Betrayal (5): Freshly Squeezed
The next day. I left for school earlier than usual, reviewing the details the drug distributor had given me as I walked. The transaction method the other party described was simple. Confined to the Academy grounds, I would hide the money anywhere I wanted and notify them. They would collect the cash, leave the goods in its place, and let me know. It seemed incredibly sloppy, yet it also revealed their absolute confidence that they wouldn’t get caught. Did they have some kind of insurance I didn’t know about?
“....”
Still dragging my heavy body toward the Academy, I suddenly heard a familiar voice.
“J-Jihwan…!”
I glanced back to see Gong Haeseon running toward me with a bright smile.
…How is she here?
Her unexpected appearance startled me. It wasn’t strange for us to bump into each other by chance, but… it was currently seven in the morning—far earlier than her usual arrival time.
“…Haa… haa… Good morning…!”
She caught her breath and greeted me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Good morning.”
I returned the greeting while hiding my confusion. Gong Haeseon naturally fell into step beside me and subtly asked whether I had contacted the person from yesterday.
“D-did you… reach out to that person from yesterday…?”
“Yeah. From what I gathered, it might be one of the teachers.”
“R-really…?”
At the mention that the culprit could be a teacher, Gong Haeseon reacted with exaggerated surprise, yet something felt off—like her soul wasn’t behind the words. It didn’t feel genuine.
…Am I overthinking it?
We continued walking while discussing the day’s plan. Once I had roughly explained everything, Gong Haeseon casually rummaged through her bag and pulled out a bottle of milk as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Here…!”
The white liquid sloshed inside the clear bottle. The memory of that addictively sweet taste coating my tongue made me lick my lips without thinking, but today, for some reason, I hesitated to accept it.
…Should I take it? Or not?
A strange reluctance held me back. Seeing my hesitation, Gong Haeseon gently pushed the bottle forward and shyly pointed at her chest.
“I-I made it fresh this morning…!”
Same-day preparation. Even so, the odd discomfort lingered. When I kept hesitating, her shoulders drooped and she spoke in a dejected voice.
“You’re… not going to drink it? I made it even tastier than usual…”
In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to coldly refuse her persistent urging. Telling myself nothing could possibly be wrong with it, I accepted the bottle.
…It’s not like she spiked it with anything, right?
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Drink it while it’s still warm…!”
Her subtly pressing tone pushed me to twist the cap open.
Pop!
The lid came off with a cheerful sound. Whether it was my imagination or because it was freshly made, the signature sweet aroma felt overwhelmingly strong. I swallowed reflexively, glanced at Gong Haeseon who was watching me intently, then brought the bottle to my lips.
Gulp. Gulp.
Sweetness flooded my mouth. It was so delicious I almost wanted to breathe it in instead of air. After draining the bottle in one go and swallowing the final mouthful, I felt a faint sense of regret. I slid my tongue along the rim to catch the last drops.
And in that instant—
“…Hm?”
An unfamiliar texture brushed the tip of my tongue. It felt like a partially dissolved granule.
“Pwah…”
I quickly pulled the bottle away and moved my tongue around, trying to identify the strange powder. Gong Haeseon, who had been quietly observing me, startled and spoke up.
“W-what’s wrong…?”
“Hm? Nothing… I just thought I felt some crumbs.”
“C-crumbs…?”
“Yeah. Maybe I imagined it.”
Gong Haeseon took the bottle back with a nervous expression and peered inside. After a moment she let out a short sigh of relief and offered an explanation.
“I-it must be sugar that didn’t dissolve properly…!”
“…Really?”
“Y-yes! It’s just sugar…!”
Her tone felt like she was insisting I believe her, but the milk had tasted good, so I decided to let it slide.
The moment I left Jihwan in the classroom, I hurried to the bathroom. I quickly stripped off my top, freeing my heavy breasts. The moment I unfastened the buckle they spilled out with a heavy bounce. Because of the movement, a little of the “liquid” the pads couldn’t contain leaked out.
“…Uuu…”
I had woken up at dawn to squeeze out something fresh for Jihwan, but it seemed the potion’s effects hadn’t completely faded yet. I tore off some toilet paper and wiped my damp chest, then carefully peeled away the pads clinging to my nipples. The cold air touching my wet skin made my whole body tremble.
“…Haah…”
About twenty minutes later, recalling the sight of Jihwan drinking the milk let me purge the last of the drug’s influence.
Twitch. Twitch.
“…Hehe… hehe…”
I pulled my lolling tongue back into my mouth, slowly stood up, and steadied my overly sensitive body before preparing to return to the classroom. Every time I took the potion I had to go through this exhausting process of expelling the remaining effects, but when I thought about becoming “one body” with Jihwan before even the Sword Empress, this much hardship was nothing.
“…Huuu… All done…”
After cleaning up, I washed my hands thoroughly at the sink and thought about Jihwan’s plan. He intended to watch the transaction site and strike immediately. But according to my information, the other party possessed a peculiar ability. No matter how long he waited at the location, catching them in the act would be difficult.
Fortunately, I already knew who the culprit was. The merchandise looked familiar, so I asked my twenty-third sister about it. I learned that the person distributing drugs inside the Academy was one of the “family” working under Sister Yeji. I didn’t know why they were spreading the drugs, but… if I could lure that person out and let Jihwan capture them, we could both join the student council together.
The student council had plenty of activities and more freedom from regular classes. We would be able to spend far more time together than we did now.
“…Hee…”
Just imagining it made laughter bubble out of me. My true rival wasn’t the immature Min Soyeon, nor was it the Sword Empress currently dating Jihwan. It was Yu Jihwan himself—the one who kept raising iron walls against me.
I had given up on monopolizing him long ago. The moment I realized the Sword Empress—who had climbed to the absolute peak to protect her husband—had approached him, I knew I had no choice. Challenging her meant death, and after death I would never be able to meet Jihwan again.
What I wanted now was only one thing: for him to like me. If he would simply find me lovely and glance my way whenever I crossed his mind… even if it was only a physical relationship, I wanted him to think of me as a comfortable woman, a woman who never caused him trouble.
“....”
That was all.
After Gong Haeseon rushed off to the bathroom, I headed toward the location I had scouted earlier, subtly checking my surroundings. The spot I had chosen was the management office in the Academy basement. There was only one passageway leading to it, and plenty of places nearby to hide, making it perfect for ambushing the crime in progress.
“....”
I continued glancing around cautiously, then carefully descended into the basement and approached the dimly lit management office.
“…It’s really dark…”
Using my phone’s flashlight, I hid the money in a suitable place, erased my traces, and returned to the surface. My plan was to report to the student council first and then wait at the scene.
But…
“What are you doing here?”
“Huh? Soyeon?”
I happened to run into her on the path, and the familiar object in her hand immediately caught my eye.
“…Soyeon. That thing you’re holding…”
It was a cigarette. Soyeon flinched when she noticed my gaze, quickly hid the cigarette behind her back, and looked at me with a flustered expression.
“…W-what about it?”
She clearly had a guilty conscience.
“…Soyeon. I thought you weren’t going to smoke anymore?”
When I spoke with a worried sigh, she averted her eyes slightly and answered.
“…I’m not smoking?”
“Then what’s that?”
“…What’s what?”
This girl…?
Her blatant denial left me momentarily speechless. She had trained so hard to become stronger, yet here she was smoking again. For her own sake, I needed to stop her.
I spoke to her as calmly as I could.
“Soyeon… Smoking reduces lung capacity. That affects your ability to control mana when—”
“…I don’t care. I’m leaving.”
Min Soyeon turned and ran away from me.
“…H-hey? Wait, Soyeon!”
I tried to chase after her retreating figure, but my wife’s words suddenly echoed in my mind.
‘…Soyeon needs time to herself too, you know?’
Time alone. Just as my wife had said, Soyeon needed that time. Instead of barging in and disturbing her heart, my role was to support her while she sorted through her feelings.
“....”
I stopped in place, staring blankly at the now-empty hallway. Complicated emotions welled up inside me, and I clenched my fist tightly. Then I turned around and headed toward the student council.
Huu… Leaning against the wall, I exhaled smoke in a daze and unconsciously turned to look at the path I had come from.
“....”
This was already my third cigarette.
“…Haa…”
Click—I extinguished the barely-smoked cigarette and put a fourth one between my lips. Lighting it, I hoped he would come.
Fwoosh—crackle—
Sssip… I slowly inhaled the smoke, held it in my mouth while remembering his advice, then immediately blew it out.
“…Huuu…”
My vision blurred behind a hazy veil. The wind soon scattered the smoke, revealing the same empty path where no one stood.
“…Idiot.”
I had hoped, but Yu Jihwan never followed me.
Click—