"Starting today, I'm going to teach you the basics of magic. And since we've only got three months to get you ready for Horologium Academy's entrance exams, I won't be going easy on you."Serena stood before a small blackboard, pointer in hand, her voice cool and commanding. The way she held herself—perfect posture, lips slightly parted, eyes narrowed with intent—was dangerously distracting.
Yarrow swallowed, eyes following the curve of her hips as she shifted."No objections here," he said, his voice a bit husky. "Feel free to be as hard on me as you need."The corner of Serena's mouth twitched upward—barely, but it was there.
"Yes! Chickadee has no problem either!" Ji Xiaofei chirped from another table, raising her hand enthusiastically, oblivious to the magnetic undercurrent swirling in the room.
Originally, Serena had only intended to tutor Yarrow. But when it was discovered that Ji Xiaofei couldn't even count to ten properly, she'd been roped into lessons too—though Serena had insisted on teaching her separately, after Yarrow.She'd briefly considered letting Peach Fox handle it, but quickly dismissed that idea. With Peach Fox's playful, undisciplined nature, they'd just end up giggling and drawing hearts in spellbooks.
"Alright," Serena said, her gaze flicking back to Yarrow like a slow caress. "Let's begin with a small test. Just twenty questions. Easy stuff."She leaned forward slightly, sliding a paper across the desk to him. Her blouse shifted with the motion, and Yarrow caught the subtle dip of her neckline.
"A test already? I haven't even learned anything yet," Yarrow protested, though his voice lacked conviction.His eyes were still on her.
Serena raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I stayed up writing it just for you. I take my students very seriously."There was an emphasis on the word very, and it lingered in the air like warm breath on the skin.
"It's untimed. You can take it nice and slow," she added, almost teasingly.
Yarrow sighed, picking up the pen. "Fine. But if I fail, you'll have to give me a very… thorough remedial lesson."
Serena didn't respond, but there was something undeniably wicked in her smile as she turned to Ji Xiaofei and began her separate tutoring.
Time passed. The ticking of the wall clock was the only sound, aside from the occasional murmur of Serena's smooth, low voice as she guided Xiaofei.Yarrow found it hard to focus—especially when Serena would lean over, her silky hair brushing the edge of the desk, her scent wafting to him in gentle waves of vanilla and old parchment.
After half an hour, he turned in his paper, stretching with a groan that was a little exaggerated, a little performative. Serena took it wordlessly and sat down to grade.
Yarrow watched her expression carefully as her eyes moved down the page.
The tremble in her fingers was the first clue.
Then—smack. She slapped the paper onto the desk, face flushed."Are you serious?! One out of twenty?! And it was a multiple choice question!"
Yarrow winced, raising his hands in surrender. "Didn't I warn you my foundation was weak?"
Serena pinched the bridge of her nose. "I assumed you meant... 'a little weak.' Not 'completely hopeless.'"
Yarrow leaned forward, voice lower. "Come on, you have to admit this is a little exciting. You've got the perfect excuse to whip me into shape… and I won't resist one bit."
Serena narrowed her eyes, but her lips parted, just slightly, as if imagining exactly that."Don't tempt me," she murmured.
"I wouldn't dream of doing anything else," Yarrow replied, voice a silken thread of amusement and desire.
Serena cleared her throat, trying to steady herself. "Even if I'm... incredibly talented, I can't make miracles happen. Horologium Academy requires all applicants to be at least Bronze-rank. That's not something you fake."
Yarrow's smile turned boyish. "But I've got you. That's got to count for something."
Serena blinked—caught off guard, just for a second—then recovered."Flattery won't save you. Not yet."
"Yet?"His voice dipped again, teasing.
Serena gave him a look. "You do know the ranking system of mages, right?"
"Of course I do." Yarrow launched into a surprisingly accurate explanation, drawing from all his hours spent reading fantasy novels and watching anime in his past life.
Serena listened silently, a slow grin spreading across her face. When he finished, she clapped her hands once."Well, at least you're not completely useless."
"That's the nicest thing you've said to me all day."He placed a hand over his heart, feigning a swoon.
Serena rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a small laugh. "Alright, enough. Let's go back to basics. Open your textbook."
Yarrow opened it obediently but leaned forward, voice low and close. "Serena... when this is all over, and I pass the entrance exams… what do I get as a reward?"
Serena didn't look up right away. She turned the page, then said, quietly:"Pass the written exam first. Then we'll talk rewards."
Her tone was smooth as silk—and just as dangerous.
Yarrow grinned.Challenge accepted.
Serena cleared her throat, voice smooth as velvet yet sharp enough to cut through steel.
"First, the three fundamental laws of magic: the Law of Conservation of Magic, the Law of Elemental Transmutation, and the Law of Magical Resonance.
"Magic, at its core, is not conjured from nothing. Much like matter, magical energy can neither be created nor destroyed—it only changes form. The caster's job is to perceive the raw magical energy saturating the world around them, draw it in through a medium—typically a staff, a chant, or sheer will—and refine it. During this process, that raw force is shaped into elemental magic. That brings us to the second law."
She pivoted smoothly on her heel, every movement deliberate. Yarrow's gaze trailed her, only half-listening as his brain worked hard to keep up.
"The Law of Elemental Transmutation," she continued, tapping her pointer against the blackboard. "All ambient magical energy in nature is called 'original magic.' But original magic is inert—useless, unless you can separate out the reactive isotopes aligned to your affinity. Fire, water, light, earth, lightning, life, shadow… Each element has its own vibration, its own hunger for resonance.
"And that's where the third law comes in—Magical Resonance. If your magical field can't resonate with the element you're trying to invoke, you'll either misfire… or worse."
She looked over her shoulder, eyes gleaming like polished silver."Still following?"
"Y-you… might need to slow down a bit…" Yarrow murmured, a little dazed, a little flushed.
Serena arched a brow, clearly amused. "What? You said you could handle me being strict."The way she said it made his skin prickle.
Yarrow leaned back in his chair, eyes wide, brain officially fried. The morning's lesson had been a magical landslide—and he was buried under it.
This wasn't what he imagined at all. In his mind, learning magic meant chanting a few ancient words, striking a cool pose, and hurling a fireball with dramatic flair.
Instead, Serena had casually dropped twenty-seven elemental reaction formulas on him before lunch.
Twenty-seven.
He was expected to memorize them, apply them, and even calculate the appropriate magical energy output for each spell.Like, exactly how much force did it take to manifest an Ice Cone without it instantly shattering or turning to slush?
"Oh, and you'll need to understand magical entropy equations too," she'd added breezily.
As if that wasn't enough, now he had to juggle energy transfer rates, magical decay coefficients, and thermal equilibrium models.
Yarrow slumped forward, forehead lightly thunking against the desk.This wasn't Hogwarts. This was quantum physics wearing a sexy librarian outfit.
He'd honestly thought that with Serena's talent—and a cheat-skill from that mysterious system in his body—getting into a mid-tier academy would be easy.Now?
Now it felt like asking a kindergarten dropout to ace a university entrance exam in three months.
Magic was not a dream. It was a full-blown academic nightmare.
A heavy rain of formulas and incantations had come crashing down on his innocent fantasies of magical glory.
He let out a low groan."This is what betrayal feels like," he muttered into the wood grain of the desk.
From above, Serena leaned down, her lips hovering near his ear. Her breath was warm, teasing.
"You wanted me to push you, didn't you?"
Yarrow shivered.
"…You're evil."
Serena smiled. "And yet, you're still here."
...yeah yeah , I know Serena should be having gummy bear ears but I had to create a relatable picture of this scene , we've all been there with that sexy stand in teacher....
....all this nsfw characters in my patreon Seasay.