Anything But Study - Chapter 1

The library of Erpen Academy closes at 5. And now it was already 6 in the evening, long past operating hours.

It was supposed to be a space filled with silence.

“Hh, mmph…”

From somewhere came a mysterious moan. Along with it, there was also a faint slurping sound, as though sucking on candy.

At the far corner of the library, in the archaeology section that students rarely visited.

Who could imagine that Melia Anderson, the academy’s undisputed top student, was standing half-naked, her breasts being sucked?

Surely, no one in the entire school could.

“Uh, ahh…”

Leaning back against the towering bookshelf, Melia covered her mouth with her hand and cast her gaze downward.

It was impossible to stop the moans slipping out from the depths of her throat.

It seemed that the only way to stop the sounds was to put an end to this act.

Lick—

“Ah!”

Melia stiffened at the tingling sensation that felt like electricity running through her body. The unfamiliar feeling was frightening.

Yet the black-haired head remained buried against her chest without moving.

There seemed to be no thought of stopping at all. He was simply moving his tongue in concentration.

Or fondling Melia’s pale breasts with his hands.

The problem was that, unlike him, Melia’s body trembled in reaction to each and every movement of his tongue.

When the soft, hot tongue brushed over the tip of her breast, goosebumps broke out.

Every time his teeth grazed her nipple, Melia’s upper body shivered.

Hot breaths spilled out of her mouth on their own.

As if he couldn’t pull away from some sweet nectar he would never taste again, he remained attached, and the pleasure he gave Melia terrified her.

Slurp—

“Hailon, wait…”

At last, Melia called his name and placed her hand on his shoulder.

At that moment.

Suck—

“……!!”

A dizzying sensation spread from her breast through her whole body, clouding her vision. Her hand on his shoulder clenched involuntarily.

She had nearly collapsed just now.

Her legs trembled uncontrollably. If this continued, it seemed impossible to remain standing.

“This isn’t right.”

Even if no one was around, this was a sacred library.

And if anyone knew that the man with her was Hailon Alfred, the most famous student of the academy, how would they react? Melia couldn’t imagine.

“St-stop…”

Melia pushed at his shoulder with strength, but the large body holding her tightly did not budge. In that moment, it felt like trying to move a solid, massive boulder.

With his grip so firm, it seemed even collapsing to the floor was impossible.

Then, at last, Hailon’s tongue stopped.

Lick—

As if regretting it, he licked her areola one last time before slowly raising his head to meet her gaze.

The moment Melia locked eyes with those strange black pupils staring at her, she felt as though she was being pulled in.

The silent will that no refusal would be allowed pierced into her mind.

“You’re not about to say you can’t do this now, are you, Melia?”

His voice carried a hint of laughter, but Melia instinctively knew.

That smile was not merciful.

Rather, it carried impatience and obsession.

Hailon’s attitude made it clear there was no such option as stopping here.

“You promised to grant my wish.”

His firm voice rang out. At the same time, as if to make up for the pause, he grabbed and kneaded Melia’s large, pale breasts.

“Th-that…”

It wasn’t wrong. Every word that came from his lips was undeniable.

‘But…’

The stimulation was too much.

That was what scared her.

But she couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud.

Surely, if anyone else were in her situation, staring into his eyes, they would be the same.

“You have to let me suck to my heart’s content. It’s a promise.”

This was exactly why.

The promise with Hailon. It was Melia herself who had vowed to keep it to him.

She had never dreamed he would actually achieve scores high enough on this exam to challenge her top position.

If she had known, she would never have let careless words slip.

The truth was, Melia still had doubts.

“But Hailon, for your grades to suddenly…”

Until recently, his scores had been nearly the lowest in the entire school.

How?

Even if she had tutored him, was it really possible for his grades to rise so sharply in such a short time?

She had briefly wondered if she had some extraordinary hidden talent as a teacher without knowing it. But no, that clearly wasn’t it.

“Something feels strange…”

Her small protest quickly dissipated in the air.

“Didn’t you know, Melia? You’re the one who taught me everything. It’s all thanks to you.”

There was a subtle joy in Hailon’s voice as he answered.

“Even the reason I’m doing this right now, it’s all because of you.”

Hailon slowly lifted his large body. The face that had been beneath her line of sight gradually rose upward.

Before she knew it, Melia was looking up at him. His eyes were filled with blazing desire.

Though they were the eyes of the same man, it gave her chills, like facing a predator.

She couldn’t shake the feeling of being prey about to be devoured.

“So just accept it, Melia Anderson.”

His lips suddenly descended on hers. As the hot breath filled her mouth, Melia closed her eyes.

The moment she had first become entangled with Hailon Alfred naturally flashed through her mind.

***

Melia Anderson.

Her life, no matter who looked at it, could never be called peaceful or smooth.

Having no memory of her parents’ faces, she lived while caring for her sick younger brother.

Even so, Melia endured each day, believing there would be a better future than now.

But today, Melia’s hope had been shattered to pieces.

“Wh-what did you say?”

The one who smashed even the fingernail-sized hope she held was none other than her uncle.

Family only in name. In truth, more of a stranger—no, worse than a stranger, someone she resented deeply.

“You should be getting married soon. Don’t you think?”

No. For girls Melia’s age, marriage was far too early.

Most women of the Empire married in their mid-twenties.

Melia was only twenty-two. On top of that, she was still a student enrolled at the academy.

Generally, even if engagements happened during student years, it was extremely rare for them to marry.

There was no way her uncle didn’t know this.

In that moment, an ominous thought flashed through Melia’s mind.

‘Don’t tell me, the academy…’

Before Melia could ask again, her uncle’s words were faster.

“Quit your studies now.”

Thud.

It felt like a massive stone had crashed down on Melia’s chest.

The academy was the only hope in her life.

It was the only way she could graduate at the top and find a slightly better job.

Her small hope to make this shabby life even the tiniest bit better.

And Melia loved studying.

In those moments spent with books, she could escape reality, even just a little.

When she lived in an orphanage, mistaken for a commoner, the one thing she envied nobles for was their chance to enter the academy.

And now he was telling her to throw even that away?

Melia gasped in a breath. She had to say something, but her words were stuck.

“What does a woman need to study for? All you’re doing is wasting the family’s money.”

Melia was a scholarship student. She had never once paid tuition.

Yet her uncle, as if this were an undeniable truth, condemned her without the slightest hesitation.

His words were not true.

Melia wasn’t foolish enough to be deceived by them.

It was true that Erpen Academy had more male students, but there were plenty of female students too.

Besides, Melia was an outstanding student who had never lost her top spot at the academy. To say such a thing to her was utterly absurd.

“W-Wait a minute…”

Melia forced her voice out, trying to cut off her uncle’s words.

But he paid no attention.

“Because you’re busy fooling around with school, isn’t that why your brother can’t escape his crippled life?”

What? For a moment, Melia forgot how to breathe. The voice she had barely managed to squeeze out would not come again.

How could her younger brother Ervan’s illness possibly be because she was studying?