An Unfamiliar Ceiling
An Unfamiliar Ceiling
"...Ah, it's an unfamiliar ceiling."
I pulled out the IV drip that was carelessly stuck in my arm without hesitation.
My body felt heavy, perhaps due to the medication, but is this really the time to be lying around?
I got out of bed and started buttoning up my disheveled dress shirt, one by one, from the bottom.
...Ah, damn it, who's the nurse? They even unhooked my bra.
I didn't know how to put it on, so I just tossed it behind me.
The sensation of the dress shirt against my bare skin wasn't exactly pleasant, but since I don't have a large chest, I just pressed it down a bit and put the shirt on, and it stayed in place.
Once I finished, I brushed my hair back to tidy it up and waved my hand in the air; a translucent blue window filled my vision.
[Character Information]
Name: Han Seo-yeon (17 years old)
Affiliation: World Navy Academy (Academy) 1st Year
Possessed Mystery: [Heaven's Gate]
Job Variant: [Angel Summoner]
Subjugated Angels: Stage 1 - Watching Eye, Stage 2 - Burning Wheel
Special Notes: [Status: Imprint in Effect]
"Ugh, damn it..."
Everything else is fine, but the last line is the problem. The Imprint effect.
Simply put, it's Fever Time; during this period, even a single touch or a single eye contact with the protagonist causes affection to skyrocket.
In other words, if I run into Kang Si-woo right now, my life is headed straight for the swamp of 11 children.
So, what should I do?
"Epheta, Video."
The Watching Eye popped out and stuck right next to my cheek, its dozens of pupils trembling as they looked at me, so I chuckled and stroked its head.
"Go and check outside."
After sending the eyeball cluster out for reconnaissance, I closed one eye and attempted a link; the screen the creature was seeing was transmitted to the corner of my vision in observer mode.
Inside the eye, I could see Kang Si-woo being interrogated.
It's the development according to the original work.
Since a large-scale terrorist attack occurred, agents from Leviathan, the intelligence agency under the World Government, have swarmed in.
They are people whom even Navy Admirals can't treat lightly, and they've settled into the Academy under the pretext of rooting out internal spies, pressuring the students.
The main quest until the midterm exam is to support Kang Si-woo so he doesn't get his mage blood discovered during this process.
As I quietly watched Si-woo's face on the screen, I remembered him sobbing while looking at me earlier.
"...Hmm."
What is this feeling? It's definitely not a good feeling.
But strangely, it feels like the corners of my mouth are twitching.
Hmm. Should I call it a mixture of sadism and affection that one feels when teasing someone they like?
Han Seo-yeon's body loves Si-woo. But my mind absolutely loathes falling for Si-woo.
Is this the sense of dissonance caused by that?
My neck felt a bit itchy, so I scratched it.
Well, it's probably just something that happens while I'm briefly adapting to the body.
The more I get involved with that guy Si-woo, the higher the affection level goes, increasing the possibility of me being paid out as insurance money, but if I don't get involved, Si-woo won't be able to save the world, leading straight to the world destruction ending.
"If I don't grasp the sword, I can't protect you, and if I hold the sword, I can't embrace you... is it something like that?"
Should I try to tease him periodically while getting involved with Si-woo just to avoid being paid out as insurance? But if he actually ends up hating me, that's dangerous too.
I remembered the expression on Si-woo's face from a little while ago. Hmm, Si-woo in pain, huh.
...Maybe it's not as bad as I thought?
I shook my head, sighing at what I was thinking, when I saw a small icon in the corner.
[Turn off system notifications]
"Oh, there was something like this."
The constant pinging notification sound was annoying, so I thought this was a good thing and pressed it firmly.
At that moment, a knock was heard from beyond the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Student Han Seo-yeon, excuse me. I am an investigator from the World Government Intelligence Bureau."
...Ah, they're here already? Surprised by the faster-than-expected visit, I buttoned the last button of my dress shirt.
"Yes, come in."
Almost immediately after my permission, the hospital room door opened softly.
The typical uniform of a Leviathan agent... well, there's no such thing to begin with, so pass.
Shinsengumi, huh.
A haori with a white mountain pattern on a light blue background. She was even wearing an intricately crafted katana at her waist.
Anyone could see it was a cosplay of a 19th-century Japanese security organization, but if it's someone from Leviathan...
It's a mad intelligence agency that shouts "even better!" and deploys anyone to the field as long as they have the skills, whether they're a psychopath or a cosplay addict.
A mental asylum that became a group of lunatics itself to deal with mages, who are a group of lunatics.
The woman with her black hair tied up neatly bowed her waist with precision as soon as she saw me.
"I am Investigator Kisaragi Rin from the Leviathan Counter-Intelligence Bureau. I am terribly sorry that you had to experience such an unfortunate incident, daughter of my senior!"
Senior? Ah, come to think of it, in the setting, Han Seo-yeon's mother, Han Se-rin, was also from Leviathan. And a legendary mage hunter who made even field agents tremble at the mere mention of her name.
"Ah... yes. Thank you for your hard work."
"Not at all! Protecting the daughter of the legendary senior Han Se-rin is also our duty. It has been determined that this terrorist attack was led by the Apostles of the Black Moon, the most extreme human extinctionist group within the Mage Alliance."
I know this story, so pass, pass. Is there no skip button?
"As expected of her daughter, your recovery speed is phenomenal. With this level of magical reaction, it seems you'll be fine to return to class soon. We are currently tracking down any potential moles who might have infiltrated the Academy, so please be careful about your personal safety for the time being."
While listening to Rin's business-like report, I pulled up Rin's character profile in my head.
[Kisaragi Rin]
2nd generation mage.
Mystery: [Flash Slash] - Cutting magic mediated by sword-drawing techniques.
Special Notes: Named heroine currently performing counter-intelligence duties inside the Academy.
In the original work, Rin is one of the heroines who boasts skills as sharp as her bizarre outfit.
Even if she looks like that visually, she is a powerhouse whose acceleration the moment she draws her blade is not far behind Professor Blackwood, whom I saw earlier.
Above all, Rin is a warrior obsessed with Leviathan's unique ideology, so she's the type to jump out of bed and swing her sword if she sees a mage, making her practically a natural enemy for Kang Si-woo.
Rin stared at me intently and then slightly furrowed her brows.
"By the way, Han Seo-yeon-nim. The flow of magic around the hospital room is strange. Was something summoned until just a moment ago?"
As expected, she's sharp.
"Ah, I only recently awakened my Mystery. My control is a bit clumsy."
"Mystery awakening... and on the day of the 1st-year entrance ceremony, at that. As expected, that lineage doesn't go anywhere."
Rin listened to the basic details (since I was just a one-sided victim anyway), turned to leave, but then paused.
Rin's gaze lingered on my upper body, specifically near the dress shirt that was only carelessly buttoned.
"...Um, Han Seo-yeon-nim. Excuse me, but what about your bra?"
"Yes? Ah, that is..."
The level of the question was so high that my brain froze.
No, in the first place, I'm someone who hasn't even seen a bra for over 20 years!
So I just tossed it behind me.
Rin's eyes narrowed, then she flinched, and they began to moisten.
"Don't tell me... ever since Senior Han Se-rin was killed in action along with her husband, have you been living all alone... without any adults to teach you even such basic etiquette?"
"No, that's..."
"Oh my god! That the bereaved family of a legendary agent was living so miserably! This is a disgrace to Leviathan!"
Rin sniffled and grabbed my shoulders.
Without giving me a chance to make excuses, Rin's hand headed for my dress shirt buttons.
"Wait, what are you doing...! Ah, no! Stop!"
I tried to resist desperately, but it was useless.
[Supporter (Me) vs Melee Dealer (Rin)].
A confrontation that couldn't be established in the first place.
I was helplessly thrown onto the bed.
"Now, stay still. It's a matter of courtesy for the bereaved family!"
"What kind of courtesy is this! Sexual harassment... no, sexual molestation...! Argh!"
In an instant, my clothes were stripped off, and new underwear brought from somewhere was fastened onto my body.
The ominous sound of it clicking shut behind my back. My inner masculinity screamed at the unfamiliar and stifling sensation tightening around my chest.
Rin didn't stop there; she took out a comb and began to carefully brush my disheveled hair.
"You've lived a hard life... I will take care of you like an older sister while you stay at the Academy."
"No, um, Agent? Rin-eonni? Please, just listen to me..."
"Sniff, then I must go to attend to my duties! Next time I come, I'll bring my katana to peel you some rabbit-shaped apples!"
Rin, moved by herself and with a determined expression, stormed out of the hospital room.
Silence descended with the sound of the hospital room door closing.
I wasn't even this humiliated when I got chewed out by my senior in the military.
Just then, Rin opened the door slightly and poked her head in again.
"Ah, right. I almost forgot. There is one person who requested a visit. It's the student who was being investigated until a moment ago, but he resisted so stubbornly that I let him go for now."
"A visit...?"
Who would come to visit me?
Han Seo-yeon's human relationships are narrow. Her parents are dead, and she doesn't really have any relatives.
Then there is only one candidate left.
Rin left, and immediately the door opened.
"...Seo-yeon-ah, are you okay?"
Ah, fuck. The disaster has arrived. I should have kept the alarm on.
It was Kang Si-woo.
He was standing at the doorway with a gaunt face, staring intently at me.