And a few days pass, back at the academy.
Recently, thankfully, every day has been clear, so I’ve been called by Emily less often.
Instead, the harassment from Mary continued, albeit unnoticed.
“Hey, Ken. I left my book. Is it okay if I sit next to you?”
Using the book as an excuse to bother me from the seat beside.
“Ugh, stop it…! We’re in class right now…!”
“Are you rebelling right now? Can’t you just sit still?”
From the side, she’s poking my belly like it’s dough. S-stop! That’s a sensitive spot!
“This desire chunk… Aren’t you embarrassed walking around with something like this? Just because it’s massive, you’re basically a pig, aren’t you? Honestly, admit it! You’re flaunting it so the girls gossip about you!”
“Ugh…!”
I’m being shamelessly teased by a girl.
But Emily’s harassment didn’t end there.
“Ken, come over here and massage my shoulders.”
“Uh…? B-but….”
“What do you mean but? Hurry up and come!”
Forcing me to massage her shoulders during break time.
“Ha-uh, huff… umm, yeah, right there… a bit slower… ahh!”
“Is this how you do it? Ha! You’re such a useless guy who can only help with stuff like this. Ahh…! Just big in size, what a real idiot.”
“Ugh…!”
Having large hands is somewhat of a complex for Ken!
Even with my mental fortitude skill, Ken’s memories still brought some pain.
But I can’t stop.
If I stop massaging, it’ll definitely lead to a beating.
Unjustly, I did my best to knead Emily’s shoulders.
‘After all, she’s still a girl.’
She’s the one teasing me, but her defenseless, offered shoulders feel soft like a girl’s.
How is she hitting me so hard with such a non-muscular body?
“Good, umm… more! Right there…”
“You mean here? Excuse me, is this place you’re talking about?”
Thanks to my crafting skill from item crafting, my massage skills were surprisingly decent.
Recently, there have been more instances of being made to massage rather than being hit.
Even now, though class had ended, I remained in the classroom to massage her shoulders.
But there’s one thing I’m curious about.
[ System: Emily Epiris’ arousal level is rising. ]
‘Is the system malfunctioning? Why is her arousal level rising like this?’
Sometimes, this status message appeared whenever Emily teased me, aside from when she hit me.
No matter how sadistic she is, there’s no way the protagonist is a pervert and getting aroused like this at random times.
My trust in the system message slightly decreased.
“…Huh? Are you… okay?”
Suddenly, I felt Emily’s body temperature from her hand was high, and she was breathing heavily.
She placed her hand on her thigh and squeezed her legs like someone trying to hold in a bathroom urge.
Her hands and legs trembled with ragged breaths.
“Um….”
“Shut up and finish. Don’t stop your hands….”
“Ugh, okay.”
‘Tch, I shouldn’t have worried so much.’
Somehow angry, I squeezed my hands tighter in a bit of revenge.
After kneading Emily’s shoulders quite a bit, I now knew where her weak spots were.
“Ahh…! Wait a minute…! What are you doing…!”
“What? Ah, this is the point that helps with sleeping, ma’am. You’re lacking sleep recently, right? Hehe. You’ve got quite a knot here.”
Of course, that was nonsense.
I had no clue about so-called sleep-helping points.
But I knew that if I pressed here, her shoulders would tremble and her waist would tense up.
I focused on targeting her weak points.
“Ahh…! St-stop…! I said, stop…! No…! Ha, if you keep bothering that spot…!”
My flamboyant hand skills didn’t stop despite her cries.
This was my revenge for her teasing. I hope she enjoys it thoroughly.
Thankfully, my attacks seemed effective as she shoved her hands between her legs, squeezing them tightly.
She kept rubbing her thighs anxiously.
‘…Alright, here’s the finale!’
Just as I was about to take my thumbs to deliver the final blow.
“…What are you doing at this hour?”
Someone suddenly entered through the classroom door.
“Uh, uh?”
Startled by her unexpected appearance, I blurted out nonsense.
It was Mary Hyde, the Queen of the Academy’s Frozen.
In the sunset light, her light blue bobbed hair sparkled.
[ Ken Feinstein’s concentration level is rising. ]
“M-Mary! What brings you here?!”
Feeling Ken’s will wrapping around me, my hands instinctively pulled away from Emily’s shoulders.
Then Emily turned to look at me.
In her gaze, there was a mix of unease and irritation.
And then that gaze quickly shifted from me to Mary.
“Yeah, what’s a student from another class doing here?”
Despite Emily’s sharp voice, Mary maintained her usual expressionless demeanor. And she answered nonchalantly.
“…I’m staying behind because I want to go home with Ken.”
“…What? Together?”
What’s with this atmosphere? Why did it suddenly get so heavy?
And then, at the center of that turmoil, Emily stood up and approached Mary.
“Sorry, but Ken is supposed to go home with me today. Would you mind leaving?”
No, I never made such a promise.
And Mary, perhaps noticing this, replied with a hint of emotion.
“……I’ve heard a certain rumor recently.”
As Mary, who had been emotionless, finally opened her mouth, a noticeably cold voice flowed out.
Her expression remained unchanged, but her gaze had definitely sharpened.
Her blue eyes gleamed.
“On a rainy day, Emily Epiris is said to be bullying Ken Feinstein.”
And the air around froze.
Magic gathered around Mary, and ice magic, her specialty, was generated.
Thanks to her unique skill, the ice magic activated without even saying the incantation.
Soon, sharp icicles formed in the air, all aimed at Emily.
“Is it true?”
“…….”
Emily couldn’t readily answer.
After all, Mary was the strongest in the academy after Raphne.
At this moment, the only ones who could face her on equal footing were Raphne and two male capture characters—Adrian and Siegfried.
“……Tch.”
Even Emily, who knew this fact, showed her frustration as her hands trembled.
And just as she seemed to gather her resolve to speak to Mary,
‘It’s definitely better to stop this.’
I immediately stood between them.
“N-No! Mary! Really, it’s not bullying! Emily and I are just close friends!”
“…C-close friends?”
“Is that so?”
I heard Emily’s flustered voice behind me, and Mary removed the magic from her gaze, dispelling the icicles.
Of course, I knew.
If I left everything to Mary now, this bullying would certainly stop right away.
But Emily is the protagonist of the game.
If a fight breaks out and she happens to get hurt, the loss would outweigh the gain.
It’s better to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
Whether my interjection made a difference or not, Emily showed no reaction. I turned to look at her.
Her eyes were directed not at Mary but at me.
For some reason, she glared at me, her face red. That gaze held a vague mix of anger and guilt.
Soon, tears formed in her eyes, and Emily turned away.
“…I’ll go.”
With that, she packed her things and left the room.
“……”
‘That girl is so unpredictable.’
In the end, only Mary and I were left in the classroom.
Mary watched Emily leave before turning to look at me.
Her expression was not the usual indifference but a hint of concern and guilt.
And Mary cautiously opened her mouth.
“…Ken, are you alright?”
It seemed she knew a little about the lie I told about us being close friends.
There was no point in lying now.
“Yes, thanks to you, Mary, I’m alright.”
Though it was Ken’s willful words, I really owed my safety to her. I had no idea how long I’d be kneading her shoulders like that.
But even with my words, Mary’s face was troubled, maintaining a sad expression.
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d be going through such a thing in the rain.”
“Ah, no, Mary! I’m really okay!”
Waving my hands frantically at Mary, whose face was overshadowed by shadows, I reassured her.
Of course, I wasn’t okay.
But it seemed Ken couldn’t just watch a girl he liked wear such a devastated look.
I said I was okay, even though I wasn’t.
But knowing it was a lie, Mary’s expression didn’t change.
“I should… I should protect you. …But when it rains, I become a useless person. I’m so sorry.”
“……”
I couldn’t say anything to her, who kept apologizing.
Only one question lingered in my mind.
Why on earth does Mary take off from the academy on rainy days?
I knew that in a game with a weather system, I couldn’t find Mary on rainy days.
But why she had such a setting was never revealed in the game.
“Hmm, shall we head home for now?”
However, I couldn’t easily ask about such a sensitive topic.
So, I decided to wrap up this little incident for now.
“…Huh?”
“……Ah.”
But just then, I suddenly found the answer to that question.
While trying to change the topic to lighten Mary’s mood with trivial talk as we were heading home,
A sudden shower began.
Pitter-patter.
“…Ah, no.”
As thick drops of rain started to hit our heads, Mary muttered that softly.
Her face was filled with confusion and fear.
