Eat The World Tree

Chapter 290: It's None Of Your Business

“what are you going to do?”

“...i’ll stay up all night.”

i sat in the library talking with maronnie.

there were things i couldn’t figure out just from the classes i had all day, and with so much material, pulling an all-nighter was inevitable.

thanks to sansuyu dropping by and cutting some fruit for me, i had enough sugar to keep going.

sansuyu therapy was the best.

“...you should sleep a little. what will you do tomorrow?”

1 am.

maronnie, having finished her portion of the work, stood up.

watching her from the side, i could understand why people called her a genius.

even though we were working on the same section, she solved it 4–5 minutes faster than i did.

one or two questions weren’t an issue to catch up with, but over hours, the gap grew to dozens or even hundreds of problems.

the difference in our study pace was devastating.

“...you’re still there.”

“......”

maronnie glanced at my papers, surprised at how far behind i was.

sorry for not being smart enough.

but it was not like i got called stupid often.

i may slack off a bit or have a rough personality, but i still got things done.

it was just that maronnie was ridiculously smart.

“you should go ahead and sleep; i’ll understand everything here by the time you wake up.”

“...you really should sleep, though.”

as i spoke, maronnie hesitated before sitting back down, gathering her skirt and pulling her chair next to mine.

now we were less than a hand’s breadth apart.

“...do you want me to teach you?”

maronnie blushed slightly, tilting her head down to look up at me like a curious kitten.

“i’m really good at teaching.”

that was a blow to my pride.

was this what it felt like to be overwhelmed by a genius appointed by the nation?

the gap in our intellect was undeniable.

“...i’ll do it on my own. it’s more fun that way.”

“i kind of get it. you get stuck on one problem for like five hours.”

i said it offhandedly, but she agreed wholeheartedly.

had she really spent five hours on a problem before?

“but if you don’t sleep like this, it’ll affect your health.”

“it won’t affect me.”

“......”

maronnie gave me a disapproving look.

what did she expect me to do?

she folded her arms on the desk, rested her chin on them, and just stared at me as if silently protesting.

-gulp.

i heard the sound of someone swallowing.

“then i’ll wait until you’re finished.”

“...you should get some sleep.”

“we’re in the same class. back in my day, i did this often with my lab friends.”

did she think i’d stop?

her words made me even more determined to keep studying.

maronnie laid down and dozed off, waking up occasionally to glance at me before drifting off again.

“nngh,”

she squirmed uncomfortably.

i kept moving my pen, but her fidgeting was too distracting, and i had no choice but to stop studying.

“sigh.”

this was why i didn’t get along well with those who had white magic.

both of us were so stubborn that we never backed down.

in the end, i was always the one to give up first, just like when i was with baekdo.

“maronnie.”

“...yes.”

“let’s wash up and get some sleep.”

blanche rubbed her eyes, stretched her stiff body, and got up.

we stood up, organized our books, and headed to our rooms.

“did you finish everything?”

“no. you looked too uncomfortable sleeping, so i decided to call it a night.”

“are you worried about me?”

“yeah, think of it that way.”

“...sometimes, i can’t tell if you’re kind or not.”

still, seeing her smile at me meant she wasn’t in a bad mood.

looking at her now, she seemed to be gradually loosening up.

before, just touching her would make her breathe heavily as if she were about to explode, but now we could have casual conversations like this.

compared to a few days ago, this was great progress.

maybe now she wouldn’t flinch if i touched her with my hands.

-swish.

with that thought in mind, i reached out and touched maronnie’s head.

her soft, sky-blue hair slipped through my fingers.

it felt like silk. the hair sprouted between my fingers and stood up like a cat’s ears at the sides of my hands.

the more i looked, the more fascinating it was.

it seemed to move according to her emotions.

“wh-why are you touching me again?!”

“oh. i was just checking if my ability was still affecting you.”

“...i take it back! i take back calling you kind. you’re still the same....”

“sorry.”

she hit my shoulder lightly, then grabbed my shirt.

“but you’ve improved a lot, haven’t you?”

“......that’s... not really improvement, just because i was lying on your bed....”

maronnie mumbled in a voice so quiet i wasn’t sure it was meant for me to hear.

her voice was too small to be intentional.

it wasn’t just magic that had improved after my trip back. my senses had sharpened as well, and i heard everything.

that soft, sultry voice... she recognized it.

it wasn’t the sound of pain, but rather a sound of pleasure, the kind one made during intimate moments.

unable to control herself, maronnie immediately turned her head to see the scene.

“...!?!?”

it was supposed to be a medical act.

but... no.

shiheon was holding a silicone dome-shaped object in his hands, moving it in a way that was anything but medical.

maronnie gasped, covering her mouth and quickly shutting the door.

-thump, thump, thump.

‘what, what, what... what is this?’

her mind was spinning, shattered by the shock.

but amid her shock, maronnie felt a dirty feeling deep inside her chest.

‘so this was the “embarrassing” thing...’

was it for something so indecent?

her heart ached as if it were being squeezed.

had shiheon’s ability included feelings like this as well? the impact felt like a hammer to her head, leaving her dazed.

-‘i’ve never done anything like this with anyone but you.’

why did shiheon’s words suddenly come to mind?

i knew it was a lie, but it felt like my heart was breaking.

“...ahh! ahhhh! why did i look?! blanche, you idiot, ahhh!”

maronnie banged her fists against the floor in regret.

yet, amidst her shame, there was still a lingering excitement and curiosity. maronnie wiped the sweat from her chin and waved her hands in frustration. ℟аνộbęŝ

‘so they were... that kind of couple.’

whether it was a medical procedure or not, touching someone’s chest with a device wasn’t exactly normal.

maronnie, holding her breath, opened the door again.

what she saw through the crack in the door...

shiheon was right in front of her.

“all done.”

“eek!”

thud!

she fell to the floor.

“what’s wrong?”

she glanced quickly into the room.

the scent of milk. it was the same smell that sometimes came from sansuyu’s body.

sansuyu was wearing a white t-shirt now, and as maronnie looked, she replayed the scene from earlier in her mind.

-thump, thump.

for some reason, she felt a little angry.

“...is sansuyu okay now?”

“yeah.”

he answered shamelessly.

maronnie clenched her teeth, frustrated.

it was hard to even put into words.

if they were consenting adults, she had no right to interfere.

...she figured her own feelings were just a mistake, manipulated by circumstance.

but maybe those two were truly lovers.

maronnie never imagined shiheon would use his ability on sansuyu as well.

“get up.”

she took shiheon’s hand and stood up.

at that moment, the strong scent of sweat wafted from his body.

the scene flashed through her mind again.

the image of shiheon, drenched in sweat, touching sansuyu’s chest replayed in her head, and maronnie felt like she was losing control.

...again.

that feeling was coming back again.

“...i need to go to the bathroom.”

“huh? oh. go ahead.”

-creak!

bang!

the door slammed loudly.

maronnie pushed shiheon slightly and rushed into the bathroom, immediately sitting down on the toilet and pulling down her stockings.

despite having just showered, her lower body was already soaked. just the slightest touch made her tremble uncontrollably.

“...he said he only did it with me. what kind of medical procedure is this?”

sansuyu’s pained face had long disappeared from her mind.

even if it were a medical procedure, even if shiheon had called it “embarrassing,” sansuyu had been enjoying it.

and the sight of shiheon, touching her large breasts...

that excited look on his face... it was driving her crazy.

it seemed like she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

after finishing my shower, i took a quick nap.

for some reason, maronnie had been in the bathroom for a long time. i thought i might strike up a conversation, but i ended up falling asleep first.

it often happened when i had a lot of contact with sansuyu.

“...you’re not asleep?”

when i sat up from the bed, maronnie was sitting on the edge of the bed.

she seemed to be getting ready to go out.

but her outfit was a little revealing.

she wore white stockings that showed her underwear, and she had on just a short-sleeved shirt and stockings.

it almost seemed like she was glaring at me.

“...i couldn’t sleep.”

so, the same person who yelled at me to sleep, couldn’t sleep herself.

“why?”

i asked, confused, and maronnie stuck out her tongue while braiding one side of her hair.

“...it’s none of your business.”

her expression was subtly reproachful.

at that moment, sansuyu shifted in her sleep.

seeing sansuyu’s soft, glistening face, maronnie glared at me even more intensely than before, her expression turning sour.

“i don’t know.”

she looked like she was about to cry.