noveldrama
Chapter 155
Chapter 155
After seeing my mentor inebriated, my first reaction was pure surprise.
I mean, five cans of 135ml beer? And she’s that drunk? Sure, she’s always had a low tolerance, but this…
‘Oh, right. She hasn’t eaten all day, from morning till evening.’
The surprise quickly faded. Alcohol always hits harder on an empty stomach, and my mentor had been starving herself all day, so it made sense.
I couldn’t help but frown in sympathy.
‘Well, this is a mess.’
It was supposed to be a special night, and I’d prepared to make an effort to show her my interest as a man. But here she was, utterly intoxicated.
I could already predict what would happen next.
‘When she’s drunk, she has this habit of being affectionate until she falls asleep.’
Under that overwhelming strength, she’d lived her life in isolation and had never really experienced happiness as a woman.
Usually, her innate dignity keeps these desires under control, but with alcohol, it’s a different story. Her desire for affection comes through, uninhibited.
If there’s a trustworthy person nearby—like her disciple Seo Yu-jin—she’ll cling to them like a teddy bear, asking them to stay with her until she falls asleep, to tell her she looks pretty, and other things she would never ask for when sober.
‘And then she’ll start taking off her clothes because she gets too warm.’
In the past, I had to endure this frequently.
Imagine: the most beautiful mentor in the world clinging to me naked. It’s torture for a man to resist that.
But I knew if I gave in, I’d be dead on the spot. So if I wanted to stay alive, I had no choice but to endure it.
But that was then.
‘Now, it’s different.’
I’m now the two-time hypnosis master, with plenty of experience in resisting temptation. A mere exposure to her beauty won’t make me lose control.
“Shall I help you take off your lingerie?”
“…W-what!?”
“Well, since you’re warm and you’ve had some drinks, I thought you might like me to help you cool down.”
I offered the suggestion with the confident ease of a married man.
‘Sure, she’ll be furious once she’s sober…’
[“What do you mean? I don’t remember anything from last night!”]
‘She tends to lose memory when she’s drunk.’
Since she wouldn’t remember any of this anyway, even if I confessed, she’d probably just laugh it off.
Are you saying I was clinging to you, undressed? You must be joking, disciple. Who do you think I am?
So, I just needed to hold out until she fell asleep. I could always slip her clothes back on once she was out.
“Oh, um, I need to prepare myself for that…”
“Not warm, then? Alright, what shall we do for fun?”
“H-huh?!”
“Just falling asleep would be boring, right? The moon’s beautiful, so I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep, my princess.”
Despite her inebriation and my confidence that she’d forget it all, she was still my beloved wife.
I asked her gently if there was anything she wanted, ready to accept any affectionate request she might have.
“Fun? What do you mean?”
“Whatever you want. Just say the word, and I’ll do it. Or… would you like me to take off your lingerie?”
“M-mmph…?”
A soft, thrilled sound escaped her lips, as if my proposal had struck a satisfying chord within her.
After a moment of hesitation, she finally said…
Cling
“D-disciple… just do what you want…?”
With her eyes closed, she entrusted herself completely to me, her words and expression open to any interpretation.
Of course, I didn’t misunderstand.
“Then will you allow me? To touch the deepest part of you, Aika?”
“M-mmph…?”
“If you let me, I’ll make sure you have the best night’s sleep.”
I asked permission to reach her soul, urging her to lower her guard so I could help her rest peacefully.
“Uhh… I, um…”
“Or would you like to see something interesting?”
I didn’t stop with my offer.
Slowly, I moved my hand downward…
Slide
“Ta-da. What do you think?”
“M-mmph!!?”
I held up a solid object, casting a large shadow across her cute face.
Her violet eyes grew unfocused.
“Disciple, that’s…”
“A glowing dino—cough, I mean, a pebble. Colonel Seo gave it to me earlier.”
“Why a pebble?”
“It holds a fragment of his memory, from when he was researching with Paimon.”
What I’d pulled out was a small stone, an essential quest item containing critical clues about Paimon.
“With this, we can watch Colonel Seo’s memories and learn more about Paimon.”
Gently shaking
I dangled the stone in front of her eyes, enticing her with the knowledge inside. Wouldn’t she like to stay up a bit and watch?
“No, but…”
“It’s top-secret, but you’re my partner, so you’re allowed to see it.”
Though my wife wasn’t thrilled, I wasn’t giving up.
Pull
“Aww, come here.”
“Huh?!”
I wrapped my arms around her tightly.
Sure, it would’ve been nice to humor her affections for the night, but this was too important.
Besides, if we entered Colonel Seo’s memories together, we’d both be present in spirit. Her inebriated state wouldn’t matter there, and what we’d see would be imprinted directly on our souls, ensuring she’d remember it.
It made sense to use this time wisely.
“N-no, disciple, are you teasing me…?”
“If you feel sleepy, you can close your eyes and drift off to dreamland.”
And besides, she’d likely fall asleep soon anyway. Reading someone else’s memories isn’t easy. I’m used to it, but it would exhaust her soul.
If she was going to rest, it might as well be now.
Mumbling
“Geez… my disciple is always confusing me…”
She pouted, seemingly frustrated that I wasn’t indulging her affectionate mood. But it was all for her sake. My beloved wife, please forgive me.
“Three, two, one…”
Ding
[A fragment of “??” has created a strong bond with the target’s soul.]
[Ninomiya Aika’s soul connects with the target, wearing a pout.]
[Two individuals are now synchronized with the fragment of “??.”]
The world before us turned sepia.
Some indeterminate time later, Aika slowly opened her eyes, reflecting on what she’d seen.
‘So that’s Paimon…’
What she’d seen of Paimon had been truly intimidating: the unyielding infinite resurrection, the intelligence surpassing any other creature they’d encountered, and the overwhelming amount of mana, topping it all off.
Even the most obstinate maiden couldn’t deny the threat Paimon posed.
Her mind spun with thoughts.
‘That… that chest size… and it’s all pure mana? As if it’s packed with S-rank cores?’
In Colonel Seo’s memories, Yu-jin had explained it: Paimon’s resurrection was powered by her mana, stored in her chest as if it were a repository filled with S-rank cores.
It was a massive quantity of mana. The size of an S-rank core was hardly larger than a plum, but Paimon’s chest could easily hold the equivalent of fifty S-rank cores.
‘It’s fortunate her body can’t keep up with her power. If she had skill, we’d be in serious trouble.’
However, Aika wasn’t too alarmed by this revelation.
No matter how much liquid a bottle could hold, it would only trickle out if the opening were small. Paimon’s body would likely struggle to channel all that mana efficiently.
It would probably be too much for Bbo, and Seol Ha-yeon would find it difficult, but if my disciple and I join forces, it’ll be no more than a warm-up exercise.
[“So that big, dumb thing is Paimon?”]
[“Pretty big, huh… Do you like… that kind of thing, disciple?”]
[“Me? Oh, no, that’s a bit much. They say too much of a good thing is no good.”]
‘I mean, I don’t think I’m that much smaller…’
But there was one line Yu-jin had said that struck a nerve: too much of a good thing.
No matter how large Paimon’s chest was, Aika was hardly outclassed herself. What? Her disciple doesn’t like overly large chests?
‘Could that be why he’s been holding back all this time? Because he thinks I’m too… big?’
Her heart sank just thinking about it.
The idea that this might be the reason why Yu-jin hadn’t made a move so far alarmed her.
Of course, if she could think clearly, she’d realize it was ridiculous.
But she was exhausted from peering into Yu-jin’s memories, and her spirit was drained from the experience. Her rational thinking was compromised.
‘Ugh, my head is spinning…’
“Nngh…”
With her drunkenness compounding her exhaustion, she let out a helpless whine, troubled by the thought that her disciple might not like her.
“Wait, you’re still awake… You haven’t gone to sleep yet?”
“Disciple…”
Our eyes met again.
There I was, caught off guard, thinking she’d already fallen asleep, and there she was, my mentor, her mind hazy with exhaustion and lingering traces of her earlier affectionate mood.
“Disciple… do you not like me? You don’t like… women with big chests?”
“What? Of course not.”
“Then… do you love me?”
“Well, yes. I love you, my dear mentor.”
“And… do you love me… as a woman? As a wife…?”
She boldly crossed a line, her inhibitions utterly gone thanks to the alcohol and sleepiness.
“As my beloved mentor, yes…”
“But I love you, disciple. As a man, as my husband…”
“Uh.”
My brain went blank for a moment. I was stunned, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“If you love me, then… confess to me… I don’t like waiting…”
Hug
She wrapped her arms around me tightly, as if refusing to let me go anywhere.
“Give me a kiss, hold me close…”
“M-Master? Are you saying that you…?”
“...Mmm…”
Slip
Just then, in the last moment, she fell asleep, leaving me with a storm of thoughts.
“Master? Um, Master? Hold on, is this…”
Scramble, bump
[A cheeky inner voice bonks you on the head.]
[Your inner voice mutters about your lack of awareness, practically shaking you by the collar.]
No, wait. Did she really mean it? She actually sees me as a man, wants me to… all night?
[The inner voice tugs on your sideburns, urging you to open your eyes to the reality.]
This might be my chance… but if I mess up, I could seriously regret it… No, I’ve trained hard. I can endure it!
[Your inner voice repeatedly smacks you, warning you of the consequences if you act impulsively.]
I lay awake, wide-eyed, fighting my own thoughts alongside my internal warnings.
The Next Morning
“Yu-jin? What’s with you so early in the morning?”
“Please host a festival! During finals! Make it as grand as possible!”
“A festival? What kind of request is that…”
“I—I want to sleep with my mentor!”
Pause
“W-w-w-w-with… w-with…?!”
And thus, the chain of misunderstandings instigated by a certain 32-year-old bachelorette ended up causing quite a stir for the 60-year-old principal.