CH 256

Chapter 256 : Doing “It”

「Umm, Mark, would you do what you usually did to Celine at the Portal Crystal to me…?」(Ester)

「Ahh… You want me to do ‘that’ to you?」(Mark)

「Y, yeah. I want you to do… th, ‘that’ to me… Honestly, I’ve been curious about ‘that’ kind of thing lately… It’s been bugging me…」(Ester)

「Alright. No problem.」(Mark)

「Are you… sure…?」(Ester)

Ester continued talking with trembling shoulders and a face as red as a rose.

「Actually… I saw you and Celine doing ‘that’ at the Portal Crystal a while ago…」(Ester)

「Ah, you saw us, huh?」(Mark)

「I, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to peek, but… A, Anyway, I’m really sorry!」(Ester)

Ester suddenly bowed her head deeply.

I don’t know why she is apologizing. It’s totally fine if she saw me help Celine refine her Crystal Branch. There’s nothing to apologize for.

「No, no. It’s okay. The Portal Crystal is a public place, so it’s only natural if someone saw us.」(Mark)

「So… Will you forgive me…?」(Ester)

「Ester, there’s nothing to forgive, so please raise your head.」(Mark)

「Un… Thank you, Mark…」(Ester)

Ester slowly raised her face and sniffed. Her eyes were moist with tears.

It seemed that she felt more guilty than I thought.

「Since I saw you with Celine that day, I’ve… always wanted to be treated the same way… Mark, I want you to do ‘that’ to me as well…」(Ester)

「But, may I ask why?」(Mark)

「B, Because I want to… have an even closer relationship with you… I want to be more… connected with you…」(Ester)

For some reason, Ester’s face became even redder as she said that.

On our way home after I defeated the Evil Fungus, Ester also said the same thing.

Well, if we refine her Crystal Branch together and simply spend more time together, we’ll get to know each other better, I guess.

「I see your point, but, Ester, I don’t think we need to rush it. Our relationship will definitely become closer with time.」(Mark)

「No, it’s not that I’m rushing, but… When I saw you with Celine, I felt… envious… I wished you could do the same thing to me… Is it not enough to be the reason…?」(Ester)

I see now…

Celine only needs three months to complete her Portal Stone with my help, while Ester has to spend many years. That’s probably why she is jealous of Celine.

However, Ester has been refining her Crystal Branch by herself so far, and it will be finished soon. I think she will get a greater sense of accomplishment if she keeps doing it alone until the end rather than finishing it with my help.

The sense of accomplishment after finishing something big will help her build her confidence in the future, so for her own good, I think I will refuse.

「But, Ester, you’ve been doing ‘it’ by yourself, right? So…」(Mark)

「H, Hwaaaaaaaa~!! I… Indeed… d-do ‘it’ myself with… my hand… sometimes, but… Ughh…」(Ester)

Ester suddenly screamed, but then she crouched down and muttered to herself.

She hugged her knee and looked away from me, still with a bright red face, looking somewhat embarrassed.

I don’t know what she’s ashamed of, but I crouched down in front of her and looked at her bright red face closer.

「Are you okay?」(Mark)

「Uuu~…. Mark, you won’t hate me because sometimes I… do ‘it’ by myself… right? …You won’t think that I’m weird, right…?」(Ester)

Ester glanced at me with teary eyes.

I’m so confused…

I don’t think there is something to be ashamed of when you refine your Crystal Branch by yourself.

But, why does she look so embarrassed? She even almost cries.

I don’t get it…

「No, of course, I won’t hate you. It’s normal. Everyone does ‘it’, after all. Even Celine used to do ‘it’ alone before she left this village.」(Mark)

「R, Really? That’s a relief…」(Ester)

Ester rubbed her teary eyes and stood up.

I still think that she better complete her Portal Stone by herself, but it seems that she really wants me to help her.

Well, I don’t mind, honestly. Besides, it can be a good magic practice for me.

Since Ester is good at wind magic, she must have been refining her Crystal Branch with wind-attributed mana.

I use wind spells better than fire spells, so I think refining her Crystal Branch will be a bit easier than Celine’s.

「So… Mark, will you…」(Ester)

「Alright. Let’s do ‘it’ together.」(Mark)

「R, Really!?」(Ester)

「But, there’s one condition.」(Mark)

「W, What is it?」(Ester)

Ester swallowed her saliva while looking at me with a nervous face.

「We will do it together with Celine.」(Mark)

I think it will be more efficient if we do it together. Besides, I can train myself to use different mana attributes at the same time.

「Eeehh!? Together with Celine!? But… that will be very embarrassing!」(Ester)

Well, she will be drenched in sweat, so I can understand why she thinks it will be embarrassing.

「But, Ester, if you can’t overcome your shyness, you can’t join us. It’s up to you.」(Mark)

I feel like I’m cheating by saying that, but it’s for her sake.

「Uuu… It will be my first time, so I want to do ‘it’ with only the two of us, but… Would you please be gentle with me…?」(Ester)

「Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you.」(Mark)

「P, Promise me.」(Ester)

「I promise.」(Mark)

「…Thank you, Mark.」(Ester)

Ester put her hand on her chest and smiled. Still with teary eyes and a bright red face.

「Celine and I have been doing ‘it’ almost every day, so I’ve already gotten used to it. You can rest easy.」(Mark)

「I see… Mark, I did think that you were much more mature than you look, but it seems that your matureness exceeds my expectations…」(Ester)

「You think so?」(Mark)

Ester answered me with a nod then looked away shyly.

「S, So… Where and when are we going to do ‘it’…?」(Ester)

「Hm? What are you talking about? At the Portal Crystal, of course. We’ll do it at noon.」(Mark)

「At the Portal Crystal… At noon… Uhh… My mom told me there are some people who like to do ‘it’ in the open during the day… but I never thought you had such a weird preference…」(Ester)

Is it weird…?

Well, the people here usually refine their Crystal Branch at night. So, yeah, I think doing it during the day is a bit weird.

「Certainly, most people do it at night, but I think we can concentrate better during the day.」(Mark)

「A, Alright. I understand… I’m looking forward to it, and… Umm… It will be my first time, so… Please be gentle, okay?」(Ester)

Ester put both hands on her chest and smiled awkwardly at me. Her face was still as red as a rose, and her shoulders were still trembling a little.

It will be her first time refining a Crystal Branch with me and Celine, her only friends, so I can understand why she is nervous.