Episode 155. Grade Announcement (2)

Morning class was Modern Hunter Studies.

“Hello, everyone~. I’m Professor Kang Hyorin. It’s been a while.”

Dr. Kang Hyorin, in charge of Modern Hunter Studies, entered the lecture hall dressed neatly.

It feels like I’m really taking a class after a long time.

That’s how long the Survival and Festival periods were.

A whole two weeks.

“Ah, there’s an announcement before class. After the morning class ends, the grades will be posted, and since I’m in charge of the first-years, any grade-related inquiries can be directed to my lab. Now, let’s start the class!”

I hadn’t been studying lately, so there were a few things I didn’t know, but most of it was familiar.

‘I should make time to at least read the books.’

It’s more efficient than listening to the lecture.

So, instead of paying attention, I thought about my future plans.

Scribble, scribble.

In my notebook, I wrote the word ‘terror’.

There’s no need to worry about terror for now. Pandemic incidents tend to be quiet for at least a month after a terrorist attack.

Even if they seem like random acts of terror, they meticulously find openings over time.

That’s why they can survive in the shadows, even after making enemies of the entire world.

Next, the heroines.

Clicking my ballpoint pen, I stared at the word ‘heroines’.

‘The heroines’ routes… well… they aren’t bad.’

Moon Surin’s mental state, Alice’s voyeurism, or Lucy’s ambiguous route are minor issues, and I can definitely handle them.

The real obstacle is that as more women get closer, they might start to get jealous of each other.

Therefore, I need to pay even more attention to my approach.

Just becoming their lover doesn’t mean the route is complete.

Making them all mine is different from dating them all.

‘The message about meeting me for lunch… what was that about?’

And then there was the mysterious letter.

No matter how I think about it, none of the heroines would do something like that.

If it wasn’t a heroine, the only one left is Kim Young-han, but he doesn’t seem like the type either.

“Hmm….”

“What’s wrong? Is it difficult?”

“It’s nothing.”

During class, I shook my head at Lucy, who was looking at me.

Thinking about something that won’t yield an answer is pointless. I’ll find out when I get there.

Surely an enemy wouldn’t target me inside the school.

*

“W-will you go out with me!”

“….”

Why was I nervous?

Even though I thought it wasn’t the case, just in case, I came to the rooftop prepared to deploy my cotton guard at any moment, but a female student I’d never seen before handed me a letter adorned with hearts.

Seriously, is this a dating sim? Do you have to confess like this?

I really hate this.

If it were you, would you go out with a guy whose name you don’t even know and haven’t spoken to?

Seriously, how out of touch with reality do you have to be to confess like this?

I sighed inwardly, put on an ambiguous expression, and uttered my refusal.

“… I’m sorry. I don’t think this is the right time for me to be seeing someone.”

“B-but why…”

Why? I don’t even know your name?

Seeing the girl, who looked up in shock, more closely, I vaguely recalled her.

She used to be good friends with Lucy.

They stopped hanging out sometime ago, so why is she suddenly confessing to me?

“You get along so well with that Lucy girl, so why won’t you go out with me?!”

“…?”

Why is Lucy suddenly being brought up?

Lucy is obviously more important than some random extra.

Putting aside the fact that she’s a heroine, Lucy is prettier and has bigger boobs than this girl.

“Um, sorry. Lucy is just my friend… and I’m not really in a position to be dating anyone yet… a bit…”

“You’re too mean! Sob!”

The female student threw the letter she handed me on the ground, squeezed out some tears, and left the rooftop.

“Haaah, what a crazy chick.”

Has she been watching too much anime? Do you think I’d accept you if you acted like that?

Tsk, tsk.

I sighed and headed down from the rooftop.

I regretted wasting time on this when I had decided to eat separately from the twins. It was that much of a waste.

The Lucy-Lumi twins said they’d grab a quick bite at the student cafeteria today before heading to class, so they must be eating already.

Since I wasn’t particularly hungry, I grabbed a triangle kimbap from a convenience store to kill time for lunch.

Thinking the grades might be posted soon, I went to the central corridor, but the grades didn’t seem to be up yet.

I trudged back to the lecture hall, only to find Lucy and the girl who confessed to me earlier facing off.

Their voices were getting louder, indicating some kind of argument.

“You, you… Did you just say everything you wanted to?!”

Lucy glared at the female student, clenching her fists.

“Why? Was I wrong? You cursed me out left and right back then, and now you’re calling me disgusting for clinging to you? Is that wrong?”

“What do you know? What did I ever do to you?!”

“It’s dirty and pathetic. You don’t even realize Hoyeon was being nice by letting it slide, and I hate seeing you act so brazenly.”

“I know that too? Besides, between us….”

Listening casually, I figured out the situation: it was about the time Felix was around.

‘Lucy used to praise Felix to her close friends while badmouthing Lee Hoyeon. But once Felix was revealed to be a mind-controlled puppet, she suddenly became friendly with Lee Hoyeon, wagging her tail.’

To summarize their fight, the girl found Lucy’s past actions disgusting. Of course, Lucy knew about this.

And it was unavoidable.

I had deliberately acted like a jerk, and Lucy was under a spell from Felix.

On top of that, a spell was cast to lower her affection towards me, so the outcome was pretty much inevitable.

But right now, how the parties involved felt wasn’t the main issue.

“Wow, really? I thought Lucy was a nice kid, but I guess not.”

“She’s just overshadowed by Lumi. She’s always been trash personality-wise.”

Perhaps people had harbored complaints about Lucy for a while, but centered around the girls, negative comments about Lucy began to snowball.

‘Should I intervene?’

Maybe if the person involved says it’s okay, things might calm down a bit?

Or perhaps, should I use this situation to my advantage?

I slowly looked between the two, pondering.

“What did I do wrong to deserve this…!”

Just then, Lucy and I made eye contact.

Simultaneously, the students chattering around us noticed me and fell silent.

This means I have no choice but to step in.

“Everyone. Let’s calm down first.”

First, I need to de-escalate the situation.

We can’t keep fighting here.

“Hoyeon, didn’t you hear? She badmouthed you all over the place, and now she’s standing next to you, grinning like nothing happened!”

The female student arguing with Lucy shouted at me.

It was the same girl I rejected earlier.

Earlier, she was blushing while asking me out, so why does she look so furious now?

And you were using polite speech earlier. Why are you using informal speech in front of everyone?

“Haaah… Who are you to interfere with us? Lucy and I already resolved this. Don’t just say whatever you want when you don’t know the details. And everyone else, please stop spreading these rumors.”

I needed to divert the attention focused on Lucy.

In reality, Lucy and I never directly discussed this incident to make up.

It just sort of fizzled out.

But I couldn’t say that in front of the students, so I lied to get out of the situation.

I took Lucy to our usual seats. Lumi, who was trembling behind us, came along too.

The students, seeing me step in and speak, gradually returned to their seats.

Now that the situation had calmed down, I could probably speak now, right?

“Are you okay?”

Seeing Lucy, whose energy was completely drained, unlike her usual self, and Lumi, who was still sniffling, I spoke.

“….”

“….”

Both of them were quietly looking down.

I could understand Lucy being like this, but why was Lumi acting this way?

“Don’t let those words bother you. I don’t care at all.”

“… Yeah.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Sigh. What am I supposed to do about this?

Because of one crazy bitch, the mood just got ruined for no reason.

Is that the ‘yandere’ or whatever they call it these days?

To check on the twins’ condition, I opened the status screen.

★ Heroine Status Screen

[Lucy]

• [ Affection: 90 ]

• [ Lust: 34 ]

• [ Hunger: 36 ]

• [ Fatigue: 85 ]

Current State: I really messed up. I should have apologized more sincerely… What if she hates me now?

★ Heroine Status Screen

[Lumi]

• [ Affection: 95 ] (+0.4)

• [ Lust: 65 ]

• [ Hunger: 35 ]

• [ Fatigue: 40 ]

Current State: Lucy… What if she gets hurt?

‘Hmm….’

Lumi seems fine, I just need to comfort Lucy a bit.

Seeing her fatigue level at 85, she must be really stressed.

“… Hoyeon.”

But before I could say anything, Lucy spoke first.

“Yeah.”

“Th-that time with Felix, I’m truly sorry. It was all my fault… I…”

[Quest Complete!]

As I watched Lucy stammering, a sudden system window appeared before my eyes.

‘A quest? What kind of quest…’

Then, something flashed through my mind.

There was still one quest I hadn’t cleared yet.

---

『Sub Quest Transmitted.』

[The Man Who Came First in the Practical Exam!]

First place in the written exam is a given!

Add to that, first place in the practical exam, and let’s become a man skilled in both literary and martial arts!

• Reward: Affection +1 for all heroines

---

Among the quests sent to me, this was the only one I hadn’t cleared.

No wonder I hadn’t been getting quests lately; it seems the evaluation for this quest wasn’t over yet.

But success… wait a minute.

Creak-

“Hey! The grades are out! They’re posted in the central corridor!”

“Aah! Grades!”

“Jisoo. Let’s go check the grades quickly.”

Rumble-

Most of the students rushed out, and a sense of dread washed over me.

“I-I’m really sorry. And… sniffle“

But I couldn’t just leave Lucy crying and apologizing to me.

Lucy is an important heroine too.

After listening to Lucy for a few minutes, once she calmed down a bit, I went out to check the grades.

“Whoa, Lee Hoyeon got first place in three subjects, seriously?”

“That’s insane. Isn’t it the first time in the academy’s history?”

“The student council president was the first to get first place in all subjects, but Lee Hoyeon might be the first to get three first places in their first-year exams.”

No, where did things go wrong?

Why? Just why?

But no matter how much I denied it, reality was harsh.

---

[Written Exam]

1. Lee Hoyeon.

2. Alice.

.

.

.

[Practical Exam]

1. Lee Hoyeon.

2. Nam Daeun.

.

.

.

[Special Exam]

1. Lee Hoyeon.

2. Alice.

.

.

.

---

I don’t know where it all went wrong.

The grade report was already out.

Wait, where is Nam Daeun?

From the lecture hall to the central corridor, Nam Daeun was nowhere to be seen.

Thump. Thump.

My heart pounded with anxiety and tension.

“See? I changed history.”

Just then, a familiar male voice sounded beside me.

“… Hey. Did you see Nam Daeun?”

I was too focused on Lucy to notice, but maybe Kim Young-han would know something.

“Nam Daeun? After looking at the grade report earlier, she packed her bag and headed off somewhere.”

“….”

“Anyway, getting first place three times means your bounty in the guilds will skyrocket…”

Kim Young-han kept talking beside me, but I couldn’t hear him.

I remembered Nam Daeun’s innocent face yesterday, beaming after receiving the wallet.

She definitely said she was going to show it off to her little sister.

Earlier, she was contemplating where to go with her sister using the reward for getting first place.

Overlaying that innocent expression, the bad ending flashed in my mind: Nam Daeun massacring guild members and committing suicide to protect her purity.

“Ah, fuck.”

I’m screwed.

I immediately turned around and ran back to the lecture hall.

This isn’t the time to be hanging around the academy.