Episode 364. Return

“…….”

“I’m sorry….”

Avoiding Alice’s sharp gaze, which was glaring at me, I carefully lowered my head.

“You’re doing this on purpose just to hear me curse, aren’t you?”

“That’s not it.”

“If that’s not it… Haa.”

Alice glared at me, her legs clamped tightly together.

Her rejection of my hand made her look like a shy, demure maiden, so I smiled slightly, but the moment I saw her eyes sharpen, I lowered my head again.

I guess I went a bit too hard.

After all, I kept going even after Alice begged me to stop.

“Don’t tell me you do this to other girls too? Do you even know how much it hurts from a woman’s perspective?”

“I don’t do that to anyone else. It’s because it was you, Alice, that you couldn’t stand it. I’m sorry.”

“…… Be more careful next time.”

Alice flinched at my words, mumbled something with her lips pursed, and then turned her head.

Why is she getting cuter the more I see her?

But I figured I’d just get cursed at again if I laughed now, so I held back my smile as much as possible.

“Thank you, Alice.”

“Haa. Speaking of which, is that Succubus the problem? Is there anything I can help with?”

“That’s not it. Liliana is actually helping me.”

“Liliana…? Is that the Succubus’s name? Then is that Demon King fellow the problem?”

“That’s right. But did I mention that I’m hostile towards the Demon King?”

Pandemic’s goal is to summon the ruler of the Underworld, the Demon King.

I mentioned it briefly in passing while explaining about Chiron, but Alice remembered it well.

Of course, remembering it isn’t strange, but I never mentioned that the main quest required defeating the Demon King.

So Alice’s reaction was bound to be surprising.

“When you mentioned the Demon King’s name, your brow furrowed, so I figured you must have some circumstances you couldn’t tell me about.”

“Oh….”

“… Why are you looking at me like that.”

I’m touched.

She could read my expression but didn’t pry. I should praise her for that.

I smiled and spread my arms wide.

“You’ve always been watching over me, Alice. Can I call you Honey from now on?”

“Yes. Honey. Try saying that one more time like that.”

Alice’s cold voice made me lower my head again.

It’s not easy to joke around.

Handsome men are destined to carry many sins.

After a moment of reflection, I carefully looked up at Alice and continued.

“Anyway… thank you. Really.”

“If you know that, then behave. And do well tomorrow too.”

“Tomorrow? Tomorrow’s the day we leave, isn’t it?”

Is there anything special to do to get back to the Academy?

Should I tell some funny stories next to the private jet?

“You’ll find out when we get there. You know we’re leaving tomorrow morning, right? Get your preparations done when we return.”

“Yeah. Got it.”

Seeing Alice subtly raise the corners of her mouth sparked my curiosity… but really, how big of a deal could it be?

It’s probably just one of her usual pranks.

I can handle something like that with a smile.

• Knock knock.

After Lee Hoyeon left.

Alice, who had been resting in her room, sat up in bed at the sound of knocking.

“Come in. Sebastian.”

Only Sebastian could make a knock on the door sound so full of weighty experience.

Sebastian soon opened the door and entered, bowing his head at the doorway.

“Did you rest comfortably, Young Lady.”

“Yes. You worked hard at the guild too, Sebastian. You’ll be able to relax once we’re back in Korea.”

“Thank you. But why did you call for me?”

“I called because I was curious about tomorrow’s schedule.”

“There’s nothing particularly unusual. I heard we’re returning quietly to Korea on the private jet you took when you came to France. The Guild Master apparently informed you as well….”

“Right. About that, please cancel it.”

Alice knew about returning via private jet.

But that wouldn’t attract the public attention she wanted.

Alice didn’t want to return to Korea unnoticed.

“Cancel… you mean? It doesn’t matter to me, but when do you plan to return to Korea? I could probably delay it by a day if I report it to the Guild Master.”

“I need to go back tomorrow. But we’ll go to the airport.”

“The airport. Understood.”

“Also, leak some information to the reporters that Lee Hoyeon and I are returning.”

“Hmm. If you do that, a huge crowd will gather.”

Sebastian said with a worried expression.

Going to the airport quietly would be fine, but leaking the information beforehand would attract many reporters and people.

Alice’s popularity in France is comparable to that of a top celebrity.

“Don’t worry. Sebastian, you’re Lee Hoyeon’s and mine. Please book the tickets. I’ll talk to Dad myself.”

“Understood, Young Lady.”

Sebastian bowed his head without further questions and left the room.

His unquestioning departure to secure the tickets was just like Sebastian.

In the quiet room, Alice wore a mischievous smile.

“I can’t just sit still….”

Alice gently rubbed the lingering soreness between her legs, thinking.

If I got treated like that, I have to pay him back.

Alice didn’t want to cause major harm, though.

Just once.

She really wanted to see Lee Hoyeon flustered.

To do that, she’d have to convince her dad first.

It was time for her to get to work.

Ahem.

Alice cleared her throat and tapped the call button on her smartwatch.

Ring. Ring.

– Alice! What is it? Did someone bother you?!

Hearing her father’s typically fussy voice, Alice spoke with a slight lisp.

“… Daddy. I have a favor to ask.”

• On the way back to the dorm.

I thought about the conversation I had with Alice.

‘She’s definitely smart, unlike anyone else.’

Even though Alice was inherently suspicious no matter how much I pushed, she eventually figured out the general situation.

Is it because she’s from the Iris Guild?

She’s smart by nature.

And she’s good at studying too.

As expected, all my women are aces.

Since Alice isn’t the type to gossip, I don’t need to worry about strange rumors… For now, I just need to focus on returning tomorrow.

I’ll need to talk with Alice again once we’re back in Korea.

Maybe Alice could even help me build my harem.

‘Or maybe not.’

Still, since she knows the situation, she won’t interfere if I show affection.

I’ll be satisfied with that.

The current time is 11 PM.

It’s quite late, but still too early for modern people to be asleep.

They’ll probably all be awake when I get back to the dorm.

Having had a satisfying conversation with Alice, I confidently walked towards the dorm.

Creeeak-

I quietly opened the dorm door.

The lights were on, so I thought everyone was in the living room, but no one was there.

“What’s that?”

Instead of people, a large suitcase was visible in the neat living room.

The suitcase had a cute name tag on it, presumably my luggage that I needed to pack for the return to Korea.

Looks like someone prepared it for me.

Seeing that the clutter that used to be in the living room was gone, it seemed like preparations for departure were complete.

I felt a bit bad, realizing I hadn’t done any of the work again.

– Hmm hmm. Hmm hmm~.

Just then, a humming tune drifted from Liliana’s room, light spilling out.

So she wasn’t asleep after all.

Perfect timing.

I put down the suitcase and headed towards her room.

“Hmm hmm~ Aha~ Kissy kiss on the lips….”

“Liliana. What are you doing?”

“Huh? You’re back. I was packing.”

Liliana’s room was also already neatly organized.

She looks lazy, but she’s surprisingly neat.

Her computer was still on; she was probably planning to tidy up at the last minute.

“Is this that new video site they’re launching?”

“Yeah. Don’t you know NewTube?”

“I know it.”

I nodded while looking at Liliana’s page.

I heard she made it with Scarlet. It’s well-made, as expected.

Emphasizing her face and figure shows she really understands viewer needs.

I almost want to subscribe right now.

“You have quite a lot of subscribers?”

“I asked them to subscribe during the broadcast, and a lot more followed. Now I have to work harder.”

“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Take breaks. We’re not exactly struggling.”

Liliana saying she’s responsible for our future was only half-joking.

With so many talented people around, how could we starve?

If we ever ran short on money, just participating in guild support quests from the Association would be enough to get by.

“No way. I rested too much, and my viewership dropped.”

“That’s normal. Don’t get too stressed about the day-to-day numbers.”

It reminded me of my own past experiences reviewing games.

Back then, I used to get ecstatic or depressed over daily view counts.

In the end, results come if you work hard.

“Still… Hmm, I don’t know! Just help me pack. Scout and I packed all your luggage, so I haven’t finished packing mine yet.”

“Why did you pack my stuff first? Move aside. I’ll help you pack.”

“Thanks. But you won’t steal my cute underwear, right?”

“… Why would I steal that.”

“I’m just saying, in case you can’t resist. Oh, but if you ask politely, maybe I’ll lend it to you!”

“Please?”

I don’t know what she’ll use it for, but I should keep it as a souvenir.

I grabbed one of Liliana’s underwear pieces and stuffed it into my pocket.

• The next morning.

Liliana transformed into a necklace and hung around my neck. Scarlet, saying she was no longer able to ride the private jet with me, headed to the airport with Ms. Rebecca.

Their retreating figures looked a bit lonely, but seeing them talk, they seemed quite close.

We’ll meet at home anyway, so it doesn’t matter.

– I’m sleepy…

“Just sleep for a bit. We’ll arrive soon on the private jet anyway.”

Liliana, who had been packing late into the night, seemed tired.

Since we’ll get there quickly, sleeping for a while should be fine.

However, when I went out to the meeting spot, the private jet I expected wasn’t there.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning… But where’s the private jet?”

I returned Alice’s greeting and looked around.

Shouldn’t that comfortable private jet be waiting here?

“What private jet? We have to go catch a plane.”

“What are you talking about? We came here on a private jet.”

“That was then. Today is different.”

“… You have a point.”

It’s silly to complain since I don’t own the private jet anyway.

If it’s not there, we’ll just have to manage without it.

Still, it’s a bit disappointing.

Do we really have to go somewhere crowded?

Alice is famous too, so it must be annoying for her.

There are many women, but crowded places still make me uncomfortable. Both Alice and I will be recognized.

“Aren’t you bothered by the airport too?”

“No. When attention is focused like this, the airport is exactly where we need to be.”

“Really?”

I’ve never heard that before.

“Of course. Every little thing increases your brand value.”

“… Is that so?”

I don’t know exactly what ‘brand value’ means, but hearing her say it, it seems plausible…?

When I hear something that sounds impressive, I tend to nod along without realizing it.

Alice is the expert in this field, so she probably knows better than me.

“Let’s go. Everyone will be waiting at the airport.”

“Yeah. We shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

Isaac and Irene will probably be there too.

What kind of trouble would I get into if I made them wait?

We quickly headed towards the airport.