Sylvie cautiously lifted her eyes, using the dim light of the magic crystal lamp in the room to secretly observe Floria’s smiling face.
The once stern and aloof teacher who had always treated her with strict authority now had a faint, enticing flush on her cheeks, like the gentle hues of a sunset.
The ruby-like eyes no longer held that usual cold and solemn elegance; instead, they carried a mischievous sparkle as if a playful girl had just succeeded in a prank, combined with a delicate fragility.
Sylvie had never imagined that the dignified elder and revered teacher she once looked up to would one day reveal such a youthful, girlish side in front of her.
“Little Sylvie is really growing up fast. In another two years, you might even be taller than your teacher, right?”
Floria threw out a topic to catch Sylvie’s attention, then stealthily reached out her hand.
…From experience, there are various ways to absorb magical energy, but ultimately, they all depend on close physical contact—holding hands being one of them.
“Hmm… indeed, looking at you now, teacher, you don’t seem as tall and slender as before…”
Sylvie responded, but suddenly caught herself mid-sentence, blinking her big watery eyes in puzzlement.
“Huh… this—!”
Before Sylvie could even voice her question with awkward hesitation, an instinctive self-defense, typical of a tender young girl, instantly awakened within her.
Her body tensed up sharply, her waist stiffening upright.
The reason was… something unfamiliar was climbing up her hand at the waist!
The plain dark purple garment didn’t cover her delicate wrist, which was now enveloped by a warm, smooth, and slippery touch.
The “tool” Floria used in her “mischief” was round and flawless, skin like creamy jade, silky and delicate, and faintly scented with roses.
Sylvie quickly glanced down, then hastily averted her eyes, her gaze wandering restlessly.
—That was Floria’s fingers.
A foreign object far more nerve-tingling than mere verbal teasing to Sylvie’s senses.
Warm, soft, slippery, fair-skinned, and supple, with a subtle hint of hardness lingering at the tips of the middle and ring fingers, though not in an awkward way.
This strange sensation caught Sylvie completely off guard, directly enveloping her sensitive, youthful fingertips.
While holding her small hand, Floria instinctively combined gentle pinching and firm kneading in a practiced manner, simultaneously stimulating Sylvie’s tender tactile nerves.
…Actually, in the past, Sylvie had held hands before.
Rather, when taking care of the physically weak Floria, or crossing streets together, there were many chances to hold hands—it was perfectly normal.
But for some reason, this one time felt exceptionally thrilling, tingling, and extraordinary… as if the teacher had used some strange method…
Sylvie couldn’t help but feel a confusing, helpless wave of emotions rising from her heart, fiercely surging through her mind.
It was a sensation unlike anything she had ever experienced since birth.
She stared blankly up, locking eyes with Floria’s coquettish and exquisitely charming gaze.
“Sylvie’s hand… is a bit different from when you were little~”
Floria smiled naturally, as if nothing unusual was happening, and said:
“I still remember when you were little, your hands were round and chubby, and squeezing them felt like holding a soft stress ball, which the teacher couldn’t get enough of~”
There was a trace of nostalgic sadness in Floria’s tone.
“Ah, but now that you’ve grown up, your fingers have lengthened and look prettier, but they’ve also become much thinner… not as fun to squeeze as before…”
As she spoke, Floria’s face showed a regretful expression—the subtle disappointment dimmed Sylvie’s heart, making it feel as if an invisible giant hand was clutching her chest, stirring a bit of guilt within.
“Teacher, I’m sorry…”
Sylvie apologized softly, feeling ashamed.
After just a short time together in this secret room, every smile, glance, and expression of joy or sorrow on Floria’s face, as well as the hope and disappointment directed at her, began to feel like invisible chains that tightly gripped Sylvie’s emotions, sending them soaring and plunging like a roller coaster.
Sylvie instinctively sensed this feeling was strange and somewhat uncomfortable—but at the same time, Floria’s poisonously charming aura made her inexplicably addicted, torn between love and hate.
Especially with Floria’s earlier promise of “ever better rewards,” Sylvie couldn’t help but look toward the future with hope and anticipation.
Yet, since her goal was the sacred and untouchable elder Floria, she dared not indulge her heart’s wishes too much, constantly suppressing her wild thoughts with reason.
…At this moment, Floria was completely unaware of the complex and tangled thoughts stirring inside her little fluff.
She had merely used the same methods she once employed to tease those destined female leads, lightly holding Sylvie’s hand while secretly attempting to absorb some magical energy from her.
Her disappointed expression was due not to anything else, but precisely because this attempt had failed.
Floria could feel that, for some reason, both times she had taken the initiative, she had not sensed any magical energy feedback.
Upon reflection… even when she had called Sylvie over to support her and held her arm for so long, it seemed no magic had entered her body.
What was going on?
Floria released Sylvie’s hand—who immediately looked relieved, though with a hint of disappointment.
But Floria paid it no mind and seriously began pondering the pressing issue at hand.
After some careful thought, she recalled that the time she had felt the magic flow was when she was about to fall, and Sylvie had voluntarily wrapped her arms around her waist from behind.
Combining this with the basic knowledge about magic she already knew—unless the person involved willingly gives it, magic cannot be “siphoned” through external force without special spells.
Floria’s clever mind mulled it over and felt she understood something.
The key point lay in the “willing giving”!
When Sylvie supported her, it was because Floria had asked and reached out first; it was passive contact.
But the time she nearly fell, Sylvie had acted out of her own volition, actively reaching out to hold her.
…Could this be the difference?
Magic is, after all, tied closely to one’s mental state, so judging these matters is inherently subjective.
If Sylvie’s subconscious perceived it as “passive” or “forced,” the magic would not flow into Floria.
In other words, Sylvie must consciously and willingly approach her for contact in order for Floria to absorb magic…
Having reached this conclusion in an instant, Floria couldn’t help but furrow her brows.
With Sylvie’s pure, obedient, introverted personality carefully cultivated since childhood, getting her to consciously initiate physical contact would be quite difficult…
Floria was troubled and also realized the small amount of magic she had absorbed before was running low.
If her magic ran out, the cursed, frail lower half of her body wouldn’t be able to support her leaning against the wall and facing Sylvie like this—and she’d be unable to stand again.
But if Sylvie knew such a thing… wouldn’t her image as a dignified elder be ruined!
To obtain magic, she needed to think of another method—
Of course, the last resort, like “asking Sophia to give it back,” was something she would never consider unless absolutely forced.
Sylvie’s cheeks burned with shame, unable to meet Floria’s smiling gaze.
Her eyes anxiously dropped downward, unsettled, and inadvertently fixed on Floria’s fair, smooth chest, turning even redder.
Seeing this, Floria smiled lightly and raised an eyebrow, a plan forming in her mind.
“Oh right, Sylvie, do you remember this necklace?”
Floria pulled out a delicate Crystal Ball Necklace from an unknown pocket space, and under Sylvie’s watchful eyes, elegantly placed it around her neck.
“Um… of course I remember. Isn’t this the necklace Little Flo often used to wear before?”
Sylvie said in a confused tone.
Speaking of this necklace, Floria had worn it frequently ever since Sylvie was born.
To Sylvie, it was just a simple little accessory made of a soft elastic cord with a transparent small sphere threaded at its center.
Though quite plain and seemingly powerless, it was clearly beloved by Floria.
From Sylvie’s memories, over the years they lived together, except for bathing and sleeping, Floria wore this glass ball necklace almost five or six days a week.
“What’s wrong with this necklace?”
Sylvie asked softly, puzzled.
“See, teacher usually wears it with the little glass ball tucked inside her clothes, right?”
Floria smiled as she spoke, demonstrating.
“Tucking it inside means letting that transparent orb at the bottom of the necklace hang naturally down into the alluring valley of the chest.”
“Hm…”
Sylvie nodded, still confused.
“Over the years, teacher and Sylvie have been relying on each other, but teacher has also been quite lonely. Many times, teacher wants to grow closer with you but, as a responsible adult, feels awkward expressing these feelings… do you understand what teacher means?”
Floria smiled shyly, pretending to be sincere.
“Huh… Little Flo actually thinks like this inside?”
Sylvie looked at Floria with surprise, her gaze moving up and down as if seeing her in a new light.
“So, teacher wants to make a new rule—if from now on, you see teacher pull the necklace out and not tuck it inside like before…”
Floria deliberately paused for a few seconds, catching Sylvie’s curious gaze before continuing:
“That means teacher is in a state where she hopes Sylvie will come to her and actively deepen their bond~”
Floria spoke coaxingly, her words full of implication.
“Eh, deepen the bond, meaning…”
“Just like what teacher did with Sylvie before—now, don’t you feel your heart is sweet and happy, your whole body comfortable, and an inexplicable excitement inside?”
“Um… yes…”
Sylvie nodded in agreement, then shyly lowered her head—the upbringing since childhood made her feel a strange embarrassment admitting such things.
“That’s right. That’s what those interactions do to strengthen our bond—so you can also use those ways to make teacher happy~”
As she spoke, Floria took the necklace from her bosom and placed it visibly atop her full chest, making the orb swing prominently.
“This Crystal Ball Necklace is like our ‘safety switch.’ When it’s visible outside, little Sylvie can come to me to deepen our bond—like a little kiss or a hug, anything’s fine~
“Of course, if it’s tucked back inside, that’s the complete opposite. At those times, you absolutely must not touch teacher, understand~”
Seeing Sylvie’s interest thoroughly piqued by her words, Floria’s smile deepened.
Since Sylvie had already seen those “improper” picture books and harbored such impure thoughts, trying to forcefully suppress them would likely backfire.
In this case, as the saying goes, “better to guide than block,” Floria’s little scheme was working perfectly.
Using this necklace as a marker switch to regulate Sylvie’s behavior, training her conditioned reflexes, Floria could take control over Sylvie’s inappropriate actions toward her while also achieving her goal of absorbing magic—two birds with one stone.
Heh heh… I truly am an excellent villainess! Even without a system prompt, I can come up with such a brilliant idea—
“Come now, my adorable little Sylvie, before we leave this secret room, if you see this necklace out, is there anything you’d like to do for teacher?”
Floria laughed softly, enticing her.
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