Eriri was startled by Hayashi Maki's sudden move.
Watching his handsome face grow larger and closer in front of her, her eyes went wide on instinct. Her body froze; she didn't react in time.
"H-here I come, Eriri," he'd just said…
Come what? Getting this close—was he going to kiss me?
Just as Hayashi Maki was about to succeed, a fair hand flashed in from the side and pressed between their mouths.
Boop—
The warmth on her palm made Kasumigaoka Utaha frown at Hayashi Maki's shameless maneuver.
"Kouhai-kun, are you pretending I'm not here?"
About to kiss that tsundere junior right in front of her—what was that supposed to mean? She hadn't even kissed him yet; how could Eriri go first!
"Ah!"
Snapping back to herself, Eriri shoved Hayashi Maki away, retreated a few steps, and glared at them with a crimson face.
"Yeah—what did you think you were doing? Suddenly trying to… to make a move on me!"
Hayashi Maki shrugged, helpless. "Obviously, I was going to help suppress your curse."
"So why a kiss? You were totally about to kiss me, weren't you?"
Eriri's blush climbed to her ears; she trembled all over. If Utaha hadn't blocked it with her hand, her first kiss would've been gone.
Mortified and mad, she glared at him, her cute little fang showing as she looked ready to bite.
Hayashi Maki, unfazed, nodded.
"Yeah, kiss you. That's how you suppress the curse."
"Eriri, Senpai—you've both read novels and watched anime. You know how 'mana' works in fantasy worlds, right?
"A curse is powered by mana. For ordinary people, mana is essentially life force. The curse clinging to Eriri is running off her own life force, doing its thing like a shadow, which is why she can't draw what she wants.
"To restrain it, you need external mana to interfere with and seal that abnormal flow. In other words, we need to establish a mana conduit between us so my mana can influence Eriri's and suppress the curse."
Eriri nodded instinctively—then immediately scowled, mortified.
"You don't need a kiss to make a mana conduit! Can't you just… touch hands? And how do you even prove you have this 'mana'?"
Utaha backed her up. "Exactly. To me, you're just using this as an excuse. Your lolicon kink is acting up and you're trying to cop a feel!"
"Yeah—pervy lolicon! Wait, no—Kasumigaoka Utaha, why is it 'lolicon' just because it's me? I'm not a loli! You're just a bit more, uh, top-heavy—how is that looking down on me?"
Eriri turned her glare on Utaha. Utaha, confident, lifted her chest ever so slightly, the fullness making her figure look even more enviable. Eriri was instantly "KO'd," her resentment spiking.
"Ahem—no fighting, Eriri, Senpai," Hayashi Maki cut in quickly.
"Since I'm proposing a mana conduit, of course I can prove it."
He opened his palm; a sphere of violet light bloomed there, growing brighter.
Eriri and Utaha gaped, mouths falling open.
"I—is that magic?"
"Technically, unformed magic—raw mana."
"Ahem. I'm a mage, by the way. Please don't spread that around."
Both girls nodded hard. They definitely wouldn't. Still, learning he had a mysterious power upended their worldview. Did fantasy stuff really exist?
"Good. I've proved the mana part. So—Eriri—do you want the curse suppressed or not? As much as I'd hate to, my editor Machida-san is hounding me for the art. If you can't draw, I'll have to find someone else."
"Don't! I—I do want it suppressed. And if you can break it outright, even better." Eriri stammered, stealing a glance at him as her cheeks reddened again.
"So… there's no other way? It has to be a kiss?"
Hayashi Maki nodded solemnly. "Yes. Only that. Hand contact might work, but I've never tried. If something went wrong and you ended up, say, in a vegetative state, I'd feel terrible."
"A vegetative—what?!" Eriri yelped.
Utaha eyed Hayashi Maki, amused, one hand on her chin, and didn't call him out. He sounded convincing enough that she almost believed him—almost. But remembering he was a shameless, harem-minded lech explained everything. He surely had other options; choosing a kiss was obviously about taking advantage of Eriri. And tossing in "the other way might make you a vegetable" to scare her? Classic.
Seeing Eriri rattled, Hayashi Maki pressed on, dead serious:
"Exactly. Since I haven't tested the other method, a kiss is the safest, quickest way to form a conduit. Your call, but decide fast—we're on the clock. The curse is harmful: beyond the mental strain, that 'cow-girl alien' could eventually manifest by leeching your life force."
"Uu… do I even have a choice?"
Eyes brimming, Eriri looked like she might cry. Talk about unlucky—cursed out of nowhere with something this absurd.
She bit her lip, cheeks blazing, and glanced at Utaha. "Um, Senpai… could you give us a minute?"
Utaha arched a brow—and refused without hesitation.
"No. I'm here for reference. I helped you earlier; now it's your turn to help me. I haven't seen my junior kiss a man before, so I'm watching."
"Wha—Kasumigaoka Utaha, how can you be like this?!"
Eriri was ready to tear her hair out. It had taken everything to decide to give up her first kiss to suppress a curse—humiliating enough already. And Senpai wanted to watch?
~~~
300 Powerstone Bonus Chapter!