For the next five minutes, they stayed in bed, cuddling, their naked bodies touching intimately.
Aria's head rested on Elion's chest, her hands splayed across his torso as they caught their breath.
A contented smile played on her lips as she periodically whispered, "I love you," interspersed with soft giggles.
Elion's hands remained firmly gripped on her ass, occasionally kneading the soft flesh, much to his pleasure.
His heart pounded steadily beneath her cheek in a rhythm that matched the rise and fall of her chest.
...
Elion gently draped the pink sheets over Aria's naked form, careful not to wake her.
She slept soundly now, chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm, one arm curled loosely around a plush teddy as if it were instinctive.
Her lashes fluttered once, then stilled.
He smiled faintly.
"She looks even cuter when she's sleeping," he murmured to himself.
Quietly, he dressed, gathering his clothes and slipping them on without a sound.
One last glance at her peaceful face, then he turned around, walked to the door, opened it, and walked out, easing the door shut behind him with a soft click.
A little over an hour has passed, he thought, pausing briefly in the corridor outside her room.
She was quite eager today, He thought to himself. Unlike her first time, they had fucked for longer, more rounds, and Aria was more proactive in bed today.
She had more or less milked him to her heart's content, but not to dryness; besides, he still had one cute little lady to take care of tonight.
Regardless, his point balance brought a light smile to his face.
What a haul!
Between last week and today, subtracting the points he had used to raise his level last week, he had accumulated quite a decent wealth.
And, he had also gone up two levels after completing the hidden mission, which may, or may not be such a good thing, but for another reason entirely.
[Status]
[Name: Elion Nova]
[Age: 18]
[Race: Human/ Incubus]
[Class: Water Mage - Novice rank ]
[Talent: Bronze Grade]
[Level: 29 (0/290 XP)]
[Physical: 88 → 102]
[Mental: 129→ 159]
[Mana: 113→ 136]
Skills: [Water Bullet — Lv2] [Water Blade — Lv1] [Tidal Wave — Lv2] [Sinful Touch — Divine][Mind Control — Divine] [Harem Seal — Divine] [Irresistible Charm — Divine] [Discerning Eye: Divine - Lvl 2]
[Storage: Ink of Yearning]
[System Points: 750]
[System Store]
[...]
[Conditions for placing the harem seal on Aria have been met.]
[Place harem seal on partner Aria?]
[Yes] [No]
"Huh!?" Elion smiled, "Yes..." His breath hitched.
His muscles stiffened for only a moment, but he stopped dead in his tracks. His body felt like it was undergoing a fundamental change in structure.
As if his perception of the world was changing right there.
He called upon his status again, with wide eyes.
[Status]
[Name: Elion Nova]
[Age: 18]
[Race: Human/ Incubus]
[Talent: Bronze Grade → Gold grade(New*)]
[Class: Water Mage - Novice rank ** Earth Mage - Novice rank(New*)]
[Level: 29 (0/290 XP)]
[Physical: 102]
[Mental: 159]
[Mana: 136]
Skills: [Water Bullet — Lv2] [Water Blade — Lv1] [Tidal Wave — Lv2] [Sinful Touch — Divine][Mind Control — Divine] [Harem Seal — Divine] [Irresistible Charm — Divine] [Discerning Eye: Divine - Lvl 2]
[ + New Skills!]
[Stone bullet - lvl 2] [Earth wall - lvl 2] [Tremor - lvl 1] [Terror shield - Lvl 2] [Sinkhole - Lvl 2] [Encasement wall - lvl 1] [Stone fist - Lvl 2]
[Permanent partners: Aria]
[Temporary partners: Mira]
[System points: 750]
He had finally done it.
He had raised the ceiling placed on his potential. The so-called social constraints that determined the peak of what you could be in life.
And, he was now officially a dual elementalist.
"Huuuuuu!" Elion let out a long, sharp breath he didn't even know he had been holding.
It felt like he had just gotten rid of an invisible weight on his chest.
"Still, this is only the beginning..." He told himself. He slapped the sides of his cheeks twice and cleared his mind.
He started walking once again.
A few people lingering nearby eyed him curiously, some curious, some speculative, but Elion ignored them completely.
His steps were unhurried as he made his way through the dorm halls, heading toward the other side of the wing.
It was very dark outside now. Not deep into the night, but late enough that the corridors had thinned, the shadows stretching long beneath the lamps.
Then he turned the corner; he was almost there now.
But his expression soured instantly.
Mira stood outside her room.
And, she was not alone.
William had her wrist locked in his grip, his fingers digging in hard as he leaned close, a lecherous grin twisted across his face.
"You thought he'd stay with you all the time?" William sneered. "Guess what, you bitch. You're all alone now."
But William wasn't alone either.
Jared had Mira's other wrist, gripping it just as tightly. Even from this distance, Elion could see her fingers straining, her shoulders tense as she tried to pull free.
Several more of William's cronies stood behind them, half-hidden in the corridor's shadows.
Others, students passing by, had slowed or stopped altogether, watching with unease and pity, but none dared to intervene.
"You really thought you could betray me and get away with it?" William continued.
Elion's steps never faltered.
With each footfall, the corridor seemed to grow colder. The same with the expression on his face.
His boots echoed against the floor, measured, calm. Inside, he felt strangely calm.
He watched as William grabbed a fistful of Mira's hair.
She whimpered. "L-Let go!"
"You were acting so high and mighty earlier," Jared sneered. "Look at you now."
No one noticed Elion approach.
Not until it was far too late.
William yanked her hair sharply—
"AHH—!" Her scream rang out as her head struck the wall with a sickening thud.
Elion saw red.
His body blurred.
No one saw it happen.
One moment, Mira's scream pierced the corridor.
The next—
"Huh…?"
William's vision spun violently.
Why am I upside down?
The last thing he saw was Elion's eyes, cold, piercing, and impossibly close, before darkness swallowed his vision whole.
Oh.
The realization came too late.
I should never have messed with him.
William's body hit the floor hard as consciousness fled.