CHAPTER 105: I’M NOT A LITTLE BOY ANYMORE

Yelena’s breath hitched as her fingertips started to brush over the ridges of his chest, touch frantic as though she were determined to scrape away some illusion.

Yet the hardness beneath her palms remained stubbornly real, his muscles flexing against her probing.

"No...no, this can’t be true." Her eyes narrowed, lips parted in disbelief as she whispered. "This has to be some kind of spell. Some trick."

"The Mika I remember wasn’t like this. He was thin, fragile, so scrawny I was afraid he’d blow away with the wind."

Her voice trembled as she ran both hands across his torso, pressing into every line, every ridge, only to find not even a hint of softness. Every poke, every press met nothing but iron hardness.

"Keep searching all you want, Yelena. You won’t find what you’re looking for." Mika leaned back with that insufferable smirk of his. "This is me, top to bottom. No illusions, no tricks. Just pure me. A work of art, if I do say so myself."

His tone was haughty, teasing, dripping with pride and in response, Yelena’s outrage flared hotter at his arrogance.

"No! That can’t be true!" She shoved at his chest with both palms, glaring furiously. "The Mika I remember was a little brat. Scrawny. Weak."

"I mean, I stuffed you with food every chance I got just to put some flesh on your bones. You were so thin I worried you’d collapse if I wasn’t watching! And now—"

She jabbed a finger hard into his chest, her voice rising.

"...now I don’t even recognize you! These...these muscles, these abs, this whole body, where in the world did this even come from?!"

Mika only tilted his head, utterly amused at her disbelief.

"Where else? I grew up, Yelena. That’s all. I’m not that fragile little boy anymore. I matured. Just like any man does." He let the words linger, savoring the frustration tightening her jaw as her eyes raked over him in reluctant awe.

Yelena couldn’t deny it, no matter how much her pride screamed otherwise. He wasn’t the boy she once knew. He was a man now, through and through.

The realization rattled her, her chest tightening with something she couldn’t put into words. But Mika, never one to leave her in peace, leaned closer, his grin widening.

"So tell me...do you still think I’m a pig? Or maybe another animal suits me better now? What will you call me, Yelena?"

She clenched her teeth, refusing to let him have the final victory. With a forced smile stretching across her lips, she hissed.

"No, Mika. You’re still a pig. Don’t think you’ve won. Just because you’ve got this...this ridiculous body up here doesn’t mean it’s the same everywhere."

She then gestured vaguely downwards, her smirk curling evily.

"What I’m saying is, I bet your little butt is still as chubby as it always was. That much, I know for sure."

Mika froze. "What...What are you saying?"

But Yelena was already smirking wider, her eyes glinting with mischief as both of her hands shot down to his backside. He yelped as she shoved him deeper into the sofa cushions, her fingers creeping with intent.

"I’m saying I’m going to prove it. Prove that you have a plump behind like you did in the past...Just like you squeezed me, I’ll squeeze you. Let’s see if you’re really as perfect as you claim."

"W-Wait! What are you doing?! Stop! Stop that!"

Mika twisted, trying to wriggle away, but Yelena was relentless, her laugh low and triumphant.

"Oh, come on, Mika. Don’t tell me you’re shy now? Let me squeeze those buns. You know, I’ve even heard whispers about you still having a nice butt from Charlotte...so let’s see how much fat is hiding there. Let me prove you’re a pig too."

He squirmed under her grip, his protests breaking into nervous laughter. "No! Yelena, stop! That tickles! Seriously—!"

But she ignored him, pressing harder, pushing her hands deeper to get a proper grip. He writhed helplessly, his face flushed red as he tried to shove her wrists away.

Then, just as Mika thought he couldn’t bear the ticklish torment anymore, Yelena suddenly froze. Her movements stilled, her expression shifting as her brows furrowed.

"Wait..." She murmured, her tone oddly curious. "What’s this?"

She squeezed again, slower this time, her fingers closing around something hard. Something definitely not flesh. Her eyes narrowed in puzzlement.

"There’s something here...something really hard."

Mika’s entire body went rigid in panic. His mind raced, heat rushing to his face as the first thought struck him, had she somehow found that?

His cock was half-hard from all the teasing, and for a terrifying moment, he thought she’d discovered it.

His breath caught, his hands flying down to block her, but then he realized, no...

...No, it couldn’t be that. Her hands were at his back pocket, not the front. Relief mixed with confusion.

Before he could react, Yelena’s hands slipped out from behind him, and when she opened her palm, something glittered there.

A piece of jewelry, ornate, polished, shimmering faintly even in the dim light. The one Mika had gotten from Nina’s village as compensation, the one he’d completely forgotten to stash away.

Yelena stared down at it with wide eyes, her expression softening instantly as the fire in her face gave way to awe. The earlier fury evaporated as she turned the jewel in her fingers, her lips parting.

"It’s...beautiful..." She whispered, her voice hushed, almost reverent, as though she’d just uncovered a priceless treasure.

Mika exhaled, relief washing through him. Thank God, it was just the jewelry she was fixated on, not anything else he didn’t want her touching.

And realising this, he leaned back against the sofa, trying not to show how rattled he’d been for those few seconds, watching as Yelena lifted the piece higher, letting the faint light from the crystals dance across her face.

"Mika..." She said suddenly, her tone bubbling with excitement, her eyes sparkling like a child’s. "What is this? Where did you get it? It’s so beautiful...so intricate. I’ve never seen a design like this before!"

She brushed her thumb along the metal, tracing the delicate engravings as though they were the veins of a leaf.

"It looks like something a dancer would wear. It’s elegant...enchanting."

Before he could respond, she tilted her head and added in a hushed breath.

"And these crystals...the way they’re cut...you can see how much effort and love went into crafting this. Whoever made it must have spent quite a while." Her voice softened further, almost reverent. "It’s utterly gorgeous."

Then, unable to resist, she let a pulse of her mana flow into it. Immediately, the tiny crystals dangling from the band shimmered to life, twinkling faintly like stars scattered across a velvet sky.

Yelena gasped, her mouth parting as her eyes widened. "Wow...it’s so pretty..." She held it closer, watching the lights ripple. "They aren’t even glowing that brightly, and yet...it feels like a light you could see from a thousand miles away."

She turned her face toward him, beaming.

"Where did you get this, Mika? Was it at an auction? A jeweler? Or is it from the shop you visited today?"

"It’s not like that. Really, Yelena, it’s nothing special." He rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. "Just a little trinket I picked up from some ruins I passed through. A low-level artifact, nothing more. I even forgot I had it in my pocket until now."

The truth, of course, was far from simple. The piece wasn’t forged by mortal hands at all but likely born of mana itself, ancient and powerful, a relic of primordial times.

But Mika wasn’t about to dump that on her right now, he knew Yelena, and the more fascinating he made it sound, the more questions she’d hurl at him until he regretted saying anything at all.

So he shrugged, playing it off, "Just a necklace. Nothing worth fussing over."

But Yelena wasn’t fooled. She shook her head sharply.

"No, Mika. This isn’t even a necklace in the first place."

She then adjusted it, wrapping the piece snugly around her waist, and smiled with pride as the twinkling crystals fell gracefully over her hip.

"It’s a belly chain. See? Like this." She moved back a little, showing him how it fit perfectly.

Mika raised a brow. "Oh. I see."

"Mm. Exactly. It’s not to be wrapped around the neck, it’s meant to be worn this way."

But he only waved his hand dismissively. "Doesn’t matter. It’s still useless. Low-level junk. I’ll just stash it somewhere later."

He reached out, intending to take it back, but to his surprise, Yelena twisted her body away, clutching the belly chain protectively to her chest as if he were about to steal her most precious possession.

Her eyes narrowed in defiance as she said, "No. I don’t want to give it back."

"What?" He blinked.

"I like it." She said firmly, her voice carrying a rare, stubborn edge. She pressed it against her, her posture almost childlike in its possessiveness. "I like it a lot. So I’m keeping it."

"Yelena..." Mika pinched the bridge of his nose. "Come on. It’s nothing. Just a trinket. You could buy a hundred prettier artifacts tomorrow if you wanted. Hell, people would line up to hand them to you for free."

He reached for it again. But she jerked away again, her tone adamant.

"No, Mika!" Her eyes glistened as she shook her head, clutching the artifact even tighter. "You don’t understand. I...I don’t why but I feel something from it. A connection."

She pressed her palm against the glowing crystals, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"Like it’s calling to me. Like it belongs to me."

Her conviction was unshakable and Mika stared at her, as he knew exactly why she felt that way, it wasn’t coincidence.

The artifact was resonating with her, its mana harmonizing with her own blessing.

Artifacts weren’t just tools; sometimes they chose their wielders. Compatibility mattered, and here it was undeniable: Yelena and the artifact were responding to one another, like two threads weaving together. Especially since she was so powerful, so if was only natural that a equally high-level artifact would want to be worn by her.

But he was still worried that the artifact would be affected by the Will of the World and he didn’t really want to hand it over.

And though Mika could have pried it away, forced her to drop it, he didn’t...He hesitated.

Because seeing her clutch it so protectively, seeing her eyes sparkle with that mix of pride and wonder, an idea crept into his mind.

He could use this. Twist it to his advantage. Use her desire for this artifact to shift the way she looked at him, not as the brat she had raised, but as a man.

A man who could make her want, and make her need.

So, slowly, a smile spread across his lips, sly and mischievous and Yelena noticed immediately, frowning suspiciously.

"Why are you smiling like that...?" She asked, hugging the belly chain tighter, protective as if shielding it from him.

Mika only leaned back, his eyes glinting with mischief. "No reason. No reason at all..."