Chapter 224: Beyond the Long Night
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 224: Beyond the Long Night
Waking up, Cathy frowned at a faint headache and stared blankly at her surroundings.
At first, her mind was too foggy to remember anything, but the strange heat in the room and the fact that she wasn’t wearing a single stitch of clothing eventually brought back the memories of what had happened before she lost consciousness.
The last time she’d been even vaguely aware of her surroundings, it had been dark outside. The fact that it was bright again meant a full day had passed.
…Is the man I fell for actually a monster?
She had never considered herself lacking in stamina, but she hadn’t dreamed she would be toyed with to this extent, even if it was her first time and she’d been flustered.
When she had finally broken down, crying and begging that she couldn’t do it anymore, he had finished cleaning up with a look of lingering regret. That sight had moved beyond terror into a sort of primal thrill. What more was there to say?
“Zzz…”
He sure is sleeping well.
Despite how vigorously they had moved, she didn’t feel as sticky or uncomfortable as she expected, considering how much they’d sweated.
Now that she thought about it, she had a vague memory of him wiping her body down with a towel soaked in warm water after they were finished.
Even while wiping her down, he had looked at her with that same regretful gaze, yet now that he was asleep, he looked so peaceful and deep in slumber. It was cute, yet a little annoying.
Honestly, who would have thought a guy with such a cute face could keep going like a beast?
She playfully poked his forehead as he slept, but he only beamed in his sleep, showing no sign of annoyance.
…Come to think of it, I think this is the first time I’ve seen him look so at ease.
Should I try hugging him just a little?
“Ah.”
“Hm?”
However, she locked eyes with another visitor who had woken up before her, so it seemed she would have to give up on the morning hug.
“…Did you sleep well, Cadet?”
“Yes, Professor.”
What do I do? This is so awkward. I didn’t realize it because I was so caught up in the heat of the moment, but now that it’s over, I feel incredibly embarrassed.
“Shall we get up for now?”
“Yes, I’ll prepare a simple breakfast. We haven’t eaten anything since yesterday except for that sports drink.”
“Haha, alright.”
They both laughed awkwardly and tried to push themselves up, but in that instant, both of them froze with identical expressions of sheer panic.
“Wh-what? What’s wrong with my legs!?”
“I… I can’t put any strength into them…?”
To be precise, their lower halves were trembling so violently that they couldn’t stand straight.
It wasn’t surprising, really. They had mercilessly overworked muscles they had never used in their entire lives, so it was only natural for those muscles to go on strike. But if So-hyun woke up while they were still unable to move…?
…Is he going to start all over again?
Cadet Kang Han-hee seemed to be thinking the same thing, as she struggled desperately to move. But her trembling body refused to obey her will.
“…Mmm.”
Instead, their struggles only served to wake the sleeping incarnation of terror.
“Uh, mm…?”
“S-So-hyun, good morning?”
He stared at them blankly for a moment, tilting his head in confusion, before the memories of yesterday seemed to return. A gentle smile spread across his face.
“Are you two okay?”
That soft voice, tinged with guilt, was strangely terrifying.
* * *
Honestly, what do they take me for?
I was genuinely worried because they were trembling so hard, but they started babbling about how exhausted they were and begging me to go easy on them, or asking if we could do it later instead.
Good grief, just how much of a degenerate do they think I am?
Well, was I a bit much yesterday? I could have kept going, but I stopped because it looked like they were actually going to cry.
I prepared some simple French toast on behalf of the two who couldn’t move.
It’s soft, simple, and delicious—and it goes great with coffee, making it the perfect breakfast for when you don’t want to move much.
I would have made some instant soup to go with it if there was any, but unfortunately, it seemed they weren’t fans of instant food, as there wasn’t a single packet to be found.
They were still sitting at the table looking wary, as if they suspected I might pull something again. It was cute, but I really wished they wouldn’t be so guarded.
Don’t they realize that acting so cute might actually make me want to do something?
If I made up my mind right now, they wouldn’t even be able to resist.
Pfft.
I brushed away the wicked thoughts and chuckled. Seeing them flinch simultaneously like twins was so adorable that I decided to let them off the hook for today.
“The toast is ready.”
* * *
Meanwhile, in a secret base where Calamity-class villains—who could arguably be called humanity’s worst enemies—were gathered, a woman was staring blankly into space.
“…What’s wrong with that bitch?”
[…It seems something happened yesterday. Best to just leave her alone and move on.]
Indeed. Chae Yu-jin was currently attempting to escape reality by blankly replaying the events of yesterday in her mind.
Even after boldly claiming there was no way he could like another woman besides her, she had been too afraid to actually confirm it. Her mistake was stopping her constant, secret surveillance.
If she had just kept watching from the start, she might have been able to prepare herself mentally.
* * *
An alarm had popped up for her while she was comforting herself with the thought that nothing could possibly happen.
Unbeknownst to him, she had set up a device back before the regression to ensure he never fell into true danger—a system that would notify her of any changes in his body or mind.
It was a notification function created through her Authority, something akin to a status window.
And yesterday around noon, a sudden change had occurred in his notifications.
`[NEW!! First Kiss partner updated. Kang Ha-ni.]`
…Huh? What does that mean?
Is it a mistake…? It has to be a mistake, right? No, maybe something went wrong, or it was an accident?
She had been staring blankly at the notification, unable to even turn her gaze away, desperately clinging to her denial.
`[NEW!!! First Experience partner updated. Cathy.]`
`[Kang So-hyun has lost his virginity.]`
But her escape from reality crumbled miserably at the notification that arrived much later.
…Eh?
At first, she simply couldn’t process it.
The shock was even more intense than the one from the first kiss notification; it was as if her brain couldn’t keep up with the data.
`[Intercourse Count +1]` `[Kiss Count +1]` `[Affection Experience +1]`
However, as the strings of text continued to update mercilessly and without pause, she finally snapped back to her senses.
In a corner of her cluttered mind, a small question flickered: Why was his first kiss with Kang Ha-ni, but his first experience with Cathy? But that question didn’t last long.
Despairing that it couldn’t be true, that something must be wrong, she finally opened the surveillance footage she had been too terrified to watch.
The graphic scenes she saw there were more than enough to snatch her soul away.
What hurt most of all was that, in her current position, she couldn’t even act like a betrayed lover and get angry at him.
In the midst of her confusion, the numbers continued to climb tactlessly, and the raw scenes unfolded before her eyes.
All of it came crashing down on her as a wave of regret.
How many years did I wait for this? There’s no way Ha-neul could like another woman besides me?
It had been a foolish thought.
She had acted so high and mighty, telling herself he was a fake and that she had to keep her distance to reclaim the real one. But now that the distance between them had become a physical reality, she couldn’t hold back her tears.
That’s supposed to be my place. He’s mine.
His desires, the words he whispers into an ear—those were all things I was supposed to receive.
She had been robbed. While she was busy nursing her pride, others had stepped in and taken him piece by piece.
Is he going to keep being taken away from me like this?
As she stared blankly at the scene for a long time, a thought occurred to her.
If I intervene now, won’t he stop?
He’s doing that because he doesn’t know I’m watching.
If I let him know I’m watching, he’ll be startled and stop.
She had almost no Authority recovered, but she could manage to send a single message.
— Stop it.
However, that attempt was thwarted by an uninvited guest in her mind.
“What? Get lost.”
— It’s not time yet.
“It’s already too late! What do you mean it’s not time? If I don’t make up for it now, I might lose him forever…!”
— You’re certainly stubborn when it comes to him, aren’t you? But it’s no use. In the end, you’ll listen to me.
Zap. A sensation like a spark flying went through her head.
Oh…?
Right. Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t afford to waste her Authority right now. Yeah, it wasn’t even a big deal, was it? If a fake wants to play with his dolls, what does it have to do with her?
— There, good girl.
“…Don’t treat me like a child.”
It felt strangely unpleasant, as if the intruder in her mind was laughing, but thanks to that, she was able to settle her heart.
The numbers were still rising, and the footage showed no sign of ending.
Her heart felt like it was breaking, but she managed to resolve to let it go.
The only problem was that she still couldn’t take her eyes off the screen.
* * *
And now, time returns to the present.
Even after their long-drawn-out act had concluded, Chae Yu-jin, unable to look away, was staring at the footage of them sleeping with a hollow expression, still trying to escape reality.
And just as she finally settled her mind and decided to turn off the footage, a scene she absolutely could not accept entered her vision at the worst possible timing.
“…Huh?”
He. Kang So-hyun. Ha-neul.
He was making French toast.
This was crossing the line.
Suddenly, images from the past flashed through her mind.
Back when the two of them would stay up all night talking about novels, or when they’d accidentally miss the window for sleep while watching a movie.
Whenever she would whine about being too lazy to make breakfast the next morning, he would make this for her with his clumsy skills.
At first, it was burnt or poorly seasoned and tasted terrible. But through trial and error and constant practice, he eventually learned to make it delicious. That food of their memories…
He was making it for someone else as if it were nothing.
Even when the other kids woke up and asked for just a bite, he had always given the very first piece he toasted to her.
More than the graphic scenes that felt almost surreal, having the quiet memories of their daily life invaded struck her with a far more intense shock.
She felt like she was going to throw up.
More than losing something new, the fear that the things that belonged only to him and her were no longer theirs alone terrified her.
— Oh? You’re resisting this?
“Hey! You jerk…! This is really crossing the line…!”
As the fog in her mind cleared, she tearfully cut away a portion of her remaining Authority and flung it toward him.
* * *
After sending the two off to brush their teeth after breakfast, a message arrived for the first time in a long while as I was tidying up my smartphone.
Ah, not on the smartphone—via Authority.
— Hey, how could you do this to me…? This is a betrayal! You know that!?
…What kind of out-of-the-blue nonsense is this? Judging by the context, it sounds like Seo-ha.
Did she see everything that happened last night? Or is she seriously upset about the toast? Because it’s a snack we used to eat together often?
I mean, you’re the one who calls me a “mere fake,” so where do you get the nerve?
It’s a bit pitiful to think of her whimpering and crying all by herself, but…
“I don’t know if you’re still watching, but if you hate seeing me change even more, I told you to just come over here, didn’t I?”
— Are you really going to be that petty!?
“Yep. I can’t hear anything said by someone who treats me like a fake~”
— Ha, fine. Go ahead and do whatever you want. You think I’ll waver? Actually, this is better. I have nothing left to lose anyway…!
“You think so?”
— …Huh?
“I think there’s plenty left. The memories only the two of us shared. The things I only did for you.”
— So-hyun? No, Ha-neul? I’m angry right now, you know…?
“Who knows? I’m Kang So-hyun, so I wouldn’t know anything except that as time passes, our memories will keep disappearing.”
— You…
“Me?”
— Eeeek…! Do whatever you want! You jerk…!
“Hey, you mad?”
I waited for a moment, but no reply came.
I thought I might be able to coax her out this time if I played it right, but I guess not.
“Fine. Even if you don’t say anything, I’m going to do whatever I want. Don’t you worry.”
Because I’m going to do my absolute best for the people precious to me.
“Don’t go regretting it when it’s too late, you stubborn girl.”
Just as I was about to put my smartphone away, a text arrived from an Academy number at the perfect time.
“Oh.”
The content was that the internal water system renovations at the Academy were finally finished.
This meant we could finally return to the Academy.
“I’ve been away from the Academy for too long for someone who’s basically part of the furniture there.”
Well, it feels like it hasn’t been that long since I saw everyone at the beach, but I miss them.
“I wonder what everyone’s up to.”