106

And so the magic lesson began.

Number Six’s outlook was that I had already hammered the basics into my head; once I could perceive mana correctly, I would meet the prerequisite to use magic.

And the problem was precisely the part of “perceiving mana” correctly.

“Maybe feeling it firsthand will be faster than theory.”

Perhaps because I wasn’t making any progress, Number Six touched a finger to her chin and, looking troubled, made the suggestion.

Apparently this stall was unexpected from her perspective.

For elves, even children seemed to manage it quickly, so I truly felt apologetic.

First, she used magic to blow wind against my body.

I shut my eyes at the pleasant breeze.

But I couldn’t feel anything that seemed like mana, and I quietly shook my head.

“Then next—”

Number Six lit a small light at her fingertip.

It was the same magic Dame Oppai had used, but under a daytime sky with few clouds its size was a bit hard to judge.

Even so, I could tell it was larger.

Specifically, the difference between a baseball and a ping-pong ball.

Setting that aside, I immediately squeezed the floating orb of light.

Tilting my head, I kept poking my fingers in, and inside the ball of light—which shouldn’t have offered any physical resistance—I felt the faintest sort of pushback.

I let out a small “gah” and toyed with the light Number Six had produced between both hands.

After probing carefully and, frankly, obsessively, I pulled out my memo and dashed off a line.

“There’s something there.”

Number Six smiled and nodded at my words.

So this was what they called mana.

Even so, though I had taken a step forward, it was still so faint that I could only tell by touching with care.

Going from zero to one was worth celebrating, but I couldn’t be satisfied with this level.

Next came sensing the mana inside my body, and—naturally—I stumbled again.

That seemed within her expectations; Number Six took my finger and closed her eyes as if to concentrate.

Then, although she was only holding my finger, I began to feel something strange.

From the fingertip, something seemed to creep—no, flow—into me.

“This is mana,” I thought, and I focused desperately on the flow, memorizing the sensation that clung to my fingertip.

“Do you understand what it is now?”

When Number Six let go, I nodded silently.

All that remained was to search for the mana within me… after some time of groaning, I finally managed to sense something.

I focused my awareness on it within my body.

I felt its size and shape and amount from various angles.

And my conclusion was this:

(…So little! My mana is ridiculously small!)

Inside me slept something nearly spherical, about the size of that ping-pong ball I’d used as a comparison earlier.

When I reported that, she told me size didn’t matter.

“If you unravel that sphere and can circulate it through your whole body, you’ll be ready to use magic. You’re very close.”

Number Six’s smile was dazzling as ever.

Anyway, I tried tensing up and pressing my hands together, wondering how to manipulate this round mana, but no method of interference came to mind.

So I asked Number Six for a hint.

“If you know where it is, first turn your awareness there. Then try to move it by your own will.”

Following her advice, I focused on the spherical mana I felt inside and, imagining I was untying it, I wiggled it.

To concentrate, I set my hips on the ground and kept wiggling—shaking—eyes shut and focused, until I thought the mana moved.

I snapped my eyes open and stood—then realized I was mistaken and slowly sat again.

I returned to meditation and kept wiggling the mana sphere… and then it hit me all of a sudden.

(Focus your awareness and move it by will… in other words, what if I recognize this sphere as a part of myself?)

As if moving my own hands and feet, I would operate the mana I sensed within.

I closed my eyes and concentrated for a while.

Sharpening my nerves, voices began to reach my ears.

Apparently my senses had sharpened, and the voices gradually became distinct.

“Um, what is that? Don’t tell me he’s trying to use magic? That knobby meathead monster using magic— that’s hilarious?”

Then, added on, “Oh, maybe it’s a party trick?” followed by a vulgar laugh.

They were inside the manor, so those voices didn’t reach Number Six; she only tilted her head at me as my focus wavered.

I’d strip Dame Oppai later and smear her with saliva as punishment… for now, focus here.

I refused to focus on hearing, and recognized the mana sphere inside me as part of myself.

I tried to interfere with it with the image of moving part of my body.

(That’s right. When I learned to move a tail—something I never had—I already gained the ability to move a new, once-nonexistent part freely.)

No need to rush.

I now had both a successful example and the image.

The laughter faded away.

“This is it.”

I whispered it in my mouth.

I unraveled the mana sphere and stretched it into thin, threadlike strands.

As if blood vessels ran through my body, I thinned the threads further and circulated them through my whole body.

“Congratulations.”

Completion—and words of blessing.

I nodded big, and at the same moment dashed.

My destination was decided.

Ignoring the startled Number Six, I took care with the ground and ran toward the one who was leaning out the window.

Dame Oppai noticed me coming and hastily ducked back, but it was too late.

(Still slow! And still dull!)

Smashing part of the window, I grabbed Dame Oppai and dragged her out.

She kicked and struggled hard, yelling, “Stop it!” but when she realized she couldn’t break free, she switched to a simpering smile:

“Ah— um— you heard that? It was a joke, just a joke.”

Out of minimal mercy, I lumbered a few steps with her still in my grip, changed our angle, and adjusted our position so the manor couldn’t see.

Then I set Dame Oppai down and placed both hands on her shoulders.

“The position’s perfect,” I thought with satisfaction—at which she misunderstood and pressed her fist to my abdomen.

“Hey, don’t scare me like that. I mean, with the relationship we have, that kind of teasing—”

Before she finished, both my hands dropped.

At the same time, her clothes tore and slid down, and her proud, hefty fruit bounced out.

“Huh? Uh— wha—?”

As expected of Dame Oppai… slow to grasp the situation.

So before she could scream, I passed judgment.

I lifted her by both arms to rob her of means to resist, and licked up her face with my big tongue.

First I drenched her face in saliva so she couldn’t open her mouth.

Then came the long-awaited main course: tongue-on-flesh time.

My tongue licked up the soft, resilient, large breasts, then up to her face, then began to travel back and forth.

With each pass, the tongue lifted her breasts, reshaped them, and they fell with gravity.

As I repeated it, Dame Oppai’s “main body” morphed into various shapes, slick with saliva and shining lewdly.

After I had slowly and thoroughly licked the entire front of her upper body, I released the restraint, set her down, and, as if finished, wiped sweat from my brow.

Thus the sentence was served— a truly enjoyable moment.

As for Dame Oppai, she slowly wiped the saliva from her face with her hand, her breasts still out.

Next she wiped what clung to her big chest and, with her torn clothes, did what she could to cover her skin.

Then came a wordless, weak punch.

She probably put all her strength into it, but with that frail body, the damage was zero.

As expected, she hurt her hand from the punch and crouched down.

Seeing that, I laughed “gak-gak” in triumph.

In the end, the two of us sat in formal seiza before Number Six.

I was guilty of breaking a window… Dame Oppai of indecent exposure.

Since I’d broken property, being scolded was inevitable—but Dame Oppai beside me was noisy.

So, seizing a moment, I used my tail to tug her torn clothes aside and expose her again— and got scolded by Number Six.

Unfair.