Scumbag Fate System-Chapter 31: Please (1)

Rika sat on her bed while Reinhard settled into the chair near her desk and turned it around so he could face her properly.

"So, what are your plans after graduating?" Reinhard asked while leaning back in the chair and watching the way lamplight caught in her hair. "You’ve never really told me about that."

Rika’s eyes brightened, and her hands began moving the way they did when she got excited about something. "I want to join the Research Guild in the city of Luminous! If you didn’t know, they have the best archive of historical texts in the entire continent."

"Is that all?"

"Nope! They also do expeditions to ruins all over the world to document and preserve what’s left of old civilizations." She paused and bit her lip while considering her words. "Or maybe I could do an apprenticeship here at the Academy for the History Department... Slowly work my way up to joining their expedition team because they explore some of the most dangerous places that exist."

Reinhard chuckled and caressed her cheek with his thumb. "That does suit you perfectly. Regardless of what you do, I know you will be brilliant."

Her face flushed under his touch, but she didn’t pull away and instead leaned into his hand slightly while her eyes stayed locked on his.

"What about you?" She asked softly. "What do you want to do after all this?"

"Probably travel or focus on getting rich."

"That does sound like you." Rika giggled.

"Since I plan to travel, tell me about the places you would like to visit?" He asked while his thumb continued its slow path along her cheekbone.

Rika’s face transformed into pure joy, and a huge grin appeared. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest, and launched into descriptions that tumbled out one after another. "There’s the Collapsed Spire in the northern territories that used to be a magical academy thousands of years ago. It is said to have libraries that were preserved in ice that no one has been able to access yet because the entire structure is unstable. But imagine what texts we could find there!"

She barely paused for breath before continuing. "And the Sunken Archives beneath the Glass Sea, where an entire city disappeared underwater! But the buildings are still intact because of preservation magic. I heard you can even dive down and walk through streets that haven’t seen sunlight in centuries!"

Reinhard listened with a smile growing on his face while watching her gestures. And the way her whole body seemed to vibrate with joy as she described location after location with increasing excitement.

"Oh! And the Shattered Throne Mountains! Some researchers found evidence of a pre-human civilization that built cities into the cliffs and left behind unidentified artifacts!" Her hands moved rapidly while sketching shapes in the air. "And the Whispering Catacombs under the capital city!"

She went on for nearly ten minutes while listing ruins and historical sites. Even ancient mysteries with the kind of passion that made it impossible not to be drawn in by her energy.

When she finally wound down and realized she’d been talking nonstop, her face flushed darker. "Sorry, I got carried away again."

"Don’t say sorry," Reinhard said as he moved next to her on the bed. "I like seeing you talk about things you love. Your face lights up when you do, making you even more beautiful."

"Reinhard..." She could barely speak.

He leaned in and tucked her hair behind her ear, his fingers brushing her neck. "I enjoy watching you talk about old ruins like they’re the most exciting thing in the world."

A small shiver ran through her as her breath caught.

"And I like other things too." He moved closer until she could feel his warmth. "How you blush but keep looking at me."

"Rein-" Rika’s eyes widened as Reinhard leaned in.

When their lips met, the kiss started gently.

But soon Rika made a small sound and pressed closer. His fingers tangled in her hair while his other arm circled her waist, pulling her against him. She gripped his shirt and opened to him, deepening their connection.

Her lips were warm and tasted faintly of the juice she’d been drinking earlier. When his tongue swept across them, she gasped and parted them wider to let him explore. While her own tongue tentatively met his in movements that were hesitant at first but grew bolder as he showed her what to do.

The pillow she’d been holding fell forgotten to the floor as both her hands came up to thread through his hair. She was holding him close while the kiss turned from sweet to hungry in a few seconds. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Reinhard shifted their positions smoothly, so she was half lying back against her pillows. While he leaned over her without breaking the kiss.

His hand moved from her waist to slide up her side in a touch that made her arch slightly toward him. She pulled back just enough to gasp for air, and her eyes were dark and wanting when they met his.

"Looking so cute and tempting." Reinhard gently ran his thumb across her lips. "You should have more confidence in how much I want you, Rika."

"I...I-I um." Rika blushed, making Reinhard chuckle.

"Rika~" She gasped as he descended once more.

"Reinhard..." She breathed out and his name on her lips before he kissed her with more intensity.

All while his thumb stroked along her ribs through her shirt, and she trembled beneath him in a way that had nothing to do with cold. He moved from her lips before laying kisses along her jaw and moving down once more.

He laid kisses after kisses on her neck until he reached her neck, making her shiver and tilt her head up. Reinhard smirked before he continues his assault on her lips. While her breathing came in quick, shallow gasps and her hands gripped his shoulders hard enough that he could feel it through his shirt.

When he returned to her mouth, she met him eagerly.

The kiss became something more desperate while their bodies pressed together. The world narrowed down to just the two of them and the heat building between them. Her leg hooked around his hip to pull him closer while he groaned against her mouth and shifted his weight, so he wasn’t crushing her.

But it was still close enough that every breath they took was shared. His hand moved from her side to cup her face while his thumb traced her cheekbone. And he pulled back just enough to look at her properly with her flushed face and swollen lips and eyes that were hazy with wanting.

"You’re beautiful," he murmured while brushing his lips against hers in a softer kiss. "So incredibly beautiful like this."

She pulled him back down for another deep kiss that made thinking difficult. When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing hard while staying tangled together with her hands still in his hair and his arms wrapped around her.

"Please... Reinhard..."