The First Failing Student (4)
Huh? A video call?
I hesitated for a long while. I’d told her she could come see me anytime for counseling, but a private contact like this was another matter entirely.
Still, turning her down when Selena’s expression had looked so dark… that didn’t sit right either.
Fine. As long as I kept a proper line, a little greed wouldn’t hurt.
☐ Creampie Selena — 0/1
☐ Counsel random students — 4/5
This absolutely was not me trying to use Selena with impure motives just to clear a quest.
I only needed to help her feel better and then step back. I’d rather die than defile my favorite character.
If it came to that, I’d just become a cat dad and leave it at that.
Heart pounding, I called Selena on video. The connection snapped through with terrifying speed.
“Ah, Sion Seonsaeng-nim.”
“Hey, Selena.”
On the screen, Selena smiled shyly and met my eyes. What little of her outfit I could see was a cute animal-print pajama set. It was so different from her usual neat, refined image that my heart gave a hard flutter.
She looks so cool on the outside… but she likes wearing adorable pajamas like this?
“Have you eaten dinner?”
“Yeah, I ate. You?”
“I just finished. The Service Club meeting ran late, so I only got back a moment ago.”
“I see. Good work, staying out that late.”
“Not at all. You’re the one who works harder, Sion Seonsaeng-nim.”
“That so?”
“Of course. You already left work, yet you’re still counseling a student.”
Ding.
☐ Creampie Selena — 0/1
☑ Counsel random students — 5/5 COMPLETE
🎁 Reward: Affection System Unlocked
Huh.
Something quietly floated into view above Selena’s bright, smiling face. It was a game UI—specifically a status bar that displayed affection levels and states.
Level 10? Her affection was already maxed out?
That meant every story route would unlock, and I could summon her to my office for duty. And while she was on duty, I could “pet” her. Petting meant… that.
Sex.
In the game the animation just showed her sitting on your lap while you stroked her hair, but the sultry voice lines and the after-scene cut-in made the rest pretty clear.
You actually did it. As a bonus you got to see the heroine’s satisfied smile afterward.
Which meant—
“Sion Seonsaeng-nim?”
“Ah, sorry. My cat just came over.”
“Oh? You keep a cat?”
“Yeah. I’m just the butler around here.”
“Hehe. That explains why you’re so kind.”
“Does it? Well… maybe there’s some of that.”
Cats heal people just by existing. Having a roommate feline probably gave a person a little more room in their heart.
“I like cats too.”
“Is that so. Glad to meet a fellow cat person.”
“Yes, I’m happy. How old is it?”
“Just became an adult. It’s been a year since I found the little one as a kitten.”
“My, so you were chosen?”
“Exactly. I saw it abandoned in front of the house and before I knew it I was handing over churu treats.”
“Hehe. Even the cat must have sensed how gentle you are, Sion Seonsaeng-nim.”
“Ah… yeah, something like that.”
Her warm eye-smile nearly stopped my heart. I wondered if Selena had any idea that the teacher counseling her was wrestling with a very serious dilemma about her.
“May I come see the cat sometime?”
“Huh!? The cat?”
“Is that not allowed?”
Selena’s eyes sparkled. She looked fully prepared to burst into tears if I refused.
“If the chance comes up.”
“Mmm…”
“It’s just… I don’t live alone.”
“What?!”
Her expression hardened for once. I hadn’t said anything remotely sexual or shocking, so why that reaction?
“This place is a shelter for my housemate. It’s the only space where she can escape her workaholic habits, so she doesn’t like guests.”
“She sounds rather cat-like herself.”
“Now that you mention it, yeah.”
“Then… is your relationship with her simply that of roommates?”
“Family.”
“By family… might she be your wife?”
“Whoa, don’t go saying crazy things. It’s nothing like that.”
“Then I’m relieved.”
A faint blush colored her cheeks as she shifted position. Where she’d been lying on her side before, she now settled comfortably on her back.
Raising both arms high like that let the camera catch even more of her. The pajamas I’d only glimpsed earlier revealed a new detail: the front was rather loosely fastened.
“Um, Selena?”
“Yes?”
“That… is visible.”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
Compared to her usual outfit it was less overtly stimulating, yet the pajamas that openly displayed her cleavage still felt different somehow.
A slight sense of wrongness, maybe. The fact that they were the kind of cute animal pajamas kids might wear only made it worse.
Is she secretly a kidult?
Selena hurriedly adjusted her clothes, but nothing really changed. If anything the neckline had loosened further until a hint of underwear peeked through.
“Selena. Even if you’ve gotten comfortable with me, be careful.”
“Why?”
She asked with pure, innocent eyes. That soft little smile made it hard to keep looking at the screen.
“I’m a man too, you know.”
“Hehe. Thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“Sion Seonsaeng-nim.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m in the Service Club.”
“What.”
“Hehe. If you ever need help, please call on me anytime.”
“You don’t mean that in a weird way, right?”
“Even if it is in a weird way, I don’t mind. The words you spoke to me… they were a great comfort.”
“Don’t say things like that even as a joke.”
I was startled. This was the power of max affection. I’d almost answered on pure instinct with something like, Heh heh, then come to my office.
“Hehe. Yes, Sion Seonsaeng-nim.”
Game Selena had always been calm and serious; I’d never imagined her making bold remarks while smiling so seductively. The new side of her honestly excited me.
It felt like I’d discovered a secret of my favorite character that no one else knew.
“When do you usually sleep, Sion Seonsaeng-nim?”
“Ah, I tend to stay up a bit late. Around twelve-thirty?”
“That’s late?”
“Isn’t it?”
“Other students in the dorm sometimes don’t sleep until after two. One friend regularly pulls all-nighters and always dozes off during missions.”
“Yikes. Staying up late is bad for the body.”
“Exactly.”
“For the record, when do you sleep, Selena?”
“I sleep at eleven.”
“It’s eleven right now!?”
Instead of answering, Selena rolled over. She lay on her side again and gazed steadily at me.
“Actually… I contacted you because I couldn’t sleep.”
“I see. Something on your mind?”
“Painful memories keep coming back.”
“That’s rough. Has it been happening a lot lately?”
“Yes.”
Hearing that subdued voice made my chest ache.
“Then what have you been doing until now?”
“Euh♡ Yes?”
What was that sound just now?
“Ah, I mean… I was wondering what you do when you can’t sleep.”
“Aha. I’ve tried warm milk. Stretching too.”
“Hmm, so none of that worked?”
“No, so I—eung-aah♡”
“Selena!?”
I shot upright in shock. The sudden movement startled Cheese, who bolted away.
“Are you okay? What happened?”
“N-no. My leg just cramped.”
She answered with slightly labored breaths. If that was all, good… yet her flushed face and unfocused eyes still worried me.
Maybe she was coming down with a cold.
I’d heard lack of sleep tanked a person’s immunity. Surely not…
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“I think it’s just nerves. Euung♡”
“Ah. Okay. Glad it’s nothing serious.”
I propped myself on my stomach and looked at the screen. Selena flinched, then shyly averted her gaze.
What was that?
“Talking with you has made me a little sleepy, Sion Seonsaeng-nim.”
“Yeah? Want to hang up then?”
“No. Please don’t leave me alone.”
“Ah… is there no one with you?”
“No one wants to be roommates with someone like me.”
The brief flash of darkness in her pupils made my heart sting.
“If I were a girl I would’ve run straight to your bed.”
“I’m fine with it as you are.”
“Even jokes have limits. Want me to keep talking until you fall asleep?”
“I’d like that.”
Selena nodded and lay on her back again, looking more at ease. She must have set the phone on her pillow; all I could see now was the white ceiling.
With the stimulating view gone, I felt a little calmer. Letting out a quiet breath of relief, I began chatting softly.
What foods she liked lately. Whether she’d seen any movies. Places she’d visited. I kept the small talk going so she could forget those painful memories, at least for a while.
Apart from the occasional soft, distressed sound from Selena, nothing went wrong. When her voice grew fainter and her replies slowed, I naturally started talking about myself instead.
Things that happened during my school days. How much fun the festival period had been. I was unpacking story after story when I heard the soft, even rhythm of her breathing and smiled without meaning to.
“Good night, Selena. Sweet dreams.”
The next day, lunchtime.
I kept my legs stretched out under the desk until the bell rang to announce the meal period.
The moment sweet classical music poured from the speakers I shot to my feet and sprinted for the door.
My only goal was to reach the cafeteria food before anyone else.
“Kyaa!?”
“Selena?”
The door swung open and I collided straight into her. Acting on pure reflex I wrapped an arm around her slender waist and caught the cloth-wrapped bundle in her hands.
“Thank you.”
“Sorry, Selena. I startled you, didn’t I?”
“Not at all. More importantly, Sion Seonsaeng-nim… were you in a hurry?”
“Nah. Just heading to the cafeteria.”
“Aha. So that’s how you handle lunch.”
“Yep. Too lazy to go outside, and it saves money.”
“Hehe. Even you have times when you’re not entirely diligent, Sion Seonsaeng-nim.”
“Yeah. I’m actually pretty lazy under the surface.”
Selena nodded quietly, yet still seemed to have something left to say as she blocked my path.
“Selena? Need counseling?”
“No. Thanks to you last night, I slept soundly.”
“Really? Glad to hear it.”
“This is… my thanks for yesterday.”
“Thanks?”
“It’s nothing grand, but… I packed a lunch for you♡”
She smiled shyly and held out the cloth-wrapped package. And there, floating quietly beside Selena’s face, was her affection value.
Next to it sat the words Limit Break.
“One hundred fifteen!?”
“Sion Seonsaeng-nim?”
“It’s nothing. Want to come in for a bit?”
“Hehe. Thank you.”
Watching Selena’s light, graceful figure walk ahead of me, I felt a growing certainty that something had gone very wrong.