Chapter 45: Oh, your house is so warm.

On an electric blanket spread out in one corner of the living room, reference books belonging to two people lay half-open on a wide desk.  

Seol Yeonhwa quietly twirled her pen while staring at a workbook.  

Her blue hair gently cascaded over her shoulder, shimmering softly under the glow of the lamp.  

“Hey, do you know how to solve this problem?”  

At Shin Yuseong’s voice, Seol Yeonhwa turned her head.  

A hint of tension flickered across her pale face.  

It was that subtle feeling—the moment their eyes met, as if her breath caught in her throat.  

‘It’s exam period, so I just threw it out there…’  

She hadn’t expected him to actually say it was okay for her to come over and study.  

Especially not under the pretext of being neighbors.  

Not at some study room, but at his house, where the two of them would be sitting shoulder-to-shoulder.  

Well, “shoulder-to-shoulder” might be a stretch since they were seated across from each other with some distance between them, but to her racing heart, this felt impossibly close.  

And then, it got even closer.  

“…I know it. I’ll explain.”  

Seol Yeonhwa cautiously moved closer, kneeling beside Shin Yuseong.  

Since they were in the same class, they were studying similar material for the midterm exams.  

The subject they were preparing for, with an exam scheduled for Monday, was Dungeon Management and Hunter Laws.  

The part he was struggling with involved measuring the mana saturation of an unexpected dungeon and dispatching the appropriate hunter forces as a manager.  

“Here, this formula can actually be rearranged like this. So, it’s…”  

As someone who might one day lead the Blue Magic Tower and its mages, this was an area where Seol Yeonhwa excelled—academic and managerial knowledge.  

Could it be that this otherwise perfect guy was just a little weak with numbers? 

She suppressed a faint smile, keeping it to herself.  

It wasn’t about mocking his weakness; rather, it was the thrill of discovering a new side to the guy she liked.  

Truthfully, she didn’t even know why she liked him so much.  

When they first met, she thought, He’s strong.  

That was her initial impression. 

The next time they met, amidst her flustered huffing and puffing, curiosity had sparked.  

After exchanging contact info, a sense of familiarity began to grow. 

And when they met again at the top of the Magic Tower—  

Her heart just started racing.  

It could be a fleeting illusion, her brain misfiring after narrowly escaping death. 

But she had no desire to break free from this illusion.  

As a mage, she was supposed to maintain cold, sharp intuition, but perhaps she was betraying that now.  

Yet, for the first time in her life, she wanted to be swept away like this.  

She just wanted to keep feeling this fluttering excitement.  

As her hand moved across the reference book, their hands brushed ever so slightly, unintentionally.  

The warmth radiating from him felt both blissful and electrifying against her skin.  

Yeonhwa paused mid-explanation.  

“Hm?”  

“…You’re too close.”  

She muttered softly, averting her gaze.  

The tips of her ears were faintly flushed.  

Normally, if she felt this off, she’d have already stood up and left, but today, strangely, she didn’t want to.  

It wasn’t that the person in front of her made her uncomfortable, nor was her condition bad.  

If anything, his face looked unusually appealing, and her body was practically humming with excitement.  

“It’s not that I mind, but… you’re close.”  

“What’s that supposed to mean?”  

Shin Yuseong grinned as if he’d heard something odd, and Yeonhwa furrowed her brow slightly.  

She wasn’t upset, but she didn’t want to seem too flustered.  

Tucking her hair behind her ear with the hand holding her pen, she added in a quiet, almost inaudible voice:  

“It’s just… your house is too warm.”  

Even though she’d lived in warmer conditions before, it really felt that way.  

The warmth that usually stayed at a distance now felt so tangible lately.  

Under his sudden gaze, the air in the room seemed to heat up, and her body temperature rose with it.  

She was too warm now.  

Maybe too hot—her heart was pounding so fiercely in her chest.  

***

They studied for about two or three hours to prepare for the midterm, but honestly, he couldn’t focus much.  

Was it because it was his house?  

Because it was the first time a girl had come over?  

Or because that girl was pretty and kept stealing glances at him?  

None of those were quite it.  

All those factors played a part, but the real issue was her.  

No, more precisely, this goddess.  

[The goddess claps her hands repeatedly, nodding with an ecstatic expression.]  

Damn goddess.  

Every time he tried to focus, she popped up in his vision, making it impossible to concentrate on the problems.  

If she appeared constantly, he could just block her out, but since she showed up sporadically, it was harder to ignore. 

It made him keep wondering when she’d appear next.  

If Seol Yeonhwa hadn’t helped, he wouldn’t have even gotten halfway through the material he’d planned to cover. 

Though, ironically, the goddess reacted like this whenever he got closer to Yeonhwa.  

Ugh, what kind of paradox is this?  

Should he just study alone?  

But with the goddess interfering, Yeonhwa’s knack for studying was too valuable to give up.  

The exam results would tell, but just watching her, he had a feeling.  

Some people just feel like they’ll ace the written exams, and she was one of them.  

If he studied with her for a few days, his written exam scores would probably shoot up. It felt too good an opportunity to pass up.  

So, the choice was clear.  

“I guess I’ll just have to block the goddess.”  

[The goddess gasps in horror, pleading not to do something so cruel.]  

“What can I do? You don’t want your hero to come in last at school, do you? I need to study hard and at least hit the class average.”  

While others had been studying all along, he was cramming at the last minute.  

There was no other way.  

He’d have to set the goddess aside for now and make a final sprint.  

[The goddess, looking dejected, quietly begs to be spared from being blocked.]  

“Come on, begging like that?”  

When the goddess he served pleaded so earnestly, he couldn’t just ignore her.  

Being cold-hearted was tougher than it seemed.  

He decided to see how quiet she’d be next time and block her if she got too noisy again.  

[The goddess beams brightly.]  

With that in mind, he flipped through the reference book for Monday’s exam, skimming to catch up.  

If he’d studied like this normally, he might’ve gotten into Seoul National University. 

But what could he do?  

Coming in last just because he started late would be a blow to a hero’s pride.  

It wasn’t about others’ opinions—he just didn’t like the idea himself.  

So, unlike the past twenty years, or even his middle and high school days, he threw himself into studying with unparalleled focus.  

And so, Monday arrived.  

***

At Seoul Supernatural Academy, all classes shifted to midterm season, with schedules filled with self-study, free periods, and exams.  

Those who cared about grades would dive into studying, while others couldn’t care less.  

Sephine Alabard fell into the latter group.  

If she ended up in the lower ranks, her family might nag, but she didn’t really care.  

She’d just failed to solve the last exam question, which left her a bit melancholic, but something else was weighing on her more.  

“…Ugh, why does time feel so fast yet so slow these days?”  

As the anticipated day approached, the flow of time and space felt strange.  

It was hard to believe, exciting, and yet tinged with worry.  

The fact that her favorite person’s birthday was just two days away was making her restless.  

Which was Wednesday.  

The final day of the academy’s intense exams—and Shin Yuseong’s birthday.  

***

Tuesday.  

As midterms reached their midpoint, the campus was filled with the groans of struggling students.  

And among them, some were preparing a certain strategy.  

“Is the plan coming along smoothly?”  

“It’s being executed thoroughly.”  

“We’re not amateurs at scheming.”  

“Still, don’t let your guard down. Treat the target like an SSS-rank hunter—no, a monster capable of destroying the world. We need to proceed perfectly, meticulously, and naturally.”  

“Uh, saying it like that makes it feel less like a birthday event and more like we’re saving the world.”  

“We’ve never even gone this far for the cult leader’s birthday.”  

“Focus.” 

Quiet.  

“But you asked first, boss…”  

It was less a strategy and more a celebratory event, but to them, it was a serious mission.  

And so, time slipped by quietly.  

***

“…Finally!”  

Wednesday arrived.  

The last day of exams—and someone’s birthday.  

Many people had been eagerly awaiting this day.  

***

[“Hehehe, see! If we pool our strength, we can pull this off!”]  

Even a non-human entity was involved.  

Countess-level demon Albania gazed down at the “tribute” with a triumphant smile.  

A gesture of respect for her great master, a treasure befitting a defeated vassal.  

Piles of precious items, painstakingly gathered from the demon’s innate soul pouch, lay heaped before her.  

The illusory Albania nodded with pride.  

“Yes, this is it.”  

She hadn’t known it was her master’s birthday, but it had coincidentally aligned.  

And then there was the goddess.  

“One, two, check. Hmm, perfect!”  

A deity from beyond was preparing to descend to the mortal realm.  

To be continued…