Elly was 8 and a half now. But getting older didn’t stop Sapphire from hugging him every now and then. But at least she had finally let her guard down around Suki and had stopped sleeping next to him every night with the fear that something could go wrong.

“Snuggle time?” Sapphire opened her arms.

“Is that what we’re calling it now?!”

“What’s wrong with that?” She tilted her head.

“It’s just…” He prayed Mom and Dad would never find out about this. I don’t want to be teased.

Sapphire pulled him into her, giggling. “You’re 10 times cuter when you’re flustered. Did you know that?”

“No, I didn’t know that…” By now, he knew how to survive all her death hugs. All he had to do was turn his head to the side so the pressure was on the side of his head, not his face. Still, it was a challenge because her hugs could get tight.

“Ease up a little, will you?”

She ignored him.

“You really need to go make some friends, Saph. You have issues.”

“Is that right? At least I don’t call my pwecious tutor ‘mommy’ in my sleep.”

His stomach twinged as he eyed her, horrified. “THAT’S NOT TRUE.”

“I have heard you say such things, Elly,” Suki commented, attached to his ear as usual.

“NO WAY. THERE’S NO WAY THAT’S TRUE.”

“Sometimes, when I try to wake you up in the mornings, you say, ‘Noooo, not yet! 5 more minutes, mommy!’”

His cheeks flushed. “That can’t be…” He choked on his words, unable to get the rest out. THERE’S NO WAY THAT’S TRUE. I’M A BIG GIRL. Or boy, I guess? I’m not a grown-up, but… No. No way in hell. She must be delusional. “You’ve obviously hit your head. Get it checked.”

“Do you want breastmilk too?” Sapphire let him go, reached up, and groped her modest breasts with both hands.

“I’VE SEEN ENOUGH.” He pulled his arms away from her and stormed out of his bedroom. Even after he stepped outside, he heard her.

“Hahahahaha!”

He grunted. “Or I should take her offer just to spite her.”

“Yes, that is an option,” Suki suggested.

“Forget it.” He didn’t have the courage, and that would be too weird, especially at his current age. If anything, she was more like a big sister.

Mom and Dad said that when he turned 12, he would be going to school in the capital. He would definitely miss Sapphire. “I should enjoy what time I have left with her.”

“Hm?” Suki asked.

“I’m going to school when I turn 12, and when I do that, I won’t get to see her much anymore.”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Ah. Then yes, you should enjoy your time left. Perhaps you could engage in more of this… ‘snuggle time’ she spoke of?”

Elly flushed again. “Don’t call it that!”

“Understood.”

Sapphire had decided that they should take the day off, so Elly had lots of free time.

At this current age, he had a wide variety of spells under his belt, though he still hadn’t mastered long-distance teleportation, so it wasn’t like he could go visit her whenever he wanted once she left.

~~~

Sapphire sat under a tree, back against the bark while Elly lay down with his head in her lap.

“Saph?”

“Hm?” She looked down at him.

“How old are you?”

“W-what?! Where did that come from?!”

“You look just as young as you were when I first saw you.”

“Oh. Call it a blessing.” She smiled, running her fingers through his hair.

They were still keeping Suki a secret from Mom and Dad and had just said the earring was a gift from Sapphire.

“I wish I could take you to school with me.”

“Me too.” She was using her hand as a comb to fix his hair, as he almost never combed it himself. “I’ll make you an earring to match Suki to suppress most of your magical energy. Then Suki can bind it to your ear with her own energy. Never take it off unless you have to.”

“Why? What’s wrong with it?”

“I know you wouldn’t want to stand out and scare away any potential friends.”

“Yeah,” he replied. She was right.

Her face grew sad suddenly. “Don’t be like me. School isn’t just for learning. It’s also about building connections and making sure you enjoy your time there. Help people if they need help. And have fun. But if anyone tries to bully you or anyone, give them a good smack.” Her smile came back.

Her smile caused him to smile. He laughed.

“What’s funny?”

“It’s so surprising that you’d choose violence. You never seemed like the type.”

“There are exceptions. Some people deserve it. You need to stand up for yourself, and if you ever feel lost on what to do, ask me. Send me some letters once in a while.”

“I will.”

“And be honest with people. Honesty is a great quality to have.”

“Okay.” For her, he would try to be.

A pressing question emerged in his mind. “And… um… so…”

“Hm?” She paused her combing.

He flushed. “Do you… know any spells to change a boy into a girl?”

She burst out laughing and wiped a tear from her eye. “I always knew you were girly, but wow.”

“...Yeah…” I guess not. She must be judging me.

“And don’t worry, I’m not judging you. You just caught me by surprise. Honestly, sometimes, I fantasize about dressing you up like a doll. But I never got around to it. I just thought you wouldn’t like it.”

“I wouldn’t mind.”

Sapphire looked pleasantly surprised. “I should’ve asked years back. But there’s still time left.”

They only had a few more years of fun time together.

“You’re like the younger brother I’ve always wanted.”

“I could say the same for you.” In Elly’s previous life, he never had anyone to look up to. No siblings. And people had always looked up to him instead. It had been incredibly pressuring. She had taught him a lot, not just magic. Mom and Dad had been so busy at the capital, so Sapphire had essentially raised him, from 5 anyway, and she would continue until he turned 12.

They stayed in silence, enjoying the gently passing afternoon breeze.

“Thanks to you, I know what to specialize in.”

“And what's that?” Elly himself still hadn't found a distinct specialization. He was a master of many areas and so had decided that a sole specialization would hinder his growing potential. He was a polymath.

“Water manipulation. I'll be a water mage.”

“That's good.” That was unsurprising. Her hair and eyes were blue after all. “It suits you.”

“Because my hair and eyes are blue?”

He nodded.

She chuckled. “That's not how magic works, silly! It's just a coincidence.”

“Hmm…” He went off, lost in thought…

The puffy clouds overhead moved very slowly across the sky…