[No title provided]
On the first day after enrolling at this academy, there weren't any particularly intense classes. It seemed like the national rule here too—just an orientation to wrap things up. Amid all that nothing special, I spent the whole time observing Hwa Yujin's every move.
My impression of the guy was your standard outsider Student A. He seemed focused and attentive during the class itself, but he had zero interaction with the other cadets. It stood in stark contrast to the other cadets, who were all pretty lively in chatting with each other. Well, I was the same in that regard. He looked decent enough, and aside from being quiet, there was nothing unusual about his behavior. At a glance, he just came off as your average introverted cadet lacking social skills. But I knew the truth. This bastard was the one who'd go on a rampage not with guns, but with his dick. So, he needed some seriously meticulous and proactive care. Sure, it might be best to just cut him loose if possible... but his potential was too outstanding to let him die off in this brutal world.
That's why, after class ended, I decided to tail him on his way home. I felt a bit conflicted, wondering if this counted as stalking. But then I thought, for a guy getting followed by a beauty like me, wasn't this more like a reward? Yeah, no issues there. With that conclusion, I was about to shadow our protagonist...
But unexpectedly, someone had beaten me to it by a step.
"Aaah~! Yujin~! Over hereee~! How was your first day at the academy? I was, like, so excited my heart was pounding—I didn't even notice the day flying by~!"
A pink-haired beauty flashed a bright smile and waved at him as he emerged from the main gate. She reached out to Yujin and linked arms with him so naturally. The guy himself didn't seem to find it awkward at all—he just accepted it as a given.
"Why were you waiting? You could've just gone home alone."
"Aww~ But it's more fun together! We're the only ones we can rely on in this academy—childhood friends forever~!"
"Tch... Fine, whatever. Don't lean your head on me, though. It's uncomfortable. People might get the wrong idea."
"What? Did you already find a girl you like on your first day here? You rascal, you~!"
They quickly slipped into their own little world and strolled off down the path home. I forgot my original goal of tailing the protagonist and just stood there, watching them go.
"...Right. Now I remember—she was around."
Ayumi, the protagonist's childhood friend. She'd grown up with Yujin in the same orphanage and followed him all the way to the academy because she wanted to be together. She was loaded with that official love interest vibe. Even knowing her lifelong friend had this bizarre Female Training unique ability, she never held any prejudice and treated him the same as always—loyalty and friendship to boot. In this harsh game world, she was a ray of light. Her nickname? Race Starter. Because the game truly kicked off with her death.
I'd repeat it a thousand times: this world was a rape-fest. In a rape-fest story, the protagonist couldn't stay purely heroic forever. Social isolation from his weird ability, the death of the one friend he could lean on, the pressure of a cruel world that killed her—these three factors blackened him into a full-on rape demon.
Flip that around? If I could just save Ayumi, I'd basically flip the genre of this game world for sure.
Instead of barging into their twosome, I savored the view of their backs. A handsome guy and a pretty girl, arms linked, walking side by side after school. She beamed like a flower, chattering nonstop at him. He acted annoyed but wore a subtle smile, diligently replying to her every message.
...The scent of pure love wafted in the air.
"Sigh... I usually hate mixing pure romance into rape-fests. But if it becomes reality, that's a different story."
I'd never really been attached to Ayumi as a character. Hell, it was hard to even try. She dies in the prologue-equivalent opening—how do you grow fond of someone who kicks the bucket that early? But right then, in my mind, Ayumi ascended to goddess status. The goddess of pure love. She must be protected at all costs!
"Indeed... I understand perfectly now."
That's when a distinctive voice came from behind me. Sure enough, turning around revealed Esmeralda Dorardo and her entourage.
"I thought something was off. How could someone with your exceptional talent defend a vulgar lowlife...? I had my suspicions, but I grasped it quicker than expected."
She stared at me with those confident eyes, like she saw through everything. Dangerous. Had she figured out my secret? ...Nah, no way. This girl was a total airhead at her core.
"Joo Hyowon! You're in love with Hwa Yujin—that man!!"
See? Spouting nonsense like that. Yujin and I had barely met—love? What was there even to love about? Sure, maybe a little spark from his looks, but basing it on that? Total flower-for-brains maiden logic.
"Oh my goodness!"
"Ah, well, that guy does have a decent face, at least."
"Dating a guy just for his looks when his heart's ugly? Not befitting a mature lady!"
"But I get it a little. Romance with a bad boy."
Seemed like flower-for-brains girls only hung out with other flower-for-brains girls. Projecting their wild fantasies onto me to squeeze out some thrills. Not uncommon among girls that age, but exhausting.
"We're barely at first-meet stage—there's no way love's blooming here. Cut down on the dramas already."
"Hmm, is that so? But every time I glanced at you, your eyes were always on that man. If that's not proof of love, what is?"
She was spying on me that closely? This girl might have stalker potential.
"It's not like that. Just pragmatic reasons—purely pragmatic."
"Pragmatic? ...What possible pragmatism could there be with a guy like that, with no background or anything...?"
No need to tell you that. As I tried to brush it off, one of Esmeralda's sidekicks suddenly bounced around excitedly and whispered something in her ear.
"Hrm, hrm... ...Whaaat?! N-No way... Th-that can't, it can't be...!!"
What could they have said to get that intense reaction? It piqued my curiosity, but before I could even ask, Esmeralda spilled it herself.
"N-No way—you're using that man's ability to boost your own power, aren't you!?"
What the hell? Of course his ability would come in handy later. But not for me!
"That's not it."
I furrowed my brows and firmly denied it, but Esmeralda was already off in her own world, ignoring my voice.
"Oh my god. That man's unique ability—it's definitely something lewd, strengthening women through... th-those kinds of acts! S-So then you... you're!!!"
"No, I said no. Listen to people."
"Gasp! And you even said you don't love that man! So you're just using a guy you don't love... purely to get stronger yourself...!!"
Horrifying conclusion. It's the opposite—opposite! I'm busting my ass to prevent that from happening. But no matter what I said now, it wouldn't reach Esmeralda's ears. Trapped in her bamboo-shoot delusions sprouting wildly after the rain, her face flushed beet red.
"Hyuu!"
She covered her face with both hands and bolted without looking back.
"Th-that's so impureeeee!!"
"Ah! Too much stimulation for Lady Esmeralda!"
"Wait for us, Lady Esmeralda!"
"Hmph! Remember this, Joo Hyowon! This isn't over!"
"Oh, and if anything progresses with that guy, tell me—me first!"
With their leader fleeing, the entourage chased after her and vanished. They shot me hostile glares I couldn't quite decipher, but right to the end, one of them stared at me with sparkling curiosity. Personally, that last one creeped me out the most. What the hell?
"More ordinary than expected?"
The view of the school gate from the staff room wasn't exactly "business as usual," but it fell squarely into the realm of normalcy. A girl secretly eyeing a boy from behind. A gang picking a fight with her. And their leader fleeing with her face covered after losing the argument. It was some bizarre scene straight out of a shojo manga, but compared to what I'd imagined, it was downright mundane.
"I volunteered to be her homeroom teacher thinking she'd be a real headache. But she seems more ordinary and good-natured than I thought."
A middle-schooler who stuck her head into gates when everyone else was evacuating—a total nutcase. A rebel packed with resentment toward pro heroes. And yet, freakishly outstanding talent. I'd figured a regular instructor couldn't handle her, so I stepped up. But based on what I saw now, maybe I didn't need to get involved after all.
What stood out more was that insane talent.
"I deliberately warped the classroom's qi to make Gather Qi tricky, and she not only surpassed freshman level—she even greedily tried to siphon my qi on top of it."
She probably wasn't even aware of it herself. At this rate, she could eat from the same pot as the seniors.
"There's always a reason people survive throwing themselves into the fire."
But none of that could be pure talent alone. Someone must have spotted it and guided her there. In her position, Sonya couldn't help naming the friend she had to keep at arm's length.
"You raised your disciple well, Vivian. Impressively so."