Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Damn First Love
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"Hah! Hah!"
"Haa!"
"Huff... huff... huff... huff..."
I couldn't help but wonder if academy life was really supposed to be this peaceful lately. Waking up at dawn for workouts in the crisp air you could never get in the Demon Realm Forest was seriously improving my quality of life.
'I'm definitely getting stronger than in my previous life.'
Honestly, I was confident I could hold my own against my past self right now.
'This time, I can definitely kill her.'
Even back when Rin became the master of the Army of Death, I had victory in a one-on-one fight right there for the taking. I just panicked when I slashed off her helmet and her face—Rin's face of all things—suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and that's what cost me the win.
'Yeah, that's right.'
I planned to kill her the moment I saw any sign of her taking control of the Army of Death, but if I missed the timing and failed to stop her, there was no guarantee I'd get another clean shot at a one-on-one. That's why I was training without slacking off.
Finishing up my endurance run, I waved cheerfully at the two girls staggering toward me from afar, sweat pouring off them like drooling dogs.
"You're almost there—don't stop now! Final sprint!"
"Hah! Hah!"
"Y-You... bastard...!"
Eve finally arrived and collapsed, rolling on the ground. Tana swung a fist at me, but it barely brushed my arm—zero power behind it.
"How's that? Doesn't a morning workout feel great?"
"Feels! Fucking! Great!"
"Tch, watch your mouth."
"Hah! Hah! G-Gimme... first... aid! Potion! Last words! I love you! Mom! Dad!"
Tana spat curses while Eve rolled around muttering nonsense. The reason they were running with me? The second exam.
Eve, who'd done nothing but lose in the second exam, and Tana, who was weak in combat to begin with, heard I was doing dawn workouts and jumped in.
Of course, they both crashed after one day.
"Normally, we'd do strength training next..."
"Piss off! You satan! You demon! Don't even talk to me today! What kind of lunatic runs 10km at dawn?!"
I even shortened the course midway because you two were struggling.
"Daniel... hah! You know that...? Hah!"
Eve lay sprawled out.
Her ample chest was squished into an intriguing shape by gravity, but sorry—not quite enough to make my heart race anymore. I was past the age for that kid stuff.
"Hah! If you... really wanna kill someone! Hah! You get this... unexpected strength! Hah! I just felt it! Hah!"
"Got it. I won't make you do more, so catch your breath."
She looked terrified; I couldn't push her further.
They clearly weren't coming back tomorrow, but I couldn't let that happen. Having workout partners for the first time wasn't half bad.
"I'll go easy tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? You said tomorrow? That workout just got erased from my dictionary!"
"I... might die."
"You two were just saying you need to diet because you've been snacking too much. I'll really take it easy tomorrow, so come on. What if you end up all flabby like pigs?"
"Flabby."
"Pigs."
They shot me suspicious looks.
"You'll really go easy, right?"
"Of course. I sprang it on you yesterday, so today was my usual routine. Tomorrow, I'll tailor it to you two."
"I want a slim figure, not to become some muscle queen."
"I got you."
Chuckling, I offered Eve my hand and pulled her up. She wobbled and nearly fell again, so I steadied her.
"Whoa there."
"S-Sorry. My legs are jelly."
She clearly couldn't walk, so I just gave her a piggyback. Eve panicked at first but accepted gratefully and stayed quiet.
Tana licked her lips enviously.
"Lucky. Can you carry me too?"
"Wanna ride on top of Eve?"
"N-No!"
Eve flailed her hands in refusal. And so we headed to the dorms.
"Hmm? This is..."
I paused, squatted, stood, repeated a few times. Eve and Tana stared, wondering what I was doing.
With the most innocent expression, I asked Eve,
"How much do you weigh? This is a nice new stimulus."
"Y-You! You! You!"
"Trash..."
Eve let out some indescribable grunt and started pounding my back from above. I laughed it off as a joke, but the feeble hits suggested she could probably walk fine.
As we chatted idly on the way, a group of male students argued with the gate guard and entered the academy grounds.
It was Penil Leiros and his gang—the ones I'd beaten and who got suspended for a month.
"A month's up already?"
Time flew by faster here than in the Demon Realm Forest, probably because I was so busy. I clicked my tongue just as my eyes met Penil's.
If they're picking a fight, I can finish my strength training on them.
"......"
But they pretended not to see me and veered away from the dorm path toward the academy buildings.
It was just like the beasts in the Demon Realm Forest fleeing when they spotted me. I smirked and continued to the dorms.
"What?"
Ares's little fish had gotten into the habit of swarming me lately. Yesterday, Sen showed up out of nowhere demanding I guess who she liked.
The day before, Adriana stared at my face intently, said "Nope," and stormed off.
The day before that, Elise fiddled with her hair, asking what style Ares would like.
Of course, I flipped them all the bird and told them to scram.
Wasn't giving them my village's secret pie recipe more than enough? I got their desperation for info on their crush, but this was annoying.
And today, it was Hayun.
I'd thought she was decent after eating dinner together last time, but she cornered me coming out of the bathroom.
"Can you help me out a bit?"
"Hey, doesn't your aquarium have communication? Didn't you hear what happened to the others who came to me?"
"I did."
"Then why come back? Don't think one meal means anything. It's like tossing bread to a stray cat."
Irritated, I snapped a bit harshly, drawing glances from passing students.
Before weird rumors could start, I told her to leave and turned away—only for Hayun to grab my hand.
"Please! I'm going to confess to Ares."
"......What?"
I blinked in confusion, thinking they were still in the feeling-out stage. Her voice carried, and nearby students overheard—her face turned beet red.
"Come here first."
Break time was still on, so we ducked into an empty lecture hall used for mobile classes.
"Why tell me about your confession? Just do your thing."
"You know Ares best. That's why I'm asking you."
"Hey, didn't I tell you last time I cut ties with him?"
"I know. I know that."
Hayun bit her lip hard.
She looked utterly pitiful, like I was her only option, but I didn't budge.
So, to cut it off at the root, I was brutally honest.
"If you confess now, he'll reject you."
Obviously.
Arni Duratan, Elise, Sen, Adriana, Tana, May, and more.
They weren't confessing not because they enjoyed this game of chicken.
They already knew.
That challenging her now meant defeat.
That Ares's heart belonged to someone else, and without displacing her, there was no chance.
But her response was shockingly unexpected.
"I know."
"......What?"
"That's why I'm doing it."
"What, some strategy to make him obsess over you after rejection?"
Not that I'd tried it.
I read about it in a book...
Anyway.
I figured that was it, but Hayun shook her head vigorously.
"No, not that. I'm going all out to confess to Ares—and get rejected all out. With zero room for doubt."
"......"
"For that, I need your help. I... I..."
Biting her lip, Hayun clenched her fists tight.
"I want to end this damn first love as soon as possible."
After that, Hayun explained everything.
She didn't actually like Ares—it was her family forcing her to pursue him.
I suddenly recalled what I'd said last time.
'Hey, what's so great about that guy? He's good-looking, sure, but with all those girls swarming him, you wanna join the pile?'
'If you really like him, I'd cheer you on, but think hard. As someone who's known him a while, you're probably the one with the best shot.'
"Oops."
Seems like my words that dinner night had lit the fuse for this girl.
"So I'm going all out, crashing hard, then telling my great-uncle it failed."
"......But do you really need to ask me? Can't you just dress up nice, confess, get rejected, and report back?"
Hayun tugged her collar, revealing a black tattoo-like mark on her shoulder.
"Through this mark, my great-uncle can use magic to detect truth or lies in what I say."
"Hm?"
"If I say I got rejected, he'll ask if I gave it my all. If he spots a lie, I'm done for. So I plan to go full throttle with everything I know."
"Huh."
What a tough life this girl led.
I felt a twinge of pity as I racked my brain.
"Alright, then here's the deal: teach me your swordsmanship. In return, I'll tell you everything I know about Ares."
Sharing info on a friend I'd cut ties with wouldn't hurt me much.
But Hayun's face darkened instantly.
"My swordsmanship is the only keepsake my mother left me. I can't teach you everything."
"Doesn't matter. Just a form or technique or two is fine."
I wasn't aiming to absorb it all—just the underlying theory. I shrugged it off casually, and Hayun nodded, figuring that was okay.
"Okay, deal."
"Yeah."
We shook on it.
The mood got heavy, so I cracked a joke with a grin.
"Should we name our team? Something like 'Heartbreak First Love Crash'?"
Hayun stared at me stone-cold serious.
"I felt it a bit at dinner last time, but sometimes you talk like a total old man."
Ouch, that cut deep.
I'm 28 inside, kiddo.
Even I knew that was lame, so I scratched my head and followed her out.
'A truth-detection spell, huh.'
It gave me a strange feeling.