Orugio's hand brushed against his back with every stroke of the brush. Keefree lay on the stone platform, desperately trying to release the tension from his upper body. The cold sensation of the stone seeped through the backs of his thighs. The faint sound of water—Orugio dipping the brush into ink—echoed softly in the quiet room. "[gentle]Relax. The symbols will distort." The voice coming from behind him felt unbearably close. Keefree bit his lip. Tonight marked the third night of their secret lessons. Until yesterday, it had been his arm. Starting from the back of his hand, then his forearm, then his upper arm. That alone had been enough to make his heart pound, but tonight it was a much larger canvas—his back. *(You're not supposed to show your back to anyone.)* He muttered it in his mind. When he took off his shirt, his fingers trembled. With every button he undid, he lost track of what he was doing. This was magic practice. To draw the symbols that would circulate his magical power, he needed to expose his skin. That was what he told himself. But. When he turned his back to Orugio, even the skin behind his ears burned hot. "[gentle]Here, between the shoulder blades." The cold tip of the brush touched the area just above his spine. Keefree held his breath. Orugio's fingers rested gently against his back. His left hand, steadying the brush. The warmth of his fingertips felt startlingly vivid in the cool air of the room. *(What is this?)* The brush moved. A thin line traced slowly down along his spine. It tickled. But more than that, it felt as though the brush's movement was tracing his nerves directly. The skin on the back was thin. Was it supposed to feel this much? Keefree squeezed his eyes shut. In the darkness, only the movement of the brush remained startlingly vivid. Even with his eyes closed, he knew exactly where it was drawing. The inner edge of his right shoulder blade. Right beside his spine. Orugio's breath occasionally brushed against his back. *(Close.)* That was all he could think. Close. Too close. The distance between him and Orugio was not the distance between friends. "[gentle]...Are you alright? Your breathing is shallow." The voice came from directly behind him. Keefree started, then exhaled. Without realizing it, he had apparently stopped breathing. His lungs were desperate for air. "[whispers]...I'm fine." His voice was hoarse. "[gentle]Take a deep breath. When you release the tension, the symbols come out better." Orugio's voice was as calm as ever. But that very calmness only squeezed Keefree's chest tighter. *(Why are you so composed?)* He thought it in his mind. It was somehow frustrating that he was the only one whose heart was pounding like this. The brush stopped. "[gentle]Done. That's it for the back. Shall we rest a little?" Keefree let out a deep breath. The tension drained from his shoulders. Sweat trickled down his temple. When he turned around, Orugio was smiling. His deep blue eyes shimmered, reflecting the room's magical lamp. "[gentle]The back is very sensitive. You were tense, weren't you?" "[whispers]...Yeah." He had no choice but to admit it honestly. Orugio gave a small laugh and returned the brush to the ink bottle. "[gentle]Tomorrow, it's the chest. It's a symbol that serves as the origin point for magical power, so it's very important." Keefree's heart leaped again. The chest. *(Isn't that even more embarrassing?)* But he couldn't say it out loud. The next night, Keefree stood before the stone platform. The magical lamp in the secret room dimly illuminated the old symbols on the walls. Orugio, as always, was preparing the brush and ink bottle. "[gentle]Around the center of the chest, here." Orugio indicated the spot over his own sternum with his finger. Keefree swallowed. "[serious]May I... open your shirt?" His voice was as gentle as ever. But those words struck Keefree's heart with unmistakable force. "[whispers]...Yeah." He brought his own hands to the buttons. His fingers trembled more than they had the night before. One from the top, two, three. With each button he undid on his shirt, the room's cool air touched his skin. Orugio drew closer. They sat facing each other. Orugio's knees were close enough to almost touch Keefree's. The soft waves of his silver hair sparkled under the magical lamp. The small star-shaped birthmark on his left cheek shifted faintly. Orugio's fingers touched Keefree's chest. The center of the sternum. "[whispers]Here." Orugio's voice dropped slightly lower. The brush descended. Cold ink spread across his chest. Orugio's left hand rested gently on Keefree's shoulder—to make it easier to move the brush. But. Keefree thought Orugio might be able to hear the sound of his heart. *(Shut up. Stop it, heart.)* The brush moved over his sternum. From between the collarbones, down toward the center of the chest. Slowly, carefully. Orugio's brows were slightly furrowed. His expression was serious. Keefree couldn't look away. Watching Orugio's face made his chest tighten. *(He's beautiful.)* He thought it again. It wasn't something you were supposed to think about another man. He knew that. But he couldn't stop it. The brush stopped at the center of his chest. The complex symbol glowed faintly. The magical ink was reacting. The center of his chest grew gradually warm. "[whispers]...It's warm." The words slipped out before he could stop them. "[gentle]That's proof that the magical power is beginning to circulate." Orugio raised his face. His deep blue eyes looked straight into Keefree's. His breath stopped. Close. They were close enough that the tips of their noses might touch. *(I love this person.)* Keefree admitted it clearly in his heart. He couldn't deceive himself anymore. The warmth in his chest wasn't just magical power. The warmth of Orugio's hand still lingered on his shoulder. The places the brush had traced throbbed with heat. "[whispers]...It's done." Orugio averted his eyes first. He returned the brush to the ink bottle and pulled back slightly. Keefree couldn't say anything. The symbol on his chest was still glowing faintly. But that light would fade in thirty minutes. The sensation of magical power would disappear too. *(But this feeling won't disappear.)* Keefree gently placed his hand over the center of his chest. Beneath the symbol, his heart was still beating loudly. They left the room in silence. Only the sound of their footsteps echoed rhythmically in the corridor. As they parted, Orugio gave a small wave. Keefree waved back. But inside his chest, he was filled with things he couldn't put into words. The fifth night. The footsteps approaching the secret room felt heavy tonight. As Keefree descended the stairs, he felt a tightness in his chest. He couldn't get yesterday's application on his chest out of his head. The sensation of Orugio's fingers. His serious profile. The distance that had been too close. *(Today, I have to say something.)* But he didn't know what to say. When he entered the room, Orugio was already preparing. He was arranging the tools on the stone platform. Just like always. The brush, the ink bottle, a clean cloth. "[gentle]Today, I'll draw a symbol to stabilize the flow of magical power on your shoulder." Orugio said it as he turned around. Keefree nodded and loosened the clothing around his shoulder. Orugio picked up the brush. He dipped it in ink. His left hand touched Keefree's shoulder. —That hand stopped midway. Silence. The hand holding the brush was trembling faintly. "[whispers]...Orugio?" When Keefree spoke, Orugio slowly set the brush down. He raised his face. His deep blue eyes were shimmering with tears. "[crying]...I'm sorry. Today, I have to say it, no matter what." His voice was trembling. It wasn't his usual calm voice. Keefree couldn't move. "[crying]I've loved you for a long time. Since we were students." Orugio's words fell into the quiet room. Keefree's mind went completely blank. "[crying]When I found out you were sneaking into the forbidden library, I was scared. But... I was just as happy. Because it gave me an excuse to be with you." Tears streamed down Orugio's cheek. A single tear traced a path over the star-shaped birthmark on his left cheek. "[crying]I know this is unfair. Layering my own feelings over your desire to become able to use magic. But... I couldn't hide it anymore." Orugio bit his lip. He, who was always so calm and gentle, was now desperately holding something back. Deep inside Keefree's chest, a warmth began to spread. *(Me too.)* The words overflowed in his heart. "[whispers]...I think I feel the same." He could tell his own voice was trembling. "[whispers]I... love you too. I don't know since when. But." The words wouldn't continue. Instead, Keefree reached out his hand. He touched Orugio's cheek. The skin, wet with tears, was warm. As if drawn together, they pressed their lips together. Their first kiss was brief, but certain. Orugio's lips trembled faintly. Keefree closed his eyes and felt only that sensation. How long did they stay like that? When they slowly pulled apart, tears spilled from Orugio's eyes again. But this time, he was smiling. "[laughing]I couldn't say it, all this time." "[whispers]You're an idiot." Keefree laughed too. His eyes felt hot. Maybe he was crying as well. "[gentle]I really wanted to tell you. And also..." Orugio wiped his tears with his sleeve and reached into his breast pocket. What he took out was a slender wooden box and a small black bottle. Keefree caught his breath. The wooden box was opened. Inside lay a single brush. Its tip, perhaps made from the fur of a magical creature, faintly reflected the light of the magical lamp. A gemstone for amplifying magical power was embedded in its handle. "[serious]This is an engraving brush. It's something passed down from my ancestors." Orugio lifted the black bottle. "[serious]And this is permanent ink. The ingredients are star-frost butterfly wing scales, moonlight tree sap, and dragon's blood stone. Even on the black market, it costs three hundred gold coins. It was hidden in my family's storehouse." Keefree was speechless. An engraving brush. Permanent ink. He understood, all too well, what those names meant. "[serious]Using these, a permanent engraving can be applied. Once engraved, it never fades for a lifetime—the highest-order technique of engraving magic." Orugio's voice was serious. "[serious]The person engraved will permanently possess the power of a magic user. However... this technique has just one condition." Orugio looked straight into Keefree's eyes. "[serious]It cannot be established unless there is a deep spiritual bond between the one who engraves and the one who is engraved." Deep inside Keefree's chest, his heart beat heavily. A deep spiritual bond. The thing they had just confirmed with each other. "[whispers]...I..." His voice trembled. He could become a magic user. A real magic user. The thing he had dreamed of for twenty-eight years was now within reach. But—. "[serious]If the Seven-Pointed Council finds out, it's over for both of us." His hands trembled. Engraving magic was a forbidden art. Violators faced magical deprivation—social death. His position as a teacher at the Great Library, his role as a researcher for the Seven-Pointed Council, all of it would be gone. And that wasn't all. "[whispers]I can't drag you into this." "[gentle]I'm not being dragged in. I chose this myself." Orugio reached out his hand. He gently wrapped it around Keefree's trembling hand. "[gentle]I've always wanted to watch you become able to use magic. That's my wish." Keefree bit his lip. His longing for magic. His feelings for Orugio. The two intertwined in his chest, tangling into a mess. *(I want to. But I'm scared.)* "[whispers]..