The Azure Wind Academy Library was a cathedral of silence. Towering shelves of dark mahogany reached up to the vaulted stone ceiling, packed tight with scrolls, tomes, and jade slips containing centuries of martial knowledge. Dust motes danced in the shafts of light that pierced through the high stained-glass windows, creating an atmosphere that was both holy and suffocating.
Kai walked through the main atrium, his boots making no sound on the polished stone floor. His [Agility 5] allowed him to move with the grace of a stalking panther. He bypassed the busy sections where students gossiped over basic sword manuals and headed deeper, into the dimly lit aisles of the "Occult and Spirit Bestiaries."
The air here was cooler, smelling of old parchment and dried ink. It was deserted. Most martial artists cared about punching harder, not reading about ghosts.
Perfect, Kai thought.
He turned into the aisle marked 'Spectral Manifestations'.
He stopped dead in his tracks.
At the far end of the narrow aisle, bathed in a sliver of sunlight, was a girl.
It was Yun Xi.
The shy member of Group 9 was standing on her tiptoes, straining to reach a thick, leather-bound book on the top shelf. She was short-barely coming up to Kai's chest-and the shelf was mercilessly high.
"Nngh... almost..." she whispered to herself, her voice tiny and strained.
She jumped slightly, her fingers brushing the spine of the book, but she couldn't get a grip.
The motion sent ripples through her body.
Yun Xi's uniform was the standard Academy robe, but on her, it looked like it was fighting a losing war against physics. As she reached up, her arms lifted, pulling the fabric tight across her chest. Her breasts-massive, soft, and undoubtedly heavy-were smashed against the wooden bookshelf. They spilled out the sides of her arms, flattened against the spines of the books.
Bounce. Squeeze.
Every time she jumped, the heavy flesh wobbled violently.
But that wasn't the only view.
Because she was stretching upward, the hem of her robe rode up. It crept past her knees, past her thighs. Kai's enhanced vision caught the flash of pale, milky skin and the edge of a lace trim.
She was completely oblivious to his presence. She was focused entirely on the book, panting slightly from the exertion.
[Ding!][Target: Yun Xi][Status: Frustrated / Vulnerable][Affection: 20/100 (Dependency)][Opportunity: High]
Kai didn't call out to her. That would be a waste.
He moved forward. Silent. Predatory.
He closed the distance in three long strides. He stopped right behind her. He stood so close that he could smell her-a sweet, milky scent mixed with the dust of old paper.
Yun Xi let out a frustrated huff and prepared to jump again.
As she hopped, Kai stepped in.
He placed his left hand on the shelf, high above her head, effectively blocking her left side. He placed his right hand on the shelf to her right.
He leaned in.
His chest pressed firmly against her back.
"Need a hand, Yun Xi?" Kai whispered, his voice a low rumble right next to her ear.
"Eek!"
Yun Xi squeaked like a stepped-on mouse. She flinched violently, dropping back down onto her heels.
But there was nowhere to go.
She was trapped.
In front of her was the unforgiving wood of the bookshelf, pressing against her nipples. Behind her was a wall of solid muscle.
Kai didn't retreat. He kept his body flush against hers. With his new Strength 9, his body felt like iron compared to her softness. He let his hips rest against her lower back. He let her feel the width of his chest.
"K-Kai?!" Yun Xi stammered, her head whipping around to look at him, her glasses slipping down her nose. Her face went from pale to beetroot red in a millisecond. "W-What... when did you..."
"You were struggling," Kai said smoothly. He didn't move away. In fact, he leaned closer, trapping her head between his arm and the books. "You should have asked for help. It's dangerous to stretch like that. You could fall."
"I... I..." Yun Xi was hyperventilating.
The sensation of his body against hers was overwhelming. The memory of the "Spirit Link" ritual flashed in her mind-the hot, aggressive Yang energy that had made her legs weak. Now, the source of that energy was pressing against her ass.
Kai looked down at her. She looked terrified, but her eyes were dilated. She wasn't pushing him away.
"Which book?" Kai asked, his breath ghosting over her neck.
"T-That one..." She pointed a shaking finger upward. "The Compendium of Resentful Spirits."
"This one?"
Kai reached up. To do so, he had to press even closer. He slid his chest up against her back. His crotch brushed firmly against her buttocks.
Yun Xi gasped, her spine arching reflexively. Her breasts were crushed even harder against the books in front of her. She was literally the meat in a sandwich made of Kai and knowledge.
Kai took his time. He hooked his finger over the spine of the book. He didn't pull it down immediately. He held the pose.
"You smell nice, Yun Xi," Kai murmured, inhaling the scent of her hair. "Like milk and honey."
Yun Xi's legs began to tremble. "P-Please... Kai... people might see..."
"We're in the Occult section," Kai replied, his lips grazing her earlobe. "No one comes here. Just us. And the ghosts."
He let his hand drop slightly, resting it on her waist. His thumb rubbed the soft curve of her hip through the robe.
"You're so small," he whispered. "But you're hiding so much... heaviness."
He glanced sideways at her chest, pressed flat against the shelf.
"Doesn't it hurt? Carrying those around?"
Yun Xi turned crimson, tears of embarrassment and arousal pricking her eyes. "Kai! Stop teasing me!"
"I'm not teasing," Kai said, his voice darkening. "I'm admiring."
He pulled the book down.
He stepped back slowly, giving her an inch of breathing room, but keeping her caged with his arms.
Yun Xi spun around, clutching her chest, breathing hard. She looked like a cornered rabbit. Her glasses were crooked, her hair messy, and her skirt was still ruffled.
Kai held the heavy tome in one hand effortlessly. He looked at her with amusement.
"Here," he offered the book.
Yun Xi reached out with trembling hands to take it. Their fingers brushed. A spark of static electricity-or perhaps lingering Qi-jumped between them.
"T-Thank you," she whispered, looking at her feet.
"So," Kai leaned against the shelf, crossing his arms, blocking the exit to the aisle. "You're researching the West Dormitory ghost too?"
Yun Xi nodded frantically, hugging the book to her chest as if it were a shield. "Y-Yes. Teacher Han said we needed to prepare. I... I wanted to be useful. I didn't want to be a burden to the group."
"You're not a burden," Kai said. He reached out and pushed her glasses back up her nose with one finger. "You're the brains. I'm the muscle."
He flexed his arm slightly, the fabric of his uniform tightening.
"You tell me what the ghost is. And I'll destroy it."
Yun Xi looked up at him. The fear in her eyes melted slightly, replaced by a glimmer of hero-worship. He was big. He was scary. But he was her scary teammate.
"O-Okay," she managed a small, shy smile. "I found... I found something important. About the weeping."
"Show me," Kai commanded. "Let's read it together."
He pointed to a small wooden table in the corner of the aisle, hidden behind a stack of scrolls.
"Sit next to me, Yun Xi. And don't sit too far away. I don't bite." He smirked. "Unless you want me to."