Olivia's Mad Science Experiments
Olivia the instructor vanished after that.
Just in case, I checked the classroom and even the instructors' lounge, but she was nowhere to be found.
Where had the instructor gone—the one who'd said she'd take additional questions in the classroom during lecture time?
I could have simply unsummoned Thousand Changes to resolve it easily, but she wasn't someone I was dying to see, so I decided to let it be.
A few days passed like that, with me shoving thoughts of Instructor Olivia to the back of my mind, and then the incident happened.
"Where do you think Instructor Olivia went?"
"Who knows..."
Today, too, Ji-ah and I were leaving the Understanding Other Races lecture hall.
Having met Instructor Olivia in person, I'd already predicted she wouldn't show up in the classroom today, but Ji-ah didn't know that, so there was no helping it—we'd wasted our time.
I'd done it to protect Instructor Olivia's reputation, in my own way. Not that she probably cared about something like that.
"Well... she's the type who runs lectures like that, so it's not all that surprising."
Ji-ah didn't seem to have a very good impression of Instructor Olivia.
She attended lectures so enthusiastically that it was understandable.
She was still diligently taking the beginner magic course, after all.
I, on the other hand, liked Instructor Olivia's lectures.
In this era, the ideal instructor wasn't someone who taught well or knew a ton—it was someone who could keep lectures short.
Instructor Olivia's were too short, though.
"Maybe she has her reasons?"
"Even so, that lecture was way too much."
"Can't argue with that."
"I just don't get how a lecture like that still exists at Prism."
That's because Instructor Olivia got her position through connections.
But I didn't want to show Ji-ah the ugly underbelly of society.
As I racked my brain for a suitable response, I felt something squirming under my feet.
Bad feeling.
The moment I tried to bolt from the spot, a sinister red magic circle appeared beneath me.
"Do-jun-ssi!"
I lost consciousness hearing Ji-ah call my name.
When I came to, I was rolling around in the corner of what looked like some research lab.
As I sat up, I saw Instructor Olivia conducting some highly suspicious experiment at a glance.
Sensing me stir, Instructor Olivia turned around.
In her hand was a flask filled with a blood-red liquid that looked like it'd be a disaster if swallowed.
"Awake? Drink this first."
"Instructor Olivia? Where are we?"
"Does that matter?"
"Of course it does."
"Nah, not really. Drink this first."
Instructor Olivia shoved the flask into my mouth.
I tried to push it away, but I couldn't—no idea where she was getting that strength from.
The ominous blood-red liquid slid down my throat.
The texture wasn't bad, surprisingly.
No real taste, though.
Confirming I'd emptied the flask, Instructor Olivia grinned in satisfaction and asked me,
"How is it?"
"Hm... goes down smooth. But the flavor's kinda... unique. Won't work."
"What are you talking about? I meant, any changes in your body?"
Changes in my body?
I checked myself over.
Nothing seemed different.
It was weirder that my stomach felt fine after chugging something so sketchy.
"No changes, really?"
"Huh. Guess so..."
Instructor Olivia tilted her head and turned back to her lab equipment.
She eyed Thousand Changes bubbling away in a suspicious purple liquid with satisfaction, then scooped some of the purple stuff into a flask.
Wait... no way?
"Hold on!"
"What?"
"You're not gonna make me drink that too, right?"
"Quicker on the uptake than you look. Good thing. Takes forever if lab tools are slow."
"Lab tool... you don't mean me, do you?"
"You said you'd help."
I never said I'd be a lab tool.
But my opinion didn't seem to matter anymore.
I could feel her iron will: she'd make me drink it no matter what.
"Mind explaining what you're doing first?"
"Do you need to know?"
"Obviously. Can't keep drinking unknown stuff."
"Fair point..."
Instructor Olivia lifted Thousand Changes out of the beaker.
It had been boiling in that sketchy liquid, but it still gleamed transparently, iridescent as ever.
"This... Thousand Changes, right? Way more fascinating than I thought. It reduces all external forces acting on it. For example."
Instructor Olivia hurled Thousand Changes at the wall hard.
It hit the wall and—
Thud.
—dropped straight to the floor, shape perfectly intact.
Clearly different from its usual squishy, malleable self.
What the hell?
"Weird, right?"
"Yeah. Super weird."
"The weirdest part is that I threw it."
"Why's that weird?"
"I said it. Reduces all external forces. So how'd I throw it? And why'd it fall?"
"Ah..."
If it blocks all external forces, throwing it shouldn't even be possible. Nor should gravity make it drop.
So... does that mean...?
"At first, I thought it followed the user's will. But even in my hands, it's still your power, right? So it shouldn't obey me."
"Yeah, when you put it like that."
"My conclusion is..."
"Conclusion?"
"No clue!"
"Pardon?"
"So intriguing. How does something like this even exist? Hell, is it even matter?"
Instructor Olivia tossed and caught Thousand Changes repeatedly.
It floated up undistorted, then dropped neatly into her palm, over and over.
"Even more interesting? Its abilities don't stop there. It's like..."
"Like?"
"Yeah... a conduit? A gateway? Something that transmits."
She'd nailed it.
Thousand Changes morphed by my will and served as the medium for Thirteen Palms Covering the Sky.
To dig that deep in such a short time... personality aside, her skills were legit.
"That's as far as I've gotten."
"Impressive research in so little time."
"So, about that..."
Instructor Olivia approached me.
A bad vibe washed over me.
Here comes some nonsense...
"Better spill any secrets now."
"How broad a definition of 'secrets' are we talking?"
"Anything you haven't told me."
"You never asked."
She'd taken Thousand Changes gleefully and hadn't questioned me since.
Not that I'd have answered properly anyway.
"True. Start talking."
"Got it. One sec."
How much should I reveal...?
No need for Touch of Pleasure.
Resonance... iffy.
Fixation? Blockade? That should suffice.
She couldn't detect what I hid anyway.
I gave a brief rundown of my abilities.
Skipping the part about embedding unreadable will, Touch of Pleasure, and Resonance.
I didn't fully get the will part myself, and Touch of Pleasure had zero relevance to her.
Instructor Olivia pondered my explanation.
"Hm... those powers, huh? Got it. Now scram."
"Huh?"
A magic circle bloomed under my feet at her words.
It flared up, enveloping me in an instant.
I glanced at Instructor Olivia—she was waving goodbye.
I still hadn't gotten an explanation for what she'd made me drink!
The scenery shifted in a blink.
Clutching my churning stomach, I looked around—it was the lecture hall area where I'd dropped.
My smartwatch showed a good chunk of time had passed.
And there was Ji-ah, still waiting.
"Ah! Do-jun-ssi!"
"You were still here?"
"You vanished so suddenly—I was so shocked!"
"Ah... sorry. Something came up."
"You're okay, right?"
"Yeah."
Next time, I gotta tell her not to summon me like this.
Helpful learning more about Thousand Changes, but this is too much.
First, deal with Ji-ah's worried face.
I grabbed her hand.
"Let's go."
"Ah... okay!"
I felt her fingers fidget.
Glancing back, she was mumbling, lips moving like she wanted to say something.
"Something on your mind?"
"No... just, it's been a while since it's been just us, so I'm happy."
"We're alone most of the time anyway?"
Kim Ye-eun wedged in from morning wake-up to lectures, but we'd stuck together since classes started.
Nothing new there.
"Still... feels different somehow."
"If you say so."
"You're treating me like an idiot, aren't you?"
Ji-ah squeezed my hand.
Not as strong as some others.
Ji-ah's the best.
I slipped my fingers between hers, interlocking them—her grip loosened.
Her face flushed red.
"You good?"
"Y-yes..."
She ducked her head to hide her blush.
That's my Ji-ah.
She stayed silent all the way to our usual parting spot at the fork.
"See you tomorrow."
"Um... Do-jun-ssi!"
"Yeah?"
"Maybe... dinner together...?"
She fidgeted, face beet red—I could guess her thoughts.
But...
"Sorry. Got stuff to do tonight."
"Ah!"
Her expression crumbled in an instant.
Betrayed.
Felt a bit guilty... but I really did have plans.
"Next chance, let's eat together."
"Okay... if you're busy, no helping it..."
Ji-ah trudged away.
Her disappointment was obvious—didn't sit right with me.
"Ji-ah!"
"Yes...? Mmph!"
I pulled her turning body into a hug and kissed her.
Her eyes widened in surprise right in front of me.
When I finally pulled back after a long kiss, no trace of disappointment lingered on her face.
"Really sorry. Next time for sure... got it?"
"Yes, Do-jun-ssi..."
She answered dazedly.
Her back as she headed to the dorms was worlds different from before.