Returning to the second floor, this level was already quiet, with no sound at all. Poetry Feather focused his attention on his ears and heard faint breathing from the room on the other side of Utaha Kasumigaoka's room.
The breathing was not steady; the person should be awake.
As a Lycoris, Takina Inoue's vigilance was naturally very high. Their movement downstairs must have startled her.
After all, it was an unfamiliar environment, so not being able to sleep peacefully was normal, but that was just a matter of time.
Following Utaha Kasumigaoka into her room, Poetry Feather unceremoniously sat down by her bed.
The scent by the bed was even stronger, easily entering his nostrils.
Utaha Kasumigaoka glanced at him before asking Tohru and the others, "Why did you two come too?"
"I want to learn magic too," Chisato Nishikigi replied, raising her hand.
"I'm just curious about what human magic is like," Tohru replied without looking back, walking towards Poetry Feather.
"Is magic not all the same?" Utaha Kasumigaoka was a bit surprised.
"Of course, it's not the same," Poetry Feather explained with a smile. "Tohru is a dragon; her magic is basically magic that only dragons can use."
"I see."
"Without further ado, let's start quickly," Poetry Feather said.
"Alright," Utaha Kasumigaoka closed the door and stood opposite Poetry Feather with Chisato Nishikigi.
Tohru was already sitting next to Poetry Feather, holding his arm, looking very quiet.
"What should we do?"
"First, calm your minds, don't get excited. I'm going to teach you how to sense magic power."
"How do we do that?"
"First, sit cross-legged."
"But I'm wearing a skirt," Utaha Kasumigaoka reminded him.
"I should have worn a skirt too," Chisato Nishikigi said with some regret, directly sitting cross-legged.
"Can't you have a little girlish modesty?" Utaha Kasumigaoka rolled her eyes at her.
"What's there to be modest about with Poetry Feather?" Chisato Nishikigi retorted.
"Forget it, there's no point talking about this with you. I'll go change into some shorts first." Utaha Kasumigaoka turned and walked towards the wardrobe.
"What's there to be shy about?" Poetry Feather looked at her back and shook his head.
"Nonsense! My underwear will be seen, how can I not be shy?"
"I don't mind seeing it."
"I mind being seen!"
"We're all family, what's there to be embarrassed about?"
"...I'm too lazy to bother with you." Utaha Kasumigaoka pulled out a pair of white shorts and left the room.
She changed very quickly, returning in less than a minute.
However, she first put her pleated skirt back into the wardrobe before coming to sit cross-legged next to Chisato Nishikigi.
Utaha Kasumigaoka's flexibility was not bad; sitting cross-legged was no problem at all. However, because her shorts only covered half of her thighs, the exposed portion was round and fair, full of flesh.
One could only say she was truly chosen for pantyhose; her thighs were long, shapely, and very alluring.
"Hmm, not bad," Poetry Feather couldn't help but nod.
"What's not bad?" Utaha Kasumigaoka didn't understand what he meant.
"Your legs, of course," Poetry Feather confessed directly.
"...Can you please teach magic properly!" Utaha Kasumigaoka stared at him, her face flushed.
"Got it, got it."
"Wait a minute!" Chisato Nishikigi suddenly interjected.
"What's wrong?"
"Chen ge, how are my legs?" Chisato Nishikigi said, pulling up the hem of her kimono from her calves all the way to just above her knees, revealing a pair of powerful, jade-white thighs.
"Hmm, I like them very much!" Poetry Feather gave a thumbs-up.
"That's great!" Chisato Nishikigi was beaming.
"Then Lord Chen, look at mine too..." Just then, Tohru also started to act, about to lift her maid dress.
"Hey!" Utaha Kasumigaoka couldn't take it anymore. Her face darkened as she shouted, "Can you all stop messing around!"
"Eh—Lord Chen has seen theirs, but he hasn't seen mine yet," Tohru pouted unhappily.
"Can't you look later? There's something more important right now."
"What's more important than looking at legs..." Tohru retorted with a curl of her lip.
"...Poetry Feather!" Utaha Kasumigaoka stared at Poetry Feather.
"Alright, alright," Poetry Feather rubbed Tohru's head and persuaded her, "Tohru, how about I look at your legs later?"
"Why like this?"
"Did you forget?" Poetry Feather leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I've already seen your legs, from your toes to your thighs, completely, and I even held them."
"Oh, right!" Tohru remembered.
"Be good, don't argue with Poetry Feather and the others."
"Okay, okay," Tohru nodded obediently.
"What do you mean 'argue with us'? Was I arguing?" Utaha Kasumigaoka's mouth twitched as she retorted.
"Can we still learn magic properly?" Poetry Feather asked seriously.
"...Let's begin." Utaha Kasumigaoka took a deep breath, choosing to endure.
"That's more like it. You two, close your eyes first."
"You won't take the opportunity to do anything, will you?" Utaha Kasumigaoka asked cautiously.
"Am I that kind of person?" Poetry Feather retorted exasperatedly.
"Who knows?" Utaha Kasumigaoka said, but still closed her eyes.
Chisato Nishikigi had already obediently closed hers.
Poetry Feather continued, "Be calm and peaceful, don't think about anything."
Utaha Kasumigaoka and Chisato Nishikigi slowly relaxed, their expressions gradually calming, as if their minds were free of distractions.
Poetry Feather hadn't expected them to be so talented; when he first followed Frieren to sense magic power, he couldn't calm his mind for a long time.
Perhaps he just had too much on his mind back then.
Seeing that the two were almost in the right state, Poetry Feather withdrew his hand from Tohru's proud embrace and got up, moving behind them.
He extended both hands, placing them on their backs, and then sent a wisp of magic power into their bodies.
"Do you feel anything?"
"Something is darting around inside my body?" Utaha Kasumigaoka asked nervously.
"I feel it too," Chisato Nishikigi added.
"This is the magic power I'm sending to you. Next, both of you remember the path it takes through your bodies."
The cultivation of magic power was somewhat similar to the cultivation in the cultivation novels Poetry Feather had read: circulating qi, then absorbing the qi from the world and refining it for one's own use.
However, cultivating magic power didn't require refining; it could be directly introduced into the body, and the path was very short and simple.
Back then, he couldn't retain magic power within his body, which was why he couldn't cultivate it.
"Did you remember?"
"We remembered!" the two said in unison.
"Now try to circulate that wisp of magic power within your bodies."
The two didn't respond, beginning to circulate the wisp of magic power within their bodies.
This magic power belonged to Poetry Feather and would soon dissipate. If the two didn't quickly draw in unowned magic power for themselves, they wouldn't be able to cultivate.
However, Poetry Feather had forgotten something important.
After a while, the wisp of magic power within their bodies dissipated, but neither of them had drawn in any magic power.
"Did it fail?" Seeing the two open their eyes with disappointment, Poetry Feather was a bit confused.
It shouldn't have.
The two had been so smooth just now, how could it fail?
"Hmm," Utaha Kasumigaoka frowned and nodded, "I don't know why, but I just couldn't draw in any magic power."
"Me too," Chisato Nishikigi added.
"Couldn't draw in magic power? Why?"
"I don't know," Utaha Kasumigaoka shook her head.
"Can't they cultivate?" Poetry Feather could only come to this conclusion.
After all, they weren't people born in a magic world, so even with his guidance, it was impossible for them to just learn it instantly.
Not being able to learn it was the normal situation.
"I see." Utaha Kasumigaoka's expression visibly grew disappointed, and her posture slumped.
"Ugh... how could this happen?" Even the usually lively Chisato Nishikigi couldn't help but feel upset.
Poetry Feather gently comforted them, "It's alright, I have other methods, no need to worr—"
"Lord Chen," Tohru suddenly interrupted him, saying hesitantly, "I think I know what the reason is..."
"What?"
"Is it possible that it's because there's almost no magic power in this world?"
"..."