Episode 460. School Starts (2)

It was the day the new semester began.

Students returned to the Academy with regret over the ending vacation, and the lively atmosphere was palpable as they chatted with each other after a long time.

The same was true for Lee Hoyeon’s home.

Lee Hoyeon and Nam Daeun, who were heading to the Academy, prepared to leave.

“Everyone’s going off to work. If only the scouts go to work, this house will be all mine. I’m going to do a house tour broadcast!”

“But Rebecca-ssi is here.”

“Ah, right. Why is Rebecca still unemployed?”

“… Why are you asking me that?”

Lee Hoyeon dressed while chatting with Liliana.

It was the student uniform, worn after a long time.

Thanks to the magic hanger that took care of it automatically, there wasn’t a single wrinkle.

Lee Hoyeon continued speaking to Liliana, defending Rebecca.

“Rebecca-ssi will probably do something soon too. She won’t be unemployed forever.”

“If it’s Rebecca-nim, she is working in her room right now.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes. I don’t know exactly what she’s doing, but it seems to bring in quite a bit of income.”

Lee Hoyeon was inwardly surprised by Scarlet’s words.

She thought Rebecca was just lazing around at home, but that wasn’t the case?

‘… Come to think of it, she said she had quite a lot of money even when she was with Pandemic.’

She had connections built up and plenty of money.

It’s only natural that someone like Rebecca would have a source of income, isn’t it?

… Honestly, if she were doing exercises for pregnancy every morning, it’s hard not to misunderstand.

“I underestimated Rebecca-ssi too much.”

“Rebecca-ssi is so kind. She always takes good care of Dahee too.”

“That’s true.”

No wonder she wasn’t around even after finishing her magic circle research; it seems she was working.

Lee Hoyeon finished getting ready and stepped outside the house with Nam Daeun, who was waiting.

“Have a good day~.”

“Please be careful and don’t get hurt on your way.”

Liliana and Scarlet followed them to the entrance and saw them off. Lee Hoyeon, emerging from the mansion, chuckled sheepishly and spoke to Nam Daeun.

“Why are they seeing us off for something like this?”

“Still, I can feel their good wishes. Rebecca-ssi didn’t come out, but she said congratulations too.”

“… That’s what I don’t quite understand.”

Is starting the semester something to celebrate?

Lee Hoyeon still couldn’t comprehend what he was being congratulated for.

“It’s been a while since we walked this path.”

“Yeah.”

“It would have been nice if Dahee could have come too.”

“They said minors are postponing their school attendance just in case, right?”

“Yeah.”

The cause, naturally, was the black pillar.

While the Academy students could protect themselves no matter what happened, the middle and high school students below lacked the necessary skill level.

Besides, halting the Academy’s operations requires careful consideration in many ways, so it’s a reasonable measure.

As they walked down the street, students gradually began to appear.

Familiar students.

Faces seen at least once during their time at the Academy.

“Don’t you see familiar faces?”

“Yeah.”

“I wandered around so much during the break that going back to the Academy feels awkward.”

“I just went grocery shopping.”

Lee Hoyeon walked down the street, chatting with Nam Daeun.

It had been a while since they walked and talked alone together.

In a house full of people, the only way to be alone with Nam Daeun was in bed.

“Hoyeon-ah.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you troubled by something lately?”

“Suddenly?”

“Liliana-ssi mentioned that you had nightmares.”

“… Ah. That’s what she meant. No, I was just feeling down.”

Lee Hoyeon clenched his fist.

That crazy succubus.

When did she embrace me with motherly affection, only to go around talking about it?

I thought she was an angel, but she turned out to be a devil.

I’ll get my revenge as soon as I get back today.

“… I’m always on your side, Hoyeon, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you, Daeun-ah.”

Nam Daeun was curious about Lee Hoyeon’s worries.

No matter how much he tried to hide it, his expression gave everything away, so she couldn’t help but know.

‘Hoyeon probably has his reasons.’

Nevertheless, Nam Daeun didn’t pry.

She believed that if Lee Hoyeon needed her help, he would tell her directly.

Until then, she wouldn’t ask.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Nam Daeun]

• [ Affection: 100 ] (+ 2.1 )

• [ Lust: 65 ]

• [ Appetite: 30 ]

• [ Fatigue: 35 ]

Current Status: I wish he’d tell me too… What could it be?

[Upon reaching 100 Affection, love for Lee Hoyeon becomes very strong.]

Lee Hoyeon felt a bittersweet emotion looking at the status window and Nam Daeun’s profile.

He was well aware of Nam Daeun’s blind devotion.

She had decided to dedicate everything to Lee Hoyeon, and it was highly likely she would permit him to bring in as many women as he wanted.

‘… But I can’t exclude Nam Daeun.’

Rebecca, Scarlet, and Liliana don’t need to be included in the plan.

That’s because they already know most of Lee Hoyeon’s situation.

However, Nam Daeun is with him at the Academy.

‘But telling her in advance might be a bit….’

There’s a chance the plan could go awry.

It’s a plan to kidnap the entire Academy.

He didn’t want to create unnecessary variables.

If it’s not handled perfectly, it’s worse than not doing it at all.

‘… Sigh.’

“We’re here. Hoyeon-ah.”

“Yeah. See you at lunch.”

They arrived at the Academy and parted ways with Nam Daeun.

Actually, since Lucy and Lumi, the twins, had become friends with Nam Daeun, it wasn’t necessary anymore… but parting ways here was Nam Daeun’s insistence.

She was worried that something bad might happen to Lee Hoyeon because of her.

Creak-

Class A, entered for the first time in a month.

Lee Hoyeon opened the door and entered the classroom.

The students in the noisy classroom turned their heads briefly, then their eyes widened the moment they saw Lee Hoyeon.

Lee Hoyeon, already famous, had become even more renowned during the break, drawing the attention of all students the moment he walked in.

• … Hey. Lee Hoyeon’s here? I heard he was dropping out.

• That’s weird. The oppa I know from the Iris Guild said he was dropping out to join the Iris Guild.

• I heard he got hired as Professor Im Sol’s secretary.

• Huh? Wasn’t he the Saintess’s assistant?

• He’s really handsome. Annoyingly so.

“…”

There were too many baseless rumors like that for him to care.

The funniest one he’d seen so far was that he was defecting to China with a high salary.

He remembered just letting out a hollow laugh back then, unsure how to react.

“Good morning.”

“Uh, uh-huh. Hi.”

Since it felt rude to ignore the attention, he greeted a student he saw often and headed to his seat.

Lucy and Lumi had already taken their seats in the back, which could be considered their assigned spots.

He’d seen them just a few days ago, but seeing them at the Academy felt fresh.

‘And… where is Alice?’

He turned his head to check Alice’s usual seat.

He really wanted to see how Alice was doing after ignoring his calls for a week.

Irene had said she was fine, so he wasn’t worried, but just in case.

Alice was sitting in a seat separated from others, glancing sideways at Lee Hoyeon.

Lee Hoyeon approached her with a smile and greeted her.

“Alice. Good morning.”

“… Yeah. Hi.”

So she wasn’t really angry.

If she were truly angry, Irene would have reacted too.

Was ignoring his calls for a week just because she was sulking?

★ Heroine Status Window

[Alice]

• [ Affection: 96 ] (+ 1.1 )

• [ Lust: 80 ]

• [ Appetite: 20 ]

• [ Fatigue: 30 ]

Current Status: If you weren’t going to answer my calls, you should have at least come to my house.

“…”

Should I have done that?

I left her alone because it seemed like she needed time by herself, but women’s hearts are truly difficult.

“Can I come over to your place today?”

“… Tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Alice turned her head, so Lee Hoyeon also made a ‘slurp’ sound with his mouth before leaving.

Still, she’ll probably take my calls now.

“Lee Hoyeon. You came early on the first day?”

“H-Hoyeon-ssi…!”

“Good morning.”

Lee Hoyeon sat between Lucy and Lumi, greeting them.

The Lucy-Lumi twins immediately started talking to Lee Hoyeon.

“We missed you so much.”

“Yeah. Lumi and I were so sad.”

“Didn’t we go on a date a few days ago?”

“Still…”

The Lucy-Lumi twins continued to chatter away.

Hmm.

This familiar atmosphere.

It was a comforting moment, but Lee Hoyeon was thinking something else.

‘I can’t forget the dream.’

The nightmare of Lucy and Lumi leaving him with sad expressions resurfaced.

A dream is just a dream, but seeing them so close made it unavoidable.

He felt the same way when he first saw Nam Daeun and Scarlet at home.

He felt like they might suddenly curse him and disappear right now.

‘Status window.’

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lucy]

• [ Affection: 100 ] (+ 1.4 )

• [ Lust: 70 ]

• [ Appetite: 40 ]

• [ Fatigue: 40 ]

Current Status: It’s nice being together. But what is she thinking about this early in the morning?

[Upon reaching 100 Affection, Lust greatly increases when with Lee Hoyeon and Lumi.]

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lumi]

• [ Affection: 100 ] (+ 1.7 )

• [ Lust: 87 ]

• [ Appetite: 30 ]

• [ Fatigue: 10 ]

Current Status: Is Hoyeon-ssi troubled by something…?

[Upon reaching 100 Affection, becomes proactive towards Lee Hoyeon when with Lucy.]

‘… How do these two even notice my worries?’

Seeing their faces and affection levels eased his anxiety somewhat.

However, Lucy and Lumi didn’t seem likely to permit other women either.

In the end, he had no choice but to think about the fake dungeon plan.

“Speaking of which, did you see the pillar at the Academy?”

“Yeah. I saw it.”

“That’s why there was so much talk about whether or not to open school today.”

“It’s a significant matter. They said that strange pillar appeared inside the Academy. Plus, it’s still small, but they say it’ll be more dangerous if it grows.”

“… Yeah. Right. It’s dangerous. That’s right. Speaking of which, did you see that? The new donut specialty shop.”

“Ah! I saw it.”

Lee Hoyeon brought up a different topic to steer away from the pillar.

Starting with donuts, then cafes and restaurants.

“Speaking of which, Hoyeon-ssi, that manga…”

“Lumi, tell me about a movie I know too.”

“Ah, uh-huh. Then about movies…”

The conversation shifted to everyday topics like books and games.

Chatting with the Lucy-Lumi twins made the worries weighing on his mind feel a little lighter.

Creak.

“It’s been a while. Everyone looks happy.”

How long had they been talking?

Professor Kim Jin-hyuk, with his slicked-back hair, entered Class A.

It’d been a while since he’d seen that professor too.

“Did you rest well during the break? Now that you’re back at the Academy, return to a state of vigilance.”

Professor Kim Jin-hyuk continued with a serious expression.

Then, he tapped his fingers and manipulated the air.

“Sorry to do this on the first day, but I’ll guide you through the schedule. The Academy’s curriculum has changed. Practical training classes will significantly increase starting this semester.”

A holographic monitor appeared before Lee Hoyeon’s eyes.

As he scanned the schedule for the next few months, something caught his eye.

‘Professor Practical Sparring?’

There was an item called ‘Professor Practical Sparring’ every week.

Judging by the name alone, it seemed like a class where they sparred with professors.

“As you can see, a class involving sparring with professors has been added. From now on, every Wednesday, instead of regular classes, we will have time to spar with professors as if in a real battle and receive feedback. Since it’s done where everyone can see, it will be helpful even if it’s not your own match.”

• Oh, so does that mean no classes on Wednesdays?

• Probably. Isn’t that awesome?

Watching others fight is always more fun than sitting through lectures.

The students’ reactions were mostly positive.

“All schedules are organized on the timetable, so ask separately if you have any questions. Also, I know you must be worried about the black pillar that appeared at the Academy, but the danger is minimal. However, investigations are ongoing, so do not approach it under any circumstances. Symptoms like headaches or mild fevers…”

Professor Kim Jin-hyuk began explaining about the black pillar.

From its potential dangers to the ongoing investigation.

He figured the Academy probably instructed him to make an announcement, but from the perspective of someone who installed the black pillar himself, it was hard to listen.

Lee Hoyeon tuned out Professor Kim Jin-hyuk’s words, gazing into the distance.