The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

“What’s this nonsense, not even a fool would do that…”

In retrospect, the spontaneous decision to sleep with my friend, driven by a cheap provocation, was not worth it at all.

I accidentally pressed River’s climax button several times out of sheer amusement, leading to my own only having one time while River passed out… Was this really my fault?

And then there was that burning sensation I felt inside River for just that brief moment… What was that all about?

With a body temperature that was off the charts and those faintly glowing eyes, it seems River had plenty of hidden settings as the original protagonist’s rival.

While I pondered all these things, the fact that I touched the Sword Master’s fiancée was the only thing I felt no worry about from a third-party perspective.

According to River, she wouldn’t mess around until graduation… No, to be precise, she couldn’t mess around.

Unless I pulled some crazy stunt, Master would have to face the Commander’s sacred sword if he entered the Empire without permission.

“When River graduates… or who knows, maybe this year I should just say it… If things don’t work out, I’ll just have to throw down.”

If the Sword Master finds out I was with River, he would surely rage. But man, your fiancée was amazing—I’m going for a mental attack first.

The Sword Master has way more experience than I do, but the thought of losing never crossed my mind.

“Yeah…”

Unaware of my inner turmoil, River stirred in her sleep.

Her pristine white body, lit by the faint moonlight, bore my marks all over.

The kiss marks on her neck and chest, the red handprints on her sides and back… It hammered home that I had just been rolling around naked with her a moment ago.

A flurry of thoughts dashed through my mind, but watching River breathe steadily in her sleep made everything else fade away.

As I tried to lie down beside her, the damp sheets irritated me.

First things first, I decided to tidy up.

“Okay… gather the mana.”

– Vwoosh!

After only using aura for so long, I called upon my mana for the first time in ages.

I hadn’t had the time to deeply master magic since I was too focused on the sword, but I had picked up enough practical spells to be somewhat useful.

“Clean!”

The bluish glow of the gathered mana spread out.

As it touched, the damp sheets and the sticky secretions on River and me disappeared, leaving everything neat and tidy.

It was a practical cleaning spell. Right after I used “Clean,” it seemed River felt the magic light and sat up groggily.

“Huh… Atlas…?”

“You’re awake? Want to take a shower?”

“…..”

As soon as she saw my face, River shot up her upper body, clenched her fist, and began to beat her upper body recklessly.

I didn’t know why, but she looked seriously mad.

She was really hitting hard, and each slap echoed loudly.

“Ow! Ow! Why are you hitting me?!”

Why the sudden punches?

Had I hurt her, even after checking she was a virgin and taking my time? Or was it my excessive button pressing that she discovered?

Or maybe it was because I skillfully took her clothes off…?

There were too many possibilities, so I just let her hit me.

At first, River struck me with a furious expression, but soon her punches began to tremble slightly.

It felt like she was about to burst into tears… Could it be?

“I told you it hurt… It was my first time… and you went at it so rough…!!”

It seemed the main reason was that I had been too rough with her.

While she punched my chest and whimpered in anger, I noticed her eyes were getting moist.

“What’s with the theatrics? You’re an expert after all.”

“You don’t know!! It hurt worse than being stabbed by a sword!!”

She spoke as if she had been stabbed before.

Was it similar to the pain of something piercing through?

She looked like she was truly aggrieved, so I decided to console her.

“Alright, alright.”

I grabbed her punching fist and pulled her into my embrace, taking us both down onto the bed.

It was a rare sight to see River, taller than me, with her face buried in my chest as we held each other.

Lying side by side, the height difference became a bit deceiving.

“Alright, alright, good girl.”

“Uwahh…”

As I stroked her head and let my heartbeat be heard, her sobs gradually calmed down.

But I won’t apologize. That would be too conceited after all the teasing.

As she lay quietly in my arms, River finally mustered up the courage to look up at me.

“Don’t think this is just going to slip by, Atlas! Also, you weren’t a first-timer, were you?!”

“Not me.”

“So unfair… I thought I was the only one…! I thought you were a first-timer too…!!!”

River looked up at me with an expression of incredulity.

It seemed she felt frustrated that it was only her first time.

Maybe she was hoping for that innocent first-time relationship?

Considering my age… I’ve had more than one life to deal with.

“Why does everyone think that?”

But more than that, I was curious why she thought I was a first-timer too.

“Well, you don’t go around flirting with girls like other guys… You treat people around you really plainly…!”

That was a rather embarrassing thing to say.

The way she casually spilled that made it seem like she hadn’t just scrambled for reasons.

“So… that wasn’t fun?”

“I don’t know…!”

It seemed she recalled how breathless we had felt and turned away, blushing.

Her shaking back was expressing that she was sulking.

I gently propped her up and turned her shoulder towards me.

Our eyes met, both filled with so much emotion.

“Want to kiss?”

I didn’t apologize at all.

Instead, I boldly made the suggestion.

River, who had looked so dumbfounded at my sudden proposal, turned away but nodded meekly.

“… Yeah.”

Though it seemed her anger hadn’t completely faded, she didn’t refuse.

Our lips met once more.

We didn’t greedily embrace each other or anything; it was a light brushing of lips, sharing warmth, and then a gentle intertwining of tongues.

As the kiss lingered for a moment, it seemed her mood softened a bit.

That was easy.

“… Want to know a secret about me?”

“What now…”

“How old do you think I am?”

Since I was at it, I decided to reveal my age.

If I claimed to have more experience than I looked, she would probably understand.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to say you’re over 70 just because you look younger. Just keep your mouth shut if that’s the case.”

“Not even close.”

“Then… how old are you?”

“About 24… I think?”

A very specific number. River looked surprised.

“No way… You’re 4 years older than me?! That’s not minor?!”

“Doesn’t it not show because of my height?”

“… Still, I won’t call you ‘brother.’”

“I don’t expect it.”

“Hmm.. I don’t believe it… huh?!”

Suddenly, she let out a cute scream as a white liquid dribbled down her thigh.

“Ah…”

After checking what it was, River seems curious as she wiped it with a finger, watching it flow down.

Seeing white liquid dripping right in front of me felt rather weird.

“Ugh, it’s coming out… If I finish inside… that means… a baby could happen, right…?”

I almost let slip a remark about how she was holding it down with her legs, but I managed to hold my tongue.

Since what has happened is already done, there’s no point in blaming each other; it’s just going to ruin the mood.

I’m the one who messed up, period.

River quietly wiped the white liquid down her thigh and said softly, “What if a baby… happens…”

That was a surprisingly weak statement.

She seemed genuinely worried about what to do, so I spoke casually.

“If it happens, I’ll take responsibility.”

A heavy silence filled the room right after I said that.

When I looked back to see her expression, River’s face was completely red.

She looked even hotter than when her body had been overheated.

“Y-You… take responsibility…? Do you even know what that means…!!”

River sat up quickly, stuttering as if she had malfunctioned.

“I know.”

“Are you saying… m-marriage… with me…??”

Her wide eyes and flailing arms were incredibly adorable.

Wait; was it so surprising just to mention a potential future?

“What are you so shocked about? You’re already engaged.”

“That’s why it’s even worse!!”

After pondering for a moment, River suddenly adopted a serious expression.

“No wait… what kind of responsibility are you saying you’ll take…! I-I have a fiancé! Forget it…!!

Telling me we’re just going to enjoy this night after spending one night, like it’s a mutual commitment! What a crazy thing to say!”

“If it happens, it happens, what’s with the fuss?”

Maybe my assurance to take responsibility was heard as me saying I would marry her.

River awkwardly chuckled at my comments.

“Y-Yeah, I guess I got ahead of myself…”

Her face flushed red, clearly embarrassed, and she pulled the thin blanket over to hide her face and body.

“Well… if you’re still not satisfied…”

After a moment, she peeked out from under the blanket and shyly glanced over at me.

Her golden irises seemed to be shimmering once more.

“If you’re still not satisfied… I’m okay if you want to do it again…”

She cautiously suggested, letting go of the blanket she had used to cover herself.

Was this really words coming from a girl who had just lost her virginity?

After that, we went at it four more times before dawn.

—————————————

After the overtime was over, River was alone in the shower stall, letting the hot water wash over her.

She felt utterly spent, but unlike the first time, it didn’t hurt, and there was no roughness from Atlas like before.

In the end, she reached her peak multiple times again.

She felt incredibly tired, yet her body still felt light.

Now that she had time alone, the events from last night flashed through her mind frame by frame.

‘I really went and did it… with Atlas…’

Her first experience had been incredibly painful.

The sensation when being pierced without any prior preparation in a most brutal manner still lingered in her memory.

The pain radiating up her spine to the top of her head was unforgettable, yet she felt some irritation towards Atlas, who acted shamelessly as if she was just throwing a tantrum.

It might have been because he had touched on her insecurities that his response had felt so lacking.

Atlas had been quite rough with her.

But he hadn’t treated her like an object.

When he hugged her, she felt a deep sense of security from it, and when he comforted her with kind words, it felt nice.

“… Well, I did want this.”

When he penetrated her, it had hurt like hell, but as Atlas gently held her afterward, the pain subsided quickly.

Was it because Atlas was an expert, as he claimed?

She could still feel his residual heat in her lower abdomen.

The warm heat after the white substance was released was still lingering.

Logically, she thought it wouldn’t be that warmth that caused it, but as she became more aware of it, her lower abdomen started to ache.

Just to be safe, she had tried to scrape away any leftover white substance after her first experience, but she couldn’t do anything about what had gone deep inside.

That was no way to be safe.

If that heat was because of it, then the idea of a baby could actually happen struck her mind.

How would the Sword Master react if his fiancée carried another man’s child?

Suddenly, Atlas’s words echoed in her mind.

– If it happens, I’ll take responsibility.

Did he really mean what it sounded like?

… She figured Atlas probably knew exactly what he was saying when he made that comment.

“Okay, I’m alright now.”

After all, she had shared her first experience with someone she desired.

Now, she felt at peace.