Chapter 42

The former head of the dental department also brought a special gift—he brought over the dental book that we all love!

"Thank goodness, bad books always find bad readers. This book has already damaged more than twenty librarians. I'll give it to you now, since you two are the only ones who have borrowed it in recent decades anyway."

--This is what he wrote in his parting message.

We're holding that book in our arms now. Mel and I are lying on the deck chairs, stroking its smooth teeth as we continue practicing runes. Mel can now write as fast as I can, and I'm doing quite well in Ancient Elvish, mainly thanks to Mel's excellent teaching methods. No wonder Anna so skilled in magic at such a young age.

Yes, Anna is now with Moli, making various attempts to break through the mage tower's signal shield, even actually tearing open a spatial opening. Mel immediately repaired it, and I added another layer of barrier. After that, Anna began trying to escape over the tower. Butler found a stack of internet cafe membership cards in the girls' room.

After I completely destroyed those cards with Hellfire, the two of them are now pestering me, demanding that I teach them Hellfire.

"..." I looked at Mel, bewildered. Why are young people these days so obsessed with Black Magic? Shouldn't their proper reaction be to scream and run away or tremble and cry?

Mel's eyes widened, her face filled with excitement. "I... I want to learn too."

I:"..."

So on the stargazing platform of the mage tower, two teachers and two apprentices were having a tea party around a bonfire, except that the bonfire was a pitch-black Hellfire.

"Black Magic is a very profound branch of magic, but for you, mastering spellcasting isn't the most difficult part," Mel solemnly warned the two apprentices. "The real challenge is, after experiencing this immense power, possessing the ability to take and take at will, even having the capacity to transcend the boundaries of life and death and obscure the laws of nature, still being able to hold fast to your inner strength and control this power instead of becoming its slaves."

As he spoke, he took my hand and said earnestly, "So, Xipei, you are truly remarkable. You could have made that Five-Star Old Man die a miserable death, yet you worked diligently under him for five years without ever laying a hand on him. Xipei, you are truly the gentlest dark mage I have ever met."

I heard Moli and Anna gasp.

"Mel..."

"So, Xipei, I love you so much!" Mel exclaimed. "We'll be together forever!"

I heard Anna and Moli gasp so loudly it sounded like the wind was blowing.

"Yeah, I like Mel too." Before I could even react, my mouth had already blurted out honestly, "It's... it's that kind of liking."

Mel tilted her head, kissed my fingertips, and asked, "That kind of thing, is it the kind that involves sleeping together? Me too!"

Anna and Moli are now completely silent.

... I saw ominous smiles on their faces.

Chapter 42

The warm touch on his fingers made me feel as if I could hear the blood rushing to my cheeks, a loud, booming sound that accompanied my heartbeat, which was like a symphony. One kiss wasn't enough; he kissed each of my fingers one by one, making me feel as if my fingers were some kind of delicious candy stick that I only get to eat during holidays.

"Teacher... are you sure about this? Why are you confessing your love by kissing your finger or your lips?!" Anna rolled her eyes.

Mel glared at her, but immediately grabbed my shoulders, and before I was ready, his face loomed large in front of me, followed by two warm, soft objects pressing against my lips.

Hmm... Mel, you can't just listen to everything your apprentice says; you're the teacher!

This... isn't this too fast?! And, in front of the apprentices, Moli is still a little...

Hmm...

... Um...

... So comfortable...

I really like Mel...

When I came to my senses, I found that Anna and Moli were nowhere to be found, and only Mel and I were lying by the campfire—when did we end up lying on the ground? Our clothes and hair were a messy tangle, and it was impossible to tell whose was whose. Mel was holding me in her arms, completely unconcerned about the mess. Even if I wanted to fix my hair, my arms were being held by Mel, and I couldn't move!

He kept rubbing against my neck, his breath tickling my earlobes and making me shiver uncontrollably.

Mel took a breath, and only when I heard his breathing did I realize I was breathing even faster than him. He leaned close to my cheek and said, "... I've been wanting to try this for a while now, and it's just as soft as I imagined!"

As he spoke, he licked the corner of my mouth with his tongue.

... He... he... he licked the corner of my mouth with his tongue!

... Soft... warm... ah...

Wait, wait... why... why would I lick it back with my tongue?!

... Ugh... Um... Mel... I'm not a beverage can, please stop inhaling...

Oh my god! I licked the tip of his tongue!

Hmm... and you're one to talk... Mel's lips and tongue are so soft...

... We had pudding for dinner, Mel kissed it—it was so sweet...

... wrong!

We were supposed to be studying Hellfire magic together, but it turned into Mel and I rolling around in a ball on the observatory. How incredibly undignified and inappropriate! But... but I really don't want to let go of Mel. Mel body is long and supple, and it feels just right to hug him. His body heat seeps through my clothes, making me feel warm all over. And, although saying this would make me blush uncontrollably, but...

"Mel... I love your kisses so much..."

Oh no, I actually blurted it out!

Should I put a silence spell on myself?

As soon as I finished speaking, the arms around me tightened, and Mel hugged me even more tightly. His kisses landed one after another on my forehead, the corners of my eyes, and my cheeks, and then continued to slide down my chin. While kissing the skin of my body exposed outside my mage robe, he tugged at my clothes unsatisfiedly. I grabbed his long hair that fell across my face, my mind a jumble of cotton candy, completely at a loss for what to do.

While kissing me, Mel said, "Xipei, I love you so much!"

"I like it too... wait!" My last shred of reason struggled against me, I cast a wake-up call on myself, grabbed Mel's hand as she reached for my belt, and said, "Mel, don't you think... it's a little too fast?"

Oh my god... I really like Mel, the kind of liking where I want to sleep with Mel! But, if I sleep with her right after confessing, won't that make me seem like a delinquent mage with a chaotic lifestyle?

Mel looked puzzled, his face flushed, even the tip of his nose turned pink. He licked the corner of his mouth and asked me, "Is it fast? Do you want me to touch you?"

OK!

Wait, no, no... what?!

I grabbed his wrist and said, "No... I mean, isn't it too fast for us to be doing this now?"

He looked at me, and his gaze made me tense all over. I couldn't help but swallow. His voice was exceptionally clear to me, and then... I could almost feel heat radiating from my face.

Mel took a breath and asked me, "But shouldn't we do this after confessing our feelings? Isn't this the standard procedure for establishing a relationship?"

I stared, mouth agape, speechless for a moment. Then, I felt my tongue (oh my god, it still tasted like Mel!), and asked, "Who... who told you that?"

Confessing your feelings establishes a relationship, right? Shouldn't the proper procedure after that be dating, having a candlelight dinner, watching a movie (that can be ruled out), giving flowers and gifts, and then persisting until finally going to bed?

Who put going to bed so early in the order?

Mel lowered her head and remained silent for a moment, then said softly, "Oh... it's what Anna said before... she said that verbally confessing your feelings without any physical contact is called flirting, which is very immoral... and we don't like candlelight dinners, movies, flowers, or anything like that. As for gifts... I'll give you all my books!"