“Ah, so you liked rice cakes…”
After leaving the study room and making my way back to the dormitory, Hong Yeon-hwa muttered absently while walking down the path stained with the sunset.
The scene from the study room just moments ago…
Baek Ahrin nonchalantly offering rice cakes to Lee Ha-yul, who was gladly munching on the familiar treat she offered…
The shock from the unexpected sight still lingered.
“Huh?”
Lee Ha-yul tilted his head, having caught Hong Yeon-hwa’s muttering.
Recently, after experiencing the rice cake gifted by Baek Ahrin during the tournament, he found the texture appealing and now occasionally indulged in them.
Before that, he had no thought of seeking something edible, but as he chewed and slurped on the chewy snack, it calmed his mind and body.
He had tried chewing gum too… but couldn’t swallow it, so that was a no-go. Thus, he now splurges on rice cakes only occasionally.
Buzzing along in the air, Lee Ha-yul stealthily floated closer to Hong Yeon-hwa. He leaned in and brought his lips close to her ear.
The faint, sweet scent of honey swept over her, followed by his warm breath whispering into her ear.
“I’ve been eating it… a little bit.”
“Ah, aww… I see…”
Hong Yeon-hwa’s body trembled slightly at his low, careful voice brushing against her ear.
Moments later, he pulled away, the scent and warmth fading. Hong Yeon-hwa turned her head reluctantly.
Lee Ha-yul was still floating in the air.
The emerald wind supporting him glimmered in her sight.
He was flying through spirit magic rather than conventional magic. Although Hong Yeon-hwa had no talent for either, she could at least recognize the technique.
“Ugh…”
She wished she could just scoop him up and carry him away, but given that he insisted on practicing flying outside, she couldn’t force herself to do so.
Of course, knowing Lee Ha-yul’s personality, he would probably obediently let her if she did, but such forceful actions were out of the question.
“Ahh… ever since Ahrin gave it to me…?”
Upon hearing the situation, Hong Yeon-hwa’s expression grew complicated.
She looked over at Baek Ahrin with a troubled face as she observed Lee Ha-yul floating.
“Huh?”
Baek Ahrin cocked her head and pointed to herself with a finger.
Her feigned innocence was so ridiculously cute that Hong Yeon-hwa’s face twisted.
Baek Ahrin fluttered her eyelashes.
“What’s with that expression? If you look at me like that out of nowhere, my gentle heart can’t take it!”
“Tch…”
Hong Yeon-hwa clicked her tongue in an exaggerated manner. Her tone was definitely poking fun.
Baek Ahrin’s eyes widened as if she was shocked, covering her mouth with both hands.
“Whaaaat? You can’t understand Ha-yul’s food preferences and are clicking your tongue at me… Agh! Put that fist down. Ha-yul is right next to us, you know?”
“Pfft…”
The fist knocking the air froze mid-motion. Hong Yeon-hwa’s hand trembled with pent-up anger.
She reminded herself to keep her cool, letting her fist fall gently.
Then, just to be sure, she glanced at Lee Ha-yul, gauging the atmosphere.
“Uh oh…”
Lee Ha-yul was now off chatting with Elia.
He floated nearby her with a look of utter relaxation, causing Hong Yeon-hwa’s already troubled heart to swirl even more.
‘Elia Slade.’
A fellow student from Ipchun Class whom he had befriended early in the semester.
They had hit it off due to their compatible personalities and became quite good friends.
She was bright, sociable, and had a wide circle of friends.
Plus, she was talented. Her unique abilities coupled recovery spells with regeneration.
It would later be revealed that she had exceptional affinity for spirits, making her a promising individual for the future.
That was the impression Hong Yeon-hwa had.
‘…Too close…’
But suddenly, she noticed how close Lee Ha-yul had gotten to her.
She knew he had received small help from Elia in the past and had built a little connection, but now it was clearly more than just a small bond…
At the moment she recognized it, Elia had already stacked up considerable affection for Lee Ha-yul, treating him like her own child.
She was practically living in the dormitory, playing the role of a caring mother.
And Lee Ha-yul wasn’t rejecting her nurturing either, accepting Elia’s attentions without any fuss…
There’s a saying about a calm cat getting on the stove first… it’s utterly true.
‘But I’ve never even had the chance to hug Seoyul yet…!’
For some reason, Seoyul only showed discomfort towards Hong Yeon-hwa, acting like a cautious puppy ready to growl.
Though she claimed to just be a nurturing fairy, it was apparent that Lee Ha-yul loved and cared for Seoyul like a parent…
Thanks to that, Hong Yeon-hwa found herself in a complex situation, worried she might get on the bad side of both Lee Ha-yul and Seoyul if she interfered in any way.
Her social skills were lacking even at the best of times. Moreover, being new to romance, she was clueless about how to respond.
Though she sought advice from her mother, Choi Ji-yeon, she couldn’t sit and chatter endlessly either.
‘Tch…’
Above all, there was that—
Hong Yeon-hwa glanced down, measuring Elia’s chest.
Generously filled curves.
The white shirt was straining against her ample chest, making her generous figure blatantly visible.
Hong Yeon-hwa felt her vision narrow.
With those cow-like bountiful breasts, it was no wonder Lee Ha-yul was mesmerized by her maternal charm…
‘I’m not exactly small myself…’
Hong Yeon-hwa sneaked a peek at her own.
Equally robust curves were visible.
Large, curvy contours. Those pesky fat deposits that just got in the way of movement and made her wish they’d vanish…
But nowadays, she considered herself fortunate to have them…
Estimating the sizes of her own and Elia’s. Hong Yeon-hwa’s mind spun. The conclusion quickly dawned.
Elia > Hong Yeon-hwa
‘Damn it.’
A curse slipped through her lips. It felt like such a foolish thought. Comparing herself to others and getting frustrated… what was she even doing?
Feeling the reality setting in, Hong Yeon-hwa grimaced.
“Why does your expression look so sour? Got something on your mind? If you do, I’m available for consultations anytime! 24-hour counseling service is up! Just text me!”
“……”
While she was deep in her thoughts, Baek Ahrin, noticing Hong Yeon-hwa’s strange demeanor, approached her quietly.
Hong Yeon-hwa, incredulous at Baek Ahrin’s playful tone, suddenly noticed Ahrin’s chest.
The concurrent calculations of her body size yielded some results.
Elia ≥ Baek Ahrin > Hong Yeon-hwa
A similarity to Elia’s figures.
Which implied a bountifulness akin to a cow.
‘……’
Left side Baek Ahrin, right side Elia.
The shameless professor intermixed with gloomy exasperations like those surrounding Seoyul, and the strangely peculiar glare Hong Yeon-hwa cast towards Lee Ha-yul…
It was a tangled web of reckless situations, and everyone fluttering around could end up disliking Lee Ha-yul.
“Ugh…”
Hong Yeon-hwa sighed deeply and playfully grabbed Lee Ha-yul’s warm, soft cheeks, squishing them as if they were sweet rice cakes.
“Beep beep…”
Lee Ha-yul made a strange noise, obediently pushing out his cheeks.
—
The lecture was pretty much organized.
Magic was confirmed as the main subject.
Occasionally, she registered for production courses and various subjects like monster taming once or twice a week.
She almost never attended combat classes.
With her teacher’s instruction, she felt no need to.
Just as a side note, her teacher assessed her and graded her. When checking her first-semester report card, she found nearly all perfect scores.
When she cautiously asked if it was preferential treatment, she was met with a stern line drawn as they replied it was a fair evaluation. The intention was uncertain, but… if that was what they said, then it was a relief.
Today also began with an early morning.
“I’m sleepy…”
She yawned widely. No matter how much sleep she got, drowsiness just wouldn’t shake off.
It hadn’t been like this before…
“Split consciousness is… going well. Very good.”
The word “split” might’ve been incorrect. It was merely drawing boundaries on consciousness and assigning tasks to each part.
In reality, it could be seen as multitasking.
She had one consciousness continuously performing 24/7 surveillance for potential threats.
Of course, if she took in every scrap of information, she’d be left comatose, so she only observed data that seemed threatening.
While Shio-ram was safe, she still kept this constant check with ease.
The second consciousness dealt with studying, intensely absorbing knowledge from the magic books at the dormitory and those faraway in the library.
Realizing the limits of studying while resisting sleep, she was alternating between watching and studying using this split consciousness.
Moreover, several minor split consciousnesses were currently active.
Thanks to that, her resources… her mental energy were being drained tremendously.
In truth, the reason for her constant drowsiness lately was probably this…
A headache accompanied it too.
The pressure and stress she felt earlier in the semester had resurfaced… No, it was even worse than that.
But she had grown stronger, and she could definitely endure it.
Plus, the stress relief from being constantly held by someone lately had made her feel alright.
She shifted slightly, pulling her face out from where it had been nestled in soft warmth.
Her head pulled back, and the scent she’d been enveloped in faded away.
Just as she regretted that, Hong Yeon-hwa’s brow slightly wrinkled while sleeping.
Soon, her arms flailed, reaching out to pull him back.
As she blinked awake, the deep valleys of soft flesh greeted her.
The sweetest scent was strongest there. Even now, thin whiffs of it wafted.
If she surrendered her body to that touch, she’d be buried in warm softness, breathing in the sweet milk smell, peacefully drifting off… but sadly, there were too many schedules.
Swallowing her tears, she pulled away from it.
There were others behind her too.
Seoyul was snugly latched onto her back, while Elia slept cradling Seoyul.
Arranged from left to right: Hong Yeon-hwa, herself, Seoyul, Elia. It was an agreement of sorts.
Thanks to the large bed, there was plenty of space.
Sitting on the edge, she tapped her smartwatch. Soon, a hologram popped up displaying her schedule.
[Today’s Alarm]
[▶AM 10:00 – “Overview of Monster Taming and Response” Briefing]
[Current Time: AM 07:30]
Today was the day for the monster taming class.
She climbed down from the bed half-heartedly…
“Daddy, where are you going…”
With that, a hand suddenly grasped her hair from behind.
The culprit was Seoyul. With a groggy expression, not even fully awake, Seoyul whined while pulling.
[Ah, that hurts]
[Seoyul…]
[You shouldn’t pull other people’s hair…]
Despite not being very strong, there was a surprising amount of strength behind Seoyul.
Flung by those clumsy hands, she found herself tumbled back onto the bed.
Although physically, Seoyul was no match for her, she could hardly resist out of conscience…
Soon, Seoyul crawled out from Elia’s arms and, like a pillow, perched herself on top of her.
“Let’s sleep together… don’t go…”
Her limbs bound her up like a straightjacket.
[Ahh…!]
At that moment, she was hit by a monumental shock.
She was cradled in Seoyul’s arms.
Not the other way around—Seoyul hugged her…
‘Oh my god…’
It was undeniable how much bigger Seoyul had grown; something inside her crumbled to pieces…
What a fast-growing child she thought, mixed with a bittersweet feeling of being left behind…
Determined to restore her own body as quickly as possible, her resolve ignited anew…
[Aaah…!]
[You can’t bite…!]
—
[Player Adjustment System: Affection Level]
Lee Ha-yul → Elia Slade
●●●●●●●●○○(80▶81/100)
‘Affection’ ‘Gratitude’ ‘Chick’ ‘Apology’ ‘Guilt’
…
Lee Ha-yul → Baek Ahrin
●●●●●●○○○○(68▶69/100)
‘Affection’ ‘Query’ ‘Confusion’
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