Chapter 45

〈Episode 46〉 Just tentacles? This appearance is ridiculous…

“Ahhh, it’s such a shame. Even though the class president was kinda scary, she taught me nicely and kindly…”

After finishing her final training session with the class president, Yujin walked home feeling a renewed sense of regret.

For reference, Secretary Park had already left work early today. Something about lots of executive issues at Hwagcheon?

‘Of course, Master must be predicting every situation right now.’

‘Hm?’

‘And not only that, Master probably already knows all the solutions and has everything under control, including the executives’ actions.’

‘……?’

‘But I too have pride as someone who serves. Please let me handle this one this time.’

‘Alright, do your best.’

‘Yes! I’ll give you the best results possible!’

Honestly, I don’t even know what he’s talking about.

Still, I vaguely sensed something was up. He seems busy, so I might as well walk home myself.

Anyway, I’ve been overflowing with energy lately since there haven’t been any major incidents recently.

Secretary Park always works hard for me, so I can understand him leaving early this once.

“I guess I won’t really have much to talk about with the class president anymore, huh? We barely spoke in class anyway.”

—Pfft! You must be missing her somewhat.

While muttering to myself, Rime, who was inside me, clicked her tongue.

She sounded slightly irritated for some reason.

—That girl did have big boobs, after all. For males who like that kind of fatty mass, just looking at her must’ve been heaven, huh! Pfft!

“…Why are *you* so annoyed?”

—Well, I never liked her from the start! She always dressed so scandalously!

“She probably didn’t mean to do it on purpose.”

Even though I said that, I could somewhat empathize.

The class president always wore a white tank top that showed her belly button along with black dolphin shorts.

Just the outfit alone reveals her arms, thighs, calves, and stomach.

By the end of training, she’d always be drenched in sweat.

Naturally, her wet clothes would stick to her body, revealing her curves in an almost embarrassing way.

To be honest, it was hard to look at her properly because it felt awkward.

“Honestly, it’s embarrassing. Why doesn’t she wear a gym uniform?”

—Tsk, that’s why it wouldn’t work.

Rime sighed deeply.

Though I couldn’t see her, I imagined her shaking her head sideways.

—Would someone who doesn’t care dress like that in front of people they’re indifferent to? She clearly liked you.

“No way. Why would the class president like someone like me?”

The class president is nice, smart, and popular with everyone.

Even teachers think highly of her.

Compared to her, I’m just another average guy in the academy.

There’s no way she’d like me.

“And besides, when Chul-soo came back, I was immediately replaced, huh…”

Of course, I wasn’t shocked because I sort of expected it.

The class president was helping Chul-soo train anyway.

I was just filling in temporarily while he was gone.

Now that Chul-soo’s back, it makes sense for her to go back to him.

—Hmm, honestly, that was a bit surprising. Who knew she’d declare it so quickly?

“That just shows how clear she is about separating work and personal stuff.”

Thinking about it, the class president was always efficient when handling things in class.

She’s probably the type who doesn’t let personal feelings interfere with her duties.

So naturally, switching back to Chul-soo made perfect sense.

“Still, she went out of her way to help me train and even prepared outfits for me. She must be pretty considerate.”

—Pfft, well, yeah… but still.

Even though her outfit was a bit revealing, it was all done for Yujin.

It’s definitely something to be grateful for.

“It wasn’t my idea, but I did get stronger thanks to her.”

Thanks to the class president, my skills improved significantly.

Though I wonder if getting stronger will really be useful in the long run.

Still, there’s no harm in becoming stronger.

Plus, hanging out with friends after school felt fun and social.

“So, I feel kinda nostalgic now. When will I ever hang out with classmates like this again?”

—You should join a club or something.

“Eh, nah. Too scary.”

Maybe it would’ve worked at the start of the semester, but relationships between students are already set now.

Especially in clubs, which are more closed-off groups.

How am I supposed to wedge myself into a group of already close friends?

For an introvert, that’s basically impossible.

“Well, I should probably get her something as a thank-you gift. What do girls these days like…?”

—Hey, you’ve got a super high-school-level modern girl right next to you. Why are you worrying alone?

“Yo? Seriously, that’s not quite right, is it?”

—Aww? Are you picking a fight with me now? Want me to keep you up all night?

Right as the two of us were bickering…

My eyes suddenly caught sight of the class president.

Normally, I’d just casually turn away.

After all, nothing is harder for an introvert than running into a close friend unexpectedly on the street!

However, today was different.

“…What’s that?”

—Isn’t it a monster?

At Rime’s response, Yujin froze in place a beat later.

..

“Haa…”

The class president sighed repeatedly throughout her walk home.

No need to say it—this was all because of Kim Yujin.

More specifically, because she wouldn’t be seeing him anymore.

‘Ah, no! That makes it sound like I’m sad about not seeing Kim Yujin…’

The class president shook her head vigorously, trying to deny her emotions.

Damn it.

Clearly, she’s on the winning side here, so why does she feel this way?

Couldn’t he at least ask politely before walking away?

“Ugh, this is driving me crazy… Why am I acting like this?”

No matter how hard she tried, his face kept popping into her mind.

She couldn’t stop thinking about him, no matter how much she denied her feelings.

This was exactly why she decided to firmly end their training sessions.

If she didn’t, she might reach a point where there’s no turning back.

“Yeah, it’s fine. We won’t meet for a while anyway. Time will heal it. Right?”

Even though she told herself this, it still felt a little disappointing.

Still, this was a feeling she absolutely couldn’t accept.

She’s friends with Chul-soo and Young-hee.

Out of principle alone, she can’t get close to him.

Let alone develop feelings—it’s completely unacceptable.

“Right, forget it! This is just a fleeting excitement. It means nothing! I shouldn’t care about that guy!”

“Ooooh, looks like you’ve got a crush on someone?”

Just as she was mentally convincing herself…

A strange voice suddenly cut in.

Turning toward the eerie tone, she saw a creepy-looking man approaching.

His overtly hostile and dangerous demeanor made her frown slightly.

“What do you want? Are you a villain?”

Villain.

That referred to criminals with special powers who used them for illegal activities instead of helping humanity like heroes.

They were the types of people the class president hated most.

“Villain, huh? Sure, you can call it that. My job is to make sweet girls like you happy—for a price, of course.”

“…”

“Originally, I was told to go easy, but hmm, you’ve got great development and an amazing figure, don’t you? Very impressive.”

The man scanned her body up and down.

Creeped out by his leering gaze, the class president involuntarily stepped backward.

“Disgusting. Do you enjoy living like this?”

“Ooooh, feisty attitude too! Love it. I especially enjoy watching rebellious kids like you break down and submit.”

Looks like she accidentally picked up a pervert.

While villains come in many forms, this was the first time she’d encountered someone this openly twisted.

“Kekeke, alright, I’ve decided. No matter how much you beg me to stop later, it won’t work. In fact, I’ll make you beg for more.”

“…Anyways, you’re a criminal, right?”

“Kehe, so what?”

Suddenly, transparent magical power appeared in the air and slammed into the man.

“Kehk!”

-Intermediate Magic: Invisible Spear-

A magic spear made of pure magical energy, undetectable to the naked eye.

Clearly surprised that a mere academy student could wield intermediate magic with such force, the man was sent flying.

“Guess it’s okay to rough up a villain. Thought it’d be easy to grab a girl, huh?”

-Intermediate Magic: Gravity Enhancement-

Magic-enhanced gravity pinned the man down, preventing him from moving.

It was hard to believe a student still in training could produce such overwhelming power.

“Even though I look like this, I’m consistently in the top ranks for magic scores at the academy.”

As a top student, the class president excelled in nearly every category:

Strength, martial arts, strategy, knowledge…

Among those, the one she was proudest of was magic.

Not only could she use beginner spells effortlessly,

but she could also handle intermediate spells without much difficulty.

“I’ll leave you here until the police arrive.”

“Kekeh… So this is why they targeted an academy student…”

“What?”

The man muttered something incomprehensible before pulling out a syringe from his coat.

With a flick of his wrist, he jabbed it into his neck.

“Puuk!”

The class president’s eyes widened in shock.

The man was breaking free of her enhanced gravity spell and standing up.

‘Wha… How? My gravity magic is strong enough to stop a charging horse…’

Moreover, something else was changing.

His body began mutating into a grotesque monster.

He grew larger, his skin darkening to a sinister black hue.

His limbs swelled unnaturally.

Monster.

There was no other word for it.

“D…”

Terrified, the class president took two steps back.

Danger.

Just looking at the creature radiated its monstrous nature.

“Kehehe, yes! This power! I feel like I can do anything now!”

“What… what ARE you?! What did you do to yourself?!”

“This strength is more than enough to discipline a girl like you.”

The monster moved.

The class president hastily erected a magic barrier.

-Intermediate Magic: Magic Barrier-

“Women shouldn’t dare defy men like this!”

Bang!

But her carefully constructed barrier shattered like glass.

The impact sent her flying backward.

“Guh!” She crashed to the ground.

Even though she had cast a protective barrier, the overwhelming force hit her directly.

Her body refused to move.

All she could manage was to lift her head slightly to see her opponent.

‘What kind of power is this…’

No, it wasn’t just the power—it was the unnatural transformation of his body.

How could a human become such a hideous creature?

Meanwhile, the man slowly approached her.

Black tendrils emerged from his body.

“W…what?”

In an instant, the tendrils wrapped around her.

Restraining her arms and legs, they lifted her into the air.

“Hey! Let me go!”

“Kekeke, don’t worry. You’ll be feeling good soon enough.”

A long tongue shot out and licked her cheek.

Overwhelmed by the horrifying sensation, her body trembled uncontrollably.

---