Graduation Day

Lanert squished Alice's breast. Holy shit. It was shaped like a pearl, soft and squishy. It got more significant improvement from the last time he saw it. Back then, when they were kids, they bathed together, and this thing was flat like a paved path.

"Pervert!" Alice slapped Lanert's right cheek, leaving a hot red mark there.

"Why? I'm helping you!" Lanert rubs his cheek. "If I didn't push it, you would land on me instead! Oh, you tried to land on me, huh?"

"Dream on, pervert!" Another slap landed on Lanert's left cheek. This girl, seriously?

The chauffeur opened the door and was surprised when Alice jolted out. "Lady Alice?" He fubbelgusted, seeing Lanert's cheeks reddened. "Childe, what happened?"

"Some stupid Leopard scratch me." He exited the carriage and stroked upstairs under Alice's shadow. "Alice, let me explain."

"Stupid."

Lanert stepped up the brimstone stairs toward a magnificent stone castle that wafted on the cloud. Four towers flung into the sun. The ancient moonstone wall and floor glowed the colour of milk and smelled like a garden of roses. He slowed down while overhearing gossip from two girls in university uniforms.

"Have you heard of someone breaking into the Library and stealing artefacts?" 

"Yes. Every Magi, Knight, and Waffen was knocked out. No one got killed. I hear many artefacts being stolen. One of them is the Abomination Book of Magi."

Interesting. The Abomination Book of the Magi contained many instructions on how to do prohibited rituals. One of them was a ritual to meet the Princess of Darkness.

Lanert dreamed of it many times. If he could meet the Prince of Darkness, he could ask her about his element. Father would be proud of him.

"Lanert Von Gosh!" Many girls came toward him, like a vulture on a carcass. "You look amazing in a black suit." 

Shit, why did they come on me? He wanted to be alone with Alice and explain everything. But as a Von Gosh, he must keep courtesy.

"Where would you go after graduation?" the girl craned her chin, admiring Lanert's cupid face.

Another girl said,  "He must become an alchemist cohort, like his brother."

"Every man in the Von Gosh family was beautiful. They had a perfect future. Anyone who married one of them was lucky."

"Congratulations on your graduation." 

Many girls gave Lanert a flower. Who cares about flowers? Lanert gave them a smile of delusion—a smile that revealed cute dimples on the cheeks.  "Thank you, you are all too kind."

"Lanert, what happened to your cheek?" they started to notice it.

"Did someone slap you? Tell us, who, we shall make those people suffer!"

Those girls looked like knights ready to go to war, crusading against anyone that dared hurt their idol. 

"It's nothing," Lanert answered with courtesy. "Sorry, I had to go. Please, give me away. We'll talk again someday."

"But—"

"Alice!"

"As your wish. Move away from M'lord!" Alice shoved those girls and opened the way for Lanert. 

With Alice, Lanert moved to find solace in the Citadel Bridgeway—his bastion, tacit and misty among the blue grasses that danced with the breeze. 

"Sorry for your cheek." Alice's voice was soft like a summer breeze. She gazed at her tip goloshes. Such an adorable girl flushed like a dragon fruit.

"Let me explain. I tried my best to hold you back then, and, yeah, it was my fault." Lanert chafed his cheek. "Sorry. I didn't mean to touch that."

"Okay." She tugged Lanert's sleeves while beseeching. "Never mention that again."

Damn, her flushing is so cute. "I will never mention it again." 

"Promise?" She gave Lanert her pinky.

Such an adorable girl. His pure, innocent look was Lanert weakness. "Alright, I promise." 

They tied pinky fingers for a moment. They always do this after a big fight or something stupid happens between them.  Alice pulled her finger as she saw someone come. 

"Yo, Dawg!" A hoarse voice called out. "Haha, I see what happened last week in class. How is it? She's damn hot!"

God dammit. Why did he mention that now?

A hunky macho Orc with two-block black curly hair came. He was more human than Orc with his green leaf skin: Gurken, son of Benjen of Tart. Lanert knew him from Middle school—Orc Prince who loves socialising with other races. 

"Damn, Dawg, you look damn good with that black suit and a nice tattoo on your cheek. Who made that? Debora? Agnes? They find out you are cheating on them?" Gurken guffawed. His arm curled around Lanert's neck and rubbed his head. "Atta boy! You make me proud, Dawg! Three years here, and you had thirty girlfriends already!"

"I never cheat on someone because they have never been my girlfriend. We are just friends."

"Friend who cuddles, huh."

The Orc gazed at Alice. "What did we have here? Why did you bring her? You're disappointing those girls, Dawg." His amber eyes propelled on the girls who observed Lanert from afar. "Look, they carved on you, Dawg. They probably want your baby. Right, Damsel?"

"Don't touch me," Alice answered blatantly, pulling Lanert away from Gurken. "You are a bad influence on Lanert."

"Say what? You are pulling him away from those flowers. Do you want him to be single forever or what? You are the one with bad infusions, influenza—"

"Influence," Alice smirked. "How did you graduate from this prestigious university? Oh, I see. They are sick of seeing you around and want to get rid of you."

"You want some fight, Damsel!"

"Bring it on!" Alice clenched, face reddened like lava ready to erupt. 

Gurken, slightly facing down, silently impugn Alice, eyes to eyes, blazed like scoria.

"Enough, you two." Lanert pushed them away from each other. "Come one, guys, don't ruin this day."

Alice and Gurken like water and oil. They love trashing each other, even in public spaces. The reason they became 'friends' was because of Lanert.

"Gurken, where's your family?" Lanert twisted his head and tried to find Gurken's father. 

"Nah, they didn't come, and I don't care, Dawg. Fuck family and their stupid rite. They force me to marry an Orc woman after graduation. Whatever man. I do not love them anymore. They abandoned me because I was fabulous."

"Because you're crazy?" Alice responded. 

"Yo, Dawg. Control your Squire. She had a sharp tongue like a knife. You would be dead if you kept her around."

[Attention, all students, please gather in the Balerion Hall for your graduation ceremony.]

They followed the order and stopped at the front of Balerion Hall.

"Come on, Dawg. Let's end this stupid party." Gurken Whispered. "After this, meet me at Cave of Pearl. I have something for you."

"What?"

"You want an element, right? Come on, don't be chicken." Gurken ended their conversation with a pat on his friend's elbow. He walked in, swallowed by the wave of people.