Episode 104. Weekend (3)

“Honey… Mmmph….”

“You worked hard.”

I stroked the head of Baek Ahyoung, who was lying on my arm. It’s funny that I’m here doing this under the guise of volunteering, but that’s just life, I guess. Just in case the children woke up, I had blocked the areas near their ears with magic, and used a rune barrier to prevent sound from leaking outside the room, so there was no risk of getting caught. We lay there, enjoying the afterglow of sex.

“Ahyoung-ssi. Come here.”

“Honey… Hic. Smooch….”

Enjoying a gentle kiss, I groped Baek Ahyoung’s body. As we did, my desire flared up again, but I felt a bit hesitant to continue. Because the children’s nap time was drawing to a close.

I pulled away from Baek Ahyoung and looked at the children.

“But the kids are really cute. How can they be so pretty?”

“…Right? The children are so lovely.”

Baek Ahyoung was gazing at the children with a blissful smile, lost in thought.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Baek Ahyoung]

• [ Affection: 89 ] (+0.5)

• [ Lust: 80 ]

• [ Appetite: 30 ]

• [ Fatigue: 35 ]

Current Status: I wish I had a cute child like that too… With Honey…?

Baek Ahyoung’s eyes darted towards me, and I quickly averted my gaze, intimidated. You shouldn’t be thinking things like that already, Ahyoung-ssi. I don’t even know how many future wives I’ll have.

“Ahem. The childcare teacher should be arriving soon.”

“Yeah. It’s about that time.”

The children’s nap time would end soon. I cleaned up the area with Clean Magic and attended to the children as they woke up one by one.

Knock knock

The childcare teacher also opened the door and came in right on time.

“Oh my, oh my, you’re already awake.”

Now that the childcare teacher was taking care of the children, it was only right for us to leave.

“We’ll be going now.”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”

To think I’d get thanked for my hard work after doing nothing but having sex next to napping children… the world is truly a wonderful place.

‘This is what volunteering is all about.’

Still, playing with the kids was quite fun, so it’s a bit of a shame to leave without saying goodbye.

“It’s a little disappointing. It doesn’t feel like we did proper volunteer work.”

“Yeah. I agree.”

Baek Ahyoung looked similarly crestfallen, clearly sharing the same sentiment. She liked children too.

“Bro!”

“Unnie!”

As we headed to the director’s office to say our final goodbyes, the children ran towards us. The red-haired boy, who always took the lead, came running at full speed. He was the kid who almost caught me and Baek Ahyoung having sex last time. Behind him followed more than ten children and the director.

“Bro! Play with us!”

“Where did the others go?”

“They ran away again.”

“Ran away?”

There were clearly more than five volunteers playing with the children earlier, but none were in sight.

“New volunteers are usually like this. They come in full of enthusiasm, but once they realize how difficult it is to actually play with the children, they leave quickly. And they never come back.”

“Ah….”

The director, following behind, said with a bitter smile.

“That doesn’t have a good influence on the children… but with so many people coming and going, there’s not much we can do….”

Such actions can make the children feel abandoned or foster a tendency not to trust people. I never realized my public relations work at the orphanage could have such negative consequences….

“Bro?”

I ruffled the hair of the boy, who tilted his head, seeing my and Baek Ahyoung’s displeased expressions.

“Ahyoung-ssi. Shall we play with the children for a little while longer?”

“Yeah. Let’s do that.”

We exchanged glances and smiled faintly. As expected, Baek Ahyoung and I were perfectly in sync.

*

“Ahyoung-ssi. I’ll come find you in the infirmary next time.”

“Okay. See you later.”

We waved goodbye. I probably won’t see her next week, but seeing as Baek Ahyoung doesn’t seem upset, does she not know?

★ Heroine Status Window

[Baek Ahyoung]

• [ Affection: 89 ] (+0.5)

• [ Lust: 80 ]

• [ Appetite: 30 ]

• [ Fatigue: 35 ]

Current Status: How am I supposed to keep up with the survival test…?

‘Ah, I see.’ Seeing as she hasn’t mentioned it to me, it seems Baek Ahyoung also made some kind of Mana Oath as an Academy staff member. I just hope she doesn’t cause any trouble by trying to force herself along.

After parting with Baek Ahyoung, I headed towards the dormitory. The time was past 4 PM, nearing evening. This should be right around the time Liliana is broadcasting. When I get home, Liliana ends her broadcast accordingly. She probably wants to hang out with me, even if she grumbles. She can only watch me when I’m home. However, ending her broadcast to match my arrival probably isn’t beneficial for her channel’s growth.

“I don’t feel like going in… I don’t have anything to do. Ah, maybe I’ll go shopping.”

I need to buy a lot of supplies in preparation for next week’s survival test. It’s similar to the second-round bonus in the original game; the survival test is announced on the day itself, and we’re suddenly whisked away, leaving no time to prepare. Surviving for a week on just the meager rations provided isn’t easy, so we have to be self-sufficient, from food to shelter. Here’s a trick. I just need to sneak an extra-dimensional artifact into school on Monday. Since we’re immediately transported to a deserted island after the announcement on the day itself, there are no item inspections.

Now that I had a destination in mind, I turned around. Let’s head to the large supermarket where I met Nam Daeun last time. I should buy things like camping gear.

“Lee Hoyeon!”

Just then, I turned around at a high-energy voice calling my name from behind. Lucy and Lumi were approaching.

“Hi Lee Hoyeon! Where were you headed?”

“Hello, Hoyeon-ssi.”

“Hi Lucy, Lumi. Me? I was just heading out to buy some things.”

No matter how close friends they are, I can’t leak any information about the survival test. If it were just me, they might dismiss it as me being a crazy bastard who prepared thoroughly, but if multiple people are suspiciously well-prepared, they’ll get suspicious.

“Really? We were planning to hang out at the cafe, want to join us?”

“A cafe?”

It’s not a bad idea… The timing is a bit tight, but I can actually go shopping tomorrow.

“Have you had dinner yet? We’re going to eat tteokbokki too….”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Considering how close I am with the Lucy-Lumi twins, it’s strange that we’ve never hung out outside the Academy. I met Lumi a bit in the early days after I possessed this body, but we haven’t met since becoming secret friends, so it’s about time. Well, aside from those reasons, what idiot would turn down a cafe date with two pretty girls on a weekend?

“I accept with great pleasure.”

“Pfft. What are you talking about.”

We went into a nice-looking cafe and ordered drinks.

“Clair Rose Latte…? You sure like weird things.”

“It’s pretty good, actually.”

I actually started drinking it sometimes because Moon Surin liked it, and I found it quite palatable. It’s a strange taste – sweet with a subtle rose aroma that lingers in your mouth, then turns refreshingly cool like mint, and finishes with a spicy kick.

“Want to try a sip?”

“Huh? You mean just like that?”

“How else would you drink it? How else do you drink it?”

When I offered Lucy my Clair Rose Latte, she seemed a bit taken aback. Is she worried about indirect kisses? She’s not a child. Lucy eventually glanced at me, put her lips to the straw, and took a sip.

“Mmm? Ugh, eww. That’s weird.”

“Is it really that bad?”

I thought it was fine once I got used to it.

“Why would anyone drink this… Ugh. I need to cleanse my palate.”

With that, Lucy eagerly drank her strawberry latte. Lumi watched our conversation unfold with a faint smile.

“Hoyeon-ssi, are you preparing for Monday’s special exam?”

“There’s nothing to prepare if I don’t know what it is. You can’t prepare for the unknown.”

“Last semester’s midterm exam apparently involved gathering all the first-years in the auditorium for a battle royale. And the exam after that was a game of tag, which nearly destroyed half the Academy.”

“… Really?”

The previous exams Lucy mentioned were quite violent. So that’s how it works. Well, it would be foolish not to prepare for the survival test every year.

“Ahhh~ I just hope it’s not physically demanding. I hate being hungry too.”

“It’ll be fine, Lucy. I saw on Everyday that this time it’s supposed to be easy. They said it alternates between difficult and easy exams every year.”

“Don’t believe that stuff… They’re all students just like us.”

Lumi trusts the internet too much. This exam is going to be the most troublesome one yet.

‘I’ll need to pack a lot of food in my extra-dimensional storage.’

In the game, I only packed what I needed for myself, but now there are so many people I need to consider.

“Mmm~ I’m going to the restroom for a bit.”

Lucy excused herself, and Lumi and I made eye contact.

“Hoyeon-ssi. Did you see the new character that came out recently?”

“Huh? Ah… Yeah, I saw it.”

I didn’t understand for a moment, but thankfully, I remembered Lumi was an otaku.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lumi]

• [ Affection: 89 ] (+0.1)

• [ Lust: 80 ]

• [ Appetite: 20 ]

• [ Fatigue: 40 ]

Current Status: Does he still watch the Idol Party these days…? Hinata-chan appeared.

“You mean Hinata, right? She was moderately pretty.”

“Yes! That’s right. I thought she was incredibly beautiful. And Hinata-chan….”

Playing along, Lumi continued with a bright expression. Watching Lumi spew useless information about Hinata-chan, it seems she hasn’t completely shed her socially awkward persona. I tolerate it because cute Lumi is doing it; if someone else acted like this, I wouldn’t have put up with it.

“Lumi. Want to come to the restroom later?”

In the end, I diverted Lumi’s attention.

“Yes…?”

“Let’s do some secret friend activities for the first time in a while. Come to the last stall in the men’s restroom. I’ll wait there first.”

“Ah……. Yesss.”

Lumi smiled, seemingly pleased by my suggestion. I saw her Lust stat was quite high earlier, so she must have pent-up desires, even if she doesn’t show it. I headed to the restroom before Lucy returned. Going together might raise suspicion, so I went ahead. Being a high-end cafe near the Academy, the restroom was clean and tidy. As instructed, I entered the last stall and waited. Soon, I heard a knock on the door.

“Hoyeon-ssi. I’m here.”

“Are you sure it’s you, Lumi? Give me proof.”

“Huh? Please open it quickly… Someone might come in…!”

It’s always fun to tease someone like Lumi, who reacts so well. Besides, she needs to be punished for talking about otaku stuff earlier when I wasn’t even interested.

“Just take off your panties and slide them under the door.”

“Hoyeon-ssi….”

“Hurry up and take them off, or someone else might walk in.”

“Hnnngh….”

A rustling sound came from outside the door, and a pink piece of fabric slid under it. The panties, already damp, were definitely Lumi’s.

Clunk

“It is Lumi. Come in.”

Lumi, now inside, had tears welling up in her eyes.

“You’re so mean… sob.”

Well, who told you to talk about weird stuff?