In the space meant for just the two of them, memories of William’s lewd teasing crept in, now that they were engaged—thinking it would be fine to indulge her as much as he wanted.
William, with his terrifying desires, maintained a surprisingly good public image and reputation.
No, it was even better than good.
He was the type of person who thoroughly managed his reputation, a classic two-faced individual.
“Disgusting!”
That made her dislike him even more.
She crossed her arms and hugged herself.
She had thought that since the engagement was decided by the country, she couldn’t defy it.
With royal bloodlines, political marriages were fate.
She had braced herself for a marriage against her will.
But then…
Olivia bit her lip.
“Really… you fool, idiot… sea cucumber, sea squirt, anemone… the dullest man in the galaxy…”
Olivia grumbled in a low voice.
“…someone as terrible as you… this Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte is managing to deal with you as a personal maid, but if it were another maid, I would have run away ages ago.”
She couldn’t let it go.
Not to other stray cats.
But…
“…is it okay to be greedy?”
The reason she was sent to study in Japan was to have a free school life, not to mingle with the commoners of a small country with no family tree.
Being a personal maid to a commoner and even scandalizing with that commoner could hardly be believed as the behavior of a lady with a fiancé.
Return to her homeland and face the music.
It was the message from the Bonaparte royal family through Bella.
“The festival… I suppose I could spend it with that idiot. At least that’s a relief.”
She had already prepared her secret weapon for the festival.
Suddenly, before going to do laundry, Bella’s advice lingered in her ears.
[In Japan, there’s a legend that if you confess to your partner while watching fireworks on festival day, love will blossom.]
Olivia’s face turned red upon hearing Bella’s words.
“Th-that’s just superstition! It’s all just superstition!”
Fireworks, confession, love.
Those three words swirled endlessly in Olivia’s mind.
Whoosh.
Olivia’s face flushed a deeper red.
What if…
What if there was truth to that?
Then confessing to him during the fireworks…
“No way!”
Olivia shook her head violently, her face turning all the way to her ears.
She wrinkled a poster featuring fireworks.
“Superstitions like that, I definitely don’t believe in them!”
As she muttered this, she glanced at the crumpled poster and carefully smoothed it out.
The fireworks image reflected clearly in her blue eyes.
Not a light novel, I tell you.
The chilly edge of the window touched her throat.
Swallow, her dry throat clicked.
A dry swallow passes.
Aris’s silver gaze turns toward me.
Whoosh.
As Aris puts away her spear, she says, “Let’s wrap up today’s training here.”
As the tension eases, my legs go limp.
I flop down on the floor.
My entire body is soaked in sweat.
[You did well, partner. I’ve been liking how hard you’ve been training lately.]
The Black Prince starts chattering noisily.
[Honestly, with your rotten determination, I thought you’d give up in three days, but I was wrong. Pleasantly off the mark.]
What? Three-day resolve?
It looks like it’s true.
‘What does this guy think of people?’
[You have zero honesty and suspect others’ goodwill way too much—like the world’s laziest sloth who barely trains.]
Utter nonsense is thrown back at me.
Ugh.
I don’t even have the energy to respond.
I collapse on the floor, catching my breath.
Thanks to the exhaustion, I can’t do anything.
Thud.
Aris drops a sports drink and a towel next to me.
“You did great today, Kim Deok-Sung. It’s nice to see you improving bit by bit every day. Although the problem is that it’s only a tiny bit, like ant tears.”
Contrary to the harsh criticism coming from my mouth, Aris lightly smiles.
I recall her character setup.
Aris, the perfect lady, strives for perfection in every aspect because her one true passion is training.
To maintain her position as the strongest at the academy, Aris spends most of her time training, aside from her student council duties.
It’s a classic case of a hardworking genius.
I half-lift myself up.
I grab the towel Aris offered and wipe off the sweat while drinking the sports drink.
The refreshing taste of the cold sports drink lingers in my mouth.
“Thank goodness your resolve isn’t just a three-day thing. I’ll specially commend you for that.”
Clap, clap, clap.
Aris claps her hands lightly with her usual expressionless face.
It’s nice that both the Black Prince and Aris are praising me, but it feels oddly patronizing.
“Now that training is over, I’ll be heading out. Saionji-senpai.”
After wiping off my sweat, I rise from my spot.
Today is the day I promised to attend the summer festival.
If I wash up and get ready now, I’ll be right on time.
“………Kim Deok-Sung.”
Aris calls me.
“Do you have plans after training today?”
“I’ve agreed to go to the summer festival with the club members. It’s the Sanno Matsuri.”
At my answer, Aris’s expression tightens slightly.
She says, “I see. If it’s a promise with the club members, then I can’t say anything. Just make sure to adhere to the curfew and behave properly. Each cadet is like the face of Shuo Academy outside.”
Aris adds some nagging.
Hearing her fuss when I’m going out reminds me of my mom.
Whenever I’d go out for fun, I’d get the annual lecture to stay in touch, not come back too late, and not drink too much.
I don’t know why I found it annoying back then.
With thoughts of Olivia and my hometown mingling, my mood sinks uncontrollably.
“………Understood, Saionji-senpai. I’ll make sure there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Well then, enjoy the festival and make sure to be careful, Kim Deok-Sung.”
I leave the practice room, supported by Aris’s send-off.
It’s time to get ready to go out.
*
Thud.
The practice room door closes behind Kim Deok-Sung as he leaves.
Left alone, Aris bites her lips.
“Ugh…”
If there were no other plans, I was going to suggest going to the festival together after the special training.
“Let’s make it just the two of us.”
I can’t even count how many times I practiced that simple phrase alone in front of the mirror in the dormitory.
To say it as naturally as possible, without showing any emotion, perfectly like the Student Council President ‘Saionji Aris’.
It’s definitely not because I’m envious of that junior I met in Ikebukuro.
It’s all about building a closer rapport for our efficient training sessions.
“Kim Deok-Sung······. You bad guy······. I even prepared a yukata on purpose······.”
A hint of Kansai dialect slipped from Aris’s lips.
Since that day, the training sessions have increased, giving her more time with him, but something still feels lacking.
Moreover, deep down, Aris has unconsciously realized that the reason he extended their training time had nothing to do with her.
It’s a woman’s intuition, often seen in light novels.
“Ughhhh······.”
She can’t stop her junior from spending the festival with club members now that she’s a senpai.
So, all she could do was send him off with composure.
Because Aris is the Student Council President of Shuo.
“I want to go too······.”
Memories of her childhood flash through Aris’s mind.
During her rural days when she was bullied, the festival held once a year at the local shrine was one of her few joys.
Hand-in-hand with her parents, wearing a yukata, buying squid skewers at the festival stalls, and enjoying fireworks was a cherished memory that wandered in her mind.
One of the few joyful memories from her childhood.
Since moving to Tokyo, Aris hasn’t attended any festivals.
To play the perfect Student Council President, she couldn’t slack off on personal training, council duties, or theoretical studies.
What would the city’s festival be like?
Would it feel like the summer festival from her hometown?
She has no idea.
But just like back then.
I also want to hold his hand, enjoy the festival and watch the fireworks······.
“No way! I, I’m absolutely not thinking anything unwholesome!”
Aris shook her head vigorously.
Her face turned red.
“Ughhhh······. Huh. It’s so hot with this weather······.”
Flap flap.
Inside the training room, fully air-conditioned, Aris fanned herself while blaming the weather.
Bzzz.
Her phone buzzed.
Thump, thump, her heart raced.
Could it be him?
With hopeful anticipation, Aris checked her phone and saw a message from the president, Yoshizaki Seira.
“Ah.”
A slight feeling of disappointment surfaced on her face at that moment.
Then a new message appeared with an ellipsis.
[If you’re free today, how about going to the Sanno Matsuri with me?]
Seeing that word, Aris’s silvery eyes flickered.
Right.
This isn’t an outing.
She’s merely accepting the president’s invitation.
Quickly wrapping up her self-justification, her fingers tapped the screen keyboard rapidly.
[Understood. Onee-san.]
Her reply was sent to Seira’s phone.
*
After returning to the dorm, I finished my shower and dressed in casual clothes before heading out to the academy.
“Yo, Kim. You’re here.”
“Otsu! Senpai! Have you arrived?”
As I stepped out of the dorm’s entrance, I spotted Ishihara and Yuji waiting.
“Let’s hurry.”
The festival is at Hie Shrine.
If we take the train with them, we won’t be late for the meeting time.
Olivia, Rin, Makoto, Eri, and Kasumi decided to gather separately from the guys, embarrassed for some reason, so they weren’t here.
They decided to gather among themselves, so they’re not here.
“Got it.”
“I’m just going to follow you, Hyung-nim.”
Yuuji and Ishihara follow behind me.
Can you believe Japanese people are relying on a Korean for directions?
Is this really Japan?
[It’s a festival. Partner. I’m also looking forward to it after a long time?]
I take the excited Black Prince along and board the train at the Shuo Hero Academy gate.
Clatter clatter.
The train is packed, probably because it’s festival day.
I can see people in yukatas scattered around.
“Oh, Hyung-nim. A seat just opened up. Please sit.”
I manage to sit down with Ishihara’s guidance.
There’s still quite a while until we reach the National Assembly Station.
Since there’s nothing to do, I might as well check out some web novels.
Of course, just like light novels exist in this world, web novels do too. There are some hunter-related stories and stuff.
I haven’t read light novels since I got isekai’d, but I can’t let go of web novels.
Web novels are way better than those potato farm light novels.
Clack.
I access a web novel site and scroll down.
[No Back Man] [The Final Boss Returns]
‘Oh, I still had this on my favorites?’
I see a game-oriented piece I dropped because it was boring, but it looks like I never cleaned it up.
Just as I was about to delete it without hesitation.
[“Help! – I killed the Academy Player” The latest chapter has been uploaded.]
An alert pops up for the latest chapter of the academy-themed web novel, [I Killed the Academy Player], which I’ve been enjoying the most these days.
Without delay, I pay 100 won and start reading.
‘As expected, the protagonist’s love for Arisha is superb.’
I can’t help but admire the author’s skills for turning Arisha, who has been teased daily by the community as a losing heroine, into a pure love affair.
‘Today’s love battle was satisfying as well.’
I finish reading today’s installment like a warm bowl of soup at the end of the day.
It resonates more with me, probably because it’s also an isekai genre.
The scene where the player gets killed in the prologue, and the moment early on when the protagonist monologues, “I will not stand by while the good suffer,” and “I will save the world,” is just beautiful.
I log into the web novel community to share my thoughts with other readers about the love battle.
[Who recommended this Academy love battle?]
[I heard it was a godly piece, so I watched it, but the beginning is totally juvenile and feels like a light novel??]
I see a comment that makes me frown.
What? A light novel?
I immediately tap away at the keypad.
[What do you mean light novelㅋㅋㅋ This love battle is not a light novelㅋㅋㅋ Also, just bear with it until after it becomes paid; the quality skyrockets then.]
[Nothing interesting in the ‘bear with it’ feed ㅋ I heard the recent web novels suck hard, seems serious ㅋㅋ pass the light novel trash ㅅㄱ.]
Passing on light novels?
A sudden rush of anger overtakes my entire body.
How dare they compare web novels to trash like light novels?
I’m furious.
[It’s not a light novel so why are you comparing it? What’s your deal, you piece of garbage?]
[Why are you suddenly going off? The light novel nerds can be scary.]
[It’s not a light novel, so stop saying it is!]
[Now that I think about it, the IP is from Japan, haha, blocking light novel trolls.]
Where the hell is this punk…
Just as I was about to unleash my pent-up frustration and showcase my honed keyboard warrior skills defending the weakest hero before my isekai, I hear Yuuji’s voice.
“Kim. We’ve arrived. It’s the National Assembly Station.”
Looking at the electronic board, I see it’s our destination.
Damn it.
I swallow my frustration and get up from my seat.
I’ll have to ask Han Seo-Jin to track that IP later.
Just know that I let you off today because I was busy.
“Let’s go, Hyung-nim.”
I stand up.
As the train doors open, a wave of people in yukatas floods out.
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