Wow! It's Summer! (4)
By the time June rolled around, we Special Class students in the Old School Building had all grown stronger in our own ways.
For starters, take Rydmila Lionheart, who boasts the highest combat power among us. She'd learned to harness Turbulence to some degree on her own. Just like before, when I guided her mana, she could now infuse it into her spear and hurl Sickle Wind Magic Spear.
The downside? Right now, she can only use it as a thrown spear technique, and the cast time and post-cast stiffness are pretty long. Which makes sense.
"I could just fire it off, but then my body would start shaking uncontrollably and I'd climax, and everyone would know!"
The long cast and stiffness are all to hide the process of triggering Turbulence from prying eyes. If I stick behind her and refine her mana? Even if she has to go through the whole "body giving out from Turbulence" thing, she can always play it off socially.
"It's that guy standing behind me—he touched me with his hand!"
She could blame it on the gold-haired, tanned delinquent-looking guy slyly caressing her mana pouch and lower belly from behind, making her feel good. Of course, when it's just us, it's fine.
"Hehe, Rydmila. Not taking them down with a wind fart this time?"
"Shut up, Evangeline. What are you gonna do when you get a skill like that later?"
"...Sorry."
Since we know exactly how Rydmila triggers Turbulence, she can use it freely when no one's watching. At least in places out of sight.
"Ahhiiit~?! ...The stiffness after using it is unavoidable, though."
That's how Rydmila finally tapped into the power of her latent dual core. She's still got a long way to go, but once she can wield Turbulence freely without holding back her climax, she'll truly be S-rank.
And what about the other two? Unia and Evangeline had made huge strides in power too. Though their "public-facing growth" felt a bit different.
"Wow! I finally cast B-rank magic without chanting!"
"Staff's gone now, so we can talk freely, Unia."
"A-rank without chanting would shock everyone, right?"
"Shock? They'd straight-up say we got duped."
Unia had successfully disguised her growth by peeling back her original skills layer by layer, like onion skins, making it look like steady progress.
"Uuuut... There, done! I can control three at giant size simultaneously now!"
"Can't you do it without me carrying you, hugging you, or holding you in some raunchy pose from a shady magazine?"
"Hmm... Still a bit tough. But it's good enough, right? You need someone with you in combat anyway."
Evangeline developed her ability around maximizing contact with me. Thanks to that, she could now handle multiple bear dolls several meters tall. The poses were a tad extreme, but she even figured out how to mask it by having one bear doll guard me and her in position.
And me? While they grew, I developed plenty of techniques holing up in the Esdinas Academy's Old School Building. Especially with Wind Attribute—I focused on making all the skills I'd picked up in-game as a mage, spirit user, or magic swordsman my own.
Spells like whipping up wind from below to flip skirts sky-high. Or slamming an enemy's weak spot from below with a wind hammer. Or the one I'm using on these three right now: Wind Proliferation.
Yep. Clone technique.
They're not solid clones—just ghost-like, invisible presences moving around like transparent humans. That's all.
Squiiiish.
"Hnnng..."
"No weird noises, please, Miss Unia?"
"But it feels so good, the fatigue melting away..."
"Weren't you asleep?"
"Sleep-talking, maybe...?"
But if I pump in a bit more mana and they allow the clones to massage them, they can exert physical force like this. Technically wind-pressure massage. But to onlookers, it looks like heat-haze phantoms giving three women a sleep massage without a care.
"Miss Unia. Not sleeping?"
"What if you did something to us while we slept~?"
"You want it?"
"I'd prefer the real you, but clones feel a little lacking, don't they?"
Unia chuckled low, grabbing my clone and tugging it.
"Miss Unia. My clones aren't for you to pet, hug, wrap your legs around, and roll around with like a body pillow."
"But it's so comfy like this."
Unia latched onto my clone and snuggled in. It looked just like rubbing against a dakimakura—I didn't know what to say for a sec—
"Why not just rub the real thing instead?"
—so I suggested it straight-up.
"Oh? Say that, and these two sleeping beauties will wake up demanding theirs too."
But the suggestion backfired. Yeah, Unia and Rydmila would cling to my sides, Evangeline sprawl over me like a bed from above—trapped from three directions.
"No school rule against classmates sharing a bed?"
"This is the Old School Building."
"True. But no new rules or amendments targeting it?"
"Not yet, at least. As long as it's not 'no entering the Old School Building forest at night' or something."
After the first practical, new rules targeted the Old School Building. No entry during term time. Penalty for violation.
Even with that, some idiots strutted into the forest to raid us and steal our Magic Pants—
Expelled.
The academy staff caught them, investigated, and kicked them out mercilessly to scare the other students. Protective measure. For us, and against raiders.
Our practical scores alone crushed newbie morale, but staff blocked contact entirely to shield the faint-hearted. Unless we went to the main building first.
Thankfully, no sudden angel awakenings. No worries about someone turning mid-sleep and us scrambling. We could relax with massages, naps, reviewing dream-memories, and finals prep.
"Speaking of, Phoenix."
"Yeah."
"You sure you're okay?"
The three of them, not me.
"They said grades don't matter much, but don't you need study time?"
"Miss Unia."
"Yes."
"I've been staring at this bed. Guess why I'm saying that?"
"Obviously, polite lip service?"
"Bingo."
Three beauties crowding my bed—why would I kick them out?
"Just protesting. 'If grades tank, it's on you three.'"
"How should we take responsibility?"
"If grades suck and we get expelled—"
"I'll drop out."
"What?"
"See."
Unia slipped off the clone, sat up, and smiled at me.
"Learning from you beats academy classes."
"......"
"Right?"
"Can't deny it, but think of the instructors' efforts."
I pointed up.
"These two are way better than me in their fields."
"True."
Hard to say aloud, but some "professors" are awkward to call that. And they're the ones grading—
"Want help with finals study?"
"You sure? You could read theory books more while massaged asleep."
"I'm good. Theory's all here already."
Unia thumped her chest and grinned.
"Right?"
"Mm."
Her theory pouch was packed solid.
"First semester first year—no need to worry."
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
And finals ended.
"...Why top the class?"
"Obviously, 'cause I studied hard."
Top Student. Phoenix Ludbekia. Perfect score.
"We kept you from studying properly, right?"
"Knew the scope—no biggie. Studied ten-plus years for academy entry."
"???"
Real world, and demon realm.
"Just kept at it daily."