The Light Transmutation Circle Inscriber was crafted like a calligraphy brush, charging with black mana.
While Adella was pressed against the wall, I drew the catalyst reduction circle with mana ink on her white back.
I paused the brush briefly at the seventh thoracic vertebra.
“Why?”
“Sorry, I’ll redraw it.”
Adella’s waist was so thin that there wasn’t enough space to draw in the orthogonal coordinate system.
Eventually, I erased it once and rewrote it in cylindrical coordinates.
“Now spread your arms.”
“Ugh, I’m so embarrassed… this doesn’t hurt, right?”
“Has this girl been living a lie? It doesn’t feel like anything at all.”
Trapping the aura inside the Aura Heart, I spun it to the limit.
[Creation: Talma Catalyst]
After maximizing the responsiveness of the inherent aura, I infused it into the transmutation circle.
Golden aura penetrated every nook and cranny of Adella, pushing black impurities out through her pores.
In medieval China, they called this “Beolmosae,” but despite the grand name, it didn’t actually purify a body filled with turbidity.
“After all, the concept of turbidity isn’t even strictly defined; it’s just an illusion.”
The identity of this substance, whether gas or liquid, was Residue.
There’s no reason to view everything black as bad, but having too much accumulated in the body can be problematic, so it was better to remove it beforehand.
“Is it true that humans produce stuff like this if they don’t wash for just one day? That’s why you tell me to wash every day, right?”
“You want to make strange comments again? This is a procedure to remove impurities generated from high-level circle magic. Technically, you’ve been infused with seventh-circle magic twice.”
“Ah, I see.”
Dragonia Nascentia doesn’t change all cells from one to ten.
Macroscopically, it may have been fully cast, but locally, it was incompletely cast, leaving behind Residue as a byproduct.
[Casting: Sammae Evolution]
Burning the maleficium with flame melted the Residue stuck in the pores.
Woosh—!
“Yikes, that’s cold!”
Increasing the shower pressure, I washed away the black dirts neatly with a refreshing stream of water.
Adella turned her head slightly to look back.
“Is it over now?”
“Yep. If you want to take a bath, go for it.”
“A bath? Ooh, that’s also nice—Kyaah! Uh, uh…”
I splashed a bit of water on Adella’s face and pulled down the lever.
“The towels are in the drawer, and I’ll hang your clothes here.”
“Sister! Na-me Unni!”
“What?”
Adella grinned mischievously, waving a green scrubber.
“Do you want to take a bath together? I’ll scrub your back.”
“Get a grip.”
As a wake-up call, I splashed water on her face once more.
*
What a tiring day it was.
Though I didn’t spend the night at the power plant, I couldn’t get proper sleep in the changed bed.
Hugging a soft cotton blanket in a warm room made my heavy eyelids fall shut.
Is there anything happier than sinking into deep sleep in peaceful darkness?
But suddenly, a loud noise pulled my consciousness to the surface.
Wheeee—!
“Ugh… what’s going on?”
Squinting my eyes while frowning, I tried to find the sound’s source.
In one corner of the room, Adella was blow-drying her hair with a hairdryer.
I pulled the blanket over my head.
“Sorry, Unni. There wasn’t a dryer in the bathroom.”
With the rustling noise, Adella offered her excuse.
“You could have just taken it to the living room and dried it.”
I muttered irritatingly.
“Ugh, why didn’t I think of that? I’m really sorry for waking you!”
“Just dry it here and finish quickly.”
“Okay.”
It seemed she had dried her hair thoroughly, as calm peace returned to the bedroom.
Suddenly, a faint scent of violet wafted behind me.
I turned halfway to face her.
The soft mood light sparkled in Adella’s green eyes.
“Did you bathe well?”
“Yeah! It was amazing! Like how my skin turned reddish from being in hot water for too long. And how I sweat naturally. All of it.”
“Good job.”
Adella loosened her expression and stole half of my blanket.
“Are you planning to sleep here?”
Noticing my drowsiness, I asked faintly.
“There’s no bed in the other room.”
“There’s a sofa.”
“There are no blankets, it’s cold.”
“The living room has heating too.”
“Let’s just sleep together, Unni!”
Adella’s arm slipped in between my armpits.
My body was being helplessly pulled toward her.
“Wow, so warm. Mmm…”
Now that I thought about it, she didn’t seem that sleepy.
“Just adapt to the time zone quickly.”
“I always think of you as my perfect Na-me Unni, but it’s a problem how much you nag. How can I sleep on such a joyous day? If you’re tired, you can sleep first. I, Adella, will protect you from ghosts!”
She pushed her fluffy chest toward my head.
It became slightly stuffy, making it hard to breathe.
Adella’s gentle breaths tickled my cheeks at random times, which was quite uncomfortable.
It was noisy, the space was cramped, and her body felt heavy, but for some reason, the desire to sleep slowly bubbled up.
“Goodnight, Na-me Unni.”
I can’t remember if I answered her or not.
*
“I knew I’d end up like this.”
I gathered the disheveled hair all over the bed and tied it neatly into two bunches.
I slept peacefully without hearing the alarm.
Ignoring breakfast, it was already close to lunchtime.
Snoreee—
Adella was deep in sleep, breathing in and out.
Her upper garment rose up to her chest, clearly exposing her belly button.
I adjusted her sleepwear and gently shook her shoulders.
“It’s already 11 AM! Wake up, Adella!”
“Uuugh…”
No matter how hard I tried to wake her, Adella just wouldn’t budge.
Droplets of saliva fell from her mouth, landing on the pillow sheet.
After wiping off the drool with my palm, I did a Ugh!
I rubbed my hand on her cheek once more.
Forcing Adella’s upper body up, I propped her against the wall.
Thud—
She slumped over on the bed like a limp paper straw.
“Hey, are you not getting up?”
Adella could no longer treat her body carelessly like in virtual reality.
Though it may sound a bit strict, I had to ensure her habits were established.
I tried to pry her sticky eyes open and slapped her cheeks slightly.
She surrendered and began to tremble her body.
“What time did you sleep yesterday, anyway?”
“5 AM? 6 AM? It’s unfair, I didn’t get to sleep because of you.”
“Why?”
“Because you kept putting your legs on my belly, kicking off the blanket, and mumbling weird things. The snoring was the only thing you didn’t do…”
“I usually don’t talk in my sleep, but I guess I was too tired yesterday.”
“Uuugh! I’m so tired! I feel like going back to virtual reality!”
“What!”
An overwhelming wave of emotion surged up.
“Wha—?”
“Do you know how many months I’ve endured to give you this body!”
I tightened my grip around her neck in a guillotine choke, using my other hand to firmly press against her temple.
“Ugh, let go! I was just joking! Hah, I can’t breathe!”
“If you say something like that as a joke, I might really crush your head. Got it?”
“Yes, yes!”
I opened the door and stepped into the living room, welcoming the warm spring sunlight to wake me up.
‘Is Professor Chun in the library?’
Knock knock—
I peeked through the door slightly to say good morning.
Professor Chun was writing on a movable whiteboard, speaking in a low voice.
“Looking closely at the Nernst-Einstein equation explains the ion drift log and the process of self-diffusion.”
Then, I locked eyes with Professor Chun, who wore half-framed glasses.
At that moment, I came to grips with the situation.
‘Oh, you’re in remote graduate class!’
When Professor Chun smiled gently, I hurriedly bowed and quickly closed the door. Even on a Saturday, they were busy.
Though there was little time left for lunch, brushing teeth is important.
I brought Adella’s toothbrush from the washbasin and squeezed mint chocolate-flavored toothpaste onto it.
I shoved the toothbrush into Adella’s mouth, who was still dozing.
“Mmmph!”
“Let’s brush our teeth before it gets any later.”
“The more I look at you, the more I think you’re really diligent. I like that there’s romance in little things, hehe.”
We went to the washbasin together and stared blankly at our reflections in the mirror.
Adella’s face definitely looked a bit younger.
Since the concept of age wasn’t part of ASI, it seemed we were somewhat influenced by the body created from the Akashic Records.
‘So, the body age is about 16 years old or so?’
Right, it didn’t make sense that Adella was only 19. She suited this age better.
“Arhh—!”
I gargled with water before asking her, “Adella, don’t you think your chest got a bit bigger?”
“Huh?”
“I mean your breasts. They didn’t seem to have this volume before.”
“Stop slandering! I’ve always looked this way!”
“Hmm, that’s strange, I don’t think so…”
As Adella stirred up some toothpaste, water splattered everywhere as her argument intensified.
Thinking it would take too long to continue, I wiped my mouth with a towel and headed to the kitchen.
Just then, Professor Chun finished his lesson and stepped out of the library.
“Did you two not wake up? Did you have breakfast alone?”
“No, I skipped breakfast too.”
“Did you not eat anything and just lecture for three hours? Let’s eat lunch quickly then.”
Lunch preparation started early.
I put on an apron that fit my height and brought the chair to the kitchen table.
Taking eggs out of the refrigerator, I whisked the yolks and added salt and sesame oil in proper amounts.
I dipped my pinky finger into the egg mixture, checking the seasoning for Adella.
“Nom! Mmm, it’s a bit bland.”
“Eat it bland.”
“Then why did you ask me for help?”
“You go do the dishes over there. Dad, the steamed eggs are ready. I’ll put them in the microwave when it’s time to grill the meat.”
“Alright. With four helping hands, lunch prep is getting quicker.”
Is this really considered helping?
Pretty much all the cooking was done by Professor Chun alone.
Eventually, with nothing else to help with, we sat down at the table like baby birds waiting for food.
“Enjoy your meal. Adella’s friend, too.”
“Thank you.”
“Yes! Waaaaah, I’ll eat well!”
The enticing aroma of pork belly and thick pork neck stimulated our salivary glands.
Plucking a piece of meat and placing it on top of steaming rice, I watched the steam rise.
“I’ve also prepared squid jeotgal and grilled yellow corvina. Steamed eggs are just right, too.”
“You’ve grilled the meat perfectly. It’s crispy and delicious!”
The juiciness burst in my mouth, spreading a savory oil all around.
The crispy skin and tender flesh blended well, drawing out a smile.
Suddenly, Adella started to tear up with food in her mouth.
“It’s so delicious, really! Huuh…”
“What? Are you crying?”
“The food I’ve eaten until now is on a whole different level… I’m so grateful for the body you made for me, Unni! Huhuh—! And thank you for cooking such delicious food, Abeonim!”
The sight of her struggling to cram wet ssam-bap into her mouth was quite adorable.
Feeling Adella’s enthusiastic response, Professor Chun looked pleased as he offered her various side dishes.
Although grilled yellow corvina might be fine, I worried about traditional Korean side dishes.
“This is radish salad and fresh garlic.”
“It really balances out the greasiness!”
“If you pile meat, mushrooms, chives, and plenty of ssamjang on lettuce and perilla leaves, it tastes even better!”
“Wow! This is mind-blowing!”
“If you’re not eating this, why don’t you try kimchi and doenjang soup?”
“Ooh, this tastes amazing! Unni, why do you avoid these?”
“Indeed! This is called aged kimchi; it’s fermented for a long time under low temperatures. It’s excellent when wrapped in meat!”
“Whoa, this is heaven!”
Professor Chun seemed delighted, having all his regrets about Korean food dissolved, as he watched Adella eagerly dig in.
Did I ask for too much Western food until now?
“Pasta, steak, meunière, confit, lasagna. I’ve had quite a lot lately.”
“Adella, it’s also delicious to dip in meljeot instead of ssamjang. Want me to serve you some?”
“There are so many variations! Yes, yes!”
While Adella raved about the food and Professor Chun applauded happily, I quietly sprinkled coarse salt over the pork neck and stuffed it into my mouth.
Even like this, it was delicious enough.
