Chapter 41: [41] A Teacher’s Kiss

--Chapter 41--

Title: A Teacher’s Kiss

Takeshi had made definite progress over the course of Solaria’s procedure.

It was surprising progress for a novice if his over-powered maids had to be honest with themselves.

They were around him but one of them couldn’t yet keep her hands off him.

Solaria moved behind him once more when the next exercise began.

Takeshi had just settled into the stance when she reached for his arm.

"Keep your elbow here."

Her fingers closed gently around his arm and guided it into position. Then her other hand settled against his side, correcting the angle of his body.

"Your weight is shifting," she said. And almost instinctively Takeshi adjusted without a fuss.

Solaria remained close as he held the position. Her attention was entirely on the correction, but Takeshi was increasingly aware of how little space remained between them.

Her body was close enough that he could feel the warmth coming through the uniform, and when she leaned in to adjust his shoulder, her chest pressed lightly against his back.

Neither of them spoke for a moment. Even as Takeshi kept his eyes forward.

Solaria’s breathing became slightly less steady. And she moved her hand lower to correct the position of his hip.

Her fingers slipped a little farther than necessary before she caught herself, stopping near the strength of his crotch.

Solaria froze like a statue but Takeshi didn’t flinch.

And with a straight face he let out a small sigh and spoke.

"That was not part of the lesson."

"No," she said shyly. "It wasn’t."

Even with the tension between them, her hand remained there for one more heartbeat before she quickly moved it back to his hip and corrected his stance properly.

Neither of them mentioned it again. At least, not immediately.

Solaria stepped around him and looked at his posture from the front. Inspecting him as if there was anything else to see.

She watched him for several seconds before giving a small nod.

Beside them, a quiet sound came from the chair as if Nyxara was saying. "Get a room bastards."

She had been watching the entire thing with a grin that was becoming increasingly difficult to hide.

"If you’re going to start teaching with your hands that low, I’m taking the next session."

Solaria’s face immediately flushed red as she looked away to the right. But Lana was waiting there. Her crimson eyes calm and yet disturbing.

There was no where to hide so she looked back at Takeshi.

Nyxara leaned forward into her chair, looking entirely pleased with herself.

"You’re taking too long. How hard can mana control for humans be?."

Takeshi glanced toward her. "You think you can teach control?"

"Do i look like i can teach control?" She answered the question with one of her own. Twisting her fingers around the tip of her horns.

Nyxara’s grin widened. Noticing Solaria remaining quiet .

"I can teach you what happens after control. The part where you put someone down hard enough that they stay there."

Takeshi almost laughed. This women had him more excited about life than he had ever been at any point till now.

Lana didn’t exactly want to get involved but knowing Nyxara, she might push and tease Solaria further. So she did.

"Both approaches are useful," Lana calmly spoke up.

Nyxara looked at her and squinted hard.

Lana’s gaze slide across from Nyxara toward Takeshi.

"Control determines whether your strength can be used consistently. Combat determines whether you can apply that strength when someone is actively trying to kill you."

Takeshi nodded with understanding. After all that made sense.

He had already learned the difference between having strength and knowing what to do with it.

The fight in the market had been simple, but he didn’t expect every opponent to be that accommodating.

"You’ll get your turn," he told Nyxara. And her eyes brightened immediately.

"When do we start?" She stood from the chair and stretched.

"Maybe tomorrow," Takeshi replied.

Apparently satisfied with the answer. Nyxara immediately began making away out of the room.

Solaria watched her leave with a mixture of embarrassment and resignation.

Takeshi turned back toward her. "Let’s finish the lesson."

Solaria nodded. "Yes, Master."

She returned to her position in front of him, though the faint color in her cheeks remained.

The room settled and grew quiet after Nyxara left.

Solaria remained in front of Takeshi for another moment, her composure gradually returning.

"You’re improving," she said.

Takeshi flexed his fingers. "That quickly?"

"You listen. That makes the difference."

She raised one hand. "Now try sensing while moulding."

Takeshi frowned but he acted all the same. He settled his feet again and closed his eyes.

The sensation returned more easily this time.The faint density beneath his abdomen was still there.

The thread-like sensations spreading through his body were clearer too, although he still couldn’t tell whether they were actual pathways or simply the way his inexperienced senses interpreted the mana inside him.

He gathered a small amount and moulded it around his palm. It remained stable, forming a red crescent shaped mana construct.

Solaria watched without interrupting. Takeshi held it for several breaths before releasing it.

"Amazing," she said as he opened his eyes.

"I can actually feel the difference now."

"That is the point," Solaria moved closer, but this time she kept her hands to herself.

"You were trying to control mana as though it were something outside you. It isn’t. You have to learn how your body responds to it first."

Takeshi considered her words.

That explained why his first attempts had felt so clumsy.

He had been treating mana like a weapon he needed to grip rather than something already moving through him.

He raised his hand again. "Again?"

Solaria smiled and nodded. "Again."

The exercise continued. For another ten minutes. Each repetition became slightly smoother than the last.

Takeshi still made mistakes, but they were no longer random. When something went wrong, he could usually feel where the instability began.

Solaria eventually stepped back. "That is enough for tonight."

Takeshi looked at her. And glanced toward his palm. But the problem was that, he couldn’t feel anything. As if the Mana couldn’t wait to get away from him.

For the first time, he wasn’t frustrated by the limit. He understood that this wasn’t a matter of gaining another ability overnight. He was learning how to use what he already possessed.

Solaria lowered her hands. "Tomorrow, we can continue from here."

Takeshi straightened himself and gave her a thumbs up.

She hesitated before adding quietly, "And perhaps Nyxara can have her turn after the foundation is stable."

From somewhere beyond the doorway came Nyxara’s ears twitched alongside a smile.

"Good girl..." She said loudly.

Takeshi laughed.

Solaria covered her mouth, trying unsuccessfully to hide her own smile.

The lesson was over, but the training had given Takeshi something more valuable than another temporary increase in power.

It gave him the foundation he was missing.

***

Most of the light had disappeared beyond the windows, leaving only the dim glow of the lamps to illuminate the lower room.

The floor still carried faint traces of the training, but Takeshi could no longer feel the same strain in his body.

The lesson was over. Lana and Nyxara had already left but Solaria remained.

She stood a few steps away with her hands folded in front of her, her wings held close behind her.

Her maid uniform looked slightly different in the dim light, the higher skirt leaving her legs stretching out like twin towers made from caramel.

Takeshi watched her for a moment. "You can go."

Solaria nodded and spoke. "Yes Master," but she didn’t move.

Takeshi noticed the hesitation but remained silent. He wanted her to speak for herself.

Solaria lowered her eyes and the silence stretched between them until she finally spoke.

"...Did I teach it properly?"

Takeshi smiled faintly. "Ummm...I don’t know. You’re the teacher."

Her shoulders dropped a little. Takeshi noticed the change and smirked.

"You were amazing, Teacher!"

Hearing this, her face lit up and her shoulders relaxed. "You improved faster than I expected."

"Because I have best teacher, " he flattered her.

Solaria shook her head slightly. "It’s Because you listened."

Staring at Takeshi with a cherry red smile on her face. Solaria closed the distance between them and gave him a soft and impossibly fast kiss on his cheeks.

"Ah..."

Before Takeshi could react, she disappeared with her face in her hand and out the door in a blur.

Takeshi shook his head softly and sat on the chair Lana was sitting earlier.

He slowly closed his eyes, already exhausted after a long day but it was exactly this exhaustion that made him optimistic for tomorrow.

But elsewhere, still within the palace a table strung from light and gold laid the foundation of his future in the shadows.

--End of Chapter--

A/N: This work needs your support. POWERSTONES AND GOLDEN TICKETS ARE MUCH NEEDED.

GIFTS AREN’T ALL THAT BAD EITHER. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT.