Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The Oblivious Man
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Unable to do anything, I had been lying on Yoo Ji-an's thigh pillow, resting, and before I knew it, 30 minutes had passed.
Until now, I'd held out with superhuman patience and the sharp awareness that losing the constraint would mean the end of everything, but I didn't think I could endure any longer.
I'm a guy too. A ridiculously pretty girl gives me a thigh pillow? How am I supposed to keep holding back?
So, to Yoo Ji-an, who had been diligently making potions with one hand while stroking my forehead for the full 30 minutes, I cautiously asked,
"...Student Council President? I have a really important appointment this afternoon. Do you think I could get up now?"
But whether she didn't hear me or was pretending not to, Yoo Ji-an ignored my words and kept making her potion.
Soon, having apparently completed the desired potion, she flashed a brilliantly bright smile and shoved the vial into my mouth.
"It's done! Drink it slowly."
"Mmgh!"
A thick something slid down my throat.
At the same time, the system alert rang out.
You have consumed Yoo Ji-an's improvised potion: Astrain Syrup.
Effect: Gently stimulates the nervous system in a lowered consciousness state to safely resolve fainting.
Stabilizes mana circulation to natural recovery, alleviating aftereffects from mana depletion.
Slight increase in stamina and mana recovery speed (short-term).
*A high-grade recovery potion infused with Yoo Ji-an's special care, meticulously combined from top-tier herbs and rare recovery materials.
"...Oh."
True to the description, as soon as I emptied the potion bottle, energy surged through my body, and it sprang up on its own.
Admiration was short-lived. I immediately bowed 90 degrees at the waist and expressed my gratitude to Yoo Ji-an.
"Thank you so much for even giving me such a precious recovery potion."
"For a junior, this is nothing. I can do it anytime... More importantly..."
Yoo Ji-an looked at me like that, drawing out the end of her sentence, then suddenly pulled out a potion bottle filled with pinkish liquid from her subspace pouch and continued.
"Want to try this one too? This recovery potion instantly restores vitality and stimulates testosterone for re..."
"Sure thing!! I have urgent business, so I'll be going now!"
The moment I saw the potion bottle, I was certain drinking it would really be the end. I bid farewell and fled the student council room like my life depended on it.
Watching Kang Hyun-sol desperately flee, Yoo Ji-an burst into laughter and muttered,
"Ahaha!! What a fun junior. I really need to keep him close and make him mine somehow."
Yoo Ji-an put the potion back into her subspace pouch and thought,
"Hmm... Still, it's a bit disappointing. Was it the color?
Or should I secretly slip it into his car next time?
Well, I guess I need to give it some thought."
"Huff... huff... That was really dangerous."
Not even looking back, I ran straight back to the dorm and collapsed onto the bed with a sigh of relief.
It was a potion of a color I'd never seen even once while playing the game, but I could tell right away.
That drinking it would make me lose the Vow of Purity immediately.
And as if to confirm that my worry wasn't baseless, a system message appeared before my eyes.
[Vow of Purity activated: You have successfully refused one of Yoo Ji-an's hidden routes, 「Temper Bloom Arden Syrup」. As a reward, 1000 SP has been granted.]
"...Crazy. Am I dreaming? 1000 SP?"
When I resisted and escaped Professor Chae Yeon-hwa's temptation, I only got 100 SP.
I thought that was plenty,
So what the hell was Yoo Ji-an trying to feed me that resisting it gives 1000 SP as a reward?
"If I meet Yoo Ji-an nine more times like this, I could get a new trait... No, wait."
For a moment, I nearly fell to greed's temptation, but I quickly snapped out of it and regained my senses.
The reason was simple.
Even resisting an A+-rank skill and S-rank skill from a high succubus—with Crisis Overcoming's intervention, barely—only gave 100 SP.
Temper Bloom or whatever it was looked dangerous just from sight. Giving 1000 SP for dodging one potion means refusing Yoo Ji-an's temptation
Is harder than overcoming a succubus's seduction,
I judged.
I dragged my hand from my head down my face and let out a long sigh.
My heart was still pounding.
The feel of that thigh from earlier, her breath, those eyes... Everything vividly replayed, driving me mad.
"Haa... This semester, that was the most dangerous yet."
I stared at the ceiling.
And sank into thought again.
"This time too, the Oath of Indulgence must have been at play, right?"
Yoo Ji-an is basically kind and generous to others by nature.
But that doesn't mean she's a pushover who'd shower a guy she just met with potions worth tens of millions, lend an expensive car, or prepay an S-rank skill.
Which means the current situation perfectly aligned with the Oath of Indulgence and her personal goals.
"...No, enough thinking. My head hurts too much."
For some reason, my eyelids grew unbearably heavy.
Partly the aftermath of sudden mana drain, but probably the potion's recovery effect too.
'Yeah, today... just sleep.'
With that, I fell completely asleep.
Two days later, Monday.
Having finished early morning mana bullet training with Yoon Seo-rin as usual, I headed to the sparring room where Wol Ha-yeon would be waiting.
But just as I finished preparing and was about to leave the mana training room, Yoon Seo-rin grabbed me and asked,
"Are you going to train swordsmanship with Wol Ha-yeon again today?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"If it's okay, could I join too?"
"Huh...? Well, no problem... Why?"
When I asked the reason, Yoon Seo-rin picked up her scattered rifle and pistol, finished preparing, and answered.
"Nothing much... I just have some questions for Wol Ha-yeon and things I want to say."
"Okay? Sure, let's go together."
Wol Ha-yeon is generally indifferent to others and doesn't particularly like talking,
So I briefly wondered if bringing a stranger without warning would annoy her...
But since Yoon Seo-rin and I had met during the artificial dungeon evaluation before and a few times, I figured it'd be fine.
Thus, Yoon Seo-rin and I left the mana training room.
The morning sunlight softly shining on the way to the sparring room with Yoon Seo-rin
Made the day's start feel exceptionally good somehow.
Students were heading to training grounds one by one, footsteps busy.
And fortunately—or whatever—since meeting Yoo Ji-an two days ago, I'd returned to normal daily life as if nothing happened.
Well, nothing really did happen.
...Yeah, really nothing.
"I felt it during sparring earlier, but your mana circuits seem more stable than the day before yesterday."
Yoon Seo-rin tapped my shoulder once and said.
"Did you take some good elixir? Your complexion looks brighter than before. Nice to see."
"Haha... That obvious? Actually, on Saturday, I ran into the Student Council President by chance, and she gave me a potion. Even drove me."
"...Student Council President?"
"Yeah, Yoo Ji-an. She called it an improvised potion, but the effect was amazing. Fatigue vanished the moment I drank it."
"......"
Yoon Seo-rin stared into my eyes for a moment, then nodded without much reaction.
"...I see. If it's a potion she made, that makes sense."
Her expression held no emotion, as usual.
Or rather, she seemed subtly disappointed, with a colder vibe than normal... but probably my imagination.
Chatting like that, we soon arrived at the sparring room.
Opening the door, Wol Ha-yeon was already fully prepared and waiting for me.
In her neat uniform as always, long hair tied back to her waist, holding her sword—she was the epitome of a swordswoman.
I think it every time, but doesn't living so rigidly get tiring?
"You're here? By the way..."
She greeted me simply, glancing alternately at me and Yoon Seo-rin.
"Ah! Yoon Seo-rin's joining today. She has something to say to you?"
"...Really? I don't know what she wants to ask, but can it wait until after training?"
"Got it."
Yoon Seo-rin answered shortly and took a seat in one corner of the sparring room.
"I get Seo-rin... but Hyun-sol, you..."
Before starting swordsmanship sparring, as I warmed up, Wol Ha-yeon approached.
Her gaze followed my arm slowly, then stopped near my heart.
"Something... feels different?"
"Huh?"
"No, the mana flow. It's a bit... smoother than before."
She tilted her head and added,
"Did you drink something good recently? Get an elixir?"
"Huh? Oh... Just a potion? The Student Council President gave me one for recovery."
"Student Council President... Yoo Ji-an?"
"Yeah. Happened to get one, and it was really effective. As expected of Master Alchemist Yoo Tae-min's bloodline?"
"......"
I could see Wol Ha-yeon's eyebrow twitch ever so slightly.
"Must've been a really good potion? You look thrilled."
But the oblivious me paid no mind to Wol Ha-yeon's reaction and chattered excitedly.
"Yeah, it was the best. Honestly, right after drinking it, the whole world looked brighter. I'd love another if I get the chance."
As I said it casually with a smile,
Wol Ha-yeon stared at me for a moment, let out a small sigh, and muttered,
"...Really? If you need more, just say so. I can get you good stuff too..."
"Huh? What?"
"Nothing. Just thinking the senior really cares for her juniors."
"Ah... Yeah, I thought so too. Though honestly, it was surprising. She was so kind even on first meeting?"
"......"
Wol Ha-yeon turned her head slightly without reply.
And for a very brief moment, I caught her lips distorting faintly.
Of course, seeing that, I simply thought she was sulking about not getting a potion herself,
And prepared to start sparring.
"Ah! Today, can you explain the connecting motions from Flowing Ink Sword 4th to 5th form in more detail? It keeps breaking here—don't know if my body's stiff or what's wrong."
"...Got it. Grip the sword tight."
"Y-You're not mad, right? Anyway, please take care of me today too."
With that, Wol Ha-yeon and I began sparring in earnest.
And...
"Kang Hyun-sol, I thought you were just especially oblivious and indifferent only to me, but your personality really is like that overall."
Yoon Seo-rin, who had watched Wol Ha-yeon and Kang Hyun-sol's conversation from start to finish from afar, felt a strange sense of relief and began focusing on their sparring.