Chapter 257. Finals Celebration (13)
"No leaks."
"Miss... of course not. Do you know how much this place costs?"
Scarlett meticulously inspected every corner of the house, undeterred by the real estate agent's words.
"No mold, water pressure... good."
"... "
Only after checking everything from the wall finishes to the drains, windows, lighting, noise levels, and views did Scarlett finally nod.
"It's fine."
"... Yes. What a relief."
"Now let's go wrap up the contract."
"Understood... "
Finally done. The real estate agent sighed inwardly as he led the way out of the building. I thought rich people had it easy. It had been a while since he'd dealt with someone this picky in a recent contract.
"Hmm... "
Nice house. Scarlett thought as she gazed at the yard. It was on par with Ellis's place—no shortcomings there.
"... Hm."
With the job done and some leisure time on her hands, Scarlett recalled the previous night. The night she'd voluntarily taken Lee Ho-yeon's cock into her mouth. Truth be told, she couldn't pinpoint exactly why. If she had to guess... it was irritation.
Lee Ho-yeon was a handsome man acknowledged by all. Even in Scarlett's eyes, he was good-looking. His abilities went without saying—a guaranteed success ticket.
It had started with a shady contract, but Scarlett had planned to leave Iris Guild and stick with him anyway. Great prospects, a wonderful succubus boss, a capable president—it was a dream job. The only issue? The boss was a total playboy.
Ho-yeon wasn't some thug who messed with just any woman; he was the incarnation of lust, cherry-picking only the pretty, alluring ones. So Scarlett had worried at first.
Objectively speaking, she was attractive. Sure, her skills earned her respect now and no one brought it up, but she still remembered the early days at Iris Guild, when they'd dismissed her as the "honey trap specialist."
But her worries were unfounded. Far from it—Ho-yeon showed zero interest in her. Not holding back, but genuine disinterest, not a shred of it.
She'd been violated by Liliana's tail, exposed her heat-magic-ravaged body in ways she couldn't show other men, yet Ho-yeon only had eyes for the others. It was baffling.
The initial worry never came to pass... but human hearts are strange things. His total lack of interest started to grate on her.
He ignored her presence, fucked other women, chatted casually while naked around her. As a woman, it bruised her pride terribly. Especially for Scarlett, who'd never felt lacking anywhere.
Does he not see me as a woman?
Why? She felt an inexplicable disappointment poking at his utter lack of reaction.
That pent-up frustration had exploded last night.
"... I went a bit overboard."
Sucking his cock had been surprisingly fun. Seeing him enjoy it made her understand why other women clung to him. The satisfaction of controlling such an exceptional man...
She even wanted to do more. But Scarlett decided to hold back a little. Showing this much should get his attention starting tomorrow. For now, that was enough.
"Miss. Aren't you going to sign the contract?"
"Coming now."
Scarlett smiled faintly and exited the building.
*
Friday morning, the day of the finals celebration.
Lucy and Lumi, the twins, stepped out of the dormitory and walked along the path.
"Lucy... maybe we should've worn cute clothes after all? Ho-yeon won't be disappointed, right?"
"No, Lumi. There are way more cadets in uniforms."
Academy rules mandated cadet uniforms inside, but plenty wore casual clothes for the celebration. Still, Lumi never went out much, so she owned none. Thus, both wore their uniforms.
The night before, they'd planned a perfect date course with Ho-yeon and were now reviewing it.
Lucy checked her smartwatch schedule.
"First, 8:40 to 8:50: morning greeting and chat with Ho-yeon. Then 8:50 to 8:55: transit. 8:55 to 9:10: claw machine... "
"Lucy. It's already 8:50."
"Huh? Oh, really?!"
Their appointment was at 8:40, but Ho-yeon was running late. He'd had to drop off Liliana and the Nam sisters first.
Unaware, the twins panicked at their crumbling minute-by-minute plan.
Lumi, who'd brainstormed ideas, pouted sadly.
Lucy spoke to console her gloomy sister.
"Lumi. I have an idea."
"Huh...?"
"Let's change the plan. We thought too simply. We need to monopolize Ho-yeon whenever we can."
"... Monopolize Ho-yeon? How?"
The twins knew plenty of girls eyed Ho-yeon. Lumi figured they couldn't block them all and should endure; Lucy believed in pushing forward aggressively.
"Well, there are two of us... "
The twins gripped hands tightly, plotting their new scheme.
*
"Haa, sorry, sorry. I was late, huh."
Dropping off Liliana and the Nam sisters had taken time amid the crowds, arriving 20 minutes late.
Yet Lucy and Lumi beamed at him.
"Yeah. It's fine."
"Hello, Ho-yeon."
"Hey. Hello."
The twins wore standard cadet uniforms—plain, but accentuating their charms perfectly. He was used to the sight by now.
"Since you're late, let's hurry!"
"Right! Let's go!"
"Whoa, okay, okay."
Without proper greetings, they grabbed his arms and dashed ahead.
Why are they so aggressive today?
Ho-yeon followed Lucy and Lumi toward the academy.
Man, so many people.
Nearly every cadet roamed the grounds. Streets bustled with stalls and cadet-run events.
"How about that? Magic shooting."
"I like it, Ho-yeon."
"Let's do it! I'm confident too!"
He'd imagined a simple ring-toss with plushies, but this was different.
"... Hit that?"
"Yes! Note: third-years don't qualify, second-years at 200m."
A tiny dot 100m away. Hit it with this crude gun? Third-years skipped it for being too hard.
Total scam artists.
"Wanna try? The prize plushies are super cute—girls love 'em."
"... Sure."
He paid the senior pointing at the price list with a grin.
Moments later.
"Whoa, Ho-yeon, you're amazing!"
Clap clap clap.
"... Here you go."
"Thanks."
The senior handed over prizes with a bitter face. Ho-yeon held two grand prizes.
Sorry, but... who does this? Someone's gotta win for balance.
"Here, one each."
"For me?"
"Yeah, got 'em for you two."
"Thank you...!"
"Thank you... "
Lucy and Lumi hugged the plushies dearly. Seeing that warmed his heart.
Nothing special, yet their gratitude was pure joy. They liked him, so every reaction was amplified. Any gift would've gotten the same.
This is fun.
Definitely. Everyday moments like this were needed sometimes. Daily heroine-chasing or fights wore him out.
Of course, Rebecca said terrorism after sunset... he'd stay alert then.
Leaving the shooting stall, they sought other attractions. Central areas grew denser, attention on them intensifying.
- That's Lee Ho-yeon, right?
- With Lucy and Lumi.
- Hotties and cuties stick together.
No hate or jeers. Post-VP defeat, no cadet badmouthed him openly. Just stares.
No aggressors eased things, but the scrutiny burdened.
Even at stalls, everyone recognized them.
"H-Hey? Lee Ho-yeon cadet, right? Huge fan!"
"Ah, yeah. Thanks."
"C-Can we get a photo?!"
"Sorry, tough right now."
He brushed off the photo request, steering the twins to quieter spots.
Fans rarely approached normally. Fame aside, academy life meant spotting him occasionally. Celebration hype sparked boldness.
He even missed the shooting stall—staff there hadn't fawned.
Fortunately, away from central fountain, crowds thinned; no tails.
"Haa... exhausting."
"Yeah. People bugging us 'cause of Ho-yeon."
"Sorry. Couldn't enjoy 'cause of me."
Truly apologetic this time. Twins wanted fun too.
As guilt hit, warm hands from both sides clasped his. Turning, he saw their adoring smiles.
"No. Just being with Ho-yeon is fun."
"... Me too. This is nice."
"... Thanks, both of you."
His gratitude prompted Lucy to jump up beaming.
"Let's explore quieter spots first!"
"Yeah. Go."
Fewer people meant fewer attractions, but niche didn't mean dull. Special to some.
"Ah, aaah... I-I wanted to catch that last live too."
"W-Welcome... "
They entered a booth playing Lumi's favorite anime voice actors' final live.
The chubby operator flailed in panic at their arrival.
Lumi ignored him, rushing to the hologram screen, eyes welling.
"Hic, hiiic... "
"... Lumi. What's wrong?"
Lucy tried stopping her, but failed. After futile calls, she gave up and returned to Ho-yeon.
"What is she doing... Ah, ugh. Total idiot Lumi... "
Irritated Lucy was adorable.
Current Status: That idiot Lumi. We planned to pounce on Ho-yeon together, and she's off doing her own thing...!
Ah.
No wonder she looked frustrated.
Pondering how to handle these cheeky twins, an idea struck. He'd never properly been alone with just Lucy. First time, she'd impersonated Lumi; second, all three together.
He snatched Lucy's hand from her Lumi-watch.
"Huh? What?"
"Leave Lumi and step out for a bit."
"Why?"
Lumi would've caught on instantly, but Lucy, lacking experience, didn't. That innocence appealed too.
"Just follow."
"Ah, hey? Okay. Don't yank."
First, one more thing.
"Ahem."
He cleared his throat at the man curiously eyeing Lumi. Their eyes met; the man yelped and retreated inside.
"... "
Sorry about that too. But necessary. Wouldn't want him ogling Lumi's chest while he was gone.
Reassured, he left Lumi head-deep in the monitor and pulled Lucy out.