Have They Both No Shame? (While Watching a Catfight)
Have They Both No Shame? (While Watching a Catfight)
While Yujin kept himself so busy...
—Murmur, murmur.
"Who do you think Seo Yujin will date?"
"Based on the amusement-park photos, Yoo Sia. Her face was bright red...."
"I kind of want to root for Alice. She's friendly, and she even likes my Outstar posts."
Pentagon Academy's freshmen—Yujin's classmates—were buzzing over which woman he would date.
It seemed inevitable that he would date one of the three.
Yet all three appeared interested in Yujin.
Alice bragged every day on social media that she and Yujin were fellow Pine-Needle Snow devotees.
Yoo Sia had even linked arms with him at an amusement park and openly advertised it as a date.
And as for the number-one S-rank, Ninomiya...
"It has to be Aika. They already live together."
"The game is already over, if you ask me. I wouldn't be surprised by a pregnancy announcement any day now."
After all, they were living together.
To their classmates, it was a game of chicken that any of the three could win.
A three-way battle among women fighting over Yujin.
How did their classmates react?
"Forget that boring answer. Nobody's rooting for Aika, right?"
"Obviously not."
"Japan can't win. Obviously."
Aika was eliminated first.
Since most of them were Korean, that opinion was only natural.
That left two candidates to support.
They split between Alice and Sia...
"If you're Korean, you have to support Yoo Sia. Obviously."
"She looks a little calculating in those amusement-park photos, but there's no helping it."
"She's from Cheonhwa too, so the optics are good."
Half their classmates supported Yoo Sia.
She had the advantage of being Korean, like Yujin.
She was a second-generation chaebol heiress whose status suited the future S-rank Yujin.
Above all, she'd been bold enough to cling to him in an outfit like that at the amusement park.
Sia was the perfect woman for that pointlessly wholesome young man.
"I'm on Team Alice. She has a great personality and gets along well with Yujin."
"She loves Korea, so wouldn't she simply naturalize if she dated Yujin?"
Meanwhile, the other half supported Alice.
Unlike Sia, Alice was approachable and had many friends.
Practically every classmate had received at least one like from her on Outstar.
Nobody disliked someone who was friendly with everyone.
On top of that, Alice was famous for loving Korea.
If she dated Yujin, wouldn't she settle permanently in Korea?
That reasoning produced a flood of Alice supporters.
"Unlike Yoo Sia, she's unexpectedly innocent too."
"Right. The other day, she looked so startled when I said someone had gotten off or whatever. It was adorable. It reminded me that she really is a foreigner."
...Calling her cute and innocent was somewhat detached from reality, but in any case.
That was why their hearts raced from early Monday morning.
They looked forward to watching the suffocating academy life shared by Sia, Alice, and Yujin.
And to helping the two women behind the scenes.
'I couldn't date him myself, so at least I could live vicariously....'
—Creak.
"———Alice. What is that outfit?"
"This? Yujin lent it to me specially. I brought it back to return it, but the morning was chilly, so I wore it for a while."
"...Oh?"
"......."
'What was with those two? They were terrifying.'
Their excitement vanished the instant they entered the classroom.
For some reason, the two women had arrived before anyone else.
The looks they exchanged were ice-cold.
"Why'd he lend it to you?"
"Actually, I stopped by Yujin's dorm yesterday. One thing led to another, and my clothes tore a little. He saw my underwear and dressed me himself. Can you imagine?"
"What were you doing that your clothes tore and your underwear showed?"
"Well, Yujin simply wouldn't let go of me. He kept saying I was the prettiest woman in the world and all that."
"......."
"That was how it happened. How embarrassing. Hehe."
Alice scratched her cheek, pretending to be embarrassed.
But the emotion in her eyes was anything but embarrassment.
It was pride—pride in the physical contact she had shared with Yujin the day before.
As an added touch, Alice had been the one clinging to him, yet she subtly rewrote events to make Yujin sound responsible.
Sia's eyes narrowed.
'How dared this vixen lie just to start a power struggle with me?'
As far as Sia was concerned, everything Alice had said was a lie.
Alice had said it purely to get under her skin.
She wore the jacket Yujin lent her because the morning was chilly?
That was rich coming from a woman who ran hot and had walked around half-naked since spring.
Yujin had clung to her?
The boy had frozen when I merely linked arms with him. There was no chance.
Obviously, Alice had been the one to cling to him. Like a vixen.
And that part about her clothes tearing...
Had she not secretly torn them herself to seduce Yujin?
Yes. One hundred percent. That vixen.
Sia nearly shuddered at how underhanded it was.
'It'd be better to make her give up early. I would feel sorry for her if she got her hopes up, confessed, and was rejected.'
Alice's intentions, however, were entirely innocent.
Yujin liked either Ms. Ninomiya or her anyway.
She would feel sorry for Sia if the poor girl got her hopes up for nothing.
She should say this now so Sia gave up early.
That was all Alice had meant.
It was consideration that would have made Sia twice as angry if she knew.
"Haah. Yujin said that to you too? That you're the prettiest woman in the world?"
"Oh? He said it to you too, Sia?"
"Yes. He went on about how I was the prettiest even without makeup."
"Well, Yujin is rather generous with compliments...."
"———While we were bathing together."
"...What?"
Angry, Sia threw a jab.
Oh, really? He had called her the prettiest too.
While they soaked together in the same bath.
"Th-That... Come on. Is that some Korean joke?"
"No. He and I washed together yesterday. In the bathroom. We soaked in the same tub."
"Stop lying. Yujin would never do such a thing...."
"Hmph. Believe me or not."
"......!!!!!"
Alice's eyes flew wide.
Now that she thought about it, Yujin had carried a faint, sweet scent of the sort of bath additive a woman might use.
It had smelled strangely like an old lady too, but anyway.
At the time, she had assumed he'd changed shampoos...
Could it have been because he bathed with Sia?
'Sia looked so confident that it had to be true!! They really had done some soapland role-play!!'
Good heavens. The two of them, bathing together.
She had seen this plenty of times on 'Eye.'
Soapland—pretending to wash someone while doing all sorts of indecent things!
Of course, since it was Yujin, they probably had not actually done anything while naked, but...
Perhaps they had worn swimsuits?
Saying, "I'd wash you myself. With my body. It'd be soft and feel good."
If Haru heard that deduction, she'd have marveled, "As expected of Pinky. Unlike Flatty, she understood."
The two women stepped closer to each other.
—Squish.
"Hmm. That could happen. In England, that much is common between close friends."
"Oh? Is that so? In Korea, people rarely do that unless they're extremely close."
"...."
"...."
A brief silence followed.
They stood close enough for their chests to touch, smiling as they stared at each other.
The cadets frozen at the doorway couldn't endure the atmosphere and fled.
—Scurry.
'I thought they'd only size each other up... What was that? Terrifying.'
'They didn't need us rooting for them after all. They both genuinely liked Yujin, did they not?'
'Did they have no shame? What were they doing in public?'
To normal people, it was simply a fight.
A fight aptly described as a "catfight."
And what were they fighting over?
Without realizing it, they were essentially competing over which of them had clung to Yujin more.
Good Lord. Why are you discussing something like that in public?
This is beyond embarrassing. It's creepy.
I'm leaving.
That was why the cadets had abandoned the perfectly good classroom to wait for Yujin in the hallway.
—Creak... Thud.
"Well, anyway. You can probably keep the clothes."
"Huh?"
"The truth is, I have a movie date with ‘our’ Yujin this weekend. I'll have him buy me something designer then."
The fight resumed the instant the door closed.
Sia's underhanded attack blazed forth.
"Oh~ I couldn't do that. Do you know how precious these clothes are?"
"What's so precious about those cheap sweats?"
"They held the memory of my first experience. Mine and Yujin's."
"......What?"
"Isn't it obvious? Our first experience clearing a Gate. Neither Yujin nor I will ever forget it."
"......."
"Ah, that reminds me. After we teleported, Yujin hugged me tightly. He said he'd protect me before anyone else. He was so dependable and handsome, Yujin~."
Alice was no novice at fighting either.
Rather than dodge, she smiled and traded blow for blow.
A vein bulged on Sia's forehead with an audible twitch.
"True. Yujin is in surprisingly good shape. When we bathed, I saw that lean muscle... Ah. You've never seen it. Sorry."
"No, I should be the one apologizing. Sia, you've never spent time with Yujin as his partner. I mentioned something only I knew."
"......."
"......."
The atmosphere grew heavier with the silence.
They smiled at each other, but neither smile held any warmth.
And then...
—Slide.
'......Yujin!!'
'Speak of the devil. Perfect timing.'
The wholesome young man appeared at the worst possible moment.
Alice and Sia threw themselves toward him at once.
Victory in this battle depended on Yujin.
—Scurry. Grab.
"Yujin! Take a bath with me too! A bath!!"
"Come with me for a Gate-subjugation practicum."
"A-Alice? Sia?"
Yujin suddenly found himself with a flower on each arm.
From his perspective, he could only be confused.
He had already had a rough morning because of Master.
Now these two were starting first thing in the morning too?
He could feel his energy draining away.
"U-Um, could you let go first so we can talk? What's going on?"
"In Korea, really close friends bathe together, right?! As fellow Pine-Needle Squad comrades! We should bathe and then drink Pine-Needle Snow together!"
"You need real combat experience too. A systematic, concrete Gate clear, not a solo fight. I'll stay right beside you and teach you."
—Squish.
"F-First, let go so we can talk."
"You're going to the movies with Sia this weekend, right? Come to a spa with me too. We're Pine-Needle Squad comrades. Yes? Yes?"
"Why? You hugged Alice like that in the Gate. Are you saying you don't want to go with me?"
"That's... I need time to think...."
—Squish squish.
"I won't let go until you answer!"
"Yujin. Answer me."
Sia and Alice had no intention of letting him off.
The sight of them shamelessly trapping his arms between their breasts was painfully embarrassing.
And Yujin...
'What was wrong with them? It was just like before the regression, when they clung to me and demanded more attention... Did they already like me? Was this jealousy?'
—Ding.
[The skill 'Complete Hypnosis' briefly considers giving up on everything.]
[The skill 'Complete Hypnosis' slaps its cheeks and pulls itself together.]
[The skill 'Complete Hypnosis' activates.]
'There was no way. What was happening? Had those two fought?'
His face reddened as he merely blinked.
It was wholesome to the point of being pitiful.
* * *
After Master, Alice and Sia had glued themselves to me first thing in the morning.
My response was...
'I had dealt with this plenty before the regression. Mediating something this minor would be easy.'
"If our Alice wants to go, of course I will. I'll speak to the Chairwoman."
"Wow! Yujin, you're the best!"
"What? I asked fi—"
"Thank you too, Sia. You were trying to look after me because you worried I lacked experience, right? You're adorable. Really."
"...Th-That's not why, idiot?!"
"Anyway, since my Sia is going this far, tell me whenever you want. I'll come running."
"H-Hmph. Well. You should be grateful."
I simply accepted both offers.
Their requests didn't even conflict.
Besides, they probably had not said any of it because of romantic feelings for me.
Why would I choose only one? I would choose both.
—Murmur, murmur.
"Good Lord. He charged straight through it."
"Look at how girls who were that angry melt after one smile. If that isn't hypnosis, what is?"
"Honestly, if a guy like that made eye contact and smiled at me, even anger I didn't have might disappear."
The cadets murmured as they watched me.
...Well, I did look like trash.
I had said I liked one of the three, then behaved like this.
To everyone else, I must have looked like a bastard keeping several women on the hook.
Of course they would insult me.
I couldn't even argue.
I really was trash keeping several women on the hook.
Unlike a normal player, I genuinely intended to date all of them. But anyway.
"Then let's sit down. The Chairwoman will be here soon."
I brazened it out instead of responding.
I subtly pulled out chairs for both women...
...then naturally dropped into the seat between them.
At that behavior, the jeers began to...
—Stride.
"Everyone, quiet."
'Oh. Perfect timing.'
Before the jeers could erupt, the Chairwoman appeared at exactly the right moment.
The murmuring classroom immediately fell silent.
And then...
"I'm sorry, but another professor will handle the morning lecture. Something urgent has come up."
"......?"
"A-rank Awakener Seo Yujin. You have a mission. Follow me."
I was suddenly assigned a mission.