Don't You Dare

Turn after turn. The farther we went, the more empty classrooms sat dark along the halls.

"This way, you."

"..."

We'd been walking for about ten minutes, give or take. The PA called my name one more time, and Thomas kept steering us toward somewhere more and more out of the way.

I was just starting to think something was off — that maybe I should bolt — when it happened.

A huge, pitch-black hand clamped down on my forearm.

"Thomas?"

"If you followed me all the way out here, student... that means Onahol student has feelings too, you?"

"Feelings? What are you even—"

"Heheh. I know you wanna be my pretty Onahole, you."

"You crazy son of a bitch...!"

So you've finally shown your true colors, you BBC bastard!!!

I'd already been on edge. I yanked my arm back at once—

Right. Strength 11.

Not a chance.

"Nngh— let go! I said let go!!"

"I like that feisty resistance, you. Once you taste my cock, you'll be screaming even louder, you!"

"You psycho bastard!!"

"All ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of Onahol student's upperclassmen love the taste of my cock, you! You will too, you!!"

I put everything I had into it, but Thomas's arm didn't budge. Worse — the more he dragged me along, the more of those filthy words poured into my ears, the more the strength bled out of my body. As if this flesh of mine wanted exactly what he was offering.

And if I let him drag me off, what came next was obvious.

Don't you fucking dare!!

Lose my virginity on day one? To a rapist like this? Never. Absolutely never. I'd rather die.

Thomas only smiled, nasty and amused, and ran his tongue across his lips like I was a joke.

"We're gonna have a nice sloppy fuck, Onahol!"

"No— I said no!!"

"I'll wreck your pussy and your asshole till they're both gaping, you!!!"

Thomas locked both of my arms in his grip. I bit down until I tasted blood and strained with everything I had. I was not — not on the first day — getting impaled on a black cock and losing my virginity.

"I'll make your body so you can't even live without my cock, you!!"

"I said I don't want it!!"

And as if answering that will, something ignited in my chest.

I shoved Thomas with everything I had, and with a sensation like something being wrenched straight out of my heart, he went tumbling hard down the hallway.

"Aaagh!!"

"Hah— hah... y-you bastard!!"

"That's some rough resistance, you!!"

So this was mana. Thanks to the high Magic stat, I knew instinctively how to use it. I threw a hand up, gathered everything I had, and took aim at Thomas. He felt it coalescing too — his eyes went wide.

"Oh! Me— me's gonna die, Onahol, you!!"

"That's the idea!!"

The instant I went to fire, a strong arm caught mine and hauled it up.

The blast roared — and through it, a low voice.

"...Na-ho."

"Hah, hah... A-Arthas?"

"What... were you about to do just now?"

It wasn't fair. I'd only been trying to defend myself. That bastard had been dragging me off to rape me. But the second I saw Arthas's face, all that outrage melted right out of me.

"..."

Ridiculously handsome, and every inch of him said he was worried about me. What woman was supposed to stay mad looking at that? I fought down the way my lower belly throbbed of its own accord and got the words out.

"Th-that guard, Thomas — he dragged me off to... he was going to force himself on me."

"What are you talking about, you! Me just showed her the way 'cause she asked, you!!"

This son of a bitch?

Thankfully, Arthas took my side.

"Thomas. I'll be bringing this to the school committee."

"No! Me didn't do nothing wrong, you! Onahol! The student followed me, you!!"

"Don't you dare call me that, you bastard!!"

My chest was heaving — from the anger, from everything — and Thomas's eyes were glued to it.

Fuck. That's actually disgusting.

I started pulling mana up again without meaning to, and a long, powerful hand closed over mine. Calloused. Strong. Solid fingers.

"Nnh...?"

"Easy. Easy, Na-ho."

"...Let go."

"Hm?"

"L-let go of my hand. Please."

"Ah— sorry. Grabbed you without thinking."

I took a step back and barely managed to settle my chest. People came running not long after and hauled Thomas away. Once Arthas said we were fine, the teachers told us to head back for now and sent the two of us on our way.

Our footsteps fell in a steady rhythm down the quiet hallway.

"They called you because there was a lot to carry back to class. You weren't showing up, so I was bringing it all myself — and then I heard your voice."

"...I see."

We reached the classroom, and I made a beeline for the back door. Before I went in, I dipped my head to Arthas.

"Thank you for helping me. I'll go in first."

"...Yeah."

The second I stepped inside, Yu-ra came bustling over in a panic.

"Na-ho! Are you okay? Nothing happened, right?"

"...Kind of?"

"Must be because it's entrance day. Everything's been a mess."

Tell me about it. I just wanted to go back to the dorms and pass out. But it wasn't even lunch yet. In the end I sat down with Yu-ra.

This disaster of a day still wasn't over. Next through the door was the mana training instructor. After that, thankfully, nothing happened. No one called my name. The Hole didn't so much as twitch. I sat quiet at Yu-ra's side and listened to the teachers talk. Warm spring sunlight spilled over me, and for a moment I could almost believe I was happ—

"Na-ho. Homeroom teacher's here."

"Huh? That mar— wait, why is the homeroom teacher here?"

"Oh Na-ho."

I'd been half-asleep. That low voice snapped me wide awake. Park Ji-bo's massive frame was standing right behind me. He looked like he'd be terrifyingly good at standing sex...

"Y-yes, sir."

"Follow me."

"Sir, I'll go with Na-ho—"

"You stay in class, Lim Yu-ra."

"...Yes, sir."

One sentence, and Yu-ra was flattened. Park Ji-bo walked out with me in tow. It was around lunch by then; all the required-subject teachers had already come and gone.

"...May I ask where we're going?"

"I'm taking the walking disaster who nearly made Headmaster Hwang convene a disciplinary committee faster than anyone in this school's entire history to the headmaster's office."

"Ah..."

Great. School life's already wrecked on day one.

It had to be the mana I'd fired in the hallway. Using mana on campus without authorization was a disciplinary offense — I remembered that much. At least I had an excuse.

Knock, knock.

"Headmaster. Park Ji-bo."

"Come in."

After a long walk, the door to the headmaster's office swung open. Headmaster Hwang Gi-yeol sat inside — and Thomas, bowing and scraping in front of him.

"Aigoo, yesh, Headmaster. Oh, Onahol— I mean, Oh Na-ho, student, good to see you, you!"

"Good to see you? Bullsh— I can't say the same."

"So you're the rookie who had me debating whether to convene a disciplinary committee on opening day."

"Good afternoon, Headmaster Hwang."

I bowed first, before anything else.

What the hell? Do these two have some kind of connection?

The one silver lining was that he was only debating whether to hold a hearing. I lifted my head, and the headmaster waved me toward the sofa.

"I've heard the story. You got lost, and Thomas here showed you the way — that right?"

A real man's man, cutting straight to it. I shot back just as fast.

"...And then he dragged me off to rape me."

"Oho? Thomas, you didn't mention any of that."

"No! That was the right way, but the student kept not wanting to go, you!"

"Look at this. My arm."

"Hm..."

A small mercy: I had physical evidence. The forearm Thomas's brutal hand had been locked around. The mark was still vivid — a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bright red handprint stamped into white skin.

"And if it hadn't been that dangerous, Headmaster, would I have used mana?"

Show the evidence, make the logical case. A perfect self-defense. But the headmaster's face stayed skeptical.

"What's your Magic stat?"

"...I was taught not to tell anyone that."

"Good. You learned that right. But a hallway with mana-warding built in got half-demolished. That puts you at over seventy, give or take."

"..."

"And you pointed that at Thomas? Planning on not even leaving a corpse?"

What is this? Why does it feel like he's interrogating me?

Now that I looked, Thomas's face wasn't even that bad. If I wasn't imagining it, there was even a faint little smile on it.

"...It was to protect my virginity."

"Oh-ho."

The second the words left my mouth, I regretted them. Thomas's eyes lit up, thick with want.

Fuck...

I was still trying to figure out how to play this when the headmaster spoke.

"I don't want to convene a committee on day one either, Miss Oh Na-ho. And Thomas here is clearly in the wrong as well."

"That's right, you. Sorry for trying to drag you along, you."

"Ha..."

"So how about we let it lie here. The assault claim is ultimately circumstantial, and your attack on Thomas ended as an attempt. What do you say?"

I wanted to tell him to shut up and fire the bastard on the spot. Instead I swallowed it, blinking back the heat in my eyes, and nodded. A disciplinary hearing would be even worse. I didn't even want to imagine what "discipline" looked like in an eroge.

"Good. That's the right call. Thomas — from now on, you show people around properly."

"Got it, you."

"Ah. And think about joining the old boys' club."

"Hmm... I'll think about it, you."

Anyone watching would've been pissed at the blatant cronyism. Me? That little exchange actually cooled me right down.

Idiot. Stay a bronze-rank nobody.

Only after we'd promised to bury the whole thing quietly was I allowed to leave the headmaster's office.

The moment I stepped out with Park Ji-bo, a tall figure was waiting.

"Ah, Arthas. Escort the vice representative back to class."

"Yes, sir."

Why is he here too.

"Let's go, Na-ho."

I followed behind him in silence, hanging back a little under the weight of it. He must have thought his stride was leaving me behind, because he shortened his steps.

God, that's actually so sweet.

I steeled myself and walked even slower than he did. In the end, I stopped dead in the middle of the hallway.

"...Can I ask why you keep avoiding me? We haven't even known each other a day."

"That's exactly it. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠want some space from a stranger I met less than a day ago."

"...Do you just not like me?"

"..."

He meant it. Underneath it was the kind of confidence that couldn't imagine anyone not liking him.

Haa... please don't do that.

I couldn't afford to cut the game's protagonist off completely — I needed to stay on decent terms, at least. The problem was this perverted body.

"It's not that I don't like you. I just... I'd like you to keep a little distance."

"Distance... distance. Is this because of what I... did this morning?"

"No. Setting that aside — you're a man and I'm a woman. It's a little uncomfortable."

"Ah... I didn't realize. I'm sorry."

He meant that too. He genuinely did not understand why a man and a woman were supposed to keep their distance. Then again — how many women wouldn't spread their legs and come running if he so much as wanted them to? I started walking again, still uneasy.

"If you understand, then please do that. I'm asking you. Just friends. Let's keep it at that."

"...Alright. I wasn't being considerate enough. I'm sorry."

I didn't answer. I just kept walking. Arthas shortened his stride to match mine. There wasn't much else I could say without making it weirder, so I let it be.

The hallway was packed — lunch hour, or close enough.

"The hell is that bitch?"

"Why's she glued to our Arthas?"

The girls. No different from Annelise and her little clique. Venomous eyes raked over me like they wanted me dead.

"Whoa... who's that? She's crazy hot."

"That's her. The pervert who moaned at the entrance ceremony."

"Damn... with a face like that? Think I should take a shot?"

"The pretty ones are always the sluts, didn't you know? She's already latched onto that Arthas bastard."

"Shit, I'm not that bad looking, right?"

"Yeah, right."

And then the guys, running their mouths. Honestly, if I'd still been a man, I'd have had the same thought looking at a girl like this, so I let it roll off. But walking that entire hallway under all those eyes...

This is a little much.

And then someone shoved me, hard.

"Kyah!"

"Na-ho, are you okay?"

"...I'm fine. Yes."

Someone had definitely pushed me. They vanished into the crowd so fast I couldn't even tell who.

"C-come on, let's go."

Arthas had caught me by the waist at some point. I eased him off and picked up the pace.

And that was the end of our eventful tour of the hallway. Back at the classroom, I almost just walked in — then couldn't. I had to say it.

"You saw that, right? That's how any girl standing next to you gets treated."

"..."

"So if you're going to date someone, date a girl like Annelise. Then nobody will dare make a peep."

"...Hm."

I left Arthas standing there with nothing to say and went back into class.

Half a day. That was all it had been.

"Na-ho, you're back? Let's eat!!"

I'd been dropped into this eroge for half a day, and my body and my mind were already wrecked. Before I knew it, I'd sunk into Yu-ra as she came over, wrapping myself around her.

"Na... ho?"

"Just stay like this for a bit."

"Ah... yeah. As long as you want!"