Chapter 126
Chapter 126
Academy’s Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 126
"Big brother! Big brother! What's this tail?"
"Whoa... It's really pretty."
"The tail? Or the face?"
"The eyes are re~ally pretty."
"I think the face is even prettier!"
Strays or not, kids were still kids.
They understood the pain of having nothing, yet they retained an innocence that felt out of place.
It was beautiful, like a lotus blooming in the mud.
"...Isabel, you've done well keeping these kids in line."
That said, innocence wasn't always a good thing.
At least not right now. It was making things hard for me.
They approached without hesitation, their scattered attention giving me a headache.
The kids in Temil Village hadn't been this bad.
These city kids clung even more.
Maybe because it was impossible to tell if they even had parents.
Isabel handing out food, and the other students leading their groupsit was clear no adults had touched them.
Their hair and clothes showed no signs of adult care.
Dust that a parent would've brushed off at least once still clung to them. No trace of anyone else's hands.
My senses, spread wide around us, picked up only kids under seventeen. That was the clue.
"Must've been... really tough."
"What are you talking about? Unlike you, these kids are good and pure, so they listen to me."
"Yeah, I guess."
I'm not exactly the obedient type.
If this body's original owner modeled that after me, then Isabel was right. I nodded.
Even if it was an insult, I'd acknowledge what was true.
"But you know."
"Oppa! Can I touch this tail?"
"Whoa, three tails!"
"That's what I said earlier. Ah, I wanna touch it too! I wanna touch!"
"They weren't this scattered, were they?"
"Well... no."
I might not listen well.
But I wasn't scattered.
I quietly did homework or training.
Maybe because I saw too early how easily people die. Anything helpful, I'd do without complaint.
Though I'd boldly refuse anything useless.
"Um... can I ask one thing?"
"What? You're dying to ask? Questions from you are rare enough to count on one hand."
"It's not that rare!"
What are you saying.
That was already the fifth just now.
Just enough to fill one hand.
This teacher is thrilled you're asking so much.
Well... compared to Iji or Seo Ye-rin with their three-digit counts, it's nothing. But as a substitute teacher, I was genuinely pleased.
"That tail... Can I touch it too...?"
"No, you can't."
I take it back. Sincerity withdrawn.
"Ah! Why?! It's not like it'll wear out from touching."
"Still no."
"When we were kids, you didn't care no matter how much I touched..."
That was when we were kids.
And back then, it wasn't even me.
So no tails for you brats.
"Whoa! Fast, so fast!!"
I spun my tails to say absolutely no touching.
Tamamo, watching, laughed.
Pffft, what's that?
'Telling them no touching ever.'
You hate tail-touching that much? Makes sense. Hehe.
'...Why are you grinning?'
Don't laugh weirdly.
It's creepy.
Well, foxes have nerves and blood vessels under their tails close to erogenous zones. Hehe... Just think of them as erogenous zones?
"...!"
Whish! Whish!!
The three tails spun like juggling balls, fast and furious.
At this rate, they might turn into propellers and lift off. The kids forgot about touching, eyes sparkling as they watched the tails whirl.
Ah, tail muscles hurt.
'Muscles I never trained. Moving them suddenly like this hurts like hell.'
High-speed spinning to deter touching caused intense muscle pain.
Felt like the muscles would snap any second.
But no one touches my tails.
Absolutely not.
So Seung-woo didn't know.
Whish! Whish!! Whish!!!
Why the tail muscles held up despite the strain: they'd secretly swayed, subtly training on their own without the owner's knowledge.
Nor that the tips curved like hooks.
As if vowing revenge, conscious and resentful.
Only Tamamo, leisurely watching from behind, knew.
This'll backfire soon. Limbs betraying their master.
'Who betrays who?'
Just a metaphor. Don't overwork your tails. Why not let them touch?
Tamamo knows fox bodies better than me.
I've only been in this body two months; she's lived eons with tails.
'No, hate it.'
But it was non-negotiable for me.
A line I must defend. Beyond new organ, tails were shameful.
Hated eyes drawn to my pubic area naturally.
So no one gets tail permission. Ever.
"Oh, even faster."
"Can't even you catch it, sis?"
"Me? Ahem, of course I can."
"...Don't come closer."
"Hehe, no way."
Why is she like this.
Chasing my tail, firing signature light magic without hesitation. I racked my brain. No lethality, but specialized in capture and restraint.
Even using trait Magic Saint fully, barely dodging high-level spells. Impressive.
Binding's harder than killing.
What did she learn in six days here? Skills leaped.
Thrilling as teacher, but miserable with it aimed at me.
After 30 minutes of heavy mana use, we stopped this damned tag.
"St-stop..."
"Would you?"
"...Yeah."
"...?"
Isabel poured over 90% mana for 30 minutes, panting hard chasing me. I used only 10%, but burned most stamina.
This shitty low stamina.
Maybe why.
I missed Isabel's words momentarily.
Something before '...Yeah.'
Stamina near zero, ears ringing.
Thud!
Her personalityif important, she'd repeat.
No need to ask. Sat on ground.
Screw teacher dignity. Felt like dying.
After, Isabel stopped obsessing over tail, sat silently beside.
Just in case.
Slowly.
Tail inched from Isabel, caught her glaring zap.
No, what.
Scared you'd touch.
Shifting, tail bumped something. Stopped. Turned.
"Roses? Blooming here?"
Red roses everywhere.
Not onea field.
Overwhelmed momentarily.
Isabel, following, whispered in ear.
"Still... like roses?"
"...Huh?"
What'd she say.
Sudden, dumbfounded.
Not just. Head blank white, missed response timing.
Dazed look obvious. State bad.
"H-how do you...?"
"You've liked roses forever."
"Me...?"
Did I say that?
Trailed off stupidly.
Pfft. Isabel covered mouth, giggling.
Why laugh.
Too shocked to laugh.
Overwhelmed, fumbled reaction.
She picked up thread.
"Haven't seen that dumb face in ages."
"Dumb face...?"
"Huh? Over twenty years alive, never noticed? When surprised, you freeze like a glitching machine with that dumb look."
I've seen it forever.
How wouldn't I know?
So casual, like obvious.
Her smile vaguely familiar.
Who?
Master? Teacher? Adjutant?
Memory women blurry.
Like fuse blown, thoughts stalled.
But info enough.
She knew my secret taste? Face crumbled, but new mask fixed.
So I thought.
Rose talk no big hit.
I like roses?
Who knew specifics gone from world.
Not this worldthat world. Firm belief
"Pure white gardenias. Roses unstained by color, you called world's prettiest."
"!!!"
"Made crown once, got scolded. Now? Like Jesus' crown of thorns."
"...!"
Did I drunkenly confess this?
Deep memory: never.
Even similar nuance to Eve...?
'...No, never told Eve.'
Only she knew I love white roses.
Adored master.
She loved red; clueless me followed, grew to love roses.
But pure white over ominous crimson like fire or blood. Better view.
Confessed with them.
Result? Wartime. Obvious.
After, eternal separation. My white rose love: world's sole secret.
'Ex-fiance knows? Just setting girl?'
Chaos.
Accept this world's novel-star-reality.
This beyond understanding.
"Haa, haa..."
Mouth quivers.
Breath ragged, chest tight.
Unlike usual Solar Vein Blockage heat pain. Breath uneven.
"Y-you okay...?"
Panicked Isabel.
Sudden clutching chest, gaspingnatural.
"Did old stories trigger it?"
Anxious tone.
Not ex-fianc worry.
Deeper ache.
Damn, why all students mentally ill.
Maybe teacher's mess first.
"S-sorry... Won't bring up again..."
"Fine. Not your fault."
Really not you.
Don't look like that.
All this.
'...Eve.'
That damn woman's doing.
What'd she do in novel to me.
Unless extreme, I'd trust Eve even if she cut arm, took eye.
Give life, sacrifice no hesitate. But this extreme.
Her goals, motives: clueless.
'Wants my pain, death?'
Late-life top position, power.
Fhrer title. Wants it?
To seize fully, rip soul to another world, swallow all... Nah.
'If wanted Fhrer seat, I'd yield, retire. She hates hassle. No way.'
Then what?
Amusement? Like pitting beetles, watching. Mostly guys.
Maybe that.
Me dumbfounded meanwhile
Tsk... No clue what happened, but no fun.
Tamamo secretly scanned via contract link: tangled emotions, indescribable madness.
She clicked tongue.
Emotions mashed formless, rigid mask poured molten iron-solid.
His expressions formed thus.
Not emotion.
Not face.
Inhuman abyss. Tamamo averted eyes.
Even infamous vicious vixen couldn't bear; madness flooded contract pipeline, threatening calm.
Calling this human okay?
Supreme nine-tails pitied contractor.
Guessed his state.
Vicious. Heart's illness destroys beyond words.
Mental illness.
Type unknown, but contractor Baek Seung-woo.
Severe heart sickness.
Even unmoving heart masters mad.
Maybe already mad.