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Ariel, you're a bit lacking in common sense."

Ariel wore a very displeased expression.

"Uh… what?"

While I hesitated, Ariel strode toward me briskly.

"This is the first time someone has told me I lack common sense."

"Ah…"

…It seemed I had misspoken.

Ariel was one of those people often referred to as a genius.

It was no wonder she would eventually rise to the rank of Archmage.

To tell someone like her that she lacked basic knowledge might have been a grave insult.

"Mi… sorry, Ariel, I didn't mean to say—"

"You teach me."

At her words, I stared at her in a daze.

"…What?"

When I cautiously looked at her, expecting anger, she wasn't furious at all. Instead, her face was flushed as she gazed at me.

"I'm destined to become an Grand Sage someday. Someone like me can't afford to be ignorant… so, you teach me."

"Uh…"

As I hesitated, Ariel suddenly pulled me into her arms.

Smooch—

She briefly pressed her lips against mine.

"Didn't you say that a kiss is normal?"

As I stared at her blankly, touching my lips with my fingers, Ariel's face turned crimson, and she bolted backward.

"I'll… see you tomorrow, Sera!"

I could only stand there for a long time, staring at her hurriedly retreating figure.

After some time passed, the words that escaped my mouth were:

"…Was that… a kiss?"

***

"She's crazy! Ariel's crazy!!"

My face felt like it was going to explode with heat.

By the time I came to my senses, I had already arrived at my dormitory.

I immediately threw myself onto the bed and buried myself under the covers.

I must have gone insane.

Kissing a girl.

And with someone I had just met today, no less.

'Not even with my dad… and yet, with Sera…'

"Ugh!"

I kicked at the blanket, trying to dispel my embarrassment, but my face remained red-hot.

I worried for a moment that Sera might hate me for this.

But for some reason, I didn't think that would happen.

In fact…

"…It might be okay?"

Sera thought to herself. Since something like a kiss was natural, wouldn't this much be taken lightly?

She hoped so.

For some reason, she didn't want to grow distant from Sera.

Time slowly passed.

As her emotions began to settle little by little, the earlier sensation resurfaced.

Carefully, she raised her fingers to the spot where her lips had touched earlier and recalled.

'Sera's lips… they were so soft…'

…She wanted to do it again.

"Ooo…"

She didn't know.

She couldn't quite grasp what was right just yet.

Anyway, she'd see her again tomorrow.

She figured she could think about it again then.

Suppressing the inexplicable fluttering that tickled her chest, she forced herself to sleep.

***

I may have mentioned this before, but I'm not very smart.

Back in school, academics were never my strength. Instead, I was more interested in extracurricular activities like soccer or art.

So, during class, I would always end up dozing off.

Yes, that's just how it was.

It was inevitable. Falling asleep in class like this.

"Sleeping on your first official day of school? Lazy, Sera."

"Ugh…"

Ariel scolded me with a pouty face.

But I felt a bit wronged.

Sure, it was my fault for dozing off during class, so I had no excuse, but…

'What do they expect me to do when I can't understand anything?'

I had been academically clueless even back in Korea.

There was no way I could grasp the high-level academy lessons in this other world.

Of course, it was boring.

The best I could do was try to keep my eyes wide open and fight off the drowsiness.

Naturally, I ended up dozing off and got scolded by the professor.

"Sera, you're already behind since you enrolled late. You really can't afford to doze off."

"Ehh…"

"The academy's lessons are full of invaluable content that will—"

As Ariel's nagging continued to wear me out,

"Would you like me to cast a vitality-boosting spell for you?"

Someone sat across from me and spoke.

"Iris."

Hearing Ariel call her name, I looked toward her.

The girl who sat across from me had dazzlingly white hair and ocean-blue eyes—a beautiful girl.

It was Iris.

"Hello, Ariel. And it's nice to meet you, Sera. This is the first time we've spoken face-to-face like this."

She smiled sweetly, extending her hand to me in greeting.

Come to think of it, was this the first time I'd seen her like this?

"N-Nice to meet you."

As I accepted her handshake, Iris gave me a curious look.

"As I thought…"

Muttering something under her breath, she soon smiled brightly again and said,

"We're in the same class, so feel free to speak casually, Sera."

Although she spoke formally, I knew this was just part of her unique personality. Without much hesitation, I accepted her suggestion.

"Alright, I'll do that, Iris."

Hearing my words, Iris smiled even more beautifully.

Then, leaning in close to my ear, she whispered in a barely audible voice,

"Are you trying to keep it a secret?"

Thud—

Her words made my heart sink.

"A-A secret?"

When I asked in a trembling voice, Iris whispered back as she answered.

"Yes. I thought you might be hiding something."

Her words made my mind go blank.

Could it be… Did she figure out my disguise?

No way.

Not even Athena could detect it—it was a skill of the highest caliber.

How could Iris, still just a student, notice it?

"W-What are you talking about?"

"Hehe… I know, you see."

A cold sweat trickled down the back of my neck, and my heart pounded violently.

When I looked at Iris with trembling eyes, she chuckled softly and whispered in a gentle tone.

"Sera, you have a unique ability, don't you?"

"Ah…"

But what came back was something completely unexpected.

A wave of immense relief washed over me.

It seemed she hadn't noticed my disguise after all.

Being a saint, she must have sensed that I possess a unique ability.

With a sigh of relief, I leaned in to whisper back to Iris.

"Yeah… Keep it a secret, okay?"

"Hehe… Of course, Sera."

"…Aren't you two getting a little too close?"

As Iris and I exchanged whispers, Ariel suddenly wedged herself between us, pouting.

Her expression made it seem like she was glaring at Iris.

Iris widened her eyes at Ariel's reaction and quickly apologized.

"Oh, sorry, Ariel. I was just excited to meet a new classmate."

As Ariel clung closer to me for some reason, I turned to Iris and asked her a question.

"Iris, is there anything troubling you or weighing on your mind these days?"

At my question, she tilted her head with a puzzled look before shaking it from side to side.

"No? Not at all."

Iris continued with a bright smile.

"If anything, I've only had happy things happening lately."

Her expression truly radiated happiness as she spoke.

"The bell will ring soon. I should get back to my seat."

As I watched Iris turn to return to her seat, I muttered softly.

"…That's a relief."

I'd been quite worried, but it seemed Iris was doing better than I thought.

She showed no signs of engaging in self-harm, which put my mind at ease.

While I was lost in thought, Ariel tugged at the hem of my clothes.

"…You seem really interested in Iris, huh?"

Ariel pouted as if sulking and drew even closer to me.

"More importantly, when are you going to tell me?"

"Huh? Tell you what?"

"You said you'd teach me all the common knowledge I don't know!"

Blushing shyly, Ariel squeezed her eyes shut and spoke to me.

"…Oh."

That's right.

I had promised to teach Ariel, who had been so focused on magic that she hadn't learned much else.

But how should I teach her?

It seemed challenging to explain everything with just words.

Fortunately, the answer wasn't too hard to find.

I could teach her the way Lily had taught me.

In this area, Lily was an excellent teacher.

Thanks to her, I was able to learn so quickly.

"Alright, Ariel."

I smiled warmly at her.

"Could you stay in the classroom for a bit after class?"

At my words, Ariel's face turned bright red, like a ripe tomato.

.

.

-Could you stay in the classroom for a bit after class?

That single line caused her to lose focus on all the day's lectures.

With her heart pounding like it could explode at any moment, Ariel couldn't concentrate on class.

She anxiously waited for the end of the lesson.

Before she knew it, the end of the school day had arrived.

As everyone packed their bags and headed back to their dorms, Ariel remained seated, waiting for everyone to leave.

Ten minutes, twenty minutes passed.

Eventually, the classroom was empty except for Sera and Ariel.

Sera, who had been jotting something down with focus, stood up, holding a notebook, and approached Ariel's desk.

"Here, Ariel."

Ariel took the notebook Sera handed her, looking puzzled.

"This is…?"

"Knowledge for Ariel! I've written down all the expressions women can use with each other and those they shouldn't."

Sera answered me with a bright smile.

At her words, I gazed at the notebook with a trembling heart.

I wanted to open it immediately.

But I couldn't focus on the notebook because Sera had approached my side and drawn everyone's attention.

"By the way, Ariel… remember the kiss you gave me yesterday?"

At her words, a high-pitched voice burst out of my mouth.

"What?! K-Kiss? Why?! W-Was it unpleasant?"

Sera shook her head a few times and replied.

"Nope. It wasn't bad. But I think you might be misunderstanding something."

"Misunderstanding…? What do you mean?"

"Usually, that's not called a kiss."

"Huh…? Then what is it called?"

"Hmm… just a light greeting?"

"…What?"

A light greeting? Pressing lips together is…?

Once again, Sera's words were challenging my common sense.

With trembling eyes, I asked her,

"T-Then, what is a kiss?"

At my question, Sera thought for a moment.

Then, with an inexplicable, strange expression, she moved closer to me.

"Well… Ariel, a kiss is…"

As she said this, she lifted her leg and straddled my lap.

Her soft thighs rested against mine.

"Eep?!"

Feeling her warm body heat, a faint whimper escaped my lips, and my heart began pounding furiously.

I looked at Sera with trembling eyes.

She gazed back at me with enchanting eyes, as if trying to mesmerize me.

As I became lost in her strange gaze, Sera placed her hands on my face, leaned her face closer to mine, and gently pressed her lips to mine.

"….?!"

Thump-thump-thump—

I could feel her soft lips again.

It felt like my heart was going to explode.

But Sera didn't stop there.

She quietly closed her eyes, parted her lips, and opened my tightly closed mouth.

And then, her tongue slipped inside.