Chapter 195

Transferring students caused quite a bit of chaos, especially with Karas involved, but somehow we managed to get through it.

It’s not like I see Danyerin and Karas every day; we all had our own things to do, so there wasn’t really any issue.

Time passed, and then the new semester was right around the corner.

“Why can’t we just get this over with… It can’t drag on like this…”

Grace muttered gloomily, slumped over the table.

It felt like a dark cloud was slowly creeping down from above her. She was practically radiating low pressure with her whole being.

“Um… Hang in there? But why can’t we? We even wrote a contract!”

Karas, sitting across from her, showed concern along with confusion.

Currently, the contract with Grace had been finalized. Despite Danyerin and Eli trying to meddle, they couldn’t stop her.

In fact, they’d all agreed after discussing it among themselves.

Sending sympathetic glances at Grace was just a bonus. It was probably related to some trauma she had.

However, out of nowhere, they hit a wall, and that wall was none other than the committee.

“Even with a guard, cohabitation between the opposite sexes is strictly prohibited. They say it could lead to too many loopholes later on.”

“So that’s why you’re making regulations now?”

“Yep. Honestly, if the president hadn’t stepped in, it would have probably been a lot tougher.”

The committee refused, claiming that there was a chance it could be abused. Thanks to that, things got a bit complicated.

The committee wasn’t being unreasonable at all. In fact, knowing Grace’s background, they took a stand based on their principles.

With Rod’s influence, they even created the regulations. Just by looking at that, I felt somewhat bad for them.

“Still, it’s better than nothing. Do your best moving forward. Oh, and make sure to follow the president’s advice.”

“I won’t cause any accidents. I know I’m being overly ambitious.”

Of course, Rod wasn’t just siding with us unconditionally. He maintained neutrality as much as possible.

He slapped on more conditions for living together than I could count.

The first was concerning Grace’s safety. Given that it involved cohabitation across genders, there were a lot of risks.

If something were to happen, not only would I be kicked out of the Academy, but Rod would be too.

Rod had allowed the cohabitation under the condition that he would take full responsibility. This made it almost impossible for the committee to refuse.

“The president sure is protective of Sivar, huh? Especially since he’s saying he’ll take responsibility.”

“So I plan to give him some good herbs soon.”

This is why authority is useful. But if he abuses it, it could backfire on Rod.

I didn’t plan to cause any trouble, but I would definitely keep an eye on ensuring Rod wouldn’t get hurt.

It didn’t matter if someone cursed in the middle; as long as no weird rumors got stuck to my close circle, I was fine.

‘I have a feeling rumors might have already spread though.’

When I saw that Luna and I had both received penalties, the chances were high that the rumors were already out.

So I predicted there might be a lot of eyes on us once the school year started.

If the fact that I was living with Grace became public, it would be quite the spectacle.

‘I guess I should find the one who imposed the penalty first.’

I planned to find that person and have a word with them. As I said before, the likelihood of it being from my class is high.

The students from other classes wouldn’t even care, nor would they know my face.

If they’re a good student, hmm. They’d probably just brush it off, but if they’re not…

‘I guess I should hear their excuses first.’

As the new semester approached, it seemed like there was a lot to do.

Between Danyerin and Karas, I still had that colorless magic circle to deal with.

There was only one left, and it was in an easy location. The stock exchange, which I frequented.

However, due to the high traffic, it was tough to get ‘accidents’ happening there.

Even if I did mess up, I might be banned from entering for a while.

‘In the game, I could just break stuff openly.’

Sure, they might drag me in front of the committee briefly, but I’d be released shortly after.

But given how I already had a bad reputation, I wasn’t sure what would happen if I did that now.

When it came to honor, my reputation was evenly matched with infamy. I really needed to be careful.

‘If I’m not careful, my class might be on probation for the semester.’

Rod had covered for me so far, but it was a close call.

Honestly, living with Grace was practically forced. From the committee’s standpoint, it was unreasonable to have a positive view about it.

“I’m going to head out now. Tomorrow’s the start of the new term, and I have a lot to prepare.”

“I should start leaving too. How about you, Sivar?”

In the moment I got distracted with my thoughts, it seemed Grace and Karas were ready to leave.

I planned to stay a bit longer since I had something to discuss with Luna.

“I’m staying back a bit. With Luna.”

“You’re going with Luna? Got it.”

“So tomorrow… before we meet!”

Grace went to greet me but stopped short, spreading her arms wide.

Her expression, usually confident, had a slightly brazen look this time.

She was asking me to hug her. Quite naturally, I must say.

“Before you go, you know what to do? Hug me.”

“Oh come on, how long are you going to keep this up?”

“I’ll do it until I feel okay.”

Surprisingly, Karas didn’t intervene or stop her.

I had no idea what they talked about, but Karas chose to let Grace’s actions slide.

“Well, can’t I hug first and then let you? I’m kinda jealous.”

“No way! Then I’ll smell like Karas.”

“What’s wrong with my scent?”

“I only want Sivar. Now, Sivar?”

I stared at Grace, who was asking for a hug with that cheeky grin.

Seeing her brazen smile was, honestly, kind of ridiculous but incredibly cute at the same time.

So I gently gave her a hug. As soon as I did, Grace held on tighter as if she didn’t want to let go.

Thanks to that, I felt a soft, squishy texture. I tried to ignore it, but my lips twitched slightly.

“Mm…”

Grace buried her face into my chest or rubbed against it, doing everything she could fit in.

It felt like she was hugging me to keep from falling away. A hug straight out of loneliness, perhaps.

Even though she acted strong on the outside, Grace was actually quite delicate, so I responded silently.

“Hah, this feels good. If I keep recharging like this steadily, I should improve, right?”

“Sivar isn’t some magical herb.”

“Well, a human herb is kinda true.”

What on earth was she talking about? But if it’s good, it’s good, I guess.

Karas chuckled at Grace’s response before turning her gaze towards me. I met her eyes.

“Can I have a hug too?”

“Sure.”

I hugged Karas just like I did with Grace. Karas, being taller, buried her face in my neck.

Up to this point, it was just an ordinary hug. But right before Karas was about to pull away, she did something unexpected.

*Smooch*

“…Huh?”

As Karas pulled back, she casually kissed my lips while still holding my neck.

Not a deep kiss, but rather a peck indicating intimacy. I was a bit flustered and then glanced at Karas’s expression.

She was wearing a teasing smile, and even with Grace behind her, this was clearly on purpose.

Plus, combined with her distinctive sun-kissed skin, it gave off a more enchanting vibe.

“W-Wait, what are you doing…!”

“I’m leaving now. See you tomorrow~.”

No matter what Grace was saying from behind, Karas exited calmly.

Grace’s mouth moved in shock at her audacious actions.

Then she quickly looked back and forth between me and Karas before dashing out the door.

“Hey, Cheong! What do you think you’re doing, suddenly acting like this?!”

“What? We gave you a reason to receive something back.”

“Y-Yeah, but!”

Now that I think about it, Karas and Grace seem to have become friends at some point. I watched their retreating figures and contemplated.

Fortunately, Ellie wasn’t here this time. She was busy preparing for the start of the new term tomorrow.

If she had seen this scene, well… as a guy, I might have just come across something great.

I returned to my seat, messing with my lips where Karas just kissed me.

Luna’s training wasn’t over yet, so I was going to wait patiently.

“Ughhh…”

“You’ve been working hard. Your skills have improved in leaps and bounds with every duel.”

“Thank you…”

Not long after, Luna, looking utterly exhausted, stumbled in. Rod’s expression was pleased, just as a bonus.

“I’ll bring some herbs that are good for muscle recovery, so just wait here a bit. I ran out, so I need to step out.”

“Oh, I can get it myself…”

“You won’t find them where I’m going. I’m asking my connections.”

Rod stepped out to fetch the herbs. Naturally, it left just Luna and me alone in the room.

Luna must have been on the verge of collapsing, as she sat at the table and immediately let out a groan. She was drenched in sweat.

Her white shirt clung heavily to her, practically showing off her undergarments. She didn’t seem to care at all.

“Luna.”

“…What?”

“Everything’s showing.”

“…Go ahead and look. I don’t have the strength to cover up.”

Luna was nonchalant about it. If you just listen, her reply sounds so refreshing.

“Honestly, I don’t know what to expect when you look at bigger things than me.”

“…”

If it weren’t for the line that followed, I wouldn’t have thought twice. That was a pretty self-deprecating statement and left me at a loss for words.

Anyway, I decided to munch on some bread until Luna regained her strength.

Since I had visited so often during vacation, Rod had prepared plenty. And I mean a ridiculous amount.

“…Oh! Right, Sivar.”

“Huh?”

Just as I stuffed my mouth full of bread, tired Luna called my name.

I looked at her, and she was smiling broadly, which mixed with her fatigued look gave off a weird vibe.

“I just improved my physical strength by 5 points.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, I guess you really pushed me hard for the last time.”

For someone who isn’t naturally gifted, gaining such an improvement is tough. She truly is a prodigy.

I handed a piece of bread to the proud Luna. She accepted it wordlessly, perhaps feeling a bit snackish.

“Munch munch. But Sivar.”

“Yeah.”

“Where’s the rest of the magic circles?”

“The stock exchange.”

Now that it was just the two of us, we could talk about these things more easily. Trust had developed since we shared secrets.

Of course, I hadn’t revealed everything yet. Odds are, I wouldn’t have to at all.

Luna nodded at my answer and asked another question.

“Do you know what it looks like?”

“Stock board.”

“What?”

This was part of the dilemma. The magic circle was indeed a stock board.

It’s not like it was hidden; it was blatantly out there, yet no one seemed to notice.

“You’re saying a stock board is a magic circle? That’s a issue.”

“Yep.”

“Um… I’ll have to think this over slowly. After all, I visit frequently.”

“How much money are you making?”

“…Honestly, I’m in over my head.”

“Oh dear.”

Now she’s even using the expression “in over my head.” Lately, Luna was really into stocks.

She’d been reading the newspaper regularly without asking me anything. I was worried she might end up like Antonio.

‘I can always help her if things get tight.’

I still had plenty of money left. Plus, I even made stable deposits already.

Meaning I didn’t have to worry about cash. Of course, I’d need to aim for some big wins in between.

‘If the Academy collapses, everything’s going to drop entirely.’

But two areas would soar, namely stocks related to Byzantines and military supplies.

With demons appearing, it’d be a given that Byzantines would rise, not to mention civil unrest and wars breaking out everywhere.

Everything that had been festering would explode at once, leading the world to be chaotic for a while.

“Alright, here you go. Drink this and rest well, and your muscles will recover.”

“Always grateful.”

“What gratitude? You’ll have to endure even more hardships from here on out.”

“Hahaha…”

A little while later, Rod returned and made his tea. Honestly, it tasted pretty bitter, so it was tough for me to drink.

But Rod insisted I had to drink it, saying it was crucial for power control.

Since Rod probably knows herbs better than I do, I had no choice but to drink it willingly.

“Tomorrow’s the start of the new term.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Hey, Sivar.”

“Huh?”

While I was savoring the strange mix of bread and herbal tea, Rod called out my name.

I looked at him, and he was gazing at me with a kind expression that also held a hint of worry.

“I truly hope this semester is calm for you. Can you manage that?”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Well, trying is better than nothing.”

Rod chuckled and ruffled my hair. I planned to keep a low profile as best as I could.

******

But all my promises went right out the window when the first day of school arrived, and I ended up causing a spectacular incident.

The problem was that it was more than just an accident.

“First, let’s hear the situation.”

“….”

“Why did you hit a classmate? What was the reason?”

I had been dragged before the disciplinary committee for assaulting a fellow student, not even a teacher.

It was the massive incident everyone had feared.

---