Chapter 53 - Psychological Authority

Son of a bitch.

I'm looking up at the sky with that meaning. God is in the sky anyway, right? Then maybe He'll understand my intention?

Even if He doesn't understand, I glared my best with a hopeful heart. Looking at the sky is good, tears don't come out well.

Ah. Correction. A little just flowed.

"Um..."

Ignoring my escape from reality, a voice came from my arm.

No? Just because I heard a voice doesn't mean it has to be a person, right? This is a fantasy world. A modern fantasy world where anything appearing wouldn't be strange.

Yes, the sound coming from my hand is a parasite. A parasite. Yes, a para─

"Um..."

There's no way, right~ I accepted reality as soon as I lowered my gaze. Well, there's a person hanging there.

Our eyes met. Beautiful eyes like the sea are trembling anxiously looking up at me. What should I do about this.

I really hate this too much. Ishia and Sophia are already more than I can handle, I'll pass on one more.

Why is your face red too. I didn't save you. I did save you but I didn't. I did but I didn't.

It's like saying I drank but didn't drive drunk, but I didn't.

"Uh..hello?"

What should I do. Really what should I do. How can I naturally escape this situation. She nodded at my greeting.

What's with that shy nod? Please stop.

I accelerated my thoughts while watching her try to say something hesitantly.

Ways to escape this situation.

Just escaping won't work. A way for this one to not be interested in me and not get involved.

Run away.

From my experience, the probability of coming to find me again to say thanks converges to 500%.

Explain it wasn't me.

Would she believe that?

Want to be a maid?

Crazy bastard. What are you thinking adding more.

Then I guess there's no choice but plan 4. I took a breath.

"Um, th-thank─"

"Hey."

"Yes?"

I looked down at her who was flustered by the interrupted words. An expression like she was about to make a hic! sound. But I'm a merciless man.

A man who does what he says he'll do. In short, a do─

"Why are you bothering people like this!!"

Without finishing my thought, I threw the blue-haired woman to the ground.

Eek─!!

With a short scream, water splashed over me. She's looking up at me with a frozen expression like her thoughts stopped, it's a bit sorry.

But this is for the best. If I leave the worst impression like this, she won't look for me. She'll think 'I ran into some trash' and that's it.

Yeah. This is the way for both of us. Well then, good luck.

I was about to spit once─ but that seemed a bit much so I just turned around.

We're strangers now? We don't know each other?

"Wow. I really have no words."

[Tsk.]

Where did you sell the meow? I walked towards the dormitory receiving sharp glares from Raphael and Lachesis who were waiting.

─G-good person!!

I should have heard this sound.

***

The next day.

Day 5 of the ranking battles.

We need to figure out why "Magic Chant Breaking" isn't working somehow before the last day. That's how my treasures, no Ishia, will win.

So I stayed up all night thinking about how to torture, no help her.

"Even the old heretic inquisitors didn't think about torture methods as passionately as Seonghoon."

"Really? I feel like they would have."

"Well I guess they did. But not as passionately as Seonghoon."

I see. There's no point doubting here since it'll just lead to longer arguments, so I decided to believe her.

Then she'll say about here.

It's not believing, it's a fact.

"It's not believing, it's a fact."

See.

I'm Lee Seonghoon, authority on Raphael psychology.

Raphael headbutted my chest as if she didn't like my smug expression. That really hurts.

When we arrived at the meeting place while rubbing the sore spot,

I saw it.

Three silhouettes are visible where there should only be two.

Silver, black, blue.

Blue?!

"Stop."

"What is it."

I stopped walking and shaded my eyes with my hand. Then I looked closely at the outdoor bench where we were supposed to meet.

One, two, three.

"There really are three?!"

"What's three..huh? There really are three? The person Seonghoon planted in the ground yesterday is there too."

That's an exaggeration. Not planted, gently thrown.

"You cursed too."

It wasn't cursing, it was a leap for mutual happiness. Let's speak correctly.

[Sigh.]

I'm not sure where she sold her meow since yesterday either. I flicked the damn cat sighing on my shoulder, and while considering running away.

"Oh!! Over here!!"

Sophia waved after spotting me. She's smiling hugely as if glad, but I've never been less glad.

I can't not go when she's smiling happily. I've already made eye contact with those blue eyes too.

"Shall we go?"

"Were you not going to go?"

I walked without answering the damn blonde who replied to my question with a question.

"Hello!!"

And I felt a slight headache from the woman greeting with a smile as soon as I sat down.

"How did you..."

"Ah! I came to say thanks since I couldn't yesterday!!"

So how? Seeing my gaze, the blue-haired one made an "Ah!" sound and continued speaking.

"There are ways. Hehe."

That wasn't an answer at all. What's with that scary line.

As I was holding my temple from the headache, something fell between me and the blue-haired one as if blocking us.

It was black hair. The back of a head with long straight black hair fluttering.

Then she raised her head and stared at me. Why are her lips protruding. Why are her eyes like that.

"Someone is suffering because their magic won't work freely, while someone else is out meeting new people, how lucky."

She turned her head with a hmph! sound. I'm not sure what she's trying to do.

"I didn't meet her because I wanted to."

When I said that while pressing her head, she grabbed my arm with both hands and made sounds like 'That's the same thing─!!'

Are you a 5-year-old throwing a tantrum?

"That's right. I didn't meet him because I wanted to."

"See. It's not like that. We just happened to pass by─"

"That's right. It's fate. I never dreamed the prince on a white horse I only saw in fairy tales would really exist."

"What?"

What crazy talk is this? I asked back in surprise, but the blue-haired one seemed to be remembering our meeting with an ecstatic expression.

For a moment I thought Ishia and Sophia glared at me, but it must be my imagination so let's move on.

"You who appeared in my moment of crisis! And then you saved me from danger and embraced me with your arms."

No. That's right but it's not. It's a bit different. I didn't embrace you, you fell.

"She's not saying anything wrong."

Be quiet. I smacked the damn blonde adding comments from the side. She's raising question marks while holding her head, but I ignored it.

"And then you said! Hello? Are you okay? I'm here."

"I didn't say that!!"

"You said hello at least─ Ow!!"

I covered Raphael's mouth, and raised my head to refute the blue-haired one still with an ecstatic expression.

Words wouldn't come out.

Two sharp gazes were looking at me.

One is the black-haired one with her head turned while lying on the desk, with an expression like 'Really?'

One is smiling, clearly smiling but scary silver-haired one.

What's with these guys? I turned my head as much as possible.

Shake shake shake.

For some reason I didn't know, it felt like I should deny it. No from the start it's wrong. I didn't do that.

"Then knowing I could recover my body in water, you gently put me in the water. You ran away right after perhaps because you were embarrassed, but I came to find you like this!!"

Is this that? Delusions of grandeur? Pathological lying? Something like that?

No but I didn't know. Does she really have a skill to recover in water? If I knew I would have thrown her on the ground.

It's a mistake. A mistake.

I spoke while still trying to ignore the sharp gazes.

"I see? Then you've said thanks so you can go back now."

"Huh? Really?"

"Yeah."

It may seem a bit cold, but I have no choice. If I get involved with this one, other main heroines will follow too. Though I'll get involved with her anyway, we won't see each other after business is done right?

If I get more involved with this one too─

"I don't like that... Hmm. You said magic wasn't working well earlier right?"

"No. It's working fine."

"Hm? I'm pretty sure you said it wasn't working!"

"No~ Not at all~ It's working perfectly─mmph!!"

I covered Ishia's mouth. This one's been strange lately. Then I asked the one smiling shyly at me.

"Do you know something...?"

"I do!! Then can I stay here?!"

Before I could answer that question, the blonde beside me opened her mouth.

"I know the answer to this question. Then. Of course. Please do stay!! Is that right?"

Correct answer.

Are you a Lee Seonghoon psychology authority too?

***

Shin Gayeon.

That's the name of the blue-haired woman teaching something to Ishia over there.

A child raised in a prestigious swordsmanship family, she's four-dimensional and unpredictable. A character who practices magic every day despite being a swordsman and causes magic outbursts and such─

"Do you know why magic fails? No. We're the same age so can I speak casually?"

"Yeah. Go ahead."

"I'm the one learning but why─"

Smack!

Ishia who was sitting properly closed her mouth after getting hit on the knee. Then she looks at me with resentful eyes.

Resent all you want. As long as we can enter the treasure vault!!

"Hey. Why am I~"

SMACK!!

For some reason I don't know, Sophia participated in the training too. Raphael and I are just eating popcorn while watching that.

"I told you to put in lots of popcorn right? It tastes even better infused with mana. This."

"The cola is the real deal."

Anyway, the reason I left it to her is quite simple. Because she seems like she'd know. The one who's failed knows the reasons for failure best.

For someone who has magic outbursts as a daily occurrence, there's no way she wouldn't know why magic isn't working.

"Are you just sucking out the sweet juice and throwing it away this time?"

"That sounds strange. Sucking out and throwing away, can you call it strategic utilization?"

"Yes yes~ Let's go with that~"

I ignored the blonde making a heh sound and making a strange expression, and to finish what I was saying, the reason I'm trying not to get involved with that one isn't because of herself.

Her family. That is. It's because of her younger sister.

Who that is, is one of Kim Taehyun's main heroines and future sword saint,

Not Shin Gayeon's ponytail, but the one with short hair wearing a headband who likes reading.

And the one who was supposed to go on the dungeon experience with me─

"Unnie. You said you were here...?"

Right. That's what she looks like. The blue short hair and expressionless face in front of me now, eyes a bit more sky blue than her sister─

"Pfffffft!!!!!"

"Ah!! So dirty!!"

I looked straight ahead after spitting out cola. Blue eyes that looked this way thanks to me spitting noisily.

An emotionless face raising an exclamation mark above her head as if recognizing me.

Shin Gayeon's twin sister.

This would be Shin Chaeyeon.

Why are you here...?