Temporary Alliance
"It's exactly as I said. It's not like you two are the Emperor herself, so you're not seriously planning to keep a man all to yourself, right?"
The 126th Emperor of the Greater Japanese Empire, Emperor Naruhito. He was one of the most famous examples the public knew of — someone who 'maintained a marital relationship with a man exclusively.' Because he was the supreme dignity of the Empire and the most noble existence, the citizens understood and accepted that he alone could monopolize a man. Cases where someone kept a man entirely to themselves were extremely rare, to the point where you could count them on one hand. Typically, households shared one man among seven to eight women. While the number of wives decreased as status or wealth increased, marriages that were strictly one-to-one were practically nonexistent. It was even prohibited by law from the beginning.
Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the Greater Japanese Empire Civil Code established the basic premise that multiple women would marry one man. When filing a marriage registration, it had to be submitted together with at least one other woman for the registration to be properly accepted. This family structure had become the norm not only because society could not tolerate the idea of one woman monopolizing a man, but also because the one-husband-one-wife system from the world Siwu originally came from could not sustain the population.
"........"
"........"
At the chancellor's suggestion urging the two to reach an agreement, neither Fujiwara Koharu nor Professor Yoon Arin could easily respond. Both of them were already well aware of these facts. Naturally, both shared the exact same burning desire to keep Siwu all to themselves.
Koharu had already considered what the chancellor mentioned. Her plan was to marry Siwu as the legal wife, then add a few obedient subordinates as nominal wives on the family register. This way, she could essentially enjoy married life with Siwu alone. It wasn't an original idea — Koharu wasn't the first to think of it. This was a kind of loophole that some high-ranking noble families used when they wanted to monopolize their husbands. This method, which had been rampant for the past few decades, hadn't crossed into outright illegality, so the law still couldn't prohibit it. Enforcement was difficult, and any politician who created legislation that offended the deeply entrenched noble families in politics would essentially end their own career. As a result, politicians from the mainland still hadn't drawn their swords on the issue.
Professor Yoon Arin was thinking along similar lines to Koharu.
"I'll step out for a bit, so feel free to talk. Okay? Try to make some concessions with each other~"
The chancellor left the office with a sly expression, as if pleading for them to get along. Once she was gone, only the rather pleasant white noise of rain, the two women, silence, and awkwardness remained in the chancellor's office.
As soon as the chancellor left, Professor Yoon Arin was the first to drop her rigid posture. She glared at Koharu with eyes that looked ready to kill. The killing intent was overwhelming.
".......Does it feel good stealing another woman's man, you fucking bitch?"
Crude and terrifying words matching that murderous aura poured out of Professor Yoon Arin's mouth without hesitation. The atmosphere quickly shifted from any possibility of agreement to one where a fight breaking out right then wouldn't have been surprising at all.
Koharu finally relaxed her stiff posture as well. She stepped forward and stood directly in front of Professor Yoon Arin. The older woman's eyes burned with hatred, the kind that promised to kill her without fail. Yet Koharu stared straight back into those eyes as if none of it frightened her in the slightest. While Professor Yoon Arin was no ordinary woman, Koharu seemed to possess a spirit that matched hers.
"Why did my husband become your man, Professor?"
"Don't call him husband, husband — it's fucking disgusting. You bitch."
Professor Yoon Arin glared at Koharu as if she might throw a punch at any moment, then turned her steps toward the door. It was unexpected. Perhaps she simply didn't want to associate with her at all.
"Fucking whore... I'll deal with you properly later."
After spitting out that curse as her parting shot, she placed her hand on the doorknob. Leaving while hurling insults made the whole thing feel like a clichéd scene from a third-rate villain — the kind who says 'I'll get you next time' before running away.
In truth, if it were up to her, she would have ignored the chancellor's warning entirely and slit the throat of this damn woman who had violated the man she loved... but Professor Yoon Arin wasn't that thoughtless. If Koharu had simply let her leave like this, the situation would have ended exactly like that tired cliché. However...
Koharu didn't respond emotionally to the insults directed at her. Instead, she spoke words to Professor Yoon Arin that carried considerable weight.
"I hear the head of the Jeonju Lee Clan will be visiting the academy soon."
Professor Yoon Arin's body froze mid-motion, her hand still on the doorknob, as if Koharu had used her Individuality on her. She removed her hand from the knob and turned around. Her expression remained vicious. In contrast, Koharu hadn't lost her smile. It was as if being showered with curses didn't bother her at all... Unlike before, she was dealing with Professor Yoon Arin in a surprisingly rational manner.
"......What about it?"
"Oh my, you're not pretending you don't know who that is, are you?"
"Fuck off. Who do you take for a fool?"
Among the five great hero families representing the Greater Japanese Empire, the Jeonju Lee Clan proudly held the top rank. Historically, they were the family that had founded the nation of 'Joseon,' which had ruled over the Korean Peninsula for the past five hundred years. However, a branch family had risen up, actively cooperating with the Japanese Empire's annexation plans for Joseon, ultimately succeeding in destroying the very country their own family had established. After purging those members of the former Korean Empire's imperial family who didn't align with their plans, they completely took over the clan.
The current head of the family was a former military officer who had led Japan to victory in both the Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. Even now, his overwhelming military power was something the Japanese Empire itself feared.
"And you're saying you're not worried at all?"
".....Worried about what?"
"Goodness.... Are you that carefree? Or just slow?"
When it seemed Professor Yoon Arin couldn't grasp her intentions, Koharu immediately struck at her weak point with cutting words. Ignoring the provocation for now, Professor Yoon Arin carefully considered what Koharu was trying to say.
.......Then, a lightning bolt struck in Professor Yoon Arin's mind.
".......No way.."
"If that monster sets his sights on my husband, do you think you can stop him?"
Yes. This was exactly what Koharu had been getting at.
"Someone who doesn't even know Siwu exists wouldn't go looking for him the moment he arrives at the academy, would he?"
She tried to refute Koharu's point with her own reasoning.
".....I had my family's intelligence agents look into it thoroughly."
Realizing the conversation would be lengthy, Koharu walked over and plopped down in the leather guest chair in front of the office desk. She crossed her legs and continued speaking in a rather arrogant posture.
"Apparently, his youngest daughter — a high schooler — wants to enroll here, so he's coming for an observation visit..."
"Observation?"
"Yes. And that daughter apparently wants to meet the academy's first and only male student."
Koharu dropped a crucial piece of information. The moment she heard it, Professor Yoon Arin's expression completely hardened. She moved closer to Koharu and asked for more details about the intelligence's reliability.
"Source of the information?"
"It's information our family's intelligence agents obtained through wiretapping, so it's not some rumor. It's reliable."
This was a very bad development. If that daughter came to the academy and sought out Siwu, it would only be a matter of time before the clan head himself encountered him.
"......There's no guarantee she'll definitely develop feelings for Siwu, is there?"
"After seeing what happened with the two of us, can you really say that?"
"........"
She had no response. Both Koharu and Professor Yoon Arin had developed intense affection — far beyond simple liking — the moment they first laid eyes on Siwu.
"There's something about my husband.... No matter how outstanding his appearance is, to steal my heart in a single moment..."
"Stop calling Siwu your husband. It's really pissing me off...."
Koharu blushed, cupping her cheeks with both hands as she twisted her body in embarrassment. From Professor Yoon Arin's perspective, the sight was so irritating she could barely stand to look at it.
"Anyway... if you've developed any interest in talking with me, would you please take a seat in front of me?"
Koharu gestured toward the other guest chair across from her, inviting her to sit.
"........"
Professor Yoon Arin hesitated. Naturally, she still harbored intense hostility toward Koharu. After all, the girl had used her Individuality to snatch Siwu right in front of her and then thoroughly toyed with him. She didn't answer Koharu's suggestion right away, simply standing silently in front of the chair.
If what Koharu said was true, there wasn't much time. They needed to come up with some countermeasures.
"........I'm sorry."
".............What?!"
"I suppose I didn't know what to do when I finally found someone I liked for the first time... I'll start by apologizing."
It was utterly shocking. After using her Individuality to overpower her, provoking her in every possible way as if they would never see each other again, Koharu was now apologizing. Koharu had rarely apologized in her life. At most, perhaps to her own mother. Whether it was because she came from a rather prestigious family or because she had always been careful with her conduct, there simply hadn't been many situations requiring an apology. Yet here that same Koharu was, apologizing to Professor Yoon Arin. Was the situation that urgent?
Professor Yoon Arin looked extremely surprised by the apology, clearly flustered.
"......Fuck, you think an apology fixes this?"
"If you don't want to cooperate, then fine.... Shall we both just watch my husband get taken by the Lee Clan and spend the rest of our lives regretting it?"
Though she had zero intention of accepting the apology, Professor Yoon Arin sighed.
"Haa..... Fine. What do you want to say?"
She sat down in the chair, at least willing to hear what Koharu was after. She hated the young bitch in front of her — the one who had so cruelly violated her Siwu. But Koharu's words were also true. If the head of the Lee Clan developed feelings for Siwu... there would be no solution.
From what she'd heard, the Lee Clan head was an extremely cruel person. With his powerful Individuality, he had massacred countless people during the wars. There were also rumors that he quietly disposed of anyone who got in his way. Continuing to fight with Koharu over Siwu would lead nowhere. They would be visiting the academy soon. Even arguing was a waste of time. That's what Professor Yoon Arin concluded. For now, she decided to swallow her rage toward the damn woman before her and make a rational judgment.
"First, let's make a promise."
"Ha, shit... What promise?"
Koharu suddenly demanded a promise.
"Whenever we contact Siwu-nim, we must notify the other party. No secretly meeting him and doing weird things."
"......You'll be the first one to break it, won't you?"
"Oh my, do I seem that untrustworthy?"
"I'd trust a random mutt on the street before I'd trust you."
Koharu was proposing a gentleman's agreement. But Professor Yoon Arin couldn't trust her.
"We don't have much time. The prediction is they'll come to the academy within a few weeks at least. I'd love nothing more than to spend sweet, intimate time alone with my husband, but..."
"You fucking bitch."
"Anyway.... I'm a woman who keeps her promises. We need to move quickly and create a situation that's advantageous for us."
Koharu lightly ignored Professor Yoon Arin's curses and continued. However, the older woman had to agree with the part about not having much time.
"Can you promise me?"
"Fine... Fine, I got it. You just make sure you keep it. If you lay a hand on Siwu without permission, I'll snap your neck."
"Haa.... Could you tone down the swearing a bit? Are people from Joseon always this foul-mouthed?"
The conversation remained quite brutal. Nevertheless, it progressed steadily forward.
"Fuck off. So, do you have any countermeasures?"
"As you know, we can no longer choose the option of controlling Siwu-nim using our Individualities. We both have too much to lose."
They could no longer use Brainwash. Using Individuality within the academy would result in an immediate report to the chancellor. Those with Individualities capable of detecting the use of other Individualities would notice instantly. Since they conducted surveillance in rotating twenty-four-hour shifts, there were no gaps. As a faculty member of the academy, Professor Yoon Arin knew this better than anyone.
"We can't just drag Siwu off somewhere either."
"You understand well."
Professor Yoon Arin was now actively participating in the discussion. Forcibly dragging him away with physical strength without using Individuality was also no longer viable. The chancellor was paying close attention to Siwu and managing him carefully. If they kidnapped him, they would obviously get caught. Even if they weren't caught immediately, since Siwu was a student who had to attend classes, his sudden absence would make it far too easy to be discovered.
"Even if we tried to win him over through normal means..."
"That's impossible for us right now. It would take far too much time."
The one who had tried to violate Siwu and the one who actually had. For the two of them, a normal strategy of winning Siwu over was impossible at the moment. Even if neither had done anything to him, raising someone's favorability wasn't something that could be done in a short period. There was no guarantee they could make him like them. Winning someone's heart wasn't easy. Especially when a woman was trying to win a man's heart.
"So for now..."
"For now?"
Koharu paused for a moment. Both of their expressions had grown quite serious. Their goal was to control Siwu as much as possible to prevent him from coming into contact with that clan head. In the current situation, Siwu's cooperation was absolutely essential. To achieve that...
"We'll make my husband even weaker and more in need of help."
"What?"
"The kind of position where he'd be in serious trouble without someone to help him."
The idea Koharu presented. To make Siwu an even more fragile existence than he already was. In truth, it was already dangerous for Siwu to wander around outside alone. But that didn't necessarily make daily life particularly difficult for him.
"So we're going to create a situation where he has no choice but to rely on us, whether he likes it or not?"
"Yes, that's right. I'm glad you're quick to catch on."
It seemed she wasn't a professor for nothing. Her mind worked very quickly.
"For example?"
"Hmmmm...."
Koharu fell into thought. It seemed she hadn't planned this far ahead. Watching her, Professor Yoon Arin...
This time, she was the one to offer an idea first.
"Let's cut his Achilles tendons."
"His Achilles tendons?"
Professor Yoon Arin casually uttered something incredibly horrifying without hesitation. Koharu showed no particular sign of surprise at hearing such a cruel suggestion. Just what were these two formidable and ruthless women planning to do to Siwu?