"What do you want to trade for it?" Faced with Patchouli's proposal, Rin perked up, watching her pale, frail face with interest.
If the punishment trigger hadn't gone off clearly, he might have actually been fooled by her.
"Most of my treasures are magical artifacts. I'm not sure if they interest you. Or I could teach you some magic. I'm fairly confident in that area."
Patchouli suggested, letting out a few weak coughs, looking more and more like she might collapse at any moment. As Rin quickly helped support her to the sofa, Patchouli's body instinctively went soft, and even the tips of her ears turned red.
Damn it—why does my body react like this?! Those two wild beasts, no shame at all! Their sins even outmatch Sakuya's!
After settling Patchouli down, Rin seemed a bit conflicted.
"I don't really have much need for magic. My innate abilities pretty much cover what I need."
"If I had to pick something though... I was actually kind of interested in the magic Marisa used yesterday."
"How about this: you teach me that spell, and I'll give you half a bottle for now?"
"Since your health isn't great, I don't know if you can handle the alcohol. Try a half-glass first. If it goes well, I'll reserve a whole bottle for you when the next shipment comes in."
Seeing how thoughtful and accommodating Rin was, Patchouli couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.
Let's just blame the whole night of... activity and the morning workout on Marisa for now. Once this ordeal is over, I'll gift the boss a few magical items to make up for it.
"Alright then, it's a deal. When would you like to start? My mana's recovering slowly, but it should be enough to leave you a rune imprint."
"I'm ready anytime. I'll pour you a drink first. After a nice nap, we can get started?"
As Rin reached for the drawer where the bronze box was hidden, Patchouli nearly jumped out of her skin.
"No need!!"
"People tend to be groggy when they first wake up—it might affect the lesson. Let's just start now!"
"Come on, to my room!"
She hurriedly pulled Rin back, a nervous sheen of sweat forming on her forehead. As she dragged Rin into the room, the two eavesdroppers in the courtyard—Reimu and Marisa—were left scratching their heads.
"Was it really her?"
"Doesn't sound like she has the bottle either. Who else could it be?"
"To take it without being noticed... Could it be Sakuya or the paparazzi?"
"Could be!"
Their expressions turned grim as they darted off toward Sakuya's location. But mid-step, Marisa suddenly paused, her eyes drifting back toward Rin and Patchouli's retreating figures.
Was that just her imagination? Why did Rin look like a villain about to pull off some evil plot?
"What's up?"
"Ah, nothing. Just felt a little dizzy suddenly." Brushing it off, Marisa quickly caught up to Reimu.
Meanwhile, back inside the room, Patchouli had Rin sit down before swiftly preparing the tools for the spell engraving ritual.
"There are a lot of glyphs involved. For optimal stability, I'll need to inscribe them on your back. Is that okay?"
"Sure."
"Take off your shirt—er, take it off and lie face down on the bed."
Patchouli averted her eyes shyly, completely lacking the calm professionalism she had when inscribing runes on Marisa.
Once she heard Rin get into position, she turned back around after a few deep breaths to calm herself. But when her gaze fell upon the defined musculature of Rin's back, her face flushed crimson.
He always looked slim with clothes on... but his physique was surprisingly good...
Shaking her head to clear the stray thoughts, Patchouli focused up. Activating the support spell, she raised her magic pen and began carefully engraving the glyphs onto Rin's back.
But only a few seconds in, she started frowning. Something wasn't right...
There was almost no mana drain at all. Was she just that much more skilled now? Or... was this guy's body simply too compatible with the spell?
Blinking in confusion, Patchouli confirmed that the mana loss from the engraving was less than what the support spell consumed, so she just deactivated the support to conserve energy.
Her muscle memory should be enough to handle it.
As Patchouli continued, the atmosphere in the room subtly shifted.
The air grew heavier, her breathing quicker. A strange sense of hollowness gnawed at her chest, making her hand tremble slightly.
Despite almost no actual mana loss, her body cried out for more—every fiber of her being yearning for mana like a dry sponge begging for water. It unsettled her, throwing off her focus.
"Hold on a second."
Patchouli murmured, anxiously rummaging through a drawer to find a half-finished mana potion. After downing it in one gulp, the discomfort finally began to fade.
She still had over half her mana left... So why did it feel like she'd been drained dry?
Scratching her head in confusion, she decided not to dwell on it. With the worst of the craving suppressed, she resumed her work.
But it wasn't long before an even more intense wave of mana hunger slammed into her—nearly toppling her straight onto Rin's back.
Panic surged through Patchouli. She glanced fearfully at the door.
Don't tell me... was Marisa messing around again? Could the mana backlash be leaking in through the empathy link?
Her own mana reserves were still fine—it had to be something from Marisa's end.
"You okay, Patchouli? You look kind of out of it. Maybe you should really just drink and nap first?"
"No need! I've just been standing too long, got a bit lightheaded. Sitting down is fine."
Shaking her head, Patchouli stubbornly pushed through.
If the boss found out she secretly nabbed the bronze box, she might end up just as miserably as Marisa.
Sitting down by the bed, her fingertip accidentally brushed against Rin's back—sending a jolt through her like a tiny bolt of lightning.
The warmth of his skin, amplified by her senses, seemed to slightly suppress the insatiable hunger inside her...