Chapter 103

<Episode 105: The Basic Provocation That Becomes a Full-On Challenge Twice Over>

Are you trying to mess with me?

“Huh?”

After school, as Yu-jin opened the door of the black Benz, he wore an expression of bewilderment.

And for good reason—there sat a blonde beauty in the backseat.

“Yu-jin hi~ It means ‘Hi, Yu-jin.'”

She wore a white dress shirt and the black skirt he’d gifted her. On her head was her signature character-designed white cap.

Needless to say, it was Rime.

“What are you doing here?”

Yu-jin reflexively looked forward.

Rime’s existence was supposed to be a secret from others.

If word got out that she was a slime, there’s no telling how Hwagcheon would react.

Of course, Young-hee and the Class President were exceptional cases who knew about Rime—but even then, they’d been fed the ridiculous lie that she was his fiancée from England.

Yet here she was, casually sitting in the car like it was nothing.

Yu-jin couldn’t help but feel utterly flustered.

“We’ve been found out.”

With just three words, Rime summed up Yu-jin’s panic.

As a result, he lost any chance to ask further questions and simply climbed into the car.

Still, his gaze remained fixed on Biseo Park.

“Uh, about this situation…”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already heard everything.”

Yu-jin turned to look at Rime.

She gave a slight nod.

“I told them everything—how we met, what happened. There was no way to hide it anymore.”

“I thought if your true identity was exposed, you’d just…eliminate the witness or something.”

“Do I *look* like the type of slime that does that?”

“…Yeah, but I also thought you’d lie after eliminating them.”

Biseo Park, who had been driving while staring straight ahead, burst into laughter.

“Sure enough, the moment I opened the door, tentacles came flying out!”

Yu-jin silently stared at Rime.

Rime subtly avoided his gaze.

Apparently, they both understood each other perfectly.

“Hmph! Women naturally have things they want to keep hidden.”

If it weren’t Biseo Park, would Rime have really considered…eliminating him?

Well, given her personality, she probably would’ve figured something out anyway.

Honestly, the thought sent shivers down his spine.

“Can you keep this whole thing a secret from Hwagcheon?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be the only one who knows.”

Yu-jin let out a sigh of relief.

Introducing Rime officially would definitely raise some red flags.

If word got out that he was cohabiting with a girl like her, the members of Hwagcheon might start treating him like trash.

Not exactly the kind of reputation an otaku can handle.

“But why did you come out all of a sudden? Even if we’ve been caught, we could’ve just continued as normal, right?”

Unless something serious happened…

If everything had been resolved, there was no real need for her to show up.

“My body’s in rough shape because I used too much power.”

“…You two fought? With *that* body?”

For a moment, Yu-jin’s voice dropped low.

Though he tried to hide it, traces of worry and anger seeped through.

Neither Rime nor Biseo Park realized they were subconsciously trembling slightly.

“It wasn’t a big deal. We just tested each other’s strength.”

“Yes, it was merely a light sparring match to foster camaraderie.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Both let out simultaneous sighs of relief.

Yu-jin leaned back comfortably and gently ruffled Rime’s hair.

“Even though you’re not feeling well, why’d you do such a thing?”

“…Hiiing, your subordinate attacked me first! Teach her a lesson!”

“Biseo probably had her reasons.”

“Yah, shut up!”

Judging by their conversation, it seemed like most of the details had been shared.

Of course, personal matters like kissing were likely left out…

But it seems Biseo now fully understands Rime.

‘Well, should I consider this a stroke of luck?’

He didn’t know how much effort he’d put into keeping Rime’s existence hidden.

It was wormhole-level secrecy!

If Rime can live more comfortably now, that’s something to celebrate.

‘Besides, Biseo is trustworthy.’

Great personality, outstanding abilities, and handsome to boot.

Honestly, he feels like such a talented person is wasted as just a secretary.

“Anyway, what do you mean about coming out because your body’s not doing well?”

“The guy with the sunglasses said he’d introduce us to a great restaurant as compensation for my rudeness. So, I thought I’d take you along since it’s been a while.”

A restaurant, huh?

Now that he thinks about it, it’s been quite some time since he had a meal alone with Rime.

Well, mainly because of Young-hee and the Class President, there hadn’t been much time.

“…”

“This restaurant has ties to Hwagcheon too. Let’s go on a date.”

At the word “date,” Rime smiled sweetly.

Then she turned her head sharply toward him.

“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since you went to school without me. Was everything okay?”

“Was everything okay?”

“Did you maybe fool around with another girl or something?”

“Ah.”

“……….Ah?”

Was it because Rime’s true identity had been revealed that he slipped up?

Unintentionally letting his guard down.

Of course, Rime wasn’t the type to let something like that slide.

“……So, something *did* happen, huh?”

Memories of the Class President crying, being alone together in the infirmary, and agreeing to participate in the competition together flashed through his mind.

His breathing hitched alongside these thoughts.

Of course, Yu-jin could confidently declare—with whatever shred of conscience he had left—that he harbored no ill intentions.

But even an awkward loner could instinctively sense:

One wrong word here, and it’s game over.

“Nothing really happened…”

“You’re stuttering now.”

Rime smiled faintly.

It was a truly benevolent smile, but Rime rarely ever made expressions like that.

Chills ran down his spine, and cold sweat trickled down his back.

“Did you have fun without me? With Young-hee, maybe?”

“…”

“Or was it the Class President?”

“••••••.”

“Ah~ So it was the Class President, huh?”

Even without a response, how did she know?

Is this what they call “female intuition”?

Regardless, it’s undeniably terrifying.

Pure, unadulterated fear coursed through him.

‘In times like these, I need the wisdom of an adult…’

Yu-jin looked hopefully toward Biseo, praying for a lifeline from above.

Only to realize his sole secretary had already plugged in his earphones and was steadfastly focusing on driving.

Abandoned!

All those grand declarations of loyalty gone to waste!

The bonus pay cuts will be severe!

“Hey, can we talk for a bit?”

Gulp! Rime grabbed Yu-jin’s arm.

At this point, there was nothing else to do.

The sinner could only pray that the wine prepared by Biseo at the restaurant would taste good.

“Hmm~ Is that so?”

Rime spoke while cutting her steak with a fork.

Just to clarify, it’s a fork—not a knife.

Glug.

The restaurant introduced by Biseo was truly magnificent.

The atmosphere was great, the interior design was superb, the staff was friendly, and the food was delicious.

That said, an unsettling aura emanated solely from where Yu-jin and Rime sat.

Veteran employees with over ten years of experience at the establishment knew better than to step foot near them.

Doing so would result in far worse consequences than mere termination.

“Hmm-hmm~ That’s right. It was a completely ordinary day with absolutely nothing happening. Ha ha ha.”

Having realized that lying to this omnipotent slime was futile, Yu-jin confessed everything truthfully.

Even after hearing the entire story, Rime maintained her poker face, moving the fork methodically.

Strangely, this felt scarier than if she’d outright gotten angry.

“So, you and the ‘Class President’ became ‘partners’ and decided to participate in a competition together for ‘a few days,’ huh?”

“Uh, y-yeah. That’s right.”

“Hmm~ Our dear Yu-jin made such decisions while I was away, huh~”

Rime’s gentle gaze turned toward Yu-jin.

A chill ran down his spine from the icy glint in her eyes.

It almost felt like the temperature around them had dropped.

“Uh, Rime?”

“Yes~ What is it~?”

Rime cheerfully cut into her steak, blood-red juices oozing out.

“Are…are you mad?”

“Why should I be mad? You haven’t cheated on me or anything.”

Pock! Rime’s fork stabbed into the steak.

Yu-jin gulped audibly.

At this rate, he feared the fork might end up stabbing his skull instead.

“You should just focus on having fun with the Class President while I’m gone, right?”

Ah, this is bad.

There was no need to say more or tread carefully.

This was clearly bad.

“No, that’s not what I meant at all!”

“What exactly are you thinking?”

The smile vanished entirely from Rime’s face.

Like a tightrope walker in a circus, Yu-jin trembled as he carefully placed one foot in front of the other.

“O-Oh, I was worried about you all day! To the point where I couldn’t concentrate on anything because I was so concerned! Nothing entered my mind during class because you were sick!”

“…Really?”

Wait, her voice softened slightly.

Could this be the answer? Has Solomon finally bestowed enlightenment upon me?

“Yeah! I immediately thought about taking care of you when I arrived.”

“Hmm~”

Despite her efforts to hide it, the corners of her mouth twitched upward.

This was definitely the right approach.

Having cracked the code, Yu-jin began speaking enthusiastically, like Zhuge Liang himself.

“Originally, I planned to invite you out on a date first since you worked so hard. But things turned out this way. Of course, if you’re satisfied, I’m fine with it too!”

“…Hmm?”

“In fact, I kept thinking about what we’d do today during school. I wanted to spend even a little bit of enjoyable time together.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah! Once the competition starts, I’ll only be with the Class President, so we won’t get to hang out…”

KABOOM!!!

Yu-jin’s body soared through the air before slamming into the wall.

The staff, who had been eavesdropping discreetly, shook their heads and stepped aside.

“Right NOW?! In THIS situation?! At THIS timing?! You mention another girl’s name?!”

Rime’s fury engulfed Yu-jin entirely.

Well, what could be done?

It was all on Yu-jin to handle now.

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