“Ugh.”
It’s been a while since I swung my fists, and my fingertips feel all tingly. I wanted to move a bit more, but I had to hold back since the opponents, the angry ones, could have died from my hits.
After dragging all the angry folks to the guards, in front of the carriage outside Elgrid, the Goddess of Time was hopping up and down in joy.
“That’s right, it’s Daniel! It was so satisfying to just beat them up!”
“Beat them up?”
I unintentionally made the Goddess of Time excited, but well, that’s good. I needed to keep an eye on her.
“Anyway, don’t trust and follow others too much. It’s just dangerous.”
“Hmm, got it. I’m definitely a little excited to meet someone who acknowledges my skills after such a long time.”
Considering she had only heard praise when she did errands at my home, it was clear she was thirsty for affection.
I told Sen to pay a bit more attention to her on purpose, and Sen replied that since the Goddess of Time successfully completed her mission, they decided to treat her like family.
It was evident she had been treated like a stray dog or cat until now.
“I’m off to the carriage!”
Time, catching the cue, hopped inside the carriage, giving Sen and me a moment to say goodbye.
Sen looked at me with a satisfied smile.
“You’ll come straight home when vacation starts, right?”
“Hmm, yeah. I should.”
Honestly, the thought of going back home and facing that chaotic and maddening life again wasn’t something I looked forward to.
I only remembered shaking my hips half-conscious back then.
“This time, I’m really looking forward to it.”
“…What will I tell my sister?”
Since Sen had been off on her own before, she expressed her intention to definitely get involved this time.
Even if she’s my stepsister, if I lay a hand on her, I can already predict my sister’s hand at my back.
“I’ll have a good talk with Diana. She might say something at first, but she’ll quickly agree.”
“…That’s not quite what I want.”
What a confusing mess, scratching my head as Sen grabbed my collar and gave me a peck.
This wasn’t a deep passionate kiss, but just a light touch of lips.
“Hehe, nice.”
That alone was enough for Sen, who then snuggled back into my arms, took a deep breath, and casually turned away.
“Okay, I’m off. You have to come visit during vacation.”
“Okay, be careful!”
Waving my hand while Sen got into the carriage, I saw her off until she disappeared, waving until the last moment.
*
After Sen left, I returned to my everyday life.
Just having missed one day, it was not difficult to realize that the students’ perception of me had messed up severely.
From the moment I entered the classroom, the gazes directed at me were a mix of hostility, envy, and admiration.
Most of that hostility came from female students.
While some girls looked at me like prey, overall, the feelings directed toward me were mostly not pleasant.
“…”
I didn’t exactly know why. Some folks who had come to me before meeting the Goddess of Time had already explained.
‘Academy Scoundrel.’
Sitting down at my desk, I rubbed my forehead.
That was a truly horrible moniker, but honestly, what made it worse was that I couldn’t deny it.
In the end, it was true that May, Eve, and Sen had all been in my room.
Sighing deeply in a situation where I couldn’t even make excuses, the trio who had talked to me last time approached.
Levin, Cobalt, and Bilben.
The three of them came up to me with determined expressions, pleading like they were begging for a favor.
“Hey, bro! Please teach us your secret!”
“It’s not even been a month since we joined the Academy, and you’ve got three girls already? Please, we beg you!”
“Is there a trick? Did you use magic? Or hypnosis? Something like that?!”
They were speaking formally while almost begging. At the same time, the hostility from the other female students around was palpable.
‘Seems like I’m already doomed.’
Did these kids seriously not know that asking for teaching while being linked to me would already wreck their image?
“There’s nothing like that.”
“Ah, come on!”
“This is a real dream for us! We attended the Academy for four years and never got a girlfriend!”
“My sides are sore, no, they feel numb!”
I harshly told them to hurry back to their seats, but instead, they clung on even more. If only they had this kind of passion when appealing to one girl, they might have seen some results.
If only I had Ares-level looks, it would be easy to say just be handsome and leave it at that.
Knowing that saying I’d just be handsome wouldn’t work at all, I had no words left.
“Ah, I said I don’t know!”
I had nothing but that to say.
Eventually, after the professor came in and class started, the trio finally left. Maybe they sensed that the stares from the other girls grew even worse.
“Alright, today, as I mentioned yesterday, we’ll have class in the gym, so let’s head out.”
Since it was gym class today, everyone stood up and headed toward the gym. The boys and girls separated and headed for their respective changing rooms.
And from there, boys naturally approached.
I thought it was the same trio again, but this time it was different boys.
“Hey.”
A voice that choked me. I understood they intended to intimidate, but sadly, it just felt pathetic, making my expression shift awkwardly.
Blonde hair reminiscent of Ares, but with a rough look, he led his gang and surrounded me.
“You’ve been pretty noisy at night lately?”
“Hmm?”
“I can’t sleep because of you.”
“…Wait, are you from next door?”
He nodded smugly like he was acting out a play while crossing his arms. Just moments ago, he felt pathetic, but now I felt like a victim.
“Ahem, I suppose I should apologize.”
“Sure, it’s fine, I do it a lot in my room as well.”
BANG!
He slapped the locker next to him while grinning.
“Who were you with?”
“…What?”
“Betty? Myra? Nora?”
“……”
“Whoever it is, just know this: they’re all basically my playthings. Even if you enjoy them a few times, it won’t change anything for you.”
“Tsk.”
What nonsense was he spouting?
“You have a weird sense of ownership.”
I chuckled, patting his shoulder, and he looked at me in disbelief.
“Hmm, what’s your name again?”
His expression seemed shocked by my question, but he opened his mouth as if to test the waters.
“Rades.”
“Okay, Rades. Don’t cling too much to those things. They’re not your property. I’ve seen several people mess up that way.”
There was Ares, and back in my day, there was Senior Seria, the female Ares in the fourth year.
If you act all possessive, you end up being the one who gets hurt.
I gave him a couple of pats on the shoulder and walked out. Rades and his gang stood there, looking shocked, staring at my back.
*
Even if we were having class in the gym, it wasn’t anything spectacular. Just simple physical tests or games for a break.
Since the exam period was approaching, it seemed like they wanted to give the students a short break.
Naturally, I participated lazily, naturally finding a corner of the gym to pass the time.
Ignoring the trio who wanted my secrets and Rades’ group with their weird possession tendencies.
‘What a mess of weird happenings.’
I thought about just showing off my skills and silencing everyone, but then again, wouldn’t that make me look desperate?
It would be ridiculous for someone who fought against Kurika or the God of Life to suddenly fight a fourth-year brat at the Academy.
‘Gotta hold back since I’m an adult.’
As I sat back against the wall, trying to sneak a nap, a extremely violent perfume scent hit my nose hard. Frowning, I looked around to see a few delinquent-looking girls coming toward me.
“Hey! You’re Daniel, right?”
“Up close, you’re surprisingly handsome!”
“What are you doing here alone?”
Sudden questions bombarded me.
I could tell they were delinquents, but they weren’t like May from back in the day, the type to brawl.
“Are you Betty, Myra, and Nora?”
As I called out the names Rades had mentioned earlier, the three blinked at me, then burst into delighted giggles.
“What? You knew us!”
“You catch on quick!”
“If we knew you were interested, we would’ve approached you sooner!”
“…Approach?”
At that bothersome word, I slowly stood up, trying to create some distance, but they naturally surrounded me.
“Yep, they say you’re quite the night-time powerhouse.”
“Actually, I’ve been slipping into a rut with Rades lately.”
“I heard you’ve been going all night long? How about today with us?”
Wow.
Is this really how kids are these days?
They seem clueless about boundaries and understand even less about ethics.
“No, what does that even mean?”
I waved my hands, trying to reject their advances, but the girls naturally locked their arms around me. It felt like being a fish caught in a net, and I tried to wriggle free.
“Cough.”
At that familiar voice, I trembled without realizing it. Next to me was May, dressed in a suit with reddish-brown hair, glaring at the girls.
“Daniel McLean, the Dean wants to speak with you for a moment.”
“…Y-yes.”
“Let’s hurry. Moreover, romantic relationships within the Academy are prohibited.”
Her piercing gaze toward the other girls made them cower and apologize while lowering their heads.
Just as expected.
She was no ordinary delinquent senior.
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