novelraw Chapter 102: Renee in the Morning
Chapter 102: Renee in the Morning
Fischer's consciousness seemed to plunge into a mire-like reverie. Through the haze of sleep, he felt himself falling ceaselessly, sinking into a murky, fragrant swamp.
That descent, however, was not an unimpeded free fall. Rather, it felt as though countless invisible forces converged from every direction, wrenching and clawing at his body.
In the darkness, innumerable eyes watched Fischer's frail, descending soul.
Amid that crushing loneliness and dread of the unknown, Fischer thrashed like a drowning man — yet his body could not break free. With every ounce of strength he possessed, the most he could manage was to force his eyes open within the dream.
As his vision fought its way out of the darkness, the dreamscape before him revealed an enormous full moon, hanging cold and indifferent in the night sky, staring down at him like a merciless god.
It was a bright and indescribably frigid moon.
A nameless pressure flowed along its pale light, and the crushing isolation and menace ripped Fischer from the dream.
When he truly opened his eyes in reality, what he saw was Renee — or rather, the pale, soft contours of her body, made prominent by her sleeping posture. She was very close. Her eyes were shut, her breathing light. Her sleeping face alone sketched the very definition of beauty.
He was still in his own bed, swaddled in blankets saturated with Renee's fragrance, the girl lying right beside him.
Fischer exhaled. He discovered that Renee, who had gone to bed with her back to him, had turned over at some point in the night. Both her arms were wound around him tightly, pushing his face against the front of her body. The intoxicating scent was almost suffocating.He tried to move, only to find her legs pressed against him as well — like shackles.
'No wonder I had that suffocating dream. So it's because this one's sleeping posture is utterly atrocious. She must have wrapped herself around me without even realizing it.'
It was early morning. Outside, larks chirped and chattered, heralding life to a world that had already been awake for some time.
Fischer edged backward awkwardly. The pendulum clock on the bedroom wall swayed back and forth — just past eight. He had class at half past ten. Any more delay and he'd miss it.
He was about to get up when, from the corner of his eye, he noticed a telltale blush creeping across Renee's otherwise serene sleeping face.
'Wait... this one...'
'Don't tell me Renee has actually been awake this entire time. She's just pretending to be asleep, and she "accidentally" entangled herself around Fischer's body in her "sleep."'
'She wanted to observe Fischer's genuine reaction to her unconscious seduction — that was the entire point of this little stunt. But she hadn't expected to let such an obvious crack show.'
Fischer's expression cooled. He spoke, probingly.
"Renee?"
"..."
Renee didn't move — apparently genuinely asleep. But Fischer could feel her body growing stiffer and stiffer, and even that mask of tranquility was starting to falter.
Fischer's gaze darkened for a second. Suddenly he reached out and pinned her shoulder. He pressed forward, aggressively closing the distance. In that instant, the pink on Renee's face deepened by several shades. She hastily opened her eyes, blinking at the Fischer who was staring straight at her — the jig was clearly up.
The room went quiet for a second. Perhaps Fischer's death-stare was too terrifying, because she finally broke, flashing an adorable smile. She raised her left hand and made a peace sign at Fischer — though the bandage around it made the gesture look rather clumsy.
"Ehehe, I just woke up too~ Good morning, good morning."
"...Do you honestly think I'd believe that?"
"Actually, I'm Dr. Renee, performing a health check-up. Congratulations, Mr. Fischer — you're in excellent shape."
That was Renee for you — endlessly provocative, acting irresistibly alluring yet terrified the moment you actually made a move, vanishing into thin air whenever things got real.
She was, without question, an infuriating Witch.
Irritated by the infuriating Witch, Fischer decided to give her a scare. In the next instant, he clamped down on both of Renee's wrists, locking her in place. Then, under her widening gaze, he dipped forward in a predatory motion.
Just as Fischer anticipated, a flicker of panic surfaced on her face — clear evidence that her actual resolve was less than one percent of her usual bravado.
As he pressed closer, Fischer expected her to dissolve into mist and flee any second now, just as she had done countless times before.
But as Fischer drew nearer and nearer, a delicate pink tint bloomed across her lovely features — features as beautiful as her sister's. Morning sunlight slanted into the bedroom, making her lips look glistening and irresistible.
Renee's body was soft, and it was firmly, undeniably in Fischer's hands.
She seemed to have forgotten to run. Her violet pupils trembled slightly as she looked at Fischer. She parted her lips, saw the surprise mirrored on his own face, and her cheeks flushed with tension.
"Fische— mm—"
But Fischer, after only the briefest moment of hesitation, had already lowered his head and claimed her. That blossom — deep and soft as fine wine — erupted in the depths of his heart, granting Fischer a taste of the rarest beauty this world had to offer.
No chance to explain. The Witch who had always fled was, at last, caught fast by Fischer.
His grip on her wrist slowly shifted until their fingers intertwined — though her left hand was injured, so he could only hold the one.
Some time passed before Fischer reluctantly let her go.
Renee's mouth was still open, her face a portrait of utter shock. Her glazed eyes stared upward — whether at the ceiling or at Fischer, it was impossible to tell.
"Renee..."
"Huh?"
Several seconds seemed to elapse. Only when Fischer spoke did she register, belatedly, what had happened.
She instinctively reached up to touch her own lips, then flinched — perhaps the lingering warmth was still too vivid — and drew her hand back. Under Fischer's gaze, her blush deepened, redder and redder.
"Are you all right? Your face—"
"...Fischer!"
After that single word, Renee suddenly covered her face. Her body began to shimmer and turn translucent. Before Fischer's eyes, she shot off the bed like a phantom.
She didn't look back as she phased through his bedroom door — presumably heading for the washroom. The room held only Fischer alone, and Renee's lingering, pervasive fragrance.
Fischer opened his mouth, then smiled silently and climbed out of bed.
'She must have short-circuited. She actually forgot to escape, and I caught her red-handed.'
'It seems Renee isn't terribly sharp right after waking up. In the future, mornings will be the time to strike.'
After Fischer dealt with his morning routine in the washroom, he came back out to find Renee already fully dressed and seated at the dining table, nibbling on one of Masha's baked flatbreads. When she spotted Fischer emerging in his formal attire, she took a vindictive bite of the bread — as if it were Fischer himself.
Fischer ignored her resentment and greeted Masha with a good morning.
Masha glanced between Renee and Fischer, studied the accusatory look Renee was giving him, and suddenly concluded that last night Fischer had very likely been unable to control himself and something had happened between them. After all, a woman's defenses were at their weakest during emotional turmoil.
'Oh, heavens!'
'Could it be that in a few months, Renee might have a lovely little baby?'
Masha blinked. The more she thought about it, the more certain she became. So she quietly retrieved the glass of ice water in front of Renee. She had heard from the other old ladies that cold water was bad for conception.
"Renee, a lady shouldn't drink ice water. Let me get you a warm glass. Just sit tight."
"?"
Renee looked at Masha in confusion, clearly having no idea what mental gymnastics the old woman had just performed.
Once Fischer had finished dressing and sat down at the table, Renee glanced over and — seeing the same suit as always — curled her lip. Knowing full well the state of Fischer's finances and his frugal nature, she was certain he would never buy a proper suit on his own. So she spoke up.
"I brought you two outfits from Kadu. They're in your wardrobe. Remember to wash them before wearing."
"Thank you."
Fischer looked down at his clothes. He really didn't have another suit to wear. It was rare for Renee to remember something like that. He'd take her to see a play tonight and pick up some souvenirs for her — after all, he hadn't given her a proper gift since returning from the Southern Continent.
"Hmm hmm, by the way — didn't you say you wanted to ease your money troubles? I saw your paper was published. Did you get a big prize?"
Fischer shook his head and picked up a flatbread.
"Not much of a prize. But I'll be teaching at Saint-Nazareth University for a while."
"Teaching, huh? Not bad, not bad..."
Renee blinked, accepted the warm water Masha handed her, thanked her, and went back to quietly chewing her bread with a meek, well-behaved air.
This actually surprised Fischer. Normally, if she had learned he was teaching at a university, she would absolutely have been scheming something awful.
Still, a quiet Renee was not unwelcome. A little peace and tranquility was nice.
"Rest here for a while. I'll be back this afternoon, and I'll take you around the city."
"Okay."
After breakfast, Fischer said goodbye to Renee and Masha. He needed to hurry to the university — any more dawdling and he'd be late. Renee stood with her hands folded in front of her, smiling gently and waving him off. The docile image actually made Fischer eye her with suspicion. Had this morning's kiss flipped some strange switch inside her?
Fischer gave Renee one long, searching look, picked up his walking stick and hat, and left the flat.
Inside, the moment he was gone, Renee's gentle facade melted away. The curve of her lips slowly twisted into that familiar, mischievous grin. She watched Fischer's receding figure for a moment, then suddenly called out to the room.
"Masha, I'm heading out for a bit!"
As the words left her mouth, her form began to shimmer and dissolve, vanishing from Fischer's rental flat. Her destination didn't require a single guess.
It was Saint-Nazareth University.