Chapter 304: What happens when the public humiliation ends…? You fool, a new public humiliation begins…!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 304: What happens when the public humiliation ends…? You fool, a new public humiliation begins…!
“Hey guys, you know, So-hyun is actually really nice.”
During lunch, Kim Ga-eul suddenly started praising him, taking advantage of the moment he happened to step away.
Of course, everyone there agreed to some extent that Kang So-hyun was softer and kinder than they had initially expected.
However, no one could quite figure out why she was bringing this up so out of the blue—until Kim Ga-eul continued, and they all found themselves nodding in agreement.
“We teased So-hyun so much when he was drunk, but look at him! It’s been days since the weekend, and he hasn’t teased us once about what happened!”
In truth, for the members other than Lilac—who was barely affected by the brainwashing—and Kim Ga-eul—who had been holed up in her room writing a proposal—the “Common Sense Alteration Villain” incident from the weekend was a forbidden topic. Yet, this time, everyone nodded.
“…That’s true. Honestly, things got a bit dangerous for everyone this time.”
Cheon Yu-hak, who in that brief span of time had filled his social media with selfies and cryptic mumblings, certainly had nothing to say.
Neither did the two who had relentlessly texted Kang So-hyun, trying to force him into a princess outfit and plaid patterns.
“Ahem! Cough! Hmph!”
As for Kang Ha-ni, she was still fighting the urge to run to the nearest cliff and bungee jump without a cord, so what more needed to be said?
Even the professors, who weren’t present, had it worse.
He could have teased them as much as he wanted, but seeing him refrain made the atmosphere turn strangely solemn.
“…I think we might have gone a bit too far.”
“You’re right. The cycle of pranks had to be broken eventually.”
While everyone was basking in the heartwarming glow of praising him, there was one person who looked slightly disgusted.
“Ah, um. Well, for me… nothing much happened this time, but can I say one thing?”
It was Aisha, a woman who, in a sense, knew Kang So-hyun just as well as any of them.
“Isn’t he just biding his time because exams and the ranking tournament are coming up? From what I’ve experienced, So-hyun isn’t the type to just take a hit and let it slide.”
For a moment, all eyes gathered on Aisha, but the others soon smiled brightly and countered her words.
“Well, he’s usually a bit sharp, so it’s easy to misunderstand, but So-hyun is actually very kind.”
“Yeah, at the very least, he’s not the type to grind his teeth and plot revenge for every little thing.”
As Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak nodded, the others joined in the praise one by one, trying to move past the subject. From Aisha’s perspective, however, it only reinforced the impression that they were all wearing rose-tinted glasses.
No, maybe they knew.
Maybe they were just pretending not to know because they wanted to believe it.
Reaching that conclusion, Aisha decided to just nod and laugh it off.
After all, no one would ever know that during the incident, she had secretly crawled into bed and licked a laminated photo of Kang So-hyun!
Since it was obvious she wouldn’t be a target of his public humiliation, what did it matter to her whether the others got destroyed or not?
And Aisha’s hunch was correct.
Or rather, it was very close to the truth.
It was true that he was holding back on the public humiliation because he didn’t want to affect their exams or the ranking tournament, and it was also true that he wasn’t the type to let a petty grudge go. But there was one more thing.
There was a secret Aisha didn’t know: before he could begin the public humiliation, there was a dangerous matter he had to resolve first. And at this very moment, he had been summoned to deal with it.
* * *
I had been summoned by the Chairperson during my precious lunch break. I arrived at her office feeling quite tense.
Just in case, I dialed the senses of my Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils to the maximum. Only after simulating how to dodge a sudden blast of wind the moment the door opened did I finally knock.
[You’re here. You may enter.]
Just like the light, rhythmic sound of the knock, the answer from beyond the door was incredibly calm and airy. That, however, made it even more terrifying.
[…I have no intention of doing anything to a cadet right now, so come in.]
Since I couldn’t exactly turn back, I finally opened the door and entered. Inside the Chairperson’s office, some familiar faces were gathered.
“I called Cathy as well, since they said you’d probably run away if it was just the two of us. Does this make you feel a bit better?”
The Chairperson and the Academy’s blonde professor duo.
The three people who could be considered the greatest victims of this incident were all here.
…Well, fortunately, all three of them looked like their usual selves. No chick hats, no twin tails, and no self-proclaimed 26-year-olds in sight.
“Hey, Kang So-hyun. What were you just thinking?”
Our Chick Witch really is incredibly sharp.
“I was just wondering what business the Chairperson, who is usually so strict about separating public and private matters, could possibly have with me.”
“You certainly have thick skin.”
Well, I guess lies don’t work when the Chairperson is around.
Even Cathy Noona, who was the only one I could call an ally, flinched when she saw me. It seemed she was still feeling the shame.
Though her dark history was much milder than the other two.
“…I’ll be blunt, Cadet Kang So-hyun. I have no intention of placing a restriction on you, nor do I intend to use any coercive measures.”
The words coming out of the Chairperson’s mouth were quite unexpected.
“What? Leilan, what are you talking about? Have you gone crazy?”
“…I don’t think Cathy would just stand by and watch. Even if she did, there’s no telling how coercive measures—whether mental or physical, like a restriction—might affect him. It can’t be helped.”
Hmm…?
“No, I mean, that’s true! But still!”
Wait a minute. She’s casually mentioning my “condition” again. My condition might be bad, but I don’t think it has anything to do with a restriction.
“However, I need to make one thing clear.”
“Yes?”
Before I could point out the oddity, the Chairperson spoke with a sharp, determined expression.
“If you go around blabbing my secrets anywhere, I will use every means at my disposal to get my revenge.”
Oh, judging by the total lack of playfulness in her voice, she was dead serious.
“Wait a second. Leilan, did you just sneakily say ‘my’ secret? Not ‘our’ secret? You didn’t, right?”
“I didn’t want to be this forceful, but I felt like I’d go mad without at least a minimum safety net. I’ve actually been having nightmares every night lately.”
“Hey! Why aren’t you answering me? Leilan, look me in the eye.”
Well, if it were just the “26-year-old” thing, the Chairperson probably wouldn’t have gone this far.
But since I told her I knew the contents of the secret erotic novel she wrote, she must be driven half-mad with anxiety.
“It’s a request, so I’d like you to just promise me. If you do, I will trust Cadet Kang So-hyun completely.”
“Okay. I get it. So this is how it’s going to be? Everyone only cares about their own safety?”
“Please, just shut up! A cadet can call me ‘Oppa’ once in a while!”
“And you might want to be twenty-six too!”
“That’s not the problem for me…! Well, it is a problem, but things could get really bad if I’m not careful!”
“…What? Is there something else besides the twenty-six thing?”
Ah, as a side note, Professor Park A-ram—the only witness other than me—miraculously caused a mana explosion in her own head. As a result, she didn’t lose her own memories, but she did forget the Chairperson’s ultimate shame.
“Ah, now that I think about it, I feel like Kang So-hyun said something…?”
“If you remember that, I’ll have to become your enemy too. I’ll have to ban you from drinking forever. I wouldn’t want to do that.”
The killing intent that suddenly dominated the room was so genuine that not only I, but the other two women seemed intimidated by the Chairperson.
“A-Alright. I don’t know what it is, but I’ll stop, so please calm down.”
“…Good. We got a bit sidetracked, but Cadet Kang So-hyun. Your answer?”
“Do I even have a choice here?”
“Of course. Though you would have to take responsibility for the consequences of that choice. As Chairperson, I have no intention of infringing upon your rights.”
Man, she really, really doesn’t want this getting out.
“I won’t say anything.”
Fine, I won’t say anything.
Actually, I never intended to in the first place.
No matter how crazy I am, why would I publicly humiliate the Chairperson for no reason?
Of course, I might use it as blackmail material, or a day might come where I’m forced to expose her, but at least for now, that wasn’t the case.
“…Yes, thank you for saying that. I shall trust you then, Cadet Kang So-hyun.”
“Of course. I’m actually quite good at keeping my word.”
As I gave a warm smile, the Chairperson smiled back at me.
What I just said was the absolute truth, without a hint of a lie.
Even if I were to do it, the Chairperson is pretty low on the priority list.
I mean, look at how much public humiliation I have backed up already. Why would I start with something this dangerous?
It’s just because I’d feel bad if it affected their exams, and it would be troublesome if their grades dropped during the ranking tournament.
That’s the only reason I’m letting them off for now.
Once the ranking tournament is over, I’m going to start clearing through that backlog of public humiliations one by one.
You guys insulted me.
“…Um, Kang So-hyun. Your expression is so evil right now that I don’t even want to talk to you, but let me just check one thing. That ‘not saying anything’ includes me too, right?”
Professor Park A-ram looked at me with an awkward smile.
I smiled back at her, slowly backed away with a polite bow, and decided to head out.
About five seconds after I left the Chairperson’s office…
[Wait!? Hold on! Why did you just run away without answering me!? That smile just now meant you agreed, right!? Answer me! Kang So-hyun! Kang So-hyun…!]
It sounded like she was about to chase after me, so I decided to make a run for it.
It’s not that I don’t have any desire to tease her or a petty sense of revenge, but I have a feeling I’ll need to blackmail Professor Park A-ram later, even if I don’t publicly humiliate her.
I can’t lie to her, so I have to run. What else can I do?
[KANG SO-HYUN…!!!!!!]
The Chick Witch’s sorrowful scream echoed through the Academy.
Honestly, it was obvious that the Chairperson and Cathy Noona were low-key teasing her too.
I should be allowed to join in a little, shouldn’t I?
* * *
After an afternoon spent teasing the chick… no, the Little Witch professor, I finished my Academy schedule and headed back in a refreshed mood.
Training was over, and as I was on my way to pick up Luna, I checked my smartphone and felt a wave of confusion wash over me.
“…Is this a hallucination? Maybe the brainwashing side effects are finally hitting me too?”
To put it simply, I had a text from the number saved as ‘Ms. Chae Yu-jin’—in other words, Seo-ha.
The content was quite simple: ‘Let’s go around the Academy festival together.’ It was a sentence that carried a certain prickly charm.
The problem was that I had my phone on silent, so I was quite late in checking the message…
“Ah, crap. What if she’s sulking?”
Setting aside whether ‘What if she’s sulking?’ is the appropriate reaction to a text from the boss of an evil organization trying to destroy the world, I figured I should send a reply quickly.
I was a bit conflicted about what the “correct” response was.
Just sending a simple ‘Sure!’ seemed too cold, and if I joked around like I used to—saying something like ‘Hey, what are you up to now…!’—Seo-ha might take it seriously and go full villain mode.
On the other hand, writing something too long felt like it would create a sense of distance, which I didn’t like.
“…I’d really prefer it if this was actually sent by Seo-ha.”
Though I didn’t want to think about it, I couldn’t rule out the possibility that ‘something’—presumably the god connected to Seo-ha—had sent it.
Many thoughts cluttered my mind, but I soon reached a conclusion.
The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt. My problem was always overthinking things.
Therefore, when things are complicated, go simple.
[Is this a date request?]
Immediately after I sent the text, my phone vibrated like crazy as a barrage of messages poured in. After slowly reading through all of them, I sent just one more text.
[Yeah, if you want to argue, call me. I can’t hear you through text.]
And then, the smartphone became eerily silent.
Hmm, judging by the reaction, she seems serious.
I should probably prepare so I can handle it whether she’s being sincere or if it’s a trap, but…
“It’s been a while since just the two of us hung out.”
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation.
But will she be mad if she catches me going around with multiple people using clones?