After refilling my stock of beer, I went directly towards Cube and left everything in my room, before running towards the nearest drug store so I could buy a few things, including bandages and something to hold my arm.

The reason, while I would naturally heal over time, the curse that came out from that commander sacrificing her life was really dangerous and left me with a nasty injury in my arm, one that I would love not to show.

That Sunday, I canceled everything, which included training with the kids and with Olivia, and just chose to rest all day in bed after covering my arm.

Now, it was Monday and I was getting into the classroom, slightly late.

“Mm? Cadet Cristopher…?”-Kim Soohyuk was already in classes when I entered.

“Good morning, instructor, I’m sorry for being late.”-I said while nodding to him. “Can I go to my seat?”

“… Yes, go in.”-He said, not averting his eyes from my covered and immobilized arm.

“Thanks.”-I nodded again and walked towards my usual seat, while the eyes of all cadets were on my arm. {The heck is wrong with them all?}-I thought to myself while sitting down. “Hey, what’s up?”

“… Nothing much… Hey… What the heck happened to you…?”-Hajin asked me in a low voice once I sat.

“Nothing much, just a dirty trick. Don’t worry, I’ll be healed before you blink.”-I shrugged while whispering back.

At that moment I also saw Rachel with a surprised face, so I just swung my hand at her, saying hi.

“…”-She nodded back with a little blush on her face, maybe for being caught looking at my arm.

{She can be so shy sometimes… Oh well, whatever.}-I thought and then went into sleeping mode while the class was starting. We were announced, once again, that we should study as much as possible for our incoming final exams, and prepare as much as possible since the physical exam would be kind of harsh for anyone.

The teacher also said something about taking care of our health, as Cube wouldn’t make exceptions for injured cadets. All the while looking at me.

Finally, once classes ended and Kim Soohyuk left, I stretched and prepared to stand up.

“Hey, want to grab a bite in Aroma Mocha? I’ll have to train with Rachel at 7, so I still have some time left to indulge myself in chocolate.”-I ask Hajin who was also standing up.

“Um… Talking about that place… I think you should better stop going there…”-He said while averting his eyes.

“Huh? Why? The place is my temple for drinking chocolate!”-I ask.

“Dude… Angelica is not sane…”

“Oh… Did you notice it? I think she’s kind of a weird girl too…”

“That’s underestimating it…”-He said while we started walking towards the back exit, before being stopped.

“Mm? What the heck are you doing?”-I frown at Shin Jonghak, who was looking at my arm.

“What happened to you?”-He frowned, still looking at my arm.

“Huh? Why would you care?”-I tilted my head.

“I’m the only one that can beat you.”-He glared.

“…”-I felt a chill run up my back. “Stop. Don’t say anything like that anymore.”-I put my hand in front. “I swear you’re giving me the chills here, man. I don’t swing that way!”

“W-what!? What’s this trash saying! I-I’m just worried that you’ll get killed before I can have my revenge!”-Jonghak shouted in fury.

{At least he’s not blushing like some shitty tsundere.}

“Pfft… As if you could actually defeat me. Move. I have a date with a chocolate milkshake.”-I said.

“…”-He just glared at me, but before I could shove him aside, Kim Suho came and dragged him away. “H-hey! What are you doing, you commoner!? Want a beating!?”

“Ok, ok, stop. This is not the place to be fighting between classmates.”-Kim Suho said.

“Pfft… Idiot.”-I almost laughed at his reactions.

“Stop it, dude… Let’s go.”-Kim Hajin said exasperated while grabbing my arm and pulling me out.

“Fine, fine.”-I shrugged his arm off and followed him.

After getting into Aroma Mocha, I must say that I got surprised. Like. Really surprised.

“Welcome! Cris! It's so good to see… you…?”-A completely changed Angelica came to welcome us as usual.

She now had red hair and green eyes. Which was exactly as I described my supposed ideal girl.

“Hey… Why did you change your hair…?”-I asked, afraid to be correct.

“Oh, this? It’s just a little change in style, my eyes are natural though, I just used lenses before.”-She smiled while tilting her head.

{That’s a lie… You’re using lenses now…}-I thought, but I just let that slip.

“Hey… What happened to your arm?”-She then asked with a frown, her eyes kind of empty.

“Oh? This? Nothing much. Just a little adventure outside Korea, where I found someone that used a really nasty cheating trick.”-I shrugged. “I’ll be fine soon, don’t worry too much.”

“But… That can’t be… Who would dare to touch you!? That pest deserves to die!”-She started exclaiming while looking at empty air, even if it looked like she was looking at my arm.

{I better fix this as soon as possible.}

“She’s dead. Don’t worry. I killed her myself.”-I said to her while putting my hand on her shoulder to bring her back to reality.

“Huh!?”-She let out a cute surprised sound. “I-It’s that t-true… You k-killed her?”-She asked, slightly blushing.

“Of course. I don’t let an enemy escape right under my nose.”-I said with a smile. “Well, I would like the usual stuff, is that fine with you?”

“Yes! It’s coming right now!”-She exclaimed while turning to Hajin. “And you? Hajin-ssi? What would you like to drink today?”

“Just black tea… That would be enough… Please…”-He said, trying his best not to avert his eyes.

“Coming right now!”-An excited Angelica went to fetch our drinks.

“See! She’s nuts!”-Hajin whispered to me after sitting down as far as possible.

“Yeah… I know… She actually changed her appearance to look like what I told her was my ideal girl…”-I held my head.

“Wait… You told her to change her appearance!?”

“Of course not! She just asked what my ideal girl looked like and I just said some random stuff! I didn’t think she would change her hair color and put on lenses!”

“You better fix this fast… Or she’ll start doing some nasty things…”-Hajin said while hugging himself to protect from the chilling sensation whatever he’s thinking about is giving him.

“No joke… Hey… Could you leave? Invent some excuse. I’ll talk with her now.”-I said. “But I’m worried that she would take it on you or something.”

“…”-His eyes opened wide after realizing the possibility. “Well, good luck man. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that nothing goes wrong here, you can rest in peace.”-He said before going out of the place as if running away.

“…”-I stared at the escapee. {Pussy! I was joking! Don’t leave me here alone!}-I was trying to send my thoughts to him telepathically, but of course, that didn’t work.

A few moments later, Angelica came back with a tray with one coffee and two chocolate milkshakes.

“Huh? What happened to Hajin-ssi?”-She asked while looking around.

“*sigh…* The little b… The guy had some emergency to attend to, so he left. He said he was sorry for leaving without saying his goodbyes, though.”-I shrugged.

“Oh… That’s sad… Well! I guess we have time for ourselves now!”-She beamed a great smile while putting the tray down and sitting too.

“Here, this is for you, this is for me.”-She smiled while putting the usual for me, and another chocolate milkshake for her.

{Crazies, I told you! CRAZIES! All of the girls here are insane!}-I thought.

“Thank you!”-But I didn’t show it and just smiled at her while thanking her.

“So… How’s your week been, Cris?”-She asks before sipping on her drink with a seductive smile.

“…”-I looked at her. “Well, I’ll say that it’s been good. What about you?”

“Splendid! I actually made as you said to me and took care of one of the pests.”-She smiled. “Well, kind of... I just made sure that ‘it’ understood that my stuff couldn’t be approached.”-Her smile deepened.

“…*sigh…*”-I prepared myself. “Look… I know that you think that you and I could be more than friends and stuff… But right now? I’m not looking for a love relationship. I’m not interested in having a girlfriend.”-I started.

“…”-Her smile froze, the grip on her drink tightened.

“I know this can be hard. But I hope you can understand… We can’t be a thing… Okay?”-I started.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…”-She kept her smile, but her hands were trembling. “You… You said I was cute, right? And all those moves you made on me? Were they a joke!?”

“Look. I do think you’re cute. Fuck, you’re hot as hell. Even without changing your hair color or putting lenses on. But… I’m not looking for a relationship at the moment. It’s not you… It’s me… Some things won’t let me be in a serious relationship.”-I shrugged. “And I don’t know what you mean… I never made a move on you.”

“…”-She closed her eyes and let her head hang low. “*SIGH…* Okay. I understand. I might have been a little carried away.”-Her voice suddenly turned serious, and this gave me the chills.

“I… I’m glad you understood, really.”-I smiled at her.

“Yes. You said you didn’t want a ‘serious’ relationship. But it doesn’t have to be anything formal or serious, really. Can we just be like… Fuck-friends or something?”-She tilted her head with a seductive smile.

“Huh? Nani?”-I was totally speechless.

“Hehe… You can be dumb sometimes, Cris.”-She smiled deeper. “I’m saying that I would be totally okay with having an informal relationship. Just sex, you know?”-She smiled.

“I’m sorry… But I’m not sure that would be a good idea for you…”-I said.

“Why, though? You said it yourself, you think I’m cute and hot, right? Why can’t we have just sex? You see, I’m a little stressed about all the work and stuff, so having a sex partner would indeed be a great stress relief.”

“That would lead you to fall in love with me with time. It could hurt you.”

“Oh, don’t be silly, I won’t. Trust me.”

{As if I would trust you.}

“I think being apart would be better.”

“Oh, come on! Please? It’s just sex, no emotions attached. I promise! Whenever you want to stop things, I’ll accept. But just give me a few weeks of your time, I’ve been so stressed lately.”-She said while hunching forwards and pressing her arms around her tits, making them look bigger than they were, a C coup, that looked bigger on her slim frame.

“*sigh…* I don’t know…”-I said.

{I would lie if I said I wasn’t interested… But… She’s dangerous…}-I thought to myself.

“Pretty please~?”- Now she’s pouting.

“*sigh…* Look… Okay. I’ll accept under one condition. There won’t be any kind of feeling attached. Nothing more than sex. Okay? If you can accept that condition, I’ll accept being in an informal relationship with you.”

“Great! I promise there won’t be feelings attached, nor any other kind of compromise! Just sex.”

“Fine… Don’t make me regret this…”

“You won’t! I swear! So? Can we start right now?”-She asks.

“Don’t you have work to do?”

“*sigh…* That’s right… What about after I go out?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t. Can we just make plans during your free days?”

“…”-She pondered. “But I’m only free twice a week…”-She said.

“Okay… Let’s do something. We’ll do with that for the moments, and then try to look for some free moments, what do you say?”-I ask.

“That’s good then. Tomorrow and Thursday are my free days of the week, and during special events like the midterms exams or so.”

“Great. I’ll text you tomorrow then.”-We exchanged numbers. “Now, I’ll be leaving. I’m glad we could agree. But I’ll warn you. This would be just sex. Don’t think about anything else. I’m not looking for a serious or formal relationship. Understood?”

“Yes! Just sex! I understood.”-She smiled, and I then left the place. Not before noticing a sudden shine in her eyes once I turned around.

{I hope this doesn’t go wrong…}-With that thought I left the place, with direction towards the forest where Rachel and I always practice.

***

“‘Supp?”-I raised my hand to say hi to Rachel, who, as usual, was already waiting for me in our usual meeting place.

I had to go back to my room to look for the sword, as I left it there, and took the chance of changing my clothes.

“I’m… Fine…”-She said, frowning a little while looking at my arm. “What happened? To your arm… I mean…”

“This? Don’t worry. It’s nothing serious, it will heal in no time.”-I shrugged. “Well, ready to start? You should have adapted already, right?”

“Fine… And yes… I think I already adapted to that weird sensation… Now I can go around without feeling pressured. But still… I sometimes feel some changes around me…”

“That’s normal, with the time you’ll adapt to that too, well, more like it will become like a sixth sense to you, or should I say like a seventh sense? That is if you consider feeling mana as a sixth sense. The same will happen with Natural Energy, with little differences.”-I smiled at her.

“Mm.”-She nodded with her serious face. “And… Now? What is left?”

“Now, we can start really training. But for that, I must ask. What’s the path you want to follow?”-I lift an eyebrow.

“Path… I want to follow…?”-She tilted her head. “I don’t think I understand…”

“Well, you for sure know that here, elementalists are like some kind of magician, right? That ‘command’ nature thanks to their contracted elementals.”

“…”-Rachel nodded.

“Exactly. Now, the thing is. That’s just one way to use your abilities as an elementalist. You might have had to go that way before, but now, it’s not the only possible path for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean. With your body and mana adapting to Natural Energy, now you can use the elements and elementals more directly than just going through the magician path.”-I said while taking out the sword from my scabbard and surrounding it on fire. “Like this, for example.”

“Wow…”-She looked at the sword as if looking at something awesome.

“This isn’t because a gift.”-I started while turning the fire covering the sword in a fireball that hovered over its tip. “This is control over Natural Energy. A control you may not have right now, but that you will be able to have when you first contract with an elemental, whether it is a fire one, a water one, an earth one, or whatever.”-I then extinguished the fire.

“I… I can make that?”-She asked.

“Yes. You’ll be able to. That’s why I’m asking. Which path do you wish to travel through?"-I said. "I can use Natural Energy and the power of elements as a direct boost to my own physical power, while at the same time also using elemental attacks like that fireball, without having to sacrifice my physical training, it's more like giving your body control over the element itself, adding it to your fighting style while also increasing your possible methods of attack. Of course, that means great control over the element itself, making it so I can use it as another limb of my body, unlike magic where you have to do calculations, in a way, it's more like an instinct than magic. That’s my preferred way. But you'll have to find which one you prefer.”

“Can… Can I train like you?”

“Mm? Why? I mean… It’s not like you can’t go through the same path, but why do you want that one?”

“I just think is the one that betters adapt to me… All my life I’ve been training with the use of the rapier… And changing midway to become some kind of magician feels weird to me… And using both styles at the same time could be good, but it would require double the effort to get the same result than if I was training just one style…”

“…”-I smiled.

“W-what?”

“Nothing. It’s just that you’re quite perceptive about yourself, or well, about your fighting style at least.”-I shrugged. “Yes. The way I use Natural Energy is the best one for you, as it wouldn't make you sacrifice your previous training or force you to work twice as harder as before just to have the same results. But this way has its own weakness. For example, it’s quite hard to train, and your body will be put under great stress while you're adapting.”

“…”-She pondered over it. “I… I’ll do it! I’ll train as much as I can to master it.”

“Haha… Great then.”-I sat cross-legged while putting my sword beside me. “First. We need you to contract with an elemental. Different from me, you cannot use Natural Energy on your own. You need a connection between nature and you. And that would be an elemental.”

“Ok.”-She nodded while also sitting in front of me. “How do I make a contract with one?”

“That’s easy, but complicated at the same time.”-I said. “Right now, we must be surrounded by them. Hundreds of elementals should probably be going around us, they’re present wherever Natural Energy is present. They feed on it. It’s their source of life, basically.”-I lift my index finger. “So, you just have to communicate with them, and try to form a pact with one of them.”

“And… How do I do that?”-She asks while tilting her head in confusion.

“Remember the technique I taught you? The breathing one?”

“Yes…”

“Start doing that. Let Natural Energy constantly flow through you and then back to your surroundings. And while you’re at it, focus your magic power around you, feeling through the grass, the air, the earth, everywhere. Focus your will on them. Try to call those that are born from nature.”

“…”-She nodded, but still had a confused look on her face.

“What?”

“No… It’s just… It sounds a little weird…”

“Haha… I know. But trust me. Just try to do as I say, you’ll be able to see results soon thanks to your affinity.”

“…”-She nodded and closed her eyes. Starting her training to first contract an elemental.

{Mm… She should do it on her own… But I guess a little help won’t hurt her at all.}-I thought before I started to circulate Natural Energy inside me, and then sending it out.

“…”-Her body twitched a little and opened one eye to look at me.

“Mm? Is there a problem?”-I ask.

“Um… No… It’s just that-”-She tried to say something.

“Focus. It’s better if you succeed today with your first contract. That way we could focus on how to use the energy later to fight effectively.”-I said before putting my index finger in front of my lips as if asking her to keep silent while winking at her.

“Mm…”-She nodded and closed her eyes again, with a slight blush on her face.

{Soon, this place should be filled to the brim with elementals.}-I thought while sending more and more Natural Energy out of me.

From time to time, Rachel would twitch a little and peek at me, before returning to her goal of contracting an elemental.