoulders.
"Haaa... haaa... hoo, i-is it over?"
[Yes... here's some water. Take a moment to catch your breath.]
"Yeah... thanks..."
Breathing heavily, Senior Daera took the water and gulped it down urgently.
She was in such a rush that some water spilled down, soaking her chest. Her tank top, already drenched in sweat, and the underwear beneath became a mess. With a wry expression, I pointedly looked away.
[Lee Ha-sol... would you be okay with me helping you too?]
"Ah... um, yes."
Lee Ha-sol, having gulped, shuffled closer.
I had a feeling I knew what this hesitation was about.
[Um... if you're a bit uneasy, we can do it later...]
"No, I'm fine."
Shaking her head, Lee Ha-sol plopped down in front of me.
"I'm not uneasy. It's just... I can't believe this is possible."
["...I happen to be pretty talented at a lot of things."]
"Huh, being too talented is a problem, then."
Chuckling, Lee Ha-sol showed me her back. She'd already pulled her hair over her shoulder, so nothing covered her back.
Of course, things like clothes and bra straps remained... but while they used to bother me, now they weren't even obstacles.
I carefully placed my hand on Lee Ha-sol's back.
[Should I begin?]
After waiting for Lee Ha-sol, who flinched slightly, to settle, I converted my mana into wind energy and injected it.
"Uuh, uuhng..."
Lee Ha-sol's shoulders trembled as she steadied her breathing. I manipulated the wind energy even more carefully.
'Maybe because it's her first time, there are a lot of places that need work.'
I'd already done this several times for Senior Daera, but this was Lee Ha-sol's first. Nodding to myself, I moved the mana.
It was the same as before.
Draw out the impurities and turbid mana, wipe and clear the circuits and core. Leave a bit of my mana behind to let it naturally dissolve.
"Ah, aahng... hng..."
...
"...Wow, hearing it from the side, it's hella erotic..."
Senior Daera, who was sprawled out nearby, said something she really didn't need to say.
"Was I like that? Uh... thinking about it, it was similar..."
[Senior, I need to concentrate, so please be a bit quiet.]
"Ah, sorry."
Senior Daera gave an embarrassed laugh and covered her mouth.
[All done.]
"Yeah... haaa..."
Lee Ha-sol took longer than Senior Daera. When I pulled my hand away, Lee Ha-sol, back bent, let out a heavy breath. Her chest expanded for a moment, and skin was visible through the dress shirt soaked with sweat.
[Are you okay?]
"Yeah... yeah... I'm okay..."
Nodding absently, Lee Ha-sol blinked slowly.
A hot heat flowed from her breath, and a dazed haziness swirled in the pale green eyes that were briefly revealed.
It's nothing to worry about.
When someone receives Mana Refinement from me... well... they feel a refreshing coolness similar to taking a bath.
Since it's washing the circuits and core that normally can't be cleansed, the sensation is apparently a bit intense at first.
- Hoooh...
[I'm tired.]
While Lee Ha-sol calmed down, I let out a deep breath too.
This kind of refinement work requires me to expend a great deal of heart power as well.
I'm confident in succeeding, but a problem might occur one in a thousand times.
If I were to directly inflict that kind of harm on someone precious, I might seriously try to hang myself and end it all.
I had to pour an immense amount of heart power into perfectly controlling those variables.
- Tight...
Just as my body was about to slump to the ground, someone caught me in an embrace.
"Thank you. You really helped me a lot."
It was Lee Ha-sol, who had been catching her breath moments ago. Turning her body to support me, she smiled softly. A cozy warmth spread, enough to heat up the whole area.
[Hehe.]
The wave of warm emotion washed the fatigue clean away.
Being rewarded like this truly was the happiest thing, I thought, grinning.
That was the moment.
Lee Ha-sol's face suddenly drew close.
- Smooch...
In an instant, a sensation touched my cheek. A warmth and moisture spread first, followed by a soft, ticklish feeling...
[...Hyuh?!]
"...Wh-wha, y-you, wha, wha..."
My mind ground to a halt for a second.
In my place, Senior Daera, face aghast, stammered out words.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Huh? Then how should I look at what you just did? To someone who has... masters... right now you..."
"I used to do this often in the past. Isn't a peck on the cheek something you can do among family?"
[Fa-family...?]
"Uh... well, I suppose that's true... uh, uh... but does that still apply now?"
Lee Ha-sol, who had shaken even Senior Daera for a moment, shrugged as if it was no big deal and glanced down at me.
"Ha-yul, you still can't see me, right?"
[Yes, yes...?]
Still twitching erratically, I reflexively opened my eyes.
All I saw was a dense gray fog.
"...Tch."
Eyes whose pupils I couldn't catch. I heard a small click of the tongue, and then Lee Ha-sol very naturally pulled me into her arms.
[Ah, wait...]
"You said you were tired too, right, Ha-yul? You can rest for the remaining time."
[That's not it, just now... uh... the training...]
"I already received more than enough help. It's okay..."
The cozy embrace enveloped my face. At the same time, the gentle and familiar touch on my head and back coaxed me toward rest, and the consciousness that had been trying to ask something was abruptly submerged.
As if it were the most natural thing, the sensations of my body faded.
'Sleepy...'
I'd already been tired and sleepy, but being held in someone's arms with them stroking me really drove it home.
Through my consciousness, submerging without a chance to resist, I glimpsed Aru, the fairy approaching from afar.
- ...King... huh... ? ... ... Queen... do... ?
"... ... yes, that... ..."
* * *
"Hello? Let me introduce myself again. My name is Lee Ha-sol, and I've lived with Ha-yul in the same orphanage since we were children."
At dinner that evening, one more chair was set out.
Several gazes flew to the smiling Lee Ha-sol.