Awkward Reunion at the Master's Hideout
You rascal! After that awkward moment of staring at each other, Asha and her master decided to relocate for the time being. …And while they were at it, she really ought to throw on some clothes. Sure, they'd seen every unsightly bit of each other before, but parading around with her lower half fully exposed was just… a bit much, wasn't it?
While her master went off to change, Asha opened the windows of the workshop. To let the thick fog of spirit grass drift out. As the slightly sweet yet refreshing scent wafted away bit by bit, the interior of the workshop gradually came into sharp focus. Traces of research that had been faintly visible began to emerge one by one. A familiar beaker that seemed to hold Cecil's affection. Countless remnants of experiments. And now, the familiar pill in the shape of a ring came into view.
Asha watched those traces for a moment before heading to the reception room where her master awaited. Passing down the familiar corridor, she opened the door to find her master seated there. With a pipe that looked like a long-stemmed tobacco pipe clenched in her mouth.
A soft whoosh~ accompanied a puff of pure white smoke billowing out. …She seemed deeply troubled. She smoked alcohol because it tasted good, but spirit grass was reserved for times when things weren't going her way and frustration built up.
Watching her master press her temples wearily as she burned the spirit grass filled Asha with a heavy heart. It felt like she'd burdened her unnecessarily. Was it right to leave a surefire method aside and make her poor master suffer like this? But her master had adored Cecil too….
"Why stand there gawking like a fool? Come, sit."
"Ah, yes, Master."
As Asha hesitated, her master's voice rang out. She scurried over and sat across from her. Up close, her master looked utterly worn out. Her already pale face was ghostly white, proof she hadn't seen sunlight in ages, and dark circles underscored her fatigue. Through the loosely draped clothes, her snowy skin peeked out… and thanks to the thing dangling from her lower half—as Asha had glimpsed earlier—her baggy outfit tented out noticeably.
Asha stared for a moment before clearing her throat and speaking up. "
…So, why do you have that attached?"
It wasn't the most graceful opening question, but… it just slipped out. Maybe from having dealt with it so many times herself.
"That's the first thing you say after returning after so long?"
"N-no, that's not…."
"I'm jesting. What reason would there be? I merely… experimented on myself directly."
"…I'm so sorry."
Her master let out a wry chuckle, white smoke curling from her lips. It felt oddly decadent, mismatched with her gentle eyes.
"At least my disciple still has some shame left. So, what brings you here? Surely you didn't chase after me because you couldn't wait those few days…."
…That's exactly it.
No progress on the research, and this body that keeps reacting strangely scares me.
How desperate must I be to abandon moneymaking and rush here?
Asha swallowed those words, forcing her lips into a smile. "I got worried when the one who said they'd come didn't show. So I hurried over."
"…After years of no contact, that must've been tough for you."
"That's… I'm sorry…."
With a sigh, Asha bowed her head, and a slender hand descended atop it. The touch felt slightly cool as it stroked her hair. Cool, yet warm. …A touch she might have pushed away not long ago, she now accepted. Just that made her heart feel warmer. Nothing was resolved yet, but still.
A chuckling puhuhu came from her master. "My disciple's grown even more spoiled in the meantime."
"…Seems that way."
"Shall I give you a hug too?"
"…That's a bit much."
"Why so shy?"
No, it's not that! A hug? Sure! Fine. All good. But… could you maybe put that away first? Or at least let the erection go down….
"That… could you make it go away or calm it down first?"
"Ah."
Lifting her head, Asha saw her master's eyes blinking in surprise, as if caught off guard. She soon tilted her head. "Can't we hug even with it there? I thought human men were always like that."
"…Human men don't hug when they're that erect."
"…I see. It's always like this for me, so I assumed everyone was the same."
What a horrifying world that would be. Men hugging with full erections. Asha didn't want to imagine it.
Whether sensing her thoughts or not, her master showed no intention of dealing with the tent. "Making it go away that way… somehow wounds my pride."
"Eh… is that so?"
"Yes. As you said, I thought researching a way to dispel it without 'releasing' might yield clues."
"Ah…."
The tent twitched.
"So… any progress?"
"…No meaningful results."
"I see."
Her master murmured dejectedly. So… she'd been living like that, fully erect? Come to think of it, earlier her lower half had been bare. …Probably too uncomfortable to cover.
And now it kept twitching, making Asha's heart pound. Was it fear? …No. Her body was reacting instead… Yes, that's why I came here, scared of these reactions.
But as expected… no success. That realization sank her mood too. Even her master, who'd taught her everything, had achieved nothing. Asha might be a brilliant alchemist who'd read ten thousand books, but she couldn't ignore her master's years of experience. If even she couldn't solve it with alchemy… there was no way to reverse it yet. Or rather, there was, but it was unusable.
Still, was it healthy to stay erect for so long? Even if not human standards, an elf should still have issues.
"No health problems, right? Your face looks even paler… and that thing staying like that can't be good."
"Hm…."
At her question, her master suddenly averted her gaze. Had something bad happened?
"Nothing happened, right?"
More concerned for her master's body than the erection, Asha approached. Her master hesitated oddly, rising to put distance between them. That only confirmed Asha's suspicions.
"Why won't you tell me! You don't have to suffer because of me… just get rid of it already."
Thinking her stubbornness had caused her master needless pain brought tears to her eyes. Lately, her emotions had been running wild anyway, so it was inevitable. It didn't take long for the welling tears to spill over.
Her master approached with wide, startled eyes and pulled her into an embrace. The thing pressed against her stomach through the clothes, but the tears kept flowing.
"W-why are you suddenly crying? I'm fine. Really."
"B-but thinking you're suffering because of me just… sob, hic…."
"Aigoo, you're driving me mad… I said I'm fine?"
Her master's slender fingers stroked her head. From within the embrace rose the scent of spirit grass and a fresh, fruity body aroma. Unlike the cool hands, the thing against her stomach burned hot. Impossibly so.
Her master held her until the tears subsided, then spoke awkwardly. "…I'm not walking around with it like this until it hurts, so don't worry."
"Then why didn't you just say so?"
"Well… it's just."
Her master's face flushed, the change stark against her snowy skin. Even the once-cool hands warmed.
"…It gets this hard to the point of pain, but when I wake up, it's gone, along with traces of discharge."
"Ah."
A wet dream, in other words. Realizing that cooled her head. Asha pulled away from the embrace, creating some distance.
Her master, now blushing for a different reason, gripped the pipe tightly and snapped. "Y-you brat! That's why you shouldn't pry!!!"
"N-no, I was just worried! Y-you're not gonna hit me with that, right? Th-this body is super fragile, you know?"
After a bit of commotion, confirming her master was unharmed lightened the mood. As they finished what felt like a nostalgic game of tag, panting, Asha mentioned the others waiting.
Her master fumed about why mention it now, then closed her eyes and muttered something. Soon, a knock sounded at the door. Naturally, it was the group. She'd ordered the sentries, it seemed.
Oh, and… before they arrived, her master's rod was safely stowed. It clung nicely beneath the baggy clothes. Right against her master's belly.
Veronica, thrilled at first sight of Ariel's hideout; Claudia, curiously taking it all in; Cecil beaming with joy at reuniting with her master after so long; and Ariel gazing fondly at Cecil.
After wandering in circles, they'd confirmed there was no straight path, no signposts. But… it didn't feel so bad.