A Convenience Store where the Door Opens.
There, I purchased two items.
Dirty expensive chocolate and a syringe.
I don’t know why they sell syringes at a convenience store…
“12,000 won.”
“…Yes.”
Even though I only bought two items, I hesitated at the price and trembled as I handed over my card before stepping outside.
As the crinkling bag brushed against each other, I peeled off the wrapping.
And there were black spherical chocolates.
This method I devised to deal with the academy’s rules prohibiting alcohol is simple yet truly revolutionary.
The name of the thing used as a means to show heroines drunk in countless animations or comics is…
Alcohol Chocolate.
It’s not just chocolate mixed with alcohol, but rather, alcohol with a certain level of potency is placed inside hollow chocolate.
Since hollow chocolates are often called bonbons, if I had to name it…
“Alcohol Bonbon?”
…Hmm, let’s not bother with a name.
Anyway, in my previous life’s country, it was prohibited to personally make chocolates containing alcohol, so ordinarily, I wouldn’t have been able to create it, but this is another world.
No matter how strict the laws of my past life may be, they cannot imprison me.
Moreover, here in this place, you can buy alcohol chocolates if you go to a big supermarket.
“Hmmm.”
Still, the reason I squatted down and injected alcohol into the chocolate was simple.
‘I have no money.’
In the end, I was still repeating the same problem.
Even if I considered manually adding alcohol to the chocolate, it still cost 12,000 won, not including labor costs.
There is no way a product fully manufactured in a factory would be cheaper than this.
I have to somehow move my body to buy it cheaply rather than paying and immediately buying the product to survive until next month.
Yes, this is not for the enjoyment of taste but a desperate struggle for survival.
Swoosh.
As I finished putting all the alcohol into the chocolate while squatting, the sun began to brighten the sky, announcing that morning had arrived.
“Ah… Done!”
It looked considerably perfect on the outside, so I wrapped it again and placed it in a paper container.
Then came the tasting time.
I took one of the chocolates and put it in my mouth.
Crunch.
“Mmm…!”
The sweetness spreading in my mouth, followed by a slight bitterness, but the chocolate was so sweet that it was hardly noticeable.
Indeed, the sweetness of the chocolate neutralized the bitterness of the alcohol to the extent that it would be hard to realize there was alcohol in it if eaten without knowing.
In short, it tasted very good.
I was slightly surprised that it had turned out this well, but I carefully wrapped the chocolate back up and slung it over my shoulder.
“It doesn’t smell…?”
I was worried that the smell of alcohol might waft outside the packaging, but before that, the scent of sugar was overwhelming, making it hard to perceive.
Now, what remains is who manages the students’ items.
If it’s just someone with physical or sensory abilities, I could probably get through.
The physical type manages unruly students with strength, and unless the sensory type is focused on smell, they would find it hard to notice.
The problem lies with those who can see or feel more than that.
In such cases, I could get caught…
“Well, I have to at least try…”
It’s a bit too much to give up without doing anything.
Crunch.
And after eating another chocolate, I walked straight towards the academy.
***
The main gate of the academy.
Underneath the massive door that must be dozens of meters tall, countless students pass through.
In front of it, Noah and the Senior Student Council President were inspecting the clothing and prohibited items of incoming students.
‘I wonder what happened to that girl earlier?’
“Noah…!”
‘There’s no way she’s not coming at all, right?’
“Noah…!!”
‘It’s almost time to close…’
“Noah!”
“Ah, yes!!”
“What were you thinking that you couldn’t hear me?”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“You can close the main gate soon.”
“Is that so…?”
She arrived at the academy earlier than usual, and today she was in charge of the main gate inspection, thinking she was doing relatively well.
However, during the inspection of the other students for several minutes, her thoughts kept drifting back to the girl she met earlier.
Since this is the only place where she could enter officially, she thought they would meet eventually, but even though it was almost time to close the gate, there was no sign of the girl.
“You were probably flustered since it’s your first time today, but you did well. The duty at the main gate changes weekly, so this week it’s just you and me.”
“…Yes.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Just when she thought, ‘Is she really not coming?’ a girl was seen running from afar, panting.
“Huheh…!”
“She came…”
“Ah, were you waiting for her?”
From a distance, the white hair was clearly visible.
Seeing Noah’s face noticeably brightening, the senior nearby seemed to have guessed and asked.
“…Just, something a little concerning happened with that girl in the morning.”
“Really? Wait, isn’t she the one who caused a scene at the entrance ceremony?”
“Uh…”
[8:30]
And exactly as the girl slid and entered through the main gate, she exclaimed.
“Safe!”
“Mhm, you arrived on time.”
“Ah, Noah-san was working here today?”
“Looks like it…? By the way, did I tell you my name?”
“I saw it on the ID hanging around your neck.”
“Ah.”
Well, considering I had been wearing the ID since leaving home, it was more unusual for her not to know it.
“I can see you two are close, but we need to check your items.”
“Here.”
“Uh… not particularly close, though…?”
The girl’s face appeared to be filled with anxiety, but what she handed over contained only a few boxes of chocolate.
“Chocolate? Are you preparing for White Day?”
“Y-yes?”
“……….”
‘Huh?’
In that moment, Noah sensed something familiar from the chocolate.
There was clearly a sweet aroma wafting from the wrapping, but there was something strange within it… yet oddly familiar.
It smelled similar to the one from the bottle the girl held earlier…
“Uh?”
“What’s wrong? Why are you reacting like that?”
“Um…”
It seemed her senior did not notice this faint smell, but Noah was clearly able to smell it.
But she thought.
The girl with a somewhat anxious expression.
She seemed to be maintaining a nearly poker face, but there was an unmistakable strange feeling in that expression.
If that’s the case…
Noah’s mind began to race.
The girl who made a scene with alcohol and the alcohol bottle she held until earlier.
They connect to the fact that alcohol and tobacco are prohibited in the academy, the girl’s lateness, and quickly linked the actions together.
“……….”
The conclusion that came after.
‘Could it be that she hid alcohol in the chocolate…?’
No, this possibility seemed too clear.
“Um… I can leave now, right?”
As the second-year student council president, she should speak confidently.
To say that there is a smell of something hidden inside, and that she would compensate if necessary, she must check inside the chocolate.
That would be the mission assigned to her.
However, the reason she couldn’t say this outright was something.
‘Is she really just someone who likes alcohol?’
There seemed to be too many mismatched parts for that.
The one sentence related to alcohol earlier, ‘If I don’t drink it, I’ll die,’ oddly lingered in her mind.
Despite claiming it was not the case.
“Do you have something to say?”
“……….”
And Noah ultimately made her choice.
“No, nothing…?”
“Is that so? Then let’s close the gate now. You can go.”
“…Thank you.”
Once again, she knew it was an action she would definitely regret later, and understood that it was wrong.
Yet for some reason, she felt that she shouldn’t stop this.
Noah relied more on her momentary instinct than her reason.
‘I’ll ask separately later.’
Just like that, she made up her mind.
And thus, the girl’s smuggling of the alcohol chocolate ended in success.
With no bribe, merely guided by protective instinct alone.
***
“Wow, that was scary.”
For a moment, I thought I was truly caught and was terrified.
No, in fact, it should have been the case that the alcohol inside the chocolate was discovered.
The reason being, Noah’s ability, who was in charge of the item inspection at the main gate today, was excellent for such things.
[Trait – Discomfort]
This was her trait.
In situations she had previously experienced or circumstances that seemed suspicious, Noah’s ability would be maximized.
Moreover, she could find hidden bombs in places that could never be found, or sense things that ordinary people could not feel at all.
It wasn’t just a heightened sense; once honed to a higher degree, it could even avoid death.
That was Noah’s ‘Discomfort.’
Therefore, it was well-known in the community as a trait that could gain a large benefit relative to the risks involved in the game.
‘But why didn’t I get caught?’
That’s why I should’ve been caught, yet Noah simply passed by without saying anything.
“Could it be that she let it slide…?”
No, this doesn’t make sense.
The Noah I remember is a character who fulfills rules according to her senses, extremely FM.
Because of this, she ended up keeping her duties until a ‘certain incident’ led to her dying less than a month later.
It’s hard to imagine that such a character would let it slide knowingly…
For some reason, it felt like she was treating me more kindly than when she first met the players in the game.
“Hmm…”
I’m not quite sure, but isn’t it fine that I got through?
I decided to just eat another chocolate and let it go.
If it works out, then great.
It was probably because my packaging was too perfect that she couldn’t recognize it, right? Yeah.
Thinking that way, I peeled off another chocolate and put it in my mouth as I walked towards my assigned place.
