This body is not some grandma!
“Gasp, huff.”
Aris exhales roughly.
The blade of Durandal presses against her throat, shining ominously.
In Aris’s silver eyes, Kim Deok-Sung’s figure is reflected.
The exclusive training room for the Student Council President.
A place marked by the traces of their duel.
A drop of sweat rolls down Aris’s beautiful forehead.
Today’s duel ended in Kim Deok-Sung’s victory and Aris’s complete defeat.
There were no excuses; it was an overwhelming loss.
“I admit defeat.”
Aris declares her loss in a trembling voice.
Hearing her admit defeat, Kim Deok-Sung sheaths Durandal.
Phew.
Aris takes a deep breath and smooths her chest.
She speaks in a slightly sour tone.
“You’ve grown, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung. I am now disqualified as the strongest in the academy.”
“No, that’s not true.”
Kim Deok-Sung shakes his head.
“I can’t be satisfied with this level. I need to get stronger…”
He trails off.
He has become strong enough to overwhelm Aris.
He feels that much.
But it’s still not enough.
To face the enemies, he must become even stronger than he is now.
As the Black Prince said, he needs to reach EX rank.
That obsession dominates Kim Deok-Sung’s mind.
“What on earth happened during the school trip?”
Aris asks.
Seeing his unusual demeanor, a hint of worry shows on her face.
She knows that there were incidents during the school trip.
However, she is a third-year student.
Since only first-years go on the school trip, she couldn’t participate, and thus, she has no idea how the atmosphere was on-site.
All she knows is that the villains attacked, and the first-year students who went to Beppu suffered considerable damage, while Kim Deok-Sung and his fellow first-years, along with the heroes from the association, fought back and repelled the enemies.
However, she isn’t so foolish that she wouldn’t realize that Kim Deok-Sung’s changes stem from the school trip.
“It’s nothing.”
Kim Deok-Sung shakes his head.
Seeing this, Aris pouts her lips slightly.
“…I understand.”
She nods with a slightly stiff expression.
A sense of unease bubbles up in Aris’s heart.
Kim Deok-Sung’s level has already surpassed hers.
‘To think he’s already stronger than me… He really isn’t an ordinary guy…’
Further personal training might be pointless now.
I don’t know.
Maybe Kim Deok-Sung himself is aware of that.
If that’s the case, then the one-on-one personal training with him might disappear too…
Aris’s face stiffens at that thought.
‘It can’t happen!’
She must absolutely prevent the personal training from ending.
She was already busy with her duties as Student Council President.
If not now, when could she see him?
He is the only guy who understands her.
He is the one she likes.
She wants to spend more time with the person she likes.
That desire wriggles in Aris’s heart.
Her face flushes.
‘B-but still…’
She can’t just hold him back with her desires.
Aris vaguely senses that Kim Deok-Sung has some bigger goals in mind.
What those are, she doesn’t know yet… But she doesn’t want to hinder the path of the person she likes.
Aris bites her lip.
She doesn’t want to hold him back.
But she also doesn’t want to stop the current personal training.
After a while of internal conflict, Aris speaks up.
“…Kim Deok-Sung.”
“Did you call for me?”
“Personal training… Will it continue… from now on?”
She wants to be with him more.
But Aris isn’t selfish enough to impose her desires onto others.
Her eyes tremble.
She lowers her head and bites her lip.
‘So the training is coming to an end…’
Aris braces herself.
She thinks that this kind of training, which no longer has much meaning, might be ending soon.
Even if she were him, she would have made the same decision.
Logically correct, but emotionally hard to accept.
At that moment, as her shoulders trembled…
“Yes. It will continue.”
Kim Deok-Sung’s voice reached Aris’s ears.
Her eyes widen.
She lifts her head.
“R-really? Kim Deok-Sung?”
“Yes.”
“Why… are you saying that the training will continue?”
“Because you need to get stronger too, Aris-senpai.”
Her heart races.
She also needs to get stronger.
It was true.
Just because Kim Deok-Sung had surpassed her, she shouldn’t settle now.
“Ugh…”
A sudden rush of embarrassment floods Aris’s face. It turns bright red.
It’s embarrassing, shameful, and humbling.
While she selfishly pouted about not wanting to lose her personal training, he was thinking about his own strength too.
Even after experiencing such a huge incident on the school trip.
‘He’s really kind…’
He is kind.
Thump, thump.
Her heart pounds.
It’s too embarrassing and thrilling for her to look him in the eye directly.
Holding onto her exploding heart, Aris pushes Kim Deok-Sung down onto the floor.
“Lie down. I-I’m going to give you a massage now…”
“Understood.”
Kim Deok-Sung lies down.
Swish, swish.
Aris strips off Kim Deok-Sung’s shirt.
A strong, muscular back appears beneath his sweat-soaked shirt.
Flush.
Aris’s face turns red.
‘What naughty thoughts does this gasbag have…? This is a massage day. Massage day…’
“It’s Massage Day. Massage Day······.”
Squeeze, squeeze.
As Aris shakes her head, she presses her magically charged fingers into Kim Deok-Sung’s back.
His tense muscles gradually relax under Aris’s magic.
“Ugh······.”
Kim Deok-Sung lets out a groan.
Feeling something strange from his voice, Aris’s face turns red again.
It wasn’t exactly a secret that she was happiest during the magic massage after their sparring match.
Just as they were continuing the massage for a while, Aris suddenly recalled Kim Deok-Sung’s earlier statement.
“I need to become stronger, didn’t he say?”
Thoughts about the school trip terror incident followed in her mind.
The appearance of the EX Rank villain, Berserk, and the Undertaker.
She heard the Undertaker faced off against the Association President and Vice President, while Berserk was said to have fought against the first-year students led by Kim Deok-Sung.
But the person who truly defeated Berserk was Kim Deok-Sung alone.
Perhaps that brutal battle had instilled some kind of obsession in him.
Something like, “I must become stronger to protect everyone.”
As Aris’s thoughts wandered, her gaze landed on Kim Deok-Sung’s back.
What usually appeared wide and reassuring now looked smaller than usual.
That’s when her heart grew heavy.
What on earth had she done to her junior who had gone through so much suffering?
As a third-year senior, here she was acting like a spoiled child towards someone younger.
How embarrassing.
Even if she allowed him to rely on her, she shouldn’t be acting like this now.
She needed to make amends, even if it was late.
“······Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
Finishing her thoughts, Aris called out to him.
Climbing onto Kim Deok-Sung’s back, she hugged him tightly.
Her bare skin touched his back directly, given that she was only in her underwear.
Twitch.
Kim Deok-Sung’s body trembled.
“I am the Student Council President of Shuo Academy.”
Aris spoke briefly, her face flushing.
“······.”
Kim Deok-Sung remained silent.
“······Just as I rely on you, I hope that if you ever have tough times, you can trust me and lean on me as well.”
Aris whispered in a trembling voice while hugging him.
The memories of that day swirled in her mind.
The day her identity was revealed to everyone by Shinji.
On the rooftop of the academy, his reply still echoed in her ears.
When she asked if it was okay to be spoiled, he said it didn’t matter.
When she asked if it was okay to rely on him, he said it was fine.
Since that day, she might have subconsciously relied on him without realizing it.
But as a senior, she shouldn’t be like that.
One-sided dependence in a relationship was unhealthy.
Aris thought so.
“······Believing and relying on each other to be a strength for one another is the ideal human relation······. That’s how I want to support you to the best of my abilities, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
Aris confessed her feelings with a shaky voice.
Thump, thump.
Aris’s heart rate skyrocketed exponentially.
Her silver eyes spun like a whirlpool.
‘This girl’s gone completely bonkers······. This is seriously a confession······. What am I supposed to do now······?’
Gasunaga is really insane… This is a complete confession… What am I supposed to do now…
Aris’s body trembles.
What if he rejects me?
What if it gets awkward?
What if this word pushes him away?
As all sorts of imaginations fluttered through Aris’s mind, at that moment…
“I understand.”
Kim Deok-Sung’s answer echoed in Aris’s ears.
Thump.
Aris’s heart continued to race.
A smile spread across her lips.
“That’s how it’s going to be, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
Saying that, Aris hugged Deok-Sung tightly.
Today, his body warmth was gentle and warm.
*
Shuo Hero Academy.
Principal’s Residence.
Inside the luxurious interior of the residence.
The owner of the residence, Principal Yoshizaki Seira, was enjoying some long-awaited leisure.
“It’s nice to be alone. It’s been so long since I’ve had a break…”
While sipping matcha that seemed out of place in the Western-style mansion, Seira closed her eyes.
Ever since she became Haru’s guardian and started living with her, there had never been a calm moment in the Principal’s Residence.
As she recalled those memories, Seira’s hands trembled slightly.
“Ugh, I’m not an old lady!”
Seira’s voice, filled with grievance, spilled out as she spoke to herself.
Haru’s teasing voice about her age still rang vividly in her ears.
Fortunately, today was a day when Haru had gone out, leaving her all alone at home.
There was no one to hear her mutterings.
“Really… She wasn’t this cheeky in the past, even if she was a little bratty…”
Huff.
Seira let out a slight sigh.
Having finished her tea, she entered the dressing room.
A large mirror reflected her appearance.
A beautiful girl in a black gothic lolita dress, looking about 15 years old.
Her white hair, bloody red eyes, and snow-white skin further accentuated her charm.
Seira puffed her cheeks and drew a peace sign with her fingers.
“Indeed, my charm has not rusted away yet.”
Heh.
An ambitious smile appeared on Seira’s face.
‘Yeah, I’m not some old lady.’
A cute girl who wouldn’t be outdone even when compared to the verdant youths in their prime.
As she thought that, Seira spun around cutely.
The white-haired, red-eyed gothic lolita girl in the mirror also spun around with her.
“Speaking of which, the sports festival is coming up…”
At Shuo Academy, the sports festival is held in the second semester, unlike typical schools.
Moreover, this year’s festival is set to be even more extravagant than last year in order to break the chaotic atmosphere caused by the first-year class trip being canceled.
As a result, the students’ gym uniforms were changed from spats to bloomers.
“Fufufufu…”
A low chuckle escaped Seira’s lips.
“If only my custom gym uniform would arrive…”
She would surely be the envy of the students during the sports festival.
In Seira’s mind, she imagined Kim Deok-Sung blushing at the sight of her cute and beautiful self.
Thump.
Her heart raced.
