37 [37] The Next Big Time Mage (1)
Chapter 37: The Next Big Time Mage (1)
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The day's filming ended smoothly. I hung around Mem-Cho during that time, which was sure to arouse questions from the fans. Why did we not interact at all, and actively avoided each other, and now everything seemed to be fine?
I didn't really care about what they would think. Sometimes vague storylines are more popular; the viewers can have their fun making theories.
To begin with, I told Mem to stay away so that I could approach the other girls without them being defensive that I was with Mem-Cho already. However, now that I had approached Mai-senpai anyway, and had no plan to intervene in Akane's canon event, I didn't have to force myself to not be around my favorite half-devil girl.
Soon, the shooting ended, and we were allowed permission to roam anywhere. My first thought was to fly back to Mt. Fuji, but I was distracted.
There's a town down the hill, it's a ten-minute walk, and the kids wanted to go there to eat yakiniku. I wanted to make a dip for it anyway — I had work to do and hanging out with kids wasn't fun — but I couldn't when Mem-Cho yanked me away.
Why must I, the venerable one, be burdened by the little hurdles of life?
"How did things turn out like this?" I reminisced as I was pulled up to sit on the bed by two soft arms.
"Don't be dramatic, kiddo. You should learn to interact with people more." Mem was in this room to drag me out, enjoying the fun of the moment as I eyed her.
'Kid', she said. How funny. I spent a moment checking her out. Pretty girls have it easy because I'd have shown anyone else who's the "kid".
Mem-Cho had replaced her previous outfit with a kimono now; colored blue with white flowers printed on it, it was a unique style thanks to its missing shoulders, and also bold since it only went down until her upper thighs. She looked lovely; hard to resist.
[Image Here]
Why does she look cuter these days?
"Listen," she suddenly put a hand under my ear, leaning over and whispering. "You better not run away again; come eat with me, and then teach me a spell you promised to teach me!"
When she whispered into my ears in a threatening tone, I suddenly knew why.
It's a thirst trap.
Unreal.
* * *
We reached the town in no time, finding a restaurant for us to eat in. It was kind of late, but as a tourist spot, most shops were open even now.
Our group sat around at a table together to eat yakiniku, everyone's appetites whet and mouths watering at the sight of the delicious food before them. Even I felt attracted.
The aroma of grilling meats and savory marinade filled the air, the mouth-watering smell tempting everyone to quit yapping their mouths and wait for the meal. Everyone sat still in their seats at the table, eager to dig in and savor the delectable flavors of the meat and vegetables being grilled over the open fire.
"Here, Aqua-kun." I was a little surprised when Akane called for me, reaching out a piece of grilled meat towards me.
Oh? What's this now?
I stared into her eyes for a long moment, making her stare back a little until she began to fidget. I chuckled inwardly and opened my mouth, not accepting the food with my hand and instead having her feed me.
I took my first bite of the yakiniku, my eyes closed as I shivered. I was immediately met with the robust and juicy flavors of the meat grilled to perfection. The taste spread across my tongue, as the kids around me did the same. Savory marinade complemented the sweetness of the meat and added depth to the flavor profile. Some made faces of enjoyment, and some were surprised at the bold and unique taste of the food. Others simply enjoyed the meal in silence, like Mai, lost in the culinary pleasure of her taste buds.
As the first bite ended for everybody, mine first upon which I reached out my own grill to Akane, who paused.
"Er, I'm a vegetarian…" Akane said. But when I just smiled and didn't put my tongs down, she sighed. "Just one."
She hesitantly opened her mouth and took it; by then, the kids had finished their first bite and were staring at our interaction. They broke out in a cheer as she accepted the meat, closing her eyes and shivering. The atmosphere became filled with the sounds of laughter and enjoyment.
Maybe coming here wasn't bad. That was a taste worth it. Though I wonder why Akane was suddenly so friendly, even going as far as to eat my meat when she's a vegetarian.
Are we at that stage already where she is desperate to garner the show's attention? How greedy of her; Mai-senpai is the one getting the least amount of attention this time, specially today that was much more clear.
* * *
[Third Person Point of View]
There wasn't any serious reason why she was a vegetarian. Meat would make her fat, and as an actress that's not good, so one bite was fine for her. Rather, Akane felt rather accomplished by having Aqua accept her treat. She thought he might be mad at her for ignoring him for the last few days.
Truthfully, she still didn't support what he and Mem-Cho did, and that only intensified when Aqua and Mem weren't interacting in the last episode. But seeing them acting normal and friendly today caused her to feel less weird about the situation. Maybe Aqua wasn't a weirdo, after all…
However, there was another reason behind all this. It was her position in this show.
It's been three days, five more to go, and she didn't manage to garner any attention at all. Personally, she didn't mind; Akane was mainly using this as a learning experience, and her real experience was in theaters anyway. Sadly, her agency didn't think the same way…
Just last night, when she was in the agency, about to go meet the manager, she overheard something that left her in tears. Her manager was a lovely old lady, but her higher-ups weren't so lovely. One of the producers was shouting at her.
"Are you trying to get yourself fired?!" – was what Akane had heard when she went in front of the door, quickly taking cover to listen in. "I heard LoveMy was doing well, so I sat down to watch it. But what's this?! How could she not even have ten minutes of screen time in three total episodes?!"
The man added, "Do you know how many others were on the line for this role!? We only allowed Akane because you, the manager, were begging us for it. Now look at this. She's doing her best, you say, but why would that matter if her best doesn't earn us any money?!"
Her poor manager was in trouble for her, and everyone was disappointed in her. Why wouldn't they be, when she is such a failure and disappointing? How could she have put her poor manager in that position?
So, Akane decided to make a change.
The epicenter of the show was Aqua first, and then Yuki after that. The best way she could garner attention was to fight Yuki by going after Nobuyuki… or go after Aqua. No, rather than going after Aqua, it was more like tolerating Aqua's approaches. As she was sure he would approach her if she opened up to him, he seemed that type of guy.
Yet,
"Memmy Mem," After the dinner ended, Aqua wrapped his arms around Mem-Cho's from behind and dragged her out of the restaurant. "See you guys later, Mem-Cho and I have some plans."
Unlike what she hoped, Aqua continued to spend his time with Mem-Cho. Akane felt a little nervous as he and Mem-Cho left. She was hoping to spend some off-camera time with him, to clear her prejudice against him, but now he was gone.
"They're cute together," One of the guys said, "You think they'll start dating at this rate?"
Akane gulped. What if her observation was wrong, and he didn't pursue her?
What should she do?
* * *
[First Person Point of View]
We were at the edge of town, under a tree that was on top of a small hill. From here, the view of this beautiful scenic mountain town was not bad; everything was lit up by the glow of streetlights and the moonlight that reflected off the snow-capped peaks of Fuji.
Despite the cold and crisp air, I found it comfortably under the shelter of this tall tree, and normally I would have enjoyed the atmosphere and the peace of the night. The sound of crickets could be heard in the distance, their chirps echoing through the town and creating a soothing backdrop for anyone's thoughts. The stars above were glittering, and normally, I would have felt a sense of tranquility and contentment.
Yet, all I felt was a primal desire.
"B-baby, not here- ahn~"
I pressed Mem-Cho against the tree, my left hand squeezing her waist while my right held the side of her face. I kissed her nape, licking her collarbone. My hands wandered all over her, and all she did was moan for me, much more beautiful than the crickets around.
"You call me baby-" I bit on her lower lip, pulling it. "And then tell me to stop? How decisive."
She couldn't reply with her lips like that, and I didn't need her to reply. I pressed down, sealing her lips with mine, as she quickly put her arms around me, deepening the kiss. Mem-Cho's touch was still filled with hesitation, unsure if this was alright to do with a guy a decade younger than her, but she found enough courage to continue, to give in and let me press her down on the ground next.
"Mmhmm~" her cute moans mixed with my amused groans as she hugged me, while I pressed down on her. Her legs wrapped around me, allowing my manhood to poke over her womanhood, divided by fabrics of clothes.
The kiss ended, and Mem-Cho panted for breath. I laughed. "I proposed to buy you dinner, and you said you're fine without it since you don't trust me. Hey today, you brought me to dinner and seduced me? What changed your mind, little devil?"
She pouted, "Why is it that your speech pattern changes when we are in intimate situations? You become so… dominant."
"You don't sound like you hate it."
"Shut up," Mem-Cho blushed. "Also, we are gonna stop here. I'm still not sure about giving my virginity to a minor."
"Being a 25-year-old virgin at this age is crazy, much so from a devil." I raised an eyebrow at her, which she took in offense, frowning at me.
"I am not a girl like that, Aqua, don't mistake this for how I generally act. Before entering the entertainment world, I had my own dreams. But then I had to enter this shit hole, where you join mixers and fuck guys for a simple collab, in order to take care of my family."
She added, "You know, this one time I went to this mixer, and these guys began to touch me inappropriately, then tried to kiss me. They weren't really forcing me, but there was that underlying truth that if I resisted, I'd miss a collab. They were big YouTubers back then, and I was small and new. In the end, I had to flee the party, and then those bastards made some negative videos about me. Those fuckers thought I was desperate for attention and money, but I was never desperate for those, otherwise I would have just opened OnlyFans instead." Mem-Cho finished her little rant, making me laugh. "It's not funny."
"You're adorable."
"You're talking as if you're older than me again." She glared at me. "Kiss me again?"
I leaned down and kissed her, feeling her wiggle under me and give in. This girl is so lovely. I got back up soon and looked into her turquoise eyes.
"Yeah, let's stop here for today," I told her. I was horny, she was a cutie in a hot outfit, but I still couldn't spend a night fucking her brains out when I should be cultivating instead. "Let's get up. I'll teach you what I wanted to teach, and then some more."
"I didn't do this for the spell, by the way." She said as I got up from over her and she sat up, I sat down against the tree and she sat beside me. "Well, not entirely… it's… hard to explain."
"I get it," I leaned down, whispering a hot breath in her ears. "It's like a wife wearing a hot dress for her husband so that she can ask him to buy that jewelry she saw. There was some kind of naughty manipulation, but it can't be considered slutty, or selling her body for wealth if she did it for her man. No?"
Mem-Cho sat stiffly, her face bright like a tomato, with fumes coming out of her ears, as I failed to hold back my laughter and pushed her down again. She's so cute.
…
I cuddled with her for a bit shorter this time and finished quickly to return to our position against the tree. I had my right hand around her shoulders, as she put her head on me and listened to my explanation.
"The Power of Time is the bloodline ability you possess," I explained to her. "As much as I would like to give you an in-depth explanation, a list of all the magic you can do with it, I don't know much about how the power itself works. My observation tells me that it allows the user to control time to a certain extent. At its base, it allows the user to create a time barrier that can slow or increase the flow of time within it. The barrier can easily be expanded to a larger range which can then prevent enemies from escaping its radius."
"How?"
"I wonder that too." I turned to look at her and she gave me a dirty look. "There there, I will teach you something, I promised that, we just have to experiment a bit."
"Time Manipulation sounds so powerful, though. Are you sure I have it?"
"Yeah, what's so surprising? Devils usually age up to 25 years, and then they are stuck at that appearance for several generations to come. They need ten years for one human year's worth of aging to show on their face." I explained. "Yet, here you are, stuck as a girl who nobody doubts is older than 18. Do you know why? I think that's because you have been subconsciously using your power for years now — that's how you don't age. As you always feared that it might blow your cover, your career, if you look older, your power activated on its own and made it so that you don't age."
She listened to my explanation by nudging closer to me, putting her right leg over my thighs, and intentionally between my legs. She nodded as I explained.
"Is there any way for me to use this to stop the aging of others? Like my mother and brother?"
"Who knows, why not?" I shrugged, and her head snapped up to look at me in shock. "Don't be surprised. There are beings out there who can devour our galaxy with a gulp, what is Immortality on that scale? But to do something like that, you need to train your power. Greatly."
She frowned, pouting again. "That's what you are here for, though~ But now you are saying you don't know how to help me~"
"What, of course I know how to help you." I frowned, offended. "I said I don't know how your power works, and therefore I can't help you to use it in the way that the usual users of this power, as in the devils from your father's family, but that doesn't mean I can't help you use it in other manners."
I shrugged while she gave me a blank stare. "Since your power uses a barrier at the first stage to control time within the range of the barrier, I just have to think of a spell that works like that. I don't know the spell that your father's family uses, but I can just make one."
"And how long do we have to wait before you figure out a spell like that?" She said as she looked at me in doubt.
I grinned. "In, three, two, one. Done. I just thought of one."
"What?"
"It's true."
Who the fuck does this little girl think she's talking to? I, the Sorcerer, used to cook up Time Magic Spells in the bathroom, while eating dinner, and even while impregnating women back in the day.
I had high expectations of Mem-Cho now, I hope she won't disappoint me, because the Sorcerer of Eternity isn't a soft teacher like the current me.
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