Chapter 17 The Best Day Ever

He leaned back, gesturing vaguely at himself.

"Let me tell you something, Leon. If I was in your place? If some cute girl worked up the courage to confess to ME? I would not hesitate. Not for ONE second. You don't get that every day, man. Girls like that? Girls brave enough to put their heart on the line? That's rare. That's special. Don't mess it up by overthinking."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Kon added, "I wish I had a girlfriend to return to after a long monster slaying day. But instead, I go back to dorm room with sweaty men."

 "But what if there are... complications. Beyond the usual."

Greg waved a hand. "Complications schmomplications. Every relationship has complications. She got a crazy ex? You're a hero, you can handle it. Her family doesn't like heroes? They'll come around. Her dad's super overprotective and scary? Please. You fight demon lord. You can handle one angry dad."

Leon softly chuckled.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Greg, Kon. I... I'll think about it."

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The sun was setting, painting the academy corridors in warm orange and gold. Molly was skipping toward her dorm, humming a cheerful tune, her mind still replaying the highlights of today's Cedric-teasing triumphs.

From a side corridor, came a muffled.

"Pssssst!"

Molly stopped. Turned.

A hand emerged from the shadows, gesturing urgently. And behind it, sparkling blue eyes, golden hair, and a slightly flustered expression.

Leon.

"Molly. Come here. Do you have a moment? To talk?"

"HE FOUND ME! HE WANTS TO TALK! THIS IS IT! THIS IS THE MOMENT! DECISION TIME! KYAAAAAAAA—"

On the outside, she managed a breathless, "Y-Yeah! Totally! Lots of moments! Let's t-talk!"

She followed him through the corridors until they reached the library. They sat across from each other.

Leon took a deep breath. 

"I've been thinking. About what you asked. About... us."

Molly's entire body tensed. Her face flushed so red it was visible even through her tan. Tiny puffs of steam rising from her head.

"I'M STEAMING! LIKE A KETTLE! THIS IS FINE! THIS IS TOTALLY FINE!"

He pressed on.

"I would love to date you, Molly."

Molly's brain short-circuited.

"LOVE! DATE! HE SAID LOVE AND DATE IN THE SAME SENTENCE! ABOUT ME! TOWARD ME! I—KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—"

Leon continued. "But it will be complicated. I'm under immense stress as it is. Studies, missions, council obligations. I won't have much time for... dating things. Proper dates. I need to focus on my exams first, or I really will fail. Is that... is that okay? Can we start slowly? With you helping me study, like you offered. And maybe... maybe we figure out the rest as we go?"

Molly launched across the table.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

She tackled him. Full body. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her legs somehow hooking around his waist, pressing her warm, trembling, ecstatic body against his. Her face buried in his shoulder.

"YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! OF COURSE IT'S OKAY! I'M SO HAPPY! I'M YOUR GIRLFRIEND NOW! YOUR ACTUAL GIRLFRIEND!"

Leon's arms hovered awkwardly, unsure where to go, before accidently settling on her butt.

"She's very soft and warm. Very soft, very warm. Is this a demon thing or a Molly thing? Both? Probably both."

Molly pulled back just enough to look at his face, her happy grin so wide it was all teeth.

"Listen, Leon! I'm gonna be the BEST girlfriend! I'll help you study EVERY DAY—" She nuzzled against his neck. "—help you release all that pent-up stress ANYTIME you want! Just say the word! Any word! A LOOK! Just LOOK at me a certain way and I'll KNOW!"

Leon's face went red.

"I-that's-you don't have to—"

"Nonsense! That's what girlfriends are FOR! I'm gonna take such good care of you, Leon! You won't even REMEMBER what stress felt like! We'll study AND we'll have fun AND we'll go on cute dates AND—"

She wiggled, adjusting her position to hug him tighter, her soft body rubbing against his.

And froze.

There was something pressing against her. Something firm. Something... substantial.

Molly's eyes looked down. Then at Leon's face, which was red.

"OH! Oh my."

She didn't move. Didn't pull away.

"Is that—that's—THAT'S—KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—It's so—it's so BIG—"

Her mouth moved before her brain could stop it.

"Oh wow... is that... that's..." She swallowed. "It's so big..."

Leon made a strangled sound that might have been words in some language.

"I-I apologize, that's completely inappropriate. I didn't mean to. You smell so nice, your body is very warm and soft, and you were wiggling and... I'm so sorry..."

Molly's face turned red. But she didn't pull away. If anything, her arms tightened slightly around his neck.

"HE'S HARD! For me! The hero is hard for me! It's a proof he likes me, a lot! BEST DAY EVER!"

Leon couldn't even form words anymore.

Molly buried her face back in his shoulder, hiding her nuclear blush.

"Okay. Okay, okay, okay. He's hard. I'm hugging him. This is happening. I'm a demon. A clever, wicked, wonderfully evil demon. And I just had the most brilliant idea in the HISTORY of brilliant ideas."

She lifted her head, meeting his flustered gaze with eyes that sparkled with mischief and something darker.

"Hey, Leon~ Soooo... you said you need to study, right~? Like, a lot~? To pass your exams~?"

"Y-Yes. That's... that's correct."

Molly's smile turned slow. Dangerous in the most delightful way.

"What if we started... right now~?"

 "Now? With me like this?"

"Mmmhmmmm~!" She wiggled slightly, just enough to remind him of their current position, just enough to make him suck in a sharp breath. "Think about it. Your brain is FULL of stimulation right now. Adrenaline. Arousal. All that good stuff. Your body is in high gear."

She traced a finger lazily down his chest.

"And you know what they say? Arousal is the BEST teacher. You'll remember EVERYTHING you learn right now. Every time you think about this moment, about me in your hands, about how this feel, you'll remember the lesson too."

Leon's breathing had become very unsteady.

"That's... that's actually... that's not entirely illogical? The brain does form stronger memories during heightened emotional states. And this is certainly... heightened."

Molly leaned in, her lips brushing against his ear.

"So, let's study, boyfriend~ I'll teach you. And you'll never forget a single word."

She slid off him, reluctantly, slowly, and grabbed the massive textbook from the nearby table. The one that had been defeating him for weeks.

She plopped back down. Not in the chair beside him. In his lap.

She settled against his chest, her back to his front, her head tilted just enough to see his face. She opened the book across her thighs and pointed at the first chapter with a perfectly manicured finger.

"Okay! Chapter One: Basic Seal. Mnmm~ Pay attention, Leon~ This is IMPORTANT, ahh~"

Leon's arms hung awkwardly at his sides. He had no idea where to put them.

Molly grabbed one and wrapped it around her waist.

"There. Much better. Now hold me. I'm your girlfriend. This is normal."

"Is this normal girlfriend behavior? She is shivering from my touch. I have no reference for normal girlfriend behavior. This could be completely normal. It might be ABNORMAL! I DON'T KNOW!"

But his arm stayed. His hand rested on the curve of her hip.

Molly shivered happily and pointed at the text.

"See this? This is a basic seal. It's used to—mm—store magical energy for later use. The key is the three magic circles, see? They have to overlap at angles or the whole thing collapses."

She traced the diagram with her finger. Her body shifted slightly with each word, pressing warmth against his chest, her vanilla scent filling his senses.

Leon stared at the page. The words were actually making sense. The diagrams were clear. Her voice was soft and patient and right there against his ear.

"She's right. I AM remembering this. Every detail. The way her hair smells. The warmth of her back against my chest. The way her finger moves across the page. The-the pressure against my—"

He swallowed hard and forced his eyes back to the text.

"The three circles. Got it. Basic seals."

"Exactly!" Molly beamed, twisting just enough to smile at him. "You're SO smart, Leon! See? You're already learning! You got smarts for it. Your only problem was you don't know the ancient language. But with me translating, you will get this in no time."

She turned back to the book, snuggling deeper against him. Her finger traced another diagram. Her body relaxed against his, soft, warm, distracting.

Leon's brain was on fire. Not from confusion anymore, from overstimulation. Every nerve ending was awake. Every sense was dialed to maximum. The words on the page seared themselves into his memory alongside the feeling of her weight in his lap, the curve of her hip under his hand, the soft brush of her hair against his chin.

"Layered barriers. First layer absorbs initial impact. Second layer disperses residual energy. Third layer reflects remaining force back at attacker. First layer. Second layer. Third layer. Her waist is very small. Her hair is very soft. She's very warm. FIRST LAYER! SECOND LAYER! AHHH! FOCUS!"

Molly continued.

"And that's why you never put the reflective layer first, obviously. That would be crazy. It would bounce the attack right back at you before the absorption layers could—mm—do their job. You following?"

"Following, yes. Following."

"He's following. He's definitely following. He's also VERY aware of me in his lap. His heart is beating SO fast. I'm also learning a lot about him. But mostly I'm enjoying my boyfriend."

She turned another page, pressing back against him, their study continued till the curfew bell rang.