Chapter 52: The Top Magic Student Gets Teased Too

Sharin Sazaris.

When I ran into her in the hallway, I froze on the spot.

“What are you doing here?”

Sharin’s eyes narrowed.

Over time, Sharin and I had built a precarious relationship that could barely be called a friendship.

But even so…

A male friend sneaking into a women’s dorm dressed as a woman?

That was obviously not something anyone could accept gracefully.

As a result, I was at a loss for words.

No matter what I said here, it would only sound like an excuse to Sharin.

At this moment, the only person who could save me was Iris.

Maybe because I stayed silent, Sharin stared at me quietly before letting out a small sigh.

“What is it this time?”

She asked in a lazy tone.

Her words made me blink.

Here I was, cross-dressing and infiltrating the women’s dorm, and instead of berating me, she was asking about my situation first.

“…Sharin, are you an angel?”

“You’re just realizing that now?”

Sharin puffed up slightly, wearing a smug expression.

She was more merciful than I had anticipated.

“Seriously, even if that’s not the case—”

“Oh, there he goes hiding something again!”

At that moment, other girls’ voices echoed down the hallway.

Hearing them, Sharin walked over to me.

“I’ll hear the rest inside.”

No point in letting others see us talking.

Sharin entered Hania and Iris’s room, slipping off her shoes.

She plopped down barefoot on a chair.

Why does this girl never wear socks?

Even though this isn’t her room, she acts completely at ease.

“So, why are you dressed like that?”

Now that I’d been caught, there was no point in hiding anything.

I sat across from Sharin and explained the general situation.

“It’s to protect Lady Iris.”

Of course, I glossed over the Nikita incident.

Sharin didn’t press me for details either.

She understood that what I left unsaid was something I couldn’t explain.

From the start, Sharin had always thought I was suspicious.

So there was nothing surprising about this to her.

“Is that why you didn’t put me on your team?”

For this summer’s Demonic Palace event.

Because of the incident I caused in magic department before, the magic department students refused to join our team as rear support.

So Sharin had volunteered to join our team.

But this time, I refused.

Since I wasn’t going to be present in person, I didn’t want unnecessary attention drawn to Sharin, which might blow my cover.

I had hinted to the current team members that I wouldn’t really be ‘me’ this time, but I hadn’t gotten around to explaining this to Sharin, who wasn’t on the team.

“Do the team members know?”

“I didn’t explain in detail, but they know it’s not really me. They’re the type to understand and roll with it.”

Though Seron kept pestering me for answers, which was a bit annoying.

I resolved it by giving her a few snacks.

“So, you told them but kept it a secret from me?”

For some reason, her tone was sharp.

“…Sharin, are you upset?”

I asked cautiously, but Sharin smiled her usual smile.

“No.”

She’s definitely upset.

“Sorry, it’s just… considering how I look right now, I couldn’t exactly go around telling everyone.”

Sharin stared at me in silence. Her gaze was incredibly uncomfortable.

“I just thought it’d be a little amusing to see Hanon in a skirt, that’s all.”

She smirked mischievously, her voice dripping with mockery.

It seemed like something she’d tease me about forever. What a twisted sense of humor.

“But why Hania?”

Sharin appeared to have something on her mind.

“Why? Is there something going on with Hania?”

“Mm, well… should I say there is? Or isn’t?”

I wasn’t sure what she was getting at, but it gave me an ominous feeling.

“I have to stay like this until tomorrow, so tell me clearly.”

Sharin seemed to have made up her mind and whispered to me:

“Hania recently got a stalker.”

What?

* * *

A stalker.

A crime where someone follows another without valid reason, creating fear and anxiety.

Naturally, it’s extremely unpleasant for the victim.

And apparently, Hania was being stalked.

“…Who’s reckless enough to do that?”

As I’ve mentioned, Hania is the runner-up in the martial arts department.

On top of that, she’s the daughter of the Knight Commander.

She’s in a position where she could easily ruin someone’s life if she wanted to.

“Not everything in the world can be solved with brute force, you know.”

“Even so, I don’t think Hania’s the type to sit quietly if she’s being stalked.”

As we’d seen earlier, Hania wouldn’t just let something like stalking slide.

If she wanted to put an end to it, she would’ve done so already.

“I don’t know the details. I just overheard Isabel talking about it.”

Fair enough. Sharin doesn’t have many close friends.

She wouldn’t have heard it directly from Hania.

It must’ve come from Isabel.

I figured Hania would handle it herself, but…

“The problem is, right now, I’m Hania.”

So for the next two days, I’d be the one being stalked.

“That’s why I told you.”

“Do you think it’ll be an issue?”

I had already finished my academy classes for the day and planned to stay in the room.

Tomorrow, I’d be in the Demonic Palace all day.

Once that was over, I’d return to my original appearance.

The stalker wouldn’t even have the chance to follow me.

“You never know?”

Sharin had only mentioned it just in case, and she didn’t seem overly concerned.

After all, I wasn’t the actual stalking target.

There wasn’t much reason to worry.

“I just hope nothing stirs up any trouble.”

One thing that bothered me was why Hania hadn’t resolved the stalker issue earlier.

‘Does she have some reason for this?’

I mulled over the Blazing Butterfly storyline.

Hania was a supporting character who often stayed by Iris’s side.

Her martial arts skills were impressive, and her overall stats were well-balanced.

But with Lucas rising rapidly in rank, her role ended up being to lose her runner-up position.

‘Her looks and devotion to Iris made her quite popular.’

But like most supporting characters, the information about Hania was limited.

On top of that, in the later stages, she was injured while staying near Iris, becoming unusable as a character and having minimal impact.

‘Nothing concrete comes to mind.’

I couldn’t figure it out.

Creak—

At that moment, the door opened.

“Hoo…”

Iris returned from her bath.

Her damp hair clung to her as she dried it with a towel.

She glanced up, sensing someone else’s presence besides mine.

Iris’s eyes met Sharin’s.

She tilted her head slowly, then turned to me.

“This may be the room we share, but try not to bring your girlfriend here.”

Girlfriend?

“This is a misunderstanding. I brought her here to explain the situation after she discovered my identity.”

I quickly clarified before things could get awkward.

Sharin, however, gasped dramatically, covering her mouth.

“How could you? I thought Hanon and I were truly dating.”

Could you at least change your expression before saying that?

“Take responsibility properly,”

Iris chimed in, playing along with Sharin.

Sandwiched between the two, I quietly swallowed my frustration.

Getting teased by the top students of the martial arts and magic departments.

Someday, I’ll make sure to get back at them.

Growl—

Just then, my stomach grumbled loudly.

The hunger I’d forgotten about while meeting Sharin came rushing back.

“Hania doesn’t make noises like that,”

Iris quipped, pointing out my stomach’s betrayal.

I can’t exactly control that, though.

* * *

After enduring Sharin and Iris’s teasing over a late dinner, the next day arrived.

Stretching with all my might, I got up with renewed energy.

‘I feel so tired.’

Was it because I wasn’t sleeping in my usual place?

I must’ve been a little tense while sleeping.

‘I wonder if everything’s fine on that end.’

I had briefed my roommate, Card, about Hania.

‘Card isn’t the type to cross boundaries.’

He wouldn’t foolishly mess with the Knight Commander’s daughter and cause problems.

“Mmng…”

At that moment, I noticed Iris stirring in her bed.

She stayed cocooned under her blanket, showing no intention of coming out.

Instead, only a strand of long black hair peeked out from the blanket.

Iris hadn’t been able to sleep until late last night.

She had sat by the window, lost in thought well into the night.

As someone who struggles with insomnia, she couldn’t fall asleep easily.

Because of this, mornings were especially difficult for her.

Sometimes, she’d stay awake all night with her eyes wide open, while other times, she’d fall asleep so late that she could barely wake up in the morning.

Hania was the one usually responsible for waking her.

On Iris’s desk, I noticed the honey tea I had once recommended to her.

The scented Suryocho candle, known for promoting sleep, had burned out, leaving behind a pleasant fragrance.

It seemed like she had been trying all sorts of things to follow my advice and get some rest.

“Iris, it’s morning.”

Today, I was Hania.

So, to fulfill my role, I approached Iris’s bed and called her.

However, Iris showed no signs of getting up.

I knew how painful her insomnia was, at least indirectly.

If it were up to me, I’d let her sleep a little longer.

But today was the day of the Summer Demonic Palace event.

Letting her sleep any longer wasn’t an option.

“Iris, you really need to wake up now.”

With no other choice, I pulled the blanket off her.

Iris’s fair face came into view—soft features, long lashes, and rose-tinted lips.

The dark shadows under her eyes gave her an air of languid decadence.

How can her innate charm activate even while she’s asleep?

Her beauty was astonishing every time I saw it.

On top of that, her casual sleepwear, instead of the usual uniform, made it hard to know where to look.

I felt like I’d have no excuse if knights stormed in to arrest me right now.

“Iris…”

At that moment, I felt a grip on my wrist.

Turning my head, I saw Iris’s hand holding my wrist tightly.

My instincts screamed at me to pull away immediately.

Summoning all my strength, I resolved to show the fruits of my training.

And then… I was dragged in.

The wall that was Iris, the strongest of the imperial family, was insurmountably high.

The strength I had honed over several months was no match for a half-asleep Iris, who could even wield aura unconsciously.

In the blink of an eye, I was pulled into Iris’s arms.

Soft sensations enveloped my entire body, and a gentle fragrance unique to her clouded my mind.

Is this some sort of mental magic?

I couldn’t escape.

The difference in physical strength between Iris and me was overwhelming.

No matter how much I struggled, unless Iris let me go, I was trapped.

As she held me, Iris slowly opened her eyes.

She gazed at me with her sleep-heavy eyes, then smiled faintly.

“Good morning…”

Thankfully, I was disguised as a girl.

If I’d been in my original male form, this could have caused all sorts of problems.

At that moment, Iris began to close her eyes again, ready to drift back to sleep.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Iris,”

I said formally, raising my hand.

“Forgive me this once.”

And with that, I delivered a light flick to her forehead to snap her out of her morning daze.