Chapter 176: Chapter 176 - Trial Error Success
The ambient warmth of the afternoon began to bleed away.
High above the vast expanse of the ocean, a blanket of dark rain clouds slowly drifted across the horizon, swallowing the blue sky and casting a grey shadow over the white sands.
Kurt and Diana remained on the sand, completely unbothered by the approaching storm.
They were sitting face-to-face; bodies tangled together in a tight embrace that seemed to shut out the rest of the world. Diana had her face buried in the crook of Kurt’s neck, while Kurt rested his chin on the soft curve of her shoulder, his arms wrapped securely around her back.
As the wind picked up, a sudden, chilly gust swept over the beach causing Kurt to shiver slightly. "Hey. The weather’s turning. We should probably head back."
"..."
"Ana? Did you hear me?"
"Yes," she muttered. "Pick me up... while you’re still holding me."
"... Really?"
Diana gave a small, slow nod with her face still stubbornly glued to his neck, refusing to let the cold air hit her cheeks.
"Alright, hold on."
Kurt closed his eye and prepared to summon the mana needed to effortlessly lift them both off the ground in a single motion.
But before he could manifest it, Diana’s hand snapped up and lightly smacked his shoulder.
"No cheating."
"Huh? But trying to stand up like this while holding a full-grown wom–"
"Do you think I’m fat?"
"Wha–! No! Absolutely not!" ’A fat ass, yeah. Hehe~’
"Then do it. Lift me up. No cheating with mana."
"... Alright." ’I swear. Sometimes I seriously wonder if she’s actually the older one in this relationship.’
Accepting his fate, Kurt braced himself.
Diana, sensing his resolve, shifted and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. She locked her ankles behind his back, and clutched his neck even harder, anchoring herself completely to his chest.
Attempt one.
Kurt grunted and dug his forward-facing toes into the loose sand. He tried to push himself upward using nothing but grit and muscle memory, but barely made it an inch off the ground before–
Thud
Falling back down on his butt.
He nervously looked down at Diana. Her face was still buried in his neck, apparently completely unfazed by the failure.
"Alright, let’s try this again," he muttered
Attempt two.
This time, he leaned forward, trying to shift their center of gravity over his knees. His muscles tensed as he managed to lift them halfway up. He was almost there, he almost made it, when a sudden gust of wind threw off his balance. His foot slipped again.
Thud.
"Oof! Damn you, mother nature." he muttered as he landed squarely on his backside for the second time.
Suddenly, he felt a distinct trembling against his chest.
The faint, yet unmistakable, sound of muffled snickering echoed against his collarbone. Diana was shaking with suppressed laughter, doing everything in her power not to burst out loud at his expense.
"Oh, you think this is funny, do you? Alright. No more mister nice guy."
Attempt three.
While Diana was still tightly clutched around him, laughing silently, Kurt brought his hands down with a thunderous force.
SLAP!
"Mmnn...!" Diana flinched.
Abandoning all etiquette, he firmly slapped and squeezed tightly onto her soft, round ass, using her curves as literal leverage and support to anchor her body weight completely against his torso.
With a firm grip on her, Kurt tucked his legs back one knee at a time until he was resting securely in a kneeling position.
He took a deep breath. Then, with one massive, coordinated huff – and squeezing her plump ass tightly to ensure she didn’t slide – he exploded upward, and stood completely upright on his boots.
The wind howled around them, but Kurt stood as steady as an immovable mountain.
Diana finally peeled her face away from his neck.
Her cheeks were flushed a radiant crimson. A beautiful, embarrassed smile gracing her lips as her eyes locked onto his. Kurt looked back at her as a smug, victorious smirk plastered across his face.
To punctuate his victory, he gave her ass one more firm squeeze.
*Squish~*
"S-Stop it, Rosie, hehehe~"
"Alright, boss. You going to take us home now?"
Diana’s smile softened. A faint trace of her professional persona returned to her eyes, though she remained wrapped around him like a koala.
"I have to go back to the office... just in case anyone needs me. Should I drop you off at our place first?"
"No." Kurt shook his head. "Take me back to the arena stands. Right where we left off."
"Okay."
She leaned in and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck one last time.
SHWOOSH
As requested, they materialised right where they left.
The moment they landed, Diana smoothly slid down from his waist. She stepped closer, cupping his jaw with one hand, and pressed a sweet lingering kiss to his lips.
"I’ll see you later tonight," she whispered against his lips, her crimson eyes soft with an affection she only ever showed him.
"Mmhm. Later."
SHWOOSH
Now with free time on his hands, Kurt looked down at the massive arena floor for Emelie.
However, all he found were dozens of academy staff and construction mages bustling about, setting up the final decorative banners for the upcoming tournament tomorrow.
But as he headed down the steps, his single eye caught movement just a few rows down.
Sitting casually on a stone bench was a young woman with dark amber hair and a mischievous grin. She had her fingers pressed firmly over her mouth, her shoulders shaking as she smugly snickered, trying – and failing – to hide her amusement.
It was the student council president, Amber Strongwill.
Kurt ran a hand over his face and slowly walked down the stone steps toward her.
The moment he got close, Amber quickly snapped her hands down to her lap, looking straight ahead at the empty sky with an incredibly exaggerated, innocent expression.
"Nope! Didn’t see a single thing! Completely blind over here! Just enjoying the lovely pre-storm weather!"
"We both know that’s a blatant lie."
"Okay, fine! But you have to admit, I get points for trying to give you some privacy! Technically, it’s your guy’s fault for popping out of nowhere and doing the dirty in a public space!"
"Yeah, yeah. Appreciated," Kurt muttered, rolling his eye.
He quickly shifted the subject before she could grill him about kissing Diana. "Where’s Emelie Herst? She and I have some business to take care of."
"Business? With Emelie? Wait... don’t tell me. Is it a secret duel?! Are you two going to fight to the death here?!"
"No."
"Oh goddess above... then it’s a secret, forbidden lovers’ date?! Kurt! How could you?! You just kissed the principal not even ten seconds ago! The scandalous drama of it all! Perhaps I should run straight to the office and inform–"
"Jesus, stop making wild, ridiculous assumptions! Are you trying to get me killed!? Haaa, it’s nothing like that. Emelie and I are strictly, 100% just friends."
Amber stared at him for a moment, analyzing his completely serious face.
Slowly, the theatrical shock faded, replaced by a soft, almost relieved expression. She leaned back against the bench, letting out a small sigh.
"Phew... okay. Good. Honestly, I’m just really glad to hear that."
"About what? That we’re friends?"
"Yeah," Amber smiled gently, her usual playful demeanor softening into something genuine.
"Emelie... She’s always so distant with everyone. Aside from one other pink haired student, she doesn’t really let anyone get close to her. She builds these massive walls around herself. It’s nice to know she’s actually making other friends."
"Right... I see. As long as you don’t misunderstand our relationship. It’s all good. So, where is she?"
"She’s probably back at the student dorms," Amber replied, waving a hand toward the main path. "She flew off from the plaza a little while ago looking pretty amused about something."
"Got it. Thank you. And hey. Thanks for the tour earlier, Amber. I owe you one."
Amber’s eyes lit up with delight. She gave him a waving, narrowed smile that carried a distinctly playful, yet calculating edge.
"Oh, owing a favor from someone of your prestige? Yeah, that is definitely going to come in handy one day, Kurt Rossana. I’ll make sure to collect!"
"That doesn’t sound ominous at all."
With a final wave, he turned the corner and headed down the arena structure, leaving the amber-haired girl smiling to herself
........
The walk to the student dorms was quiet with the cool wind brushing past Kurts’s hair as the dark storm clouds overhead grew denser.
After being let in by a student, the sudden warmth of the interior washed over him. The lobby was expansive, filled with plush couches, elegant magical lamps, and dozens of students lounging around, chatting about the upcoming tournament.
Standing at the front counter was the Dorm Mother whose face brightened in immediate recognition the moment Kurt walked in.
"Oh my. Why, hello there, young man. How have you been doing?"
"I’ve been doing great, ma’am. Thanks for asking. I was wondering... is Emelie here?"
The moment the name left Kurt’s mouth, a sudden, dead silence swept across the lobby.
The dozens of students lounging on the couches all subtly – and not so subtly – stopped their conversations. Heads turned, ears perked up, and eyes locked directly onto Kurt’s back.
"Oh, yes, dear. I believe she is up in her room with her roommate, Amy."
She turned her head toward a nearby couch where a few younger female students were sitting. "You there, dear, would you mind running upstairs and calling Emelie down for this young man?"
"Y-Yes!" the young girl dashed up the stairs.
......
Inside the double room, Emelie and Amy were completely in their element. Just lazing about, playing a boardgame.
Knock, knock, knock.
"I’ll get it," Amy muttered, sliding off her beanbag and walking over to swing the door open.
The young female student from the lobby was standing there, breathing heavily. She quickly whispered something to Amy, pointing frantically down the hallway, before turning and running back toward the stairs.
Amy closed the door and walked back in with a deeply puzzled expression settling onto her face. "Emy? Someone is downstairs here to see you."
Emelie groaned softly, lazily rolling her body off her own beanbag. She tumbled onto her feet with effortless grace and stretched her arms above her head. "Ugh, who is it now? I swear if it’s my brother, I’m going to throw him out the window."
As she walked down the hallway, a sudden thought hit her.
’Why does this exact scenario seem so familiar?’
Looking down from the top of the staircase, her eyes instantly locked onto the unmistakable figure standing by the reception desk.
"Oh. Hey, Kurt."
Kurt turned around and offered a casual, relaxed wave. "Hey, Emy."
The exact millisecond their greetings echoed through the room, the entire student lobby collectively snapped.
"NOT AGAIN!!!"
"HE’S BACK!! MOMMY THE MONSTER"S BACK!!"
"HE’S GOING TO TAKE OUR QUEEN AWAY AGAIN!!"
In a matter of seconds, students were throwing themselves over the backs of couches, scrambling across the polished floors, and diving behind pillars in a hilarious wave of pure chaos.
