episode_0081

Upon hearing my words, Claire froze momentarily as if something had malfunctioned.

It was almost as if she was questioning whether she had heard me correctly.

Seeing Claire still motionless, I had no choice but to repeat the same thing to her once again.

“It seems like we still have time, but delaying further won’t bring any benefits.”

Observing the Black Moon 4th Unit, including Laika, continuously approaching our direction, it was evident that an accurate assessment of the situation had not been made yet. However, if we continued to stall, all details would soon come to light.

Initially, I assumed Claire would have grasped the situation when the two of us entered the alley together.

“Claire, if possible, I’d like to sleep with you for a while.”

Seemingly coming to her senses after my repeated words, she suddenly exclaimed, “What…? What are you saying!!”

“Shh! You need to be quiet. If you raise your voice like that, everyone outside will hear.”

Even though she covered her mouth with both hands as if she unintentionally raised her volume, judging by her face turning crimson, she seemed quite flustered and angry.

Feeling apologetic, I focused on calming her down by slightly distancing myself from her.

“I thought we had become somewhat close through my efforts, but that’s just my perspective. We still have a long way to go. Even if we’ve grown a bit closer, misunderstandings can happen.”

“Don’t misunderstand and listen to me. Right now, I can’t explain everything in detail due to lack of time, but I need you to receive a buff from you regularly to prevent disconnection. It’s not because I have ill intentions or want to harm you, so could you trust me?”

As it wasn’t a leisurely moment, I didn’t disclose all the details, but explaining my intention to stay close to Claire to receive buffs seemed to somewhat calm her down.

“What… If that was the case, you should have kindly explained everything from the beginning. By skipping details like that, it made me feel like I’m the only one misunderstanding things. Yukal is truly foolish and bad.”

“I’m sorry, Claire. There hasn’t been much time for us to have a proper conversation, so I rushed, leading to this situation.”

While the tension seemed to ease a bit after my apology, she poked me with her finger, indicating that there was a part of my words she didn’t agree with.

“However, it’s against the rules of the Academy for students of different genders to enter each other’s dormitories without permission. What if we get caught? It’s not that I dislike you, Yukal.”

Certainly, there were practical issues as mentioned by Claire.

Firstly, the Ardente Academy regulations clearly state that students of different genders entering each other’s dormitories without permission will receive at least disciplinary action.

There is a possibility of being caught since the dormitories are checked several times a day by staff or security to ensure that there are no intrusions by students of the opposite gender or any unusual situations.

“But if I were to enter Claire’s room, it wouldn’t be a big issue.”

Given that the security and staff at Ardente Academy are affiliated with the institution, they possess a certain level of power, but penetrating my detection abilities would be challenging.

Especially with my heightened senses.

Unless Iris suddenly decides to check the status of both dormitories, my chances of being detected would approach zero.

Since my first year at Ardente Academy, there have been instances where students secretly met each other, even visiting each other’s rooms at night.

Some individuals were caught, but since it was a place where the talents of the empire gathered, there were overwhelmingly more cases of avoiding the security’s watchful eyes.

Even ordinary students manage to evade the security, so I shouldn’t get caught.

Another issue is that if I have to skip classes, I might lose my scholarship benefits.

“I’ve managed to avoid failing since my first year, so skipping a few classes in the second year should be fine.”

At this point, when I still can’t handle any magic, whether I attend classes or not shouldn’t significantly affect passing the second-year exams.

While Claire’s scholarship benefits pose a problem, as long as I visit Claire’s room and only skip my classes, it shouldn’t cause major issues.

Although Claire has said she’s fine with not becoming a scholar, I can’t burden her with that. Both of us have arrived at the academy, but if we stop attending classes, it may raise suspicions among academy staff, leading to inquiries.

While I prefer to attend classes if possible, I don’t want others to notice my weakening state for the future.

Another issue is the Black Moon 4th Squad that keeps monitoring me.

“They’re quite a nuisance.”

After rigorous training with my master during the last break, if I go all out, I could evade the 4th Squad and hide within the academy. However, doing so would immediately alert Cineria to the fact that I possess power beyond what they assumed, possibly prompting her to come to Ardente Academy to find me.

The moment I disappear, starting with those close to me, they will search thoroughly. While receiving Claire’s buff weakens me, I won’t be able to hide the fact that I’m in Claire’s room and weakened from them.

Deceiving them poses quite a headache.

“It’s definitely not going to be easy to pull off. Simply evading them won’t cut it; I mustn’t get caught by them for a certain period, which is frustratingly maddening.”

I need to carefully plan this method; otherwise, it won’t work.

“For now, I just need Claire’s consent. I’ll figure out the method quickly.”

The biggest issue is that Claire might feel uncomfortable with the fact that I, a man, am staying in her room.

If she doesn’t agree, the whole plan will fail.

“Claire, do you happen to know how long the buff can be maintained at its maximum?”

“Um… If I focus solely on maintaining the buff and pour almost all my mana into it, about an hour? It seems quite challenging to go beyond that. If I increase the power, the duration will decrease significantly.”

“As expected, it’s tough without staying in Claire’s room.”

Coming out several times every night to cast the buff without being noticed by anyone is difficult and nearly impossible for Claire.

Initially, I thought simply staying in her room would suffice, but upon further consideration, if Claire isn’t around during lectures or outside, there’s a chance the connection could be severed.

Should I raid the academy storage again and steal some disguises?

However, that won’t address the fundamental issue.

“If only I could change my gender, it might serve as a starting point, but that’s not an option.”

Feeling frustrated, he swallowed a sigh, and at that moment, a system notification caught his eye.

【User’s intention for gender transformation has been confirmed.】

【Additional functions that were sealed will be unlocked.】

【Gender and age will now be displayed in the player’s information.】

【’Stat Crystal’ will be changed to ‘Status Crystal’.】

Huh?

Hurriedly checking the status window after the notification, he noticed a distinct change.

[Yukal – Lv.32]

Gender: Male

Age: 20 years old

Strength: 43(+43) Agility: 43(+43)

Stamina: 43(+43) Magic: 43(+43)

Traits: Adaptability, Sixth Sense, Magic Resistance

Skills: Swordsmanship Lv.27, Aura Lv.21

Body Reinforcement Lv.17, Aura Blade Lv.15

Meditation Lv.12, Aura Armor Lv.8, Pyrokinesis Lv.2

Items: Status Crystal (Bound, partially activated)

Unique Abilities: Equilibrium, Sword Mastery

“Gender and age are now displayed in the player’s information.”

Moreover, considering the functionality of the previous Stat Crystal, he could roughly guess the extent of the new Status Crystal’s capabilities.

With this, Claire could relax and comfortably interact without exposing him to Sineria or the Black Moon. He could thoroughly verify his hypothesis through this main scenario without being exposed!

At that moment, a tingling sensation of heightened awareness signaled that time was of the essence.

Now, it was clear that members of the Black Moon organization, including Laika, were nearing the alley, leaving no time to spare. He turned to Claire for one final question.

“Claire, if I manage to resolve the issues we discussed within a day or two, would it be alright for us to stay together in your room?”

After some hesitation, Claire looked at him and finally spoke up.

“Yukal, that’s fine with me. Even if problems arise from this, I won’t blame you. But if we both end up getting expelled, you’ll have to take responsibility, okay?”

“Got it. Let’s keep this between ourselves as well.”

Agreeing with Claire, a natural smile formed on his face as he released the aura that had concealed them.

As they suddenly revealed their hidden presence, a pause ensued to check for any unusual anomalies, but nothing out of the ordinary was detected.

“It hasn’t been that long, and we’ve only had a simple conversation, so I probably won’t find anything strange.”

Picking up the luggage he had briefly set down, he took Claire’s hand and led her away.

“We haven’t even had dinner yet. Let’s quickly drop off our stuff at the dorm and grab a meal together.”

Amidst the fierce surveillance of Black Moon’s 4th Division, they moved their belongings and headed to the dining hall with Claire. Despite Victor and Rachel’s minor reproach about disappearing suddenly, they brushed it off.