Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Veronica (3)
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Gina didn't agonize for long.
"...Fine."
Veronica rejected Aren's proposal.
"...I can't just throw myself into a stranger's arms like that as a woman."
What stood in her way were traditional values.
A woman must be demure and never casually give her body to an outsider.
Sure, things had loosened up a lot lately... but that didn't mean the end of those values entirely.
Besides, she didn't want to become someone as frivolous as her 'father'.
So, Veronica's refusal of Aren's offer was the rational choice—even if accepting it would make her stronger than she was now.
But Aren...
"Then it wouldn't be a problem if I'm not a stranger, right?"
"Pardon?"
It was a simple issue that anyone could solve with a bit of thought. If the problem was him being an outsider, then just not being an outsider fixed it, didn't it?
"I want to be Veronica's lover."
The problem was that the answer was far too radical for Veronica to accept.
"......Ah......Um."
She opened and closed her mouth, fumbling for words.
She had plenty to say, but nothing came out.
In the end, she looked back into Aren's eyes and found herself lost in the endlessly sincere gaze there.
"...Are you serious?"
"Yes. I'm completely serious."
He hated pointless back-and-forth games.
Straightforward only.
As the saying went, the bold win the beauties... so Aren stuck to honest, direct methods without tricks.
"...I'd like a little more push."
"You don't like it?"
"...Yes."
The answer came from her a bit late.
"Hmm..."
How was he supposed to handle this wary young lady...?
His original plan was to start small, build familiarity step by step, then go for the big ask and worm his way into her heart.
But seeing how stubbornly resistant she was...
'Should I lower my terms?'
It felt like the right move.
"Veronica."
"Enough. I'm leaving now, so don't try to convince me anymore."
Her voice was ice-cold.
Like she was deliberately building a wall to keep him away—would that make sense?
The more she did that, the stronger his desire grew to turn that voice tender and affectionate.
"How about just trying it once?"
She froze.
"...Trying what?"
"I'll lightly show you what I do and how I'll help you. You can decide after experiencing it—it's not too late then."
"......"
When decisions were hard, people could at least try a demo, right?
That's why games came with free trials at launch.
The Academy even had that course adjustment period—he figured she could think of it the same way.
"Just try it once, and if it doesn't feel right, reject the offer. Sound fair?"
Right? It wasn't like he was forcing her.
She could just try a quick dip and bolt if it wasn't for her.
Besides, if she had zero interest, she'd have walked out when he suggested the kiss.
The fact that she was still here listening... proved that unyielding wall of hers wasn't as solid as it seemed.
In the end, whether it was the devil's temptation (or the devil's temptation to Veronica), she didn't refuse—instead, she said something rather blunt.
"Why go this far? To get me into bed once? To satisfy some filthy desire?"
"Filthy desire..."
Her eyes were utterly cold.
As if asking if he wasn't just like every other guy, dying for a taste of her body.
A normal man would deny it, claim pure intentions to help—that was usually the right answer.
But.
"I won't say I don't have any."
"As expected..."
Just as she started overlaying her father onto him in disappointment, Aren's words weren't finished.
"But who wouldn't harbor such desires seeing a beautiful woman like you, Veronica?"
"......"
"Someone who approaches claiming no ulterior motives while acting all 'safe'—that's the weird one. Better to be honest like me."
"...Honest?"
"All I want is to get close to you."
"......Ha."
She let out a small, hollow laugh.
Fortunately... it didn't seem too negative. He smiled brightly and continued.
"Anyway, the point is, I'm not forcing anything—it's all your choice. And if you think that choice is bad? It's not."
Aren got closer to Veronica (?), and she got stronger.
Wasn't this a win-win world where everyone was happy?
"It's a win-win."
"Win-win..."
She pondered.
Unlike before, the silence dragged on this time.
Aren waited, sneaking peeks at her thighs and chest, until she finally looked him straight in the eye, having reached her decision.
"...Just the trial. I'll decide after trying it once."
The big fish bit.
"But if I don't like it, we're done with this kind of thing from now on. Got it?"
"Of course."
She'd love it, for sure.
After she agreed to just try it, the two moved to a private training hall.
The previous spot had been public—tricky if someone walked in.
Why tricky?
"Would you hold my hand?"
"...Why?"
She stared at the offered hand.
Large and thick in that masculine way, yet with pale, slender fingers.
In other words, a really pretty hand.
"Sure."
"...You want me to hold this?"
"It's essential from here on."
"...You're not just doing this because you want to hold my hand?"
"No."
It'd be a lie if he said there was nothing to it.
"It's absolutely necessary, so trust me just this once."
For now, at least.
In the end, she hesitated but took his hand. Her first contact with a man.
Right then.
"......!?"
Aren's fingers slipped between hers, interlocking.
The classic hand-holding lovers did.
"You...! What is this...!"
"Stay still, Veronica."
"How can you say that—Ngh!?"
She panicked, about to snap at him, but he flooded mana through their clasped hands faster than she could react.
"Don't refuse—just slowly, very slowly accept the mana. It's essential."
"O-Okay...Ahh... "
The more Veronica accepted Aren's mana, the more their senses synchronized.
More precisely, his mana poured in like a waterfall, forcibly heightening her senses to match his exact level.
Her body grew hypersensitive as a result, and she began to subtly rub her thighs together.
"W-What is this...Nghh..."
An indescribable heat rose through her whole body—and especially her lower abdomen.
Thinking he'd pulled some trick, she tried to let go and stop, but he held firm.
He even pressed closer. At this embarrassingly intimate distance where their bodies nearly overlapped, Veronica let out a hot breath.
Aren savored her reaction subtly as he began explaining.
"I've synchronized our senses."
"Syn...chronized? But my lower belly...Ahh...No, it's not."
He pretended not to notice as she shook her flushed head.
"Then, Veronica—remember what Professor said today about the origin of magic?"
"I...remember."
Holding hands for the first time with a man—and an unrelated outsider at that.
Despite the lack of mental breathing room at this lip-brushing closeness, exemplary student Veronica recalled the lesson.
"Magic is...Ngh...the power humans received by praising and cursing...dragons. Forming mana or internal magic power into precise formulas...Ah...to manifest the ideal."
"Right. That's the essence."
Using magic power and mana to wield dragon-like overwhelming force.
"Humans just added the complex process of formulaic adaptation for our race."
"...W-What does that mean?"
Her cute stutters made him chuckle, earning a fierce glare.
He teased her fingers just right before speaking again.
"I don't use those complex, universal methods."
"Universal...Ah...methods? You make it sound like you're not using magic...Ngh...but something else."
"Exactly."
"......Pardon?"
Her flushed face went blank for a moment.
Enough to briefly forget the heat in her belly and the stroking of his fingers.
He caressed her stiff cheek with his free hand and chuckled.
"I don't use magic."
I am not a magician.