To Become a King and a Magician

In a dream.

In a courtyard.

Aoko and Merry sat face-to-face. Merry gazed at Aoko with a wide grin, her face beaming like an old mother finally seeing her daughter wed, making Aoko feel both embarrassed and irritated. She wanted to give Merry a couple of punches to wipe that smile off her face!

After savoring Aoko's mix of shy and angry expressions, Merry took a breath and said, "With this, the Mana's fully recharged. With this amount, if you don't do anything, it should last four or five days. If you fight, that's another story."

"Only four or five days?!"

Aoko frowned.

"I-I went that far, you know! Why just four or five days? Shouldn't it be permanent?"

"Oh? I never said one charge would make it permanent. Besides, Magecraft or the like can't last forever—it needs constant Mana refills." Merry laughed. "But it's fine if the Mana runs low again. Just find some time to 'get intimate' with the King, right?"

"How can you say something like that so casually… You're not the one who did the Mana Transfer with him. Last night, my waist felt like it was going to break. Does his stamina ever run out?"

"Uh… I totally get that. Sharing a bed with him is bad for the body."

In a previous dream, Merry had suffered a major loss in this regard. She rarely gave up, but against Naoki, she was thoroughly defeated and had no intention of arguing otherwise.

"But, Aoko, you're really bold."

"Huh? Bold how?"

"I told you, for recharging Mana, just the first or second step would've been enough. I thought you'd only tongue-kiss Naoki, but you went for the 'full package.'"

Aoko's face flushed again. "That's all Kouhai-kun's fault! I didn't plan on going that far. I wanted to take it step-by-step—one, two, three… But who knew he'd be so impatient and just finish everything!"

Relationships take time—months, even years, with daily moments that make you want to die of curiosity. But with Naoki, it turned into "she's super cute." and he went straight from start to finish.

"But didn't you have a moment where you refused to lose and climbed on top of him?"

"Ugh… that… it should be called 'a lapse in judgment' or 'a spur-of-the-moment thing.' Just going with the flow… Anyway, how am I supposed to act around him now?!"

Keep treating him as a junior?

That was absolutely impossible!

Boyfriend?

Ugh… Aoko felt that wasn't quite right either. She didn't hate him—liked him, even—but it wasn't pure enough for that yet.

"Just act normal." Merry smiled, addressing Aoko's confusion. "I'm sure the King feels the same as you, so at times like this, we women need to show some care. Face him with a slightly closer attitude than usual. That'll put him at ease too."

"Change little by little."

Merry nodded. "Take it slow. If you suddenly act completely different, the King will be confused too."

"You sound so experienced… Don't tell me you did this a lot back then?"

"Don't look at me like that. Back in the day, I was the master of relationship counseling for the Knights of the Round Table. All the Hime-Kishi trying to steal men from the Crown Princess? Without exception, I provoked—er, taught them directly~"

Aoko felt that ninety percent of the reason the Knights of the Round Table fell apart was because of this succubus.

Though what she said did make sense.

"But, is this okay?" Aoko suddenly asked. "Kouhai-kun likes you, right? If I do this…"

"Oh, that's no problem at all. I don't mind the King having a few concubines—the more, the better. That way, I get to enjoy all the romantic drama. When a few people get tangled in relationships, unexpected and exciting things often happen."

Merry, utterly shameless, laid bare her twisted thoughts.

Seeing her complete lack of conscience, the slight unease in Aoko's heart vanished. Worrying about this woman was truly a waste of time.

"Then, I'll take my leave. This time, you're the protagonist, Aoko. I, an outdated relic, won't steal your role—I'll entrust my King to you for now."

As her words ended, Merry and the entire garden turned into a mirage, vanishing instantly. The disorienting scene made Aoko reflexively close her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw the ceiling.

With a hint of resignation, she rose from the futon, staring at the clean room, slightly stunned.

She remembered the room being a mess last night because of her and Naoki, right?

"Did Kouhai-kun clean it? He's really… Uwaaaah!"

Clutching the bed, Aoko tried to stand and get dressed, but the moment she moved, her entire body ached, forcing her back onto the futon.

T-this is pretty bad…

"I can't even get up. That damn Kouhai-kun—wait till I recover, I'll show him how I'll beat him—by the way, where is he?"

She was alone in the room. In her memory, Naoki slept beside her last night, but now the spot next to her was empty.

"Did he run off? I didn't think he was that heartless…"

"Aoko, what kind of person do you think I am?" Naoki's voice came from the door as he brought in a Japanese-style lunch and placed it beside her. He helped her sit up. "It's almost noon. I've been up for hours, you know? Otherwise, how could this room be so clean?"

"Then why didn't you wake me?"

"Hmm… I figured you were exhausted from last night, so I wanted you to sleep more."

(I'm half-dead and my body's aching because of a heartless junior like you!)

Aoko pinched Naoki's waist hard, making him flinch before she let go. "Good thing you've got a bit of conscience—help me get dressed. I can't even move a finger right now."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Naoki grabbed her clothes and helped Aoko put them on one by one, saying, "By the way, Aoko, I… I have something to talk about."

"Hmm? About Merry?"

"About us and Merry… Huh?" Naoki was slightly startled. "How did you…"

"Just now in a dream, I had my last chat with her through this Magecraft." Aoko pointed to the flower on her chest. "She said I'm the protagonist this time, and she can't steal my role, so she talked to me one last time before vanishing. I also discussed you and what you'll do next with her."

You talked with Merry?

Naoki asked, "You two… how'd it go?"

"Hmm, she's thrilled if you have multiple partners, though her intentions aren't pure. As for me… I plan to take it slow. We can't just jump to marriage, right? What do you think?"

"Maybe this sounds greedy, but I plan to have it all."

"Just like Merry said, you're a greedy guy." Aoko raised her hand and pinched Naoki's nose. "Then I'll wait for the day I wear a wedding dress."