Loving You as a Friend [BL]

Chapter 27: Not in this Life

A few days had passed and Alexis was still in charge of Sylvio who was following him most of the time. Lucius and Darcel were still out of class for the majority of the time, which meant he hadn't been able to see them as often. As such, he turned to Sylvio as the only other person who could keep him company.

It was currently in the early afternoon after classes had ended. The two of them were enjoying a light meal outside in the courtyard, in a little corner hidden away. Alexis had unexpectedly discovered it with Sylvio during their little walks around school. Alexis was lying down, playing around with his lightning magic while Sylvio was sitting down with a book in his hands. The pages had long stopped turning and his eyes were purely focused on the person right next to him.

Every now and then, small sounds of crackle could be heard along with the vanishing of purple magic. Alexis could feel the gaze on him, glancing back and locking eyes with Sylvio. Flustered, he looked down to his book but eventually lifted his head. Smiling widely, Alexis laughed lightly, "No need to be shy around me. Are you interested in my magic too?"

Sylvio sheepishly nodded, "I just wondered if I would be able to have the same level of control as you. They said that if you have a large mana reservoir, it's harder to maintain such a delicate control over it and seeing you play with your magic reminded me how far behind I am." He didn't want to risk the chances of hurting Alexis if he had decided to copy him, especially since his mana capacity was something a human cannot achieve.

Alexis stayed silent for some time before sitting up and turning around, "Why don't we exchange mana once more? The more familiar you are with it, the easier you'll be able to control it. And because I also have a large reservoir, even if you pour in too much mana, I'll be able to handle it." Alexis could visibly see him give it some thought before nodding his head, holding out his hand.

Alexis easily clasped their hands together without resistance from Sylvio. He glanced up to check his expression and saw Sylvio giving him a smile. Flashing one back, he began to focus.

He could feel the gentle, warm flow of mana slowly transferring into his hands, it gave him the same familiar and comfortable feeling that Shizu-kun gave him. Every time they hugged, that person had a habit of petting his head lovingly or placing kisses on his forehead, eyes and cheeks. There were times when they would steal a little kiss from him but even then, it was something he never minded. In fact, Shin loved it.

Shin would lean into the hug and feel their arms tighten around him. They would always laugh happily seeing him bury his head into their chest, dropping more kisses on the crown of his head. Shin would pick up a light, sweet fragrance that seemed to cling onto them but it wasn't a scent that typically irked his nose. His nose couldn't handle strong smells, especially if they were overly femanine or masculine in scent.

And now that this scent had come back once more in a different world with a different person, even after all this time, Shin wondered if he could ever let them go.

And finally be able to move on.

Surprised at Sylvio's progression, Alexis flashed him a bright smile, "I'm glad my judgement wasn't wrong. Just a few days was enough for you to understand the flow of mana inside a person." He didn't pull back and continued explaining as the mana flowed into each other. "As the teacher said, there is mana inside a person and in the environment. A person's mana capacity is innate and to make up for this discrepancy, we need to draw it out from nature."

Typically, if mana exchange was done between individuals with severe mana difference, the one who would be suffering the most would be the one with a lower capacity. It follows the same principle as overloading an older machine with high voltage, it can't keep up with the demand. In the case with Alexis, he has never experienced mana overload even during classes. He was always careful to control his input to avoid overwhelming his training partner.

"But with the case of you and me, our problem lies in trying to control the output of our mana. The moment our mana is infused with our innate element, that is when it turns into magic. Of course, the term 'magic' is very broad and quite vague in its meaning. But even so, it is typically agreed upon that mana refers to internal while magic is for external elemental mana." As he was explaining, Alexis put on a show with his lighting magic, replicating the purple lilies of the house of Alphenhide and circulating it around them.

Sylvio reached out to touch them, expecting it to zap at him but it popped before dissipating into purple dust. Looking back at Alexis who was giving him a small laugh at his surprise, Sylvio thought in his heart that if he could only protect one thing, it would be Alexis's smile.

Alexis quickly said, "I made sure they wouldn't hurt you. After all, the way you use mana takes shape in what you desire. That is how magic works."

Seeing him have fun with it, Sylvio tried to replicate his magic as his own. His magic began to slowly form into a small sphere on his palm, spluttering and flickering as it barely maintained its form. Sylvio's affliction was with nature, giving his magic a refreshing, spring green colour. But because his control was far from perfect, the small sphere finally broke out of its form and quickly vanished from his hand. His eyes drooped in disappointment and his shoulders began to slant at his failure.

Alexis noticed the change in Sylvio's expression, wrapping his arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer, "Don't worry Sylvio! You only just started and yet, you can already start to use your own magic. Why don't we do this? Every day we can continue to exchange mana and each time, you can slowly decrease the amount you pour in. That way, your precision in control will get better over time." Alexis offered his hands once more, initiating another round of mana exchange with him.

Sylvio reached out before pausing midway, hesitantly saying, "Is it really alright for me to be taking your time for something like this? Won't you be too busy with the upcoming school events to be with me all the time?"

Shaking his head, Alexis explained carefully, "It's my responsibility to look after you. And don't worry about the student council, I'm still doing my part and plus, we have a very competent president and vice president." He pulled back his own mana, cutting off the circulation between them. Lifting up his gaze, he could see Sylvio watching him with a discontented expression but it quickly disappeared once Alexis kept his gaze on him.

"Then have you ever done this with someone else?" There was a slight tinge of sourness in Sylvio's words. Alexis was taken aback, staying silent for some time before laughing out loud. After learning Sylvio's personality over the past few days, this was something he hadn't expected him to ask. He wanted to keep teasing him by keeping silent but seeing him upset gave him a strange unpleasant feeling deep down.

Sylvio's eyes carried a hint of jealousy and sadness over the possibility that he was not the first. Alexis couldn't keep silent for any longer, not wanting to see him with such a depressed expression, "No, not in this life. You're the only one."

Alexis felt like he had finally gotten a load off of his shoulders, the plague that seemed to always follow him around was now at last, settling down in his mind. He had said it off-handedly to calm down Sylvio but now that it had left his mouth, he was starting to feel an unknown emotion deep within his heart. However, it wasn't as displeasing as he believed it to be.

Sylvio's eyes instantly brightened at his denial, breaking out into a grin before quickly engulfing him in a hug. His arms wrapped tightly around Alexis but it wasn't crushing him at all. In fact, his own body was beginning to relax on its own and completely melt into his arms, "If I had known you were this jealous, perhaps it would've been easier on your heart if I had told you earlier." Alexis jokingly laughed before reciprocating his hug.

"Saying it any earlier wouldn't have changed anything. I'm just glad I still have a chance... even after I left you." Sylvio mumbled the last few words, making it hard for Alexis to decipher them. He strained his ears to try and catch it but failed, choosing to no longer pay attention to it. Sylvio's grip was strong and didn't allow him to escape but seeing him cling on so tightly unexpectedly gave him warmth.

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A/N
I just realised how jarring chapter 26 is to chapter 27... But aside from that, updates will continue spontaneous and will NOT follow a schedule.

Thank you once again for sticking around, I still love seeing all the comments so if you do have any question or thoughts, feel free to write them down! Depending on the question, I might be able to reply.

Until next time!