episode_0260

…It should’ve been a perfectly walkable distance.

The path back home after that embarrassing “treatment” felt unexpectedly long and arduous—unlike what I remembered.

Not because my thighs were numb. Or because my lower back kept cracking.

That wasn’t the reason.

Seo Woojin, who had tossed the semen-filled, limp condom next to me, had asked if I was in pain anywhere and treated me all over, after all.

Nor was it because my body still felt feverish even though it was all over.

That wasn’t the reason either.

Thanks to going all the way while pressed tightly against Woojin, my body felt surprisingly fine—light, even.

Of course, since it was my first time doing that, I should probably preface it with “for now” until more data accumulates.

Then what other reason could there be…

“…”

Unlike earlier, when I was walking and chatting with Woojin, now there was no one beside me.

“…Ha.”

How ridiculous.

It’s not like that makes such a big difference.

Why am I even thinking about him just because we had sex once?

I had stubbornly refused Woojin’s offer to walk me home, muttering curses under my breath as I quickened my pace.

The chilly night wind was cold enough to dry even the faint dampness left in my hair.

“Sigh…”

But because of it, my overheated head gradually cooled down.

And along with my returning rationality came the first real concern, pushing aside all the “Seo Woojin, you bastard” thoughts.

…Now that we’ve ended up having sex.

Does this mean I’ll have to keep seeing Woojin regularly from now on?

An expected concern.

Nothing particularly special.

The cause of my heat had been roughly narrowed down.

If I touch or get close to someone I’m consciously aware of as a potential partner, I probably end up needlessly going into heat.

The only difference between when I was fine after Woojin treated me the first time and when I suffered through my first heat was that.

Today’s incident pretty much confirmed it—if I just make sure not to touch Woojin anymore, the problem should resolve itself.

But, just in case.

If, by some chance, I have to touch him again…

…Then.

Would I have to…

Sleep with him one more time?

“…It’s a little weird, but he’s like a friend’s boyfriend or something…”

Just then, I spotted an empty juice can on the street.

Wondering if there was any left, I nudged it with the tip of my sneaker—then, after confirming it was empty, I kicked it as hard as I could, sending it clattering and rolling across the pavement before letting out a deep sigh.

“…Bastard.”

What happened earlier—mixing tongues with Woojin and having sex.

I’d rather never do it again if possible.

Honestly, I even felt like clawing his face right then and there.

…But.

It felt…

Good.

That’s the truth.

260

A well-behaved, docile cat that gently rubs its face against its owner’s hand is a dog-cat.

On the other hand, a cat that wildly scratches its owner’s face with its claws is a cat-delinquent.

If asked which of the two I’d rather be, of course, without a second thought, I’d choose the latter.

But unlike me, Woojin’s tastes probably don’t lean that way.

…So, while introducing Seo-yeon in a good light, I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone.

I pretended to be drunk and rubbed my cheek against his arm.

I deliberately let him carry me and pressed my chest against him.

Anyway, from my side, I tried my best…

I even tried acting cute enough for him to go pyaang pyaang and tuck me into bed until the early morning.

“Hmm-hmm…”

Well.

Seems like I ended up hearing something way bigger than I expected.

Pfft.

“Ugh…”

Then again, all gumiho love sex—I always thought it was weird that only our Seo-yeon was normal.

After finishing my bath in high spirits, I stumbled toward the bed, my steps still unsteady from the lingering alcohol, and flopped down.

Had I known this would happen, I would’ve drunk more moderately.

I thought drinking as much as possible would keep Woojin—or Seo-yeon—from suspecting anything… Ugh…

Turns out the alcohol was stronger than I thought…

“Haaah…”

Anyway, pretending to be drunk and asleep, keeping my mouth shut and quietly letting him carry me on his back led me to overhear some very interesting things.

Seo-yeon had used me as an excuse to visit the infirmary.

I’m not entirely sure what exactly happened in there, but I did catch the term heat cycle—something I’d never heard before.

Therefore…

There’s a high chance something lewd happened in there.

She also mentioned tugging at his sleeve, and Woojin outright admitted he was turned on.

Meaning, they might’ve had sex in the infirmary, just like Sua…

Or, since students could drop in anytime, maybe they just lightly fooled around.

That’s probably the gist of it. Yeah.

“…A well-behaved cat… Bbeut-mak? Or whatever, climbing up, huh…”

With midterms coming up, there are tons of students going in and out of the infirmary, right?

So even if they did fool around, it was probably just a quick grope—nothing too milky.

I tied up my hair while imagining the most plausible scenario.

Honestly, this whole situation was hilarious.

She had the nerve to act all high and mighty about not being interested in anything lewd, only to go and talk about heat cycles with Woojin.

I was already planning to coax Seo-yeon into doing some bad things, but it seems she saved me the trouble—though, in a way, it also kinda feels like she’s trying to NTR my sex partner, doesn’t it?

Though, judging by the atmosphere between them from the restaurant to the taxi…

It’s not exactly the sticky, backstabbing NTR you’d expect—more like awkward tension.

“Was she mad because I kept calling her a virgin…? Heh…”

Still, heat cycle? Really?

That line is so outdated, even for a mutant.

How should I tease her about this later to make it fun?

Giggling, I pulled the blanket over my lips and closed my eyes earlier than usual, preparing for tomorrow.

I wonder when Seo-yeon sunbaenim will show up.

Even though she said yesterday she wouldn’t help me practice anymore, I did kneel in front of other student council members and beg, so she’ll probably show up out of sheer embarrassment.

For some reason, she really cares about her image in front of others.

“Sigh…”

Three days left until midterms.

Lying on the hard bench in the training hall, staring at the ceiling, I let out a short yawn before glancing toward the entrance.

If we’re talking Summoning specialists, no second-year can match the precision of my algorithms, so it’s not like I need to grind myself to death practicing.

But if I don’t keep at it, I’ll just end up with nothing to do but stand next to sunbaenim and beg for attention like usual, right?

So unless my brain’s turned to mush, I should take full advantage of this legal excuse to meet her.

This is completely different from my usual lazing around—who knows, she might even secretly like it.

If I build up some goodwill over the next few days, then engineer the right incident to blow it all up…

I might just get to see that disheveled look she had in the student council room—but this time, beneath me.

That’s why I wore my academy gym clothes today.

To give those B-rank girls staring from afar something nice to look at.

And there—just as someone entered the building.

“Ah, sunbaenim!”

“……”

Despite being so damn fuckable compared to those other nobodies,

I figured I’d humor this girl who’s probably never even held hands with a guy.

“Thank you for helping me. Really.”

“…Yeah.”

“I can’t practice properly without you. You know how it is—the stronger you are, the lonelier it gets. …Ah, was that too chuuni?”

“…A little.”

Was this the right angle?

I looked at her with my most confident smile and expression, only for her gaze to slide right past me.

Nothing new—I didn’t even feel anything.

At first, I thought she was just shy, but turns out she’s just that indifferent to me.

“You’re not using a weapon again today? If it’s just because I’m a third-year, that kinda hurts my pride. …I basically won yesterday anyway.”

“…I can use one, but I prefer this.”

“Wouldn’t a spear or sword give you better reach?”

“…No matter what, nothing’s as free as your own hands.”

“Hmm~”

But just because she’s indifferent to me doesn’t mean she’s interested in other guys.

Same with girls. She keeps calling herself a lesbian to shake me off, but…

It kinda stings.

It’s not like I don’t know about Seo-yeon sunbaenim’s relationships.

Aside from clueless first-years, there’s no second or third-year girl who shares that kind of flirty vibe with her.

Which means I still have a chance.

And with all the mixed feelings I’ve built up…

I’m way closer to that ticket than any of those nameless nobodies.

“By the way, sunbaenim, your skin looks really nice today?”

“…Don’t sexually harass me.”

“No, I’m saying your skin looks good. Did you switch to better makeup?”

“…I did, so stop asking and let’s go.”

To really secure that ticket, I needed more than just sparring—I needed some kind of shared incident between us.

Like… getting trapped alone in a small mountain cabin after sunset.

Or being assigned to some task together, forcing us to interact no matter how much she hates it.

Or—

“Sunbaenim. How about the loser buys lunch today?”

—having a meal together.

“I don’t want to eat with you.”

“What’s the big deal? It’s just lunch.”

“You don’t think of it as just lunch, though.”

“Of course not—if it’s with you.”

“…Sigh… Stop wasting your time on me and go eat with the girls who actually like you.”

“If you really hate it that much, we can just get takeout and eat separately.”

“…”

“You hate eating together, but walking there should be fine, right?”

“…If I say no, you’ll just suggest something else, so fine. If I win, this never happened.”

“Deal. Then I’ll have to go all out today—next time, I’ll ask you to eat with me properly.”

I probably came off like some pure-hearted country boy, right?

I smiled confidently at her, but her reaction was the same as ever.

Completely indifferent.

Not looking at me as a man—more like some annoying customer she has to deal with.

It pissed me off, but I kept my expression neutral as I walked to the other side of the training hall.

…Whatever. All I have to do is win.

It’s not like Seo-yeon sunbaenim didn’t lose to me yesterday.

She’s the student council president, but it’s not like she’s that strong—