Chapter 37: Hey, Can I touch You For A Bit?
"So you're here to buy magical items," the President of the Magical Trinket Club, Cassandra, said with a smile. "As a Dud you and our club will certainly have more collaborations in the future, so how about you do us a favor? In return, I will give you a discount. What do you say?"
"Let me hear the favor first," Ethan replied. "Sorry, but my Grandma told me that if someone asks me for a favor, I should ask them what it is, so that there will be no misunderstanding."
"Your Grandma is very wise."
"She's also an expert in throwing flip flops. She never misses her targets."
Cassandra giggled after hearing Ethan's witty comment. Truth be told, she already had her eyes on the magicless Pillar of Dud Manor, but she didn't have any idea how to form a connection with him.
Fortunately, Luna and Ethan were living on the same Manor, and the former had already brought the young man to their club, which made things easier for Cassandra.
"As you already know, we are a magical club that creates different kinds of magical tools. Originally, our founder only planned on creating magical trinkets and accessories. However, as the years went by, we decided to expand our product line and create some tools that are useful for everyday life.
"However, we have one problem. We usually don't have enough time, or manpower to fully test our new products. Usually, the members of the Dud Manor help us out because they are in great need of such items.
"In fact, your Head Prefect, Sir Henry, is one of our VIP customers. Alas, he can only stay in the Academy one more year, so we need a new guinea pi– I mean, someone new who could help test our creations for years to come. You will only find benefits in this collaboration. How about it?"
Ethan's interest was piqued by Cassandra's proposal. As someone who wasn't able to wield magical powers, having discounts, as well as being able to beta test the Magical Trinket Club's new inventions was quite appealing to him.
"Deal!" Ethan replied. "I am willing to test your new gadgets for you."
"Great!" Cassandra clapped her hands happily. "Since that is the case, I will ask Luna to bring you some of the faulty– I mean, some of the products that are still undergoing fine tuning. Luna can you take the you-know-whats from the warehouse? I'm sure that this handsome boy here will be very happy to test them out."
"P-President, are you talking about the dangerous stuff that we labeled as not safe to sell to the students of the Academy?"
"Ara? What are you talking about, Luna?" Cassandra said while adjusting her glasses. "Those are just products that require fine tuning. After we know what makes them dangero–whoops, I mean, after we know what makes them not work properly, we can work on them and start selling them like hot cakes."
"I-I see," Luna stuttered, feeling intimidated by Cassandra's smiling face, which often scared the people who come to their Club to make fun of their inventions.
Without another word, the angelic young lady went to their warehouse to bring the items that her President had asked for, leaving the young man, and the red-haired sadistic lady alone together.
"Please, don't bully Luna so much, Miss Cassandra," Ethan said after making sure that his new friend was no longer around. "She's not good with that sort of thing."
"Have you joined the We-Love-Luna Fansclub?" Cassandra covered her lips and chuckled. "You're being overprotective of her, just like the other members of Dud Manor. Don't worry, I understand that feeling. I love Luna, too, but this and that are different. I'm more interested in you right now."
The red-haired lady took a step forward and used her finger to raise Ethan's chin, making him look straight into her eyes.
"Strange… although I don't really sense any magical powers in you, I feel something that attracts me to you," Cassandra said softly. "Don't misunderstand. I am feeling attracted to you not because you are handsome, but something else. I just can't put my finger on it. Hey, can I touch you for a bit? Maybe I'll understand this feeling I'm getting through body contact"
"I don't mind," Ethan replied. "As long as you don't touch any inappropriate places."
"Worry not, I'm not that bold of a girl," Cassandra smirked. "But, if it's you, I wouldn't mind experimenting a bit."
The red-haired lady with glasses then released her hold of Ethan before walking around him in circles. She then started to lightly pat his arms, his chest, his back, and his shoulders, as if confirming something.
"Ethan, you already know about Luna's magic right?" Cassandra asked after having her fill of touching Ethan's body.
The young man nodded. His Head Prefect had already told him about Luna's magic power, but didn't explain fully what she was capable of. The only thing he knew was that Luna could use her magic only on the days of the full moon.
"Moon Magic is an ancient kind of Magic," Cassandra explained. "It also has the ability of bringing out the potential in people. Although you are a Dud, it is very possible that Luna can awaken any dormant magical power inside of you, even for a brief moment. Who knows? Maybe you will be able to use a little bit of magic after she has used her magic on you.
"Also, I heard something interesting. The yearly exhibition matches of the different Manors will start in two weeks. This is more like a casual thing, rather than a true competition. However, it doesn't change the fact that it is an event that everyone is looking forward to."
Ethan blinked in confusion. He was still a First Year, and didn't know much about the events of the academy.
Because of this, she asked Cassandra to explain what the Exhibition Match was about, which the red-haired lady was more than happy to explain to Ethan, whom she found to be quite an interesting person.