Anything But Study - Chapter 21

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The next morning.

Melia opened her eyes. The familiar ceiling she’d stared at endlessly while tossing and turning because she couldn’t fall asleep last night came into view.

‘Ah, so I finally fell asleep.’

Still, her eyelids felt heavy, so it seemed she hadn’t gotten a proper, deep sleep.

As Melia slowly pushed herself up.

“Hngh.”

Her whole body felt heavy, like she was suffering from muscle aches. And the dull soreness between her legs….

‘Haaah.’

Only then did Melia realize what the cause of this pain was.

As everything that had happened yesterday came flooding back, Melia’s face instantly grew hot.

‘I, I’m crazy.’

What kind of state of mind had she been in to do something like that?

Suddenly, the image of herself clinging to him in a daze began replaying in her head.

“Hailon, please, hurry….”

“…ugh!”

Herself gasping and moaning while wrapping her legs around his body.

When she reached her final climax in Hailon’s firm embrace, she thought she had seen the bright dawn breaking.

No, she wasn’t even sure that had really been the last time.

In fact, she couldn’t clearly remember how she got back here and fell asleep at all.

Whether he brought her back, or whether she returned on her own.

At some point, her memory cut off completely, and nothing came to mind.

So naturally, she must have only slept for an hour or two at most.

Glance.

When she turned her gaze, Rosha was still asleep.

‘She didn’t wake up during the night, right?’

She probably didn’t know what had happened. Please let that be the case.

Holding onto that hope, Melia woke Rosha.

Today was the last day of camp, the day they returned home.

“Rosha, wake up.”

It was almost time to get ready to leave.

When Melia shook Rosha a few times, she slowly opened her eyes with a faint groan.

“…Melia? What time is it?”

“It’s eight. We’re supposed to gather at eight thirty, so let’s hurry and get ready.”

“Already? Wow, I must’ve slept really well.”

Melia felt relieved. Thankfully, Rosha seemed to have no idea. She didn’t even seem to know that Melia had gone out in the middle of the night.

“Thank goodness.”

“Huh? What is?”

Ack. Without realizing it, she’d let her thoughts slip out. Melia flailed her hands and answered Rosha’s question in a rush.

“Huh? Ah, no. I just meant you look like you slept well! Everyone says it’s uncomfortable, you know.”

“Ahh, true. I guess I was really tired. Did you sleep well?”

“Y-yeah.”

Bad at lying, Melia answered affirmatively while deliberately avoiding Rosha’s gaze.

There was no way she’d slept well. She hadn’t slept much to begin with.

On top of that, there wasn’t a single part of her body that felt fine.

She’d clung to him so desperately yesterday that even her arms hurt a little.

Every time the tips of her nipples brushed against her clothes, a sharp ache ran through her, and she felt conscious of it whenever she moved.

Because Hailon had bitten and sucked at her breasts the entire time.

Fwoosh-

The memories from then naturally surfaced again, and Melia’s face turned red.

“Huh? Are you not feeling well?” Rosha asked with concern, noticing the change.

“N-no. I’m just a bit hot! Let’s hurry and get ready to go out.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Saying she’d go wash up quickly, Rosha grabbed her clothes and left the tent.

Left alone, Melia subtly lifted the front of her top and looked down at her body.

“Eek.”

What is all this? A startled sound slipped out on its own.

Her skin was mottled with red marks here and there.

They were all the marks Hailon had left on her. Every one of them clearly proved what had happened yesterday.

Melia rearranged her top, hiding her flustered expression, and followed Rosha out of the tent.

Fortunately, since this was a camp for nobles, there was no awkward situation of having to bathe in front of others. Still, the entire time she showered, she felt embarrassed just looking at her own body.

‘But I couldn’t help it.’

Melia doused herself with cold water, rationalizing it to herself.

She hadn’t been in her right mind yesterday.

Judging by the state of her body, Hailon must have been the same.

The reason for that was….

Probably because of the relic.

The one that had emitted a red glow.

‘Still, it’s fine now.’

Maybe because everything had been released after climaxing so many times.

Aside from the lingering soreness all over her body as evidence of last night’s sex, there was nothing else different from usual.

Her overheated body had returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

‘That’s a relief.’

If yesterday’s condition had continued, normal daily life would have been impossible.

Still, not everything was back to normal.

If there was a problem, it was her own heart.

She tried her best to pretend she didn’t know, but at some point, Melia had realized it.

That she’d started to develop feelings for Hailon without even realizing it herself.

She didn’t know exactly when it started, but….

‘No. I can’t let him notice.’

Melia shook her head.

If Hailon found out, he’d feel burdened. What if he said he didn’t want tutoring anymore?

Thoughts like that surfaced.

‘That would be a problem.’

Melia needed this tutoring.

Her feelings weren’t that big yet. So she could still get rid of them.

After composing herself and returning to the tent, she found Rosha waiting, already prepared.

“Let’s go, Melia!”

“Yeah.”

Melia packed up with Rosha and headed to the gathering place.

It was time to go back.

As they walked, a familiar figure entered Melia’s field of view.

“Hello.”

The one who greeted her first was Hailon.

Even though he must not have slept for more than a few hours either, his face looked just like always, without a trace of fatigue.

“G-good morning.”

Melia greeted him while averting her gaze.

‘I can’t look him in the eye.’

The moment their eyes met, yesterday replayed vividly in her head.

The times those eyes had roamed over her naked body.

The moment when the mouth now greeting her had fit seamlessly against hers, exchanging saliva.

“Go home safely. See you tomorrow.”

Was Hailon really that unaffected by what happened yesterday?

To greet her so calmly.

The casual comment about seeing her tomorrow for tutoring was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Mm….”

Melia’s reply trailed off.

Watching his back as he walked away after the brief greeting, Melia let her shoulders slump.

Part of her felt disappointed. It wasn’t that she’d hoped to become something special with him because of this.

That kind of relationship had never been possible in the first place.

Still, hadn’t they spent last night locked together so hotly, so desperately, craving each other’s bodies?

It couldn’t be helped that her feelings were tangled.

Then suddenly, his voice echoed in her head.

“Remember. You’re the one who begged for this.”

“So don’t blame me.”

Maybe.

Those words meant.

‘…I guess that’s how it is.’

It seemed Hailon intended to pretend nothing had happened.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t wrong. Melia had approached him first and opened her body to him.

It was simply an unavoidable matter where they both needed each other. Wasn’t it something too awkward to even bring up in words?

If that was how Hailon saw it, Melia couldn’t be the one to mention it first.

In their relationship, the one who had to follow was Melia.

Just as bitterness spread in her mouth, Rosha poked her in the side.

“What’s wrong, Melia?”

“Huh? What is it?”

Rosha’s eyes were sparkling. “When did you get close enough with Hailon Alfred to be greeting him like that?”

Ah. Right, Rosha was there.

She’d completely forgotten Rosha was beside her while she was greeting him.

“Huh? No, it’s not like that. We were partners yesterday, remember? That’s why.”

If Rosha found out, she’d feel hurt, so Melia couldn’t say it out loud, but she was surprised at herself for the fact that, in that moment, all she’d seen was Hailon.

‘This is bad.’

This couldn’t be happening.

Just because they’d spent one night together, was her head playing tricks on her or something?

“Oh right. That’s true. Still, it’s surprising to see you greeting Hailon like that.”

Rosha was right.

That Hailon.

Even if they’d been spending time together lately, and even if something like yesterday had happened, he and she lived in completely different worlds.

Melia wasn’t in a position to feel disappointed in Hailon, or to be upset with him.

‘Yeah. It’s better than if I’d met someone else yesterday, at least.’

She soothed her heart again. If she’d run into some nasty noble boy, she didn’t even want to imagine the outcome.

It was a good thing. All of it.

Thinking that way was easier.

Because the Melia of now couldn’t possibly foresee how she would become even more entangled with Hailon in the future.