For some reason, this whole atmosphere feels... wrong.

I thought this was going to be a light research session. But judging by Helena’s expression, and Selene’s face, I can tell: they know something. Something they’re not telling me completely.

And that cat, Chthulhu... the clingiest, most dramatic little thing I’ve ever met... is now completely silent.

As if it carries a secret older than this world.

As if—I’m being made to witness something that should never have been found again.

Helena herself wasn’t sure what to do at first...

But she noticed the consistent patterns within Selene’s seemingly chaotic sketches and tried to reconstruct every image—images that at first looked like nonsense, but actually held a kind of rhythm.

As if they weren’t just drawings, but a message meant only for someone who knew how to see them.

With a small inkwell of her own, she picked up a piece of papyrus.

Her fingers began to dance—fluid and steady—as if they had been waiting for this moment all along.

Each stroke felt like a ritual; every curve, like an incantation.

Helena had always been gifted at drawing, ever since she was a child—whether with magic or without.

With magic, she could reconstruct the full architecture of an 18th-century Olam calendar Renaissance-style Cathedral—belonging to none other than Bernardo da Vinci, the Shadow Architect.

Even without magic, she could draw human anatomy with impossible precision, without ever needing to redo a line.

And now... she was drawing not just to understand.

But to connect.

To reach Selene through something Selene herself couldn’t express in words.

She knew exactly what kind of monster she wanted to resurrect on the page.

The name "Ox" had already reached legendary status, though mostly as a folktale among seers.It was described as a crossbreed between sheep and goat, with towering horns and a hulking body, capable of swallowing cities in a single breath.

But that was just the tale.

In the History of the Mages of Olam, Ox was merely a fragment of a far older entity.

Helena glanced at Selene’s drawing, which—honestly—was rather... artistic.

{Eh?! Now you’re slandering my artwork too?!}

{Quiet. Or the monologue won’t finish.}

{This is not fair. I do not accept this.}

{Deal with it. Meow.}

Yes, artistic. Because it was too abstract. Okay, moving on.

Patiently, Helena began to break it down—body, legs, horns, eyes, nose, ears.All aligned with the irregular patterns she reinterpreted from Selene’s strokes.

While she drew, Selene just watched.Silent.But her gaze was sharp—a mixture of admiration and... something else.Something deeper.More hushed.

Helena could feel it.With each touch of her fingers to the paper, it felt as if Selene’s skin were the one responding.The breathing behind her grew slower, heavier—and she knew exactly who stood there, just inches away.Far too close to be simply "observing."

"Don’t get too close..." Helena whispered—barely more than a breath.But her voice trembled, even as her hands kept drawing.

"Why not?" Selene replied softly, her voice brushing against her."Are you afraid one of us... might melt?"

Helena held her breath. But said nothing.

Then suddenly, Selene leaned in—her breath nearly grazing Helena’s ear."Or are you just afraid... you’ll stop drawing?"

Helena gritted her teeth lightly and replied without turning,"If you keep that up, I might just start drawing you. Not the Monster Ox."

Selene gave a small laugh."Go ahead. But if you draw any part of my body wrong... that sketch might not be fit for public display."

A beat of silence.

Then, Helena’s fingers resumed their work, even as Selene gently rested her chin on Helena’s shoulder—heavy, but warm.

Not intrusive. Not obstructive. Just... present.

And in the space between pulsing heartbeats and the scratch of ink on paper, only one sound remained:

A silence too full to be called empty.

And not long after, the image of the Monster Ox was complete.Selene’s version—redrawn by Helena—now rendered into something more real, more brutal... and more human.

"So, how was it, Sele—Selene?"

Helena jumped, startled to find Selene still lost in her own world, endlessly admiring Helena’s drawing.

"Uh, Selene?"

"Oh, right?" Selene only nodded, as if she only just registered her name being called."Selene?!"

"Oh, yeaaah I’m Selene! Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention." she replied reflexively.

Selene could only stare at the finished sketch. Her eyes widened slowly, her pupils trembling—as if she saw herself within it.

"...I have nothing to say," she said softly. "But this... you’ve managed to see it."

Helena exhaled. "It’s not me who’s seeing. It’s you who finally stopped hiding."

Clearing her throat, Selene then used Helena’s stunning illustration to analyze both images.

"So, as you can see, based on the basic theory of living anatomy covered in Life Studies, there’s something off about the depictions in the Mythology textbooks."

She pointed at the torso.

"For example, normally a creature’s body should be proportional to its limbs, but in the myths, the Monster Ox is drawn more like a building."

"And the Ox you’ve reconstructed still has a large body, but it’s not that exaggerated."

"Then there are details added purely to scare people—like fangs. It’s impossible for an Ox-like creature, akin to livestock, to have fangs. Horns, yes. But fangs and oversized eyes are clearly wrong."

Selene’s finger moved next to the hands and then the feet of the near-realistic Ox.

"The reason they could level cities wasn’t by devouring them, but because of their incredibly strong limbs. Many Aethelgarten residents in Ains Ein Doa told me as much. So the folklore is more or less a real account sensationalized to terrify people."

Helena, still piecing together Selene’s line of thought, asked,

"So what’s the big picture? What are you trying to prove?"

Selene thought for a moment, then said, "Hm... I don’t yet know the full scope of my thesis. But this helps prove the Ox’s existence historically. My thesis will estimate the damage it could cause based on its anatomy, and propose potential solutions."

Helena nodded slowly, still unsure of Selene’s true goal.

"So why research something as nebulous as the Ox? Why not focus on other potential monster specimens for Ancient Magic Studies?"

Selene sighed, then said, "Because this just happened not long ago."

Helena’s eyes widened as she finally grasped Selene’s unusual reasoning. "So... you want to leverage the current situation?"

"Yes, and also disprove the outdated mythological accounts. Force the International Magic Council to rewrite The History of the Mages of Olam to include the Monster Ox. This will pave the way for official recognition of other monster races—not just humans."

Helena was impressed by how rational Selene’s plan sounded. "Alright then. Seems you really know what you’re doing, huh?"

Selene simply nodded, smiling sweetly, Chthulhu the cat curled up and sleeping in her lap. "Of course. You’re my best discussion partner."

By the way, in their world the existence of monster races was long denied and even actively suppressed by governments under the International Magic Association’s directives. When Clarissa dared speak of monsters, widespread panic ensued.

Clarissa herself was forbidden from public speaking thereafter and vanished without a trace.

The official History of the Mages of Olam claims "ugly humans were neutralized into true humans"—vague wording that hid a far more significant truth.

"So that’s it? Anything else?"

Selene placed Chthulhu on the table, then gently grasped Helena’s shoulder.

"Come on, let’s sleep together like we did in the academy library."

Helena swallowed hard. After their deep dive into Life Studies—specifically vital organs—things had very nearly gone too far.

But it had been Helena who’d first suggested it, which seemed to encourage Selene. Selene had already loosened her uniform collar.

"We can study again... about life."

"Selene, but this is—"

"Hushhh, no excuses. Just enjoy it, like you do everything else to me, you pure human."

With that, Selene pushed Helena, slowly undid her uniform buttons, and let her hand glide up Helena’s smooth thigh—toward... between her legs.