Chapter 155 – #33_Living Together (3)
#153
1.
After the movie, Sharon’s eyes were swollen.
She had used almost a whole box of tissues, wiping away tears and snot while watching.
Maybe it was because her original features were so outstanding that she didn’t look ugly at all, even with her eyes so puffy?
Siwoo, who was spreading a blanket on the sofa, asked Sharon, who was still immersed in the afterglow of the movie.
“So, I’m going to catch some sleep, how about you?”
“Sleep? It’s been a while, sounds good.”
“Do you usually sleep well?”
“I usually don’t have time to sleep… but I like sleeping itself. I’m in a good mood today, so I think it would be nice to take a nap.”
For a witch, sleep is purely a matter of preference, but the ratio of witches who don’t sleep is much rarer.
Witches are, after all, human at their core.
Sleep is a time to rest without any thoughts, a blank space in one’s mind.
Especially young witches who have just become witches tend to prefer sleep.
Siwoo also always slept for three or four hours a day.
Outside the blackout curtains, dawn was already breaking, so Siwoo had tightly sealed the windows.
Actually, it was called a sofa, but it was wider and softer than most beds, so with just a blanket and pillow, one could sleep soundly.
“I’ll sleep in the living room today. You sleep in my room.”
“Huh? No! I’ll sleep in the living room.”
“Still, you’re a guest, how can I make you sleep on the sofa?”
“I’m the one who’s imposing here.”
Anyway, he had already ordered the bed frame and mattress.
He only needed to sleep in the living room for a day or two, but Sharon showed no signs of backing down.
Sharon quickly ran and slipped into the blanket that Siwoo had laid out, hugging the pillow tightly as she declared her territory.
“I’m going to sleep here.”
“Then I won’t sleep today. You sleep in the bed.”
“No! Aren’t you not sleeping because of me? Then I won’t sleep either.”
“I’m really okay, you know? The sofa is as soft and comfortable as a bed anyway.”
“Then I’ll be even more okay, right? You said the sofa is as soft as a bed.”
He didn’t understand why she was being so stubborn when he felt uncomfortable making a guest, especially a woman, sleep on the sofa.
At this rate, it seemed like they would both end up not sleeping.
Then, Sharon spoke as if she had come up with a good idea.
“Then, shall we sleep together in the bed? The bed is big enough anyway.”
Siwoo said firmly.
“No way.”
“Why?”
But he couldn’t immediately come up with an answer to Sharon’s question.
“Even so, it’s a bit much to sleep in the same bed.”
“So why? They sleep together in the movie too.”
There were many scenes in the romance movie they watched today where the man and woman slept and woke up in the same bed.
Moreover, there were also subtly depicted sex scenes, though not explicit.
Because of that, it was a bit embarrassing to watch together.
“Well… um… they’re a couple. They’re in love.”
“Does that mean you can’t sleep in the same bed if you’re not in love?
Of course, in the movie, they sleep in the same bed and then have sex, but you don’t intend to do that, and neither do I, right? Isn’t it okay?”
It was absolutely not Siwoo’s intention to propose living together with Sharon for any ulterior motive.
But it wasn’t like he didn’t find her attractive either.
He also didn’t want any awkward episodes to happen from rolling around in the same bed.
“Anyway, no.”
“Then I won’t sleep.”
“Then I won’t sleep either.”
“……..”
“……..”
Sharon looked like she couldn’t understand his way of thinking at all, and Siwoo closed his mouth with a troubled expression.
And at the same time, as if they had made a promise, they looked at each other and burst into silly laughter.
The situation itself was just a bit ticklish.
Sharon chuckled and apologized first.
“Sorry, I was being too stubborn. But I’ll sleep on the sofa today. It’s because I feel uncomfortable. The bed is coming in a few days anyway, right?”
“Okay. I just wanted you to rest more comfortably since we’re both resting.”
“It’s really comfortable, so don’t worry. I set an alarm, so let’s meet in about three hours.”
“Okay.”
In the end, it was settled that Siwoo would sleep in the bed and Sharon would sleep on the sofa.
2.
“It’s time for me to earn my keep! Sharon Evergreen’s magic class, let’s begin.”
After having a simple breakfast of waffles and pancakes, Sharon entered Siwoo’s room cheerfully.
Siwoo, who had finished cleaning up, followed her into the room.
Sharon looked around, examining his room.
“Hmm, now that I think about it, it’s my first time entering a guy’s room.”
“Really? Isn’t it also your first time entering a guy’s house? You didn’t say anything earlier.”
“I didn’t think much of it earlier, but after all the meaning they put into it in the movie, I’m a bit self-conscious.”
Indeed, seeing Sharon smile a little awkwardly, she might have felt something while watching the movie.
But he could guarantee that she wasn’t even half as concerned as he was with his ambiguous feelings.
If she had been, she wouldn’t have suggested sleeping in the same bed, and she would have gone to change out of that embarrassing outfit right away.
“You’re studying hard.”
“It’s easier to see when I keep it like this.”
“Still, it looks… it looks professional.”
On the corkboard that filled one wall, the organic relationships between each clue and piece of knowledge were expressed with strings, like detectives doing their deductions.
Similarly, on the whiteboard, the approximate forms of magic circles were written out as equations.
Siwoo guessed that he had only deciphered about 50% of the magic in Ain.
“Is it okay if I take a look?”
“I was going to ask you to.”
“I’ll ask you to explain the parts I don’t understand.”
Sharon carefully examined the magic circles that Siwoo had organized, comparing them with the magic formulas attached to the corkboard.
Before teaching him anything specific, she needed to check what level of magic he possessed in which areas.
After checking Siwoo’s supplementary explanations and magic formulas for a while, Sharon nodded.
“I think I understand a bit. What the situation is.”
“Really?”
Siwoo was delighted.
Recently, Siwoo’s magic research had hit a wall.
Without any reference materials or advisors, he couldn’t see a way to overcome the wall.
“Yeah, first, can you sit here?”
Sharon sat Siwoo down next to her.
And she began to explain calmly, organizing her thoughts on paper.
“You know that there are four main categories of magic, right?”
“Yeah, I do.”
Elemental, Alchemy, Incantation, and Barrier.
Since there are at least as many unique magics as there are witches, it’s impossible to fit them all into these categories, but more than 90% of witches can be subcategorized into these four categories.
If we go through them one by one…
First, Elemental.
This is a category that uses a variety of magic based on the harmony of the elements of water, fire, earth, and wind, which are mainly dealt with regardless of Eastern or Western cultures.
As it has a long tradition accumulated since before the Common Era, most of the traditionalist witches with a long history use this category, and their numbers are the largest.
In Gehenna, the academic society where elemental witches gather is called the ‘Truth and Name Academic Society.’
Amelia Merrygold, who uses ‘particle magic’ that combines the elements of wind and water, also belonged to this category.
Next is Alchemy.
If elemental magic is where the caster directly becomes the subject of creating mysteries through magic power, this category actively utilizes tools and catalysts.
The fields of drug manufacturing, which creates elixirs, reagents, and potions, and magic engineering, which creates artifacts and magical tools, all belong to this category, so it is as versatile as elemental magic, and naturally, there are many witches in the alchemy category.
In Gehenna, an academic society called ‘Emerald Tablet’ has been created where alchemy witches gather, and there are statistics that show that if you combine the witches who use elemental and alchemy magic, they make up more than 90% of all witches.
Then, next is Incantation.
From here, the number of users decreases to the point where it’s ambiguous to even call it a category.
This is because the act of manifesting one’s inner thoughts as ‘incantations’ is itself a subcategory of ‘chanting,’ which is included in most magic.
Since ‘words’ are the subject of magic, it has become difficult to standardize or systematize, and many have considered it an old-fashioned magic. Because of this, most incantation users have passed down their lineage to the elemental category.
Therefore, the only famous witch who uses incantation in the present day is Count Geminai.
Lastly, Barrier.
Although there are few users of incantation, it was often said that the barrier category was practically extinct.
There were frequent claims that it should now be called the three major categories.
Many witches know how to handle the ‘reverse barrier’ that belongs to the barrier category, but that’s because Duke Keter reorganized and distributed it so that any witch could use it, and there were virtually no witches who delved into it deeply.
Therefore, within Gehenna, the only witches with unique barrier magic are Duke Keter and Count Yesod, who uses ‘field magic.’
“First of all, please know that I’m really surprised. You have a truly amazing talent.”
“Is it… is it that much?”
“Yeah, I think it’s a dazzling talent that makes me tearfully envious.”
Sharon had carefully examined Siwoo’s achievements, and they were remarkable.
It was so precise and innovative that it was hard to believe that he had achieved it alone in just a few years.
He had built up his own achievements at a dazzling speed, in a way that no one had ever thought of before.
However, his unique magic was not complete.
He had created optimal results based on limited materials, but it was clear that his fundamentals were lacking.
It was immediately clear why Siwoo, who possessed this much talent, had hit a wall.
“Your unique magic is a combination of two major categories.
I don’t know the exact details, but you said it was a coordinate-shifting type, right? I can’t help you with that at all. I’m sorry, but it seems like you need more independent research on the barrier category.
But the law of shadows is an elemental category, so I think I can help you.”
Sharon waved her hand, and her body flashed.
It was the usual magical girl transformation scene.
Sharon, who had somehow changed into her witch uniform, shook her staff with one hand and said.
“My unique magic is an elemental category that applies the five elements of Tarba. You’re a layman when it comes to elements, right?”
“That’s right. What I’ve researched is ultimately just the dimension-shifting type, and that was obtained from the Gnosis egg.”
“From today, I’ll teach you what I know.”
Sharon held out her hand to Siwoo.
Siwoo was awkwardly looking at her hand.
“What are you doing? Grab it.”
“My hand?”
“Yeah, from now on, I’m going to show you the world I see. It’s called sharing inner thoughts through physical contact.”
Siwoo hesitantly took Sharon’s hand.
It was an awkward grip, like shaking hands in an awkward situation.
“Not like that, you have to grab it properly like this.”
As if that wasn’t it, Sharon’s long, slender fingers dug into the gaps between Siwoo’s fingers, interlocking tightly.
“Uh…”
“Ah…”
And the two of them simultaneously let out a sigh-like exclamation.
Siwoo was because of Sharon’s soft and dainty knuckles, and Sharon was because of his surprisingly thick and firm palm.
Sharon smiled bashfully, breaking the awkward silence.
“I was just going to teach you magic. It feels strange. Maybe I shouldn’t have watched that romance movie.”
“Yeah, let’s watch a war movie next time.”
“But can you come a little closer instead of being so far away?”
“Like this?”
“Yeah, that’s good.”
The two of them stood close together, as if dancing a waltz, with one hand clasped together.
Sharon, who had given a slight smile to Siwoo, who was feeling awkward, closed her eyes.
“Now, close your eyes and just feel the sensation of my hand.”
“I did.”
“You don’t have to answer. Just slowly… in the most comfortable state… think that you’ve become one with me.”
Sharon squeezed Siwoo’s hand tightly.
It felt like the magic power emanating from her hand was intertwining at the point where their skin touched.
It was a strange sensation that couldn’t be felt just by holding hands.
They could hear each other’s heartbeats, Sharon’s breathing felt like his own, and the sensations she felt were shared completely, a very mysterious sense of unity.
While he was dazed by that sensation he was feeling for the first time, Sharon suddenly let go of his hand.
At the same time, his concentration broke, as if he had suddenly been pulled out of the water.
Sharon said with a troubled expression.
“Ah… sorry, I was surprised because your heart seemed to be beating too fast. Are you feeling unwell?”
Siwoo unconsciously placed his hand on his chest.
Come to think of it, his heart was pounding.
Just as Siwoo had felt Sharon’s sensations, did that mean Sharon was feeling this too?
He felt embarrassed for some reason.
“No, I’m just… um…”
Seeing Siwoo looking flustered, Sharon smiled as if she was ticklish.
It was a smile that said she understood everything.
“You were really nervous, huh? It’s understandable. But it’s not that scary. Okay, take a deep breath.”
“Hoo… ha… hooo…”
“That’s right, let’s try again.”
It took almost 30 minutes for Siwoo to see the world full of all sorts of elements as Sharon had wanted.
And on this day, he continued to receive instruction on elemental magic until Sharon had to go to her convenience store part-time job.
