Whispers of Desire in the Empty Corridor
There had been a minor hiccup when Claudia fainted during the process of relieving her desires in the hallway, but I'd somehow managed the cleanup without any real issues. No one caught us, either. I dressed the unconscious Claudia, laid her straight on the bed—it must've been about an hour later when she woke up. Her face flushed bright red, she practically fled the infirmary. The ending was a bit sloppy, but I'd successfully handled another desire relief session without a hitch, so that was fine. The silver lining was that the herbs I'd ordered were working as intended, helping to curb my delusions. With so much downtime in my line of work, I was experimenting with all sorts of things. Brewing plain tea or grinding them into ointment bases was basic stuff. This time, I'd made several pouches stuffed with fragrant herbs and flower petals. The Saintess Training Institute was fairly large, but there were fewer than ten residents. We did group cleanings now and then, but dust inevitably gathered in the corners. Placing these sachets there was supposed to keep bugs away and fill the air with a subtle scent. Anyway, with them all made, it was time to wander around and tuck them into suitable spots. I grabbed a basket full of the pouches and stepped out of the infirmary for a bit.
"Maybe I should tie strings on some and hang them from the trees in the Garden too."
With no specific destinations in mind, I roamed the institute, placing pouches here and there. That's when I spotted two figures approaching from the opposite end of the hallway—hair one blue, the other black-tinged purple. Aria and Claudia. They seemed to be talking. At first, I couldn't make out the words, but as they drew closer, their conversation reached my ears.
"Ah, perfect, there she is. Shall we ask together?"
Aria glanced my way and spoke to Claudia in her calm, steady voice. "There she is" probably meant me... but what did they want to ask?
"N-No... I-I did something wrong, so..."
Claudia, on the other hand, wore a tearful expression, clinging to Aria as if being dragged along. They reached me in no time, and I bowed politely in greeting.
"Hello, Aria. And Claudia."
"Yes, Teacher Theo. Do you have a moment? There's something I'd like to ask briefly..."
Aria cut straight to the point. Claudia fidgeted beside her, mumbling hesitantly, but eventually burst out, "U-Ugh... I-I'm just gonna...!" She wrenched free of Aria's arm and bolted backward with all her might. She wasn't that fast—I could've caught her if I'd chased—but Aria just stood there calmly.
"Uh..."
Still not grasping the situation, I stared blankly at Claudia's retreating figure before turning to Aria, who was still in front of me. "Aria? So... what's going on...?"
"Oh, I wanted to ask about what happened between you and Claudia yesterday."
"C-Cough. Hack, keh."
It felt like a sucker punch to the back of the head. Wait, showing a reaction like this was as good as confessing. I had to stay calm, act like I had no idea what she meant.
"Ahem, uh, well. Yes. Yesterday, Claudia helped me carry some supplies."
"Is that really all?"
"What do you mean by...?"
What was this? The infirmary door had been locked, and the hallway empty.
"Hm. Right now, I have suspicions but no proof."
Aria fixed me with a steady gaze, her words measured and deliberate.
"Last night, when Claudia returned to the dorm, there was a fishy scent anyone could notice..."
"Kehk, k-kh, cough... S-Sorry. Please continue."
"...A thick, briny aroma that I figured everyone in the dorm would smell. Claudia denied it, but she's terrible at lying, so it came out right away."
The smell... I hadn't thought it was that strong. I'd cleaned her body thoroughly. Had I been too careless? I should be more cautious from now on... As that thought crossed my mind, I recalled the moment a few days ago when Aria had inhaled deeply right in front of my cock. Had that scent seeped into her memory so vividly?
...I never imagined it'd come back to bite me like this.
"We just came to confirm the truth with you, but she ran off. Claudia will probably keep denying it to the end, so it would help if you could answer."
Fooling this sharp, perceptive apprentice saintess probably wasn't feasible. No choice, then.
"Uh... it's about what you're imagining. I relieved Claudia's desires in the infirmary."
"Aha. Not really surprising."
She nodded calmly—far more composed than I'd expected, as if it were no big deal.
"Pardon?"
"Claudia's careless, after all. If you just watch, she drops evidence right in your lap."
What evidence? I was curious but held back, not wanting to embarrass Claudia further.
"So, how exactly did you relieve Claudia's desires?"
"Th-That... it's a bit hard to say... Ha, haha."
I gave an awkward laugh and refused to answer. Even so, this felt right.
"Keeping it secret...? Hm, alright. That's fortunate."
Aria reacted as if she'd anticipated my refusal.
"Uh... why fortunate?"
"Your promise to keep Claudia's secret means you'll keep mine too."
Ah. Perfect—I'd answered well.
"It's not that I don't trust you, Teacher Theo, but this lets me make my request with a lighter heart."
"Th-Thank you...?"
Unable to think of the right response, I just said thanks. She seemed to have said her piece, so maybe it was my turn to ask something.
"A question came to mind while listening to you, Aria."
"Please, go ahead."
"About that briny scent... wasn't it just you being especially sensitive? Considering what happened last time..."
"......"
A brief silence. Aria, who had responded coolly to everything, pressed her lips shut.
"As I said before, you have a surprisingly mischievous side, Teacher."
"S-Sorry, that wasn't my intention..."
"Pointing out to a girl that a strong male scent is 'the one you remember,' and then saying it wasn't intentional?"
She didn't seem angry so much as embarrassed. It was a rare sight—the last time was when she first brought me that book.
"...But fine. This works out perfectly. Claudia ran off, and this hallway doesn't see much traffic."
Click.
Aria took a step toward me, her shoe heel striking the hallway floor.
"That book had a scene just like this. You've read it too, right, Teacher?"
Something stirred in my memory. A setting like this... alone in a deserted hallway.
"Probably... yes."
A few days without a chance, eyes meeting in an empty corridor, leading straight to doing it—while reading, I'd thought it unrealistic and risky; someone would definitely catch them.
"Then no explanation needed."
Aria turned lightly, leaning back against the nearby wall. Then she looked at me.
Right. I remembered. That's how that scene started. The woman was the one tempting first. Back to the corridor wall, slyly hiking up her skirt...
"You'll do it, right?"
Aria met my eyes and recited the novel's line verbatim. Her expression unchanged, though her ears flushed faintly.
I'd chosen this quiet hallway deliberately to place the sachets. I hadn't anticipated this turn at all, but here we were. Decline? No way.
Now I was pressed right up against Aria. Completely flush, just as described—my body pinning hers to the wall.
"Can we really do that in the hallway without anyone noticing, Teacher Theo?"
She whispered up at me, her voice hushed and conspiratorial. And what we were about to do was exactly that.
"W-Well... but I'll do my best to avoid getting caught..."
I matched her lowered tone, resting a hand on her shoulder.
There were plenty of differences between the infirmary and hallway, but two sensations hit me now. First, openness. The long, open corridor reminded me this was a liminal space between indoors and out. Second, peril. The thrilling awareness that anyone could appear from beyond at any moment.
"Yes, Teacher. Let's verify if that book's description holds true again."
Her calm whisper came from so close our noses nearly touched. I caught a faint whiff of her cool, clean scent from last time.
Yeah, right. Hesitating would only raise the risk of getting caught. Steel myself, then—
I slid the hand from her shoulder downward, brushing past the soft fabric over her breasts, tracing her slim waist, continuing south. When I gripped the hem of her skirt—which she'd hiked up herself—I moved my other hand. Downward. Into the space beneath the fabric I held.
In the vast, empty hallway, neither Aria nor I said a word.
I wedged my thigh between her legs to part them, slipping my hand inside. Warmth from her body heat met smooth thigh skin. I felt the strap of her panties across her hips.
My heart pounded like it might burst. Honestly, a bit scary—but I couldn't stop now...
All I could do was pray. Please, Goddess, keep anyone away from this hallway. It'll be quick.