“Is Riana not playing over there?”
“Huh?”
Inside the dim forest. Riana, who had plopped down in the grass petting cute spirits, tilted her head.
“There? Where is that?”
“Over there! The sky is sparkling!”
A small water spirit, Aurora, who had just risen to a mid-level spirit, pointed to one side.
Turning her gaze that way, Riana saw fireworks bursting and painting the sky green with loud bang sounds.
Though it looked small from afar, the fireworks were grand and spectacular from where she stood.
Underneath those fireworks, people must be bustling around, eating, drinking, and enjoying the festival vibes.
“No, I don’t particularly want to play over there.”
“Why not?”
Riana shook her head with a sour face. Aurora tilted her head in confusion.
“Since Riana is human too, don’t you find it a bit fun to play with humans?”
“Aurora, not all humans are friendly.”
“I know that too. There are many humans, and their thoughts and tastes vary.”
Aurora puffed her chest out, feeling quite knowledgeable about humans now that she had reached mid-level.
“Yes, you seem to know well.”
Riana chuckled softly and gently ruffled Aurora’s hair.
“As you know, there are people who dislike playing with others… and prefer to be alone.”
Riana, a first-year student at Shio-ram at the time, nodded her head.
It was the first day of the Birth Festival.
In fact, Riana was not fond of the Birth Festival at all.
First of all, it was just too noisy.
The sounds from all around were unbearable, and there were so many people that it was uncomfortable to maintain her awareness.
Most importantly, there were so many people that the low-level spirits hiding in the corners hurriedly fled somewhere.
Since she wasn’t ready for a contract yet, she was just trying to build some familiarity, and this was quite frustrating for Riana.
Moreover, it was bothersome.
Participating in the showy official schedule was already a nuisance, and yet people kept calling out to her.
“Riana, if you have time, won’t you go somewhere with me?”
“Riana, there’s an extra spot; would you like to explore something?”
“Riana, everyone is gathering; why don’t we go eat something?”
Blah blah blah…
“Oh.”
Riana quickly shook her head to dispel the growing tension.
Even students who weren’t particularly friendly were getting in on it.
With outsiders swarming the Shio-ram campus, staring at her in amazement, external forces were shoving business cards and long introductions in her face.
People approaching for talent recruitment, those who only saw her appearance, and others simply trying to make connections…
It wasn’t for nothing that she had been told to always carry a perception-altering magic tool.
Riana had casually ignored that advice but ended up facing a very bothersome situation on the first day.
In fact, it was unavoidable.
She had rare spirit affinity as a unique ability and had magical capacity large enough to comfortably handle spirits on a large scale.
She was not lacking in any other qualities, and her appearance was so beautiful that it was incomparable.
Furthermore, being just at the end of her first year, her growth potential was still limitless.
Despite being such a remarkable talent, Riana had no affiliations whatsoever at that time.
That’s roughly why so many people were approaching her.
“Do you understand now, Aurora? That place is like a magic circle. If I go back in, it won’t be easy to get out.”
She acknowledged that she understood but felt no obligation to entertain it.
So here she was, having fun alone in the spirit-filled forest, right?
Listening to Riana’s lengthy explanation, Aurora cocked her head to the opposite side.
“Isn’t it the same whether now or usually?”
“…You have a point there.”
“Does Riana not have any human friends?”
At Aurora’s question, Riana’s shoulders flinched. She calmly swept her hair back and responded.
“Aurora, the definition of a friend is quite ambiguous.”
“Then is there someone Riana considers a friend?”
With another question, Riana’s eyes twitched.
“…There are. People I greet when I meet them, call for group projects, and ask things when I’m curious.”
“That sounds like business relationships, doesn’t it?”
“Where did you learn to say that?”
“I learned it from books.”
Books had tainted the pure spirit. Riana had a fleeting thought but how could she scorn expanding her horizons through reading?
Especially since Aurora had just risen to a mid-level spirit, she had developed a much more mature and advanced self.
How could someone suppress a child exploring the world out of curiosity?
“Ah, anyway, I’ll be here for a while.”
As Riana sighed deeply, a puppy-shaped spirit snuggled closer to her.
Seeing this, a smile returned to Riana’s face. As she gently rubbed its back, it twisted in delight.
Riana liked spirits.
Did she activate her unique ability of ‘spirit affinity’ because she liked spirits, or did she come to like spirits because she activated ‘spirit affinity’?
She didn’t know the causal relationship. But in the end, Riana simply liked spirits.
Spirits were pure and unpretentious.
They didn’t pretend to like what they disliked, nor would they turn away from what they liked.
If they didn’t like something, they would run away; if they did like something, they would follow eagerly.
They wouldn’t turn their backs and spout foul words, nor mask their true feelings with empty words.
A completely genuine demeanor. Unlike others, they didn’t hide malice or keep daggers behind their backs.
Riana preferred spirits to people.
She wasn’t an outright misanthrope, but when she had better friends like spirits, she didn’t want to socialize with humans.
Underneath the sparkling fireworks, she’d much rather be quietly spending time with spirits in a secluded space.
“…Maybe I should build a log cabin later.”
While petting the spirit, Riana gradually lifted her head at the swirling green hues.
It was a spectacular display to see how grand the fireworks were, enough to seem like green stars were etched in the sky.
As Riana captured the fireworks in her green eyes, she mumbled.
A quiet place. Somewhere rare with fewer people, where she could build an effortless home and live peacefully with the spirits.
“Hmm, that sounds like a nice dream.”
Considering how harsh the world was, buying a safe and expensive piece of land and setting it up would be the way to go.
By the time that day came, Riana herself would have likely grown stronger, so there wouldn’t be any issues unless the world collapsed.
Riana praised her own rather decent dream.
.
.
.
A small window was slightly ajar.
A cool breeze flowed in through the curtain, refreshing the room, while the sunlight softly illuminated the large bed.
“……”
Riana awoke on her bed, blinking. She rummaged through her closest memories from just waking up.
She had a dream. A recollection from her time at Shio-ram.
Looking back, there were some embarrassing childish thoughts, but they were nostalgic enough to be considered fond memories, far from a nightmare.
Before sleeping, prior to dreaming… she had enjoyed a drink while watching fireworks.
Unlike her student days, she was now right beneath the green fireworks, savoring expensive green grape wine rolling on her tongue.
The atmosphere was great and the drink was premium, making it a wonderful memory.
However, the wine and fireworks weren’t the main memories.
There were far richer and denser memories lingering.
“Koo…”
A presence she felt against her body.
Now that she thought of it, there was no scent of wine. No matter how good the drink was, she would usually wake up to its smell.
Instead, a sweet honey fragrance lingered in her nose and all over her body.
Gently glancing down, she saw Lee Ha-yul, nestled in her embrace, lost in dreamland.
Under the soft sunlight, his white hair sparkled like snow.
His skin, smooth as if coated with milk, exuded a fragrant scent, and his petite body, partly exposed beneath the blanket, transmitted warmth back to Riana.
“……”
“Ehh…”
While Riana was blankly admiring Lee Ha-yul’s figure, he began to stir.
“Yawn…”
Immediately after, a cute yawn slipped from his slightly parted lips. Had he sensed her presence and woken up?
Lee Ha-yul’s eyes, which had been closed, slowly opened.
They were a dreamlike gray, as if they didn’t belong to this world.
Riana had seen those eyes before. They were clouded, lost in mist, unable to grasp reality. Though they were open, they couldn’t quite see.
The gaze finally focused. Riana’s face became clearly reflected in his dim and dull eyes.
For some strange reason, Riana felt an enormous sense of satisfaction. It felt as if she had boldly engraved her mark on a pristine white ceramic.
“…Did you sleep well…?”
His mouth opened, spilling words. This voice, though familiar, felt different because it was directed solely at Riana.
Though still half-asleep, it seeped exactly into her eardrums as if it were meant just for her.
“…Yes, did you sleep well?”
Riana found herself confused by this oddly peculiar sensation she had never felt before, yet gently raised her hand to pet Lee Ha-yul’s head.
The hair curling around her fingers was so soft that it was hard to believe.
“Mm… it’s nice…”
With a deep purr, Lee Ha-yul snuggled even closer to Riana.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed against her tightly.
Then he naturally buried his face in her chest.
Noticing now that his shirt was wide open, Lee Ha-yul was able to comfortably nuzzle against Riana’s chest with his nose, basking in her scent.
“Sniff sniff sniff… this smells nice…”
[Milk scent]
[Warmth]
[Softness]
[Is that a cow?]
“I’m telling you, it doesn’t come out… And just because I have a bigger chest doesn’t mean I’m a cow…”
The way he eagerly indulged in the scent between her embrace, as if it were entirely his, made Riana’s face flush red.
Worrying whether the smell of the wine she had had yesterday still lingered, but since he seemed to genuinely like it…
Riana wore an odd expression as she allowed him to enjoy her warmth, softly patting his lips that brushed against her upper chest.
“…Is it that good?”
“Yes.”
[Affirmation]
“Hmm… do you want to get down?”
“No…”
[Negation]
[Possessiveness]
[Desire]
Lee Ha-yul childish whined, firmly clutching Riana’s waist. He held her tightly, careful not to hurt her, yet ensuring she couldn’t escape.
His eagerness, rubbing his face against her chest as if pleading her to not let go, brought a smile to Riana’s face.
It seemed to have some lascivious undertones, but a closer look revealed a childlike innocence yearning for affection.
He had never pretended to be someone else or looked down on others.
When he liked something, he expressed it even if he felt shy, and when he disliked something, he lamented.
He had never spoken ill of others behind their backs and had never uttered empty words.
He had lied before, but never with the intent of causing harm.
He had never tormented others out of malice, nor betrayed anyone with a hidden dagger.
“Hey there? Shouldn’t we be having breakfast soon?”
Even from their first meeting, and as they got to know each other, there was nothing about him that she didn’t like.
Riana smiled as she gently patted the back of the pure child snuggled in her embrace.
‘Ah, except for that reckless handling of his own body.’
That might require a firm talking-to someday.
.
.
.
“Who would’ve thought, I made a reservation for a stamp and would end up getting cut in line.”
Elia pouted her lips, crossing her legs in a fashionably delinquent manner, her arms folded beneath her ample bosom.
The usually kind Elia was clearly showing her displeasure.
Riana, seated demurely, nervously wiped the sweat off her brow, glancing at Elia.
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