The Academy - Side B

Summer Magic

Now, because I am a selfish being, this chapter is entirely dedicated to the one and only OTP of the story.

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Finally, they had an entire month to themselves. This was the first time they would have so much time together without anyone else around.

The weather was perfect, too. Blue skies, the sun shining down every day, a cool breeze every few minutes...it was all they wanted.

The butterflies in Eri's stomach got even more excited when Kazu kissed her on the forehead and wrapped his arms around her waist. She wanted him to hold her just a little longer, with no-one else around. Her back rested against his chest as she sat in between his legs on the sofa. He leaned in and kissed her forehead again, letting his lips linger this time.

She held his hands and played with his fingers, wondering how things had worked out so well for them over the years, despite the distance.

Perhaps it had been the year they spent trying to deny their feelings, Eri thought. Their relationship might have been different had they acknowledged their feelings in their third year of school. But it was a "what if" situation, which Eri couldn't really answer with confidence.

Whenever she was with Kazu, she felt complete. There was no other way to describe it.

"You're very quiet today," Kazu murmured, taking her hand and brushing his lips against her knuckles. "What are you thinking?"

No matter how much time had passed, Eri would blush when Kazu did little things like that to show his affection and love.

"N-nothing much," she said quietly.

"Okay," he said, continuing to shower her in soft kisses. Although Eri was extremely embarrassed, she actually liked it when he did that.

"Let's go to the beach again," she said. "It'll be a lot more enjoyable now that it's summer."

"Definitely. I've wanted to go there again for a while."

"Oh, wasn't that the first time you'd been to the seaside outside of the Shadowland?"

"Yes."

"Then we're definitely going again."

Kazu laughed, and the sound made Eri's heart race. She liked hearing him laugh, because it made her happy. She'd seen her boyfriend at his worst, and had sworn a long time ago to do everything in her power to make him smile and laugh as much as possible.

Feeling a little energetic, she held out her hand and drew some runes on it with her other hand. Within a few seconds, little blue butterflies appeared from seemingly nowhere and flew around the room for a while before disappearing.

Everyone knew that the creatures created by magic weren't real; they were just a combination of magical sparks pushed into a certain form through a bond created by magic. This bond was always very weak, so the creations wouldn't last very long. 

It had been one of the first things they'd learnt back in school, back when Marcus' cousin Natalia would practice creating small pegasi every week near the lake for her class.

On hearing Kazu laugh again, Eri leaned back to look at him. He looked so different when he was happy, compared to when he was brooding or upset. His red eyes would light up, and Eri swore she saw tiny dimples on his cheeks.

He noticed her looking at him and, to surprise her a little, leaned down to give her a kiss on the lips.

Eri thought she was going to explode at that moment. Her mouth had been slightly open when Kazu had kissed her, so this was quite a different kiss than the ones he'd given her before. He pulled away and smirked at her, making her blush even more.