Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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I left the classroom and headed to the cafeteria, racking my brain over what to do about Seong Sua.
'Inviting her to eat together wouldn't be that hard...'
If I asked Seong Sua to grab a meal at the school cafeteria, she'd probably say yes.
But asking out of the blue with no reason felt like a bad idea.
This was a long-term mission. If I approached it with a "it'll happen eventually" mindset, I'd end up with a bloody nose.
Sometimes in games, early choices led to completely different outcomes.
'I need some plausible excuse to get close... Ah!'
'Seo Ji-eun.'
Seo Ji-eun from Magic Department Class 7.
Seong Sua was currently very worried about this cadet named Seo Ji-eun.
I figured I could start a conversation about Seo Ji-eun and keep it going from there.
'Seong Sua strikes me as the type who'd work even outside office hours.'
'Wonder if she's still there? Let's head back to the classroom...'
I turned around and went back to the classroom.
My plan was to use the chat about Seo Ji-eun as an excuse to grab a meal together.
It wasn't long before I arrived back in front of Magic Department Class 7.
'She couldn't have left already...'
When I opened the classroom door, fortunately, Seong Sua was still there.
However... unlike before, she wore a gloomy expression.
The moment I entered, I asked her with a puzzled look.
"Huh? Instructor Seong Sua, you haven't left yet?"
"Instructor Seong Suho? Is something the matter?"
She rubbed her face without thinking and forced a smile.
Seeing her expression made it awkward to ask anything.
What could I say? It was Seong Sua of all people looking like that—it seemed even more serious.
"Ah... I had something to ask. Sorry. I'll talk to you about it tomorrow."
"Oh, no! It's fine."
She forced another smile and approached me.
"I was just getting hungry anyway. Why don't we eat together and talk?"
..
..
"Ah... about Ji-eun?"
"Yes, am I being nosy?"
"No! I actually thought it was impressive."
Seong Sua smiled and explained about Seo Ji-eun.
She had entered the Magic Department as the top cadet.
In terms of skill alone, no one from the Combat Department could match her back then.
Even Song Ahra, now the top of the Combat Department, wouldn't have stood a chance.
But around the middle of her first year, her mana control started failing, and by early second year, she couldn't control it at all.
Even the top guild 'Tower' had struggled to find the cause without any leads.
Seong Sua talked about Seo Ji-eun without touching her food even once.
"...I couldn't understand it watching from the side."
The mana flowed in chaotic patterns that defied understanding.
And that chaotic mana...
"...attacked Seo Ji-eun herself."
"Attacked her?"
"Yes. Seo Ji-eun's specialty is shadow magic."
"...?"
"It's probably unfamiliar."
She explained that it was a special magic talent to manipulate the shadows of living beings, unlike common attributes like fire, water, earth, wind, or lightning.
Unfamiliar didn't even cover it—I'd never heard of it.
At least not at Schutra.
"That's why the Tower stepped in to solve Seo Ji-eun's issue."
"...They didn't want to lose such a rare talent, huh?"
"Yes. Anyone could see she fit the Tower perfectly..."
To sum up her abilities: she could materialize shadows of humans or animals.
Those materialized shadows could be wielded like limbs, based on her own magic power and the target's abilities.
"She fights by deploying those shadows and supports herself using her own shadow."
"...Sounds almost like cheating just hearing about it."
"But it drains mana heavily."
The mana depletion ballooned depending on the shadow's power.
Stealing an opponent's shadow could backfire if it didn't work.
But Seo Ji-eun was as smart as she was talented, and great at improvising despite being a mage.
"She had excellent situational judgment."
"...Such a shame. She's coming back next week, right?"
"Yes, it was supposed to be this week, but... another issue came up."
"...? What kind?"
"Her leg's condition worsened again. Last year, a shadow she summoned attacked her own leg."
Seo Ji-eun's critical problem now was that materializing shadows made her own shadow attack her.
Moreover, in the last incident, she hadn't even intended to summon that shadow.
In other words, it tried to assassinate her out of nowhere.
'...Crazy. Scary just hearing about it.'
'Yeah...'
It wasn't like she couldn't do it from the start—she'd used it fine before it suddenly failed.
Hearing her story made me feel sorry for her.
'It sounded like such a sweet ability. I was gonna learn it right away if I met her. Now I'm anxious...'
'Yeah, learn it and shove one in her mouth and one in her pussy efficiently.'
A long silence.
Moments like this, when even Armonia was at a loss for words, felt the best.
I closed my eyes, savoring her prolonged silence, when Seong Sua spoke up from across the table, sounding worried.
"Um... is something wrong?"
"Ah! Sorry. I was lost in thought..."
"What kind of thoughts...?"
I messed up.
'Damn, bad excuse...'
Our CEO was still silent. No help coming from her.
I bullshitted my way through.
"I hurt my leg once too. Kind of kindred spirits..."
"Ah... how did it happen...?"
Seong Sua looked at me with concern.
I just blurted out whatever came to mind.
"I got badly hurt because of a teammate once. My own shortcomings."
"Ah! S-sorry. I brought up bad memories..."
Seong Sua covered her mouth, thinking she'd erred.
'Phew... she won't pry further now.'
Armonia finally broke her silence and asked.
Hearing her, I thought back to the past and messaged her.
'Back when I ran a relay, I tripped passing the baton.'
'Heh, the guy I was handing it to tripped too. Felt good. Kekeke...'
I'd felt unfairly singled out since only I fell, but seeing him tumble right after was satisfying.
For the record, he tripped because I passed the baton poorly, making him stumble.
Me, that guy...
'Slammed my knee into the ground hard. Couldn't walk properly for a while.'
'No aftereffects, but it scarred my knee the size of a coin.'
I barely noticed the scar anymore.
Saying it out loud just jogged the memory; I didn't think much of it.
After that, Seong Sua dropped the Seo Ji-eun topic and talked about today's classes instead.
"Hoo..."
A bright light pierced the dark room along with a sigh.
It was a lavish private suite that no one would believe was in the same dorm as Seong Suho's.
This was the dormitory penthouse.
One of the perks for high-ranking heroes like Seong Sua.
But she'd always found such perks burdensome, then and now.
Even during her time at the Hero Academy, she'd turned down the fancy dorm for the standard cadet room.
Yet here she was, living in this one only because of someone she loved.
"...He never even visited once."
She'd hoped for his visit, but it never happened in two years.
Seong Sua set the files she'd brought on the table and sat down.
"Still, that's a relief. This time he seems like a really good guy..."
She recalled her conversation with Seong Suho, filled with talk about cadets.
Instructors were human too, and she understood they hated trouble on their watch.
Especially the assistant instructors—their position made it relatable.
At first, she'd thought he was just preemptively avoiding issues with her.
And that had made her view him positively.
Most instructors ignored problems, passing the buck.
But in their chat earlier, it hadn't felt like he was asking for his own safety.
He seemed genuinely interested in Seo Ji-eun.
"...It really felt like he wanted to know as an instructor."
The files on the table contained info on Seo Ji-eun.
Brought to give to Seong Suho tomorrow.
Seong Sua had high hopes for him.
Working at the Hero Academy, she'd built ties not just with formal instructors but assistants too.
But she disapproved of their irresponsibility.
She got their side.
Climbing to hero rank through hard work, only to suddenly teach kids? Understandable frustration.
Three years.
Wasting prime 20s wasn't easy to cheer for.
But Seong Sua couldn't ignore students entrusting their futures to this school.
Two years, six assistant instructors.
Zero who'd asked about cadets first.
On day one, she'd tried sharing cadet info with Seong Suho.
He'd listened attentively.
Up to there, similar to others.
But today's talk showed a difference from past instructors.
He actively sought to understand.
"Come to think of it... he said he hurt his leg..."
Only now did she realize she hadn't properly looked into Seong Suho.
She'd skimmed his profile yesterday and only shared what she wanted over lunch.
Embarrassed despite being alone, she mumbled to herself.
'Haa... I was the rude one to him.'
In the chaos, she'd unintentionally sidelined interest in the assistant instructor.
A normal person would shrug it off.
But Seong Sua wasn't normal.
She'd obey signals on empty rural roads.
Not minding others, but her own conscience.
"It's late today, so tomorrow I'll look into it properly."
Seong Sua neatly stacked the desk files and gazed out the large window.
Beyond was the men's dorm.
The opposite penthouse she always stared at.
Privacy glass made peeking impossible from outside.
Yet she always ended her day gazing vacantly at its reflection.
Today, though, the lower levels caught her eye.
Curiosity struck.
"Now that I think about it... what does he think of me?"
She stared endlessly at the dorm below.
Lying on his bed, Seong Suho gazed out the window and screamed inwardly.
'Right now!! I wanna fuck Seong Sua so bad!!!'