“Ava~!” [Mel]

In the school hallway, Mel jumped at Ava and tightly embraced her.

“Would you stop hugging m-would you stop licking me?!” [Ava]

Furthermore, she licked her cheek and grinned mischievously.

“What? It’s just how I greet my friends.” [Mel]

The bright orange-haired girl said lightly and stuck out her tongue.

“Then do it to everyone else, not just me.” [Ava]

“But they don’t want to, so I need to settle for you~.” [Mel]

“Goro, get this brat off me!” [Ava]

“Don’t order me around, girl!” [Goro]

Ava and the usual four met up by chance after class and were about to go eat lunch. But…

“Oh? What a coincidence for us to meet here.” [???]

On their way to the roof, someone called out to them, or more precisely, to the half-elf.

“Ava, as always, you are mesmerizing.” [???]

“… Thanks, I guess.” [Ava]

A human male that carried himself with a certain air of elegance was talking to her politely.

“I invited you to lunch yesterday, but you didn’t come. Did something urgent come up?” [???]

“No… I refused, remember?” [Ava]

“Haha, silly me. That is true. Then, would you like to eat lunch together? And if you can’t, how about dinner?” [???]

“I refuse.” [Ava]

“I see… That is a shame. In that case, let’s dine another time.” [???]

After the high schooler praised Ava’s beauty five more times and talked about how rich his family was, he finally left.

“… Did anyone get half of what he said? Also, who was that anyway?” [Ava]

Ava said as she looked at the four that were waiting behind her. The human, the harpy, the dragon and the therianthrope all had various expressions on their faces. Their group was quite eye-catching, not to mention they were standing in the middle of the hallway, so the surrounding students were staring at them.

“Um… he praised you a lot. It was, well, sort of embarrassing to listen to.” [Fyr]

Fyr said while blushing and poking her index fingers together.

“Wasn’t that the third year from last time? I guess he wants to get close to you.” [Allen]

Allen properly answered her questions as he kept his gaze on the young man’s back.

“Tch! Who cares? But, he’s got some guts, I’ll give him that.” [Goro]

Goro crossed his arms and clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Well, he was sweating at the end and escaped because of Goro’s glare, but yeah, he did have some guts.” [Mel]

Mel placed a finger on her chin and amusedly stared at the dragon. The high schooler from earlier probably wanted to stay longer, but couldn’t handle his hostility and left.

Putting what happened aside, they made their way to the rooftop and began to dig in. Their meals were prepared by the ogre, Murma, who wasn’t with them.

“You sure are popular, huh, Ava? But, be careful since not everyone wants to get along with you.” [Mel]

Mel said jokingly while chewing on her sandwich. She was sitting close to Ava and stuck her shoulder to hers, causing the latter to push her away.

“Hearing their compliments makes me shiver. If they actually ask me out, I’ll flip out.” [Ava]

“I don’t think that’ll happen, but they definitely want you to like them. It’s obvious they have ulterior motives.” [Allen]

“Huh? Those small fries? Liked by that girl? As if.” [Goro]

“Well, yeah, that’s impossible.” [Allen]

“Um, Allen, Goro, before being s-small fries, the problem is that Ava is, u-um…” [Fyr]

Allen, Goro and Fyr all looked at Ava at the same time.

“I’m into girls. Got a problem with that? I’ll bite ya’ll.” [Ava]

The half-elf returned their stares and spoke crudely in a deadpan tone.

“A-A-A-Ava! Sit properly! Your s-skirt! Your skirt!!” [Fyr]

Also, she was sitting with one knee raised to her chest.

While Fyr was panicking and trying to get her to sit like a proper lady, Allen was laughing dryly and Goro had looked away in a hurry.

“… You really are open about your feelings… Not shy at all.” [Mel]

As for Mel, she gazed at them silently after muttering to herself. No cheeky smile was on her face. Her eyes fell on Ava’s slender legs and went up her feminine body to her beautiful face.

The therianthrope opened her mouth wide, revealing her high canines, and took a large bite out of her sandwich. Then, while chewing her food, she looked up at the sky and nodded to herself.

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When night fell, the students of Sanctuary Academy had all gone back to their dorms and were asleep in their rooms. However, that wasn’t the case for Ava who was sitting on her bed and summoning Shadow Puppets to train. Her proficiency had increased which resulted in each summon requiring less stamina. She would bring forth one Shadow Puppet, dismiss it and repeat the process until she was too exhausted to continue.

The time was a bit after midnight and all lights were turned off. The room was completely quiet, making the slightest noise all the more evident.

“Hm?” [Ava]

Ava, who was about to once more summon a shadowy elven soldier, lowered her hand and turned her head towards her window.

For some reason, it was open. The next second, someone climbed in through the newly made opening.

“Hello~? Oh? You’re still awake!” [Mel]

An upbeat voice flew to her ears and she recognized who it was right away.

“You look a bit out of breath. Could it be~…?” [Mel]

“What the hell are you doing in my room, Mel?” [Ava]

Ignoring the question thrown at her, Ava asked the smirking therianthrope in an annoyed voice.

“I’m here to visit my friend, of course!” [Mel]

After closing the window, Mel hopped over to her in energetic steps and stopped in front of her bed.

“That’s a nice way to call trespassing.” [Ava]

“I came over to play with you! You should be nicer~.” [Mel]

“Thanks for coming by. Now get out.” [Ava]

The half-elf pointed at her window while staring at the intruder skeptically. Unfortunately, her attitude seemed to only widen the dog-eared girl’s grin.

“Geez, you really aren’t shy at all.” [Mel]

“You’re the one that’s not shy. Who the hell would sneak in someone’s room to play in the middle of the night?” [Ava]

“Well~… Isn’t that obvious?” [Mel]

“Wha-!” [Ava]

Before Ava could react, Mel suddenly grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down. As her back hit the bed, the therianthrope was now on all fours and looming over her while grinning mischievously. It wasn’t her usual, energetic smile, but a rather predatory one.

“It’s to tease you.” [Mel]

Mel licked her cheek without warning. She had done if often for the past few days. However, it wasn’t a light and playful lick this time. Her tongue was firmly pressed on the half-elf’s cheek and she slowly moved up as if to get a good taste of her skin.

“Get off!” [Ava]

Though momentarily stunned by the unexpected assault, Ava quickly struggled to push Mel away. However, her efforts proved futile since the girl with bright orange hair caught her wrists and forcibly held them in place on the bed.

“Don’t be so rough. I’m just playing~.” [Mel]

“Then why don’t you let me go and we’ll play ‘Hit the pervert’?” [Ava]

“Hahaha!” [Mel]

“Stop laughing!” [Ava]

Ava tried to break free, but Mel’s strength was greater than hers and kept her pinned in place. Moreover, the therianthrope quickly adjusted her position so that she was between the black-haired half-elf’s legs.

“Why are you so freaking strong!? Crap, I need to lift more!” [Ava]

Since escape was deemed impossible, Ava rapidly began going over her options.

“(I could summon Shadow Puppets to subdue her, but I don’t want anyone to know about them yet. Besides that… Scream for help like a little girl? But, my pride as a man… Even if I don’t have much… My pride as a man…)” [Ava]

While she was in a dilemma, the opponent made the next move.

“Waah!” [Ava]

Mel suddenly licked her ear which caused her voice to unintentionally leak out because of the weird sensation coursing through her like electricity.

“Does it tickle?” [Mel]

The dog-eared girl stared at her with sparkling eyes that were full of curiosity.

“It tickled and shocked and numbed all at once! Did you hit me with magic?!” [Ava]

The feeling was as if her legs had gone numb and she was forced to walk while being tickled. It spread from her ear to her head, and travelled down to the rest of her body.

“Ah! So it’s true! An elf’s ears are super sensitive! I’ve found your weak point~!” [Mel]

“What the hell kind of dumb racial weakness is that and why didn’t I know about it?! It’s worse than losing your strength when your tail’s grabbed!” [Ava]

“Hehe, that was the first time I saw you flustered~! Your voice just now was really cute~!” [Mel]

Mel giggled and teasingly told her so with red cheeks.

“… Screw a man’s pride!” [Ava]

Just as the half-elf seriously considered screaming for help and waking up the entire dorm…

“Ava, you’re not shy at all.” [Mel]

Mel firmly stared into her eyes of different color. There was a sudden shift in her behavior.

“You know, I’m always cheerful and outgoing, but there’s no way I can be like you.” [Mel]

Unlike her usual toothy grin, the small smile she sported contained a hint of melancholy and loneliness.

“You can easily say what you like, but I can’t do that.” [Mel]

“Huh? What are we talking about?” [Ava]

Her voice wasn’t the bouncing, cheerful one that she always used whenever she met up with Ava and the others. Currently, it was soft, somber and almost sounded self-depreciative.

“I’m jealous, you know? Of how outgoing you are, and the friends you have. Allen, Fyr and Goro don’t look at you weirdly and avoid you… They’re really nice friends.” [Mel]

“Wait, are we having a serious conversation in this situation?” [Ava]

“… You’re really interesting, you know that? I wish I could be like you… To not be shy at all…” [Mel]

“No, seriously, what’s with your sudden mood change?” [Ava]

“Ava…” [Mel]

At some point, Mel wasn’t talking to Ava, but at her. However, while the dog-eared girl seemed lost in thought, her grip on the half-elf didn’t slacken at all.

“… Want to mate?” [Mel]

Out of the blue, Mel asked her something outrageous.

“… Huh?” [Ava]

“I always wanted to know… How it feels like to mate with a girl.” [Mel]

Her cheeks were red and her eyes were dead serious as she stared at the black-haired girl’s face.

“… Just kidding!” [Mel]

But, the next instant, she took back what she said while grinning and showing off her high canines.

“I’ll stop here for tonight. If I tease you any more, you might hate me.” [Mel]

Slowly, the therianthrope let go of the half-elf’s wrists and raised her upper body.

“Were you surprised~? Shocked~?” [Mel]

“Does angry work?” [Ava]

Ava thrusted out her fist without warning, but Mel effortlessly dodged it and leaped off the bed.

“What~? I thought you like girls. Weren’t you happy?” [Mel]

“Your breasts felt nice, but that’s about it.” [Ava]

“Geez~, I got rejected. I’ll be going home with a heavy heart!” [Mel]

“Seriously, what did you come here for?” [Ava]

When she heard the half-elf’s tired question, a small, bitter smile floated on her face.

“I guess I was too excited ever since I became friends with you. Sorry.” [Mel]

“Huh? Since when were we friends? You need to at least fight an army with me before I even consider it.” [Ava]

“Haha, that’s harsh! Then, let’s go on a date to get closer!” [Mel]

“Like hell.” [Ava]

While giggling, Mel skipped to the window, opened it and put one foot on the windowsill.

“Ah, that’s right!” [Mel]

She turned her head and gazed at Ava with a big, mischievous grin.

“Since you said my breasts feel nice, let me grope yours next time! They look so round and soft and squishy~.” [Mel]

She said as she raised one hand and wiggled her fingers.

“You actually harassing me, brat?!” [Ava]

“Hmm? Would you prefer if Goro did it? They’d fit right in his hands. He’ll be super pleased, but I heard dragons are a merciless bunch, so he might get rough if you two go too far~.” [Mel]

“Shut up and leave!” [Ava]

Ava threw her pillow, which harmlessly hit the therianthrope’s face.

“Hahaha! Good night!” [Mel]

Instead of taking offense, Mel laughed, stuck out her tongue and flashed one last energetic, toothy grin before jumping out through the window.

“Crazy kid.” [Ava]

Once she was gone, Ava went to pick up her pillow and close the window. She was wondering if she should continue to interact with that bright orange-haired girl, or cut ties completely.

“… Guess I’ll meditate.” [Ava]

But, she decided to leave it for later and went back to bed.

An hour after Mel’s intrusion, the window was opened once more and someone silently entered the room.

“What is it now?” [Ava]

That person froze when he heard the half-elf’s voice. He didn’t expect her to still be awake, but there she was, sitting cross-legged on her bed and quietly meditating.

“… Crap.” [Ava]

However, when she saw the trespasser that was faintly revealed by the moonlight, her lazy eyes narrowed slightly.

It wasn’t Mel, but someone dressed in black clothes. A hood covered their head and a mask of cloth wrapped the lower half of their face. From their figure, it wasn’t an adolescent student, but a grown man.

“… Not sure if I prefer you over Mel.” [Ava]

From the knives strapped to his body and the readied dagger in his hand, he didn’t sneak in her room to tease her like a certain therianthrope.

“Nah, you’re easier to deal with.” [Ava]