Chapter 207. Elise (2)
"Phew..."
I'm so tired.
After finishing things with Nam Daeun last night, Liliana suddenly jumped me, and I had to deal with her.
Then Nam Dahee came back, and just when things seemed to settle down, she snuck into my bed at night.
In the end, I ended up fucking Liliana late into the night.
"Mmm..."
"Tsk."
I kneaded Liliana's ass as she squirmed next to me.
She's cute, so I'll let it slide.
I blocked the unpleasant morning sunlight shining onto the bed with the curtains and got up.
Today is Friday.
Time to return to the Academy.
It's annoying, but I have to do what needs to be done.
When I came out to the living room, someone was already up.
"You're awake."
"Yeah. You too?"
I don't know when she got up, but Nam Daeun was already in her cadet uniform, sitting at the table.
"Were you waiting to go together?"
"That's part of it. I can't go out alone."
"Huh? Ah, Scarlett's not here."
I didn't get it at first, but I soon understood.
Scarlett must have taken her before. This is the boys' dorm, after all.
While Nam Daeun took care of Nam Dahee, I immediately started washing up.
"Yawn, are we going out with oppa today?"
Nam Dahee yawned and began getting ready with Nam Daeun.
"Yeah. I think so."
Grimacing with sleepiness, Nam Dahee put on the clothes Nam Daeun prepared and followed behind me.
"Unnie, is it okay to go out through the door?"
"It should be fine."
"...Don't tell me you've been sneaking out through the window this whole time?"
"Yep!"
"...."
What's with Scarlett and her obsession with windows?
Once we left the dorms, Nam Daeun parted ways to take Nam Dahee to the affiliated school.
"See you at the Academy."
"Okay."
"Bye bye, oppa!"
"Bye bye."
After sending the sisters off, I walked toward the Academy.
I dispelled the rune barrier since there was no need to maintain it anymore.
At the same time, people's gazes started gathering on me.
'What, never seen a celebrity before?'
I'm not even joking. Everyone passing by kept glancing at me like I was some famous star.
But a bit of attention is necessary.
Studies say famous guys have an easier time attracting women, so the more fame the better.
I can't keep the rune barrier up forever anyway.
"Lee Hoyeon~"
At that moment, someone approached from behind.
I turned to the familiar cute voice and saw Lucy running toward me, followed by Lumi.
"Lee Hoyeon! Let's go together~"
"Hello, Hoyeon."
Seeing the twins made me smile.
"It's been a while since we saw each other at the Academy."
"Yeah, really."
It had been so long since we went to school together like this.
Walking together after so long felt kind of nice.
Lucy and Lumi walked on either side of me.
"Are you okay? Can you walk?"
"Of course I'm fine."
"Can you use magic too?"
"Yeah. Actually, I might be even better now."
While chatting, I noticed the awkward way Lucy and Lumi were holding their arms.
They used to keep a bit of distance from me, but now they were sticking close. They kept raising and lowering their arms like they wanted to do something but felt unsure.
I checked the status window.
★ Heroine Status Window
[Lumi]
- [ Affection: 99 ] (+0.5)
- [ Lust: 85 ]
- [ Appetite: 25 ]
- [ Fatigue: 30 ]
Current Status: Should I link arms...? No, maybe not....
★ Heroine Status Window
[Lucy]
- [ Affection: 99 ] (+0.1)
- [ Lust: 85 ]
- [ Appetite: 35 ]
- [ Fatigue: 35 ]
Current Status: Should I at least hold his hand? No... it's not time yet... but we've done everything else, so why not just hold hands...?
'They're hesitating.'
Whether it's holding hands or linking arms, they clearly want to show we're dating.
Well, we *are* dating now.
Cute.
Honestly, it's a bit awkward with all these people around, but... I guess we can just say it was a friendly gesture later.
Watching the two of them struggle, I spoke up.
"Wanna link arms?"
"H-huh?"
"U-uh..."
Like true twins, Lucy and Lumi reacted exactly the same—flustered.
"You kept twitching your arms. Weren't you trying to do it?"
"...Lumi, do you want to?"
"I-I can't... there's so many people."
"...Then I won't either."
Lumi avoided my gaze with flushed cheeks while stealing glances, and Lucy quickened her pace to walk ahead.
Yep, they freeze up when you set the stage.
I knew it.
I closed my slightly opened arm again.
*
"Now, let's think about how to calculate the next part. First, we need to grasp the mana sensitivity."
"Hmm..."
It had been a while since my last theory class, but the task was the same.
I pretended to take notes while thinking about what I needed to do next.
Now that I was back at the Academy, it was time to start capturing heroines again.
'Lucy and Lumi are pretty much done.'
Both had affection at 99.
I just needed one big event, and... I could kind of guess what it was.
Since we're dating as a trio, it's something that has to happen eventually.
'Next is Elise and Surin noona. And Professor Im Sol.'
Elise was almost ready, since the massage was about to start.
The problem was Surin noona and Professor Im Sol.
'The key to conquering Moon Surin was the stalker incident, but that got erased.'
Originally, Vice President Shin Dongmin was supposed to become her stalker, mentally cornering her so I could save her. But he blew up beforehand.
There was even an article saying he went missing recently.
No idea if he's dead or just ran away.
'If he were alive, there'd be a sign by now.'
Professor Im Sol isn't technically a heroine, but her score is heroine-tier high.
I absolutely have to conquer her.
But our relationship has gotten a bit businesslike.
I mean, we even did a blowjob, so if we cross just one more line, things will escalate fast. But it's hard to cross that line.
There's the thick line of professor and student.
Besides, there's still a lot left to do with Im Sol.
Like the magic fair, and she said the paper was almost finished.
The real problem is Moon Surin....
'I should visit her today.'
Of course, that includes the other heroines too.
Next is thinking about my combat power.
Combat power.
It can't be defined by exact numbers, but I'd say my raw combat power is about S-rank Hunter level.
For reference, in the mid-to-late part of the original story, the protagonist was around S-rank Hunter level.
Sure, there was power creep toward the end with stronger enemies, but for now, I don't have to worry about threats.
Thinking about my combat power reminded me of another issue.
'Status window.'
??? : ???
At some point, I stopped being able to open my own status window.
It just shows a weird ??? marker.
Of course, it's not more important than the heroine status window, so it's not a big deal, but it's annoying not being able to check my own stats.
I can't even see my mana stat accurately.
"Ah... whatever."
Who cares about stats. Women matter more.
What's the point in staring at that ??? label?
Ever since I fell into this world, nothing has made sense.
It's better to just move past small mysteries that won't get solved.
As class ended, I started thinking about what to talk about with Lucy and Lumi next.
*
Scribble scribble—
Elise was taking notes in the class on calculating dungeon mana density.
Even though she had reviewed it in advance, the classes at Victoria Academy were still hard to keep up with.
To maintain her grades at the world's top academy, she had to focus on her studies.
That was common sense.
'But why is he like that...'
Watching the top student spin his pen with a bored look and not pay attention was absurd.
Lee Hoyeon.
He does this in every theory class but still holds a perfect score in every subject.
"..."
Well, it happens.
The reason Elise studied wasn't anything special.
Her own satisfaction.
The expectations sent from her homeland to Elise, heir of the Iris Guild.
And the recognition she wanted from her sister.
But more important than any of those was curing her congenital mana disorder.
Without that, she wouldn't have lost her self-esteem or developed that obsession.
In the past, she would've been furious if someone took first place, but she's let go of that pressure now.
Because she found a treatment for her congenital mana disorder.
The problem is, it's that top student.
"Alright, that's it for today's class."
As the old professor with graying hair left the lecture hall, Elise also put down her pen.
It was almost lunchtime, so she had to go eat.
As she thought of Sebas-chan waiting outside and tried to get up, she overheard some cadets chatting nearby.
- Lee Hoyeon looks even more handsome now that it's been a while.
- No matter how much I see him, I never get used to it.
- But was he always this close with the twins?
- Weren't the three of them always known for sticking together?
- Really...? Still, they seem way too close now.
- Yeah. It seems like they're a lot more intimate now.
The name Lee Hoyeon kept catching her ears.
Elise glanced toward his seat.
Lee Hoyeon was chatting with Lucy and Lumi.
"Lee Hoyeon. What are you doing after class?"
"Hmm, I need to see the professor. And I should probably swing by the student council too."
"Aha... that's a relief. We have stuff to do too, right Lumi?"
"...Yeah. That's good."
"What? You're planning something weird without me, huh."
They definitely seemed closer now.
Not in a physical sense, but...
The vibe between them had changed.
She knew he had sex with Lumi, but in public they had just been friends, not this close.
Had something changed in their hearts?
"..."
Lumi's face in that secret video now seemed to overlap with the one in the lecture hall.
A face that should only be seen in private.
Seeing that in class made her feel like something forbidden was being revealed.
"I'm going to the bathroom for a bit."
Lee Hoyeon left.
Watching his back, Elise slowly stood up.
'This is my chance.'
She needed to tell Lee Hoyeon to come over.
She could've contacted him through her smartwatch, but after seeing him chat with Lucy and Lumi, she wanted to say it directly.
As she exited the classroom, she spotted Lee Hoyeon's back and quickly approached him.
Since no one was around, Elise immediately spoke.
"Lee Hoyeon."
"Yeah?"
Seeing his face up close after so long felt strange.
"...Come to my house today."
"Today?"
"Yeah."
Seeing Lee Hoyeon a bit flustered made Elise feel relieved.
No matter how many women he had, he couldn't ignore her words.
That was what mattered.
'A relationship led by me.'
'He can cheat, as long as he has one official partner.'
That mindset had been ingrained in Elise since childhood.
Because her mother, who let her playboy father do whatever he wanted, always said—
- The only one in his heart is me anyway, so I should let him enjoy some fresh air.
Raised by a ridiculously tolerant mother, Elise had developed this mindset.
So she didn't acknowledge her own feelings of affection.
It felt like admitting defeat.
The swarm of bees drawn to the flower named Lee Hoyeon.
She felt like just another bee among the crowd.
"Hmm. Got it. I'll come today."
"I'll be waiting."
Having said her piece, Elise turned back to the lecture hall.
Feeling like she was taking the lead in their relationship,
Elise allowed herself a small smile, satisfied with how things were going.