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Vanessa Aria buried her face into Violetta Gartia's chest, the faint aroma of laundry detergent on his clothes mingling with a subtle hint of jasmine, miraculously soothing her tumultuous and confused heart.

She heard his warm voice tinged with worry from above: "Aren't you ill? Are you feeling better? I should've visited you sooner. My apologies for not being there when you were suffering."

Vanessa's nose tingled, and she wrapped her arms tighter around his waist. He was thin, his waist impossibly slender, and through the soft wool of his sweater, she could feel his firm muscles. His magic, like a pulsating force in her palms, stirred her heart.

Vanessa Aria leaned toward him and initiated a kiss.

She kissed him wildly and recklessly as if a drowning person clutching at their last lifesaver.

Overwhelmed by her initiative, he stammered and stumbled, his solid back slamming against the wall.

Unrelenting, Vanessa clung to him like a kangaroo, panting and lost in emotions.