episode_0127

“So… you’re saying I’m that partner?”

Selena’s expression was full of doubt.

Her eyes, glazed over with drunkenness from broad daylight, blinked blankly.

Nevertheless, her reaction clearly showed her bewilderment.

“Will you join me, Teacher-nim?”

I nodded as if it were nothing.

It was a shameless question thrown right back at her.

Perhaps it was because it was so sudden.

The woman even moved the bottle of alcohol she was drinking to the side, straightening her posture as if looking my way.

Her flowing purple hair seemed particularly lustrous.

Her red eyes held a murky light.

Beyond her alluring lips, a moment of silence settled.

“……”

‘What kind of absurd thing is this kid trying to do now?’

It was a gaze close to suspicion.

Her piercing gaze made me flinch, but I maintained a sly composure without showing it.

The woman mumbled with a voice buried in fatigue and drunkenness.

“……Do you perhaps not know what a ‘partner request’ means?”

“I know about the superstition associated with the banquet.”

“Then I’m even more curious.”

“It’s precisely because I know that I’m making this request.”

I had generally heard about the superstition of the Gallimard Banquet.

It had been quite the topic among students recently, for various reasons.

It was a somewhat cliché superstition that if a pure man and woman paired up and danced, love would blossom.

Well… I’m not really the type to care about superstitions.

‘Because they’re not kids.’

Recently, more and more people at the academy were focusing on my actions.

Perhaps it was because I had just secured a victory against a professor.

Even without that, all eyes were on me.

If I carelessly chose a partner, there was a possibility of getting caught in a scandal.

For kids at their peak, love stories were delicious gossip, perfect for whispering about.

This was to prevent that.

‘Because the first time is precious.’

The same went for those kids.

The protagonist’s group, with whom I had grown close.

I didn’t want them to get entangled in unnecessary boy problems.

Later, after the world reached its conclusion, some of them would form families, and I didn’t want this memory to leave a lingering unpleasant feeling.

This was also why I chose Selena.

‘Surely, it won’t be her first time.’

She was an adult of thirty.

She was old enough, her appearance was full of decadent charm, and her figure had overwhelming curves, so it was clear she had ample experience with men.

The premise put forth by the superstition included virginity for both a man and a woman.

In other words.

If even one person wasn’t pure, such a superstition would become null and void.

It was a way to avoid forced romance rumors.

“Huhu.”

I smiled at my perfect plan.

On the other hand.

Selena still seemed to be deliberating.

Her pupils, rarely wavering, flickered.

Had something gone wrong?

As I quietly waited for her answer, she questioned me as if to confirm.

Her fingertips tapped the desk, filled with anguish.

“If you’re requesting a partner knowing the meaning, I don’t know how I should interpret it.”

“You can take it at face value.”

“I understand there are many other female students around. Couldn’t you ask one of them?”

“Because it has to be you.”

“……”

As the conversation continued, her discomfort deepened.

It was quite a divine reaction.

After always seeing her as cold as a corpse, it felt refreshing, perhaps, to see even a slight flicker of emotion.

Of course, it was closer to the feeling of having gotten caught up in something troublesome.

The woman mumbled with a sigh.

“……To be honest, it’s not a particularly appealing offer.”

“You don’t need to feel burdened.”

“I can’t help but feel burdened.”

“I won’t force you at all. I just thought I’d be happy if we entered the banquet together.”

“I think it would be difficult to go with someone as old as me… It wouldn’t be enjoyable at all.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

The woman was evaluating herself negatively.

I firmly shook my head, then smiled at her red eyes.

“Because the fact that I’m with you is what matters most to me.”

“……”

Even as I made the offer, I felt a little pang of guilt.

‘Is it okay to use my teacher to avoid a difficult situation?’

My deep-seated Confucian ideals seemed to waver, but it was an unavoidable choice to avoid the problem looming before me.

It would also be good to use this opportunity to narrow the distance between us.

‘Though it’ll be difficult.’

Selena was a solitary person.

Even if someone approached her with kindness, she would never yield her territory beyond a certain line.

Among those around me, she had the strongest defenses.

Like a wild beast difficult to tame.

That’s also why I wanted to get closer to her even more.

“Simply standing by my side, as usual, will be enough.”

A banquet, and a partner.

Such a small permission would soon lead to an exchange of emotions, so I intended to use this opportunity to narrow our psychological distance.

The academy was also on the cusp of various incidents.

The impending attacks and disasters.

If I could secure the faculty’s cooperation beforehand, it would definitely help with proactive responses.

It was a stepping stone to seize control of the academy’s affairs in the future.

I smiled leisurely.

“A single day, won’t that be alright?”

“……”

“I won’t ask for much. Simply spending one evening with your disciple will be enough.”

“If you ask in such a way… I don’t intend to forcibly refuse.”

“I’ll take that as permission.”

“……You’re truly unpredictable, Yuda student.”

“Thank you.”

A satisfying answer.

I nodded, thinking I had overcome a major hurdle.

Now, I wouldn’t get caught up in unnecessary gossip.

“I will eagerly await that day.”

The plan was a success.

However, if there was one fact I had overlooked, it was that kids at their prime were malicious.

Who would have thought they’d even link a teacher and a disciple?

Ultimately, the headache caused by gossip was a future that would arrive on a not-so-distant date.

I often enjoyed a brief moment of peace, unaware of the impending fate.

It was winter.

***

Scratching-.

The pen nib scratched as my fingertips moved.

Neat handwriting processed the work.

“Ahem.”

With two days left until the banquet.

Even though a holiday was just around the corner, the piled-up documents didn’t disappear.

On the contrary, I became busier as I had to clear a day’s schedule.

I had to finish my work beforehand.

Therefore, to help Selena, who had become even busier, I had no choice but to visit her laboratory frequently.

She had humored my insistence, so it felt like I should lend a hand this much.

It was also part of my direct duties.

‘There’s so much.’

I thought, looking at the documents neatly lined up.

Since there was no other staff apart from me, most of the documents had to be processed by the two of us.

Even as I continued working, it was a part that I casually found puzzling.

Why was she using such a large laboratory but not bringing in a separate assistant?

I twirled my pen and asked.

“Wouldn’t the work be easier if you had more help?”

“Perhaps.”

Her indifferent voice responded.

Across from me sat the purple-haired woman. As always, she held a strong liquor bottle and a pen.

She moved her hand mechanically, responding to my question.

Her tone was extremely stiff for casual conversation.

“Because it’s always been like this until now.”

“Am I your first assistant?”

“That’s right. I’ve had a few errand runners out of necessity, but you, Yuda student, are the first to be given the position of chief assistant.”

“Was there a reason you didn’t have anyone else until now…?”

“Because I dislike people.”

There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation in her reply.

It was as if she thought it was obvious.

I put on an intrigued smile and continued with the remaining questions.

“Then why did you accept me?”

“A talent that will be left in history… I judged that the gain from accepting you would be greater than the loss from simple dislike.”

“That’s truly an answer born of pure calculation.”

“Because I’m an adult.”

“Has that dislike of yours remained unchanged?”

“……It’s hard to say it’s on the good side, but I don’t think it’s to the extent of dislike.”

“That’s satisfying enough for me.”

“Is that so.”

The indifferent drunkard.

As if her throat was parched, she tilted the liquor bottle she held.

I spoke with a hint of playfulness.

“Could you give me some too?”

“I refuse.”

“Oh.”

“Alcohol is harmful to life. Especially for children.”

“Then why do you live with something so harmful?”

“To forget.”

“What?”

“Anything.”

Her gaze sank somewhat.

Her slender fingers toyed with the liquor bottle, then she answered vaguely, like a candle flame whose life was fading.

It was a murmur that perhaps contained confusion and lament.

“For example… perhaps to forget shame.”

“What makes you so ashamed?”

“The fact that I drink alcohol is shameful.”

“That’s a strange thing to say. Can’t you just stop?”

“One is an adult precisely because they cannot stop. They are those who know it’s wrong but are already too old to change.”

“……”

The liquor bottle, the snake, and her own hand.

The woman, who had shifted her gaze in sequence, gently closed her eyelids.

For a moment, silence hung between the two of them.

Her faintly trembling shoulders revealed a fading consciousness.

Was she recalling something?

Perhaps she was chewing on her own words.

Even knowing it was wrong, making excuses that it was too late to change, backing away from transformation, ultimately breaking down like an unstoppable train, and adults—or herself—who simply reached for alcohol, their throats bobbing to swallow all that disunity.

Was it resentment contained within life?

Regret?

Or guilt?

From my perspective, it wasn’t a pleasant expression, no matter which it was.

I mused aloud, feeling a sudden sense of familiarity.

‘As expected… is that so?’

That was.

An expression I had seen mirrored in my own past countless times.

I spoke with a bitter smile.

“If you have any worries, I can listen anytime.”

“It’s fine. There are no problems at all.”

Her red eyes opened again.

Beyond their hazy surface, a thick fog hung.

The woman murmured as if casting a spell.

“Yes… no problems at all.”

Finally.

The conversation did not continue.

***

Two days later.

As time passed, the day of the banquet arrived.

It began in the evening, after the sun had set.

In front of the lavishly decorated venue, the snake and the drunkard stood side by side.

Both of them were dressed in formal attire.

“You look splendid.”

Especially.

The drunkard, shedding her usual plain attire, drew the gazes of those around her with her sophisticated dress.

The beauty of her distinctively curvaceous figure was fatal.

In many ways, her aura was mature.

The boy gently extended his hand towards the woman.

“Shall we… enter?”

“Alright.”

Their hands gently overlapped.

The teacher and disciple, who had briefly gazed at each other, then took neat steps into the banquet hall.

It was the beginning of a short yet beautiful night.

***

Meanwhile.

As the two entered the hall, several gazes followed them.

They were none other than girls with familiar faces.

“Wow…! The two of you look so good together!”

“Is this really the time to be so amazed?”

“Yeah. It’s cool.”

“I know, right. Surprisingly, bright-colored suits also suit him.”

“……”

The five girls gathered individually.

Each holding different emotions, it was, at any rate, the night the banquet curtain rose.