The medical officer who examined Private Hanna reported calmly.
"Lieutenant. To complete the Awakening stably… she must enter the Mana Spring several more times."
At those words, Hanna's face turned deathly pale. The medical officer looked at Hanna's pallid face for a moment, then turned toward me.
"But repeating it blindly is dangerous. Private Hanna's body is not yet prepared to withstand the sudden influx of mana."
She added in a rigid tone.
"First and foremost, alongside sufficient rest, she must undergo physical training to endure the mana. If the vessel is weak, it will shatter before it can hold its contents."
"Understood."
I answered briefly and left the infirmary with Hanna.
The next morning, I took Hanna to a small vacant lot on one side of the facility. It was something like a makeshift drill ground with compacted earth.
"You heard what the medical officer said. Mana control requires not only mental strength but a strong body. If your body is the vessel for mana, then you must train that vessel first."
From that day, I put her through basic physical training. Push-ups, sit-ups, bodyweight squats. The most fundamental movements.
"Your form is breaking, Private. Straighten your back more."
I spoke while holding her ankles as she knelt doing sit-ups. Inside my palm, her ankle trembled faintly.
"Hup, hup…."
Dripping with sweat, wet hair clinging to her cheeks, she looked up at me. Sweat fell steadily from her chin, dampening the floor.
"One… two…."
Each time she raised her body to my count, her face came right up to mine. Her hot breath hit me, along with the heavy scent of her sweat-drenched body. Perhaps because she had begun changing after accepting mana, a faint sweetness was mixed in.
Each time she sat up, the front of her uniform blouse pulled downward. Through the loosened gaps between buttons, the outline of her sweat-soaked underwear clinging to her skin, and the faint flesh beyond, was revealed. The soft curves of her collarbones and cleavage repeatedly entered and vanished from my sight.
She, too, knew where my gaze was directed. Her gaze, which had met my eyes each time she lifted her upper body, gradually began to waver anxiously between her own chest and my eyes.
[Used skill 'Status Analysis (Lv.2)' on 'Hanna Maier'.]
[Emotion: Shame from the Lieutenant's gaze]
After checking the status window, I ordered.
"Your gaze is wandering, Private. Focus."
Her shoulder flinched. Still, she moved desperately for a while, but soon reached her limit. At some point, Hanna's concentration faltered, and the strength in her abs abruptly gave out. Her upper body thudded backward.
"Haah, haah...!"
Her chest heaved as she gasped for rough breath. Through her top soaked with sweat, the outline of her nipples stood out prominently.
This training continued for several days. In the mornings they built stamina, and at lunch and dinner, the two of us ate together in the empty cafeteria. We gradually grew accustomed to this life. At first, she had been busy shrinking away, but gradually she silently completed the training.
And finally, the day came to enter the Spring again. I led her to that cold cave from before. The area around the emerald lake still swirled with dense mana.
Hanna hesitated before the spring water. As if recalling the last time, her cheeks were dyed red, and despite wearing her uniform, she hunched her body as if naked. She gauged my reaction, her lips moving slightly. Her gaze remained fixed on the floor.
"Lieutenant… do I… really have to take everything off?"
"…It can't be helped. That's the rule."
At my answer, Hanna bit her lip. To accommodate her as much as possible, I turned my back. For quite a while, rustling sounds came from behind me. Finally, Hanna's voice rang out.
"…I will go in."
A splashing sound. I immediately turned around. Because there had been a dangerous situation last time, it couldn't be helped. Hanna was already submerged up to her neck, embracing her chest with both arms. Her face above the water's surface was completely stiff.
[Used skill 'Status Analysis (Lv.2)' on 'Hanna Maier'.]
[Emotion: Lingering shame, slight relief that the Lieutenant turned his back, slight fear and a sense of duty to endure]
Soon, the spring's mana began reacting to her.
"Hngh…! Ugh…!"
Better than last time, but she still writhed in agony. I gave her as much general advice as I could.
"Your breathing is erratic! Focus again!"
"Don't forcefully suppress the power! Think of it not as blocking a river, but clearing a waterway!"
Hanna followed my instructions as best she could. Perhaps thanks to that, she didn't lose consciousness like last time. Soon she staggered out of the water, and I turned my back again and held out a towel behind me. She hesitated for a moment, then carefully accepted it.
Time passed at the Mana Spring facility in this manner. Soon the day came for her third entry into the Spring.
By now, even the cold cave and emerald lake had become familiar. Hanna no longer asked for my permission.
Instead, she glanced at me and hid her body behind a large rock.
I stared at the rock where she had disappeared. The sound of fabric rubbing, buckles clinking, and small held breaths stimulated the imagination. Shortly after, she cautiously revealed herself from beside the rock.
She was naked. Only, she wrapped her right arm around both breasts, while her left hand covered herself between her legs. It was a gesture somehow trying to conceal her sensitive parts. But because of that, the other curves of her body stood out even more. Her slender waist and the softly swelling curves of her hips, and the smooth lines of her thighs.
Unable to meet my gaze straight on, she walked with short, quick steps with her head bowed. Extreme shame was felt from that gait.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Hanna Maier]
[Emotion: Shame on the verge of exploding, awareness of the Lieutenant, sense of responsibility to control her own body]
She touched the Mana Spring from her toes. She hunched her shoulders at the cold of the spring water for a moment, but soon submerged her entire body and let out a sigh of relief. The water concealed her body.
The third time passed in this way.
And the change became distinct from the fourth time.
By then, the air inside the cave felt familiar. Hanna, standing before the Spring, took a deep breath for a moment, then turned her back to me and began unbuttoning her uniform.
I did not avert my gaze. The smooth curve of her back, her slender waist, and her firmly toned hips from training entered my sight directly. Her combat uniform and white cotton underwear fell to the floor in turn. When her perfect naked body was revealed, she glanced over her shoulder at me.
Our gazes met.
Her pupils shook as if an earthquake had occurred. Her cheeks instantly flushed beet-red. She jumped in surprise and turned her head, but she did not hurriedly flee into the water.
Instead, she consciously straightened her hunched shoulders, and slowly but proudly walked into the Spring.
[Name: Hanna Maier]
[Emotion: Shame on the verge of exploding, intense awareness of the Lieutenant's gaze, stubbornness about not wanting to flee]
That day, she endured the mana far longer than before.
*
I had heard that it was common for the body to change under the influence of mana.
Perhaps that was why Hanna, having accepted mana, changed day by day. Her already smooth skin gained a jewel-like luster, and confidence began to settle in her eyes that had always trembled anxiously.
Our relationship changed too. To be exact, it deepened. The Mana Spring management facility had only the bare minimum functions, but thanks to that simplicity, there was a lot of time for just the two of us to be together.
That evening too, we sat facing each other silently in the empty cafeteria. I casually raised my head, looked at Hanna across from me, and momentarily stopped my spoon. It was a different feeling from simply improved skin. Her jawline had subtly sharpened and her features had grown more distinct. Her figure looked far more pronounced too.
'She was already a beauty, but is she getting prettier?' As I was thinking that, Hanna set down her spoon and opened her lips as if hesitating.
"Lieutenant.… my body has been strange lately."
"What is it?"
"I always feel feverish… and at night I can hardly sleep. It's as if something is surging inside my body…."
'Status Analysis.'
[Status: Stage of internal mana circulation stabilization. Growing pains due to rapid change. Instinctual excitement toward unknown energy.]
I answered based on [Status Analysis].
"It's a natural phenomenon. Growing pains that come from your body completing itself as a vessel while accepting mana. You're almost at the completion stage, so endure a little longer."
"Yes…."
Hanna answered with a nod. A strange flush bloomed on her face.
[Emotion: Strong awareness of the Lieutenant, gratitude for help and advice, anxiety about whether it will go well]