An Overnight Stay at the Friedrich Estate
Thud…
A thick stack of documents landed on the desk all at once, sending a faint tremor through the room by way of the desk legs. And the chest of the woman who had set them down swayed vigorously along with them.
"Haa… This should be enough for now, right?"
Sonya muttered, collapsing into her chair as if her legs had given out. The preparations for her Assistant Professor evaluation were finally complete.
"The first evaluation should be fine… but I wonder how the second one will go. Feels like I haven't taken a real test in ages."
Sonya closed her eyes with a small smile.
Every human being yearned to climb higher. Sonya was no exception. She had watched countless people let opportunities slip through their fingers, lounging in place until they were left wandering without purpose. Rather than despising them, she had taken those failures as cautionary lessons and driven herself even harder.
"The first evaluation is still two weeks away. I should head home for today. Dinner with Karl."
She tidied her desk, left the building, and made her way toward the academy gates. Even as she walked, Sonya kept glancing around, observing the students. Most of them greeted her the moment their eyes met, and she returned each greeting with a smile. But even as she smiled, her heart was far from at ease.
Why am I like this? My body has been strange since last year…
Ordinarily, when Sonya focused, she became so absorbed she barely registered anyone around her. But the moment she poured everything out and her tension finally loosened, desire would surge up in an instant.
Before meeting Karl, romance had never interested her. Even after marriage, she had never resented their inability to be intimate. But sometime around last year, her sexual appetite had begun to rise, and she had spent every day hating the change in herself while struggling to suppress it.
Meeting Sung Suho had relieved a great deal of that pressure — but it had not been an easy fix. The first time she had clung to him, she had gone home and writhed with self-reproach. And yet the very next day, standing before him again, the scent that radiated from his body would wrap around her completely, smothering every shred of guilt.
That scent of his. Even on ordinary days she barely managed to endure, but the moment she caught that fragrance, it felt as though the lock fastened over her heart was being forced open. All she could do was keep her distance from him.
He's getting along well with Luna now. If I insert myself, it would only make things complicated.
To Sonya, both Sung Suho and Luna were students she genuinely liked. She desperately wanted to bless the two of them. And so, all the way to the main gate, she never ran into Sung Suho — and the sigh she let out was equal parts relief and quiet regret.
Sonya gave a hollow little laugh and thought, How did I end up like this…
She had lived with pride as a student of magic. The idea that she would ever crumble under something as base as lust had been unimaginable. Even while dating her husband she had always practiced restraint, and after marriage she had never truly understood the word "frustration." That the same Sonya now found herself thinking of one particular man every free moment was a phenomenon even she could not explain.
Stop thinking useless thoughts and go home. It's time to forget.
Sonya shook her head firmly and continued toward the gates. And there at the gates…
"Hm?"
She spotted Louis pacing restlessly back and forth.
Of all people, the one I least wanted to run into…
Sonya had not disliked Louis from the start. If anything, her first impression of him had been more favorable than almost any other student — polite, passionate… But after he had suddenly hugged her during a private conversation, she had never been able to look at him the same way. And watching him carefully from a distance, she could no longer say his conduct felt entirely wholesome either.
Still, that incident was settled as if it never happened.
With that thought, Sonya approached him and asked,
"What are you doing out here?"
"Kh— Ah, good evening, Professor Sonya."
Louis looked different from usual — unkempt stubble, hollow eyes.
"You seem awfully restless. Is something wrong?"
"W-well…"
Louis hesitated several times, then let out a long breath and finally managed to speak.
"I heard Luna went out for an overnight stay. I'm a little worried."
"An overnight stay…"
Not a simple outing — an overnight. Sonya grasped the situation immediately.
Sung Suho went with her, then. No wonder he's this anxious. But… couldn't he just request an outing or overnight pass himself and go after them?
She voiced the question, and Louis sighed deeply.
"The professor on duty today wouldn't grant permission…"
"…?"
Louis explained that he had been so worried about Luna he had tried to get an outing pass, and had gone to the Teaching Assistant for approval. The Teaching Assistant had been willing — but the professor standing right beside him had immediately shaken his head and refused.
"…That's strange. If you have merit points, there's no reason to deny it…"
"W-well… they said my classroom attitude was a problem last time, and that I should just study for the exams…"
"Ah…"
No matter how many merit points one had, if a professor — and a Full Professor at that — said no, there was no hope. At the very least, today was impossible. Sonya decided this was not her place to intervene.
"Luna isn't a child. And more importantly, every district in Shutra has security as good as the academy itself. Don't worry too much."
She finished speaking and was about to leave when—
"P-Professor Sonya!"
"Yes?"
"P-perhaps…"
Louis lowered his head, chewing his lip, and finally forced the words out.
"P-perhaps… could you at least help me get permission for an outing?"
Even a bad connection was still a connection — and in the end, Sonya granted Louis's request. She went to the professor who had refused him, cited Louis's unstable state, and secured permission for an outing on his behalf.
("I-I won't forget this kindness! Thank you!")
Louis poured out gratitude toward Sonya and then bolted straight out of the academy. Sonya stood before her mansion and let out a long sigh.
"What am I even doing…"
The reason she had helped Louis was the jealousy lurking inside her. Luna, who seemed to have everything Sonya did not, looked so happy that Sonya had acted on impulse without even realizing it.
The city isn't so small that Louis will actually find the two of them. And even if he does, it shouldn't cause any real trouble.
If Louis were thinking clearly, he would never stir up a scene inside the city. On top of that, he was the eldest son of the famous Brandtroop family. If anything, he was the one who needed to watch himself — so she wasn't particularly worried.
And if he tries anything strange with Sung Suho, I'll… Hm?
Just as Sonya stepped onto the grounds of the mansion, she spotted someone in the garden.
"…Why are those two here?"
It was Sung Suho and Luna.
Sonya lifted her wine glass with a playful glint in her eye and directed a teasing remark our way.
"I never imagined you'd barge into my house just because you couldn't use the club room."
"Haha…"
By the time evening rolled around and Sonya returned home, the two of us had been deep in conversation about the exams out in the garden. The one genuine stroke of luck was that we hadn't been doing anything improper. No matter how bold Luna and I might be, neither of us had any intention of sneaking around and doing that in a professor's house.
Honestly, I had considered heading somewhere else before Sonya arrived — but I had missed the timing, and we ended up face-to-face with her. At her suggestion, Karl, Sonya, Luna, and I all sat down together for dinner inside the mansion.
Once we were actually eating, a new worry started to surface.
"Um… Professor Sonya, is it really all right for us to be dining with you like this? I'm worried it might cause you trouble somehow — with the exam questions, I mean."
"…"
Sonya studied me for a long moment, then gave a short laugh and answered.
"Don't worry about that. The exam questions are written by the Full Professors. Even participating in the discussions requires at least Associate Professor rank. Concurrent professors and Assistant Professors have nothing to do with the exams."
"That's a relief."
I relaxed and returned to my meal. Sonya watched me a moment longer, then smiled and resumed eating as well.
Once dinner was finished, we prepared to head straight back to the academy. But Sonya stopped us and invited us to stay the night at her house.
"Wouldn't it be nicer to sleep here and go to school with me tomorrow?"
"We showed up unannounced. Imposing on you that far would be…"
"Imposing? For the two of you, you're more than welcome."
In the end, neither Luna nor I could refuse Karl and Sonya's offer, and we agreed to stay at the mansion. Separate guest rooms were prepared for each of us. Frankly, sharing a bed while staying in a professor's house would have been awkward from a social standpoint anyway.
"See you tomorrow, then."
"Yes. Good night."
I parted ways with Luna, and before long night had fallen. Wearing the pajamas the mansion servants had provided, I sprawled out on the bed and wriggled in pure bliss.
Uuugh… This is so comfortable.
The clothes I had been wearing earlier scored full marks for extravagance — but extravagance that showed meant convenience that didn't. From head to toe, discomfort had hung off me like weights, leaving me exhausted. Now that my body and mind were finally at ease, other thoughts began to creep in.
…
"Absolutely not."
…Not what?
I hadn't said a word. I was certain of it. And yet Armonia began scolding me as if she could read my mind.
"You were about to go to Sonya Friedrich, were you not?"
She's a damn ghost…
Armonia was right. Now that I was staying at Sonya's mansion, the thought of sneaking into her room had crossed my mind. Karl had already given his blessing, after all — and Sonya herself would probably allow it to some degree. Luna was the only real concern, but she wasn't the type to wander freely through someone else's house. Unlike me, she was a cultured woman; a few noises from the mansion wouldn't send her creeping around for a look.
"The reason I am saying no is for your own sake, Suho. I personally consider Sonya Friedrich a trustworthy individual."
Then what's the problem?
"Deepening the relationship would certainly help not only with academy life but overall. However, if you try to use her casually and end up caught by the ankle, that would be unacceptable."
Use her…
It was true that both Sonya and I had been pent-up at the time, and that the pheromones had acted as the detonator that set everything off. But there had never been any calculation on my part to exploit her. Sonya simply radiated an overwhelming allure — her looks and her position blending into something irresistible. And I had fallen for that allure, nothing more…
"Until at least some safety measures are in place, I personally wish to stop you. Remember that the mission takes priority…"
Armonia was still dumping lecture after lecture on me when—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Whoa—!
"Suho…"
…Fine, I get it.
Déjà vu? I was pretty sure something like this had happened before…
Grumbling inwardly, I opened the door to check who was there.
"Who— Huh?"
"May I come in for a moment?"
My expectation that it would be Sonya or Karl shattered completely. Standing on the other side of the door, looking straight at me, was Luna. She had shed the dress from earlier and was now in simple pajamas and slippers — a sky-blue silk set that didn't show any skin, paired with linen slippers that left her ankles fully bare.
"Suho, you should probably answer her soon."
I had only ever seen Luna in meticulously put-together outfits, so the sudden sight of her looking this relaxed short-circuited my brain. Staring at her standing there awkwardly, I hurriedly stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.
"Ah — sorry! Come in."
"Thank you."
Luna smiled, her hair and the fabric of her pajamas fluttering softly as she stepped demurely into my guest room. Once inside, she caught me staring and put on a prim expression.
"Are you making that face because I'm dressed so lightly? I wear simple clothes to bed too, you know."
"That's not it…"
"…?"
I scratched my head and said,
"You just look really pretty…"
"…In these clothes?"
Luna gave me a deadpan look.
"They're just pajamas."
"Everything looks pretty when you wear it."
"…Honestly."
Luna let out a small laugh and gestured toward the table in the room.
"May we sit and talk?"
"Of course."
I pulled out a chair for her, then sat across from her and watched. Luna's earlier smile faded. She fell silent, as if wrestling with something. After waiting long enough that it seemed the conversation might never start, I finally asked,
"What's going on?"
"Well…"
Luna's face set with resolve, and she opened her mouth.
"I heard. About Karl and Professor Sonya."