Preparations (2)

Having wrapped up my preparations to save Lucy, I headed back to the dorm.

I wondered how Liliana was holding up. She wasn't starving in there, was she? The thought niggled at me a little.

Beep—

I tapped my smartwatch to the door. As I stepped inside, not a sound came from the room.

"Is she asleep?"

After the beating she'd taken outside, I doubted she'd try to run...

"Aah, fuck! Why isn't this jungler piece of shit coming?! Their ADC and support keep diving top, goddaaammit!"

A string of adorable profanity from inside the room put my worries promptly to rest.

I peeked through the cracked-open door.

Liliana was live-streaming a game. She was so locked in she hadn't even noticed I'd come home.

"Ah, they took that. These dogshit bastards, I swear. Uninstall the game, you tit-fucking pieces of shit!"

"..."

"Oh, ManaResearchAce. A forty-dollar donation~. Thanks."

"My reaction's cheap? Then get the hell out if you don't wanna watch, you son of a bitch."

Liliana was streaming in a succubus cosplay outfit, her tail swaying lazily back and forth.

I realized then that succubi were creatures of adaptation.

I found myself curious about what kind of stream she was even running. I pulled up Everyday to see if anyone on campus had already posted about it.

The moment I logged in, a thread was sitting right at the top of the board.

The post had the stream name in it, so I searched it up and hopped in.

The channel was called SexySuccubus.

She barely even looked the part, and she was out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠here calling herself SexySuccubus.

"Yeah... these people have completely lost it."

The world was full of friends who were not well. Still, watching her work so diligently on day one put me in a good mood. She was even generating exactly the kind of useful misunderstanding I'd been hoping for. Mm. Good, good.

By the time I got back from the training hall, her stream would be over. I'd talk to her then.

I changed into my cadet uniform and headed for the training building.

Being Monday, the communal training room had a moderate crowd. Unlike the private rooms, this was where people gathered in twos and threes to train together — the in-crowd's territory, in other words.

I ignored the gazes that followed me and made for the holographic monitor in the corner.

"Show me the materials Professor Lim Sol handed out in first-year Class A today, plus the barrier archives."

Whoosh—

The AI put today's handouts from Professor Lim Sol up on the holographic display. Then it went further, lining up every barrier magic circle Victoria Academy had ever released for its cadets.

"Ugh, that's way too many. Advanced rank and above only."

Eight magic circles appeared in front of me. Five of them used a double helix to brace against incoming attacks. The other three were stripped-down, lightweight circles meant for emergencies.

What I wanted was obviously the first group.

"Ditch the lightweight ones."

The extras slid away. Now it was time to take these apart.

The common thread was obvious: every circle bound mana into a double helix to raise its structural strength. Beyond that, the differences were mostly a matter of specialty — which school of magic they warded off more effectively, or whether they were tuned against physical force versus magical assault. In other words, the big picture barely changed. The details, though, were another story.

Oh. If you arrange it so the mana radiates out from the center, it gets a lot better at stopping fire magic.

This circle's finishing stroke is sloppy. If they'd allocated just a little more mana at the end, the efficiency would've been way better.

I picked the barriers apart in my own way and started finding places to improve them. The idea of a mere cadet spotting flaws in established barrier circles was absurd on its face — but with Mana Sensitivity, it was entirely possible.

"Ho-yeon, what are you up to?"

Ah, shit. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Rumi had somehow materialized right beside me.

"Hey, you're supposed to say something when you walk up. What if you sneak up on people like that?"

"Hehe... I'm sorry."

The first time, she would've squeaked out an apology and bolted. She'd grown a lot.

Still — was she even allowed to talk to me? Lucy would lose it if she caught us.

"You sure it's okay for you to be here? Lucy'll flip if she sees us."

"It's okay. Once Lucy falls asleep, she wouldn't notice if someone carried her off. She said she was tired and went to bed first. U-um, but, were you practicing barriers, by any chance?"

"Yeah. The class we had today was pretty interesting, so I was practicing on my own."

"Then! Would you like to train together with me?!"

Rumi's eyes lit up, sparkling.

A quest, for the first time in a while. No reason to turn it down.

"Well, I'd be fine with it. But you wouldn't get much out of training with me."

"That's not true. Pointing out what the other person is missing is what, um, friends... do!"

I snorted. The way she hesitated over the word friends, glancing up at me like that, was pretty cute.

"Yeah. We're friends, after all."

"Y-yes!"

Adorable. What was it about the word friend that made her that happy?

Rumi was a character with a real gift for defensive magic. The fact that she was offering to train with me for my sake almost made me feel guilty.

"You were practicing barrier magic, right? I'll give you a demonstration."

"Sure."

I still had a vivid memory of Rumi's magic from the last class, but there was no reason to turn her down.

She shot me a quick glance, making sure I was watching, then began constructing a barrier with unhurried care. Double-helix strands of mana crossed and layered over each other, hardening into a solid defensive wall.

Wow. She's actually incredible.

You could call it the highest level a cadet could reach and you still wouldn't be overselling it. The defensive property woven into her mana stood out in particular — it carried Rumi's own warm, steadfast will.

"Maybe it's because you're watching? It came out well. Would you like to try too, Ho-yeon?"

"Alright. Kinda nervous, though. Hah."

"It's okay. Nobody's good at it from the start. I'll point out wherever you're lacking."

Watching her do it that well right in front of me put a stupid amount of pressure on.

Every magic circle I'd studied unspooled through my head like a panorama. I locked the mana property of the barrier Rumi had just cast firmly into place. My talent was built for this — gathering the strengths of every circle I'd seen, then pouring in the mana property I'd just learned from her.

Chsshk—

Mana twisted into a double helix and layered over itself at the crossings. Harder. Harder still.

This wasn't enough.

I let out a breath, steadied myself, and started over.

Insight.

Vmmm—

I studied the gaps in the barrier I'd made. To ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pack it tighter — to fill even the hairline fractures — I needed a denser structure. A double helix couldn't close gaps that fine.

The thought landed like a spark.

If the double helix is the problem, I just have to pack it tighter.

A third stroke wound itself into the two rotating helices. Mana spinning in a triple helix erased the microscopic gaps and crossed in a pattern that was almost beautiful.

I poured in the mana property I'd learned from Rumi. A will to defend against everything settled into the circle. It wasn't as fierce as hers — but Mana Sensitivity filled in what my will couldn't.

And then a wall stood in front of me.

A barrier in a form that had nothing in common with Rumi's method, or Lim Sol's. But both of us could feel it. It went beyond beauty into something artistic — a work so exquisite it felt almost wasteful to use as a mere barrier. If Professor Lim Sol had been standing here, she would've screamed, demanded we research it together, and probably yanked my pants off on the spot.

Before my eyes sat a barrier that was elegant, perfect, and almost painfully beautiful.

"...."

"...."

The barrier's beauty was so overwhelming it made Rumi — the one who'd just given the demonstration — look embarrassed. She stared at it, completely dumbstruck.

Cotton Guard.

It had even registered as a unique skill.

Rumi's face, still turned toward that beautiful form, began to flush by degrees.

"Ah, ah.... U-um, yes... That's incredible. U-um, if you could maybe teach me a little too..."

"Uh, yeah. Of course. Pointing out what the other person's missing is what friends do."

"......Y-yes. That's right."

Apparently offering to correct my shortcomings herself was coming back to embarrass her. She didn't need to get that red over it.

I finished training with Rumi and headed back to the dorm. We'd agreed to meet regularly from here on so she could help me practice. I'd been the one receiving help at first, but getting closer to a heroine was welcome any day of the week. And even setting that aside, I was pretty sure there was a study somewhere proving that training alongside a pretty girl boosted efficiency all by itself.

When I walked into the dorm, the stream was over. Liliana was at the table, tearing into fried chicken.

"Yo. You done?"

"Hm? Oh, it's the contractor. If you mean the stream, yeah, it's over. I made a bunch of money today so I ordered fried chicken. That's cool, right?"

"That's fine, but.... You don't know my name, do you?"

Come to think of it, I knew Liliana's name, but I was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pretty sure I'd never actually told her mine. If a system window had popped up for her the way it had for me, she wouldn't be calling me contractor.

"Uuuh!? Well, um. You never told me, so how would I know?"

She was making this my fault?

"Hey, you should've at least asked. I figured you already knew."

"Ah, what's the big deal. A guy shouldn't be so petty. So what's your name?"

"Call me Lee Ho-yeon."

"What a tit-ugly name. Acting like I should be grateful you told me?"

"What was that?"

"It's nothing~. Anyway, don't you wanna know how much I made today?"

Unbelievable. One day and she was already this slick. I almost missed the Liliana who'd been sniffling after getting worked over by those thugs yesterday.

"So how much did you make?"

"Tada~ Six hundred dollars."

"What?"

"You got a dick stuck in your ear? I said six hundred dollars. That's a pretty good haul, right? A whole fried chicken was only twelve bucks."

I'd heard her just fine, but I asked again anyway in case I'd misheard. It was still six hundred dollars.

That wasn't a good haul. That was a goddamn fortune.

If those bastards had transmigrated me as a girl, I could've been printing money as a cam streamer myself.

Fucking gods, you pieces of shit!

"Anyway, that's beside the point. There's actually a serious problem."

Liliana's playful expression hardened, and she leaned in to whisper.

"A problem? What kind of problem?"

Honestly, I had so many things to feel guilty about that "a problem" could have meant anything. She hadn't gotten her existence leaked to other people, had she? I'd told her so many times to set the delivery instructions to please leave it at the door!

"I'm bored."

"What?"

"I said I'm bored!"

"When do you have time to be bored?! You're supposed to be streaming and making money!"

Where did this brat get off going on a labor strike?!

"I can't stream during academy class hours anyway! That's how I do what you said — cadet by day, pervert succubus cosplayer by night!"

...She was smarter than I gave her credit for.

"Then watch other streams and build up your sense for it, or practice your games or something?"

"I'm already good at games so I don't wanna practice, and if I chat in other streams they'll see who I am so I can't type anything. There's no point watching a stream I can't chat in!"

This little shit was a menace. She could've just watched quietly. Why did she need so much out of it?

Listening to her, it was obvious she wanted something. I hated it when people whined in circles instead of just asking.

"So what do you actually want. Just say it."

"I wanna come with you."

Huh? I must have misheard.

"I want to walk around and see the world too."

"And how exactly are you planning to walk around? You got a way?"

Liliana looked like a succubus to anyone with eyes. That heart-tipped tail of hers was swaying even now. Granted, if she put on proper clothes and hid the horns on her head she'd pass for something close to human — but some priest walking by might sense the aura of Hell and cave her skull in with a crucifix.

That last part was a joke.

The real problem was what might happen if she wandered around alone somewhere I couldn't see. I'd be the one who had to answer for it.

There was no way ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I was letting her out of my sight.

"Yeah. I've actually got a way."

Poof!

With a playful little sound, smoke billowed out around Liliana.