"Haa—haa—"
The faint sound of heavy breathing echoed through the general store, making both Reimu and Sakuya pause.
They saw Marisa clinging to a shelf, her whole body trembling anxiously, a rosy flush of longing spreading across her face.
An unprecedented void gnawed at her heart, while an oddly warm and stimulating sensation crawled up from her fingertips, teasing her fragile nerves.
"What's wrong with her?"
"Don't tell me... she's already addicted to the boss, and now she's craving another dose?"
"I am NOT!!!" Marisa snapped back in flustered irritation, but the bizarre yearning coursing through her body made her voice quiver uncontrollably.
Damn it—was the boss using some weird ability on her again? Was this his way of reminding her to sneak into his room tonight?
Hah! This petty craving was nothing compared to the dozens of times her sensitivity had been cranked through the roof!
There's no way she'd give in that easily. Don't underestimate her willpower, dammit!!!
While Marisa was stubbornly trying to endure, Patchouli on the other hand was already looking dazed.
As she continued engraving the spell, her fingers went from accidental brushes to fully pressing against his skin, occasionally sliding over it, trying to quell the maddening thirst for mana.
To her, Rin now resembled a walking mana generator, constantly leaking magic energy in trickles.
Her body's innate desire for mana was relentlessly urging her to make more contact, to draw in more energy and soothe her discomfort.
Yet the last threads of her rationality kept her from collapsing completely onto him.
Gritting her lip to force herself to stay sane, Patchouli's fingers accidentally touched the sweat trickling down Rin's back.
The moment that supremely pure mana surged into her, most of the tormenting cravings inside her instantly subsided.
But as the spell engraving continued and the magic she'd absorbed from him was used up, the thirst returned—stronger and more aggressive than before.
"Mmh~" A soft, helpless moan slipped from her lips before she abruptly stifled it, cheeks flushing crimson.
She glanced at Rin—thankfully, he had already dozed off during the wait. Relieved, Patchouli couldn't help but stare at him longer.
And the more she stared, the more a certain idea crept into her mind—and once it appeared, it spiraled uncontrollably.
After hesitating a moment, she quietly slid her finger upward.
Seeing no reaction, she daringly poked his cheek.
He really was asleep. Holding her breath, she lightly touched his lips with her finger.
Feeling that unusual softness, her face tightened.
She pushed in slightly deeper, and the moment she brushed against his saliva, a wave of mana—far purer than even his sweat—crashed into her.
Her mana reserves surged upward all at once, washing away every trace of unease and irritation, leaving her body and mind in a state of euphoric tranquility.
But even after being satisfied, her flesh still whispered with greedy delight.
Though she was full, her body craved more...
Her heart thudded faster.
With a glance toward the door—still securely shut—she hesitantly brought her saliva-coated finger to her mouth.
The instant it entered, her whole body shuddered under the pure mana's infusion.
Every cell in her body howled with excitement.
This method of mana intake—more efficient than anything else—satisfied her craving while refining her own magical reserves. Even her maximum mana capacity seemed to subtly expand.
"Whew..."
Patchouli let out a long breath, her face flushed and eyes glazed with intoxication.
And in that moment of indulgent bliss, her body recalled the memory of the tongue entanglement she had shared with Marisa the night before.
A sinful thought bloomed from the depths of her heart—
No one else was in the room. Rin was asleep. If she didn't say anything... if she just tried it...
Her head lowered inch by inch, lips inching closer.
Even with Marisa's experience to reference, actual execution felt wholly different.
The shame and guilt barely surfaced before they were blown away by the tidal wave of mana erupting from within him.
Just a few seconds later, Patchouli found herself unable to resist sticking out her tongue...
"Mmm—!"
Meanwhile, at the store, Marisa suddenly froze mid-chew on her beef jerky, blinking blankly at the snack wrapper in her hand.
Beef jerky, right? Then why did it feel like she was making out with the boss?
A soothing warmth soaked through every inch of her flesh, leaving her feeling like she was being immersed in a hot spring. Her brain went fuzzy.
The hell... was the pervy boss trying to seduce her again?
Tch. She refused to be lured into his bed tonight! And never again, either!
Reimu and Sakuya, watching from the side, both noticed her odd behavior—but soon chose to ignore it.
"Secret flirting with the boss again, I bet. Whatever. We've got more important things to do."
"You really didn't take it?"
"Why would I? I'm not like those two booze-hounds. The risk's way too high."
Sakuya rolled her eyes at Reimu's continued suspicion as she peeled potatoes and kept an eye on the clock to make sure the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall stew didn't overcook.
"My mistress and Patchy did ask me to steal booze for them, but I turned them down. If the stuff's really gone, maybe check with them—they might know something."
So Patchy's off the hook… meaning it had to be Remilia! That sneaky little brat!
"Marisa, come on, we're going to interrogate Remi—" Reimu's voice trailed off as she turned to see Marisa collapsed on the floor, squirming.
"What the hell are you doing now?"
"Cough—choked on my jerky, that's all. Couldn't breathe for a sec."
Marisa's words came out garbled as Sakuya and Reimu both twitched at the sounds of moist slurping coming from her mouth.
"Fine, you go ahead. I've got... something I need to talk about with that damned pervy boss." Marisa waved them off, then, under their very peculiar gazes, steeled herself and dashed toward the back room.
Damn that boss. Her body couldn't resist him anymore! Fine. Just once. Just enough to cool off.
One taste only! No way she was letting that bastard get more than that!
As the two watched Marisa march toward depravity once more, Reimu and Sakuya couldn't help their twitching eyelids.
"Yeah... she's definitely beyond saving now."