episode_0005

“With so many people here, we’ll conduct a detailed investigation later.”

The students had already gathered in a state of commotion. With her lilac hair neatly tied up like a soldier, she shot a cold gaze at the surrounding students.

Just her presence alone seemed to make the students feel somewhat threatened, causing them to subtly make way for her.

“Let’s go.”

As people parted like the sea splitting, she walked confidently through the path that opened up without a hint of hesitation.

As they descended in the elevator, she turned back and explained in a low voice.

“After reinforcing the evidence and testimonies from the leadership team, the disciplinary committee will be convened. It is scheduled to take place within the next three days, so please be aware of that.”

“Yes, yes.”

In place of the slightly frozen me, Lager casually replied while scratching the back of his head.

Upon hearing his words, the girl from the leadership team narrowed her eyes, glanced at me disapprovingly, and then said, “Well then. If we need your cooperation, we’ll see you again.”

Leaving those words behind, she turned around, walked towards the open elevator, and exited first.

Watching her walk away, Lager let out a deep sigh and pointed towards the entrance of the dormitory.

“Let’s go eat. I’m hungry.”

*

The cafeteria was located next to the girls’ dormitory, and if you walked straight past the boys’ dormitory, you would come across a lake and a well-maintained park around it.

Next to the park, between the boys’ dormitory and the cafeteria, there was another building that looked like a gymnasium.

In an academy setting, gyms like that were often used for combat contests. There might be such an event coming up soon.

While looking around, lost in various thoughts, we arrived at the cafeteria, tagged our student IDs on the scanner, and picked up our trays.

Lunch was a handmade burger set. The sight of fresh vegetables, tomatoes, cheese, and a large beef patty sandwiched between buns and secured with a skewer made my mouth water.

The burger was accompanied by fries, mushroom soup, and cola. Cola could be replaced with an Americano according to personal preference. The fact that it could also be served iced was quite appealing.

There were holes on one side of the tray to hold cups, so it seemed unlikely that someone would accidentally spill their drink while carrying it.

As Lager was about to take a seat after filling his tray, he looked at me receiving an iced coffee and asked, “Are you drinking coffee?”

“If I don’t drink coffee, I get a headache.”

“I know that. But is it the same here?”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to experiment. It’s so annoying when I get a headache. I’ll just drink it like usual.”

I had a high caffeine dependency, often drinking more than three cups of coffee a day, and if I missed my usual coffee time, especially past noon, my head would start to ache. In fact, I had already missed my usual time due to various circumstances, so I was quite relieved that coffee was available in the cafeteria.

So, as I sat down and took a sip of my coffee…

“Ugh?!”

It was unbearably bitter. Why was it so bitter? Judging by the color, it looked like it might be a double shot espresso at most.

Lager stared at me blankly and then smirked as if to say, “Pathetic.”

“It seems like your body can’t handle coffee anymore.”

“…That can’t be.”

Unbelievable. I can’t experience that feeling of clarity anymore? Just the thought of it made my hands tremble.

Seeing my confusion, Lager took the coffee from me, placed it in front of himself, and offered me his cola.

“Here. I haven’t even taken a bite yet.”

“Hey, give it to me!”

“You’re barely taking a sip and making noises, how do you expect to eat like that?”

“Can you even eat?”

“Oh. I remember a scene where the protagonist drinks coffee.”

Despite saying that, Lager took a sip of coffee and nodded.

It’s my coffee. I can’t live without my coffee….

Even though it’s coffee I won’t be able to drink anyway, it somehow feels like it’s been stolen, making my lips curl.

Lager grabbed a hamburger and ate it skillfully.

I also grabbed a handful of hamburgers and tried to put them in my mouth.

“Ah, ah….”

It’s too big. Or more precisely.

My mouth is too small.

“What are you doing, you?”

“Oh, it’s too big….”

Lager, who looked at me pitifully as I opened my mouth wide and turned my head around, sighed deeply, got up, brought a fork and knife, and handed them to me.

“Think about cutting it before eating, you fool.”

“Who eats a hamburger by cutting it?”

“Many people do. And how long are you going to hold it without putting it in your mouth?”

Saying that, Lager glanced sideways and among the many people who were late for the meal, there were quite a few who were naturally cutting and eating hamburgers.

It turns out that my bias that hamburgers should be eaten by hand was wrong.

I nodded and picked up the hamburger with a fork, cut it, and took a bite.

Only then could I feel the wonderful juiciness of the patty and the harmony of fresh vegetables in my mouth and exclaimed, “Hmm!”

“There’s nothing like it.”

Watching me enjoy a proper meal, Lager, who sipped his coffee with a bitter expression for some reason, or whatever it was, picked up a french fry and crunched on it.

“Just because it’s the Disciplinary Committee doesn’t mean it’s anything special. Don’t be scared.”

“You even set that up?”

“Of course.”

Why is that obvious? Instead of playing with such settings, you should have read at least one more law book.

I kept that sneer to myself. Anyway, thanks to this setting geek, it will be very useful.

“The Disciplinary Committee itself can overlook it if you talk nicely. The problem is that girl from earlier.”

“That girl? With the purple hair?”

Lager nodded and took a big bite of the hamburger. Chewing and swallowing the hamburger, he glanced around discreetly, lowered his voice, and continued.

“Dakota Kale. She’s a twenty-year-old sub-leader just like us.”

“We’re twenty years old?”

“Well, in this world?”

“Oh….”

I didn’t like the fact that she became a girl, but the fact that she was four years younger was a pretty good point.

As the story seemed to be heading in a confusing direction, Lager cleared his throat to refocus.

“Anyway. Judging by the situation, I should be the one receiving disciplinary action, but seeing you being dragged into it as well, it seems like my set-up is being applied as it is.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, you see….”

Lager hesitated for a moment, looking around conspicuously, then hesitantly spoke in a hesitant voice.

“In fact, um…. it’s just a setting.”

“What, come on. Spit it out.”

“Dakota is actually the main heroine of this work.”

“…What?”

I couldn’t help but let out a shocked voice. So, what that means is.

“Are you saying that you dragged me into this out of jealousy because Dakota is the main heroine?”

Pointing at Lager with my thumb, he avoided my gaze and nodded with a smirk on his face.

“Ha, unbelievable.”

I burst out laughing in disbelief. Lager’s face turned red, and he waved his arms in a way that didn’t suit him at all.

“Hey! It’s just the setting! What am I supposed to do if I’m the main character!”

“Oh, you must be thrilled. Not only did you turn into a man, but now you’re even setting up a harem.”

“I have no intention of doing that!”

“Seriously, when you imagine it, it feels like a real joke. ‘Oh, the leader of the Seon Do faction surrendered to the wicked delinquent Jooji!!’ Is this the kind of development you had in mind?”

“Oh, gross.”

Receiving disdainful glances, I felt somewhat unjustly treated.

“You shouldn’t say that. Earlier, when you were poked in the tail, you were explaining the ultimate goal of this character. Isn’t this also something you set up?”

“What did you say?”

“It’s called ‘female corruption.’ How can the character’s goal be female corruption? Isn’t this something you came up with? This perverted writer.”

This time, I shot Lager a disdainful glance. He frantically defended himself as if feeling unjust.

“I swear I never created a character with a tail like yours. Where did you even come from?”

“Are you asking me that now?”

“Anyway, I never created a character who masturbates with a tail like you!”

“No, I didn’t masturbate with my tail!!”

With a loud bang, I slammed the desk and stood up abruptly. As we exchanged incredulous expressions due to our unreasonable arguments, suddenly the tail wriggled and extended from behind.

Slap.

With the tip of the tail, I smacked Lager’s cheek.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Lager, who had just been slapped on the cheek, asked in a challenging tone.

“I don’t know. You won’t believe it, but this doesn’t follow my control?”

I could only shrug my shoulders in response.

After finishing the meal and throwing away the leftovers, Lager almost didn’t drink his coffee and threw it away.

“Hey, if you’re not going to drink it, why did you take it? What a waste!”

“If you can’t drink it, what’s the point?”

“You could have left it and eaten it sneakily later or diluted it to drink! Don’t you know how precious coffee is!”

As someone who drank over a liter of coffee a day, I could never forgive this.

However, due to my diminished stature, I couldn’t scold Lager even if I wanted to, and I ended up feeling more irritated.

Lager stared at me intently and said, “I can’t sleep.”

With that, he playfully messed up my hair, placing his hand on my head. I tried to push his hand away, but he quickly withdrew his arm and moved ahead.

“What are you trying to do? Do you really want me to kick you in the genitals?”

I was annoyed by this treatment.

As I looked at him with a complaining look, at that moment,

“Miss Chloe.”

A polite yet slightly mischievous voice called out my name more unfamiliar than my name itself. I hadn’t turned around yet, but I already had a guess as to who it was.

A slender and bold girl with a firm and slender body despite wearing a neat pantsuit, her vibrant purple updo accentuating her figure, Dakota Kale.

“Could you have a word with me for a moment?”

The main heroine in this world’s setting.

It was Dakota Kale.