A Lone Afternoon of Tension and Tea
Even today, Abigail hadn't shown up. What could be keeping her?
"She's probably off making money on her own again. She has to handle everything herself."
Zeroa spoke with a concerned tone, but Aslan answered without a care in the world.
As the semester break approached, many academy students had left the grounds.
Aria had visited Zeroa's house just a few days earlier and was already gone, and Mia—who had stayed during the last break—had returned home briefly to visit her worried parents.
Thinking about it, aside from the late arrivals of Diana and Mia, none of the students learning from Rai had any reason to leave during break.
Philia and Aslan had rushed out of the house, while Abigail had no real home to return to.
Zeroa, who had lived in Legandia his whole life, and the rest of them.
That's why even during break they still gathered in the yard and trained under Rai, so they understood each other's situations well.
They trained almost every day, but there were times when each one had to take a break according to their own circumstances.
All four of them had been earning their own tuition and living expenses, and Aslan and Zeroa occasionally took on adventurer requests while Abigail handled some risky jobs that she didn't want anyone to know about.
Philia earned her living as a tutor.
There had been times when each one skipped a day or two, and Aslan had never minded, but by the third day without seeing Abigail he was starting to worry, and Zeroa still wore a troubled expression.
Philia's face wasn't looking good either.
It had nothing to do with Abigail. Her gaze was fixed solely on Diana.
"Raikkang, look at this! I've got this much callus on my hands."
"Now you're actually starting to look like a real warrior."
"Ehehe—it's so weird. I guess you've all lived with hands like this before. Feel it, it's all hard."
"Why touch hands that aren't soft?"
"Ehh—what if I touch the soft ones then?"
Philia's eyebrows furrowed as she watched Diana, who had narrowed her eyes and slightly parted her collar.
Up until now Philia had felt no emotion toward her, but the more time she spent training with Rai the more irritated she became.
Especially when she felt Rai's gaze, it only made her push closer to him.
Even as he pretended to be indifferent, Rai kept staring at the faint cleavage that showed through the fabric, and that only made Philia angrier.
"Ahahaha, Raikkang is a pervert."
Diana noticed Rai's gaze, covered herself up, and laughed.
So far she had drawn a clear line, but who knew what might happen when no one was around.
Zeroa and Aslan quietly watched her from the side, sizing her up, but Philia's mind was completely focused on Diana and she didn't notice.
After finishing training, Philia went to meet Cesset.
Tomorrow Cesset would return home as well. She hadn't seen her for a while, so she needed to spend as much time with her as possible now.
The two of them wandered around the streets for a while before settling into a quiet teahouse.
Cesset, who had been chatting animatedly about countless topics, leaned in with a playful smile toward Philia.
"How's it going with Raikkang?"
"What do you mean? I'm not on any kind of special terms with the instructor."
"You're lying."
"I'm not. Not at all. I don't like him."
She had been sending out all kinds of signals that she liked him while hanging around Rai, so this stubborn denial didn't make sense.
Even a little less stubborn and she'd be an adorable girl, but Cesset shrugged and pushed a book toward her.
"What's this?"
"One Hundred and One Ways to Seduce a Man. The legendary big sister of high society, Margarida, who supposedly seduced two hundred men, wrote this."
"It sounds amazing, but I wonder if it's really appropriate for a human to do that."
Philia scanned the cover with a indifferent expression.
But Cesset noticed the faint spark of curiosity in her eyes, gave a small smile, then quickly erased it.
It was cute to see a friend being curious, but if she smiled here Philia would just run away again.
"I don't need something like this. I have no interest."
Even though she said that, her eyes couldn't tear away from the book, and the adorable upturned corners of Cesset's mouth were forced into a straight line.
"The title is a bit too direct, but it's actually a good book. You can learn high-society know-how and negotiation skills that you can't get from just a etiquette class."
"That would definitely be helpful."
Cesset had hooked her.
When Philia took the bait, Cesset lowered her eyes and quickly stood up before her expression gave her away.
"Well, see you next semester, next year, Philia."
"Eh? You're already leaving?"
"I have a lot to prepare before I go home. Please forgive me for my rudeness."
Lin's support was swift and obvious as she sensed her employer's intentions.
Philia nodded, though she was a little suspicious, and stood up from her seat.
Then Cesset pulled her into a hug.
"Philia, I'll always be on your side. Got it?"
"Yeah, I'll always be on your side too."
After saying goodbye to Cesset, Philia headed back to Rai's house.
Rai's house was lively.
Aslan, who had claimed the first spot, the basement residents Sena and Agnes, and Philia herself made the place vibrant whenever night fell.
They all gathered for a simple dinner, and after returning to her room Philia sat on the bed reading a strategy textbook when the book Cesset had given her suddenly came to mind.
'One Hundred and One Ways to Seduce a Man.'
Just the title alone made her feel no desire to read it.
Philia laughed lightly, set the book aside, and picked up the strategy textbook again.
"... ..."
She held the textbook, but her eyes remained fixed on the book Cesset had given her.
'Yeah, since it's from Cesset I should at least read it out of courtesy.'
Philia rationalized it to herself and picked up the book.
Even the title was crude, but the content was even more so.
She flipped through a book that detailed not just how to meet men but exactly how to handle them in bed, and her eyes widened in shock.
Thanks to the small light that glowed orange, Philia's cheeks flushed red, and she stayed up the entire night lost in reading.
* * *
"I'll be gone for a little while to visit home."
The next morning, as everyone gathered, Aslan spoke up.
"Sure, go and come back soon."
"What? You'll miss me if I'm not here."
While answering Rai's remark, Aslan showed the letter he was holding.
"My brother arranged a place with that old man through some hassle. We're definitely going to fight, but since it's my brother's effort, I should at least show my face."
"Wow—you actually think normally sometimes. Your brother's a good guy, don't make him angry."
Since Aslan had good reflexes, he finished eating and left right away.
The carriage his brother Rolls had prepared was already waiting in front of the academy gate, so all he had to do was get on and he could leave without packing anything.
"I'm going to play with Cara-unnie. I left lunch on the stove. If it's cold it tastes bad, so warm it up and eat it."
Even though she was nominally Rai's maid, Sena spoke as she left with her usual carefree attitude.
She had met Zeroa's sister during the cavalry tournament and had become quite close, so she often went out to play in the streets.
"Don't touch the laundry I hung up. I'll hang it up when I get back. And mister, I told you to put coasters on the table."
Sena came back in and placed a coaster under the glass Rai had been drinking from.
"There are marks on the table. How many times do I have to tell you?"
"Yes, go play, mom."
"Drink your glasses and soak them in water right away."
While wiping the table and scolding him, Sena finally left.
After Sena, the one with strong vitality, left, only two people remained in the living room.
"... ..."
Rai was lying on the sofa reading a book while Philia sat watching him.
Philia was trying to recall the thirteen rules one should follow when alone with a man, and when Rai looked at her she jumped in surprise.
"W-why?"
"I have something I want to ask. Why are you so tense?"
"Ah, um... Th-that... All the tea is gone, right? Should I make more?"
"... ... W-well?"
Philia stood up in a hurry the moment Rai's words fell, picked up the glass he had been drinking from, and headed to the kitchen at a quick pace.
She didn't understand why she was so nervous, but she dumped a huge pile of tea leaves into the teapot and poured water straight from the kettle.
After taking a deep breath to calm herself, she set the teapot and glass down in front of Rai.
"Here."
Then she sat beside him.
'Page 132, paragraph 3. When sitting next to someone, always maintain a subtle distance. Don't be the one approaching; make the other person come to you.'
With her outstanding memory, Philia had memorized the entire book and was following Master Margarida's teachings to the letter.
But since Rai was taking up the entire three-seater sofa, Philia's seat was right next to his waist.
Even though she was lying on her side and there was space on the leg side, she had to sit in the farthest possible spot, but from the side it looked intimate, like a couple.
"... ..."
"Tea, tea, drink up."
Philia poured the tea when Rai's silent gaze became burdensome.
When Rai half-sitting up, their faces got close.
Ignoring her deep breath, Rai picked up the glass and drank.
Philia's heart pounded wildly as she watched his profile up close.
"H-how is it?"
"Mmm... It's strong."
"You like strong stuff, don't you?"
"Y-yes. Not this strong, but—"
Rai drank the strong tea that was more than half tea leaves and half water, and after drinking it he realized his mouth had dried up even more, so he lay back down and continued.
'Page 141, paragraph 12. Light touch. While positively reacting to the other person's words, lightly pat their shoulder.'
Philia cleared her throat with a cough.
"Do you have any plans today?"
"Nothing special. Zeroa said he might not come today either, so you can teach me whatever."
"What a splendid attitude."
She nodded and patted Rai's shoulder.
But Philia's touch was a little different from the book.
When she tapped with the firmness of a superior to a subordinate, Rai stared at her hand with a look of strong pressure.
"It's been fifteen years since I've felt this. No, twenty?"
'Connection achieved.'
It was the moment when Margarida's trust rose.
Twenty years of feeling the thrill only a woman who was familiar with men could feel. It was amazing.
Philia, who was smiling wickedly while touching his shoulder, was terrifying.
Just as she was thinking about the next step, the basement door opened and Agnes came out.
She was an undead who was always asleep during the day because sunlight was poison to her, but she came upstairs every now and then for snacks or drinks.
Especially at this timing.
When Philia and Agnes locked eyes, Agnes froze at the sight of Philia's hunter's eyes.
Philia's eyes said not to hunt her, so Agnes quickly pulled her extended foot back and slowly closed the door.
'Rai-ssi, what mistake did you make?'
Agnes, gripping her shoulder with an unpleasant hand and in a terrifying atmosphere, prayed for Rai's well-being and went back down to the basement.
'You weren't supposed to come out for food, were you?'
Philia, who couldn't understand Agnes's actions, tilted her head and looked down at Rai.
Now it was time alone.
Since Aslan and Sena were always around, such moments were rare.
Philia felt a pleasant warmth from the touch on her shoulder.
On the other hand, Rai felt frightened by the increasing pressure in the hand that was holding his shoulder while smiling.
"Kik."
"Today's request has been canceled. I bought fried chicken from the stall downstairs since morning, but do you want to eat some together..."
Zeroa entered with a bright laugh and saw the two of them sitting there.
The clenched hand. The eyes that said not to interrupt his hunting time.
Even though Zeroa was thick-headed, he could sense the danger.
"I already ate breakfast, but..."
Rai was about to get up when he saw Zeroa stuff the fried chicken into his mouth and froze.
Steam rose, but Zeroa ate everything with a full mouth and a strange smile.
"It's hot, burp."
"... ..."
"My mouth, there's a different filling, so I'm going to go ahahaha."
Zeroa ran away in a hurry, tears streaming down because the fried chicken was too hot.
"What the—him."
"Yeah. What's going on?"
Philia tilted her head, unable to understand his actions.
Rai shrugged and lay back down, and Philia, not knowing the cause, thought it was good luck and didn't take it seriously.
"Would you like more tea?"
"No, I'm not thirsty right now."
"Then how about a snack? There are cookies that Cesset gave me yesterday."
Philia stood up immediately when Rai nodded and headed to the kitchen cabinet.
Thinking that she was getting a little closer to Rai, her heart fluttered.
Philia, who hugged the cookie box to her chest and gave a small smile, returned to the living room with a bright atmosphere.
"Don't get any weird ideas just because we both lay down like this, Raikkang."
That cat woman.
When she came back, it was Diana who was there, and she was lying next to Rai with her head resting on his shoulder, reading the book together.
Philia, facing Diana's fierce eyes, felt something snap in her head, and Diana's eyes became even narrower as she rubbed her head against his shoulder.
"Hey, it's annoying, go lie down over there."
"Ehh—I don't want to. This spot is the best."
Philia watched Diana in a light pose with her hand on Rai's chest and felt her hair stand on end.
Diana, laughing cheerfully despite facing a murderer's eyes, made Philia feel as if something had been cut from her head.
Philia set the box on the low table and looked down at the two of them before lifting her leg.
Diana's extended leg slid between Rai and the sofa, and Philia lay down right away to take the opposite side of Rai.
"Hey, it's narrow. What are you two doing?"
"I fell, I'm falling! Kyaaah."
Diana pretended to be panicked and hugged Rai tightly.
Philia, who had a troubled expression seeing her not yield, hugged Rai as well.
"... ..."
"Is Raikkang's mood good?"
Diana, who looked unaffected even though Philia was hugging Rai, asked while looking up.
"There are no bad men, but wouldn't you like to be a little more reserved?"
"Ehh—if it's good then it's good. Look, Philia likes it too."
Philia, who had almost climbed on top of Rai because the seat was so narrow, had a face as red as a tomato.
She had hugged him boldly because she was angry, but when the gazes of the two people whose faces were close reached her, Philia lowered her head out of embarrassment.
"Cute—Raikkang, what if we go all the way like this? If I were Philia I wouldn't mind."
"Don't talk nonsense. Come back taller."
"Ehh—so mean. Then I'll come back puffy later, so let's do this for now."
Diana said that and hugged Rai even tighter.
Philia, hugging him strongly as if she wouldn't yield, felt soft flesh pressing on both sides.
Rai, who had an intensity that couldn't be compared to others, was attacked with such force that he couldn't concentrate on reading at all.