8 Love and the Bard

I was now back in the dorm with Mona. The testing earlier was a bit tiring and I was already tired from school so I was just barely hanging on when we walked back. My head was also hurting.

"Argh…"

"Are you okay Aether? You've been groaning since we got back." said Mona. She was wearing a plain purple t-shirt and black short shorts. She also had her hair done in a ponytail.

"No. I've got a really bad headache and I do not know why."

"Maybe it was from using that quick move a lot… I mean, I did experience that the first time." said Mona.

Wait, really? I should really get used to it then. Fighting with a headache is annoying after all. I moved down from my bed and went to drink some water. When I returned I saw Mona sitting on her bed while patting her lap.

"Want to rest here?"

I looked at her lap. I'll get to feel those smooth and soft thighs… I was already excited at the thought of that. I sat beside Mona nervously and laid down resting my head on her lap. It was so soft I was basically sinking in.

"Is your head getting better?" she said in a calming voice.

"Yeah… Where did you learn about this kind of thing?" I asked in a somewhat teasing tone.

"Well, my friend told me that she does this to her boyfriend when he has headaches."

I was speechless at that. Boyfriend huh… I wonder, will I ever get to be one? When I leave this world, I know for sure that my lover will feel extremely sad. I actually became sad at the thought of that.

"...What's wrong? You look sad?" asked Mona.

"I just thought of how my lover will feel if I left this world."

"She'll probably ask to go with you, you know? I know I would."

That was a bit relieving for some reason. I felt my chest warm up and all of the pain was washed away. However, Mona didn't let it end with just that.

"Can I, um, now ask for a favor?" she said.

I was wondering why she was like this all of a sudden. She became like this after I got back from that Pyro mage battle.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Can you sleep with me down here tonight?"

"..."

I didn't expect that. What got into her all of a sudden? What exactly happened when she talked with her friend? I sighed and just gave in. This was a dream come true after all.

"Um, sure."

"Yay!"

Well, at least she was happy and that's all that matters to me now. And with that, we slept together. Although, not in "that" sense.

---

I can't sleep. Mona is hugging me like a pillow and now I can't sleep. She's so smooth and soft that I feel hot. Paimon, help me!

"Ehe, would you look at that! Aether finally gets a girlfriend."

What do you mean girlfriend?! Weren't you listening to...us. Just then a memory flashed on my mind.

[Well, my friend told me that she does this to her boyfriend when he has headaches.]

Does she feel that way? Is that why she's like this? What, is it love at first sight? I don't really know. I'm not sure.

Do I feel the same way? I do, don't I? I'm just being in denial since I don't really know her that much. I'll wait until I get to know her better. Is that the right decision? I started to think for a while before finally deciding.

I'll let her feel my love bit by bit and I am going to start now. I hugged her back and now I could feel her warmth more now. This makes me feel at ease. And before I knew it, I was already asleep.

---

I woke at the usual time and was now stuck. I can't move. I'm supposed to cook breakfast. Just then I got an idea. I turned into air and escaped from this girl's clutches. That was easier than I thought. I smiled at her and left the room and started to head for the kitchen.

It took her only 30 minutes to wake up after me. I had already nearly finished cooking breakfast. Pancakes, bacon and eggs. That was what I had cooked. I cooked enough for 3 people. Bob didn't really need to eat since he's just pure elemental energy.

"Goodmorning Mona~" I said in a teasing tone. She smirked and opened her mouth. A counter.

"Goodmorning, Darling~"

Well shit. She got me on that one. Knowing how she truly feels, I could feel my face get hotter.

"Ehehe, that was payback for yesterday." she said with a bit of blush. Paimon just giggled beside her.

We all ate together and this time, I was the first one to take a bath. Although, I forgot to prepare it so I had to suffer by taking a cold bath.

We walked to school and were greeted by Barbara. She tilted her head curiously while looking at Mona.

"You look rather happy today Mona. Did something happen?" asked Barbara.

"You wanna know?" Mona said as she leaned in closer to Barbara and whispered something to her ear. I didn't hear any of it obviously.

After Mona finished what she was saying, I could see a hint of jealousy in Barbara's eyes as she looked at Mona. She was kinda scary now in all honesty. Although, she was looking at my eyes expectantly as well.

"What is it?" I asked.

"...Nothing of importance." she said. Alright, now I'm really curious why she was like this. Mona then leaned to me and whispered "She wants a hug,".

She knew I hugged her?! Well, she might have woken up at some point and noticed it and went back to sleep. Geez, now this is even more embarrassing. I sighed and opened my arms wide.

"Barbara, you want a hug right? Come here." I said with my face reddening.

She brightened up rather quickly and hugged me tightly. Wait, don't tell me… Shit, this is going to be really hard. After that we headed to the classroom and…

I had to hug Fischl and Noelle as well. This is honestly turning into something else.

The day went on normally and it was now lunchtime. I was eating all alone because the girls said that they'll have a "girl talk". Yes, even Paimon and Bob were with them. I guess Bob really can't really tell me anything since he can't even speak.

"Haah, I wonder what I can do right now…"

It's been a really long time since I've been alone like this. Hmm…

"I can't think of anything."

I sighed and stood up. I walked out of the canteen and headed to the garden. I still had a lot of time. While walking down the hall, I could see students with different types of faces. So these are students from the other nations huh?

I arrived at the garden and quickly found a bench to sit on. It was peaceful here. No one else was in the garden so it wasn't noisy.

I tried to think of something to do and quickly got an idea. Since nobody is here, I guess it's safe.

I took a deep breath and thought of making a shield using Anemo. This should be useful since I realized that I need more defense. I was almost hit yesterday after all. Making an image of a shield was a bit hard so I just settled with a circular one for the moment.

"It worked! Wait, no!"

The shield exploded and gushed a powerful wind. Good thing I had this bench. After a few more tries, I was able to perfect it. Nice, if I'm able to do this, then making other weapons won't be a problem.

"Wow! Controlling the wind so freely~"

I jumped in surprise and looked behind me. It was a young boy. I think? He had a fair skin tone and aqua green eyes. His dark blue hair was braided to two short twin-tails that faded into aqua at the tips. He wore a white long sleeved shirt and dark blue pants with a teal bow. He also wore a beret-like teal hat.

"Nice to meet you! I am Venti and I am a bard!" he said as he extended his hand.

Eh? Bard? Do people like those still exist?

"Um, likewise. My name is Aether."

I shook his extended hand and his smile slowly turned into a grin. I feel like something's wrong.