“Thanks, Vivian. If it weren't for you just now, I'd probably still be stuck in that crowd.”
The two of them walked down the dim emergency exit stairs, their footsteps echoing in the narrow space.
After Greg thanked her, Vivian, who was walking ahead, did not reply immediately. Instead, she remained silent for quite a while.
Her back cast a slender silhouette under the dim light of the magic crystal lamp, her signature long blue hair swaying gently with each step.
Finally, she stopped and turned around. In her eyes, which were usually as calm as a frozen lake, a barely perceptible ripple now stirred.
“Are you... planning to transfer to Ember-Eye Tower Magic Academy?”
The question came completely out of the blue, catching Greg off guard.
Where did this rumor come from?
Even the Headmistress was practically on his side now. Plus, he could tease that little gray-haired brat whenever he was bored, and seek comfort from Silvia when he was in a bad mood. How could he possibly bear to leave such a comfortable life?
“Not at all!”
Greg quickly waved his hands, his tone firm.
“I've never even thought about transferring to Ember-Eye Tower. Glory Cael is great, and I'm not going anywhere.”
These words flowed into Vivian's heart like a warm current.
Her eyes, which had been tinged with a faint unease, finally softened completely.
As I thought, Greg won't leave because of me.
At this thought, a surge of impulse unlike anything she had ever felt before welled up in her heart—she wanted to do something for him as a reward for this promise.
“Greg, close your eyes.”
Vivian's voice was as cool as ever, but it carried a barely perceptible tremor.
Greg was a bit puzzled, not understanding why she suddenly wanted him to close his eyes, but he trusted that Vivian would never harm him, so he obediently shut them.
The moment darkness fell, his other senses became exceptionally sharp.
He could hear the sound of his own heartbeat and feel the cool draft in the stairwell brushing against his cheek. There was also the faint fragrance wafting from Vivian—like plum blossoms blooming in winter, crisp and refreshing without being overwhelming.
Then, his lips touched something.
It was an extremely brief contact, so short that it almost made him wonder if it was an illusion, yet he had definitely felt it.
Cold, soft, and carrying a faint, sweet scent, it was like a snowflake landing on his lips, melting before he could even register its temperature.
“Was that just now...”
Greg had a suspicion in his mind, but he figured it had to be wrong. After all, how could Vivian possibly take the initiative to do something like this?
But when he slowly opened his eyes, he was completely stunned.
Vivian's face, which usually wore an indifferent expression, was now flushed with a highly visible blush.
The rosy hue spread from behind her ears, tracing along her delicate cheekbones all the way to her cheeks, as if someone had brushed the gentlest rouge across her fair skin.
Her hands unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning white from the strain. She stood there like a beautiful ice sculpture that had been breathed into life but had no idea what to do next.
This appearance of desperately trying to maintain her composure while utterly failing to hide her shyness formed a massive contrast with her usual icy demeanor, making her look incredibly captivating.
Greg's heart skipped a heavy beat.
Now he was certain. Without a doubt, that sensation just now was Vivian's kiss.
Although it was as fleeting as a hallucination, he could still taste that cool, soft sensation lingering on his lips.
“Was that... considered a good reward for a boy?”
Vivian's voice broke the silence. It was softer than usual, carrying a shyness that she was trying hard to suppress but still leaked through.
As she spoke, her gaze drifted aimlessly—first landing on Greg's collar, then shifting to the fire hydrant on the wall, simply not daring to look him in the eye.
For Vivian, whose knowledge in this area was practically zero, simply performing this action had taken everything she had. Even so, she hoped that this reward would truly satisfy Greg.
“Ah? Yeah... I suppose so...”
Greg was also a bit dazed at this moment. Although he had long understood Vivian's feelings for him and had expressed his willingness to accept them, he never expected this girl, who was usually as cold as ice, to take such a bold initiative right now.
For a moment, he didn't even know what face to make in front of this rarely bashful Vivian.
He originally wanted to say something to break the overly ambiguous atmosphere, but when his gaze fell on Vivian's blushing face again, he suddenly couldn't resist the urge to tease her a little.
So Greg immediately changed his tune. “However, you didn't do it entirely correctly just now.”
Sure enough, this sentence caused a flash of panic to cross Vivian's watery eyes, and she quickly pressed, “Then... what is the correct way to do it?”
To say she had a complete understanding of this would be an overstatement; she was practically clueless.
From childhood to adulthood, her life's dictionary contained only magic, cultivation, and studying. No teacher had ever taught her how to kiss.
Seeing her earnest quest for knowledge, Greg suppressed his laughter and said with a straight face, “You have to open your mouth slightly, and then stick your tongue out a bit.”
“Does... does it really require that?”
Vivian's voice was visibly trembling, her entire face flushed so red it looked ready to drip blood.
Simply having Greg close his eyes and kissing him had already exhausted all her courage. Forcing her to do something like this now was practically harder than facing an ancient dragon alone.
Seeing this, Greg deliberately sighed and wore a look of deep regret.
“Ah, I see. Well, alright then.”
Seeing Greg's slightly disappointed expression, Vivian thought of Juno.
Since one person had already tried to steal him away, other women might try in the future as well.
Although she no longer expected to have Greg all to herself, she still hoped that she would always hold a place in his heart.
This thought was like a flame, burning away her last trace of hesitation.
Vivian took a deep breath, as if making a monumental decision.
Then, she parted her lips slightly and awkwardly poked out the very tip of her tongue.
In the dim light, that pink tongue-tip glistened with moisture, looking like a freshly peeled piece of lychee, carrying a deadly allure.
Her eyes held a mixture of shame, nervousness, and a stubborn earnestness. Her voice, warped by extreme embarrassment, sounded slightly out of tune:
“Is... is it like this?”
“......”
Greg had truly only wanted to tease Vivian, to see what this usually icy girl looked like when she was embarrassed.
But he never expected that when Vivian actually did as he said, the impact of the visual would far exceed his expectations.
The usually indifferent Vivian was now standing before him with flushed cheeks and watery eyes. Her slightly parted lips revealed a tender pink tongue-tip, her entire being radiating a vulnerability that was the exact opposite of her usual self.
That intense sense of contrast was like a delicate rose suddenly blooming on a ten-thousand-year-old glacier. The collision of cold and heat, the intertwining of abstinence and temptation, formed a fatal charm capable of destroying all reason.
Greg's mind instantly went blank.
All thoughts of joking, all intentions of teasing, vanished into thin air at this very moment.
Only one thought remained in his mind, a primal and pure impulse—to draw that pink tongue-tip into his own mouth and taste its warmth and flavor.
Greg slowly lowered his head, moving closer to Vivian.
“If you hate it, you can pull away.”
Greg's movements were very slow, as if leaving a final choice for both of them, but his gaze was so burning hot it seemed ready to ignite the air.
As for Vivian, though her ears were hot enough to burn and her heart was beating fast enough to leap out of her chest, she didn't make any move to dodge.
She just stood there quietly, tilting her head up, watching Greg's face grow larger in her vision. In her clear eyes, his figure was reflected, coming closer and growing larger until it occupied her entire field of view.
This time, she didn't ask Greg to close his eyes. Instead, she slowly closed her own.
(Now, who is the number one succubus of the dungeon?!)
Rate on N.U.
