“Ugh~ It’s vacation time!”
“Already, huh?”
The second semester of my second year is over… I scratch Millia’s chin as she lays languidly against my knee, gazing out the window. Just looking at the clear sky, not a cloud in sight, brings a sense of peace to my heart… or more accurately, when I think about it, it just brings up a lot of stuff, leaving me feeling more uneasy than refreshed.
I wrapped things up that were supposed to take three years in just two.
Even though the second year is over, with winter vacation here, it wouldn’t be too strange if the ending credits started rolling right now.
It’s like I’m speedrunning a game. I finished two years of projected hardship in the blink of an eye! If I could shout “I’m done!” and really mean it, I’d be ecstatic! But… this is just the beginning, isn’t it?
I still have to roll hard until I smack those bastard outsiders.
“Johann Johann, today Ashley is putting up a special menu for lunch.”
“Special menu?”
“Yeah! Ashley’s been practicing cooking a lot! She got various recipes from cooks in other countries during vacation! She said she’s using something called rice!”
…Is it Korean food? Or maybe Japanese cuisine?
Considering that this world’s academy embraces a fantasy lifestyle but still proudly features Korean and Japanese food in the cafeteria, both possibilities exist. Either way, as long as it’s delicious, I’m satisfied… Korean dishes really make me crave some spicy pork stir-fry right now.
Should I pass Ashley a recipe or two and ask her to make it?
“I’m looking forward to it!”
“So am I!”
“But didn’t Johann say he was going somewhere during the break?”
“Yeah. There’s a place I need to go. I asked the servants to request a meeting for that.”
“Where to?”
“Somewhere my parents might be.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you serious?”
“How did you find that out?”
Familiar voices reached my ears, along with the warm presence of two familiar faces clinging to my arm and neck. Naturally, it was Elisa and Viola, greeting me as if it’s the most normal thing in the world.
“Good morning, Uncle. Good morning!”
“Good morning!”
“Did you both sleep well?”
“I stayed up late working on my research, so I’m a bit sleepy… Thinking of having a little nap after eating.”
“I slept well!”
“For sleeping so well, you seem a bit too… affectionate.”
“It’s so nice to bury my face in Johann’s neck…”
Elisa’s slightly excited breath and her rustling purple hair tickled my neck. Such pleasant ticklishness is always welcome. I placed my hand on Elisa’s cheek and turned my head to kiss her on the lips.
“Mmm…”
“What! Johann, do it with me too!”
“Don’t whine. We’ve got plenty of time.”
“But I wanna now!”
Geez… I poked Millia’s puffed up cheeks as I continued to steal kisses from Elisa for a few minutes. It wasn’t just mere lip-to-lip contact; it was a sticky exchange of saliva.
As I enjoyed that delightful time, I could hear a voice filled with embarrassment from the side.
“Isn’t that a bit over the top…?”
I wondered why Elisa and Viola switched positions. I pulled away from Elisa and looked at Viola, who was gazing at me with a tomato-red face.
“Do you want to?”
“Uh? That… seems like a high hurdle for me, and honestly, it’s a bit embarrassing to do it in front of others…”
“Do you want to?”
I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close. Viola, trembling as she looked at me, lowered her head and answered.
“I… want to.”
“Well, that’s settled then.”
What a cute girl. I held Viola’s chin and tilted it slightly up before kissing her. I started off softly, just our lips touching, until she got used to it.
At first, Viola was stiff and unmoving, but gradually she began to adapt to my movements. It was truly endearing how she matched my pace with desperation.
Viola had that fresh taste making her incredibly adorable.
“Mmm…”
Should I try slipping my tongue in slowly? As an experiment, I licked Viola’s lips. Perhaps she was still resistant because when I tried to invade her mouth with my tongue, she jolted back, closing her lips tightly.
A transparent thread stretched and snapped between us. Viola stared at her lips shyly, as if everything that just happened was a dream.
“Tongue… putting in the tongue is definitely a bit…”
“You’ll get used to it slowly.”
“Johann! Me too! I want to do it too!”
Little Millia, filled with sexual curiosity, stood up abruptly and shouted urgently. Is she asking for a kissing allocation? I lifted her onto my knee and pressed my lips against hers.
This was a different, aggressive kiss compared to with Elisa or Viola. As soon as our lips met, Millia pushed her tongue in, as if she wanted to savor every inch of my mouth.
Her tongue was moving around like a crocodile bird, intent on licking up every bit of residue in my mouth.
I matched her movements, teasingly tangling my tongue with hers and relishing the sticky kiss.
“Looks fun, doesn’t it?”
I pulled back from the kiss and glanced at Karina, who was watching me with a pouty expression. With nowhere to sit, she was positioned across from me with her hands on her knees, meeting my gaze.
“Of course it is. Especially with you here.”
“If it weren’t for you, Johann, I wouldn’t be alive today.”
What does that even mean? Are you saying I made it out of a “Nice Boat” ending?
…Can’t really deny that.
“Yeah, yeah. You should be grateful for the broad-mindedness we’ve shown!”
Millia puffed up her chest and chimed in. Clearly, she’s nothing but a kid. And she’s the student council president now, huh.
I chuckled, recalling how Millia had been handling various tasks with the council members and how she was spoiled in this situation.
“What’s so funny? Why are you laughing?”
“Because you’re cute.”
“Hehe.”
“Johann, what about me?”
“Of course, it’s your turn next.”
I stood up and approached Karina. I placed my hands on the back of the sofa and bent down to meet Karina’s gaze. Our lips naturally met.
As if testing the waters, we rubbed our lips together before slipping our tongues into each other’s mouths.
Sweet deep kisses ensued as we tickled each other’s teeth and playfully sucked on each other’s tongues. We smiled as we finally pulled away, our chins glistening with saliva.
“You’ve gotten quite skilled at kissing.”
“So have you, Johann.”
“Who kisses for ten minutes anyway?”
“You’ll understand once you try it.”
“No thanks.”
Renny waved her hands in disapproval. It’s no surprise a single person can’t understand a couple’s dynamics. I sat beside Karina, looking at the door. I was waiting for Sif and Rue to arrive before starting my story.
Not long after we began chit-chatting, the door swung open, and Sif, Rue, along with Lewis and Shuri entered. Sif smiled at me, waved her hand, and walked daintily to an empty seat.
“Good morning.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“Well, I did a bit. Honestly, it’s a tad exhausting playing with the little ones, but I’m used to it.”
“Anyway, since everyone’s here, let’s get started.”
“What’s the story about?”
“I mentioned it before. I’m going to a place that may be where my family is.”
“Didn’t you mention you lost your memories?”
“By sheer chance, I learned that there’s a family with the surname Quartz.”
“A noble, huh?!”
“Aren’t I still a noble?”
“Come to think of it, you’re now a marquis!”
“I can’t say I feel any different about it.”
Nothing really has changed.
I pulled a vintage-looking letter envelope from my pouch. It was a letter that came to me in Yeomyeong-gwan while I was busy slaying dragons and attending banquets at the capital.
All eyes were drawn to the envelope I pulled out.
“Is that…”
“They’re inviting me from the Quartz family.”
“Are you saying you’re the last heir of a missing noble family?”
“I don’t really know. Like I said, I don’t remember much from childhood.”
“Johann could read and write without being taught, so he might have noble blood.”
“Well, there are many ordinary folks who can’t read or write.”
“Johann, can I read it?”
“Go ahead.”
Millia took the envelope from me and pulled out the contents. The little student council president unfolded the neatly folded letter and began to read aloud.
“Descendant of the Quartz family, your achievements have been noted. It seems time has come for you to return home.”
“Wait, it doesn’t say where to go? What does it mean?”
Renny raised a valid question. But I already knew the answer to that.
“Millia. Can you see anything written at the bottom of the letter?”
Upon hearing that, Millia furrowed her brow and stared intently at the letter, as if searching for something invisible.
“Uh… No? I don’t see anything.”
“Is there some sort of magic on it?”
“Uncle, are there words visible only to you?”
“Looks like it. It says at the bottom of the letter: ‘Where life and death intersect.’”
“Where the heck is that?”
“I guess we’ll need to figure that out from here on.”
Looks like I’m going to be spending some time with geography books.
With a sigh, I declared, “Starting today, I plan to check out all the books related to locations in the library. Will you help me?”
“Of course! It’s your work, how could I not help?”
“Right, right!”
“Count me in.”
“I’ve got some things to finish up… Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine.”
You don’t need to feel so bad. You working hard makes my life this easy.
“I’m not really familiar with locations, so I’m not sure how much help I can be.”
“Just bringing any books that might have a map will do.”
“Got it.”
“This sounds fun!”
“Alright, I’m heading to the library right now.”
All at once, we stood up and headed towards the library.
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