episode_0094

“Wow..Fuck..”

“..Was there someone like that? A 5th grader? But it’s my first time seeing them.. Is that a freshman? Is that person? ”

As time passed, the number of people in the shopping district increased. Whether they were male or female students, there was no one who would easily take their eyes off Rin. Envy, jealousy, lust, shock, anger… Even when I looked at them, their eyes filled with countless emotions flew and pierced Rin’s chest.

It wasn’t exactly an idiomatic expression, but almost all eyes were fixed on Rin’s chest. Anyone who saw it couldn’t help but see it.

“Hey.. Is that… that crazy bitch? The one spitting blood.”

“Now that I hear it, it seems a bit similar..”

There were also some people who recognized Lin from time to time. Lin was really a total rascal, so most of the students in the academy would know her and her face would be familiar.

Of course, the atmosphere had changed a lot since then, and the clothes and hair had been slightly adjusted, but the overall atmosphere and facial features were the same, so once I had that thought, I couldn’t help but be convinced.

“That’s right! Following the Masked Princess around like that too. That girl was like that too.”

“But then… why are you wearing a uniform when you’re not even a student? And your chest is really big.”

“That’s what girls do to look a little younger. When I went home last time, I told my sister she looked old and I almost got beat up.”

Looking at Lin’s explosive chest, the male students here and there were making dirty jokes and giggling, and Lin’s face turned bright red. I’m sorry, Lin. But if you don’t like this, you can just turn around and go back. It’s not like the research will fail completely if I’m not there, right?

I’ve been the center of attention for so long that I find this situation quite refreshing. Unless something is particularly special or interesting, it’s harder to get attention than a short girl walking around with her face half-hidden and a handsome guy following her.

It’s always annoying to have people muttering and staring at me whenever I walk down the street, even if I try not to notice it, but I was being erased by Rin’s crazy presence. More precisely, Rin’s chest.

Should I make Lin dance and sing? It would be really fun to watch, but I thought it was unlikely to be possible. I don’t have any authority, so it would be impossible. Then what should I do to have fun? I walked slowly and thought about it carefully.

And then I realized. I realized too late that this academy was a trashy neighborhood with absolutely nothing to do or enjoy. If I was just going to walk around with Rin anyway, it was only natural that this explosive reaction would die down, so it was only natural that I would lose interest.

Of course, the gazes at Lin like this won’t disappear completely, but it won’t be comparable to the way everyone would whisper and stare at her just by walking down the street like now. Thinking about that, all the excitement disappeared.

What happens after that? If I get tired of playing with Rin this way and that, Rin will start doing crazy concepts again, and she will be stressed out by it. Even if you buy a bunch of clothes, changing clothes doesn’t mean people won’t get used to the stimulation.

This can’t go on! But… what can I do? What else can I do to have fun without interfering with Rin’s research? I folded my arms and started to think seriously. And then… an idea came to me that surprised even me.

“Lin, let’s go back!”

I grabbed Lin’s wrist and started running back to the dorm. Even though it wasn’t that fast, Lin’s panting was very loud. Plus, the male students were mumbling as they watched Lin’s chest start to move. My hearing is so good at times like this. Well, I guess I’m a guy so I can understand, but…

Anyway, I quickly returned to my room in the dormitory and sat Rin down on the chair. Rin was out of breath, so much so that anyone who saw her would have thought she had been sprinting for several minutes. I was so dumbfounded that I patted Rin on the back.

“..No, how long have you been running that you’re having such a hard time? I have something to discuss, so let’s quickly release the spell.”

“Heh.. Heek.. Ugh. Heek..”

“Um… Should we take a break for a bit?”

I didn’t run very fast or for very long, but I’m sweating so much that I’m making a sound like I’m dying? Rin’s hair on her forehead and cheeks were all soaked with sweat, and I could see that her armpits and back were already soaked with sweat. I fanned her with my hand and waited for her to calm down.

It was only after quite some time that Lin finally caught her breath. Only after her face, which had turned bright red from embarrassment rather than from a fever, returned to normal, was I able to get to the main point.

“I thought about it a lot, and I feel a little sorry for making Rin look so embarrassed.”

“It doesn’t look like that at all..”

Lin looked at me with resentful eyes, but I was confident. So what should I do?

“So I came up with another idea for Lin. It’s not that different from what she usually does..”

I excitedly explained my thoughts to Lin, and as she listened to me, Lin’s face kept changing strangely.

.

.

.

Late at night, Cosette was walking down the hallway. Leah, whom she had not spoken to in a few days, had suggested that they eat together, since her hometown cuisine was due to arrive tonight. So Cosette was walking down the dark hallway, humming along with great excitement.

Why bother ordering food delivered from far away?

Why do we have to eat that dish together on this night?

There were questions like these that should have been asked as a matter of common sense, but Cosette just walked down the hallway happily without thinking about anything. Suddenly, as she was walking like that, Cosette glanced at the empty hallway.

Walking down the hallways at night is something I’ve rarely experienced in my years at the Academy, so I can’t really compare it to any other time, but… even for this late of night… isn’t it a little too quiet?

Cosette felt a little creeped out by the fact that she couldn’t hear any insects or birds chirping, so she quickened her pace a little. Tap, tap, tap… The sound of Cosette’s shoes hitting the hallway floor echoed faintly.

Hit, hit, hit… Blame.

Stop. Cosette stopped and looked back. There was no one standing in the dark hallway.

‘Wasn’t there something mixed in the sound of my footsteps?’

“It’s because of my mood.. right?”

Cosette muttered to herself without realizing it. It wasn’t a habit, but she felt a little creepy and spoke as if she were talking to someone. Cosette shook her head and started walking again.

Hit, hit, hit…

It was just my mood just now. When I started walking again, I couldn’t hear anything. Cosette sighed and blamed herself for being so stupidly scared. Look at this. Even if I stop like this, I can’t hear anything─

Tatt.

Cosette had already stopped, but someone’s footsteps echoed in the hallway. Cosette felt a chill run down her spine, as if someone had poured ice-cold water on her. Cosette looked back very slowly. There was no one.

But Cosette couldn’t feel safe after seeing that empty, dark corridor. Something was strange. A certain intuition that she couldn’t explain exactly kept bothering Cosette. Let’s run away. Cosette made a decision in an instant and turned around.

Cosette started running. It was hard to tell who was following her because of the dizzying footsteps. But it didn’t matter. Leah’s room was right in front of her, so she thought that if she could just get there, all her problems would be solved. Cosette ran without even breathing and threw open Leah’s room. The key was unlocked.

“Sigh..”

Cosette let out a deep sigh of relief and closed the door. Inwardly, she wondered what would happen if she had carelessly left the door open, even though she had said she was coming. Closing the door like that, Cosette wiped her forehead out of habit and discovered something on her hand. The familiar texture and smell, and the darkness that had already adjusted her eyes, were none other than blood.

In that moment, Cosette froze as she realized that the smell of blood was vibrating not only from her hand but also from Leah’s room. What on earth was happening? Leah slowly looked into the room.

I don’t know why I only noticed it now, but the blood that started at the entrance stretched all the way to the center of the room. No matter where you looked, it was a lethal dose, and at the end of the path made by that blood was a person who seemed to be the owner of that blood. Even in the dark, it was bright golden hair, a mask, and a small body. No matter where you looked, it was Leah.

“Princess..?”

It seemed that he had started bleeding from near the entrance and was dragged to the center of the room. An object presumed to be a kitchen knife was stuck in Leah’s back, who was lying still. Who on earth? The healer? Cosette’s head became complicated and she knelt helplessly in the sea of blood. That was when.

Click.

Creak.

It was the sound of someone opening the door and coming in. Cosette’s ears caught it and her face brightened. It’s the healer! If Leah hadn’t died yet, Yugram, who had great skills, could have healed her, so Cosette immediately turned around. However, it wasn’t Yugram who opened the door and came in.

“Kuu.. kekekeke.. hehe..”

She was a huge woman, so big that she had to stand with her back bent for a long time, not to mention touching the ceiling. She was holding a kitchen knife with a blade in both hands, and blood was flowing from her cut hands. She was wearing a dress that looked like rags, and the blood that had originally been white had hardened and dried, turning it into a dark reddish brown.

More than her strange appearance, what caught Cosette’s eye was her face. Her mouth was scarred red and ugly, as if someone had torn it open on both sides, and where her eyes should have been, there was only darkness, and blood was flowing out of them and wetting the floor. As she looked at Cosette and slowly walked toward her, she stuck out her long snake-like tongue and licked her lips─

“Keuheugh..”

Cosette fell unconscious, groaning in a way that was barely a scream.