Pretending To Have A Girlfriend?

Lily gathered her trembling heart and adjusted her hair.

Wasn’t her hair weird, were her clothes okay?

She asked herself the same questions she had asked dozens of times before, making sure her hair was fine and her clothes were okay.

Though the only person who could answer was herself, different responses popped up each time.

‘It’s fine. Have confidence. Haven’t you heard that you’re pretty?’

‘No, your makeup might not be well done, and your clothes seem a bit wrinkled…’

The endless stream of thoughts went on.

She tidied up the room and dressed in a seductive outfit that accentuated her collarbone.

Her upper chest revealed an attractive sight.

She had worn clothes that could appeal multiple times, but this was the first time she went to this extent.

‘Was revealing my bare arms the maximum skin I had shown before?’

It was the first time she showed her breasts.

No matter how mature she pretended to be, she felt embarrassed about wearing such a dress.

But she gathered her resolve.

No matter how Starchis appeared, he was still a man.

There was no way he wouldn’t be swayed even a bit by physical seduction.

According to what she heard through her magic, he, too, was interested in the female body.

The memory of having to listen to Elza’s moans until her mana ran out was a painful one for her.

She didn’t want to experience such painful moments anymore.

There were no memories of being lovers with him, yet she almost lost him.

If he wasn’t saved at the last moment… it would have been such a regrettable event.

What she realized when he collapsed was that if Starchis didn’t become hers, this pain would never end.

No, rather than Starchis becoming hers, it was more accurate to say that if she didn’t become Starchis’.

There was no immediate need for Starchis to become her lover.

Being lovers was the best, but above all else, she wanted to create memories with him.

Even if it meant having secret exchanges behind Elza, she would be satisfied now.

To achieve that, she had to be even more aggressive.

This opportunity felt like a gift from the heavens.

It was said that her power was needed for Starchis’ arm rehabilitation.

And it was none other than her own power, not anyone else’s.

If she could seduce him during the process of helping him, wouldn’t it be possible?

Now, confidently revealing that she wanted Starchis might be the way to go.

Wouldn’t he be more grateful to her if his hand rehabilitation succeeded?

If it didn’t get better, she could remain by his side, sticking to him like his left hand.

Lily was indulging in various fantasies.

However, she clearly remembered the points to be cautious about.

She shouldn’t cling to him too obviously.

He might get fed up.

She shouldn’t approach him in a vulgar manner, instead…

Secretly, gradually, and beautifully.

But she shouldn’t hide her feelings or draw lines.

Knock, knock, knock.

The knocking sound woke Lily from her absent-minded thoughts.

“Noona, I’m here.”

“Yes, yes! Just a moment!”

Lily took a deep breath and fixed her hair and clothes once again.

This was the beginning.

“You... will be mine soon,” Lily murmured before opening the door.

****

-Creak

“Are you here, Starchis?”

As Lily Noona opened the door, she strangely spoke slowly.

Something felt different.

Much more... mature.

“Yes... thank you.”

My lips froze at Noona’s attire.

Her upper chest was visible.

It was a cleavage I had never seen during the long period I’d known her.

I was taken aback by the sudden encounter.

Her skin looked pale and smooth, and it seemed soft.

“... Hoh… Thank you for your help.”

I tried to force the words out, but there was already a momentary pause.

I quickly moved my eyes away from her chest and tried to look into Noona’s eyes.

But she only showed a satisfied smile.

“No, if I can help, it’s only natural for me to do so. After all, I’m your Noona.”

Saying that she took hold of my stiff left arm and led me into the room.

“Oops.”

I moved my body away and rejected her touch.

It wasn’t because I disliked Noona or her touch.

On the contrary, her touch felt warm and comforting, creating a sense of familiarity.

But I acted this way because I had decided to continue the lie of being with Elza.

The party was in crisis, and I had talked to Hyung about whether I should maintain the lie. But Hyung insisted that I must continue.

The crisis was just a crisis, and we could overcome it.

And when the time comes, we’ll have the demonic sword, so we’d need to keep accepting B-class missions.

He reminded me not to forget that I can show my current performance because I can practice and take rest on time.

Lastly, he said to keep going because it was fun.

Seeing him laugh, I felt relieved.

Even if I asked what was so funny, he would just laugh.

“Starchis?”

Noona, who had her touch rejected, looked at me, but I casually entered the room as if nothing happened.

“Shall we go in, Noona?”

****

“....So, she said I should seek help from a magician.”

I conveyed all the information that the doctor had given me to Noona.

We were sitting at the dining table, facing each other and having a conversation.

She nodded her head and her expression became serious.

But I couldn’t find a place to look due to her clothes.

I forced myself to divert my gaze away from her cleavage.

It was embarrassing that I was so conscious of such a trivial thing.

Perhaps being single is just like that.

If I were as strong as a rock, I wouldn’t have been shaken by such small stimuli.

Still, if I had to make an excuse, I, who was crying out for a lover, had not gone anywhere.

I created an imaginary girlfriend named Elza, but she was ultimately a fictional character.

She didn’t fill my heart or... well, satisfy my desires.

Anyway, excuses are excuses.

It was still a disappointing and pitiful moment.

Noona spoke to me.

“Then, you have to be able to control mana to move your arm?”

“Even if I can control it, I can’t be sure if my hand will move.”

“Starchis, do you know what it means to be able to control mana?”

“...It means I have to become a magician.”

“...That’s right. To become a magician, you have to be able to create fire at your fingertips, not necessarily to attack with magic or anything, but it is what means to control mana.”

I nodded.

But apparently, I, who nodded easily, seemed pitifully naive to Noona.

“It’s not that easy, Starchis. To become a magician, you definitely need the help of another magician. There’s no one who can move the stagnant mana in their body alone. The help the doctor mentioned is about that.”

Lily Noona extended her hand and repeatedly created a small flame at the tip of her finger and extinguished it.

“Another magician moves the stagnant mana, you feel it, and in the end, you can transfer mana to the desired place without any help. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes, I understand.”

In response to my answer, Lily Noona firmly grabbed my hand.

“Ah, Noona.”

I withdrew my hand again.

Unlike the last time when I unintentionally withdrew my body a little as I entered the house, this time I couldn’t hide my intentional gesture.

“...I have a girlfriend.”

I explained.

But Lily Noona shrugged her shoulders.

“Look, even though you say you understand what it means, you don’t really understand.”

“What?”

She placed her hand on her chin, tilted her head slightly, and looked at me.

I could see her breasts gathering in the corner of my eye.

“To move the mana in your body, I have to touch your body. Otherwise, the mana cannot move.”

Whether it was funny that I kept withdrawing my hand, claiming to maintain proper manners due to my girlfriend, or if there was another reason, she let out a smile at the corner of her mouth and grabbed my hand again.

This time, I couldn’t pull it back.

“It’s a test... but let’s give it a try for now.”

-Hwak

At first, I didn’t feel anything.

I knew that mana was being used in the form of a blue firefly-like light floating around Noona’s hand, but that was it.

Noona let out a sigh.

“...Ha...”

Come to think of it, it didn’t seem like a sigh.

“Noona?”

“Focus.”

She placed one hand on my left hand and held the other hand to her mouth while closing her eyes.

I involuntarily closed my eyes as well, following her concentrated expression.

Then, I gradually felt something crawling inside my body.

Perhaps it was the mana in my body that she had mentioned earlier, moving.

“Huh...?”

I made a surprised sound at the slight stimulation.

“...So this is it.”

Noona said as if she had found something.

And...

“What?”

My left hand twitched and moved.

My hand, which hadn’t moved no matter how much I exerted force, moved again.

I was startled and stood up.

Lily Noona was also surprised to feel my movement. It seemed she didn’t expect my hand to move just because she moved the mana a little.

She let go of my hand as I raised my hand.

The left hand stiffened again and fell down, causing fear.

But with that small movement, my heart raced madly.

It worked, the doubtful and suspicious thing actually happened.

“It moved! It moved!”

She, too, stood up from her seat, smiling brightly almost as much as me.

“I felt it too, Starchis!”

Then, Noona swiftly moved the seat away and threw herself at me.

Her body pressed against mine.

“Uh, Noona?”

Even in the midst of joyful excitement, my mind suddenly cleared.

But Noona seemed completely oblivious.

“It worked! It really worked, Starchis! If you can move mana, you can move your hand too! Wow, Starchis!”

She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck, squeezing so hard that my throat felt tight. Meanwhile, her legs kept bouncing off the floor, repeatedly brushing against my body.

“Noona, just a moment...”

Even if I tried to push her away, I had nowhere to put my hands.

I wanted to push her shoulders, but my stiff left hand kept slipping.

“It’s great! It’s really great!”

She simply didn’t listen to my words.

In the end, I shouted loudly.

“Noona! Noona!”

“Uh... Yes?”

At my cry, Noona paused her movements momentarily.

“Noona, I understand that you’re happy, but please let go.”

“Ah! Ah... I’m sorry. I was just too happy...”

Her red hair fell down as she slipped out of my embrace.

Realizing her own actions, Noona’s cheeks turned slightly red with a mixture of guilt.

She hurriedly began to justify her behavior.

“It’s my fault that your arm ended up like this... If you hadn’t protected me back then, I would’ve been hit by the demonic sword...”

She fidgeted with her hands and spoke to me in a voice tinged with remorse.

“I feel so sorry... And I’m so relieved that your hand moved again... It must have been a burden, right? Especially since you have a girlfriend...”

I could understand that she was happy, but it was indeed burdensome.

After all, even if it was a lie, I thought it was strange for someone in a relationship to embrace someone of the opposite sex. So, I shouldn’t act that way either.

“Yes, Noona... It does bother me a little. I understand that you’re happy, but please restrain yourself a bit. Got it?”

“I understand, Starchis. By the way, it really worked. It’s amazing!”

She smiled again and swept her hair back.

Then she slightly turned her body and returned to her original position.

“..?”

As she turned, it almost seemed like Noona’s tongue lightly licked her lips, but I think I must have been mistaken.

︵‿︵‿୨ * ୧‿︵‿︵