Chapter 209. Elise (4)
"Haa..."
After Lee Hoyeon left, Moon Surin sighed in the empty student council room.
She had just learned that he was stressed out because of paparazzi.
To Lee Hoyeon, it had been a way to probe Moon Surin. But unaware of that, she took it seriously.
She herself had struggled with that once.
"I'm sorry, Hoyeon..."
To think that something she did out of affection was making things hard for him.
Moon Surin activated her smartwatch and started deleting photos.
News screenshots with Lee Hoyeon in them.
Paparazzi shots and stalker fan pictures.
She deleted all the ones she'd saved over time and even checked her voice recordings.
"...."
If she deleted those too, there would be nothing left on her smartwatch.
Every trace of Lee Hoyeon would be gone.
"His voice should be okay..."
Moon Surin couldn't bring herself to delete those. No—she didn't want to.
It already felt like she was drifting further from Lee Hoyeon, whom she could barely meet as it was.
"Yeah. Hoyeon doesn't know about this..."
If he didn't know, how could it stress him out?
This was innocent.
Moon Surin played one of his recordings.
- Surin noona. I love you.
Burying her guilt deep in her chest, she slowly closed her eyes.
*
"This is tough..."
My head hurt thinking about how to capture Moon Surin.
At first, she was progressing automatically, which was great... but now I knew how heroine capture actually worked.
When a heroine's affection hits 99, there has to be a specific action taken to reach 100.
Only then can you achieve a full capture.
So just having high affection wasn't enough.
It could even make finding the right action harder.
"Anyway, I need to meet Professor Im Sol too."
I scheduled a weekend meal with Moon Surin.
Having a long talk when there's time might be best.
"Welcome, Cadet Lee Hoyeon."
I stopped thinking about Moon Surin for now.
I'd arrived at the Magic Tower, where Im Sol was.
"Visiting Professor Im Sol's lab on the second floor."
I got permission from the receptionist and took the elevator up.
Her lab was as messy as ever.
Walking past scattered experiment remnants, I found Im Sol frowning at a magic circle.
'Everyone's always so busy.'
No matter when I come, they're always working.
"Professor. I'm here."
"Oh, perfect timing. I needed you."
Im Sol greeted me without looking away from the circle.
"What's that? A magic circle?"
"Yeah. I'm almost done with the research, but I don't know how to finish this part."
I peeked at the circle she was staring at.
"Hmm..."
"What is it?"
Her research focused on core formulas in magic.
Strengthening those formulas inside the circle to boost spell power.
It had other uses too, but that was the main point.
The one she was looking at now was what we called an "irregular magic circle."
Unlike standard circles where the formula follows a set pattern, irregular ones have randomized core formulas.
Very rare and complex... but she shouldn't be struggling this much.
'Ah... I get it.'
"Professor, you're thinking about how to explain this to others, right?"
"...How did you know?"
Im Sol blinked in surprise.
Honestly, it wasn't hard to guess.
With her, you just speak one level above what you think, and it's usually right.
Works like a charm.
"We just click, don't we? Whose student do you think I am? Let's grab coffee. Then I'll help you."
"...Hah, alright then."
She eased her frown and smiled faintly, taking a seat across from me.
"Yeah, this one definitely needs a different approach."
"Mhm. That's exactly what I was thinking."
We sipped coffee and discussed the circle.
Explaining our concepts clearly to others wasn't easy.
"How about explaining it through mana flow? A little of it channels into the core, right?"
"Most people can't feel that."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Only geniuses can."
"Like you, Professor?"
"You're the same, you know. Hehe."
Talking magic with Im Sol always felt smooth.
Just like how boring Academy classes felt.
Stuff I understood in five minutes would get explained over an hour—it was painful.
I also felt more comfortable talking with her.
We were both geniuses.
Mine was a bit of a cheat, sure, but undetected theft isn't really a crime, right?
Luckily, she seemed to enjoy it too.
Her face lit up.
"Maybe I should just tell them to memorize it."
"Honestly, that'd be easier. Calling it 'irregular' is the ultimate excuse."
Truth is, trying to find rules in irregularity is what's weird.
A normal mage would skip it. But Im Sol always strives for perfection.
'No wonder the research drags on.'
If she treated every circle like this, of course she'd be stuck.
"Look at this next."
She handed over another magic circle.
This one was for explosions.
The core circuit of an explosion spell is where the mana gathers at the end.
"Explosion, huh?"
"Yeah. But the core circuit's in a weird spot."
"Ah... you're right. But it might be because this one's purely pressure-triggered."
"Huh? You think so?"
"Yep. So in that case..."
We chatted nonstop, not even noticing the coffee getting cold.
After about an hour, we finished analyzing all the circles.
Im Sol crossed her legs with a content smile.
"You really speed things up. Come more often."
"I already visit a lot. Isn't this harsh on someone just discharged?"
"Sorry."
She said it with a smile.
The smile of someone doing what they truly love.
"Professor, did you know?"
"Know what?"
As she organized the notes, she glanced at me.
"You change expression when talking magic. Shows how much you love it."
"Hmm... yeah. Nothing shameful about loving magic, right?"
"I meant it as a compliment. You're proud of it."
"Sure. And it's because I talk with you."
"With me?"
"Yeah. You're the only one I can talk magic with for over an hour."
"Really?"
"Why do you think I have the whole second floor to myself? I can't talk with the others, so they gave me this space."
She said that while organizing her desk, a bit bitter.
"Makes sense..."
Out of the 17-floor tower, the whole second floor was hers.
Other floors had 3-4 professors each. That was a huge privilege.
It meant she was respected. But also, maybe... lonely.
No other mages at her level.
"Still, I'm glad I met you. Thanks to you, I wrote a high-level paper."
Flutter flutter—
She waved the paper we wrote together.
The content was done. Just needed to finalize it.
"I'm glad I met you too. I learned a lot."
Even just having a contact like her at the Academy helped a lot.
She had connections I didn't. Helped with rewards, public opinion, and more.
"Why so sentimental all of a sudden... Oh, right. I got tickets for the magic expo."
She pulled them from her pocket.
"Next week, huh?"
The expo ran all next week.
I just had to pick a day to go with her.
"Yeah. It's the earliest one."
"Got it. I'll clear my schedule."
We'd agreed to go if I aced midterms, and now it was set.
I checked my smartwatch.
7:30 PM.
I'd planned to meet Elise at her place... but after student council and Im Sol, it got late.
Sip—
I downed the rest of my coffee and got ready to leave.
"I should go. Got plans."
"Is it Ayoung?"
She looked up while tidying her desk.
Baek A-Young out of nowhere?
"No. Just a classmate."
"Ah... good. Have fun."
"Why do you ask?"
"No reason. Oh, that classmate—is she a girl?"
She's curious today.
Well, no need to lie.
Lying so much lately, I feel like a bad guy.
"Yeah. She is."
"...Come to think of it, I should reward you for helping today."
"Huh?"
"You helped with research. So let's do it again."
She'd stood from the couch and now walked toward me.
Then she made a circular motion with her hand, pumping up and down.
A very lewd gesture.
"Uh... I mean, sure. But wasn't the mood a bit... off today?"
We'd had such a great talk. Her affection seemed high too.
"Nope. I need to refill my sugar."
...Her expression is kinda scary.
'What's with her all of a sudden?'
★ Heroine Status Window
[Im Sol]
- [ Affection: 69 ]
- [ Lust: 65 ]
- [ Appetite: 35 ]
- [ Fatigue: 45 ]
Current Status: Once? No, twice...? Might get tired though.
Her affection did go up.
What does she want to drain my energy for...?
Is this sabotage?
Slide—swish—
While I checked the status window, she was already pulling down my pants.
"Professor. Wait a sec. I, uh... Okay."
Why do her eyes look scary...?
Her gaze was intense, so I quietly lowered my pants.
Kneeling in front of the couch, she positioned herself to take my dick into her mouth.
She placed her hand on my thigh, brushed my groin, and began sucking my already hard dick.
"Mmm. Slurp. Smack. Slurp."
I could feel her wet, soft mouth enveloping me.
It felt amazing.
"Professor... today you're— Ow, your teeth... it hurts."
"Mmgh. Mmph! Slurp."
"...Okay. I'll stay quiet."
For some reason, today's blowjob from Im Sol felt way more intense than usual.