Chapter 133. Festival (4)
"Ugh, I can't get this! Dammit!"
"Calm down, Lucy...!"
Lucy was throwing a fit in front of the claw machine.
She'd fallen right into the gaming club's money-grab trap.
One of the popular Mafia game characters slipped from the claw's grip again, mocking her.
"Alright, it's you or me—let's see who wins!"
Lucy shoved more money into the machine.
"Hey, don't you think you've spent enough already?"
She'd used up more than enough money to just buy the doll online.
Is this why gambling's so addictive?
"I'm not stopping until I get it. It's about pride now!"
"Then I'm gonna step out for some fresh air. Lucy."
"Mm. I'll be done soon, Lumi."
Lucy had her face practically pressed to the machine, locked in a staring contest with the doll.
"Hmm..."
Lumi, claiming she'd get some air, instead headed for the restroom.
'What should I do?'
I'd been watching this claw machine drama for an hour now, and I was honestly bored.
Sure, seeing her obsess over a silly doll was cute... but an hour was a bit much.
Ding—
My smartwatch buzzed.
A message from Lumi.
- Lumi: Hoyeon, please come to the restroom.
"..."
Yeah, I know what this is.
Looks like it's time for some secret friend activity.
No way she called me out just to talk shit about Lucy being glued to a claw machine.
I glanced at Lucy—she was still battling the machine.
Didn't even notice my smartwatch go off.
"I'll be back. Gonna hit the restroom."
"'Kay, 'kay."
Clink clink clink.
Leaving Lucy to her machine, I headed for the restroom.
At the entrance, Lumi was pressed against the wall, waiting for me.
"Hoyeon..."
"Lumi. What's up?"
I asked, just to keep up appearances.
"Well... since we're secret friends..."
"...I'm down, but Lucy's right over there. You sure about this?"
Lately, Lucy's been kinda suspicious, so I was a bit nervous.
"It's fine. When she's focused like that, she won't notice anything for at least 30 minutes."
"...Really?"
She was the expert on Lucy, so she was probably right.
Letting go of my worries, I followed Lumi into the restroom.
For an outdoor booth setup, the facilities were surprisingly clean—nothing gross about it.
"It's been a while since our last secret friend moment."
"Yeah... I missed it during the survival exam."
"..."
Lumi was already licking her lips, eyes locked on my pants.
'Fine. Do whatever you want.'
She didn't used to be like this... how did we get here?
I pulled down my pants and took out my dick.
Oblivious as ever, it was already standing tall.
"Mmph... Hoyeon... slurp."
Deep inside the quiet restroom, Lumi's wet mouth wrapped eagerly around my cock.
*
"Finally got it...!"
After a 30-minute battle, Lucy finally snatched the doll and hugged it.
She'd spent enough to buy four or five of them, but had no regrets.
"Huh? Where'd everyone go?"
She looked around for the first time.
It had been a while since they said they were going to the restroom, but neither had returned.
"Lucy. You got it, huh?"
"Oh? Yeah."
Hoyeon showed up behind her, slightly out of breath.
"Where'd you go?"
"Just to the restroom."
"Do you know where Lumi is? She left before you did."
"She said she was stepping out for fresh air. I dunno."
"..."
Lucy knew exactly what that phrase meant—Lumi's way of saying she was headed to the bathroom.
Both of them had gone around the same time, yet claimed not to have seen each other.
"Well... alright. She'll be back soon."
About five minutes later, Lumi returned from the restroom.
It wasn't exactly suspicious timing, but Lucy couldn't ignore the cheerful smile on her face.
Something off pierced Lucy's chest, and she instinctively clutched the cute Mafia doll to her heart.
*
After parting with the twins, I headed back to the dorm.
It felt like my body didn't belong to me anymore.
Sex was great, but this was starting to feel excessive.
"This isn't good. I need to take control of my life if I want to succeed."
I had to draw the line. If I kept giving in to everyone, things would spiral.
I'd end up living a life of nonstop sex day in and day out.
'...Not the worst future, honestly.'
Though, I'd probably die of exhaustion after a month.
Ding—
I opened the dorm door and was greeted by Liliana's streamer voice for the first time in a while.
"Ugh, this is total BS. What? 'Aren't you going out for the festival?' I don't have any friends, okay? I'm a real loser IRL—I can't even make eye contact."
Yep. Liliana knew how to make money.
She really knew how to pander to her viewers.
When a bombshell like her claims she's a loner, it hits people with this sense of solidarity—like, 'She's just like me!'
Watching her hustle reminded me of our contract.
I opened the drawer and took out the contract I'd carefully stored away.
"You've got to be kidding me. What kind of hell-level clause is this."
[Clause 5. The summoned must never exert power greater than the contractor's, for the sake of the contractor's protection.]
I get that this is a world where scam contracts are normal, but come on. If she can't even obey what's clearly written, what's the point?
fff
Still, getting mad at the contract wasn't going to change anything. I got screwed once, so I definitely wasn't signing anything hellish again. Tsk.
I put the contract back into the drawer and sent a message to Im Sol.
- Me: Professor Im Sol, what time should I stop by tomorrow?
- Im Sol: Come at noon. I have plans in the afternoon.
"Whoa... even loner Im Sol has plans? That's rare."
Outside of magic, she didn't care about much. What got into her?
"Why do you always mutter such weird stuff?"
Liliana had finished her stream and came over.
"Nice work on the stream, Liliana."
"Yeah. I know."
She guzzled a drink from the fridge and walked over to me.
"What should we have for dinner?"
"Why do you even ask? You always end up choosing pizza or chicken."
No matter what I say, it's always one of those.
Damn grease-loving succubus.
"Hehe. I already ordered."
She said that and pressed herself against me.
She was still in her succubus cosplay outfit from the stream, pushing her full chest against me like she was 100% ready to go.
I gently nudged her away by the waist.
"Liliana, I'm just too tired today. Let's rest."
"Liar. This says otherwise."
"..."
Her hand was already stroking my crotch.
Honestly, my dick had gotten hard the moment I saw her body.
What kind of ridiculous body do I have? No matter how much I use it, it never settles down.
Is this what it's like being the protagonist of an eroge?
"The food will be here in 30 minutes... let's finish before then. Okay, Master~?"
"...Alright. Let's do it. I'll survive... probably."
I had just decided to take control of my life, but life doesn't make that easy.
"Kyaa~! Aahng, huuuh!"
If you can't avoid it, enjoy it.
For a happier life, I pulled Liliana into my arms and threw myself onto the bed.
*
"How about this, then?!"
"Hmm, not sure."
"Tch... then how about this one?!"
Elise was lying topless on a massage bed, getting a massage.
Squeeze. Squeeze.
"It is refreshing."
"Right? Mana massages are supposed to loosen tense muscles using mana. Someone like me with ten years in the business? Different level."
Squeeze, squeeze.
The masseuse, excited by Elise's compliment, eagerly worked on her back.
If she landed this client, she wouldn't have to worry about money again.
The payment offered was astronomical.
But Elise looked unimpressed.
'Same as always.'
Elise had recruited masseuses from around the world in search of the perfect mana massage.
But every massage so far had felt the same.
No pleasant pain from expanding mana circuits.
Her body didn't feel warm.
'It wasn't like this when Lee Hoyeon did it.'
Thump.
Blood rushed to her lower half, and her panties grew slightly damp.
She was remembering Hoyeon's massage.
The warmth that spread through her whole body... and especially the pleasant thrum in her lower abdomen.
Gulp.
Elise carefully swallowed and tried to focus on the massage.
Maybe the issue was her concentration?
"Thanks for your time. Sebastian will be in touch."
Even after giving it her full focus until the end, nothing changed.
"Thank you! See you next time!"
"Take care."
Watching the woman leave, Elise turned to Sebastian, who had been waiting quietly.
"Hmm... Sebastian. Let's try someone else."
"Understood, milady."
As Sebastian began fiddling with his smartwatch, Elise stretched.
"It was refreshing, but... a bit lacking."
"A male masseuse is out of the question, right?"
"Yeah. That'd be awkward. My father would lose it if he found out."
And if she was going to let a man touch her, there was no reason to go through all this trouble.
She could just get it from the already-verified Lee Hoyeon.
She was looking for a female masseuse because she didn't want random male hands on her.
"Oh, right. How's the investigation on Lee Hoyeon going?"
Elise had been thinking about him constantly but acted like it just popped into her head.
"Ah, I was just about to report. Hey, come in!"
Clunk—
The door opened, and a woman walked in.
A striking blonde with a confident air stood before Elise.
"Been a while, milady."
"...Scarlett?"
A key officer from their home country had appeared in Korea.
Elise widened her eyes at the sudden appearance of someone she hadn't seen since childhood.
"We brought in the Iris Guild's top specialist in stealth."
"You didn't have to go this far."
Scarlett was a big deal in the Iris Guild. Elise had already felt guilty about borrowing Sebastian, but Scarlett too?
"Lee Hoyeon's defenses are tougher than expected. And recording video is even harder than simple observation. We wanted to be thorough."
'...Is his barrier really that hard to crack?'
Elise felt a bit doubtful, but pushed the thought aside.
Sebastian wouldn't mess this up.
"So... Scarlett's in charge of watching Hoyeon?"
"Yes. He's just a student, so this'll be easy. Leave it to me."
Scarlett twirled her hair as she spoke.
"Scarlett. Be careful. Don't underestimate him just because he's a student."
"Don't worry. I'm Scarlett."
"...At least watch the duel video from the festival. Scarlett."
"Yes, yes. I got it, milady."
Elise couldn't help feeling uneasy at her confident face.
Everyone who had ever taken on Lee Hoyeon... had looked just like that.