Turning Point
The classroom buzzed with students' voices. "Hey guys, it's been a while!" "You too! How've you been?" The energy was higher than usual, and some were even hugging and jumping around in excitement. I was casually ignoring the commotion when I felt a familiar gaze and turned my head.
There were beautiful purple eyes. "Luan, it's been a while. You've been well, right?" Deborah smiled with her eyes gently curved. It was a face only I got to see, since she usually acted like a mature and chic woman. Of course, she'd shown a pretty clumsy side to Abel and his group before the break, but that was a special situation, so I'll overlook it.
I smiled back at her. "Not really."
"Huh?" Her eyes widened in surprise. That startled expression reminded me of a rabbit. Her reactions were so entertaining that I couldn't help but tease her. When I grinned, Deborah immediately realized it was a joke and pouted.
"That's mean. Luan, you're the worst."
"Why? It's true that I didn't have a good time."
"Liar." Deborah denied it firmly without a hint of hesitation, as if she wouldn't be fooled this time. That was a clear mistake. I brought up an event she absolutely couldn't ignore.
"Do you know what happened at the Academy two weeks ago?"
"...You're not talking about the Dark Cult's attack, are you? Don't tell me you got caught up in that?"
"......"
I stayed silent with a melancholic look and a bitter smile. Deborah's face turned pale.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Answer me! I knew it! You were just messing around again, right? Nothing actually happened, you were just trying to tease me! ...No? You really got involved? Please say something! If I just let this slide, I'd become trash who dismissed someone's hardship as a joke."
Faced with her desperate expression, I bit my lip and spoke in a sorrowful voice. "Actually, it was a lie."
"...Eh?"
This was the real lie. It was true that I'd been involved, but since it was already over, I didn't want to worry Deborah by bringing it up. Watching her get flustered was more fun than seeing her sad. When I smirked, expecting that reaction, anger flashed across Deborah's face after a moment of blankness.
"Grr! You...!"
She was so angry that she actually spoke out loud instead of using telepathy. Her tightly clenched fists were impressive, like she wanted to punch me right now.
"Is it fun teasing people?"
"Yeah."
"Then don't do it again from now on— What did you just say?"
"I said it's fun. The way you react every time makes teasing you so entertaining. It's more addictive than gambling, isn't it?"
"Ugh...." Deborah was so dumbfounded by my shameless response that she couldn't even speak properly and just huffed in frustration. I kept teasing her until she was properly sulking, then quickly apologized before she got too mad.
"Sorry, sorry. I won't do it anymore."
"Liar!"
"At least I won't today. So forgive me, okay?"
"That means you'll start again tomorrow!"
"Master too?"
"The Gray Magic Tower Master? No way." Even as I answered, I felt puzzled. 'Why is Roxana coming up here?' I'd only seen Roxana from afar during the entrance and closing ceremonies. There was no reason for me to tease her. It was a bit strange, but I decided to let it slide, assuming Deborah had just gotten excited and used the wrong comparison. I wasn't the kind of guy who'd nitpick over something that trivial.
"Anyway, I'm sorry. I don't tease you that often. We haven't seen each other in a month, so think of it as all the pent-up stuff coming out. It'll take a while to recharge now."
"What recharge! If you do it again, you'll be in real trouble next time. Hmph!" Deborah snorted and looked away. But she couldn't completely lose interest, so she kept glancing at me from the corner of her eye. 'Cute.' A pleased smile naturally formed on my lips at her adorable behavior.
Just then, I overheard some female students talking.
"Look at those two. They're talking about something!"
"Really! Did you see her eyes? They're totally lovestruck! So the rumors were true?"
"What do we do! So it's true that he broke off his engagement because of Deborah!"
My face hardened. When I glanced at the girls, they let out small screams and pretended to chat among themselves. 'What the hell?' The rumors about Deborah and me should've disappeared without a trace after a month, but they were still going strong. I focused on the latter part of their conversation. 'Broken engagement. Is that why?' During the break, news of the broken engagement must've spread and combined with the rumors about Deborah that had been circulating right before vacation. Logically, it made sense that my relationship with Deborah had influenced the engagement. Clicking my tongue in annoyance, I looked at Deborah. She'd heard the girls too and was fidgeting anxiously with her hands, looking flustered. Meanwhile, one curious girl couldn't hold back and approached Deborah. Her name tag read 'Lujia.' 'The dildo enthusiast.' It was the girl who'd discussed sex toys with Deborah in the girls' dorm bathroom on the first day of the training camp.
"Deborah, can I ask you something?"
"...What is it?"
Lujia glanced at me and whispered, "Is the rumor true?" The surrounding girls perked up their ears at Lujia's words. Ordinary people wouldn't have heard the whisper, but everyone here could use mana. Under the concentrated attention, Deborah shrank back slightly before quickly shaking her head.
"N-no, it's not like that. It's just a rumor."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The rumor spread before the break, remember? Other kids had rumors going around too. Luan and I aren't anything to each other."
Deborah quickly regained her composure and logically refuted the claim. Even so, she kept glancing around as if worried she'd said too much. But despite her clear explanation, Lujia didn't look convinced at all.
"Come on, you don't have to lie to me. How far have you gone? If you started dating before the break, you've already done everything, right?"
"D-done what?"
Deborah pretended not to understand even though she knew exactly what Lujia meant. Usually, that would make the other person back off. But Lujia wasn't normal—she could casually come out with dildo talk even to a classmate. She whispered clearly, "Why are you pretending not to know? I mean sex. Sex."
"S-sex...! W-we haven't done that."
Deborah's voice trembled. Even though they weren't dating, the fact that they'd had sex made lying difficult. Fortunately, Lujia didn't notice her agitation.
"Really? You've been dating for a month? Then how far did you go? A blowjob? Or just touching?"
"H-haaah...." Deborah's face turned bright red, like it was about to explode, from the relentless sex talk. Her purple eyes were spinning. 'She's gonna faint at this rate.' Her shame was that intense. I couldn't quite understand Deborah's reaction. Right after being raped by me, she'd acted calm and mature, so why was she so embarrassed about a simple question about having sex? While I was eavesdropping like a spectator, the door slid open with a clatter and Sara appeared. She entered the classroom, looked around, and flinched when her eyes met mine. Then she turned her head toward Lujia, who was standing there, as if avoiding my gaze.
"Lujia. Sit down. You all stop chatting too. The opening ceremony is about to start. I'll take attendance first, so pay attention."
Sara opened the attendance book and began calling names starting from number one. 'She's not looking at me.' Aside from the first time, Sara never met my eyes. Even while taking attendance, she avoided looking in my direction to an unnatural degree. When calling on students sitting in front of me, she didn't even lift her head.
"......Luan... Priuli."
"Yes."
She was even using my full name now. Compared to how she used to call me by just my first name, the distance between us was palpable. Unlike most students, those who had some connection to me or were a bit more sensitive noticed the change and tilted their heads in confusion. Deborah even sent me a worried look.
"Luan, did something happen?"
I just smiled. Even after nearly causing a misunderstanding from our conversation earlier, she was still acting the same way. Being too kind could be a problem too.
"Nothing happened. We just had a little fight."
"With a professor? Isn't that too thuggish?"
Thuggish? I was a far more vicious criminal than something like that. Deborah couldn't even imagine that it hadn't been a verbal fight, but something involving bodies—rape, even. "Anyway, that's what happened, so don't worry about it. If you keep this up, weird rumors will spread again."
Rumors were like mirages you couldn't grasp. They appeared and disappeared on their own, and sometimes they couldn't be changed by human power. If she kept getting tangled up with me, her own image might get damaged. Then even weirder guys who heard the strange rumors might latch onto Deborah. But surprisingly, Deborah didn't shrink back at my warning at all.
"Hmph! I don't care. Next time, I'll just tell Master. Then they'll all disappear, right?"
Disappear? What did that mean? Her statement, though seemingly casual, sent a chill down my spine.
"You're a scary kid."
"You're realizing that now? If you know, then behave yourself!"
I figured I should probably hold back on teasing Deborah from now on. If she actually told Roxana, my life could become miserable starting that day. "I'll keep that in mind." I answered firmly and turned my head toward the window. Warm sunlight hit the window and scattered. The reflected light illuminated both Deborah and Sara. Warmth and coldness coexisted in my chest. In that atmosphere, time continued to flow until the opening ceremony began. A magic hologram appeared on the blackboard, displaying Gion Cruise's face.
Everyone. It's good to see you. Did you all enjoy your break?
Gion started with a light greeting, finished his brief address concisely, and disappeared. He had to guard the seal without rest for 365 days, so he had no time to waste on unnecessary things. As a result, though unintentional, he received enthusiastic support from students who didn't have to sit through anything boring. Just when it seemed the opening ceremony was over—
Everyone! Hello! This is Saintess Iris!
Among you, there are several possessors!
The Saintess appeared, her massive breasts jiggling. Everyone's eyes filled with doubt and curiosity at her sudden appearance. 'What?' And I was shocked. This development hadn't existed originally. In the game, the opening ceremony had just been skipped over with a short text. What kind of variable had come into play? After a brief silence filled with tension, the Saintess pointed at the screen with her finger and shouted.
At the same time, my face hardened like stone.