Promised Futures and Vivian's Lifeline
Our trio settled at one table.
Silence hung heavy over the table.
Lee Ji-ah kept her head bowed without a word, while Latynia just watched my expression.
And I...
"Ji-ah."
At my call, Lee Ji-ah lifted her head.
I still couldn't read what was on her mind.
"How's it been since yesterday...?"
I felt awkward pushing further.
I trailed off vaguely, and she seemed to catch my meaning, replying accordingly.
"Oh... no issues, really."
"Good to hear. That's a relief."
"Were you avoiding me because...?"
"Wouldn't it be clearer if we minimized contact as much as possible?"
She let out a relieved breath at my answer.
How tense had she been?
"I was worried you'd come to hate me."
"Why would I ever hate you? That... thing."
"Ah! You don't have to say it!"
Seeing her startled reaction made me want to tease her a bit more.
But this was reconciliation time, so I'd save it for later.
"If anything, I'm grateful."
"Really?"
"All guys are like that."
Only then did her expression fully relax, as if she'd finally let go.
My own heart eased up too.
It had been rough. I couldn't go through that twice.
Now that I knew Resonance's emotional amplification was temporary and faded when I turned off the ability, there was no need to agonize over it anymore.
For now, I'd aim for the Great Labyrinth, but get close to any characters I liked along the way.
I couldn't keep the ability on forever, so a life of seducing women left and right was off the table.
Truth be told, slow-burn friendships suited my taste better than playing the field anyway.
"By the way..."
Lee Ji-ah looked like she had more to say.
Come to think of it, Latynia was here too.
She couldn't follow our conversation and was just gauging the mood.
"Who's this?"
"Ah, first time meeting her, right, Ji-ah? This is Latynia, the one I've promised my future with."
"What?!"
One line startled both of them.
Worth the wordplay.
"So then..."
"Yeah. Ended up agreeing to travel together."
The shock didn't fade easily.
Our food went completely cold, and all three of us skipped lunch.
As we dumped the leftovers and headed out, Lee Ji-ah and Latynia naturally flanked me on both sides.
Game possession... might not be so bad.
"You scared us, suddenly talking about promised futures."
"Not wrong, though, is it?"
"True, but..."
Latynia was still lost in shock, saying nothing.
She stared blankly into space—it was starting to feel dangerous.
"Latynia?"
"Huh? Sniff. Yes?"
"What're you thinking so hard about?"
"Two sons and one daughter... ah, nothing!"
Was she really okay?
I was getting worried.
"Anyway, we're here already! Let's head in!"
Latynia hurried ahead with quick steps.
She'd blatantly changed the subject, but since I'd teased her, I'd let it slide.
We slipped into the classroom just in time, and Ruphus had already claimed his seat.
Curiously, the seats around him were all empty.
"You're here? With a new face today."
"Things just worked out that way."
"What's your relationship?"
"Uh... friends...? Ji-ah, we're friends, right?"
"Ah... yeah. I'd say so?"
"Even blind dates wouldn't feel this awkward."
Shut up.
More importantly, how'd a beastkin know about blind dates?
"Anyway, this is Ruphus. We met on the first day of this lecture and hit it off quick.
Ruphus, this is Lee Ji-ah. Uh... my friend."
My introduction vanished into thin air as Lee Ji-ah started chatting directly with Ruphus.
"I'm Lee Ji-ah. Does it feel awkward?"
"I'm Ruphus, from the Imanitus Continent.
Yeah, awkward. Ask anyone—they wouldn't buy you two as just friends. Look at his reaction first."
"What's wrong with my reaction?"
"It's blatantly different from how you treat me or Lady Latynia."
"Lady Latynia?"
Lee Ji-ah reacted curiously to the honorific.
This was safe to share, right?
"Ah, she's actually a princess from another world—mmph!"
"That's a secret!"
Latynia clamped my mouth shut with her hand again.
Couldn't even joke around.
She released my mouth, and I explained to Lee Ji-ah again.
"Anyway, she's from a prominent family, so that's how we address her."
"You two are... really close."
"Are we? Isn't this normal?"
"But you're so distant with me..."
I was still figuring out the right distance for friends-with-benefits.
"Won't it get more natural with time?"
"You've already gotten chummy with people you just met on day one."
Thinking about it, yeah.
Ruphus especially felt like a friend of years.
Even accounting for beastkin affinity, it wasn't average.
Lee Ji-ah was onto something...
"I think it's the stiff honorifics making it feel that way."
"Oh... yeah, that makes sense."
"Call me casually from now on?"
"Then... Do-jun... can I call you casually too?"
"Yeah, that's more comfortable for me."
Felt like I'd been tricked somehow.
Still, casual talk should warm things up better than before.
Lee Ji-ah was smart, after all.
Instructor Olivia didn't arrive until well after the lecture start time.
Was she ditching again like yesterday?
She scanned attendance with her eyes and left without a word.
"Her teaching style's evolving."
"Yeah. Is this even allowed?"
"Um... has it always been like this?"
"Yep. You saw yesterday, Ji-ah."
"I was... distracted yesterday..."
Couldn't say much since I was the distraction.
Better focus on casual vibes over this.
Efforting casualness felt ridiculous.
"It'd be great if lectures stayed this way. What do you think?"
"I'd prefer meaningful time if possible."
"Guess our fates end here then..."
"No! I'll keep attending. Because of you, Do-jun."
"Uh... uh-huh."
Embarrassing.
But not a bad feeling.
The instructor never returned, no matter how long we waited.
Cadets started trickling out one by one.
"So, what now? We bounce too?"
"Isn't it too early?"
"Our Ara's in danger alone right now—doesn't that worry you?"
"What even is Prism to you...?"
Sounded like Ruphus was ready to rush to his sister.
Latynia would go with him too.
What about me?
"Ji-ah. What should we do?"
"Don't the others have plans?"
"Yeah. These otherworld friends occupy part of Reading Room 6 every day."
"Oh, then I..."
Her expression darkened the instant it sounded.
"Sorry, something came up for me too. Really sorry..."
She sure loved saying sorry. Self-deprecating much...
Would have to address that sometime.
"Nothing to apologize for. Go handle it."
"Okay..."
"See you tomorrow."
Lee Ji-ah grabbed her ringing phone and left first.
What was her story?
Would she tell me?
"Guess I'll head to the library too. Friend ditched."
"We can tell."
"Don't you get bored holing up in the library every day?"
"As long as Ara's there, anywhere's fine."
Ah, okay then.
Trailing to the library, there wasn't much to do.
I'd already gathered plenty on the Great Labyrinth.
No new mods came to mind, so wandering the reading room felt like a waste.
I wasn't the type who was fine anywhere with just a sibling...
So I headed back to the dorm early today.
Entering, I saw Vivian perched on a chair.
Should I admire her unchanging loyalty to that spot or feel heartbroken?
Especially after what Instructor Nephrian said this morning—my heart felt unsettled.
She sat utterly still, like a wind-up doll run out of power.
"Vivian."
She raised her head at my call.
I scooped her up and settled her on my lap.
In my arms, I felt her tiny heartbeat.
Observing her closely revealed something I'd missed.
Around the Thousand Changes she held, part of her arm lacked swirling mana.
Was Thousand Changes repelling mana?
Then, a faint tingle on the back of my hand.
Looking down, the pattern glowed dimly.
(...)
Absorbs. Emits.
The twelfth secret unlocked.
This one was straightforward.
Mana, right?
Absorbs mana. Emits mana.
It explained everything so far.
Why I couldn't build mana in basic magic practice.
Why Vivian clung to Thousand Changes.
Why she slowly recovered holding it.
Thousand Changes was essentially her lifeline.
Then...
I pulled out Thousand Changes and pressed it near her heart.
The mana flow squeezing her from her heart visibly weakened.
But it didn't vanish completely.
Absorption limit?
Not fully solved yet, but I had a lead.
This was enough.
"Vivian. Wanna eat out today?"
"..."
She nodded faintly.
Carrying her to the priciest restaurant, a familiar silhouette caught my eye.
Different clothes, but definitely Lee Ji-ah.
Her demeanor was off, though.
Like a lamb led to slaughter.
That unusual air stopped me from calling out.
By the time I snapped to, she'd vanished into the building's shadow.