Yuuji sat on a stone bench in the academy’s rear courtyard, flipping through a notebook that looked smarter than it was. He’d filled it last night using equal parts panic, vague mory from the ga’s spell wiki, and blind hope.
According to the ga lore, this courtyard was where Elira often ca to sulk, study, or plot world domination—depending on her mood and the player route. Today, it was his tutoring battlefield.
"Alright," he whispered. "Just be calm. Be clever. Don’t say anything stupid."
A soft chi rang in his head.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Tutor Mode Activated.
Passive Buff: 10 to Bluffing (Academic).
Skill Hint: Use [Quick Reference] to recall any spellbook page you’ve seen in-ga. Cooldown:30 sec.
"God bless you, cheat system," Yuuji muttered.
Suddenly, from behind a hedge, footsteps clicked softly against stone.
There she was.
Elira Vorter. Cold beauty in motion. Her white hair shimred in the sunlight like polished snow, eyes like burning rubies, expression like a slap in emotional form.
"You’re early," she said, arms crossed.
"I’m committed," he replied with what he hoped was a confident smile. His voice cracked halfway through the sentence.
She stared.
Then sat.
No greeting, no snarky remark. Just silence and pressure. Yuuji could feel the atmosphere thicken like a soup of expectations and doom.
"Well then!" he clapped his hands, instantly regretting how loud it sounded. "Today’s lesson: mana stabilization."
She raised an eyebrow. "I’ve already read the textbook. It’s woefully simplified."
"Of course. But theory and application are different," he said smoothly—then ntally panicked.
[SYSTEM] Suggesting page from "Advanced Spell Theory for the Ambitious Villainess"...
Page 287: Chaotic Internal Circuits and Mana Instability in Nobleblood Casters
[Quick Reference] Activated.
Yuuji’s eyes glazed over for half a second as the system flashed diagrams and bullet points straight into his mind like magic-Google on steroids.
"Your bloodline magic likely generates heat-based distortion around your core," he said suddenly, surprising even himself. "You probably experience small bursts of reactive instability when casting too quickly. That’s common in fire-aspect casters with high ego resonance."
Elira stared.
"...You actually read that far?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I skim very aggressively," Yuuji lied, cool as a cucumber internally screaming.
"Well then." She gestured with a hand. "Show ."
"Show you...?"
"Demonstrate."
Crap.
Yuuji looked around. "Okay, uh. Let just... show the difference between controlled and uncontrolled flow. Watch carefully."
[SYSTEM] Suggestion: Cast Minor Spark using Tutorial mory.
Mana Cost: 3
Cooldown: 60 sec (Disguised as "Demonstration Mode")
He nodded, hand raised, pretending to focus deeply.
"Please don’t explode. Please don’t explode."
A tiny spark appeared in his palm—flickering orange, harmless, but stable.
"See? Controlled focus keeps the mana flow tight. No bursts," he said, pretending this wasn’t system-assisted sorcery.
Elira tilted her head. "Acceptable form."
Then she snapped her fingers.
A burst of red fla flared in her hand—twice the size of his spark and shaped like a blooming rose.
Yuuji swallowed hard. "O-okay, that’s... definitely not what beginners are supposed to do."
"I’m not a beginner," she said coolly.
"No kidding."
She smirked—just a little.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Relationship Flag Raised: Elira - Interest 5
Triggered Trait: "Amused by Buffoonery"
Yuuji exhaled. "Great, she thinks I’m funny. Accidentally."
Elira flicked her fingers, dismissing the fire rose with practiced grace. "Your technique is functional," she said, "but there’s no elegance to it. It lacks... intent."
"Well, I usually cast with the intent of not dying," Yuuji offered. "That counts, right?"
She ignored the joke. "Stand."
"Huh?"
"I want to see your stance."
Yuuji stood stiffly, holding his hand out again.
Elira circled him like a cat inspecting a new toy. "Your channeling posture is wrong. Your shoulders are tense. And your breathing is uneven."
"I’m breathing like a man who’s been cornered by a noble who shoots fire roses," he muttered.
[SYSTEM TIP]: She’s testing you. Triggering passive [Tactical Charm] may shift the mood.
Activate? [Y/N]
Yuuji ntally slamd [Y].
He straightened, cleared his throat, and gave a casual half-smile. "Are you always this thorough with your teachers, or am I just special?"
She paused mid-step.
"...I don’t like wasting ti," she said. But her ears flushed just faintly. "You’re... not entirely hopeless."
[RELATIONSHIP FLAG RAISED]: Elira – Intrigued 3
💬 Trait Unlocked: "Curiosity Peeking Through Cold Front"
She turned away before he could answer. "We’re done for today. Next ti, prepare a mana-binding diagram. From mory."
Yuuji’s stomach dropped. "From mory?"
"Or don’t co at all."
Then she walked off, coat fluttering, heels clicking across the stone. The courtyard felt colder in her absence.
Yuuji flopped back onto the bench, groaning.
[SYSTEM]:
Mana-Binding Diagram Added to mory Vault
Quest Updated: "Earn the Villainess’s Respect – Phase 1 Complete"
Reward Unlocked: [Spell Sketch Assist – Lv1]
He grinned up at the sky.
"One tutoring session down... ninety-nine to go."
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