episode_0023

Lee Hyunjin. The beloved disciple of Archmage Seol Hayeon, a pure-blooded young wizard who could be called an unrivaled prodigy solely in ice magic.

Truth be told, Cheon Soyul wasn’t on good terms with that male student from the beginning.

…Of course, even now, it would be an overstatement to say their relationship was entirely harmonious.

Even considering that, a year ago, when they had just entered Cheongsong Academy, it was even worse.

Setting everything else aside, they were both disciples of different archmages, weren’t they? They couldn’t help but feel a basic sense of rivalry, and more than anything, their personalities clashed terribly, to an extreme degree.

Cheon Soyul was a girl with towering pride and a strong will, while Lee Hyunjin was a boy who was somewhat easygoing and full of mischief.

Their relationship was bound to cause friction in some way. So, they often conversed, and even tried to get along somewhat closely.

But in the end, they became a relationship where they bickered just by making eye contact.

Their personalities simply didn’t match. They could have easily remained as mere friendly rivals, or perhaps even a vague connection that wasn’t even that.

When did that thought begin to change?

‘…Hmph.’

Cheon Soyul, held by Lee Hyunjin’s arms, gasped for breath, recalling a past memory quite unsuited for the current situation.

Yes, it was definitely about eight months ago.

It was during a time when they were thoroughly enjoying the freshness of the first semester. The process of making new friends was reasonably enjoyable, and acquiring new knowledge was also something she had yearned for.

The mid-term evaluation of the first semester of freshman year was also like that.

A lower-level demon habitat in Gyeryong Mountain, managed by Cheongsong Academy under the pretext of students’ practical experience and research on demons and gates.

It must have been when a demon subjugation test, much like a real battle, was being held, in accordance with Cheongsong Academy’s educational philosophy of fierce competition among students.

It was due to the academy’s oversight. Specifically, a failure in controlling the demon population, which led to a moment when Cheon Soyul, moving alone, found herself in a rather dangerous situation.

It was so severe that she genuinely thought she might end up buried and killed by the demon horde if she made even one wrong move.

She was somehow efficiently allocating her Heavenly Lightning to clear out the demons, but unfortunately, a secondary gate breach overlapped, leaving Cheon Soyul isolated in a cave on the mountainside.

Just as she was about to think that it was truly over for her…

*Crackle crackle!* A tall pillar of ice, scattering icy blue cold, shot up.

And then, a frantic voice.

“Hey, are you okay…!”

“…Lee Hyunjin?”

Lee Hyunjin was there, forcing his way through the demon horde with close-quarters combat that he wasn’t accustomed to.

His body was covered in red blood, whether from demons or humans, it was impossible to tell.

…After everything was over and she was told, he had apparently just been heading deeper into the mountains for the sake of his score.

Then, he heard the successive booming sounds unique to Cheon Soyul’s lightning and instinctively sensed that something was wrong.

‘…He’s such a fool.’

He said he tried to push through the demon horde before him based on such an unfounded instinct.

Just to save her, who might or might not have been in danger.

Even after that day, Lee Hyunjin and Cheon Soyul encountered various unusual incidents throughout their school life, but among them, the most vivid memory was undoubtedly that time.

About five hours of demon defense spent with a male student she had previously found somewhat displeasing.

It was a situation of ‘real’ danger, not even planned by the academy. So, it wasn’t a thought that would easily come to mind, but…

Deep down, Cheon Soyul had found that time quite enjoyable.

At first, when she was left alone amidst the demon horde, there must have been fear. She was overwhelmed because she had no confidence she could overcome these demons.

After Lee Hyunjin miraculously appeared, those feelings—which were actually nothing much—naturally disappeared as they bickered pointlessly.

So her gratitude was immense. Very immense. She wanted to express her thanks to him but didn’t know how, so she even considered asking her older sister, who worked at a company, for advice for the first time.

It was a plan she abandoned, unsure what she’d hear if she asked about “a gift suitable for a man.”

Anyway.

That was why. After that day, as the first semester ended, summer vacation passed, and the second semester began… her relationship with Lee Hyunjin started to become significantly closer.

While she still wasn’t certain about romantic feelings, even so, if she absolutely had to enter such a deep relationship with someone.

At the very least, Cheon Soyul couldn’t imagine anyone other than Lee Hyunjin as the object of that embarrassing relationship.

So it was okay.

It wasn’t unpleasant.

Even though she was aware that she was doing something quite indecent for a student, if the other person was Lee Hyunjin, it was fine. It felt like it didn’t matter at all.

Cheon Soyul suddenly realized that a frivolous smile had almost bloomed on her lips.

She reached out to stop it. She pulled Lee Hyunjin’s head and forcibly kissed him.

“Ugh…!”

That was the turning point. Lee Hyunjin frowned, looking as if he couldn’t hold back any longer, and Cheon Soyul also read the seductive prelude.

She couldn’t help but pull up the corners of her lips and playfully poke Lee Hyunjin’s cheek with her index finger.

Then, she let out a voice drenched in pleasure.

“I’m about to come too, ah.”

“…!”

“Mm, ah. You can come when you want to…”

Frowning slightly, not holding back the occasional alluring moans that escaped her.

Cheon Soyul looked up at Lee Hyunjin from below, her eyes folded into crescent moons.

Then she parted her lips slightly, making a ‘heh’ sound.

It was a quite blatant request.

“…Ha.”

Lee Hyunjin let out a helpless laugh. And as she desired, he lowered his body slightly and grazed her tongue.

“Ah…!”

Cheon Soyul’s eyes flew open. Her hips twitched violently, and at the same time, a wave of intense pleasure, starting from her lower abdomen, engulfed her entire body.

Tonight, it was her third climax.

*****

“… ”

I lay on Cheon Soyul’s bed, looking up at the sky.

I tried to count the stains on the ceiling, but the paint job was incredibly clean.

So I just lay there. Blankly, listlessly.

I had no more energy left to do anything.

The pillow was soft enough to sink my head deep into… and the blanket was thick, perfect for winter, and felt nice, soft and warm.

That’s when I had just finished the day’s final “exercise” and was about to rest.

“Where do you think you’re going to sleep?”

*Thump!*

“?!”

…Suddenly, I felt a pain in my lower body. I almost jumped half out of bed, and I quickly raised my head.

“C-Cheon Soyul?”

Of course, there was only one person in this room who could interfere with me.

Cheon Soyul was lying seductively beside me, plastered to my side.

With her right hand, she was suggestively toying with my limp, fallen member.

My mouth hung open, my expression bewildered. What in the…?

“Ugh…!”

Before I could voice my question, I had to first let out a sincere moan.

Because Cheon Soyul was gently stroking my shaft with her index finger, and touching the glans with her thumb.

I stared at her with wide eyes, but the person receiving my gaze merely let out a meaningless giggle, saying,

“…I can do a bit more.”

“… ”

“You too, right?”

And that was not much different from a declaration that she was going to kill me.

I clenched my lips tightly. Cold sweat trickled down my cheeks.

Cheon Soyul, confirming my expression, smirked and *swished* herself onto my thighs.

Like a nimble cat, she quickly found her spot and sat down.

This time, conversely, she looked down at me from above and moved both her hands.

I felt an instinctive sense of danger.

“…Hey, wait. Just a moment.”

“I’ll help you. Try to get it up properly.”

Reaching out to stop her was meaningless. Cheon Soyul casually brushed aside my hand and continued her clumsy hand job.

My body was exhausted, but my member, oblivious, reacted. My face went pale, and Cheon Soyul smiled widely, sporting a mischievous, devilish expression.

“See? What do you mean, ‘just a moment’? You’re full of intentions too, aren’t you?”

“No, wait. I really can’t go any further…!”

“Hey, shut up! If I say we’re doing it, we’re doing it! Aren’t you going to get it up quickly?! Get it up!!”

That night.

I only managed to get proper sleep after making Cheon Soyul come three more times…

*****

“…Well, honestly, if you had started spouting some principled nonsense like ‘you can do whatever you want’ or ‘that’s your freedom,’ then maybe I really wouldn’t have been able to hold back. Quite the opposite, in fact.”

Morning dawned, and Cheon Soyul uttered those words.

It was an answer to a question.

The previous day, she had told Lee Hyunjin that if he didn’t want to see her sleeping with another man, he should do better. Not that he should only focus on her.

Lee Hyunjin seemed to have questions about that, so she gave him that reply.

She said that if he had told her to do whatever she wanted, she would have truly done whatever she wanted.

…Within the bounds of common sense, it was logically correct to say that whatever Cheon Soyul did with whomever was her own freedom.

Cheon Soyul knew that too.

She just hoped that the answer from Lee Hyunjin wouldn’t be something so stale. Why?

‘…Because if he doesn’t even get jealous, I feel like I’d truly become pathetic.’

Cheon Soyul bit her lip, glaring unhappily at Lee Hyunjin. He was such a hypocrite, even his bewildered expression was irritating.

Yes, that’s the feeling. It goes without saying that he was utterly despicable in front of her, but she absolutely didn’t want to hear him say “do whatever you want.”

To put it more bluntly.

Cheon Soyul wanted him to be jealous of her.

Everything else aside, this was simply a matter of pride.

Yes, pride. A useless pride that would suffer an even greater scratch if Lee Hyunjin didn’t need her.

When Lee Hyunjin’s face darkened due to her reckless bluff, she even felt a base sense of superiority.

His jealousy pleased her. Because it reaffirmed that, among her many friends, he considered her the closest.

‘…Right. That’s really all it is.’

Cheon Soyul repeated to herself. It was all for pride, that was all it was, she forcibly convinced even herself.

“Haa.”

Soon, having sorted out all her thoughts, she gathered her messy hair into a single tie.

Then, she shook her head once to clear her hair, and with sparks flying, she *zapped!* a sharp glare at Lee Hyunjin.

“You.”

And she spoke.

“If you don’t want to see me lying with another man, then you better do well from now on. If you fail to satisfy me even once, your chance is gone.”

It was a warning. It wasn’t something she truly meant, but sometimes even such bluffs worked quite effectively.

This was one of those times. Lee Hyunjin had a somewhat sullen expression, but he didn’t seem to be taking her words lightly.

Cheon Soyul nodded in satisfaction.

“…Hmm, but.”

There was only one thing she hadn’t anticipated.

Lee Hyunjin asked in an awkward voice.

“Are you going to keep doing it with me from now on?”

“… ”

It was a truly unexpected counterattack.

Cheon Soyul paused for a very brief moment, but her sharp mind quickly spun even in this instant, deriving the most ideal answer.

“Y-Yes.”

First, affirmation. And what followed next was a redefinition of their relationship.

“Let’s make this clear, Lee Hyunjin. From now on, you are my—”

Cheon Soyul, about to continue speaking with confidence, stopped her voice for a moment. The reason was a strange surge of embarrassment.

But even that feeling became calmer after seeing Lee Hyunjin’s anxious face.

Cheon Soyul wore a forced smile, filled with distorted emotions, and declared boldly with a finger pointed at Lee Hyunjin.

“From now on, you are my one and only sex friend…!”

“?”

Lee Hyunjin wore a blank expression.

*****

“Cheon Soyul.”

“Why, what?”

“Last question. Are you sure about this?”

“…About what?”

“Are you sure it’ll be enough even if I don’t focus only on you?”

“… ”

Lee Hyunjin asked with a seriousness he rarely showed, and Cheon Soyul paused for a very brief moment.

Her eyes flickered with a hint of conflict for a split second.

“…Ha, what was he even talking about?”

Soon, Cheon Soyul forced a nonchalant laugh, merely shrugging coolly and glancing at Lee Hyunjin.

“I don’t really care, you know? A playboy like you, I’d refuse myself. A sex friend is one thing, but as husband material, you’re disqualified a hundred, a thousand times over.”

“… ”

“…Well, anyway, there’s nothing more rude than telling an awakened person not to use their unique abilities.”

What can I do? It just so happens that your ability is so perverted.

Cheon Soyul added that, then stuck out her tongue with a mischievous smile.

It was a form of pride.

She didn’t mind acknowledging him as a partner for continued flirtation.

But to bring up talk of a husband or a live-in son-in-law now felt somehow, deeply, like conceding too many times, and she disliked it.

If she truly desired such a sweet future, then Lee Hyunjin should be the one to ask first.

Thinking that, Cheon Soyul quickly averted her gaze from Lee Hyunjin.

“Do whatever you want. I don’t feel anything no matter what you do with anyone else.”

Because of that.

She didn’t see.

“Really…?”

How incredibly subtle the expression on Lee Hyunjin’s face behind her was.

Nor what the faint emotion lingering in his eyes truly was.

‘If only I had held his leash tighter back then, instead of doing that…’

Later. Cheon Soyul would bitterly regret her foolish choice, made that day, to prioritize pride over practicality, pounding the ground over and over.

But at that young age, for Cheon Soyul, a mere twenty-year-old girl, it was an unfortunate truth she had no way of knowing yet.