Vikamme

  The small apartment, now quiet, was filled with familiar scents: fresh air and the distinctive aroma of lust that hung in the room.

  Aria y face down in sheets that were already slightly rumpled. It seemed she had been having a wet dream, as her "kiska" still occasionally released fluid.

  Suddenly, she began to stir.

  "Hmmmmm..."

  Her eyeshes trembled, and she opened her eyes, which took quite a while to focus. Rolling onto her back, she took a deep breath and stretched, revealing a stunning view outside the window.

  A moment ter, she remembered what had happened yesterday.

  "Damn, second time in two days I've slept in this form... But yesterday's experience was too intense."

  Saying this, she summoned the interface and looked at the skill description:

  [Talent Description — Magical Source] "An innate talent possessed by every mage in this world. It grants access to mana and opens the path to magic."

  "What the hell... Do I have magical power now?"

  She tried to sense something in her body through the portal, but nothing responded except for a faint itching between her legs.

  "I don't feel anything... Maybe it's not that simple? Or maybe there's no magic in this world at all?"

  Thinking this, she moved, feeling stickiness all over her body. Without hesitation, she got out of bed and ran to the shower. Again, a quiet moan was heard, accompanied by subtle changes in the sound of running water.

  A few minutes ter, she stepped onto the balcony clean but somewhat subdued, since the interface didn't dispy how exactly she had taken the shower.

  "It seems different poses mean more than just posture..."

  Taking a deep breath, she began cleaning up the aftermath of the previous evening. She had to wash everything, especially the white items.

  Looking outside, she saw that the sun had already risen.

  "Good weather for a walk, and if I'm lucky, for finding work too."

  Standing on the balcony in just a t-shirt and panties, she gazed at the city. Sometimes a light breeze touched her exposed parts, causing quiet pleasure. But realizing her situation, she quickly went back inside.

  "It seems I'm neglecting some social norms..."

  Soon she was dressed: panties fitted snugly against intimate areas, causing a subconscious sigh. Then she put on a skirt, keeping only the t-shirt.

  Going outside, she first returned inside to look around, and finally found a fairly long stick. She tried to put it in her inventory, which worked easily.

  "Now, if something happens, I'll have a way to defend myself."

  She stepped outside. Closing the house door and locking it, she heard light footsteps. Turning instinctively, she saw a teenager: thin, with long hair almost covering green eyes. The face was too feminine for a boy. He wore jeans and a jacket, wireless headphones on his head, and held a grocery bag in his hands. He was approaching the door.

  It seemed he noticed her gaze, and his head drooped. Aria even noticed how the tips of his ears turned red. She saw his hands tremble slightly as he tried to unlock the door. Thinking about the teenager's behavior, Aria suddenly realized something, and her face also flushed slightly.

  The thing was, the boy lived right next to her apartment. Considering the size of the dwelling and poor soundproofing, perhaps the teenager had heard her moans st evening.

  She finally closed the door, lowered her head, and walked briskly past him. The boy, noticing her, lowered his head even more. He was already shorter than Aria, but now seemed even shorter.

  Aria quickly approached the elevator. It was already there, as the teenager had just gotten on. Aria entered and quickly pressed the first floor button. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the boy gnce at her. But realizing he'd been caught, he immediately rushed to the door and panickedly dove inside.

  Sitting in the subway, Aria browsed job listings on her phone, repeatedly recalling the beautiful, feminine face of the boy and his expression.

  "For some reason, I think he... no, more likely she? A girl? Too feminine..."

  Thinking to herself, she felt some men casting gnces at her chest.

  "Damn! How annoying... Damn! My stop!"

  Cursing, she quickly exited at the next station. Although this wasn't quite the city center, work could be found in other areas too.

  Exiting the subway where few people had descended, she looked around. The city was rge, and the district even rger. Unlike the area where she lived or the city center, this neighborhood gave an impression of calm and spaciousness. Fewer people walked the streets, but the atmosphere seemed more harmonious.

  She liked it. If given the chance, she would have wanted to live right here.

  Pondering, she opened her phone again and checked the listing. According to the employer, it was a small bookstore that half resembled a café. Meaning she'd need to work with both books and customers.

  On one hand, she already had waiter skills; on the other, the offered sary was quite high—enough to live normally for a month.

  Following map indicators, crossing several streets, she finally reached the shop. Before her stood a two-story building with a window creating a pleasant atmosphere: round chairs, small flowers, and several trees around. The road ended a few meters further, transitioning to cobblestone, enhancing the ambiance.

  Turning off her phone, she stepped forward and cautiously entered the store.

  The smell of books appeared, mixed with coffee aroma. She saw small shelves, cozy little sofas around tables, dim soft lighting, and slow melody. The pleasant atmosphere and calm were very welcome for her emotional turmoil these days.

  Unknowingly, she took a deep breath of the scent and felt lightness.

  At this time, not far from her, behind the bar counter sat an old man of short stature, wearing gsses, yet well-groomed with a gleam in his dark eyes.

  "Welcome, miss."

  Gncing momentarily at Aria and seeing her sigh, he raised the corners of his lips. He liked this girl. Beautiful, and seemingly not pretending.

  Hearing his words, Aria came to herself. With a slight blush on her face, she approached the old man.

  "Hello, I'm here about the job. Can we discuss it?"

  Speaking, she held her hands before her, feeling shyness and suffocation. Considering she hadn't spoken directly with anyone for a long time, this caused anxiety. However, for living and enjoying life, she needed to suppress some discomfort.

  "Of course, please sit."

  "As for the work aspects, young miss, you must have seen what my granddaughter wrote in the advertisement. Here's the situation: my granddaughter used to help me, but because she was accepted into a special school, she has no time to help me here all day. In the end, we decided to hire someone."

  Listening as the old man expined everything without ulterior motives, Aria felt relief.

  "Thank you. May I know your name? By the way, I'm Aria."

  "Yes, of course, dear Aria. You can call me Harmi."

  "Okay, Mr. Harmi. As a waitress, I have some experience, but with books I don't know how to handle them..."

  Speaking, Aria looked away, lowering her head.

  "Haha... Nothing, it's not difficult... I'll teach you what to pay attention to..."

  Gradually, the conversation improved. The old man began telling how exactly this shop was built, then spoke about his wonderful granddaughter. In the end, Aria could only leave after tasting coffee baked by the old man.

  Honestly, she liked it: calm atmosphere, smell of books, and finally delicious coffee with some sweets. She felt mentally rexed.

  Finally exiting, she said goodbye to the old man who escorted her to the door, though he walked very slowly.

  The pleasant atmosphere made her feel better. She had already decided to start working here. Especially since she was lucky to find work on the second day.

  In the morning she woke up te, and now the day was approaching night. On the way, she bought herself a snack, a bck mask resembling a medical one, and returned home. Though she had already found work, she still wanted to do something else for fun.

  Exiting the elevator, her gaze momentarily stopped at the door near her apartment. Remembering the morning situation, her face began burning again. Besides, an idea came to her mind which she quickly dismissed, shaking her head from side to side.

  Passing by the apartment, she approached hers, not noticing that through the peephole the boy was watching.

  "She's back..."

  Entering home, she unpacked things and started eating, browsing her phone simultaneously. Watching for some time, she thought that in this world there seem to be many problems with gas explosions or things reted to aliens.

  "Why so unprofessional?"

  Swallowing food with a full mouth, she switched videos. The next one turned out to be a girl moving her butt very well in front of the camera. Seeing this, Aria froze for several seconds and almost choked. The scene was quite... tense.