Chapter 35: Earned Life (Part 1)

"So what about this bit here? Keep, clean or throw away?"

"Clean, obviously! Silly Nanashi, what if I end up needing one of the things you throw away?"

"I'm fairly certain that you would be able to figure something out with that omniversal knowledge of yours, Manaka. Unless a missing textbook on-"

The homunculus paused, examining the title of the tomes he'd been examining with a raised eyebrow.

"-the geography of East Eurasia would be a crippling and simply unrecoverable loss."

Manaka sniffed, retorting, "And just what would you know of it, little boy? Are you the one who will be instructing magi hopefuls in the labyrinthine and extraordinarily difficult magus arts?"

"No, but I am the guy who has to go around cleaning the room instead of doing anything else. Man, sure wish we could have Abigail or Tiamat here with us, things would be going a whole lot smoother…"

"Hmph! Of course things would be easier if your dull little paramours were present."

Rolling his eyes at the girl's expected response of less than happy grumpiness Nanashi watched her storm around the room with a significant pout, simply enjoying the sight with a small smile.

Seeing as how they were engaged with a fairly droll bit of physical labor Manaka had eschewed any fancy or restricting dresses, adorning a simple longsleeve and riding pants as she took inventory of all the little doodads and such that populated the classroom they had been given by the Clocktower.

Of course given their slam dunk of a presentation it had obviously been decreed by the various powers that be that they were in need of a little humbling, a reminder of their newbie status. To that end they'd been 'gifted' an unused and out of the way classroom that had clearly seen better days and was mostly serving as a repository for old and forgotten equipment or books, not located on any of the main paths or avenues of traffic that most other centers of learning were.

The homunculus had been annoyed at the petty bullshit directed their way but Manaka had been far too ecstatic at the prospect of decorating and redesigning as she pleased to be brought down, insisting that they get started on the cleaning right away and without delay.

"Remind me again why we're doing this by hand and not simply casting some kind of wind art or something that'll just vacuum everything out of the way?"

"Because where is the fun in that, Nanashi? Did we not use to clean our old classroom by hand in rotating shifts?"

The homunculus paused, eyes widening as he muttered, "Holy shit, I forgot that was a thing...actually, what even happened with that? I mean I just kind of stopped going alongside you one day, how did that all pan out?"

Ruby eyes narrowed, the youth rubbing the back of his head.

"Actually, am I even technically alive in the normal world anymore? I sure as hell don't look like I used to."

Manaka barely glanced at him, so engrossed she was in mentally deciding where to put the slightly rickety desk that was to be her podium to lecture from as the newly instated professor of Reverse Ecology and Epistemology, distantly replying, "Would you like to know, Nanashi? To discern what end your old existence faded into?"

The male paused, idly staring at an old globe of the world that had a crack spiraling from the Pacific Ocean to Africa running across its detailed surface.

"Nah. On second thought I don't care. That's not me any more. Besides, Haruki probably just fake transferred us to another school or something, didn't he?"

Manaka's giggle of amusement was answer enough as his lips quirked in amusement, returning to wiping down furniture with a cloth as the doll-like girl had evidently figured out everything she wanted to, clapping her hands while demurely chirping, "Can my big, strong Nanashi move some of these desks for me~?"

"Big, strong Nanashi is probably going to take more time to move this stuff than skinny and fragile Manaka's flick of a finger would."

A playful scowl was sent his way as delicate hands placed themselves on equally delicate hips.

"Are you making fun of me, Nanashi? And I am not delicate, thank you, I'm simply beautiful and maidenly!"

"It's kinda ugly to call yourself beautiful, Manaka."

Snapping his jaw shut as the barb slipped out before he could stop it the youth felt a sense of rising panic as Manaka's cheek puffed out violently, noise of discontent steadily rising in her throat before it culminated with an adorable stomp of her foot and turning of her back, tone imperious as she announced, "Hmph! You cannot fool me, stupid Nanashi. I know you desire me and sneak looks when you think I'm not watching. You really are a perverse little boy."

"I...well, kinda, yeah. But then again you aren't on a much higher tier than I am on the perverse scale. I mean what kind of maidenly girl asks her partner to cause her pain-YOW!"

Face aflame with mortification even as a twisted and predatory smile graced her lips Manaka primed another Gandr shot, Nanashi shaking out his lower half after the previous curse had hit him right in the dick, leaving behind a mild stinging sensation.

"Perhaps you should just focus on moving the tables I asked you to move?"

Nanashi felt his eyebrow twitch, seriously considering getting in his own brand of payback-

-and felt a chill crawl down his spine as he realized Manaka would probably like what he had in mind, the homunculus quickly tossing aside that urge in favor of doing as she requested, hooking his fingers around the desk's frame and easily lifting what would have left two grown men straining, the boy taking a bit of childish joy in the act.

"So where to, slave driver?"

Rolling her sky blue eyes the magus pointed to the head of the room in front of chalkboards piled high with concealing posters and other detritus, Nanashi carefully lowering the groaning piece to the ground as his doll-like companion smiled at the display, their earlier verbal sparring forgotten as she dragged over a chair, sitting in it as she surveyed the layout...and the ruby-eyed male snorted in amusement, teasingly remarking, "Maybe you should get a smaller chair, you look like a toddler."

Giving him a withering glare as the girl angrily removed herself from the high-backed seat that dwarfed her slim frame Nanashi decided to ask a more pertinent and mildly less offensive question, stating, "So how are you planning to go about teaching whoever decides to attend? This is going to be your first class so nobody will have any prior warning or knowledge of what's actually going to go down, no preconceptions of how you'll get them invested and curious about what we did or how we accomplished it."

Pushing aside the comically large chair Manaka easily responded, "You needn't worry, Nanashi. As I am a genius of immeasurable caliber, teaching others will come naturally and easily."

Giving his partner a raised eyebrow the young man bluntly said, "No, you see, that's actually the part I'm worried about. I was able to follow your teachings because Ayaka was there to help translate and I knew nothing about magecraft, everything and anything you told me I took as gospel. How do you think a room full of 'proper' magi kids and young adults are going to react to that?"

The briefest hints of doubt colored Manaka's expression before it was once again smoothed over into placid confidence.

"Their education and background will naturally mean that they understand and comprehend what it is I'm telling them, if anything instruction shall be even easier than it was with you."

"C'mon, Manaka. You know it's not going to be that easy. I was an idiot and fledgling Magician that didn't even know he was a Magician who also possessed crazy Mystic Eyes and a wild variety of Magic Circuits. Everyone else in this classroom is going to be normal."

The homunculus paused, correcting himself with, "Well, mostly normal. At least when compared to us."

Pouting mightily the doll-like girl planted her hands on her hips, grouchily asking, "And just what would you do then, oh great and wise Nanashi? I suppose you have the right answer?"

Smiling as he was back on safe ground the youth replied, "Not me, no. But why not ask your sister, father or Abigail? They all have experience or at the very least outlooks on what a fairly 'normal' Magus education is."

He paused.

"Well, maybe not Abigail. But she has been around for awhile and probably knows a thing or two. And she's your friend, she'll definitely try to help you if you ask her for it. Or at least make it seem like it was your idea all along. Whatever helps your pride sleep at night."

An indignant kick to his shin that probably did more damage to Manaka than it did him summarily followed, the blonde scowling but nonetheless grumbling, "Oh very well, if it will make you feel better then I will follow your advice. But only because you seem to desire it so!"

Inwardly grinning the homunculus lazily replied, "Just as you say, Manaka."

"Hmph! Instead of standing around with that dull look on your face why do you not instead move these desks as I desire them? That will surely be a more productive use of your simple mind then, won't it?"

He played willing slave for a good hour afterwards, inwardly smirking at the way Manaka enjoyed seeing him easily move heavy things around.

"Never would have been able to do that in my old body."

"Hmm...I don't know about this, Manaka."

"But should it not be an adventurous tale? One that inspires imagination and drive alike? My pupils will have lead such gray and unremarkable lives that these stories will capture and hold their attention without exception!"

Nanashi shared a long-suffering look with Abigail and Ayaka, the two girls cluing in to his exhaustion when it came to convincing Manaka of her more...enthusiastic visions of how her class would go as opposed to the reality.

"Imparting to them the precise reasons and grandiose nature of our sojourns to the land of the Reverse and as to why they should be in awe and reverence of our pioneering will naturally ensure their undivided attention and utmost effort. It's only logical!"

"Umm, sister?"

Ayaka offered up a timid but certain interjection, her sibling's gaze slowly landing on her with narrowed intensity.

"Yes?"

"I...I don't think that's going to work and might actually backfire."

"Oh~? Would you be so kind as to describe just why, exactly, you think that is the case, dear sister?"

Swallowing nervously Ayaka nonetheless held her ground, replying, "What are most magi, sister?"

Abigail took up the thread of explanation, stating, "Magi are typically a self-assured and prideful bunch, are they not? How would you feel if someone was to present a topic you were unfamiliar and skeptical of and simply espouse its virtues with fantastical language without any proof or examples to back up such wild claims? And merely pretend you do not have a multiverse's worth of knowledge available to you, please."

Sniffing haughtily Manaka was nonetheless clearly wavering, expression pinched as she considered their words and gazed around the assembled group with a pouty gaze, even Tiamat seeming to not agree with her position.

Ayaka dealt the final blow as she offered, "Why not prepare a series of examples and bits of evidence from your time spent in the Reverse and present it alongside the more fascinating tales? Appeal to the logical and scientific mind while simultaneously stoking the more speculative and curious facet of our species?"

Grumbling and muttering under her breath Manaka nonetheless seemed to be crumbling under their combined assault, Tiamat being the proverbial nail in the coffin as she trilled, "Advice from friends, better than no advice?"

While the delivery was no doubt a bit muddled due to the goddess still getting the hang of spoken language and its variances the doll-like girl finally caved, throwing her hands up in the air and complaining, "Ooh, fine! Hmph! If it will make you all so happy and content then I will alter my perfect syllabus to accommodate your ridiculous alterations. Now explain in exact detail what I should do so that we need not repeat this ridiculous farce."

Abigail snuggled close to Manaka without further prompting, draping her arms over the sitting magus with an affectionate gesture as she chirped, "Okay, now let's start with what you are to wear! First appearances are important and this is where we'll begin…"

Amused at the oldest Sajyou sibling's blushing face Nanashi made to also join in on the fun-

-and paused as Tiamat tapped him on the shoulder, smiling happily as she motioned for him to follow her with a pleased sway of her tail.

Not finding any reason to object the pair slipped away as Manaka scowled in displeasure at the changes to her perceived schedule of perfection, Nanashi asking, "So what's up?"

Happily leading him by the hand to the Sajyou library the horned goddess motioned to the significant collection of tomes and encyclopedias, stating, "Manaka finished reading book. Can we make another?"

Blinking at the sudden request the homunculus nonetheless found himself smiling at it, teasing, "You know, for a goddess that was supposedly a huge and nigh-unstoppable threat to the safety and survival of humanity you're actually a pretty sweet girl, Tiamat."

A shy giggle of amusement left her as she scoured the shelves for anything that looked interesting or adaptable, motioning with her tail for him to join her as she said, "Help look for books. Fairy tales and fantasy!"

Shaking his head at her enthusiasm he did as asked, searching through the various titles and sections before the duo had a pair of stories that were classics but of very different origin. The Odyssey and Dracula, Tiamat grabbing a few blank notebooks and a pencil before sitting at a nearby desk in a stuffed chair, motioning for Nanashi to follow as she hummed, "How will we combine stories? Make it fun for her?"

"How about we copy every other word and mash them together? That would make for good reading."

Her tail smacked him on the arm, a playful look of admonishment on her ethereal features as she placed her chin on her palms, adding, "Love story? Adventure? Suspense?"

"Definitely adventure and suspense. Maybe small dash of romance but I don't think she'll be quite as enthralled with that as she will the rush of the story."

Nodding happily the pair got to work, a few hours passing until they had a working draft of the final product, first chapter already written out.

A retelling of The Odyssey but with their own vampiric twists. One of the bloodsuckers was trying to return home to his beloved brides but gods and goddesses both aided and prohibited his journey, forcing the Vampire to find ways to cross vast oceans all while withstanding the sunlight, a trial that took him far and wide and which lead to many encounters with a wide range of personalities.

"...Are we making the similarities a little bit too blatant?"

Tiamat only smiled, flipping to the front of the book and beginning to edit what they'd written - per Manaka's request as she abhorred spelling errors - while replying, "She will like it anyway. Thank you for your help, Nanashi."

"Hey, more than happy to do so. I'd rather be here than trying to drag Manaka through a changed itinerary, Ayaka and Abigail are welcome to that herculean task."

The goddess giggled, cheerfully flipping through the booklet and occasionally making changes as the homunculus watched her work, perfectly content to let her have her fun.

She really was as beautiful as Abigail and Manaka, just in her own unique way. The exotic eye-shape, draconic features, wavy hair the shade of clearest blue-green...and even in her shrunken state - which according to Merlin was just a temporary thing - the woman exuded appeal like a damn pheromone.

Flawless skin that shone with a pale light and was put on enticing display, slightly flared hips and a bust that promised to be quite nicely sized when she returned to her original form...all of it topped off by her scant and ethereal attire of softly glowing 'fabric' that barely concealed her private areas.

"Nanashi?"

Snapping out of his funk the youth belatedly realized Tiamat had 100% caught him ogling her, an awkward cough escaping his throat as he murmured, "Er, sorry. Got lost in thought there."

The goddess merely tilted her head, opening her mouth to respond-

-and instead took a few sniffs of the air, a pink hue adorning her pale skin as a ruby tongue sensually traced her lips.

"Nanashi...do you...do you want to fill me with your mana?"

And that was the cue for his brain to throw on the mental e-brake, jaw dropping and mind racing for an explanation as to how he was going to squirrel out of this one...or if he even wanted to in the first place.