Perhaps unnecessarily, Arcus couldn’t help but note that she was rather well-endowed when it came to a certain set of assets. They were at the age where these sorts of features were just about starting to become noticeable, but seeing such development on a girl so short merited astonishment. It was hard not to step back as she approached. He had always thought the idea that they could be both soft and heavy to be a bit of a contradiction. Perhaps he was naive.
“How do you know my name?” he asked.
“I remember you from when we got our aether measured.”
“Oh, yeah. I guess we are in the same class.”
“Mm hmm. My name is Setsura. Would you like to pair up with me?”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
He was surprised that anyone would be asking to join him, given both the rumors and what they would have witnessed the other day. It warmed his heart to learn he had such a kind classmate.
The smile Setsura showed him seemed to have a hidden meaning behind it. “It looked to me like no one else was about to ask you.”
He felt like she had punched him in the gut.
“I’m just what a loner like you needs right now, aren’t I? Well? What do you say?” She grinned, drawing ever closer and purposefully sticking her chest out.
What’s her deal?
Arcus was kicking himself for jumping to conclusions. She didn’t seem as generous now as he’d initially thought. Her features were cute, and she was certainly flirtatious—both things that made her all the more annoying. His only option was to go on the defensive.
“Nah. I think I’ll go look for someone else.”
“Oh, you’re welcome! I bet you were getting pretty nervous when you realized no one was— Wait, what? What did you say?”
“Catch you later.”
“Hold it right there! You were supposed to say yes! You’re really giving me a flat-out no?! You don’t know how bargaining works, do you?”
“I just don’t wanna end up with someone who’s so... Who seems so annoying.”
“You hesitated! Whatever you were gonna say, what you did say wasn’t much better!”
“Sorry. I try to be honest where I can.”
“Oh, of course! Thank you so much for your honesty, O virtuous one! Look, I’m not exactly a bad pick for a partner, am I? It’s not like you’ve got a choice anyway! Besides, what if I could offer you something in return?”
“Like what?”
Did she mean for that to sound so suggestive?
“Ah! Now you’re interested! Well, I’m not surprised! I knew you’d bite when it meant getting something from a girl like me! You’re a bit of a perv, aren’t you?”
“Actually, never mind. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk to me in the future. Goodbye.”
“I’m sorry! I was just kidding! A little joke to break the ice, you get me?!”
“I mean it. I’m not interested. I think it’s best if we pair up with other people, for both our sakes.”
“Please, please, please! I don’t wanna be alone! Please be my partner!” Setsura earnestly bowed her head.
At this point, he couldn’t really refuse her anymore.
“All right. Y’know, you could’ve just been honest from the start.”
Her attitude flipped again and she stretched backward, emphasizing her chest. She chuckled. “So you do need me. But since you refused me the first time, I don’t owe you anything anymore.”
Arcus briefly considered how her face might feel on his bare knuckles.
“It’s weird, though. Usually my ‘charms’ would have worked on you. Oh, unless you’re not into girls, but... I mean, you do kind of look like one, so...”
“Hey! What if someone hears you saying all this stuff?”
“Come on. I was just thinking aloud.”
“At my expense! Did no one teach you that if you don’t have anything nice to say, you shouldn’t say anything at all?”
At last it was time for the practical session to begin. First, those who could use magic would give a demonstration, for which they would receive advice from the lecturer. Afterward, they were to have a discussion with their partner.
“We’re supposed to discuss later? What do you think we should discuss?” Setsura asked.
“Good question.”
“Huh? You’re the magician. Can’t you think of something?”
“I wish I could, but the magic we’ve been doing is as basic as it gets.”
“Didn’t you get anything from the lecturer’s explanation?”
“The one he gave back in the classroom was super easy to understand. I wouldn’t have added anything, and he did a good job at simplifying the tougher parts. If I ever had to teach the same thing to someone else, I’d try and match what he did.”
“Got any examples?”
“Like when he was talking about how to use your tongue.”
“Now I know you’re a perv.”
“No, you’ve just got a dirty mind.”
“That’s not true. My mind’s as clear, clean, and pure as the snowmelt from the Cross Moun—”
“Gee, where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, from someone equally fishy.”
Arcus kept an eye on the other pairs as they bantered. The exercise had been to cast a total of ten various spells. The prescribed incantations were both short and light on aether consumption. It kept the burden on the students light, meaning their raw technique could be easily observed. This made the task of giving advice simpler for the instructor, and gave the students themselves a chance to become aware of their own weaknesses.
“Moving wind, staying wind. Become a prancing breeze. Guided by that high-pitched call, slice and rend, o blade.”