Maidens of Cygnus - Volume 5 - Chapter 2.2

“Uh, you’re still here?”

Marika, the first of the girls from the Magic Arts Club to go to the baths, raised her voice in surprise when she saw Mei and Koharu soaking in the hot water. Side note, the first-year Marika was the first to arrive because most female club members were too tired to go bathing right away. Also, the small number of upperclasswomen who came with her to the bathroom, among which Chika was included, had still not finished washing their hair and body.

“Where is Asha?”

“Alisa-san and Hiyori-san already got off...”

Koharu replied to Marika’s question with an exhausted voice.

“Why are you so tired?”

Marika was seriously thinking hard about why, Mei aside — she was so limp you could tell at a glance — Koharu was that tired, considering she didn’t partake in the running.

“After all that, the four of us played tennis.”

Marika’s question was answered by Mei.

“Aah, there is a tennis court right next to the institute. Did you have a match?”

“No. We did rallies, Alisa with Hiyori and me with Koharu, but I had to run all over the place anyway.”

“That wasn’t only my fault...”

Koharu complained about Mei’s remarks, looking like she was about to sink into the hot water at any moment.

“...You’ve worked hard today.”

Marika couldn’t grasp the circumstances and, for the time being, gave the two some words to recognize their efforts with a baffled expression.

◇ ◇ ◇

At night, after 9pm. Marika paid a visit to Alisa’s group’s room.

She suddenly hugged Alisa and, “Eheheh...”, giggled like a spoiled child.

Alisa was surprised and asked her “What is it?” with a flustered voice.

“You see, since we weren’t together at bath time nor dinner time...”

Marika replied in a slightly childish tone. She felt a little on the sulky side.

“...That couldn’t be helped. Your dinner was also a meeting, right?”

At the dinner table, the Magic Arts Club discussed what happened during the day and the plans and strengthening policies for tomorrow. Alisa’s group was actually in the cafeteria at the same time, but they sat somewhere far so they wouldn’t get in the way.

“I understand that. That’s why I’m replenishing on vitamin Alisa now.”

“What in the world...”

Alisa sounded sincerely exasperated, but that doesn’t mean she tried to shake Marika off.

“Marika-san, is it alright for you to not be sleeping yet?”

There should be a time for lights to go out during club training camps as well. Thinking of that, Koharu interposed to ask. 

“Lights go out at 11pm. It’s study time in our rooms right now.”

Marika replied with her voice muffled due to her current state of having her face buried in Alisa’s chest.

“So you have a time to study...”

Hiyori let out a murmur filled with praise.

“Shouldn’t you be studying in your room, Marika?”

Mei questioned Marika with a reproachful tone. — With the temperament of a Vice President, perhaps it should be said.

“I asked them if I could study with Asha and they allowed me to so it’s fine.”

While pressing her face on Alisa’s chest and nuzzling it, Marika replied to Mei.

“I see.”

Alisa said in a strangely gentle voice and patted Marika’s hair.

Marika ecstatically closed her eyes. She looked just like a cat getting its throat stroked. She made an expression as if she was about to purr at any moment.

However...

“Then, you have to study, right?”

Alisa’s next words made Marika suddenly raise her head.

Her face separated from Alisa’s chest and she tried to back away.

But Alisa held her shoulders tightly.

“That’s right. You’ve expressly made time to study, after all.” 

Mei said and stood up, and then she set a low table that had been tidied up close to the wall at the center of the room. The low table had been built with lightweight materials so even a single girl could move it easily.

Mei was making a very serious face, but it could somehow be sensed that she was finding it amusing beneath that expression.

“Please use this.”

Koharu took out a large laptop from the closet, which was training institute equipment, and placed it on the low table. She had an expression of complete benevolence.

Koharu operated the laptop and the general subject textbooks that were stored in a cloud server were displayed.

“...Here you go. Unfortunately I can’t access the magic subject’s textbooks.”

“Studying the general subjects is important too. You can’t move up the grade if you don’t get those credits.”

Alisa went around to Marika’s back and made her sit in front of the low table.

“You wouldn’t like that either, right, Mina?”

Alisa then brought her lips close to Marika’s ears and whispered in chill-inducingly sexy voice.

“— Yeah, I’d hate that. I’ll do my best.”

Frankly speaking, Marika is easy to handle.