Please Help Me
Please Help Me
What comes to mind when you hear the word "suit"?
A blue spandex-clad American carrying only a shield?
A guy in red spandex shooting webs from his wrists?
The full-body armor of a genius scientist loved by many?
Any man would consider all three of these to be cool suits that stir one's romantic ideals.
Compared to those, the suit I received was so shabby and vulgar that it couldn't even hold a candle to them.
'A headset that I can't tell if it's a dog or a wolf, armor on the limbs that's somehow more lewd than having none at all, and above all...'
A tail wagging right above the crack of my butt.
It's nothing more than a few decorations added on top of a school swimsuit.
I'm speechless at a design that wouldn't even appear in modern magical girl shows.
As I kept making a sour, pouty face, Arnes added an explanation.
"I wanted to match yours with Aisha-yang's set, you know? For Doa-yang, who has low magical power, the only way to make it last as long as possible is to prevent the suit from deactivating, so it couldn't be helped."
"Then why are there a tail and ears?"
"The headset is an auxiliary tool. Since you don't know how to use magic, the defensive mechanism deploys just by visualizing the image. Could you try imagining blocking, protecting, or a shield?"
It wouldn't hurt to try, so I did as I was told.
A moment later, as I held out my hand and thought about defending, a thin, golden barrier appeared.
"Oh...! It actually works?"
"Why would I lie about something like this? Hmm, gold..."
"Why? Is it not supposed to be this color?"
Come to think of it, this is a similar color to the barrier that was blocking the Magi in the sky, isn't it?
I hoped it might have a special ability, but Arnes looked closely at the barrier spread out before me and then shook her head.
"Magical power has a different color for each individual. Mine is gray, and Aisha-yang's is, as you can see..."
"It's pink."
She brought out a training robot to test the suit and is currently blasting magic all over the place.
It's a good thing the workshop's space is separated from the training robot, otherwise, it would have been a mess again with the non-stop attack magic.
"I'll select a weapon for you later after testing your shooting or swordsmanship. Are you convinced now?"
"You still haven't told me about the tail."
"Ah... that is..."
"...You just attached it because it looked cute, right?"
"That's part of it, but..."
Unlike when she was speaking fluently about the defensive mechanism, she avoids eye contact.
It probably has no meaning and was added for personal satisfaction anyway. I don't think I'll get a good answer even if I ask.
Just as I was about to enter the room where Aisha was to test it out since I was already wearing the armor, the workshop door opened and a familiar face appeared.
It was Cheon Hae-won.
"Hey, what's this about being dragged around every weekend?"
"I wrapped it up as nicely as I could, you know. You should have at least answered my calls."
"Shut up, I'm not going. Why would I—what's good about those religious nuts serving a guy who doesn't even exist—wait, the mutt and Isha are here too?"
'You just noticed now... and who's a mutt?!'
I'm not the type to believe in God either.
People who were like family couldn't live out their natural lives, and dozens of children who were like younger siblings died; can one really say there is a God in such a world?
Such accidents happened because there isn't one,
and even if there were, it would undoubtedly be an evil god.
In that sense, Cheon Hae-won's remark was somewhat favorable to me.
Declaring himself an atheist in front of a Saint Candidate... might be a negative factor in connecting the two, though.
Cheon Hae-won was indifferent when he saw me, but his expression stiffened when he saw Aisha, who came out brightly as soon as she spotted him.
"Hae-won-ah~ Ta-da, how's this suit? Teacher just gave it to me? Isn't it cute? I feel like my magic comes out much better too!"
"Th-um, yeah... it's cute, but. Isn't the skirt too short? Hey, damn it, look at the back, it's all exposed too. Between the tight swimsuit and this, why do they make equipment like this? Isn't it too revealing?"
"Hehehe... is it~?"
Aisha hugged the blazer Cheon Hae-won had draped over her tightly and smiled with her eyes.
...Seeing Aisha happy just from hearing the compliment, it seems I don't need to worry too much about the religious remarks.
Cheon Hae-won doesn't look at Aisha in a lecherous way either, and he seems to be secretly worried about her...
'Something is annoying.'
When I was wearing only a blazer over my bare body, he tried to lift only the collar,
and he's a piece of trash who gropes my chest and critiques it, so why is he only kind to Aisha?
...I'm not particularly jealous.
My head understands that it's natural because of the bond between childhood friends, but... the vastly different attitude really pissed me off.
If he had just been kind to me too, I might have been the one to fall for him instead of Aisha—
'Ah, no!!! Don't think such crazy thoughts!!'
Arnes has been making me wear such strange clothes that it seems my mind briefly went on vacation.
I realize that the saying "humans are slaves to hormones," which I dismissed as nonsense, shouldn't be taken lightly.
It's only been three days and I'm already like this. I'm scared, so scared of how I might change if I'm not careful...
"Awakened can have multiple spouses, so why are you agonizing over it?"
"Wh-what...?!"
Arnes whispered secretly.
Even if the background of UtoAca is Earth and South Korea, where did monogamy go, and this is a world where harems are possible?
My head is starting to ache.
"It's just that society's gaze is unpleasant, but it's actually quite common. I won't do it, though."
"Don't tell others when you don't even want to do it yourself...! And stop reading my thoughts!"
"The thoughts or memories of someone feeling strong emotions are automatically read if they are within the range of my ability~ It's so troublesome whenever I'm at the academy... But yes, the two of them do look good together."
Aisha, who wants to hang out after doing volunteer work at the Great Cathedral on the weekend, and Cheon Hae-won, who can't bring himself to refuse her request.
Looking at it this way, Aisha seems like the only suppressor who can stop Cheon Hae-won.
Just in case, I asked Arnes.
"Teacher, by any chance, does Cheon Hae-won... Aisha..."
"He likes her. Since childhood... or should I say, ever since they were young."
"I knew it... what a frustrating guy."
Seeing how he acts, I thought as much.
The annoyance he showed towards Chapssaltteok when they reunited on the day of the entrance ceremony all had plausibility, that's it.
'Surprisingly, he wasn't a playboy type... he doesn't live up to his looks.'
Surprisingly, for someone who looks like he'd easily steal someone else's girl, he was a pure-hearted guy... though his hands were a bit lewd for that?
Anyway, Saint Candidate... what man would be happy that the girl he's loved since childhood chose the path of a hero fighting Magic Beasts.
He just wants her to be happy in peace, far away from danger.
Just as I thought that there was no need to Pedo-Corrupt him since his tastes were firm and they just needed to confess to each other, Arnes countered.
"No. Even if the two of them try, it will probably be difficult."
"Huh? Why? It's not like Aisha or Cheon Hae-won are people without conviction."
"Hae-won-gun has some... complicated circumstances. He considers himself unworthy of being loved."
What kind of nonsense is this.
He likes her, but tells Aisha not to like him?
He was a guy I couldn't understand from the start, but I understand him even less as time goes on...
At the same time, I had a feeling that it would be tough for the two to get together.
Because the current Cheon Hae-won won't accept Aisha's confession.
I don't think Arnes would answer if I asked why he's like that, so should I aim to get him to open up his heart...
I looked at Chapssaltteok and the jerk.
"Let's eat dinner together after the repentance activity on the weekend, I'll treat!"
"Eat with the mutt. I have a lot to do."
"It's Doa, not mutt! Of course, you have to take Doa too~ I found an Izakaya that's good to go to with friends, let's, let's have a drink!"
Aisha made a gesture of sipping a drink with her hand, using her twin tails to emphasize it, but it didn't suit her given her physique.
Hallstail was a shop run by an acquaintance of Cheon Hae-won, so that was fine, but if it were another shop, I wonder if they wouldn't believe us even if I or Aisha showed our academy student IDs and kick us out...
"Isha, have you ever had alcohol?"
"I haven't, but I'll be good at it!"
Cheon Hae-won shifts his gaze from Aisha, who answered confidently, to me.
Then his expression darkened.
Why.
What.
"...Fine, let's go. But mutt, don't you drink even a single sip? I really can't handle you."
"Who do you take for a ticking time bomb... I'm not that bad, am I?"
"You're fucking that bad."
Grrr—
...I have nothing to say since there's a video of it.
But I got drunk quickly because it was an unfamiliar cocktail, surely I can still drink beer easily, right?
Clap.
Arnes clapped her hands and said.
"The workshop is clean, and it's almost lunchtime, so why don't you decide on the plans while having a meal? You both worked hard."
"It's already that time... Let's go, Hae-won-ah. Doa too!"
Aisha, arm-in-arm with Cheon Hae-won, reached out toward me.
I am hungry, but I have no intention of going right now.
"I'll go later. I have something to consult with the teacher about."
"What kind of consultation??"
"Po, position or career counseling, that kind of thing. I have a lot of worries~"
"Hmm~ Okay, then make sure we eat dinner together, okay?"
Aisha, having realized my intention, smiled happily and led Cheon Hae-won out of the workshop.
I did intend to leave them alone, but I also really had something to talk about.
I turned my body toward Arnes.
Still huge breasts.
I lifted my head as much as I could to meet her eyes and opened my mouth.
Now is the time to resolve the questions I've had for the past 3 days.
"...When I was choked by Cheon Hae-won. How much did you see?"
She said it earlier. That she reads not only thoughts but also memories of people mixed with strong emotions.
When I was on the rooftop, I harbored intense hatred toward Cheon Hae-won.
She must surely know.
"I didn't expect Doa-yang to ask me directly... how much do you think I saw?"
Arnes must have read my memories due to her ability that activates on its own.
But perhaps because of some possessor perk, it seems Arnes's ability didn't work on me at all.
'She must not know.'
That I am a possessor.
That the game character doesn't know the world they live in isn't reality.
She hasn't reacted as if she knows everything.
If I had known the fact that I was a brain in a vat, I would have surely denied reality and gone crazy.
I shrugged my shoulders and answered.
"I don't know. You only told me the range of your ability, but you didn't tell me the range of the memories you read. But it doesn't matter. I'm going to tell you everything. There's a circle in the academy where delinquents gather. Do you know about it?"
"Yes. I don't tend to leave them alone, but it recently reappeared. I have a few students in mind too."
"On the day of the entrance ceremony, I met two second-year students belonging to the circle. Then they invited me to join and said something strange."
I confessed that the circle was looking for students with high resistance to Magi.
It doesn't matter if she reads memories in fragments like thoughts, or if she reads them all.
If the person in front of me is a hero and a teacher, she will be a comrade who can share my will.
I am too weak to do anything.
So I decided to trust Arnes.
For now, that's all I can do.
"You didn't join, did you?"
"Would I?! Those pieces of trash who only act tough, I get sick just looking at them...! So—"
The UtoAca I created is a worldview that doesn't know when or how it will be destroyed.
Let's root out the things that might cause trouble one by one.
'Because there are no bad people in the world.'
"So, please help me."
Not a suggestion, but a request.
I hoped that my teacher would be someone I could trust.
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'By the way, isn't it better to clean in this outfit than in a maid outfit? It doesn't even create laundry.'
(I brought this for those curious about the back of Doa's suit!)