Chapter 18
Shiver─
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine, as though an old monster had singled me out as prey.
‘That was close.’
Eveline contacted me first thing this morning to say we couldn't take the carriage together today, so I left a little early...
I thought the gates of hell were about to open on the first day of the new term.
Elfride Carleya
Also known as
IOnlySayNiceThings■
A fervent believer in elf eugenics and an extreme species supremacist.
Of course, I knew I had to distinguish between her real self and her gallery persona.
...But even that had its limits.
[Hey, you black bastard. Don't wander around at night. I nearly shit myself because it looked like only your eyes were floating aroundㅋㅋ]
[Oh, what the hell does a human bastard who couldn't even meet an elf's eyes 300 years ago know? Why are you running your mouth?]
[Look at the beastfolk's cooking skillsㅋㅋㅋㅋ The meat's so undercooked that if you took it to church, it'd just come back to lifeㅋㅋ]
[Honestly, elves being superior isn't discrimination. It's just a fact.]
I didn't particularly want anything to do with an elf who posted things like this.
Scrape─
When I opened the classroom door to Class 2-C, someone was already there.
Her black hair was neatly tied half-up, and her gray eyes seemed devoid of emotion.
She looked so much like a doll that I could have believed she wasn't human.
Normally, someone would at least look up to see who had entered when the door opened, but Estelle didn't take her eyes off her book, as though she had no interest whatsoever.
“Hello.”
I approached the desk in front of Estelle, turned my chair around, and greeted her.
“.....”
Estelle glanced at me, then turned her gaze back to her book.
“What are you reading?”
“.....”
Ignored again.
I discreetly checked the title of her book:
‘An Introduction to Demonology’
It was unfamiliar to me.
If I had known anything about it, I would have started a conversation about it, but unfortunately, I knew nothing about the book.
“Is it interesting?”
“...You're noisy.”
Her first words to me were that I was noisy.
It wasn't a good start, but at least she hadn't told me to get lost.
“Sorry, sorry. I was just happy to see you. You know me, right? We've been in the same class for two years now...”
Scrape─
While I was speaking, the door opened again, and one or two classmates began coming in.
“Oh! Ian!”
“Hi, Delphicia. You came early.”
“Yeah... It's the first day. You came early too, Ian?”
When Delphicia's gaze briefly turned toward Estelle, I stood up and approached her.
‘She'd feel uncomfortable if I stayed beside her.’
Estelle and Delphicia's fight had merely been buried, not resolved at all.
“You dyed your hair?”
“Uh, yeah... How is it? Does it suit me?”
“It suits you incredibly well. If I hadn't seen you in first year, I would have thought you were naturally blonde.”
“Whew... That's a relief... But where's Eveline? Didn't you two always come together?”
“Ah... That was the plan, but when I asked her yesterday, she said she wasn't feeling well and told me to go ahead.”
“Th-then... Ian... if you don't have anyone to eat lunch with later, would you like to eat with me....”
Bang—!
At that moment, I heard a rough door slam that was clearly different from the ones before it.
Her blonde hair and sharp eyes immediately drew attention, as did her distinctively broad forehead.
It was a face that made me smile the instant I saw it.
“Eveline.”
“....”
When I called her name, Eveline glanced at me, then approached Delphicia without answering.
Apparently, today was a day I'd be ignored.
“Hey. Delphicia.”
“E-yeah... Hi, Eveline.”
“What were you talking about with Ian?”
“N-nothing! We weren't talking about anything! I-I swear!... Ah... Sorry, my friend is calling me, so I'll go!”
“...Tsk.”
After Delphicia left, Eveline clicked her tongue while glaring at me, looking exactly as she always did.
[Poster : Childhood Friend Rape■] = [Eveline Marigold]
[Hwaaah... Nng... What do I do!!!][3]
Aaaah... I wanna drop out... Someone please kill me... I can't even face my childhood friend.
If only she hadn't been posting things like that in the gallery.
“What? Why are you smiling like that?”
“I was just happy to see you after so long. I haven't been able to see you because you were sick.”
“Ha, what are you talking about...”
She looked unfazed, but as a Level 1 Eveline Emotion Appraiser, I could tell.
Right now, Eveline was desperately suppressing the corners of her mouth as they twitched upward.
Clack─
The seats had been arranged according to our assigned numbers, but Eveline ignored that and sat down beside me.
“That's not your seat.”
“...So?”
“When the owner comes, you need to move... Oh, Herun, hi. You were in Class C?”
“Yeah, Ian. We're in the same class this time. Even our seats are... Huh? Eveline, that's my seat...”
“....”
At Herun's words, Eveline silently looked toward the empty seat bearing her own number.
“Ah..! C-come to think of it, I'm short, so I prefer sitting in the front. Eveline, should we switch seats?”
“Suit yourself.”
“Th-then... let's do that... That sounds good....”
I shook my head at the way Eveline had snatched Herun's seat in an instant.
“Try being a little nicer.”
“...What did I do? Herun was the one who suggested switching.”
“Yeah, yeah. You're right.”
“What's with that attitude? You don't like sitting next to me?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then shut up. Hmph!”
After chatting with Eveline for a while, the start of term drew near, and the classroom gradually filled up.
Murmur, murmur─
“Everyone, take your seats!!”
The front door opened, and the professor entered with a waddling gait that suited them perfectly.
The professor climbed onto a tall chair and wrote their name on the blackboard.
[Jamie Felstein]
“I am Professor Jamie Felstein, in charge of Class C! My specialty is elemental magic! I look forward to spending the year with you!!”
With the professor's introduction, their words clipped as short as their stature, my second year began.
****
“Let's go.”
Since there were no lectures on the first day of the new term, the academy ended early.
“Where?”
“What do you mean, where? We're going home. I've called a carriage.”
At Eveline's reaction, as though I had asked something obvious, I scratched my cheek.
“Ah, I'll go a little later. I submitted a temporary application to join the library club.”
“...The library club? Why? Since when did you like books enough to join the library club?”
As always, Eveline's glare was bad for my heart.
“That's true. I don't like books enough to join the library club.”
“Then why did you apply? Is there someone you like in the library club?”
This was an accusation I had expected well enough.
And if I had expected it, that meant I had also prepared the perfect excuse.
“You said you wanted to work at the Mage Tower until you took over the Marigold family.”
“Don't change the subject. Why are you bringing that up now?”
“You might make it, but with my current grades, getting into the Mage Tower is out of the question for me right now. I thought joining the library club would give me more time to study in the library.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudd... Huh? Wha... what?... Wh-what?!... You... y-you... right now... you want to go to the Mage Tower... with me...?”
“Basically.”
For the record, “basically” meant that the statement contained about twenty percent sincerity.
Grin─
This time, even without being a Level 1 Eveline Emotion Appraiser, I could tell that her lips were twisting into an odd grin.
“H-hm!... Hm!... Hey... what? You're coming to the Mage Tower with me? Even if we're childhood friends, don't you... don't you like me a little too much?”
“What are you talking about? You're the one who likes me more.”
“...!!!!”
At my light counterattack, Eveline's face turned bright red.
“Wha... wha... what are you talking about!!! Are you fucking crazy?! You're so full of yourself!!!”
“Is that so? Then I guess not.”
“Aaaah!!! You bastard! Fine!! I'll go alone! You can walk there yourself!”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Eveline stormed down the hallway, furious.
And not long afterward, a post appeared in the gallery.
[Lmaoㅋㅋ The childhood-friend victory route is confirmed!!!][0]
[Lmaoㅋㅋ The childhood-friend victory route is confirmed!!!][1]
[Lmaoㅋㅋ The childhood-friend victory route is confirmed!!!][0]
[ㄴMarried the girl in the pic][0]
[Lmaoㅋㅋ The childhood-friend victory route is confirmed!!!][6]
...
..
.
[Poster : Childhood Friend Rape■] = [Eveline Marigold]
[Lmaoㅋㅋ The childhood-friend victory route is confirmed!!!][6]
Ahㅋㅋ This childhood-friend bastard really likes meㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㅇㅇ(892.151) : Stop spamming, you crazy bitch. You spam every chance you get.
ㄴChildhoodFriendRape■ : ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴㅇㅇ(892.151) : Seriously, stop laughing. It's creepy. You really seem crazy.
ㄴChildhoodFriendRape■ : ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I'm so fucking happy right now that insults don't even work on me.
ㄴㅇㅇ(892.151) : What happened?
ㄴChildhoodFriendRape■ : It's a secretㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴㅇㅇ(892.151) : ...Are you really the same person who was freaking out this morning about how you were going to face your childhood friend?
ㄴChildhoodFriendRape■ : Ahㅋㅋㅋㅋ I was a little scared at first. But he treats me normally, so it seems that bastard doesn't remember a thing.
Seeing Eveline acting so smug made me want to tease her, so I logged out and left a comment.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(89.74) : What if he actually remembers? What if he knows and is just pretending not to?
ㄴ ChildhoodFriendRape■ : Ah, this anonymous user is trying so hard to get under my skinㅋㅋ. Yeah~ That bastard is a brain-dead impotent loser, so there's no way he knows.
I felt a flare of anger when I saw Eveline call someone else's consideration brain-dead and impotent, but I managed to hold it in.
[The Person Who Will Kill Himself in 94 Days (Don't Talk to Me X No Interaction X Monologue O)][0]
‘This is much better than being depressed like that.’
As expected, a confident Eveline suited her much better.
No, anyone is better off looking confident than depressed.
“Then shall I head to the library?”
Now that I had defeated the final boss, Eveline, it was time to comfort my depressed classmate.
***
Thump─ Thump─
Uris bit her lip as she sat at her desk, anxiously waiting for her Master's command.
‘...Master... The academy will be over soon... When... exactly... are you going to give me an order... Ah!’
Uris had been cursing the Holy Academy for ending early on the first day of term when she realized two things at once.
‘...Ugh... What should I do....’
The first was that the Master she had naturally assumed was an academy student like herself might not be an academy student at all.
‘I'm.... Really... a pervert....’
The second was that, although she had thought she disliked the idea, she had actually been looking forward to secretly masturbating at the academy.
‘....Did Master... know... even this?’
Her respect for Master, who understood her nature better than she understood herself, only continued to grow with time.
‘But... Master... if your cock is... as big around as a forearm... how am I... supposed to fit it in?.... It... it doesn't seem like it would fit in my pussy... Ahh... Right now... I can only fit... one finger....’
Squeeze─
The moment she imagined Master's cock, Uris's body heated up of its own accord, and she was just about to rub her thighs together unconsciously.
“...Ris... Uris?”
“Eek!”
She shrieked in surprise at the sensation on her shoulder.
“...Are you okay? I kept calling you, but you didn't answer.”
“Ah... no... I'm okay.... Ink... I was just thinking about something else for a moment....”
“What were you thinking about so intently? Aren't you overdoing it because you're a candidate for sainthood?”
“No, I'm really okay... So why? What's going on?”
“Nothing much. Do you want to get mint-chocolate chicken skewers before we go home? You like them.”
“Mint-chocolate chicken skewers?!”
Gulp─
Just hearing the name made Uris's mouth fill with saliva.
It was a miraculous food born from the obvious logic that combining something delicious (mint), something delicious (chocolate), and something delicious (chicken skewers) would make it even more delicious.
It was a food that many people strangely pretended to hate, but to Uris, it was her favorite snack.
‘...What should I do...’
If it had been any other food, she would have returned to the dormitory without looking back and waited for Master's command.
But mint-chocolate chicken skewers were different....
“Oh, they had a twenty-percent discount to celebrate the first day of term today.”
“Nng...!!”
Under Ink's relentless temptation, Uris nibbled at her thumbnail.
At the Holy Academy, if Master gave her an order, she could run to the bathroom and take a picture, but if she went to town to buy mint-chocolate chicken skewers, she might not be able to carry out his order in time.
‘...Ah... No... I... I can't... I have to endure it....’
Master was amazing, but he was also a cold person.
If she failed to obey his order properly, he might abandon her in an instant.
After a brief struggle between lust and appetite, Uris sighed and spoke.
“Haa... No, Ink. I'm okay today.”
“Really? Uris is turning down mint-chocolate chicken skewers? Are you actually sick?”
“...No. I just have something to do....”
“Something to do? Is it a guy? Did you meet one during the break?”
“N-no! It's not that...!”
“Ahaha! I'm kidding. I know better than anyone that our Uris isn't interested in men. Ah, when will our Uris find someone?”
“....”
At Ink's words, full of trust in her, Uris looked away and apologized in her heart.
‘...I'm sorry.’
Unlike what Ink believed, she was a lewd bitch who had been wetting her pussy while imagining Master's cock until just a moment ago.