Fruit-Scented Vice
[What if a teacher catches us?!]
[Why? It's not real cigarettes anyway.]
[Still! But...]
Yuna couldn't hide her anxiety at Nami's brazen stride. Even though it worked by inhaling the potion and exhaling only the bitter residue as smoke, the whole thing looked exactly like smoking a cigarette.
Yuna had been skeptical at first, but when Nami flat-out insisted it was the exact same principle, a wave of guilt crashed over her for just standing by while her friend rebelled. She could sympathize—it must be because swallowing the potion straight is so tough—but as a student, there were lines that shouldn't be crossed. The conflict burned inside her like charcoal.
We weren't even supposed to use magic recklessly on school grounds...!
Nami had gotten a real taste for it, making lunchtime trips to the back garden a daily routine. Yuna even imagined the worst: if she got caught by a teacher from another class or an academy staffer, expulsion might be on the table.
Lunchtime had always been Yuna's study hour. She'd wolf down her meal, head back to the classroom for review, or memorize runes to fight off post-meal drowsiness. But she couldn't just leave Nami alone. Keeping watch so she wouldn't get busted? That was always Yuna's job.
"Is it really okay to use magic like this?"
"Up to 2nd Circle seems fine. We haven't gotten caught yet. Oh right, 6th period's the last practical eval today, yeah?"
Nami exhaled casually, smoke curling from her lips. Normally, with so little expression on her face, she just seemed like a pretty doll of a girl. But looking at her now, she had that vibe of a scary back-alley delinquent sis.
"Yeah, thanks to you, I think I'll ace this practical."
Yuna hadn't come away empty-handed either. Whenever they were alone, Nami explained model transmutation circles, and now Yuna could draw one with her eyes closed.
"What's your favorite fruit, Yuna?"
"Fruit? Out of nowhere? Hmm... apple?"
"Apple. Right, what was the code for apple again."
Nami pulled out her phone from her pocket, searched something, and tweaked the engraving transmutation circle. Satisfied, she chomped down on the ballpoint pen again with a grin.
"Think this'll be kinda apple-ish?"
A whirring hum came from the pen as heat and vaporization kicked in. Acrid smoke puffed from Nami's mouth once more.
"Apple scent...?"
But when the mist tickled Yuna's nose, she could only blink in confusion at the sweet aroma. The throat-scorching bitterness was gone, replaced entirely by sugary apple.
"Aw... tastes the same. Just changes the smell, huh."
"What? How'd you do that?"
"Like the scent?"
"Yeah! Super sweet."
"Good. I tried it 'cause you seemed to hate me doing this."
"Was it... that obvious...?"
Yuna's voice trailed off meekly. That's when she remembered how attuned Nami was to people's emotions. Even when Yuna had been hostile out of jealousy, or zipped her lips from guilt over being a burden, Nami had seen right through her.
Nami plopped down next to Yuna on the bench. Yuna awkwardly averted her gaze.
"Professor Cheon said he'll make pill-form potions soon. I'll stick to this till then. Must be annoying following me every time, right?"
Apparently, Professor Cheon had been hounding the food science profs, and a prototype pill potion was coming. Nami patted Yuna's head apologetically, and Yuna's face whipped back around.
"No, not annoying at all...! That's not it, I... ugh... why am I tearing up..."
Yuna rubbed her eyes, fighting back tears. She'd tried the potion once herself and knew how absurdly vile it was. The instant it hit your tongue, scorching heat and nausea flooded out. She couldn't imagine downing it casually like Nami.
I'd assumed she'd gotten used to it since she never complained about the pain. But what she'd said on the bus—that it was "edible"—had just been to reassure me.
It's fine if she takes the potion... which means without it, she's on borrowed time.
The more she thought, the worse it got—self-loathing and pity twisting into a mess until tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I'm not crying! Really, I'm not..."
Embarrassment hit too—crying in front of a friend her age. How many times had it happened in front of Nami already?
Before she knew it, Yuna was in Nami's arms. And of all days, Nami smelled like Yuna's favorite apple scent today. She snapped out of the sugary haze, shaking off the sobs.
"Lemme try it. No, I will."
"This?"
"Yeah. I'll vape it too. It's not real smokes anyway."
This isn't rebellion, she told herself. Just groundwork to empathize with her pain. She grilled Nami on how to use the circle.
"First time, so 0.5 ohms. You know the dosage calc now, right?"
"Yeah. I can do it solo."
She'd mastered harmonic means already. But Yuna got greedy, cranking the coil resistance higher. Might as well show Nami up with more vapor.
"Hey, that's too much...!"
"Hoo...?! *cough*! Haaah, this is... *cough*! Kinda weird feeling."
"It's basically high-concentration mana therapy, so some temporary high. Not addictive like mana grass, though."
"Hooo... phoooo... look! Still smoking from my mouth!"
Yuna puffed her cheeks like a chipmunk, blowing smoke rings like she'd never cried. Nami grinned and snatched back the potion flask.
"That's enough. Not a big deal, right?"
"Yeah. Kinda like a mint candy. Tingly in the throat."
"Your clothes are gonna reek of apple now."
"Same scent as you, so it's fine, right?"
"Getting bold, huh? Still, no real cigs later. I'll snitch to your mom."
"I'd never smoke!"
Yuna shot up from the bench, yelling. A model student smoking? Unthinkable!
But how was Nami so pro at this on her first try? Yuna stared as Nami held the potion in one hand, the other in her uniform pocket. Hoo—phooo—Nami's lips kept working, face blank.
Under the relentless gaze, Nami met Yuna's eyes again.
"Your eyes are all red from crying. Want some wind?"
"Huh? I'm fine!"
"Really? Okay to head back like this?"
"That red...?"
Nami went up on tiptoes to peer closely. The sudden proximity made Yuna flick her eyes away—and freeze.
"What's up?"
Nami followed her gaze. Around the building corner, a boy gawked, hand clamped over his mouth.
"Yoon Si-hu...?"
Yuna's panicked voice slipped out.
"NoName, what're you doing to Yuna?"
"Uh... how much did you see?"
"You guys smoking or what?"
* * *
Si-hu tried to bolt, but Yuna chased him down and barely stopped him. Even as she insisted it was a misunderstanding, pouring out her frustration, he eyed us suspiciously.
Back in class, Jackie Teacher waved us in warmly.
"Kids, good lunch? Ooh, that sweet smell's divine! New perfume?"
"Sni... mmph!"
"Yes...! Apple-flavored perfume!"
"Class smells amazing thanks to you. Class starts soon—get ready and sit!"
Nice block, Seo Yuna. She'd shut Si-hu's mouth just as he looked ready to tattle. We made it to our seats.
As Yuna grabbed her textbook from her locker, Si-hu grumbled at me.
"Lying to a teacher okay?"
"Added a scent spell formula, so it's basically perfume, right?"
"You were smoking..."
"Cigarettes need tobacco leaves. This is potion."
Couldn't argue with facts.
"Stop teaching Yuna bad stuff."
"Just helped with practical eval."
"This is practical eval?!"
"Don't believe me? Whatever."
"What if a teacher catches you?"
Seferon Academy had demerits too. But I didn't need top grades—just enough magic on tap. I was testing single-cast mana limits daily, seeing if I'd get busted. Finding a decent potion delivery this week was a win for me. Felt like slapping 100 praise stickers on Yuna for the idea.
"You wanna try it?"
"No."
"Or you into non-smokers? I thought that once too. For the record, Yuna swore she'd never smoke. No worries."
"No! That's not it!"
"What're you two chatting so fun about? Tell me too!"
Han Se-ri bounced over, eyes sparkling, drawn by the smell.
"Han Se-ri, back off! You're heavy—don't lean on my shoulder!"
"Deep debate on Yoon Si-hu's girl preferences. Se-ri, hmm..."
"NoName!"
"Si-hu's type? Ooh, super curious!"
"Aaaah stop!"
Teasing these kids is too fun. Their reactions are just like Hiasen's when he was little.