"Mmm... nngh..."
Yukino slowly fluttered her eyes open.
"Is it already dusk? I wonder if there's anything left in the fridge..." Her mind was still hazy, but her body felt lighter and more refreshed than ever before.
"Wait... is this my room?" Her foggy brain struggled to catch up, but she quickly realized something was off. "My head is a mess."
She rubbed her temples and sat up, leaning against the headboard to steady herself.
"I'm... in Alistair's apartment?" As her consciousness sharpened, the memories of the previous night came flooding back in vivid detail.
"How embarrassing!" Yukino buried her face in the blankets. She couldn't understand what had come over her—raiding Alistair's room in the middle of the night and demanding him so aggressively. She was usually so polite and reserved.
Click.
The door opened, and Alistair walked in.
"Yukino, you're awake?" Alistair asked, looking at the suspicious lump under the covers. He remembered her sleeping on her side, not curled up into a ball like a shy hedgehog.
"Still asleep? Guess I'll just go eat with Hanako and the others then. She made some special desserts, and I was going to offer you some, but..." Alistair trailed off, turning as if to leave.
"Wait! I—I'm awake!"
The covers flew back, and Yukino peered out, her face flushed crimson—though whether from embarrassment or lack of air, Alistair wasn't sure. Seeing the teasing smirk on his face, she realized he had done that on purpose, and her blush deepened.
"Good. It's past five in the afternoon. Time for dinner. You used up a lot of energy last night, aren't you hungry? Hanako really did make sweets, so get up and join us."
Alistair chuckled and walked out. This Snow Girl is actually quite cute; she reacts to 'dessert' like a little kid.
Yukino sat in bed for a moment, wrestling with her nerves, before finally looking for her clothes on the floor.
"Why are they all torn to shreds?" She picked up the remnants of her wool sweater and bra, feeling a massive headache coming on. She didn't remember ripping them herself. All that was left mostly intact was her skirt, but she couldn't exactly walk out in just a skirt.
Fortunately, her panties were fine, but she was essentially topless. She looked toward the wardrobe against the wall.
I'll just borrow something of his. She figured after being "filled" by him so many times the night before, a shirt wasn't too much to ask for. She picked out one of Alistair's white button-downs, layered her own coat over it, and after checking her reflection, finally stepped out.
"Mary, you're always drinking tea. Don't you ever run out?" Alistair asked as he entered the kitchen, seeing Mary sitting at the table with her cup.
"Who told you this was tea? It's Cola," Mary said, tilting the cup to show him the dark, carbonated liquid.
"Cola? I didn't see you pour any. Does that cup have a selective menu?" Alistair's eyes lit up. Who wouldn't want an infinite refill cup?
"Not quite. It's just my mana manifested into a liquid form with a specific flavor profile. It satisfies the taste buds but provides no nutrition. It's basically 'Diet Magic,'" Mary explained, crushing his dreams of an infinite soda fountain.
"Oh, Yukino, come join us!" Alistair waved her over as she entered the living room.
"It only took half a day to absorb it all? Snow Girls are impressive," Hanako noted, eyeing Yukino's flat stomach.
Alistair had explained to them that he could control whether his "Essence" carried reproductive potential. If he chose not to conceive, it would instead convert into pure life energy to nourish the woman's body. Given that he carried the Dragon bloodline, the volume he had pumped into her was immense, yet she had processed it all by evening. A lesser demi-human would still be bloated and waddling.
Yukino's face reddened at Hanako's comment, but she said nothing, quietly pulling out the chair next to Alistair and sitting down.
"Finally! Everyone's here, let's eat!" The Human-Faced Dog (Inu) didn't care about the atmosphere; she just wanted to dive into the feast.
"By the way, Yukino," Alistair said between bites. "Do you know anyone who is an expert in magical arrays and spell structures?"
Now that his Word Soul was partially suppressed, he wanted a more permanent, controlled solution for his power. Yukino, being from the elite "Midwinter" clan, likely had high-level connections.
"An expert? I do have a friend who studies theoretical magic," Yukino replied after a moment of thought. "But she's from the Oni (Ogre) clan. I'm not sure if she'll be willing to help."
"Oni?" Alistair paused. Oni were known for "Brute Strength" (Kairiki). They tended to be polarized—either massive eight-foot warriors or tiny, "legal loli" types who were older than his grandfather. They were also notoriously moody.
"It might be a bit of a hassle," Alistair muttered.