How to Survive at the Academy
Chapter 255

TL: TangSanFan

ED/PR: Tanthus

『Side Story』 Blossoms of the Wind (5)

The soft glow of the full moon seeped in through the fluttering curtains.

Ed’s face, looked up at in the darkness, was infinitely serious. As always, he seemed deep in thought, but… even a man as rational and deliberate in his actions has his limits.

Patience is bound to snap, eventually.

Ed Rothtaylor’s patience and self-control could very well be seen as superhuman, but they were certainly not infinite.

With a determination to deliver the final blow to his wavering reason, Yenika whispered, “I’m okay.”

The warmth of their relationship, full of understanding, consideration, and care, was beautiful. However, now was not the time to consider such complexities. It was time to graduate from the flower-filled fairy tale of unblemished tales.

The illustrations of the fairy tales that Yenika had seen as a child…

The charming story where the handsome prince rescues the princess, gives her a sweet forehead kiss, and the tale comes to an end. Yenika, who had once been contented with such a kiss, indulging in wild fantasies while thumping her pillow and pressing down the duvet…

But she had come to realize that a real-life kiss was utterly different from the cute and lively story depicted in watercolor paints within those children’s books.

As Ed’s calloused hands swept across her forehead, Yenika found herself with nowhere else to hide. With trembling eyes and flushed cheeks, she could no longer keep herself concealed, waiting for Ed’s next action with a rigid body.

Was this how a fish on the cutting board felt?

In this moment, she was at the peculiar mercy of Ed Rothtaylor. This peculiar submission gave Yenika a sense of a world anew.

Ed Rothtaylor himself was equally tense. Not that he lacked experience with women, but the situation of laying hands on a girl like Yenika, who used to be so innocent and lively… that inspired a different kind of hesitation.

Doubts like ‘Should I really be doing this?’ incessantly invaded his mind, but however much he reasoned, he could find no reason not to continue.

Yenika herself had said she was all right, and Ed had pretty much declared himself a scoundrel, besides, hadn’t the villagers – even Yenika’s family – given their tacit approval?

The hand that had traced Yenika’s forehead and jawline now seemed justified to venture even lower. There was no one in this world who could stop the movement of that hand.

If there’s no one to stop, one simply moves forward. With an out-of-place gulp to moisten his dry throat, Ed reached down and gently brushed Yenika’s shoulder before softly pressing his lips against hers.

Her lips seemed to ignite.

Her skin was so hot it was as if it caught fire from the kiss. Was this the zenith of her embarrassment?

It was not her first kiss. However, a kiss in such a situation, in such an atmosphere, was an entirely different experience from the brief touch of lips she had shared in camp.

Fairy tale illustrations couldn’t compare to reality. The mere touch of the lips made Yenika’s whole body tremble, a sticky, dreadful feeling roiling in her chest.

Love between a man and a woman is not always as heartwarming as holding hands in a pretty pansy garden. Instead, it’s more akin to venturing into forbidden territory, a sensation closer to the essence of it.

For the first time in her life, Yenika tasted such a sensation.

Ed’s lips parted from hers, and Yenika, gasping for breath, awaited his next move. Just as Ed’s hands made their way downward, toward yet another curve, Yenika couldn’t hold back her voice any longer.

“Ed… th-that…”

Beyond this point, the meaning of physical touch was transformed.

At the brink of it, Yenika barely managed to voice out.

“Can I, can I ask a really silly and stupid question…?”

“Now…?”

“Uh, yes…”

Ed paused his hand momentarily, then gently nodded.

“Ed… is this your first time with me?”

The question felt like a piercing stab to the core, leaving one breathless in such a situation. When faced with such a sudden question, anyone would be forced to halt their thoughts.

Ed was no different. He pondered for a brief moment, but to ‘ponder’ is to choose the worst option; because at the point of hesitation, the answer is as good as given.

With no reason to lie to Yenika, and fearing any bizarre act of consideration could only worsen the mood… Ed simply shook his head.

“Gah…”

That brief response apparently struck Yenika with great impact; she held back her tears with effort. There was nothing she could say to that. Ed’s life before meeting her at the Sylvania Academy, and what his life had been like, was totally out of Yenika’s scope. Even what came afterward was the same.

As a noble of a duke’s family, his existence was completely detached from hers. The Ed before his academy days is a realm purely of Yenika’s imagination.

Therefore, she couldn’t reproach the nodding Ed. However, she could at least make a request.

“I… it’s my first time… you have to lead…”

“…”

“I really… my head’s all white… I don’t know anything….”

Yenika meant it purely, unaware of the significant burden such words could place on the other person.

Do as you wish, I will follow. There was no man who could maintain restraint at such a juncture.

His hand continued along her contour. Closing her eyes tightly, Yenika steeled herself. What followed progressed swiftly.

As Ed became busier, Yenika’s voice rose in response. At times passionately, as if regretting this moment passing, and sometimes softly, as though the moment would last forever, they explored each other.

Embracing, making eye contact, feeling each other’s skin.

For Yenika, who lacked any experience in such matters, every touch seemed to cross a forbidden line. It was her first time holding the solid and heavy physique of a man, feeling the smooth hands tracing her skin, the breath close enough to be felt – all without the resistance that it was wrong.

With their bodies closely pressed, Yenika realized more acutely the differences between Ed and herself – not of status, character, background, or values… but more primal and raw differences. His heavy touch, his strong arms, his height overshadowing hers by more than a head, his body that couldn’t be entirely embraced – all starkly contrasted her own slender, pale limbs.

Despite repeated kisses, Yenika’s heart only beat harder. With every touch, she realized she had no adaptability to such acts.

Each gesture, kiss, breath, and warmth did not become familiar. Each moment was like the first; her heart pounded so furiously that it seemed to drive her to the edge of consciousness.

Ed was aware of this but could no longer afford to accommodate Yenika’s situation.

He intermittently lifted her bangs to softly catch her eyes, giving her a moment of peace…

There was something unexpectedly enjoyable about not being tied down, about just moving according to another’s lead, about feeling something welling up inside the chest without actually having to do anything. When Ed stroked her hair and embraced her once again, Yenika realized: this was what happiness felt like.

The word might be a bit too blunt to encompass it all, but there was no other term that could describe the satisfaction blooming in her heart. Yenika Faelover was feeling happy—not merely fulfilling a simple desire, but feeling an emotion akin to positivity and hope towards life.

After all, spending a night together was intended to be something like this. It was not just about seeking warmth in a chaotic place or satisfying one-dimensional desires; it was about reaffirming one’s worth by relying on someone else’s warmth.

It was about being reassured that you’re not alone, that whether the path ahead is lined with flowers or thorns, there’s someone there to take your hand and walk with you.

Life wasn’t filled with just sunshine. In fact, there had been more dark days since her enrollment at Sylvania. The heavy expectations, the vast magic circles of Glascan filling the sky, the tears shed in the shattered Nail Hall, the roars of the Divine Dragon, Bellbrook, vowing to set the continent aflame, the resonate sounds of Priddy overshadowing Arken Island, the willpower to cut through hordes of monsters while bearing scars.

And with it, Yenika Faelover’s loneliness, enduring through blood, tears, and gritted teeth.

Perhaps she wouldn’t receive compensation for those cold days, but there was someone beside her who understood. As she suddenly realized how blissful that was, Yenika let slip a few tears.

“… You okay?”

“I’m not crying because I’m scared.”

“… Then why?”

“Just because.”

People can cry from happiness too, she realized.

Feeling Ed’s thumb wiping her eyes, Yenika instead turned up the corners of her mouth. Perhaps this was a sign that her tension had finally eased. Ed nodded his head and pushed a large pillow under Yenika’s waist. Her straightened spine pushed her body upward, inadvertently emphasizing its curves. She felt her face grow hot with a sudden breath, still unaccustomed to the sensation.

Ed swept his jaw with his hand before eventually cradling Yenika’s waist with his arms. What followed was predictable, but the physical aspect had ceased to matter. It was the emotional connection between them, which, over time, had begun to provide a greater sense of fulfillment.

Sharing the sense that they cherished each other was one of the greatest joys a person could feel. During that long night, Yenika harbored the same thought: Would such a moment of happiness ever come again in her life? Both joy and regret swirled inside her at the same time.

And through it all, Yenika gripped the pillow as if it was her lover.

The morning breeze at the rural village was both quiet and vibrant at dawn—a seemingly contradictory experience. The grandeur of the mountain range was obscured by the mist winding down the ridges, and yet, the sounds of daily life echoed now and then between the houses.

The village had been preparing to move since the dawn, when even the sun was still asleep. The smoke from the early-morning fires climbed and quickly dispersed with Merilda’s kick.

From the rooftop of the lodging, Merilda looked at me with a mischievous smile.

『You look tired~』

Sitting on a tree stump outside the lodging, listening to the sound of the morning insects, I started to reply, only to stop.

Yenika was sound asleep. Having made sure she was covered with the blanket, I stepped outside to see people already heading to work, though it was not even five o’clock yet.

“You sure have a mischievous side. Merilda.”

『I’m always like this~.』

Merilda jumped off the rooftop, secured her fluttering skirt, and landed gracefully. Brushing her tied-up white hair, she then casually sauntered over, teasing me as she looked up at my face.

『Geezer~』

I thought about retorting, but decided it was best to stay silent. It was Merilda who had encouraged this whole affair, so she hardly had any room for criticism.

『Yenika might be walking down a tougher road now because she doesn’t want to be left alone or to be a burden… 』

“You little devil.”

『Who knows how life will turn out~. You might just open your eyes to something new one day~.』

Even though Merilda was a playful spirit, she seemed particularly pleased today—and I knew why.

“Anyway, we need to start looking into Tir-Kalax soon. We’ve got to wrap things up and head back to Acken Island.”

After finishing my cigarette, I extinguished it and mentioned my plans.

Hearing this, Merilda’s face turned distant again.

『Do you know?』

“What?”

『Here, they call the pansies blossoming along the ridge ‘wind flowers’.』

“Oh, is that so?”

Caught by the brisk dawn breeze, Merilda looked out over the expansive ridge.

『Why do you think they call them that?』

“Because they’re always shaking softly in the wind?”

『Close, but slightly different.』

With a lonely expression she rarely showed, the wind wolf murmured her thoughts.

“Should I get you something to drink?”

Climbing back upstairs after smoking, the host kindly offered. I thanked him and headed up the shabby stairs to open the door. Maybe because I hadn’t slept much, I felt like lying in bed a bit more.

Yenika seemed to have woken up, wiggling her toes under the covers. As if too embarrassed to show her face, she peeked out from beneath the blanket with caution—it was what you would call post-clarity.

I sat down on the opposite bed, placed the teapot on a small table, and poured a cup of water which I gulped down quickly.

An uncomfortable silence followed. After a pause, I decided to break it.

“Hey, Yenika.”

She shook so violently at the call that it was a surprise, peering out from under the blanket like a squirrel peeking out of its burrow.

“We’ve got to get going with the investigation.”

Seeing Yenika shivering under the blanket evoked pity, so I decided to give her a reason to come out. When there’s work to be done, you have no choice but to face it.

“Ah, okay…”

Her voice was entirely spent, and rightfully so.