Senior, I've Come to Visit - Chapter 36

A basket full of pink and purple flowers was held out in front of me.

“Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I’ve gathered all the materials you mentioned, Senior.”

When did I ever tell him to pick flowers…?

I looked up at Nardi, who was acting naturally again, and decided to play along.

“You worked hard, this is plenty.”

With theatrics like this, we probably didn’t even need to go to the theater. I stood up naturally, creating the mood to wrap things up.

“I should get going because of research.”

“Oh, of course.”

Leon stood as well and walked me to the front of the research building.

“It was really nice seeing you again after so long, Eloise. I hope your research goes well.”

“Thanks. You take care too.”

“I will, and… if it’s all right….”

Leon hesitated before continuing.

“Every time I come to the Magic Tower to report, could I stop by the research building?”

“Of course. Come by anytime.”

Maybe because I could count on one hand the number of academy classmates I could call friends, his visit felt welcome.

“Yeah, I’ll see you next time.”

Leon smiled brightly and waved. Leon and Nardi exchanged a polite farewell, and the two of us returned to the lab alone.

“A gift for you.”

Nardi, looking a little gloomy, held out the flower basket.

“Thanks.”

I took it and lifted a purple flower branch to smell it. The fresh, sweet floral scent tickled my nose. Nardi took the flower branch from my hand and tucked it behind my ear.

“Why did you suddenly pick these?”

“Obviously because I wanted to stay near you, Eloise.”

Ridiculous.

“I didn’t even talk about anything special with Leon.”

He must have heard it all, so he would know.

“He’s the guy who confessed to you, right? It was obvious he still likes you.”

“I told him I was seeing someone.”

“Well done.”

Nardi smiled, then set the basket down and lifted me up without warning. Even a little heads-up would’ve been nice; he had so much strength that he would pick me up without hesitation any chance he got. He sat me lightly on top of a tall table and met my eyes.

“Can’t I just say that person is me?”

“…We decided to keep it secret.”

“Even if we don’t make it obvious, what if we tell just a few people?”

“Rumors will spread in no time.”

“That’s true.”

Looking disappointed, he lowered his head and rubbed his forehead against my shoulder.

He was much bigger than me, but every time he rubbed his head against my body, it felt like a big wolf nuzzling up to me. Reflexively, I raised a hand and ran my fingers through his smooth hair. Nardi, as if asking for more, leaned his head into my hand.

“I get jealous easily.”

“Haha.”

A laugh slipped out before I realized it.

Even when expressing emotions far from ideal, like jealousy, Nardi was straightforward and unrestrained. It was fascinating and amusing because he was so different from me, always expressing his feelings without hiding them.

“You get jealous?”

“Yes. At first, I didn’t mind keeping our relationship secret, but whenever things like this happen, I feel like shouting everywhere that we’re dating.”

Would that even be something to brag about…?

“I want to make it clear so no one tries to hover around you, but it’s hard to do that when it’s a secret relationship.”

“No one hovers around me.”

Except you….

Just moments ago, Nardi had been the definition of hovering.

“I can see everything. But since you want it kept secret, I won’t make it obvious.”

“Okay.”

“In return….”

He brought one cheek close to my lips. He wanted a kiss.

Nardi loved giving and receiving physical affection, and he would ask me for it from time to time. I’d somehow gotten used to him showering me with kisses constantly, but taking the initiative myself was something I still couldn’t get used to. For some reason, it felt embarrassing and awkward.

Until not long ago, we’d only been senior and junior, and the changed relationship itself, too… I still sometimes felt unfamiliar and awkward about this whole situation. Nardi, who had taken the lead in making this happen, seemed completely unfazed and, with his characteristic adaptability, looked as if he’d adjusted instantly, but I was slow by nature. No matter what I did, it took time.

“…This is the lab.”

I glanced toward the door. It was firmly closed, but that didn’t change the fact that this was a workspace. Me sitting on the table and Nardi standing in front of me, facing me like this, wasn’t exactly ideal.

He followed my gaze toward the door, then click- locked it with a magic lock.

“…?”

“Now it’s fine, right?”

“Why, why are you locking it?”

“No one should see.”

Maybe he’d given up on getting a kiss, because instead he hugged me and peck, peck- planted light kisses all over my face. At the same time, he patted my back, and somehow it made me feel strangely reassured.

Lately, I felt like I’d become his stuffed toy.

Iella’s daughter, my niece Rubel, always carried around a light-gray rabbit doll. She hugged it constantly, kissed it, and even slept with it tucked in her arms. Nardi was doing exactly that to me. Although, in addition, he was doing an unbelievable amount of other things.

His large hand covered almost my entire back as he patted it, spreading warmth, then slowly moved to the front. With his palm pressed against me, Nardi slid it through the opening of my white lab coat and began touching my breasts over my clothes.

“Mm….”

Maybe because everything had started with him sucking my milk, entrusting my breasts to him felt the most familiar. Even though this was the lab, I kept glancing toward the door and window.

Bold as ever, Nardi pushed my lab coat open to either side and slipped his hand under my top. His hand, moving secretly along my stomach, went to my underwear, then under it, and touched my bare breast.

“This is bad, it’s really full. We need to empty it right away.”

He’d become an expert and could tell just by touching my breast. Whether it was a state where the milk had collected too much and needed to be released, or whether it was still fine and could wait until later. Right now, it was the former, since the last time he’d done it was before work. My breasts were heavy and tight with milk.

But….

“Here?”

“Yes, since we’re going to the theater later, it’s better to do it now.”

“We can do it on the way, in the carriage.”

“Last week, you got motion sickness from that.”

“….”

Normally, I didn’t get motion sickness at all, but doing something in the carriage had made me nauseous.

“No, still. We can’t do this in the lab.”

“It’s fine. There’s nothing we can’t do.”

“There’s a lot, actually? What if someone sees?”

“I locked the door, so it’s fine. And I definitely don’t intend to let anyone else see you, Eloise.”

Someone seeing was, of course, a problem, but exposing my chest and having him suck my milk in the lab itself was out of the question. When I shook my head, Nardi touched my breast under my clothes and whispered into my ear.

“If you keep this up, you’ll get breast engorgement again. I’ll empty it quickly for you.”

“….”

This really isn’t okay….

But somewhere in my heart, I wanted the relief of having the milk sucked out properly, so the words ‘absolutely not’ didn’t come out.

When I stayed still, Nardi seemed to take my silence as agreement. He buried his face in my chest and began pulling off my lab coat. After rubbing his face lightly against me, he quickly lifted my top upward.

“Raise your arms.”

He was a year younger than me, yet he treated me like a child. After hesitating, I lifted both arms, and he pulled my clothes off over my head. In an instant, only my undergarment remained on my upper body, and a cool breeze touched my skin, carrying the faint smell of milk.

This really isn’t okay….

Looking down at my breasts, he skillfully unfastened the knot at my back. When even my undergarment slipped off, the two cloth pads inside it were revealed, round and darkened with wetness. Nardi took the pads out, folded them together, and naturally slipped them into his pocket.

“Ah, so pretty.”

His hands tapped my taut breast flesh, then cupped them from below and lifted them slightly upward. Nardi buried his face between my breasts and sniffed, taking in the scent.