Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Razor-Sharp
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Ten minutes before Yoo Ji-an and Sophia would come face-to-face.
I had just finished my morning classes as usual and was heading to the student cafeteria while checking my noticeably increased SP.
And then...
"There you are? Classes ended earlier than usual today, huh?"
Sophia was waiting for me at the cafeteria entrance, hugging her grimoire to her chest and drawing the gazes of every male student around, just like always.
"Did you wait long? Why didn't you sit down instead of standing out here?"
"Nah~. And I haven't been waiting that long anyway."
As she answered and came to walk beside me, Sophia—much like the others—seemed to sense something different about me. She scanned me up and down and asked,
"But... did you take some kind of elixir or something? Your mana flow feels more stable than when I saw you on Saturday.
Actually, no—your total mana capacity seems a bit higher too?"
"Hmm... it really shows, huh? Yeah, you're right. After I met up with you on Saturday, I ran into the Student Council President for a bit. Somehow, she ended up giving me a few potions."
"The Student Council President... You mean, the granddaughter of Master Alchemist Yoo Tae-min?"
"Yeah, that's her."
As I shrugged and replied, Sophia's fingertips paused ever so slightly.
"... Hmm, I see."
She gave a short response, then flashed her usual bright smile and started walking beside me again.
"That's a little surprising. From what I remember, she doesn't usually hand out her potions to just anyone..."
"I thought the same, but she whipped up a few on the spot and just gave them to me. The effects are incredible. Honestly, I'd love a few more if I could. It feels like all my fatigue just melts away."
"......"
Sophia nodded without a word.
As we entered the cafeteria, the students' murmurs grew louder, as they always did.
The genius mage Sophia Litwell entering with an ordinary male student—it was only natural that all eyes would turn our way.
"The stares are intense today too. You okay with it?"
"Like I always say, I've been getting looks like this since I was a kid, so I'm used to it. More importantly, you seem pretty accustomed to it yourself now? You're asking so casually."
"Sigh... Yeah, tell me about it."
I made a resigned face as I ordered from the kiosk.
Today's menu was straightforward.
Stir-fried pork—the soul food of men—with a side of white rice.
Sitting down, Sophia tilted her head slightly.
"Anyway, I think I can slow down my research pace for a bit. I've got a new magic circle I want to try out. By the way... what was the Student Council President like in person?"
"What do you mean?"
"Her reputation precedes her. Cold, perfectionist, and after enrolling in the academy, she barely leaves her lab except for official duties... What was she really like?"
"Hmm... Well."
I thought for a moment before answering honestly.
"She was... kinder than I expected, I guess? I thought she'd be scary and stiff at first, but she was really nice. She didn't just hand over the potions—she made them right there, adjusting them based on my condition."
The moment I finished speaking, Sophia's eyebrows furrowed for the briefest instant.
But it was so quick, and she covered it with a smile right away, that I'm not sure if I really saw it.
"Adjusted them personally? How?"
"...Huh? Oh, yeah. She just checked my internal mana flow with her fingertips and made potions suited to my physical state. Even stroked my forehead a few times..."
"......"
A strange silence hung in the air for a moment.
Amid the students' chatter and noise around us, Sophia picked up her knife and slowly sliced her bread.
A smile lingered on her lips, but her eyes were quite cold.
"I see... So the President is the type who handles people with such care."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing, it's nothing."
Sophia slowly lowered her head.
"Just... I'm glad the potions helped you grow even more. You could probably challenge 2nd Circle for real now."
Sophia said that, then calmly sipped her soup.
But I didn't notice the subtle tremor in her fingertips gripping the spoon.
That was when it happened.
"Ah, there you are!"
A familiar voice came from the cafeteria entrance.
Turning toward it, I saw a female student with her aqua-blue hair tied up high, holding a blue potion bottle in one hand.
She waved at me with the expression of someone reuniting with an old friend.
"Student Council President...?"
"Found you, Junior."
She approached with the same radiant smile as last time.
The cafeteria fell silent for a moment.
The Student Council President, Yoo Ji-an, had shown up in person during lunch hour.
And naturally, her gaze turned to Sophia sitting right beside me.
"Oh, Sophia Litwell is here too? I heard you two eat lunch together almost every day—looks like it's true."
"...Hello. Nice to meet you. Student Council President Yoo Ji-an."
It was a short but oddly sharp greeting.
Sophia rose slowly from her seat and bowed her head. Yoo Ji-an responded with a gentle bow of her own.
But the moment they lifted their heads and their eyes met, the air temperature dropped subtly.
Every student in the cafeteria held their breath.
The two famous figures stared quietly at each other, ignoring the reactions around them entirely.
"Litwell, we met once before at the Magic Research Club, didn't we? Don't you remember?"
"...Ah, right. Now that you mention it, we did. You're as lively as ever, President. But with your alchemy research keeping you so busy, what brings you here?"
"Hehe, well... I'm in the middle of an intriguing experiment. I just stopped by to see my subject... er, my assistant."
Yoo Ji-an's gaze turned to me.
Sophia's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Your assistant? Who might that be?"
"Of course... Junior Kang Hyun-sol. He agreed to help with my alchemy research going forward."
"......"
A brief silence.
Then Sophia barely suppressed her slightly quivering lips and spoke.
"I see. Becoming the President's assistant would certainly mean learning a lot. And the scraps that fall would be pretty good too."
"Well... if Junior Hyun-sol wants to learn alchemy, I'd teach him with all my heart. Unfortunately, I only need his unique mana for now. You know that too, right, Litwell?"
"That sounds like you're using Hyun-sol as a real mana extractor instead of an assistant... Must be my imagination."
"Hehe, depending on the situation."
The conversation between the two flowed endlessly smoothly, but each word carried hidden thorns.
"......"
I just sipped my water, stuck awkwardly in the middle.
It looked like a normal conversation to anyone watching, but why did it feel so suffocating?
Then Yoo Ji-an smiled faintly at me and said,
"Junior, the potion I gave you the other day worked well, right? I was so worried when you collapsed from overworking."
"Ah, yes! It was incredibly effective. My body feels much lighter thanks to it."
"I'm glad it suited you. I was thinking of making you a stronger version next time."
"That's... not necessary, really—"
"Then it's settled. I'll give you the prototype when it's ready."
"......"
Sophia, who had been listening quietly right beside me, forced a smile and spoke up.
"As expected of the President. So attentive, and so passionate about looking after the underclassmen."
"Oh, thank you. You're as upright as ever, Litwell. Come visit my lab sometime. Conversations with sharp minds are always enjoyable."
"If I get the chance."
A short, cold laugh.
Yoo Ji-an smiled with her eyes as if savoring it, then lifted the glass beside her.
"Well then, time for the main reason I came. Junior Hyun-sol, come to the lab this afternoon. There's something we need to discuss about that deal. And something to check."
"...Ah, yes. Got it."
"...One moment. A deal? What's that about? Hyun-sol has separate research with me this afternoon."
"Huh? No, Sophia, didn't you just say a minute ago that we could take it slow?"
As I asked in confusion, Sophia hesitated for a second, then gave an awkward smile.
"Ah... right. Yeah, I did say that. My head's all over the place... Yeah, I did say that. Afternoon schedule with the President is fine."
Yoo Ji-an tilted her head slightly with a smile.
"Thank you for your consideration. But since it seems like it might inconvenience you, Sophia, I'll just do a quick measurement and send him back. Thirty minutes tops."
"Your measurement equipment reacts that fast? And you called it a deal, but it doesn't sound that important."
"Alchemy is all about efficiency. The deal stuff is just related to my grandfather, so it'll wrap up quickly."
The tone was softer than before, but their gazes still clashed in midair before lightly parting.
I fiddled with my cup awkwardly, glanced around, and chimed in.
"Um... then let's wrap up with the President's business today and meet right after at the library. I want to try that magic circle experiment you mentioned earlier too."
"Sure, that works. Thanks for being considerate."
Sophia agreed first.
"Just don't be late."
Yoo Ji-an followed right up.
"Exactly, no being late. My schedule's packed too. I've got so many things spread out."
Their timing synced up perfectly, making me flinch instead.
"Ahem... Got it. Time trial today, huh."
Sophia cleared her tray and straightened her clothes.
"See you after afternoon classes then. I'll grab a seat and get ready. Bringing the research notes too."
"Same here."
Yoo Ji-an added her smile while holding the blue potion bottle.
"Junior Hyun-sol has separate afternoon classes, right? Just come straight to the Student Council office when you're done."
The two bid farewell simultaneously and turned in their respective directions.
The students who had been silently watching finally started breathing again, as if they'd been hooked to oxygen tanks.
The dead murmurs here and there revived.
I waited until both women had left the student cafeteria before standing to clear my tray.
"Hoo... Just eating a meal, and I'm wiped out."
I wasn't sure if I'd safely navigated the situation or not, but at least no major disaster happened, so that was a relief.
If I could wrap up my meetings with both of them smoothly like this, it would be a perfect day.
My phone vibrated.
[Afternoon 4:30 / Student Council Research Building B Room — Yoo Ji-an]
[Afternoon 5:15 / Central Library Row 2 — Sophia]
Precise, clean, no room to escape.
"Hmm... Razor-sharp."
At that moment, in Chae Yeon-hwa's lab.
Unlike usual, she had returned to her true succubus form and was having a serious conversation with someone.
"Chae Yeon-hwa, why do you keep avoiding reports to the higher-ups?"
"Hmm... Because there's nothing to report?"
"...If you keep dodging like that, we can't keep looking the other way."
At the man's half-threat, Chae Yeon-hwa lifted the corner of her mouth and replied.
"Oh, scary... But I'm a succubus, you know? Isn't sucking info out of humans and sowing confusion enough, rather than outright killing them?"
"Ha! Unbelievable. A woman with power surpassing most overlords calls herself a succubus,
acts like we overlook her not killing humans as some favor, and says it so brazenly?
Fine, whatever—but why no reports?"
"Because there's nothing left to report? I already sent everything on the academy's internal structure up to my access level... What more do you need?"
"......"
The man bristled with irritation at Chae Yeon-hwa's bold declaration, as if she truly had no idea what the problem was.
But as he had just said, she possessed power equal to or greater than his own, so he couldn't lash out easily.
The demon world ran on strict survival of the fittest.
"Sigh... Fine, for now. I'll report that verbatim to the higher-ups. More importantly, no issues with this operation?"
"Nope~. Security's so tight it won't last more than ten minutes max, but that's plenty for you to achieve your goal."
"...Got it. Make sure you prepare that thing I mentioned before."
"Don't worry. I'll have it all set up perfectly, no hitches."
"......"
The man said nothing more and left.
After staring at the empty spot he left, Chae Yeon-hwa turned to gaze out the window and muttered to herself.
"Now, what excuse should I use this time to lure Hyun-sol to the lab..."