Tailing
Steam filled the bathtub. The girl leaned back into the warm embrace and let out a sigh.
“Haa… It’s so warm.”
The heat transmitted through her skin was something irreplaceable. She sank deeper into the water, savoring the hands that caressed her. She wanted to stay like this forever.
But people must exercise restraint.
Chaarrrk—
Shaking off the hands that had been warming her entire body, the girl stood up and stepped in front of the mirror. She wiped the fogged surface once with her hand, revealing her delicate face. It was an appearance so fresh and youthful that anyone who knew her would be stunned.
The girl’s name was Deborah.
Having lost her parents at a young age, she had been taken in by Roxana Sprouse, the Master of the Gray Magic Tower. Blessed from birth with the Eye of Prognostication, she could glimpse the future.
Staring into her own violet eyes, she recalled what had happened that afternoon.
“What was that?”
Luan Priulri.
While heading to find that notorious scoundrel, she had gotten caught up in something unexpected. The fact that the Saintess had been hanging outside the window was surprising enough, but what truly troubled her was the future she had accidentally seen when her lens came off.
And of all things, it had been her own future.
—You really don’t like being raped, right? You don’t want to enjoy it?
—I hate it! I said I hate it! I don’t want to be raped!
—Good. Stay still. I’ll make sure it doesn’t hurt.
In that vision, she had been raped by Luan Priulri. In some unknown, damp space shrouded in darkness, she lay beneath him, crying out that she hated it while tears welled in her eyes as she endured the rough stimulation.
The emotions and sensations she had felt then remained vivid in Deborah’s memory. Now she could analyze it calmly, but at the time it had been a massive shock. That was why, without thinking deeply, she had blurted out that strange line about liking being raped—half-unconsciously. It had been an instinctive struggle to avoid being violated by him at all costs.
Would that future really come to pass?
‘I don’t want to make Master sad.’
If her master’s beloved man ended up having sex with her—rape, no less—how could she possibly explain it in a way that would make sense? No matter how much she thought about it, no such method seemed to exist in this world.
Then the only option was to change the future?
‘But how?’
She had tried to change it in the past, only to fail once already. If the same result awaited her this time, she would truly despair.
Feeling gloomy in an instant, Deborah’s expression turned sullen. She slapped her own cheeks.
Slap! Slap!
“It’s fine. It’s not even certain that Master has fallen for him yet.”
Maybe all of this was just her own delusion, and her master only had a passing interest. ‘Yeah. I was overcomplicating things.’
Even if the future where she got raped came true, as long as she was the only one who got hurt, that would be enough. Clenching her fists, Deborah shifted her thoughts to another topic.
“By the way, that guy. I couldn’t see his future.”
Until now, there had never been a single exception—no one had been able to resist her Eye of Prognostication while defenseless. Yet with that man, it had been impossible to glimpse his future. Of course, it might have simply been because the time was too short, but she didn’t want to conclude that so easily.
There was… something special about him.
“He even knew about my Eye of Prognostication.”
Aside from her late parents and her master Roxana Sprouse, no one else knew about it. Where had he gotten that information?
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that Luan Priulri was a dangerous person. She needed to stay away from him.
“I shouldn’t even go near him from now on.”
Honestly, when Luan Priulri first caught her, she had been startled. She had made up an excuse about running into him by chance, but the truth was she had gone there with the intention of tailing him since things had turned out that way. It was fortunate that she had discovered her acting talent in the process.
‘I should probably get out soon.’
While she hesitated, the water that had warmed her body was cooling down. She needed to get out before the warmth completely turned to cold. Deborah tidied up the bathtub and quickly headed for the changing room.
* * *
Growth was proceeding smoothly. After mercilessly pushing my body to its limits, I lay sprawled on the floor like a fish drying on a rack. A cold chill seeped into me.
“Haa… I’m dying.”
Have I ever been this diligent before? The extreme training I hadn’t skipped a single day since transmigrating made me realize I was quite a tenacious guy. My body was growing stronger by the day, and even my mind felt more solid. It wasn’t a bad feeling.
Beep!
“Get up. Get up! What are you doing already collapsed?”
“Ah, Professor.”
Sara casually unlocked the door and walked in, calling out cheerfully as she approached and forcibly pulled me to my feet. Lately, this sort of thing had been happening a lot. She set me upright on the ground and smacked my broad back.
Smack!
“Whoa, your body’s gotten really solid. Growing this much in just a week. Youth really is the best, huh?”
“……”
“Why are you looking at me like that? Got something to say?”
“It just hit me again. There’s quite a generation gap between you and me—”
“How dare you bring up age? You insolent brat!”
Sara put me in a headlock. Not a serious one, though. If she had, my head would’ve been ripped off in an instant. Thanks to that, I could simply enjoy the sensation of her ample breasts.
“Take it back right now! I’m still young, got it?”
“Y-Yes. Understood. Your physical age does seem quite young, Professor.”
While subtly rubbing the underside of her breasts with the back of my head, Sara jerked away in surprise.
“Y-You little—!”
“Isn’t Professor being too conservative? Acting like a teenage girl at your age…”
“I’m not thirty yet, you know? Whatever! I came to teach you kickboxing today.”
“Oh, really?”
Unfortunately, there was no professor at Solias Academy who taught kickboxing. It might seem strange. How could the continent’s greatest educational institution exclude kickboxing? But it was simply a realistic issue. There were too few students willing to take the class!
For two consecutive years, last year and the year before, there hadn’t been a single student using kickboxing. I’d heard there were a few this year, but finding a professor was difficult, so it seemed we’d have to wait until next year. That was why I still hadn’t properly learned even the basics.
“Yeah. You’ll need it too, won’t you? Looking at your body, you seem to have at least the minimum preparation done.”
Apparently, when she had put me in that headlock earlier, she hadn’t gone all out—she had applied just enough pressure for me to endure and tested how much I’d grown. Satisfied that the conversation had moved on, Sara grinned and took her stance. It resembled kickboxing.
“First, I’ll say this: everything I’ve learned is focused on real combat. I don’t know about the depth or whatever those martial arts families talk about. I just concentrated on techniques that let you kill your opponent as efficiently as possible. So don’t think you’ll reach some lofty height with this. Got it?”
“Of course. Do I look like I’m in a position to nitpick right now? Besides, I don’t remember clearly, but the Priulri family should have basic kickboxing techniques, so I can look into that later.”
“Good. Then come at me. Experiencing it directly will be easier than words. You’ve been getting beaten up by Alissa a lot lately, so your endurance should’ve improved, right?”
“Of course. You’d better be ready. I’m going to stick to you like a leech!”
I kicked off the ground and charged at Sara, adding a bit of weaving at the end for impact.
Bang!
And Sara’s fist filled my vision.
“Huh?”
No matter how fast Sara was, I should’ve at least seen the preparatory movement, yet I hadn’t noticed anything. This was in the realm of technique, unrelated to speed.
“How about it? See that?”
“Yes. You came in the moment I blinked.”
“Right. Good eye. That was also an application of what they teach in class. But that’s not important. Remember the shift in my center of gravity when I threw that punch just now. That alone makes a huge difference in power.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
After that, I began receiving various techniques from Sara. All of this would become my flesh and blood.
‘I’ll absorb everything.’
*
“Huff… Huff!”
“Good work. That’s enough for today. Practice on your own in the afternoon. Rest up.”
“Th-Thank you.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re so polite at times like this. How nice when you’re well-behaved.”
Sara brought over a towel and vigorously rubbed my head with it. The subtle affection in that rough touch warmed my heart. I felt like I might develop the wrong kind of feelings. Suppressing them, I asked Sara as she was about to leave.
“By the way, do you have plans this afternoon?”
“Huh? Ah, did it show? Actually, I’m having dinner with Professor Verdan today. Hehe! Jealous?”
“Not at all. I’m not gay.”
“That’s not what I meant! Sigh… What am I even supposed to say to you? Anyway, that’s how it is, so I’ll be going first. Let’s have a meal together sometime too.”
As Sara turned her back and walked away after making a promise that would never come true, I hesitated before calling out to her.
“Professor! Wait a moment!”
“Why? Got more to say?”
“……Don’t put on that weird act. Guys hate that.”
“An act? What act?”
“That weird auntie-like laugh. Just act like your usual self. That’s more charming, Professor.”
At my sincere advice, Sara looked at me as if wondering what nonsense I was spouting now, her face filling with surprise. Soon, looking embarrassed, she gave an awkward smile before suddenly frowning.
“What do you mean, auntie? I’ve never been like that.”
“Really? Should I demonstrate? Don’t be stubborn and just listen to me.”
“If I do what you say and it goes wrong, you’re dead?”
“That won’t happen, right? I’m confident. If things go well with Professor Verdan, it’s all thanks to me, got it?”
“Fine. If it works out, I’ll treat you. See you Monday!”
Sara waved her hands lightly on either side as if in thanks before disappearing. Something felt strangely draining.
“…I should wash up and go eat lunch.”
There was no time to waste on pointless things. Whether to grow stronger as quickly as possible or to see the ending and return to Earth for revenge, I couldn’t afford to stay still for even a moment.
That day, I pushed myself to the absolute limit. Harder than usual.