noveldrama
Chapter 184
Chapter 184
After returning Sibylla’s body, I made my way back to the Chairperson’s office without hesitation.
I had already attached something like a tracker to Pyemon’s location, so everything I needed to do in the morning was done.
After that, there wasn’t much left to do.
I removed the hypnosis from the guards who were waiting in the Chairperson’s office, got the final reports on everything, and wrapped up the necessary tasks.
Still feeling somewhat free, I called for my wives.
The excuse was to ease the tension of Shia and Alice, who were supposed to spar during lunch.
But in reality, I was using this as an opportunity to gauge their reactions before confessing to my mentor.
“So, you’re going to spar with Ninomiya?”
“Yeah, there’s no one else to fight. What do you think?”
“I think it’s fine, but...”
“Do you think you can win? I mean, it’s Ninomiya we’re talking about.”
“I’m not jumping in without a chance.”
“Well, if that’s the case, then it’s your call. No need to stop you, since it’s all or nothing for you.”
“Yeah! I’m really curious to see Yujin fight seriously!”
Everyone was on board with the sparring against my mentor, but...
“So, here’s the thing... if I defeat my mentor and take the #1 spot in S-Class, we need to talk. Seriously, let’s all sit down and discuss things.”
“......”
“......”
After that, the silence stretched on.
When it came to organizing the harem, they were eerily quiet.
The silence pressed down heavily on me.
“Well, I just meant we should have an honest conversation about everything...”
“......”
“......”
But neither of them said anything. They just eyed each other in silence.
...What is this? It’s suffocating. Help.
***
Before the lunch schedule began,
Shia and Alice gathered in the Chairperson’s office during the break.
They both immediately sealed their lips.
It was because of Yujin’s message: “If I win, we should talk—just the four of us.”
“......”
[Hey, is it possible... that Yujin is in love with Ninomiya?]
[You think Yujin has fallen for Ninomiya?]
Of course, on the surface, they weren’t speaking.
But inwardly, they were having a lively conversation.
A secret discussion using mana between just the two of them, transmitted through telepathy.
Their brows furrowed at the same time.
‘I knew that woman would be the most dangerous, but I didn’t expect anything to happen... until now?’
First, Shia.
She was taken aback by Yujin’s words.
He knew very well how she and Alice were balancing on the edge with him...
But now he was suggesting they all sit down and talk, with Aika included?
Only three women in total—
Alice. Shia. Aika.
The same three candidates Yujin had mentioned for "people he likes" months ago.
Shia wasn’t so naive that she couldn’t guess what that meant.
The scene of Yujin confessing to all three of them at once was already vivid in her mind.
‘No way… Yujin, did you... with that woman... before your regression?’
One more thing.
Shia had been the first to suspect that Yujin had regressed.
Because of that, she was certain.
Her long-held suspicions had now solidified into a hypothesis.
Before his regression, he had likely started a harem, cheating with all of them.
[...This is how I see it. What do you think?]
[It makes sense. In my memories, Yujin was caught between me and Shia.]
It was a theory Alice also found plausible.
After their kiss with Yujin, the memories they had from before the regression showed him as an indecisive man.
Alice speculated that, oh, Yujin must have used hypnosis on Shia and me, right?
Making us like him, with a "fall in love with me" suggestion.
It didn’t really feel like hypnosis worked, but that’s what happened anyway.
So, they had their squabbles while Yujin was caught in between.
A good-natured guy who couldn’t pick just one and must have been suffering.
One of them could never give up on Yujin, so they probably fought forever...
But now the thought occurred to her.
‘Could it have been Ninomiya? Did she sway Yujin’s heart and mediate between us?’
A sudden realization hit her.
Up until now, Aika, who had never shown her face in Korea during the first year,
had been a complete mystery.
But now, looking back, wasn’t she the most likely suspect?
She might have been the one to make Yujin into a real man after all his earlier failures.
More than that, she might be the reason the cheating harem relationship turned into what it is today.
Alice’s eyes brightened.
[Ninomiya was the culprit!]
[What?]
[She must have come by the second year at the earliest! She would have been at least thirty-three by then!]
[So what?]
[She must have gotten desperate for marriage and seduced Yujin before her menopause! She made us reconcile forcibly while we were fighting over him!]
The truth of the first timeline was almost perfectly deduced.
Shia’s expression became grave.
[Hmm. Back then, we got to Yujin first, and that’s how it happened, but now?]
[Huh?]
[If she tries to push us aside and monopolize Yujin, can we stop her?]
[....]
Their eyes flickered toward Yujin.
The young man, who had been uneasy for a while, flinched in fear, shrinking away.
A sigh escaped their lips.
[We definitely can’t stop her.]
[You think so too, huh? Unlike before, now she’ll throw a tantrum and claim him for herself.]
[Even if we were the first to confess, it won’t matter. She won’t listen.]
[We confessed first, but she’s going to get the confession she wants from him.]
[This is bad. Really bad.]
The furrows in both of their brows deepened.
And then they...
[We need to stop this.]
[Poor Ninomiya, but it can’t be helped.]
At the same time, they resolved it.
They would interfere with Yujin’s confession to Ninomiya.
In moments like these, they really were perfectly in sync—getting along, despite their usual bickering.
"Well, well. Let’s go, Shia."
"Shut up. Don’t talk before I slap you."
"Shia’s right. Just keep quiet for a moment."
"Heeek!"
‘I’m scared... What if I die like this...?’
From Yujin’s perspective, it must have been a terrifying sight, but anyway.
The two quickly resumed their telepathic conversation, setting up their plan to sabotage Yujin’s confession.
[For now, we can’t stop the sparring. Agree?]
[Of course. Yujin’s the acting Chairperson right now.]
[Yeah. And after the sparring, he’s going to confess as quickly as possible.]
[When his adrenaline is rushing?]
[Exactly. That clueless fool probably doesn’t realize that Ninomiya likes him. He’ll want to increase his chances.]
The two’s eyes shifted toward Yujin again.
The young man, who was always suspicious around women, was completely unaware of the two planning against him.
[He really is a fool, doing all this with that appearance and ability.]
[Right? If he just kissed us like before, we’d come around... ugh.]
[Anyway, we can’t give him a chance to confess. Got it?]
[How do we do that?]
[Whether he wins or loses, we’ll rush in. Pretend to congratulate or comfort him.]
A slightly annoyed Shia proposed it.
She suggested that no matter what happened with the match, they should jump in immediately after it ended.
As his current girlfriends, they were sure to prevent him from confessing while they were around.
Alice had an idea too, but...
[How do we get close?]
[Get close?]
[Yes. Yujin is a top priority protection target, right? There are dozens of Awakened people around right now.]
Luckily, though, it seemed like their wicked plan might not be so easy to pull off.
After the Seol Hayeon terror attack on Thursday,
Yujin had become the top priority for protection.
So, rushing in immediately after the sparring?
That wouldn’t be so simple.
Even if they wanted to congratulate him as friends,
the people guarding him would definitely stop them.
[It’s fine.]
[Huh?]
[Did you forget who I am? I’m an executive of the Cheonha Clan. I know everyone here.]
Shia said it with unwavering confidence.
Ah, the guards? The Awakened here?
I’ve known them since the days when I carried a bookbag to school.
There’s no way they’ll stop me.
A few words in advance, and they’ll definitely let us through, no problem.
As Shia puffed out her chest, her already flat chest became even flatter.
[Don’t worry. I’ll talk to you beforehand. Just wait around, and once the sparring is over, we’ll rush in.]
[As expected, Shia! You’re amazing!]
Meanwhile, Alice was practically bouncing with every breath.
Her body moved with fluidity and ease.
Shia subtly shrugged her shoulders.
[Yeah. Anyway, let’s go with that plan. We’ll handle things as they come.]
[Yes!]
Finally, Yujin, who had been listening in silence, caught their attention.
His stomach had started to hurt, and Alice was quietly observing.
Shia’s hand reached out with a grin.
“Forget about the clueless fool. Let’s do well, us girls. The sparring.”
“...?”
Alice tilted her head, confused.
The two top students, Shia and Alice, who were definitely going to face off in the sparring,
had their plans for the match ahead. But, why were they so eager?
After all, neither of them needed this match, since they were already famous worldwide as S-Class Awakened.
It was a bit puzzling, but their decision was final.
- Grab.
"Well, I’ll leave it to you. Shia."
But she didn’t doubt it at all.
With the threat of Aika looming right in front of her, Shia was, more than anyone else, a solid ally.
She simply thought, There’s no way she’ll do anything to me—and brushed it off.
...She didn’t realize that Shia was staring intently at her chest.
***
A short time later,
The highlight of the Academy Festival.
The sparring between the cadets began.
[Yu, Yujin Cadet!! It's like meeting an arch-enemy from a thousand years ago....]
- Crack.
“———Die, fat lump.”
“......!!!!?”
‘Guys, no way... did you actually fight each other!!?’
It was a far more intense spectacle than any typical WWE match.