After a Friday full of theoretical tests Saturday arrived, and with it, Ethan's renewed motivation to fill his wallet.

  Due to the financial disaster known as “Daniel’s Double Date,” he was down 150 silver coins—a painful loss. The weight of his coin pouch had visibly shrunk, and the only thing heavier was the sigh he let out every time he remembered handing the money over.

  Of course, expecting Daniel to pay it back was ughable. Ethan had taken one gnce at his friend’s sheepish grin that morning and instantly buried any lingering hope of repayment. That money was gone, vanished into the void of sweets and overpriced pastries.

  But not all was lost.

  He had made two new acquaintances—Cra and Fiona, both second-year sword students—and that opened doors. Connections with uppercssmen were valuable, and Ethan knew how to py the long game. Information, favors, guidance, and even protection… if he used this retionship wisely, he might get back far more than what he'd spent.

  That didn’t change the fact that today was all about grinding.

  “Time to hustle,” he muttered to himself, cracking his knuckles and stepping into the dormitory’s front hall where the job board stood waiting.

  His eyes gleamed as they scanned the sheets. Delivery runs, monster part collections, messenger duties, basic potion ingredient gathering… It was going to be a long day, but hopefully a lucrative one.

  The goal? Make up for the 150 silver—and maybe earn a little extra.

  Ethan had just finished his third delivery and was walking back through the dormitory hall when a familiar figure caught his eye in front of the job board.

  Without thinking, he stepped up behind her and tapped her shoulder. “Yo, Misha! You here to pick up a job too?”

  The girl jumped slightly at the sudden touch, spinning to face him. “E-Ethan?”

  But Ethan’s eyes had already fallen to the paper in her hand.

  “Oh? You already chose one?” he asked, snatching it without waiting for permission.

  He scanned the sheet, his expression quickly shifting from curiosity to utter disbelief.

  “Applying for guidance over Gardik Mana Circution Technique?” he read aloud. Then his voice sharpened, and his brow furrowed. “Wait a second—that’s my job! What’s the meaning of this!?”

  Misha recoiled slightly, instinctively shrinking in on herself. “I-I… Anya said it wasn’t right… That it’s improper to have a b-boy help with… w-with that sort of practice, so she convinced me to ask someone else...”

  “Bullshit.” Ethan cut her off, not bothering to lower his voice even as a few other students turned their heads.

  Misha flinched.

  “I’ve already seen you once,” he said firmly. “What’s the difference in seeing you again? You really think someone else is going to guide you as well as I did?”

  Her face flushed bright red.

  “Don’t make this more complicated than it needs to be,” he continued. “Just rely on me and get it over with.”

  To anyone watching, Ethan’s reaction might’ve seemed driven purely by pride or frustration. But in truth, his fury was rooted in something far simpler—he’d caught sight of the line at the bottom of the paper.

  Reward: 100 silver coins.

  One hundred silvers!?

  There was no way—absolutely no way—he was letting someone else cash in on that job.

  "Now that this is decided, let's go!" Ethan said with an authoritative voice that left no room for argument.

  "Go where?" Misha asked, blinking in confusion as her heart skipped a beat, her face blooming a shade of crimson.

  "Your room or mine?" Ethan replied casually. "Doing it in an empty cssroom again is too risky. There are people everywhere on Saturdays, so the chances of us getting caught would be way too high."

  Misha stuttered, flustered beyond belief. "M-My room's no good... Anya and Celica are there studying..."

  "Then it’s settled. My room it is!"

  Without further discussion, Ethan took her hand and marched toward the dorms. The sudden move turned heads as they passed through the common area. A few students paused mid-step, and someone even whistled, prompting a ripple of murmurs and mischievous grins.

  "Good luck, bro!" someone called out with a smirk.

  Misha wished she could disappear into the floor.

  Ethan, on the other hand, didn’t even flinch. He had 100 silver coins waiting for him and he was going to get them now!

  Once they reached his dorm, they found Hen, his roommate, still lounging at his desk.

  "Yo, Hen. Out."

  Hen blinked. "What? Why?"

  "I'm giving Misha a private lesson," Ethan said matter-of-factly. "And since it was a private lesson, it required privacy."

  Hen stared at him. Then at Misha. Then back to him. Slowly, a knowing smile crept onto his face. "Ohhhh. Gotcha. Say no more."

  "Not what you think," Ethan grunted, but it was already too te—Hen was grinning ear to ear as he slipped out of the room, whistling.

  "You owe me for this!" Hen called as the door shut behind him.

  Ethan locked the door and turned back toward Misha, who stood frozen, still red as a tomato.

  "Alright. Let’s get started. Hand me your notes—I want to see where you went wrong with Gardik’s Technique."

  "...You really have no sense of subtlety, do you," Misha muttered as she sat down, burying her face in her hands.

  "What’s that supposed to mean?"

  "Never mind…"

  Ethan opened the notebook and began scanning the passages, flipping through each line with growing focus. The Gardik Technique was more advanced than the Fundamental Flow, sure, but its structure was still familiar. From what he could see, it added a few extra circution loops near the chest, forming a feedback spiral that expanded and refined the mana pool over time.

  “Huh. So that’s the trick,” Ethan murmured. “More loops around the heart… creates pressure and expansion…”

  The theory made perfect sense in his head. The problem was how to teach it in practice.

  He gnced at Misha, then immediately looked away, letting out a low sigh.

  Great. There’s no way I can just go “Hey, let me massage your chest a bit and guide your mana.” Even if it’s academic, it would still get me killed. By her or half the Academy.

  “Anything wrong?” Misha asked, tilting her head slightly.

  “Nope,” Ethan replied a bit too quickly, eyes still locked on the notebook. “Just thinking.”

  Okay, if I do it, it’s a crime. But what if… she does it, and I just guide her hands? Technically still tutoring, right? Right.

  He nodded to himself, mentally patting his own back for finding such a genius loophole.

  “Alright,” he said aloud. “Here’s how we’ll do it. Remember how we did it st time? Well, it will be pretty much the same thing, but at the end there's an extra step that requires your help.”

  Misha narrowed her eyes, already suspicious.

  “What exactly do I need to do?”

  “You’ll see. I’ll expin it properly at the time, don’t worry,” Ethan said, avoiding her gaze. “This part of the flow concentrates beside the sternum, so we’ll need to get it just right. I’ll help your hands follow the correct mana channels so you can memorize the route.”

  Misha sighed, burying her face in her hands for a moment. “I must have been cursed in a past life…”

  “...I mean, maybe. You do hang out with me.”

  “That expins a lot.”

  Despite the banter, Misha sat down, resigned to her fate. She knew Ethan wasn’t trying to be a creep—at least not intentionally—and she had asked for help. And as much as she hated to admit it, he was good at teaching this stuff, and it felt really goo- No! No! What was she thinking!?

  Ethan rubbed his palms together and gave her a reassuring smile.

  “Alright. Now that you know the procedure…" Ethan smiled "Strip! All the way, except for your underwear."

  The process that followed wasn’t too different from the st time.

  Starting from her heart, Ethan guided Misha step by step. Up through the shoulders, down her arms, through her fingertips. Then came the legs, the feet, all mapped with patient—if slightly awkward—precision.

  Ethan was focused. For once, his usual sarcastic edge was repced with determination as he carefully traced the mana paths, lightly touching her skin, sending shivers through her spine as his finger traveled all over her body.

  “Alright,” he said, clearing his throat as they neared the final stage. “Now—this part’s tricky. The mana accumuted in the sternum needs to split into two currents.”

  He gently repositioned her hands over the sternum. “Each side follows a mirrored path—right flows counterclockwise, left goes clockwise. Like spirals expanding outward.”

  Misha, now fully flushed from head to toe, gave a tense nod. She was trying to focus, but Ethan’s calm expnations weren’t helping her racing heart, much less that her hands now were softly traveling over her soft perky breasts, circling around once...twice...three times...

  He gestured slightly upward. “Now when both spirals reach this point, bring them back together here—just beneath the colrbone.”

  Her hands followed his lead, and her expression shifted. A subtle tremble ran through her shoulders as she drew a shaky breath.

  “Good, good,” Ethan said, still focused. “Now hold that flow, recite the final lines of the chant… and lock it in for 5 seconds, before letting it all out.”

  Misha bit her lip, her eyes fluttering shut as she focused on controlling her mana. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple. And finally a sweet voice escaped her mouth.

  "Gah!"

  A soft pulse of magic resonated through the room as her legs grew weak, making her fall into Ethan's embrace.

  Ethan smiled and patted her head. “You did it.”

  Misha slowly opened her eyes, her breathing heavy like she’d just run a marathon. But despite her flushed face and shaking knees, there was a small, satisfied smile tugging at her lips.

  “Y-yeah… I think I did…”

  Ethan stepped back, gently steadying her as she found her footing.

  For a brief moment, their eyes met.

  She stared into his. He stared back.

  She leaned in—just a little.

  He didn’t move away.

  And then—

  BANG BANG BANG

  “Ethan! We have a problem!” Hen’s voice echoed from behind the door. “Rony and San are coming back!”

  The moment shattered.

  Misha jolted as if struck by lightning, grabbing her clothes with record speed and scrambling to get dressed.

  Ethan stepped aside with a resigned sigh, muttering under his breath. “Of course…”

  By the time she was fully dressed, she stepped close again—face still red, but no longer flustered.

  “Thanks,” she whispered.

  Then, like a passing breeze, she rose on her toes, kissed his lips, and was gone before he could even blink.

  He blinked anyway.

  And then frowned.

  “…Wait a second.” He checked the desk, then his hand. “My money! She didn’t pay me!!”