“Got it. I’ll demonstrate it for you first, Classmate Ximo…”
Though her motives weren’t pure, Melrose was a dedicated teacher. After the demo, she explained all the key points in simple terms, then guided Ximo hand-in-hand through it… with emphasis on the hand-holding.
“Focus your mind. Imagine the staff as an extension of your body. Condense the magic at the staff’s tip and don’t relax until the last moment…”
Ximo gripped the staff, aiming at the target ten steps away, while Melrose held her hands and explained the points near her ear.
This little maid’s hands are so soft… I want to tie them up and watch her struggle helplessly… Ahem.
While Melrose was distracted, Ximo gave it a try. Unsurprisingly, it failed—the magic dispersed before fully forming.
“No worries, try a few more times. It’s tricky to control magic at first…”
Melrose encouraged her, sneakily caressing Ximo’s hands a few more times. But she’d underestimated Ximo’s talent. Before she finished speaking, a dazzling light burst from the tip of Ximo’s staff. The next second, the target ten steps away had a small hole pierced through it by the Magic Beam.
Not just Melrose—the teacher who’d been secretly watching nearby also gaped in surprise. She’d taught countless students and could tell Ximo wasn’t faking it. She really hadn’t learned magic before.
One day… No, precisely one class period, and she’d learned to release a Magic Beam? Was this Ximo even a normal human?
“…Yes, just like that. The only thing to watch is that your magic dissipates too quickly, so most of the Magic Beam scattered before hitting the target. Compress it more next time.”
Melrose snapped out of her daze after a moment and continued guiding, pointing to the small hole in the target—it should have blasted the whole thing apart.
“Yay~”
Ximo straightened up and flashed a V-sign. Melrose silently watched as Ximo wriggled out of her embrace. This little maid really wasn’t giving her even a drop of oil to skim with her sheer talent.
Honestly… she hadn’t gotten enough of Ximo’s hands. It only intensified Melrose’s desire to turn her into her plaything.
But not yet. It wasn’t time. Melrose had never found waiting so agonizing.
The only one unhappy about Ximo’s success was Jackson. After her Magic Beam fired, many classmates who’d been secretly watching her and Melrose turned to look at him, making him feel extremely awkward.
After all, he’d just said, “That dead-last probably won’t learn Magic Beam all semester.” And now his face stung.
“Damn it, that jerk did it on purpose!”
Jackson muttered under his breath, glaring venomously at Ximo. He refused to believe she’d learned it so quickly. That dead-last must have pretended not to know earlier just to embarrass him now!
The small-minded measured others by themselves. Jackson blamed all his embarrassment on Ximo.
The class ended like that. After packing her bag and leaving the classroom building, Ximo unexpectedly spotted Melrose leaning at the entrance—clearly waiting for her.
“Thanks for helping during class, Senior Sister Melrose…”
“Why didn’t you tell me, Ximo?”
Melrose stepped forward and grabbed Ximo’s hand. Ximo jumped in surprise but didn’t pull away. Instead, Melrose noticed her own overstep and voluntarily created some distance.
“…Let’s walk together for a bit, Classmate Ximo.”
The spring campus brimmed with vitality. Melrose chose a small path—supposedly a shortcut. At any rate, hardly anyone used this tree-lined trail.
“You could’ve just told me directly, Classmate Ximo. School atmosphere and discipline fall under Student Council management. We wouldn’t ignore rumors like that.”
Melrose deliberately brought it up from an official angle. Ximo smiled awkwardly. She couldn’t exactly say it was to complete a System task that she hadn’t spoken up then, right? Luckily, there was a handier excuse.
“It’s not a big deal. I didn’t want to trouble you over something so minor, Senior Sister… It’d be too embarrassing.”
Is that really it?
Melrose detected a hint of distance in Ximo’s words. The little maid wasn’t telling the full truth. Did she feel their relationship wasn’t close enough yet? But the rumor’s origin involved her, and Ximo hadn’t mentioned it…
Melrose said nothing more. In her view, Ximo’s reluctance that day stemmed from “distrust.” That distrust only made her want to close the gap faster and turn Ximo into her toy.
But now, she realized the usual method coming to mind was having someone play bad cop to isolate Ximo, then her playing good cop to win her over.
“You see, only I’m your best friend.” It was a great technique for taming toys. During puberty, Melrose had gotten into raising dogs and loved teasing her loyal pets that way.
But for once, she didn’t want to use it on Ximo. Otherwise, by the playbook, she should let the first-year students shun her now.
That way, it wouldn’t be her direct doing, but she could step in to comfort Ximo, draw closer, and foster dependency… Why not?
But Melrose now hoped that Ximo was approaching her more sincerely. This feeling was very strange—she had never developed such emotions toward any of her “toys” before.
“Moreover, Ximo is my friend. Of course I should help with something like this, right? Or does Ximo not see me as a friend?”
Melrose quietly observed Ximo’s expression, and the little maidservant visibly panicked.
“O-Of course! I just didn’t want to trouble Senior Melrose over something so minor…”
“From now on, just call me Melrose—I’ll call you Ximo too. Friends don’t need all those formal titles, do they?”
Melrose quietly let out a long breath. For some reason, although Ximo hadn’t rejected the “friend” label, the word still failed to make her happy. She always felt a stuffiness in her heart.
How strange. Why was she experiencing these inexplicable emotions? This feeling… one she had never had before?
