Repetition

'Hold on a second.'

I barely managed to calm the fired-up Adelia and fell deep into thought. After causing that massive scene at the entrance ceremony, we couldn't just head back right away. I soothed her beneath the zelkova tree and hid from prying eyes, and before we knew it, the sun had already set.

The death log from the previous round that the Observer's Eye had replayed for me. The estimated time of death recorded there was 4 a.m.

The current time was 8 p.m. It was still far too early for that bastard to make his move.

Who the hell is the culprit?

Suspects flashed through my mind. Principal Marcus, who had looked at me like I was an insect? Or the insane mage Scarlet who had obsessed over Adelia in the original novel? Or perhaps... Saintess Yuriel, who had stared at me with those strange eyes from below the platform earlier?

Circumstantial evidence alone wasn't enough to know for sure. That was when it happened.

A chill ran down ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my spine. There was no one around. The school grounds were empty after the ceremony ended. Yet I felt a sticky gaze that made my skin crawl. This wasn't a mere onlooker. This was blatant surveillance.

Not here.

I had no idea who might be listening. If the culprit overheard my plan, everything would be ruined. I needed to change locations—to a sealed, secret place beyond his line of sight.

"Adelia."

"......Yes, Roy."

"Let's move somewhere else for now. A place where others won't see us."

I whispered as softly as I could. My intention was to shake off the watcher, but her love-crazed filter interpreted my words in the complete opposite way.

"......!"

Her shoulders trembled. She slowly raised her head to look at me. Her red eyes grew moist with anticipation, and her pale cheeks flushed like a perfectly ripe peach.

"Somewhere... others won't see us...?"

"Yeah. A quiet, dark place would be even better. I have something to tell you."

"Hehe... Roy, you're so... impatient, aren't you?"

"......Huh?"

She locked her arm tightly around mine. The sensation of her voluptuous breasts pressed heavily against my forearm. I could feel their soft, weighty bounce. The feeling was absolutely... perfect.

"I won't let go. Ever!"

She dragged me along before I could even answer. The place she led me to was behind the old school building that students rarely visited—a dusty storage shed for athletic equipment.

Creak. Slam.

The rusted iron door closed, leaving just the two of us inside the narrow, dark shed. It smelled of stale dust and old mats. And then there was Adelia's sweet, fragrant scent that washed over me.

"It's too cramped in here..."

Thud!

Before I could finish speaking, Adelia shoved me against the wall. It was the classic 'wall slam' I'd seen in movies.

"A-Adelia?"

"You should have said something sooner. I was... holding back too."

In the darkness, her red eyes gleamed with seductive allure. She buried her face against my neck.

"Mmm... Roy..."

"W-wait! Ngh!"

Her hot tongue slid along the line of my neck. The soft texture of her tongue and the moist warmth of her breath sent shivers racing down my spine. She hadn't come here to talk. She had come to devour me.

"Adelia. That's not what I—"

I tried to push her away in a panic. But in the tight space, with her body pressing so close, I lost my balance.

Swaying.

My hands flailed through the air before grabbing something soft—something so massive that one hand couldn't fully contain it.

"......Ahng."

A nasal moan mixed with a sweet cry escaped her lips. An overwhelming volume that filled my palm and spilled over. The soft elasticity of her flesh and the pounding of her heartbeat transmitted clearly through the thin uniform shirt. What I had grabbed was... her breast.

"Roy... not so hard..."

Instead of pulling away, she pressed her chest even more firmly into my hand.

...What the hell is this madness?

It had been so difficult to raise her SAN by even 1% when I was risking my life with that performance, yet one touch to her breast and it went up immediately? She really wasn't in her right mind.

"S-sorry! I didn't do it on purpose!"

I frantically tried to pull my hand away, but she grabbed my wrist and refused to let go.

"Ahng. You can touch more if you want... If it's you, Roy, you can have all of me..."

"No! That's not what matters right now!"

I forcibly pried her off and gasped for air. My face burned from those provocative words.

"The culprit! We have to catch the bastard who killed me!"

"......The culprit?"

Only then did the excitement drain from her eyes, replaced by pure bloodlust. Her expression grew so cold it was hard to believe she was the same woman who had been moaning in pleasure moments ago.

"That's right!! That piece of trash who deserves to be ripped apart... we have to catch ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him."

"Listen carefully, Adelia. The time of the murder was 4 a.m."

I steadied my trembling voice and explained.

"Which means we're safe at least until 3 a.m. He'll move according to that exact timing."

"But..."

"If you're next to me now, he'll stay on guard and won't appear. He might hide forever."

I looked straight into her eyes.

"At 2 a.m.! Come to my room then... Can you stay away from me until then?"

"......"

Adelia's lips quivered. Her anxiety was plain to see. She didn't want to be apart ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even for a single minute, yet I was asking her to leave me alone for hours. Still, she understood my logic. To catch the culprit for certain, I had to serve as bait.

"......I understand."

After a long pause, she finally nodded. With a sullen expression, she took my hand.

"But you can't break the promise, okay? I'll come exactly at 2."

She rubbed her cheek against the back of my hand like a cat spoiling for attention from its owner. The soft sensation transmitted clearly.

"Be careful... my Roy."

Leaving behind eyes full of lingering regret, she opened the storage door and stepped out. Her retreating figure disappearing into the darkness somehow looked lonely.

Step. Step.

The school grounds were shrouded in darkness. I was walking to the dormitory alone. Without Adelia's warmth, the night air felt unusually cold.

I'm definitely safe until 3 a.m.

I tried to reassure myself and quickened my pace. But there was no law saying the culprit had to move only at the designated time. A chill ran down my spine.

Fuck. I need to get inside and lock the door right now.

That was what I was thinking as I passed through the annex corridor.

"......Huh?"

It happened before I could even finish reading the system message. The air around me suddenly grew oppressively heavy. It was a barrier close to a 'sanctuary'—one that even Adelia couldn't pierce even if she were hiding nearby.

Thwack!

"......Huk?!"

A dull impact struck the back of my head. I couldn't even scream. My vision blurred and strength drained from my legs.

Insane... I thought it was supposed to be at dawn... why so early...

As my consciousness faded, a faint lilac scent brushed the tip of my nose. A sacred fragrance, and for that reason, an even more intense one.

"......Mmm."

...So soft.

The sensation cradling the back of my head and nape was unbelievably gentle. A luxury goose-down pillow? No, it was far more elastic, warm... and enormous. It felt cozy and hazy, like my head had sunk into a giant marshmallow.

This feeling... this scent...

The subtle lilac fragrance circling the tip of my nose. It wasn't unfamiliar. No, it was all too familiar. This was exactly the same situation as when I had collapsed during the 1000th round.

The Saintess... It's Yuriel.

She was definitely giving me a lap pillow. I couldn't let myself get caught up in that strange situation again. The moment I regained my senses, I reflexively tried to sit up.

"Mmph......?!"

Squish!

"Ahang...♥"

My face plunged straight into something heavy and incredibly soft. At the same time, a strange moan sounded from above. An overwhelming physique that stole my breath. My vision went completely dark, and my nose and mouth were fully trapped within soft flesh.

Ha... shit, this pattern again?

As expected, what I'd been resting on was her thigh. And what was now smothering my face were her gravity-defying breasts.

"Oh my! How impatient you are, my junior."

A gentle voice came from above my head. But it wasn't polite speech. The tone was somehow condescending as she looked down at me.

"You could have stayed lying down a little longer."

Chuckling, I pushed my upper body up. Only then did fresh air reach my face. It was the Saintess, Yuriel, her golden eyes overflowing with apparent benevolence.

"......Saintess?"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Yuriel, second year."

She smiled sweetly. It wasn't the holy smile from before. Beneath the benevolence, something sticky and murky glistened.

......As expected, she's not normal.

"You hit your head pretty hard, junior. I 'treated' it for you."

She stroked my cheek with her finger. The touch was far too cold and persistent for a saintess.

"Th-thank you. I survived thanks to you."

I hurriedly stood up. This woman was dangerous. My instincts were screaming a warning.

"Then I'll be on my way..."

The moment I bowed and turned to leave.

"Just a moment, junior."

Yuriel called out to me while still seated on the bench. She leaned forward again, bringing her face close to my ear.

"Sniff..."

She took a deep breath near my neck. Like a beast scenting its prey.

"Haa... You smell so good."

"......Pardon?"

"Just like... Miss Adelia."

"......!"

My heart sank. Was she talking about Adelia's scent clinging to my body?

Her eyes curved into crescents.

"I was wondering why that arrogant bitch would leave her scent on an F-class like you. Now that I've smelled it myself, I understand. It's quite tempting."

"I-I really must go now!"

I stumbled backward as if fleeing. That was when it happened.

"Ah."

Yuriel uncrossed her legs. The long skirt of her saintess robe slid aside. Then, very slowly, she spread the legs she had just uncrossed.

"......!"

Between the folds of her skirt, her pale thighs and the pure white lace underwear covering her most intimate place were shamelessly exposed. It was an overt temptation no healthy man could ignore. I unconsciously swallowed.

"Oh my."

She covered her mouth and smiled with her eyes.

"Did you see?"

"N-no! That's not—"

Feeling my face burn, I whipped my head away. My heart was pounding wildly. Why was the Saintess doing this? To me...? It made no sense.

"Hehe... How cute."

She whispered softly. It wasn't a simple compliment. I could sense the predator's delight in toying with its struggling prey.

"It would hurt my heart if you got injured again. Well then, see you later."

She left gracefully, leaving only that mysterious smile behind. I stared blankly at her retreating figure before snapping out of it and sprinting toward the dormitory.

I ran at full speed down the dormitory hallway. My breath was ragged. It felt like my mind would shatter before I even caught the culprit. Yuriel or whoever—were there any normal women in this damn school?

It's still not 2 o'clock yet.

Fortunately, there was still plenty of time. I just needed to get into my room, lock the door, and wait for Adelia.

With trembling hands, I grabbed the doorknob to my room.

Click.

"Haa... Haa..."

Feeling the relief of reaching safety, I opened the door and stepped inside.

Thud!

"......?"

Something soft and warm collided with my body in the darkness. Not firm muscle, but the plush, bountiful sensation of a woman's body. And the sweet, familiar scent that pierced my nose.

"Ah......"

The shadow in my arms lifted her head. Red eyes that shone vividly even in the dark. It was Adelia. She had said she would come at 2 a.m., but it seemed she had arrived early and was waiting.

She buried her face in my chest and took a deep breath. Then she flinched, her body trembling.

The scent of another woman on my body. Yuriel's scent. There was no way she wouldn't recognize it.

"......"

Her arms tightened around my waist with crushing force. I felt both a spine-chilling possessiveness and murderous intent at once. She growled in a low voice.

"That bitch's scent is disgustingly strong on you. Even more than before."

I looked up at the ceiling, let out a deep sigh, and spat out my true feelings.

Fuck.