End-of-Term Celebration (15)
"Da-eun. Long time no see."
Nam Da-eun turned at the sound of her name. There stood Ellis, wearing a polished salesman's smile.
"…Hello."
Da-eun tilted her head at the sudden approach. She wasn't on bad terms with Ellis. If anything, she was grateful. It was Ellis who had hinted she should seduce Lee Ho-yeon with her body, sparking their relationship. She could be a good friend—as long as the Iris Guild recruitment push stayed out of it.
'I definitely turned her down last time.'
But that was settled. Bluntly, if Ellis wasn't after recruitment, there was no reason for her to approach first. Da-eun eyed her curiously. That friendly smile was different from the one she showed others. It was still burdensome to Da-eun. She knew better than anyone that people who hid their true selves were the least trustworthy.
"What're you up to?"
Ellis continued with a bright grin. To a stranger, it was a smile so ingrained it might earn compliments on her beauty.
"Just wandering around."
"Hmm, who's the girl next to you? I don't think I've seen her before."
Ellis cut straight to her real question.
"…A friend."
"Victoria Academy cadet?"
"Yeah."
"Really? That's weird. I have all the cadets' faces memorized."
Ellis was confident she could counter any excuse, so she pressed on with feigned surprise.
"There's a cadet I don't know."
She tilted her head and stared openly at Liliana. It was obvious enough that even Liliana would catch on—they had some agenda.
Liliana lowered the arm holding her chicken skewer and glanced at Da-eun.
'Oh no, what do I do?!'
Even the bold Liliana at home was powerless outside. She just looked to Da-eun. Knowing that, Da-eun scrambled for an excuse to defuse the situation.
"Sorry, she's not actually a cadet. She's a friend. I know outsiders aren't allowed, but I brought her anyway."
The end-of-term celebration was a cadet event, so outsiders were banned. But getting caught rarely led to harsh punishment—especially for top students like Da-eun. Security risks aside, such incidents were rare in reality, so they were usually hushed up. You couldn't scold future talents over something minor. Probably just a light warning.
"Oh? That's surprising. How'd you get so friendly with Lee Ho-yeon's live-in lover?"
Of course, Ellis had no intention of letting it slide.
"…."
Da-eun pondered how to respond to the still-smiling Ellis.
'She knew all along.'
Caught off guard, Da-eun kept her composure. Acting like this was second nature—she'd done it since childhood. One thing was clear: Liliana's identity stayed secret. No clue how Ellis knew, but she couldn't admit it. She needed a plausible excuse to escape.
Hide Liliana, and Ho-yeon, Rebecca, or Scarlett would handle the rest.
But Ellis was a step ahead. She saw through Da-eun's act and the flicker of panic, so she waited patiently.
Meanwhile, Da-eun kept thinking.
'I have to hide Liliana.'
She needed to navigate smoothly, but Da-eun lacked that finesse—no chance to learn, no time. Her style was simple: stay silent or be blunt and direct. Luckily, she wasn't oblivious; years under the Buyer Guild had honed her instincts.
'Why is she telling me this?'
Regaining calm, Da-eun pieced it together. If Ellis wanted to make an issue of Ho-yeon's live-in lover, she'd have acted immediately—not approached like this. Coming over first meant she wanted something.
With the situation clear, Da-eun relaxed a bit.
"Ellis."
"Yes, Da-eun?"
"Just say what you want clearly. Is it a problem if I'm friends with Ho-yeon's live-in lover?"
Da-eun asked outright what puzzled her. Ellis faltered at the question.
'What I want…?'
Why approach Da-eun? Seeing her cozy with Ho-yeon's live-in lover. But why did that bother her? What problem could it cause her if Da-eun got close to the lover?
She had no plans to report Ho-yeon's live-ins. He was her contractor too—the world's only masseur who could treat her illness. Hurting him would hurt her. Ellis understood that perfectly.
'Why did I act like this?'
Impulsive. She regretted it now. She should've stayed calm, investigated efficiently via Sebas Chan—Ho-yeon's relations with his lovers, and Da-eun's ties to them. That would've been proper if intel was the goal.
But she hadn't. Because that wouldn't vent the stifling feeling filling her chest.
Ho-yeon's live-in lovers were unknown at the academy—no one knew how he kept them hidden. Yet one was buddying up with Da-eun. Da-eun owed Ho-yeon; a crush made sense. But why so chummy with his lover?
Da-eun hadn't flinched at "Ho-yeon's live-in lover." Instead, she looked shocked, as if asking how Ellis knew. That meant she knew everything already.
If she and Ho-yeon weren't close, she wouldn't know about the lover. If they were close, she'd never accept one. Yet here they were, thick as thieves.
Why could two who shouldn't be friends act like besties, laughing together? Sure, maybe Da-eun had zero feelings for Ho-yeon, kept it business, and bonded platonically despite the lovers… but Da-eun's eyes said otherwise. There was deep trust beyond business.
All her questions boiled down to one.
Ellis met Da-eun's gaze squarely.
"What's your relationship with Lee Ho-yeon?"
Her sales smile cracked. Seeing Ellis bite her lip in frustration, Da-eun—stone-faced till now—felt her lips twitch upward unwittingly.
Now she got it. Ellis wasn't demanding anything. That expression… Da-eun knew it from experience. Admitting feelings wasn't easy. Even she, indebted to Ho-yeon, had taken time. Ellis, with her pride, never would.
Da-eun studied her confidently. Ellis's eyes trembled faintly, dreading the answer. Sensing it, Da-eun spoke slowly.
"…He's a precious person to me."
It was a victor's smile.
*
"Ugh, I knew it… Said just once, my ass."
After dropping a Rune Barrier in the bathroom, Lucy and I headed back to Lumi. Her face was still flushed with embarrassment.
"No one heard, so it's fine."
"That's not the point… Haa. Fine. Let's get back to Lumi quick."
"Yeah."
Truth was, quite some time had passed. We'd agreed on once, but it wasn't easy. Still, restraint held us to twice. Slipping back to the tent, I wasn't sure if to call it carelessness or luck—Lumi was munching popcorn, glued to the monitor.
She probably hadn't even noticed we were gone. Worried she'd feel left out alone, Lucy approached with disbelief.
"Lumi, let's go. Time's short."
"Ah, wait. Just a bit longer—the emotional live scene's coming…."
"Lumi, you can watch that at home. We're hanging with Ho-yeon right now."
"Gasp! R-right, sorry. Mr. Ho-yeon…."
Lumi's eyes widened at Lucy's words, bowing repeatedly in apology. She really hadn't noticed.
"…Nah, it's cool."
We left the otaku tent and wandered elsewhere. Early in the celebration, crowds had milled at the central fountain; now they'd scattered to favorites, letting us move freely.
"Argh! Ack! Ugh! I can't take it! I'm not stopping till I get it!"
This time, Lucy was the one losing it. Here's what happened: We entered a tent packed with claw machines, and she fixated on one—a cute purple girl doll with a yellow hair clip.
"Lucy, last time you did this and it took an hour."
"This time's different. Experience means I'll snag it quick."
Fueled by competitive fire, Lucy started kicking the machine.
"L-Luci… Don't kick it. The upperclassmen will get mad…."
"Ughhh… So annoying. So annoying."
She fed it more coins. Just buy it online with that money. Same as last time. Figured thirty minutes tops. Tired anyway, I sat to watch casually—then Lumi tugged my arm. Her eyes sparkled with expectation.
"…."
I'd dragged Lucy; Lumi was asking outright. Her eyes pleaded: No time, let's go quick. Glancing at Lucy, I whispered in Lumi's ear cautiously.
"Lumi, Lucy's…."
"L-last time too, Lucy focused like that for thirty minutes… Just thirty minutes…."
"…Okay. Let's go."
Fair enough—playing favorites wouldn't do. I eyed Lucy, lost in the claw machine, and slipped out quietly with Lumi on tiptoe behind.
'Twins, so even their obsessions match.'
Lumi with anime, Lucy with claws.
After Ho-yeon and Lumi left the tent, Lucy glanced back. Voices had quieted—yep, gone.
"…Pervs."
Stretching, she tore her eyes from the machine. No need to pretend now. Lumi had been genuinely hooked; Lucy was faking. She wanted Ho-yeon time too, but hogging him alone wasn't fair.
'I'm the big sis.'
Only she could look out for little Lumi. If that perv wouldn't, she had to.
'Thirty minutes should do.'
If Ho-yeon had a conscience, he'd return soon. Bored, Lucy resumed clawing the purple doll.
"Hey, first-year? Wanna hang with us if you're free?"
Some cocky upperclassmen approached the lone Lucy. The type to hit on any pretty girl.
"No."
Beep beep beep—
Without turning, she focused on the controls.
"C'mon… Let big bro…."
"Argh, why won't it grab?!"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Lucy kicked the machine with pent-up frustration. Pure physical force—no mana—bent the frame. The second-years blinked, exchanged looks.
"…Dude. Dude. Let's bail."
"…Yeah."
The cocky pair backed away and vanished. Lucy kept at the purple girl.