Midterm Gambit
[Photo]
That’s the doppelganger bastard, right??
Only the doll is left, so is this the real body??
I picked up the puppet doll.
This was probably the doppelganger’s original form.
Now that it was dead, only the empty shell of a doll remained.
But I had the Spirit of Strength and magic that could return power.
Gulp.
“No way…”
Infinite possibilities unfolded in my mind.
The world… I could do what I did today again?
Once this ghost story was resolved, I had thought I’d have to say goodbye like with Ellie’s mom.
No supernatural being will ever be able to tempt me again.
From now on, I’ll live with the heart of a sage.
I grabbed the puppet doll and returned to my dorm room.
By the time I got back, it was already after school hours.
I’d spent so long tormenting the fake Ellie that time had flown by.
The window outside was painted in sunset hues.
“You worked hard today. You went through a lot of pain, didn’t you?”
“Mm, yeah… It’s probably because Ares did it. …I-I was fine, though.”
“Really…?”
Ellie smiled softly, her cheeks faintly flushed.
That expression reminded me of the diary entry I’d read earlier.
‘No way… Ellie’s into that kind of thing…’
She’d said being choked wasn’t so bad.
Remembering how I’d strangled her earlier made the memory feel strangely erotic.
“I’ll get going then, Ares. …See you tomorrow.”
“Want me to walk you?”
“Mm, I-I’m fine. I can go by myself.”
“Alright. There are still students heading home, so be careful not to get caught.”
“Yeah…”
Ellie left my room and headed back to her own dorm.
She’d looked awkward and fidgety right until she left…
Probably because she’d wet the bed three times.
“So this is where…”
I sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed the spot where Ellie had been lying just hours ago.
The sheets were clean.
Just like the diary said, she must have changed them.
“……”
Flop.
I collapsed face-down onto the bed.
“Huuu…”
The scent of clean sheets.
…But somehow, I could still smell Ellie here.
She must have lain down for a bit even after changing the sheets.
“So Ellie… did that right here.”
With my face buried in the sheets, I let my imagination run wild, picturing Ellie on this bed, receiving the doppelganger’s sensations.
Wouldn’t it be nice to install CCTV in the room?
“So you can get a camera…”
I made up my mind. I’d get one before Ellie came to my room again.
How much would it cost…?
Judging by how expensive it supposedly was, a few tens of thousands of Cocoon wouldn’t cut it.
At minimum several hundred thousand, up to a few million.
…That was an enormous amount of money.
“Plus, if I want to use this puppet doll I just got…”
The most urgent problem I had to solve right now was my empty wallet.
I needed money.
It was already unfair enough that I’d been dropped into this hellish otherworld horror academy, but now I had to struggle with money here too.
“Do I really have to get a part-time job…?”
But I’d heard the pay wasn’t that great, and if I got off work late I could end up in danger.
It could also mess up my studies and get me failing grades.
All things considered, it was probably better not to get a part-time job.
So the only option left was…
“Top of the school…”
The scholarship given to the student ranked first in the entire academy.
Five million Cocoon.
That was currently the most realistic way for me to earn a large sum of money.
Has anyone here ever been ranked first in the whole school??
The problem was that becoming top of the school wasn’t something you could achieve easily.
“No, but how can there really be zero people?”
I’d thought there would at least be one.
After all, everyone probably had access to the Gallery, and some of them had magic too.
I figured at least one person would have done whatever it took to become first in the school.
But apparently not.
No one. Not a single person had succeeded.
That was how strictly the exams were administered.
“Aaaagh! But I absolutely need those five million Cocoon…!!”
I buried my face in the pillow and kicked my legs.
The faint scent of Ellie’s shampoo rising from the pillow helped calm me down.
‘At this rate, forget the puppet doll… even just Ellie’s diary is going to be tight…’
Viewing six days into the future cost three hundred thousand Cocoon.
Even if I used it as much as possible in a month, three times was the limit.
Would I be okay?
In this horror academy, I had no idea what kind of ghost stories I’d face in the future.
If I gave up the cheat key of seeing the future, would I still be able to survive safely?
‘Probably not…’
Just look at this doppelganger incident. Without Ellie’s diary, she probably would have died.
Same with the movie theater ghost story last time. Without the diary, my survival rate in this academy would plummet.
“Haa… At least the diary… money… seriously, fuck…”
I whined into the pillow that smelled like Ellie.
And then.
“……Diary?”
Something flashed in my mind.
As long as you don’t get caught during the exam, it’s fine, right??
“Alright, since there’s only one week left until midterms, everyone should start focusing and studying properly from today.”
The next day. As soon as I arrived at school, the homeroom teacher brought up the midterms.
One week remaining. That much time had already passed.
‘Well… it’s been a few weeks since I transferred here.’
I smiled in satisfaction.
Right when I needed money, midterms were coming up. Perfect timing for me.
‘Since the diary can show up to seven days into the future, including the day of…’
I calculated the schedule in my head.
With this cheat-level diary, even becoming first in the school wasn’t an impossible dream.
“A~res.”
“Lana.”
While I was sitting there lost in thought, Lana approached with a bright smile.
She gently sat down in the seat in front of me, facing me.
“What are you thinking about? Midterms?”
“Ah, yeah. They’re next week already.”
“Heheh, how’s your preparation going?”
“Preparation…?”
I smirked at her question and answered confidently.
“Sorry, but… my goal this time is to be first in the entire school.”
“Eh… seriously?”
“Of course.”
“Ooh…”
It was the honest truth. Impressed by my bold attitude, Lana clapped her hands lightly.
Then she put on her usual playful smile and leaned her head slightly toward me.
“Then… I’ll help you become first in the school too.”
“Huh…? Help… how?”
“Hmm, maybe I’ll give you something nice if you get first place? That’ll motivate you more, right?”
“Eh…”
Something nice…?
“What do you mean by that…”
“For example.”
As I muttered in confusion, Lana gently lifted my hand. Then she brought it to her mouth.
“Something like this?”
Lana softly bit my hand with her lips.
“Ugh, w-wait…”
“Mmm…”
Warm lips and a moist sensation. Her firm teeth gently nibbled my skin. Not painfully.
Thump thump thump….
Is this what she meant by something nice…?
Lana held my hand in her mouth and smiled cutely at me. Her eyes looked like they were saying ‘This is just a taste.’
So if I became first in the school, then—
Crack.
“Eh…”
“Oh my.”
Just then, the sound of something breaking came from behind us.
Lana removed her mouth from my hand and glanced back. Even as she did, I kept staring at the spot where her soft lips had been.
Then.
Tap tap tap.
Someone approached us from behind.
“Ah, Ares.”
“E-Ellie.”
It was Ellie. At the sound of her voice, my body stiffened as I slowly turned my head.
Ellie was looking at me with her usual timid smile. But… for some reason, her eyes looked dangerous.
“Do you have a moment? I have something I want to talk to Ares about.”
“Talk…?”
“Yeah.”
Come to think of it, Ellie had just gone through the doppelganger incident yesterday. And I had something I wanted to discuss with her today anyway, so it wasn’t a bad idea.
…Though I had a feeling something bad would happen if I refused.
“Then…”
Just then.
“Eeh~, why? I was talking to Ares right now.”
Grab.
Lana, who had been sitting in front of me, grabbed my hand and stopped me.
“You’re leaving? And leaving me behind…?”
“……”
At Lana’s gaze, my butt instinctively stuck back to the chair.
At the same time, Ellie brushed past me.
“Ares was about to get up just now. Let go.”
Facing Lana, Ellie spoke with a chilling look in her eyes. But Lana didn’t back down either. She smiled brightly and deliberately raised the hand she was holding.
“But now he’s sitting back down, isn’t he?”
“Because you’re holding him.”
“He’s not shaking me off either. Right, Ares?”
“Let go already.”
The air grew heavy.
[Video]
Save me…
“S-Sorry, Lana! I actually did have something to talk to Ellie about!”
“Eeh~, that’s too much! You’re really gonna leave me behind?”
“I’ll spend the next break only with you!”
“Tch…”
Following NightRat’s advice, I chose to run away. The atmosphere felt like blood would start flying if I stayed any longer.
“L-Let’s go, Ellie?”
“Yeah…”
Thankfully, when I chose Ellie, she erased her dangerous expression and followed me with slightly flushed cheeks.
…Looks like it resolved well. I just cleared one sudden ghost story. It was the scariest one I’d faced recently.
“Want to go to the east staircase on the fifth floor?”
“Huh? But it’s break time…”
“It’s okay if we’re a little late…”
Ellie walked briskly and led me to the stairs. It was the usual secluded spot where we ate lunch together.
As soon as we arrived, Ellie took out a handkerchief and immediately started wiping my hand. The spot where Lana had bitten it earlier.
“So Ellie, …what’s up? You said you had something to talk about?”
“Ah, that is…”
After she finished wiping my hand completely, Ellie hesitated and fidgeted with her fingers at my question. Her appearance was as timid and cute as usual, creating a stark contrast to the dangerous look she’d had just moments ago.
“Remember what we talked about before? …You said you’d grant my request.”
“Request? Ah, right.”
“I just decided on it a little while ago.”
“……”
The request. It was the reward I’d promised Ellie a few days ago when I asked her to investigate and write in her diary during the doppelganger incident.
‘A request…’
Back then I’d imagined something a bit lewd, but after witnessing that dangerous scene earlier, it now felt terrifying.
However.
“I-I want to hug Ares! L-Like a doll!”
“……Hug?”
“Y-Yeah…!”
Contrary to her nervousness, Ellie’s request was extremely ordinary.
No. When I saw her breasts jiggle— it matched exactly the lewd request I’d been hoping for a few days ago.
Tap.
Ellie climbed up two more steps on the staircase. Now her eye level was slightly higher than mine.
“Is it okay…?”
As she said that, Ellie gently spread her arms.
“…Uh, l-like this?”
“Not allowed…?”
“No, it’s just…”
Gulp.
I hesitated for a moment. At the same time, my heart started pounding.
Because when Ellie climbed two steps up the stairs, right in front of my eyes was paradise.
‘If I hug her like this…’
A blissful situation I could barely endure would unfold.
“It’s a promise… right?”
But Ellie looked at me with flushed cheeks, arms open, as if she wouldn’t let me refuse.
Yeah… a promise. It’s a promise. Right, I have to keep my promises.
“Th-Then…”
“Yeah.”
I slowly walked forward. The paradise grew even larger in my vision.
And then.
Squish.
‘Uwooooooooh—!!!’
I was embraced by Ellie’s chest. My face was buried in it.
I could feel a pleasant scent and warm body heat. At the same time, Ellie wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me in tightly.
“……”
“……”
How much time had passed like that? They say happiness passes in an instant. Soon after, the bell signaling the end of break rang.
“Hey…, Ellie.”
“Yeah…”
“The bell… rang.”
“I heard…”
But Ellie didn’t seem to have any intention of letting me go. Of course, I didn’t want to leave either.
And then.
“You know…, Ares…”
“Y-Yeah…?”
Still holding me against her chest, Ellie buried her face in my hair and asked softly.
“…Did it feel good earlier?”
“……What?”
Feel good? What do you mean…?
“When Lana bit you…”
“……”
At her continued question, I immediately understood. She was talking about the scene where Lana had demonstrated the ‘reward’ for getting first place.
“Did it feel good…?”
She asked again in a cute voice. For some reason, the question sounded dangerous.
This was clearly a case where giving the wrong answer would be disastrous.
“N-No…! I wouldn’t say it felt good. I was so surprised I couldn’t really feel anything…!”
“Really…?”
“Yeah…! It was so sudden!”
“……”
Pat, pat.
Ellie silently stroked my head in response. Like she was petting a baby in her arms.
What was she thinking? …I had a bad feeling about this.
“U-Um, Ellie, I actually have another favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
So I changed the subject and brought up what I needed to say. I’d been planning to talk to Ellie about it today anyway.
“Well, midterms are next week.”
“Yeah.”
“After midterms are over— could you write the correct answers in your diary?”
“The correct answers?”
When I slightly lifted my head from her chest and looked at her, Ellie stared at me with a puzzled expression.
But that puzzlement quickly disappeared. Soon Ellie blushed and averted her eyes.
“Th-Then… I’ll do it, so can I ask for one more favor too?”
“Huh? Right now?”
“Yeah.”
Unexpectedly, Ellie immediately demanded a price for writing in the diary. It was.
“I-I want to write about Ares in my diary too.”
“About me…?”
“Yeah, is that okay?”
“What do you mean…”
“It’s just like it sounds…. Is it okay…?”
“……”
Writing about me in her diary. About me, huh….
She was already writing about me in her diary, so why specifically ask….
Beside, writing in her diary was Ellie’s freedom, so it wasn’t really a request….
But since she was asking, there was no reason to refuse.
“Well, alright. Do that.”
“Really?”
When I gave permission, Ellie’s face lit up with obvious joy and she smiled brightly.
Only then did she finally let me go from her embrace.
…The heavenly sensation that had covered my entire face disappeared. I was already starting to miss it.
“Hehe, let’s go. We’ll be late.”
“Yeah.”
Ellie returned to the classroom with a very happy expression, completely different from before. Apparently, the request she’d just made was what she’d wanted most. It was a shame it wasn’t something lewd, but….
Anyway.
I’d also secured a solid plan for getting first place. With this, I could definitely become first in the school without getting caught.
Just wait for me, five million Cocoon.