The next day, Alear was seated in the main chair of the office, leaning back with a relaxed posture.
Maria, the little succubus, was comfortably settled on his lap, her short legs swaying lightly as she chatted animatedly, with that childish and provocative tone that was characteristic of her.
"…and then I told the maid that the room needed more fluffy pillows, because mine was too hard! She looked at me weird, but brought more about five minutes later. Mio-sama, don't you think your bed is softer than ours? I tested it last night while you were sleeping."
Mio, seated in the chair across the desk with her arms crossed, let out a quiet huff, trying to maintain a clearly displeased expression—a mix of envy, embarrassment, and irritation that she failed to hide very well. Every time Maria laughed or shifted more intimately on Alear's lap, she pressed her lips together and looked away, her cheeks taking on a faint rosy hue.
"Maria, you never stop talking nonsense. The bed is the same. You're just making excuses to keep moving around all the time and bothering everyone."
Maria laughed, tilting her head back until it rested against Alear's chest, her silver hair tickling his chin.
"But it's true! Your bed smells different, like someone cleaned it with a more expensive soap. I'm a succubus—I've got a good nose for these things~" She turned her face slightly to look at Alear, blinking innocently. "Alear-sama, don't you think Mio-sama is lying? Her bed is obviously better than mine…"
Alear took a slow sip of the coffee Lotte had brought earlier and commented in a calm, almost amused tone:
"She's not lying, Maria. You just like to tease. And yes, the beds are practically the same. If you want extra pillows, just ask Lotte directly without making a fuss."
Maria puffed out her cheeks in an exaggerated pout, but her violet eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Muuh… Alear-sama is taking Mio-sama's side again. You two are boring when you gang up on me."
Mio couldn't hold back a small smile at that, though she quickly tried to hide it.
"It's not against you. You just talk too much about silly things. Yesterday you spent almost an hour complaining that the bathroom soap smelled too much like flowers. Who complains about the smell of flowers?"
"I do! Because I like vanilla or strawberry scents more. They're sweeter~" Maria replied immediately, turning her body on Alear's lap so she could look better at her friend. "Alear-sama, do you prefer floral or sweet scents? If it's sweet, I win this argument."
Alear let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head as he watched the two.
"Floral scents are more relaxing. But if you want to change the soap in your bathroom, you can choose whatever you like. Just don't overdo it and make the entire mansion smell like strawberry."
Maria broke into a wide, victorious smile and poked Mio's arm with her finger.
"See? He said I can choose! Mio-sama lost."
Mio rolled her eyes, but the corner of her lips curved slightly, betraying a bit of amusement despite her sulky demeanor.
"You only won because he's too patient with your nonsense. If it were me, I would've already thrown you out to sleep outside the mansion…"
Alear casually commented, taking another sip of coffee:
"If I threw Maria out every time she said something silly, I'd probably have to build her a house outside… Besides, it's entertaining to hear you two argue about such… normal things."
Maria laughed softly and snuggled closer to him, her voice becoming a little softer, almost affectionate:
"It's because now we can have normal things, right? Before, it was just running away, hiding, being scared all the time… Now I can complain about hard pillows and Mio-sama can turn red when I say she snores a little when she sleeps."
Mio turned red instantly.
"I do not snore!"
"You do~ A very cute little snore, like a kitten."
Alear let out a quiet, amused laugh, looking directly at Mio with a teasing glint in his pink-magenta eyes.
"You do snore, Mio. I heard it last night when I passed by the hallway. A very cute little snore, almost like a kitten grumbling. Maria isn't lying."
Mio turned even redder, her pink eyes widening with embarrassment and irritation. She tightened her crossed arms against her chest, her whole body tensing in the chair.
"You two…! I do not snore! And even if I did, that's none of anyone's business!!"
Maria, still comfortably seated on Alear's lap, laughed openly, swinging her legs more energetically.
"But it's so cute, Mio-sama~ It sounds like you're arguing with someone even while you sleep. I almost recorded it to show you later!"
Alear tilted his head slightly, his smile widening a bit as he watched her reaction.
"Really. It was quite cute. If this keeps up, I might have to sneak into your room at midnight just to confirm."
That was the breaking point.
Mio shot up from her chair, her face completely red and her fists clenched at her sides. Her long crimson hair swayed with the sudden movement as she pointed at the two of them with a pure tsundere expression, full of embarrassment and restrained fury.
"You two… I'll kill you a hundred times!! A hundred times!! First you, Maria, you perverted idiot! Then you, Alear!! I'll kill you a hundred times too!! A hundred!!!"
Mio was still standing, face red as a tomato, pointing at them with tsundere fury.
"You two… I'll kill you a hundred times!! A hundred times!! First you, Maria, you perverted idiot! Then you, Alear!! I'll kill you a hundred times too!! A hundred!!!"
Alear watched the outburst calmly, a faint smile on his lips. He gently tapped Maria's thigh, signaling her to get up.
"Maria, get down for a moment."
"Muuh… okay…" Maria pouted, but obeyed, getting off his lap.
Alear slowly stood up from the main chair and spoke in a calm, low voice:
"Take a deep breath, Mio. It was just a joke. Sit."
Mio huffed, but his words made her relax her shoulders a little. She sat back down, crossing her arms tightly and turning her face away, muttering under her breath:
"…You're idiots."
Alear ignored it and opened a drawer, pulling out two thin booklets bound in simple black leather. He handed one to each of them.
Maria took hers curiously, tilting her head.
"Eh? What's this, Alear-sama?" Although she asked, curiosity got the better of her and she opened it to take a look. She blinked several times, quickly flipping through pages filled with diagrams, equations, and dense explanations. "Uwaaah… it looks hard… Alear-sama, did you write all of this yourself?"
Mio also opened hers, her pink eyes scanning the lines with growing focus. She murmured, almost to herself:
"…This is quite advanced."
Alear explained calmly:
"In those two booklets, I wrote my personal magic theory. If you master everything written in them, you'll have enough strength to defeat any enemy that stands in your way."
Hearing that, Maria didn't miss the chance to tease. She snapped the booklet shut and smiled mischievously:
"Hey, hey~ Isn't that a bit arrogant? Saying that if we learn all this, we'll be able to defeat anyone? Alear-sama thinks he's invincible in magic now?"
Alear leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms with a calm, confident smile.
"When it comes to magic… yes. I am invincible."
He said it without hesitation or exaggerated arrogance. It was simply a calm statement, as if he were talking about the weather.
Maria widened her eyes for a moment before letting out a giggle.
"Ooh… such confidence~ Mio-sama, did you hear that? Our master is invincible in magic!"
Mio closed her booklet slowly, looking at Alear with a mix of surprise and something softer in her eyes.
"…You really wrote all of this for us?"
Alear nodded.
"Yes. Tomorrow I'll begin training both of you. So take today to read carefully. If you have any questions, you can ask me at any time…"
The office fell silent for a few seconds, broken only by the soft sound of pages being turned again.
Maria smiled, hugging the booklet to her chest.
"I'll study properly then~ I don't want to fall behind Mio-sama."
Mio huffed softly, but held the booklet more carefully, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"…Thank you."
Alear noticed the faint blush on Mio's cheeks and shook his head lightly with a calm smile.
"You don't need to thank me, Mio. Just become stronger. That's all I ask. I'm going to take a bath now to prepare for the arrival of the Phenex family later. You two can enjoy your last day off. Rest, read the booklets at your own pace, or do whatever you want. Tomorrow, the training begins for real."
Mio nodded silently, still holding the booklet to her chest. Maria, on the other hand, tilted her head with a mischievous little smile.
"Understood, Alear-sama~"
Alear left the office, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
As soon as he disappeared down the hallway, Maria quickly turned to Mio with a malicious smile, her violet eyes gleaming with pure mischief.
"Hey, hey, Mio-sama… aren't you going to take the opportunity?"
Mio frowned, suspicious.
"Opportunity for what?"
Maria moved closer to her, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret, though her tone remained full of mischief:
"To go wash our master's back, of course~ He just said he's going to take a bath. You could go now… scrub his back properly, help with the soap in those hard-to-reach places… maybe even more than that?"
Mio turned red instantly, her eyes widening.
"M-Maria!! What are you talking about?! I'm not doing that!"
"Why not? You're always worried about him, aren't you? Now's the perfect chance to show you care~" Maria continued, laughing softly. "I can even give you some tips. As a succubus, I'm an expert at 'taking care' of the male body. Want me to teach you how to touch—"
"Y-you pervert!" Mio exclaimed, jumping to her feet with her face on fire. "Stop saying those perverted things!"
Maria laughed even more, dodging when Mio tried to smack her arm.
"But it's true! He's our master now. Washing his back is practically a servant's duty! Or would you rather Venelana-sama do it when she comes back?"
Mio froze mid-motion, her expression becoming even more complicated upon hearing Venelana's name. She clutched the booklet to her chest, muttering through her teeth:
"…Idiot. I won't… I won't barge into his bath!"
Maria tilted her head, smiling in a way that was both sweet and provocative.
"So you'll just let him bathe alone? What a shame… A handsome, muscular man bathing all by himself… what a waste~"
Mio opened her mouth to respond, but no sound came out. She just stood there, red to her ears, clearly imagining the scene against her will.
Maria let out a victorious giggle and poked her friend's arm.
"If you won't go… I can go in your place, you know?"
"Don't you dare!!"
___________________
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