Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Midterm Evaluation (1)
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"Come on, repeat after me. 'I will never underestimate Lady So-yul again. I will absolutely obey my merciful wife.'"
"……."
"Hey, do it quick!"
The morning light had broken through.
And right now, Cheon So-yul was plastered right up against my side, poking at my cheek over and over.
Those prodding touches were seriously annoying...
But in my current state, I didn't even have the energy to swat her hand away and tell her to stop.
Cheon So-yul's obsession, which had started at the crack of dawn on Wednesday, had dragged on all the way through the weekend.
On Thursday and Friday nights, she'd rung my doorbell like we'd made a prior appointment.
And over the weekend, she'd planted herself on my bed like she owned the place.
Now, what do you suppose happens when two full-grown adults spend time under the same roof?
What could I do? It was an act of God.
Of course, we'd end up locking eyes and immediately getting tangled up together—no matter the time of day.
It was a weekend with nothing on the schedule, after all.
The trouble started around Sunday afternoon.
She insisted she wasn't jealous of Baek A-yun, but Cheon So-yul had clearly been clamping down on my sleep out of spite—and she could never beat me in the first place.
Not talking about magic here.
Cheon So-yul just wasn't the most robust when it came to stamina...
Usually, during our romps, she'd be the one tapping out first, saying she couldn't take any more.
At least, that's how it'd always been up until yesterday—which is the key point, since my undefeated streak snapped right then and there.
I covered my eyes with the back of my hand and let out a deep sigh.
Fine. I'll admit it. Yesterday, I lost.
To no one else but Cheon So-yul.
Of all people, that fragile little thing who practically spurts fountains at the slightest touch!
...This is mortifying as hell.
"Hey, are you crying? You gonna cry?"
I tried my best to ignore Cheon So-yul, who was relentlessly snarking at me from the side.
But my clenched fists were trembling uncontrollably anyway.
If I'd been milked dry for four straight days, even a top-tier melee fighter wouldn't hold up.
Let alone me, a nominal magic user?
Meanwhile, Cheon So-yul would pant and collapse exhausted each time, but after two or three hours of rest, she'd bounce right back to full energy.
Even when her legs were visibly shaking, she'd still pounce on me.
At first, I didn't refuse her eager advances since it felt good for both of us.
So I'd drain her stamina gauge to zero, go do my thing, then she'd pounce again, I'd push it into the negative, and repeat...
-Huh?
Somehow, I realized my own stamina had hit its limit.
That's when I flinched and dodged away from her coming at me for more without realizing it.
The fatigue from Wednesday dawn through Thursday, Friday nights and mornings—plus commuting to the academy—had finally exploded over the weekend.
How many boxes of condoms had we burned through? And how many times had we gone raw without a care?
No wonder I was wiped out.
It was a perfectly reasonable collapse.
"Hyun-jin, oh Hyun-jin."
"……."
"Hyun-jin? You look beat. Wanna sleep more? Come here. I'll hold you."
...And yet here was Cheon So-yul, strutting around after getting just one surrender out of me. What the hell was wrong with her? It was infuriating.
Did she forget all those times she'd begged me to go easy on her?
Was winning once after losing ninety-nine times that big a deal?
How could she swagger like that?
...If only I'd gotten proper sleep.
I ground my teeth and glared at Cheon So-yul. She beamed back at me, pulling my arm to her chest and hugging it tight.
I hated how easily I was getting swayed by the soft feel of her bare skin...
"...Time to get up. We need to prep for school."
I had no choice but to opt for a tactical retreat. I gently pushed her hand away and sat up.
My plan to make this cocky girl cry out could wait a few days.
With finality that this was truly it for today, I headed firmly to the bathroom. Cheon So-yul—probably pouting, though I didn't look—soon scurried after me with quick steps.
She grabbed the door just as I was about to close it and slipped inside.
Then, facing my dumbfounded expression, she declared:
"No time, so let's shower together."
I let out a weary sigh.
"Get out."
"What's your deal? Are you really sulking, Lee Hyun-jin? Come on, I was just teasing a bit."
"Back off a little...! Stop clinging!"
"I know you love it deep down."
Ignoring me completely, Cheon So-yul turned on the shower. In the end, I couldn't hold back my pent-up frustration any longer.
"...Hey."
Grimacing, I growled low and stepped behind her, pulling her into a tight embrace—enough to feel a bit of pressure.
Cheon So-yul gasped sharply.
"...What're you doing?"
She turned to me with a smile mixing anticipation and a hint of fear.
Her eyes sparkled meaningfully, her lips twitching with delight.
It felt like she was looking down at me, asking, Think you can handle it?
I twitched my eyebrows in response.
Cheon So-yul silently lifted the corners of her mouth, her eyes curving softly.
She slyly guided my hand down to her chest, positioning it on her sensitive spot, then cleared her throat.
"Ahem..."
Her other hand slid toward my lower half as she muttered:
"...Just once..."
As if it wasn't meant for me, more like talking to herself.
"We've still got a little time, so maybe just once more before heading to school..."
"……."
She shivered slightly, catching my sharp side-eye and savoring the thrilling chill. Then she tilted her head back a bit.
Her head bumped lightly against my chest as she leaned back halfway...
Shwaaa—
Under the warm cascade from the showerhead, we tussled briefly in a rather intense and naughty tangle.
It was close-quarters combat where exhausting each other was the only goal.
"Cheon So-yul, and Lee Hyun-jin."
"……."
"You're the only two in Class A who pulled this off. Showing up late to the sacred day of the midterm evaluation—and so brazenly, at that."
Kim Kyung-heon, a special A-rank awakener and our second-year Class A homeroom teacher, stood before us, looking down with cold disdain.
Cheon So-yul and I could only shrink like puppies before a feral tiger.
We were the undisputed top two in our second-year class—untouchable, you'd think.
But this guy was the exception.
A living legend who'd cleaved through monsters and villains alike with a single axe in his prime.
He'd fallen just short of S-rank due to unmet conditions, but his skills rivaled those superhumans anyway.
We couldn't talk back to Teacher Kim Kyung-heon.
Especially not when we'd been dragged here for screwing up.
And this time, the screw-up was tardiness. On midterm evaluation day, we'd lost track of time doing something too embarrassing to mention...
Just five minutes late, sure—but still insanely bold.
Cheon So-yul and I bowed our heads in unison.
"Sorry."
"We have no excuses..."
Teacher Kim Kyung-heon sneered twistedly.
"Five more minutes, and you'd both be dead last. Lucky break. At least you won't slip from first and second."
Fortune smiled on us—the bus hadn't left yet. He jerked his chin.
"Get in and sit down. We're heading to Mount Geryong soon."
"Y-yes. Sorry..."
Realizing we could've tumbled from first without even taking the eval, a chill ran down our spines.
Cheon So-yul, pale as a ghost, nodded frantically while clutching my sleeve and fleeing to the bus.
Bonus: her punching my back while muttering "beast bastard..." nonstop.
I held back from saying we'd both enjoyed it, so why blame me? She'd hit harder.
...Okay, maybe dragging her into round two after she said "just once" was on me.
But how was I supposed to resist her wet, light brown hair looking extra sexy today?
I scratched the back of my head sheepishly and climbed aboard.
Anyway.
The bus was packed with students. A few empty seats here and there—we weren't the only gutsy latecomers...
But pairs of adjacent empties? Rare.
We had to split up.
I teased Cheon So-yul lightly.
"Bet you're bummed we can't sit together."
"Eep...!"
I'd whispered low in her ear for the enclosed space, and she melted.
Her sweet little moan echoed just right—not too loud, not too quiet—drawing brief stares from nearby students before they looked away.
Cheon So-yul slapped a hand over her mouth and glared daggers at me.
I shrugged nonchalantly and bolted to an empty seat.
I plopped down in the most obvious one.
"Long time no see."
Suddenly, a female student's voice greeted me from the side.
I reflexively furrowed my brow at the fresh jasmine scent hitting me.
Something about the voice felt familiar.
I turned to the adjacent seat.
And there she was, as expected: long, deep navy hair cascading down, engrossed in a Japanese book, turning pages with a magenta gaze.
There was only one person in all of Blue Pine Academy with eyes so captivating they spiked your heart rate just by looking.
I steadied my nearly fraying mind with mana and called her name.
"Kanzaki."
"Yes, Lee Hyun-jin."
She closed her book right then and turned to me. We both grimaced awkwardly in sync.
Me hating it? Don't worry—I wasn't thrilled to see you either.
I nodded at the book she'd been reading.
"Reading, huh."
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Keep at it. No chit-chat. Let's just ride in silence."
"Heh, I was planning the same."
Sizzle! No Heavenly Thunder needed—sparks flew where our glares met.
And like always, we turned away for quiet time.
"...Hm?"
Suddenly, Kanzaki cocked a brow and tilted her head.
Her slightly narrowed, puzzled eyes fixed on me.
I grimaced reluctantly.
"What."
"……."
I'd asked her intent, but no answer came. She just stared quietly.
It felt uncomfortably off.
I was about to give up and look away, signaling stare all you want.
Swish...
A faint sound like thin thread brushing fabric whispered through.
I flinched instinctively.
"Huh?"
Whipping my head to Kanzaki, I was left speechless in disbelief.
A cute devil tail swayed out from under her skirt.
"Hey, you..."
Why pull out something she always hid so fiercely now? Curiosity aside, her uncharacteristically troubled look nagged me, so I started to call her cautiously.
Whoosh! Her tail lashed out, cuffing my wrist like handcuffs.
"?"
What the—?
I blinked in confusion, but Kanzaki just leaned into me, grabbing my bound wrist carefully.
I scowled deeply.
"Hey, what the hel—."
Touching her had never led to anything good.
As I tried to pull away, she did something wild.
"...Sss, haa..."
She hoisted my bound arm at a right angle, burying her face in my side and armpit, inhaling deeply.
...In other words, Kanzaki Rie sniffed me. Intensely.
"...? ???"
Too stunned for shock or questions, I just stared blankly.
What the hell just happened? My brain couldn't process it straight.
Kanzaki looked grave, then glanced up at me curiously, head tilting like I'd sprouted horns.
What the actual fuck.
As I snapped to and opened my mouth to protest:
Blue Pine Academy's Yamato Nadeshiko spoke to me.
"You've lost your virginity, haven't you?"