The Academy's Savior

As I drew closer to the rear mountain, the Combat Department building came into view. For all its rustic, backwater look, the place was easily as large as the main hall.

Just then the entrance swung open and someone stepped out—a well-built female student with long black hair and a pale face.

Seong Ha-ri.

The moment she saw me, her eyes went wide, as if she recognized me on sight.

Coincidence, probably.

There was no way Seong Ha-ri could know who I was. This had to be the first time she'd ever laid eyes on me.

I walked forward without hesitation, already turning over the questions I meant to ask her.

Seong Ha-ri drops out in her second year. And right now she's a second-year. After she leaves the academy, her trail goes murky.

The Association had buried it on purpose.

A few years later she resurfaces as an S-Class hero, burns bright and brief, becomes the greatest hero in Korea—then vanishes again.

She's probably thinking about dropping out already. I should ask what she plans to do after. She wouldn't walk out of the academy with no plan at all.

For that, I needed to get on decent terms with her first.

Seong Ha-ri came straight toward me. I was just raising a hand in a casual greeting when she suddenly broke into a run, seized my arm, and dragged me around behind the building.

"H-hey—what the hell are you doing?!"

"What am I doing? That's my line. Why is a terrorist wandering around the academy like he owns the place?!"

Seong Ha-ri snapped. A jolt of wrongness hit me.

She knows me? …And she thinks I'm a terrorist?

I'd stolen a car after entering this dungeon, sure—but that was it. Car thief, maybe. Terrorist was a stretch.

…Don't tell me.

…

I checked Seong Ha-ri's status window. Her ridiculous stats barely registered. All my attention locked onto that affinity number.

How often does a first impression push affinity past forty? It varies person to person—but I didn't buy that Seong Ha-ri was the type.

She called me a terrorist. Meaning the dungeon I entered last time and this one… different time periods, but they're connected.

Was that even possible by any normal logic?

…If the Eighth Legion Commander, Laplace, had a hand in it—then yes. The entry prompt for this dungeon came up as ???, so it's a hundred percent that bastard's doing.

Behind the Combat Department building, Seong Ha-ri looked me over, then Ryu Hana, then Makina in turn.

"The Oppa I haven't seen in years hasn't aged a day, this girl I've never met… and that thing on your head is a fairy…? No. A spirit."

She identified Makina on the spot. No surprise there—she was from the Jinryeong Seong Family. Spirits were her bread and butter.

"Auntie! Hi! You look pretty young, actually!"

Makina waved, then launched herself through the air and dove straight into Seong Ha-ri's chest. Ha-ri caught her on reflex, looking thoroughly flustered.

"Uh—auntie…?"

I grabbed a fistful of Makina's hair and yanked.

"Aaagh! My hair! Let go! I don't wanna go bald!!"

I sent her a mental command: tell Seong Ha-ri nothing about us. Makina nodded with a miserable face. Only then did I let go of her hair.

"Waaaaaah!"

Makina dove right back into Seong Ha-ri's chest. Ha-ri accepted her again, still flustered—but there was no dislike in her expression. If anything, she looked a little excited. Probably the first time a spirit had ever come to her of its own free will. Makina's cute looks didn't hurt either.

Ryu Hana watched Seong Ha-ri while idly fingering the twin sword hilts at her waist.

I nudged her with an elbow and murmured,

"She's not your opponent. Save your stamina."

"…I know."

Ryu Hana—sparring addict that she was—looked at Seong Ha-ri with pure regret in her eyes. Ha-ri frowned at the weird atmosphere, then turned her gaze back to me.

"Oppa. Explain. Why are you here in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an academy uniform? Are you planning to… commit a terrorist attack on the academy?"

"I'll explain. But you're talking down to me? Last time you were all formal speech, every single sentence."

"I was younger then. Be grateful I'm even calling you Oppa."

I put on a serious face and continued.

"Me and this kid… Ryu Hana—we're Devil Hunters. We hunt demons."

"Ah…. So that's why, a few years ago, that demon…."

Seong Ha-ri nodded as if it all clicked. I didn't elaborate. The longer I talked, the higher the odds of getting caught in a lie.

"…Wait. If Oppa's at the academy, does that mean… there's a demon here?"

There wasn't.

I nodded anyway.

"We picked up traces of a demon at the academy. Could already be long gone. Still have to look, though."

"……."

Seong Ha-ri's expression hardened. She shut her mouth and thought hard about something.

Her face was deadly serious—but both her hands were busy mauling the Makina cradled against her chest. Especially the cheeks. She kept squishing them over and over.

Yeah, those soft, chewy little cheeks are hard to resist.

At last Seong Ha-ri spoke.

"Let me in."

"On what?"

"Whatever Oppa's doing."

"……You want to help hunt the demon hiding in the academy?"

"I'll help with this job and everything after. Take me with you."

"……And the academy?"

"I'm quitting."

"Why? Maruhan Academy is the best hero training ground in Korea. Just graduating is enough to get people to take you seriously."

"Graduation's another year and a half away. No matter how I look at it, it's just a waste of time."

"…Meaning the academy instructors have nothing left to teach you?"

"There's plenty to learn. Just nothing combat-related. I'm already stronger than the academy teachers."

Seong Ha-ri didn't agonize over things like this.

"So what are you going to do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠after you leave?"

"I told you—I'm following Oppa. Devil Hunter. Perfect fit. I've never liked those demon bastards either. I promise I won't get in the way. Hell, I can spar with the girl next to you and show you what I can do. I'll probably win."

"……."

Seong Ha-ri grinned, all fight and fire. Ryu Hana quietly worked her sword hilts again.

I stepped between them. The tension that had been coiling tight eased back down.

"Seong Ha-ri. Even if we hadn't shown up at the academy—were you already planning to drop out?"

"I told you. Nothing left to learn on the combat side. I'd already decided to leave."

"And if you leave—where to?"

"I hear the north is a mess, so I was going to head north. Figure I can rack up some real experience there."

What had been happening up north around this time? I couldn't quite remember.

"Anyway. I'm following Oppa. Just so you know."

"…Who said you could tag along? I don't need you. Stay at the academy and study."

"Even if you tell me not to, I'm coming."

I saw the stubborn set of her eyes. Once Seong Ha-ri dug her heels in, there was no talking her out of it. I shut my mouth.

She took the silence as permission and smiled a little victory smile. Then she handed Makina back to me.

"I was going to stick around another month, but…. I'll go talk to the headmaster and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠come right back. Wait here. Don't go anywhere."

"…Sure."

I lied.

The second Seong Ha-ri was out of sight, I was leaving the academy.

She took off toward the main building at a full sprint.

"……."

Ryu Hana asked nothing. She just stood there in silence.

"Young Auntie's chest is a little smaller. Young Auntie's nice and all, but…. Outside Auntie is still better."

Makina said. I smacked her on the head.

Once we're out, I need to look up what was going on in the north back then.

No reason to stay. Vanish before Seong Ha-ri can catch up.

"Seong Yujin."

Ryu Hana said my name. Tension ran through her voice. She wasn't looking at me—she was looking past me, up at the roof of the Combat Department building.

Two figures stood on the rooftop.

Another Seong Yujin. Another Ryu Hana. Red tattoos covered their faces and skin. They jumped from the roof and landed lightly on the ground.

Enemies.

Ryu Hana drew both swords. She charged the fake Ryu Hana first. Combat erupted in an instant.

I locked eyes with the fake Seong Yujin.

"Huh? Th-there's one of me too! A doppelganger?!"

Makina freaked out at the sight of a fake Makina perched on the enemy's shoulder. I'd already expected it. No surprise there.

The fake grinned at me and spoke in a voice identical to mine.

"I'll kill you and fuck Seong Ha-ri."

My face twisted.

"You fake piece of shit are way out of line. Seong Ha-ri is mine to fuck."

"Fake, huh…. You know what? When the real one is gone, a fake that's identical to the real one becomes the real one."

The fake's eyes turned gold. Blue current crackled and spat around them.

"Leisure Life."

"What the hell are you babbling about all of a sudden?"

"You don't know, do you?"

"Trying to fish with nonsense… there's no difference between your abilities and mine. Same memories, too. The memory of you groping Si-eun's pussy yesterday is sitting right in my head."

The fake didn't know about the Leisure Life app. I laughed. He caught that I was laughing at him, and his face crumpled. He reached into empty air. Hwaryeonbido appeared in his hand—a fake Hwaryeonbido, of course.

"You son of a bitch. I really want to kill you."

"You know what? Even if you get lucky and kill me… you can't leave this dungeon."

"Oh, is that what you're banking on? That bastard's going to pull me out, so I'm fine. With his power, it's doable."

"…Laplace. Where the hell is that bastard right now?"

"You think I'd tell you? Conversation's over. Let's go, Makina."

The Makina stuck to the fake's side shifted form—into an onahole. Not a normal one. The length was about the same as Hwaryeonbido.

…Don't tell me this bastard. The thing I only ever imagined….

He sheathed Hwaryeonbido into the onahole's entrance—the pink, pussy-shaped hole.

He exhaled once, concentrating mana and lightning into the blade. Eyes narrowed to slits, he drew the lightning-wrapped hilt.

I rolled across the ground and dodged the red lightning slash. The cut left a scar in the earth more than thirty meters long before vanishing.

I got back to my feet, glared at him, and opened my mouth.

"…Makina. Vagina Draw is a futuristic draw technique I've only ever thought about…. To counter Vagina Draw, I've got no choice but to use Vagina Draw myself. Turn into an onahole sheath, Makina! Now!"

"N-no way!"

Makina tried to fly up and escape.

"Did you forget our contract, Makina?! That's an order!"

"H-hiiiing…."

Makina's face crumpled as she transformed into an onahole sheath. I summoned Hwaryeonbido and sheathed it into the pussy-sheath. Schlick. Sticky lubricant oozed out of the onahole scabbard.

"…You could've attacked already. Were you waiting for me?"

"Because I'm confident I'll win. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Let's settle this with Vagina Draw."

Crackle-crackle. Lightning soaked into the onahole sheath.

The fake and I both raised our focus to the limit and took the draw stance. A single leaf, carried on the wind, drifted down between us.

We drew from our charged onahole sheaths at the same instant.

Two slashes collided in midair.