Chapter 246: Final Exam Commemoration Party (2)

Tuesday afternoon, the day Lee Ho-yeon went to the Magic Expo.

Alice, having finished her regular classes at the Academy, prepared to return home.

'He ended up not coming at all.'

Alice cast a sidelong glance at Lee Ho-yeon's empty seat.

Wondering why an incident breaks out everywhere that man goes.

She didn't know if it was a field trip or what, but she heard he got swept up in a terror attack at the Magic Expo he attended with Professor Im Sol.

'Could Lee Ho-yeon actually be the mastermind behind it?'

His frequency of appearing on the news was steadily increasing to the point she even had that thought.

Tsk.

Alice, who was having strange thoughts, chuckled and shook her head.

Because there was no way that could be true.

'They said it was blocked perfectly, so he probably wasn't hurt, right?'

The news about the terror attack spread across the internet and even to foreign press in just a few hours.

Honestly, a terror attack is a major problem, but terror attacks by demons happen several times a day all over the world.

Therefore, it wasn't an issue that warranted spreading to the foreign press so instantly. The real issue was Professor Im Sol's magic that blocked it.

To put it in one word... it was a magic that made one think they should absolutely never step out of line in her class.

Besides that, there was various news about how Professor Im Sol needed a re-evaluation or statements from the Magic Society, but it wasn't really important to Alice, so she didn't look it up.

What was important to her was Lee Ho-yeon.

There was a reason he couldn't afford to get hurt.

Because her mana circuit had finally narrowed.

The time for a mana massage had come again.

She needed Lee Ho-yeon's help.

"When... would be a good time?"

Just as Alice was going over her schedule.

"Excuse me, Alice?"

Someone spoke to her from behind.

Turning her head slightly, it was a very familiar face.

"It's been a while. I came looking for you because of the Final Exam Commemoration Party."

"...Final Exam Commemoration Party? Ah, Senior Secretary."

She only recalled after hearing those words.

The senior in front of her was the secretary of the Student Council.

She was slightly confused because it had been a while since she dropped by the Student Council.

"Yeah, yeah. This is the plan, please take a look. The Public Relations Department is also part of the Student Council for now..."

Checking the documents, Alice's first thought was that it would be a hassle.

[Student Council Final Exam Commemoration Party Plan!]

It was a plan that looked annoying just by looking at it.

It also seemed like a lot of people would gather.

It was too different from Alice's style, who liked quiet things.

If this was an important party, she would endure it and attend, but it wasn't even that...

'Wait, she said Public Relations Department, so isn't Lee Ho-yeon coming too?'

Alice, who was about to politely decline, remembered Lee Ho-yeon's existence.

Given his personality, Lee Ho-yeon wasn't a man to skip this kind of social gathering.

"It might look more complicated than it seems, but actually, the first-year students don't have a big..."

"Is Lee Ho-yeon participating?"

Alice asked the secretary while looking over the documents.

"Huh? Ah, of course Ho-yeon is participating too. Anyway, the first-year students..."

"I'll do it then."

If Lee Ho-yeon was participating, she had to do it.

Alice didn't hesitate any longer and signed the documents.

"Uh, eh?"

"I said I'll do it. Senior."

Then she handed it to the blinking secretary.

The secretary was surprised for a moment, but soon took the documents with a smile, thinking her work was done.

"Thanks. You must be very close with Ho-yeon, Alice?"

"...Uh, it's not like that."

"You signed it without hesitation when you heard Ho-yeon was participating. That's a relief. That you juniors are close. Since the camaraderie among us seniors is smashed, at least you guys should get along well."

"..."

Even after seeing the secretary leisurely disappear while dissing the Vice Chairman, who was the disgrace of the Student Council, Alice couldn't offer any rebuttal.

Come to think of it, why did she sign based on whether Lee Ho-yeon was participating?

Fortunately, her contemplation wasn't long, and she was soon able to reach a conclusion.

"...Because I have to talk to him about the massage."

She had to talk about the centaur too; it wasn't just one or two things she had to say.

Hmm-hm.

Of course, these were things she could discuss over the phone or through messages, but Alice averted her eyes from the truth.

"Massage, centaur, business... Right. I have to talk about these things face-to-face."

She just kept repeating the same words to herself.

*

Wednesday morning.

I saw The Nam Sisters off at the entrance.

"I'll be going first. Ho-yeon."

"Bye, Ho-yeon! I'm leaving!"

"Yeah, yeah. See you later."

The reason I sent The Nam Sisters off first was because I had something to say to Scarlet about moving.

Scarlet, who came in late yesterday from doing God-knows-what, finally talked to me about the house this morning.

And she started telling an astonishing story.

"...20 Billion Won?"

"Yes. You told me to find a place with good conditions, didn't you?"

"I did say that. Yeah..."

Just what kind of amazing conditions did she find?

The only places I've ever lived in my life were a villa, a one-room studio, and the Academy dormitory, so a 20 Billion Won house suddenly felt completely detached from reality.

"I found the best house in the area. Land prices around the Academy are naturally expensive, you know."

"That is true, but. Uh, still, 20 Billion Won is..."

"Surely you're not stingy about the money when it's a house where Lady Liriana and Miss Nam Da-eun will live, right?"

Scarlet widened her eyes and covered her mouth.

She was pretending to be surprised.

"As if. I just, haa. Yeah. Do whatever you want."

Looking at that smirking expression, I could tell she definitely did something, but she dodged the topic and kept it hidden till the end.

"You didn't spend the money on anything weird, right?"

I asked just in case, but Scarlet firmly shook her head.

"Absolutely. Not at all. In fact, I got it much cheaper than the market price. Even if we just live there for a few years and sell it, the profit margin will be massive."

"Smack. If you say so."

Honestly, if it were my money, I would have been angry, but it's not even mine.

I originally intended to give all the 30 Billion Won extorted from the Baier Guild to Nam Da-eun.

But she adamantly refused to accept it, so I had no choice but to take it.

Since she said she used it to buy a house, it doesn't feel like a waste.

"...But why are you smiling?"

"I'm not smil-, pfft, -ing."

It's just that her smile made me anxious.

"Is it okay if I don't check it myself?"

"Yes. Please don't worry."

It also bothered me that she wasn't telling me the address... but it wasn't a house I'd live in alone, it was a house we'd live in together, so she probably got a good one.

It's probably just a slightly extravagant house.

Surely not something like [10 Billion Won Vase (Genuine Article)] or anything like that, right?

I would be really mad if she did.

"Alright. I'm going then. Keep Liriana well entertained."

Liriana had locked herself in her room, claiming she had to work harder on her broadcasts before moving.

'She's going to be here for a week anyway, but she's in such a hurry.'

After saying goodbye to Scarlet, I also left the dormitory.

I arrived at the Academy and headed to First-Year A-Class.

This place was always bustling.

- Can we bring alcohol to the Commemoration Party...

- You wanna hang out with me?

The cadets were gathered in groups, talking about the Commemoration Party.

Seeing how widespread the talk of the Commemoration Party was, it certainly seemed famous.

That probably meant there was just as much work to do.

Thinking about it again, a wave of annoyance washed over me, but I stuffed it down and forced myself to endure it.

I naturally approached Lucy and Rumi, who were already seated.

"Hello, Mr. Ho-yeon."

"Lee Ho-yeon, you're really sturdy. With an incident like that, shouldn't you have gotten hurt at least once?"

"What the hell are you saying?"

As I continuously exchanged greetings and sat between Lucy and Rumi, Lucy looked at me as if fascinated.

"They said it was a massive scale terror attack on the news... Though I also saw the professor take care of it in an instant."

Lucy shivered slightly as if she recalled Im Sol's magic.

Well, I was surprised too, so how shocked must others have been.

Looking at the news on the way here, they were talking about inviting her to the Magic Society or something, I wonder how that will turn out.

"Still, I'm glad you didn't get hurt... Mr. Ho-yeon."

"Thanks, Rumi."

Before classes began, I made small talk with the LucyRumi twins.

From what I did yesterday, to ending with 'Do you have time today?'.

Struggling to ignore the desire emanating from Lucy's eyes as she asked that last question, I averted my gaze.

"...I have to go to the Student Council today."

"Student Council?"

"Yeah. Because of the Final Exam Commemoration Party."

"Ah, right. A message came. It said we had to participate unless there was a special circumstance."

"I'm also affiliated with the Student Council, you know. They called me over to do some work."

"That's impressive, Mr. Ho-yeon..."

"Tsk. Got it. I'll pass on today! Ah, anyway, it's the final exams right after the Commemoration Party ends, what should we do?"

Rumi looked up at me from my side with sparkling eyes, and Lucy spun her pen as if annoyed.

"Is it already time for that? I guess I need to study for the final exams."

Time sure flies.

No, is it slow?

With my schedule completely packed day by day, there's just so much to do.

"Mr. Ho-yeon... you're good at studying, aren't you?"

"Exactly. Why are you so good at studying when you just play around every day?"

"You gotta prepare ahead of time. Ahead of time."

Receiving the seemingly envious gazes of the twins, I prepared for class.

Actually, my grades were due to a Special Privilege, but to craft the perfect lie, I had reached a state where I even deceived myself.

I thought of myself as a genius.

Then I would be able to lie without my conscience pricking me!

"Then, please teach us how to study too... in the clubroom."

"That sounds good! We can't today, so from tomorrow?"

The perverted twins invited me with an obvious ulterior motive.

"You guys aren't actually going to study... Smack. If I don't have any plans, I'll teach you."

Of course, I didn't refuse.

*

"Wow, it's a celebrity! A celebrity!"

"...Be quiet."

Im Sol frowned at Min Ye-ji, who was feigning surprise at seeing her.

"A-yeong-a, did you see Sol's magic? She just floated up into the sky, went flash, and all the demons just melted away."

"You, don't drag A-yeong-i into this too."

"I saw it. It was really cool. Why? It's not something to be embarrassed about, is it?"

Im Sol let out a sigh looking at her friends teasing her, but on the other hand, she was grateful.

Because they treated her the same as usual even after seeing such an ability.

However, even though they supported her just the same, she couldn't feel the thump, thump that she felt from Lee Ho-yeon.

'...It's a serious illness.'

Sluuurp-

While Im Sol sucked on her coffee to erase her idle thoughts, Min Ye-ji began to tease her next target, Baek A-yeong.

"Well, there's even a professor who likes a cadet. Right?"

"I-I'm not a professor, I'm the school nurse, so it doesn't matter! The school nurse is a staff member, a staff member."

"Sol. Sol. Look at what A-yeong-i is saying. Hmm? Look at her."

"Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought. What is it?"

Im Sol, who was roughly nodding her head while thinking of Lee Ho-yeon, finally snapped out of it at Min Ye-ji's words.

"She says a school nurse isn't a professor. So she's allowed to like a cadet...!"

Kyaa kyaa-

Min Ye-ji ruthlessly played around with Baek A-yeong, and Baek A-yeong, her face turning red, bowed her head and drank her beverage.

Whenever the three of them met, this kind of conversation always went back and forth.

Min Ye-ji teasing Baek A-yeong, and Im Sol trying to stop Min Ye-ji.

But today was different.

"...If they like each other, wouldn't other conditions not matter?"

Im Sol sucked on her coffee, pretending it was nothing.

However, the moment those words came out, the table was engulfed in silence.

The two who had known Im Sol for a long time knew.

That this woman was not the kind of person to give such a feminine answer.

"...Sol?"

"C-Competitor..."

Min Ye-ji stared at Im Sol with eyes full of disbelief, and Baek A-yeong almost spat out the beverage she was drinking.

"Please don't look at me with those weird eyes. It's just my opinion."

Im Sol expressed her opinion in self-defense, but there was no way Min Ye-ji would listen to that.

"L-Lee Ho-yeon. That bad bastard. He's trying to steal all my friends away..."

Min Ye-ji tightly closed her eyes as if sad, but the corners of her mouth were raised.

Because she felt good that something interesting had happened.

"No, he hasn't stolen us yet... Calm down."

"Y-Yet..."

Baek A-yeong opened her mouth as if her soul had been drained after hearing Im Sol's words.

Because they were words confirming that Im Sol was also her competitor.

"Sol. Tell me straight. Why did you do that!"

"Haa..."

Min Ye-ji began to cling to Im Sol like a lion that had found its prey, and Im Sol let out a hollow laugh as she looked at Baek A-yeong, who was standing there with her mouth open as if she had lost her mind.

She figured that if she was going to get caught eventually, it wouldn't be bad to get caught beforehand.