“When are you going to actually teach me something?” I said.

It was currently Monday morning, just before lunchtime, and Livia was sitting at her desk typing away while I worked on “focusing my thoughts on the vase”. This vase I’d been tasked with stood tall, almost mockingly, in the middle of the coffee table before me.

“If you were to listen to me and follow my lesson plan we could’ve started by now, but since you’ve chosen to keep being uncooperative that will have to wait.”

I clicked my tongue and got up, heading for the mini fridge behind me. I’d seen Livia grab various drinks and other snacks from it in the time I was in her care, so I had no doubt there was something in it I could snack on.

“What are you doing?” said Livia.

It went without saying that I couldn’t actually leave the room unless Livia wanted me to since only she could unlock the door.

“I’m just grabbing a drink,” I said.

“Mhm.”

I honestly expected her to stop me.

At least she isn’t stingy I guess.

I approached the fridge with some doubt and pulled lightly on the handle to open it.

Beep Beep.

I turned my head to look at Livia. “Why do you have to lock everything?”

Frankly, I wasn’t surprised. In fact, it could be said I was relieved to find the fridge locked. If it hadn’t been I’d be even more concerned that this was some elaborate trap laid out by Livia to blackmail me into doing whatever she wanted.

Oh wait. She’s kinda already doing that.

Livia looked at me, though she didn’t stop typing. Most people are at least capable typists in this age, what with technology being embedded into just about every part of people’s lives, so I barely even noticed.

“Yes!” snapped Livia. “Now if you would take your seat and simply maintain your focus on that vase, I might spare you some of my time to teach you. But if you don’t want to do that I have no interest in teaching you.”

Why’s she so mad? That time of the month?

“That’s fine by me. Just let me go to class like everyone else.”

Now she stopped typing. I’d managed to do this to her a few times in the last week, with each one being a small victory for me in this endlessly boring game of “Livia says”.

“Would you like to be nullified?”

“With you as a teacher I may as well be.”

Livia’s lips glued themselves together, and she stared at her display before switching it off.

Ooh, that one hit her.

“So you want me to teach you something?”

Oh shit have I unlocked a new route?!

“Please do.”

Livia took a breath, placed her palms on her desk and pushed herself out of her seat.

“Follow me,” said Livia, heading for the door.

For the first time since I’d been under her care, Livia left her office with me in tow. Since it was around lunchtime the rest of the students of this academy were out and about, chatting innocently as they enjoyed their lunch.

Fuck you.

Yes. I was a tad salty.

This also made it the first time the rest of the student body got to see Livia and I together. Yet another marvelous revelation.

“Damn she’s hot,” said a male student.

Fuck off.

“Why is he following her?”

Hell if I know.

“Who is she?”

The alpha bitch.

Most of the attention went to Livia, primarily in the form of ogling from the boys, but a few people did wonder why I was following her.

I probably look like some creepy stalker.

Livia wrapped her coat around herself, aware of the many eyes on her body, or simply perhaps cold. I didn’t care enough to ask. She led me through a hallway, past several classrooms full of students enjoying their lunch with friends, and then she went outside, taking a left.

“Where are we going?” I said, speeding up to walk beside Livia.

Sure, I somewhat hated this bitch, but at the moment I actually felt more comfortable speaking to her than anyone else in this school. I’d basically become a social outcast, having missed that crucial time at the start of the school year where everyone was scuttling around to find friends.

Well I did get a handjob out of it…

My brain had no qualms with entertaining the possibility that I could get even more, but I had concerns that would have to take a higher priority. I still wasn’t confident in my understanding of Livia and whatever she was trying to achieve. No doubt, she wanted something from me. She’d told me herself that we were in a “mutually beneficial” relationship, but just what was she trying to get and what was I meant to get out of this?

“To the training grounds,” said Livia.

“Are you going to teach me something?” I said.

“You’ll see.”

Oh this can’t be good.

Livia led me towards the back of the Academy along a torn cast concrete pathway and headed towards a metal wire mesh gate. It was only up to about shoulder height and kept shut with a chain and padlock, so it wasn’t really the kind of gate that could stop people gaining entry, but, rather, discourage people from entering.

As we approached the gate the chain and padlock keeping it shut collapsed. Livia pushed the gate open and walked through, and I followed behind. I spun around as I heard the gate squeak a little, closing itself behind me and then locking itself again.

“Did you do that?” I said.

Livia ignored me, but I continued to follow her. We walked along the concrete path, now flanked by the sides of buildings, and after twenty or thirty meters the the path ended at the edge of a large green turf.

“Is this it?” I said, looking around. There wasn’t much. It was a green sports turf with a few noticeably faded markings drawn on it for various activities. It wasn’t the most private spot either, what with the many buildings surrounding it with windows looking down.

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“Unfortunately. But we will make due.” Livia headed towards the end of the turf to my left and I followed along.

Once we arrived, with the rest of the turf stretched out before us, Livia turned towards me and pulled out a small metallic marble. She rolled it between her fingers, playing with it for a few seconds like how she’d played with my-

Time and a place Ryu. Time and a place.

Livia snapped her hand shut, hiding the marble.

“The lesson starts now. Find the marble.”

I tilted my head to the side. Is she serious?

“It’s in your hand.”

Livia opened her hand and flipped it over to show me the other side. Nothing.

“No it’s not. Now find the marble,” said Livia.

I scanned my eyes across the court, but it was more a reflex than anything. I already knew it was hopeless to actually try find the marble. “You used magic. It could be anywhere.”

“No, it’s somewhere on this court. Now find the marble.”

I looked Livia in the eye. “You’re meant to teach me something.”

Livia smirked. “I am.”

“So what are you teaching?”

“I’m teaching you to how to find your-”

“You know just as well as me where they are,” I said, wearing a smirk of my own.

Livia clicked her tongue. “Tsk.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re not meant to give your students handjobs either. So I’d stop being such a bitch if I were you.”

For a moment, Livia’s lips fell into a scowl, but they they quickly bounced back into a suspicious smile.

“Let’s-”

“I honestly don’t get it.”

“Hmm?”

“You.” My eyes locked onto Livia’s. “You obviously hate this job so why are you here?”

Livia looked down at her hand. The marble was back, rolling between her fingers. “You’re not meant to ask so many questions. Now let’s begin the lesson.” Livia hadn’t said it as to pose a question. She’d put her foot down and had no intention of moving.

“Fine.” I’d already won so there was no point in fighting. I wasn’t dumb enough to press my luck. She wanted to teach me, and compared to sitting in her office looking at vases and performing even more of her stupid “focus exercises” this was a godsend.

Livia walked towards me and I watched, curious.

“Raise your hand,” said Livia.

I did as told and raised my right arm, pointing it forward.

“You’ve done your coursework, correct?” said Livia, stopping to the right of me. It’d taken her a little under ten seconds to get there, as if she'd deliberately taken her time, and my arm was starting to feel its weight.

“Yes.”

“So you’re aware of what a spell formula is? Tell me.”

My right arm wobbled a little so I tried to bring it down, but Livia tapped it from underneath with the top of her hand and raised it back into position.

“Keep your arm straight. Now tell me.”

I took a breath. “Uh… it’s a combination of things used to activate a spell?”

Yeah she ain’t gonna like that one.

Livia looked at me, her eyebrows a little tense in thought. “That’s a very simple definition, but at least you remember something.”

She took a step back.

“What you’re currently doing is one of the requirements for a spell commonly known as ‘Repel’ which I’m sure you can guess what it does-”

“Repel something.”

“-Yes.” Livia kept facing me and raised her right arm such that it was parallel to my own. “It’s a commonly taught spell for beginners as it’s used as a base in many other directed spells. I will demonstrate it.”

“Wait so can I put my arm down?”

“No.”

Livia’s head swung right, looking in the same direction as her arm, and after a moment she put her arm down and looked back at me.

“Uh, did you do it?”

Livia let out a sigh and rubbed her forehead while looking around the court. “I’ll admit it isn’t the most obvious spell, at least to a beginner. I’ll demonstrate it again.”

Livia quickly took two steps back and pointed her arm at-

“Wai-!”

My body recoiled as if a piston of air had slammed against into my shoulder, and I stumbled backward four, no, five steps to regain my balance. My head dropped down and my eyes swept across me, as my hands patted over my body. There was nothing. Not a single sign of any such piston hammering into me, aside from the aching resonating from my shoulder and the sound of my short, surprised breaths.

“I may have put a little too much into that one…” mumbled Livia, walking towards me and seizing my hand.

Like the last time she’d touched me, and not the time where she’d touched me, my body suddenly felt energised and the pain vanished. Livia released my hand immediately after.

“Now you can try. Raise your arm.”

Why did she make me hold up my arm in the first place?!

I complied and half a second later my arm was stretched out before me, and, quite happily, pointing at Livia who seemed equally if not more amused by my intentions.

“I suppose this,” Livia dipped her head towards my arm. “Might encourage you to get this right, so I’ll allow it.”

I smiled at her as I snickered to myself. I could picture it in my head. Such a beautiful sight. A literal column of air surging forth and throwing her to the ground. Yes! I heard a manic laugh in my head. That was what I wanted. To avenge my stricken pride as a man.

“In order to…”

Livia’s voice returned me to the real world, where time had barely passed, and my eyes locked with hers.

Fuck you.

In that instant something left me, coiling down my arm before escaping into the air. I could see it this time, barely. A slight change in the air between Livia and I. A light blue shimmer, only visible for a fraction of a second. As quick as my eyes had spotted it they picked up a second shimmer, the same color but more defined, more organised. A shimmering blue cocoon that shined for a moment before dispersing.

“I see you’ve already figured it out.” Livia smiled. “Not bad. We’ll try something harder then.”

Well who knew… my first ever spell would be cast to the words “fuck you”...

“Okay,” I said it definitively, as to command attention. “This is gonna sound dumb as fuck but I have no fucking idea how this shit keeps happening. I literally looked at you and thought about fucking y- I mean I thought ‘fuck you’ and shit happened.”

Livia’s smile widened and she let out a laugh, an honest laugh that was quickly hushed because an alpha bitch doesn’t laugh. “That... sounds about right, but I suppose you want me to actually explain how the spell works?”

I nodded my head profusely. “Yes please.”

Livia took a seat, on the air, and folded her legs.

Wait what. Must be more magic mumbo-jumbo.

“Can I get a seat?”

“No.”

What is this, corporeal punishment?

Livia began her lecture in that sophisticated voice she just had to be born with that so happened to trigger me. It was like she wanted to rub in the fact she knew something I didn’t.

“When you want to move your arm you don’t have to think about how to do it do you? It’s a natural movement, your body does the actual work of telling your muscles to contract and relax and you never worry about it.”

Livia paused and I nodded for her to go on.

“That’s what magic is like. You should be able to perform the basic actions without a thought, and combining those actions you can cast spells. However, if your magic simply activated whenever you wanted to do something that would be rather problematic, so it only engages when you really want something to happen. You really wanted to repel me didn’t you, mister Hyuni?”

My eyebrow twitched, and I raised my arm towards Livia.

“Don’t waste my time. You may have caught me off guard once, but that isn’t going to happen again.”

I tried anyway, shooting off another one of those shimmering blue waves that did nothing other than make me feel a little better. It was like kind’ve like ejaculating. A quick dopamine rush followed by wanting to curl up into a ball and take a nap. Maybe not the last part.

“Oops,” I said, half-heartedly with a grin.

Livia sighed. “Will that be all?”

I cleared my throat. “Yes.”

Livia stared at me for a moment, confirming to herself that I was in fact done with being a little shit.

“The next spell I’ll show you is really just a variant of the repel spell, however it’s generally called arcane missile which is wholly inaccurate. I’m not going to demonstrate this one so raise your arm.”

I raised my arm again, pointing it at Livia who was unfazed.

“Unlike repel which emits a conical wave of force, arcane missile focuses that force into a much smaller range. A perfectly cast arcane missile would appear as if it were a single ray. In terms of casting it’s exactly the same as repel except you also need to visualise a ray in your mind.”

“What happens if I visualise a missile?”

“Nothing.”

“Why?”

“As far as we know that’s simply the way it is. It’s like asking me why anything exists - we don’t know. That’s simply the way it is.”

“Uhuh.”

It’s like this whole magic system was thought up by a buffoon and now it’s just being held together by band-aids.

I left it at that and cleared my head. The bulk of my interest was leaning towards trying out this spell anyway, so I straightened my arm, not that I was sure if that made any difference. Conjuring a strong desire to smack Livia wasn’t difficult at all, so all that left me to focus on was trying to conjure a ray to smack her.

“Is this thing like zapping someone with a laser or more like blowing out of a straw?” I said.

Livia stared at me, blank. “Don’t waste my time.”

Laser it is.

I put my right leg behind me and coiled my arm back.

Pow!

My arm uncoiled in an instant, like a bullwhip, moving with such speed it was if I could hear that thunderous crack ringing in my ears. My arm was now completely outstretched before Livia, who was staring at me with obvious distaste in her eyes. I visualised myself popping her with a glock like the-boy-who-lived should’ve done to he-who-shall-not-be-named from the get-go, and, impressively, I did pop her. Or perhaps bop. That sounds cuter.

I could see this phenomenon much more clearly. A short glowing streak of light blue streaking from my finger towards Livia. It didn’t quite hit her though, dispersing on that invisible cocoon of hers and sending out small ripples like a drop of water falling into a pond would. I’d figured out by now, quite obviously, it was some kind of shield she was projecting.

“How was that?” I said.

“Again, it wasn’t bad. But this is all rather elementary.”

Y’know. I should just be grateful she’s even being a tinge of nice to me.

“Thanks.”

The corners of Livia’s lips curved up slightly as she stood up and turned her back to me, heading towards the gate. I caught on that we were leaving and sped after her.

“Don’t get used to things being easy.” Livia still had her back to me, walking faster than before. ”You picked up on these quite quickly but natural talent can only get you so far.”

“Is that honest advice?”

“Yes.”

“From experience?”

Livia stopped and turned her head to the side. The look in her eyes stabbed into me, making me shiver.

“Don’t push it.”

Was worth a shot.

Livia led me back to her office and, as I’d come to expect by now, locked the door. She didn’t say anything either, choosing to take a seat at her desk and start typing away at whatever she was doing. I looked to the couch, where I swore I could somehow see an imprint of my ass beginning to etch itself into the surface. I’d sat there at least ninety-five percent of the time I was here.

I took a breath. A grounding breath. I could see the perks of having Livia as my tutor. I got to sit here in a warm room on a nice couch with a woman I could ogle at her displeasure. Or maybe I was just learning to be happy with what I had.

Regardless, I took my seat and grabbed one of the many neatly labelled folders on the coffee table. My eyes glossed over the cover as I flipped it open, but after flipping through a dozen or so pages my brain caught up, and I registered that I had no idea what I was looking at.

I closed the folder and carefully read the label on the front. Printed in bold, it said “Ex. 14-2”.

Huh. A new topic?

I flipped past the cover again to check the first page. The page was covered in hand written notes in clear cursive font. I flipped through the following pages and more of the same followed, with a few images interspersed here and there.

Is this for me?

My eyes jumped to Livia and back.

Or did she mix this up with my coursework?

If she had she hadn’t realised yet. I took some time to deliberate, but it was hardly a decision at all. My curiosity easily won me over. I threw my feet up on the couch and sat back. Livia payed no attention. She was pretty relaxed so long as I didn’t disturb her and was doing my work.

I shuffled around one last time before my eyes focused on the first page of my newfound interest.

Let’s see what you left me.