"Ugh, I'm so exhausted…"
A girl, barely reaching 160cm in height, strutting back after completing her training.
She could easily pass for a middle schooler, but her Victoria Academy uniform and those protruding assets were making a strong case against her being a middle schooler. Maybe her growth hormones decided to migrate exclusively to her chest, because those puppies were defying all laws of proportion on her petite frame.
The girl, Lucy, fresh out of her mana training in the private room, was just as peculiar as Lee Hoyeon, who sprinted straight to the training room as soon as the entrance ceremony was over.
As she strolled down the corridor of private rooms, suddenly the air was filled with blaring sirens and a strange hissing sound.
"Huh? What's going on? An accident?"
One of the private room doors in the corridor started opening upwards.
Luckily, this girl had diligently gone through the training center's guidebook that no one ever bothers to read, so she instantly grasped the situation.
'If mana exhaustion occurs during training in the private room, failure to respond quickly could be life-threatening. Therefore, the training system detects it and immediately dispatches rescue personnel, while also sounding the siren in case there are people nearby to provide emergency aid.'
"Um, excuse me, are you alright?"
The smoke made it impossible to discern the person's appearance, so Lucy waved her hand to disperse the smoke and laid eyes on the fallen figure.
"Hey, aren't you the guy who fell asleep during the entrance ceremony?"
At the ceremony, Lucy had startled the living daylights out of him after he suddenly drooped his head and dozed off.
'Come to think of it, back then I had a hunch, but now that I see him, he's actually quite good-looking.'
Momentarily taken aback by the man's handsome face, Lucy rushed over to him.
"Hey, wake up!"
Even after a few cheek taps, the man remained unconscious. She felt compelled to administer some sort of emergency treatment. However, apart from diligently reading the guidebook, she hadn't bothered to glance at the adjacent emergency treatment manual.
The only emergency procedure she knew was cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which she learned back in middle school.
'Well, doing something is better than doing nothing, right?'
Sure, performing CPR on someone who isn't in cardiac arrest is a highly risky move. But Lucy wasn't aware of that.
Placing her hands in the correct position for chest compressions, with her palms pressed against the center of his chest, it ended up being an awkward stance with her own chest getting squeezed. But all she did was get serious about performing CPR.
"One, two, three, four, five, six…."
"Ugh… ugh…"
"Oh? Are you waking up?"
As soon as the man displayed signs of consciousness, Lucy got a boost of confidence that she was doing things right. Without skipping a beat, she got back into the CPR chest compression position.
And that's when the man's hand suddenly shot up.
"Huh?"
Caught off guard for a moment, Lucy didn't even react when she noticed his hand clasping her own chest.
Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
"Ki… Kiyaaaaaah!!!"
***
What happened?
I was pretty sure my mana was gathering normally, but out of the blue, everything went blurry before my very eyes.
And when I finally came to my senses, there were two watermelons wobbling right in front of me. Still groggy from just waking up, I instinctively grabbed one of the watermelons and tried to lift myself up.
Hold on a second, when did watermelons become so squishy? Nah, this is not right… What on earth is this thing? It's as soft as a woman's boob…
"Ki… Kiyaaaaaah!!!"
A scream that could shatter glass pierced my eardrums.
Finally, I regained full consciousness. As I diverted my attention from the soft watermelon, I saw a young girl in a uniform trembling before me.
★ Heroine Status Window
[Lucy]
[Affection: 8]
[Lust: 5]
[Appetite: 50]
[Fatigue: 60]
Wait a minute, why is Lucy here?
She's a half-European, mixed-race girl and the younger sister of the twin heroines.
Ever since she was little, she easily made friends with people, including the protagonist. But because of her personality, it's harder for their relationship to evolve beyond friendship.
Thanks to the protagonist's sincere efforts, those feelings were slowly fading away and she was starting to open up… but our first encounter had to be a calamity.
"Um… sorry. I was a bit out of it…"
"Y-Yo-you… You bastard!"
Lucy's face turned redder than a tomato, and she started conjuring fiery arrows in her hand.
"Hold on, hold on! It was an honest mistake. Just calm down a bit, will ya?"
"Perverts should die! You're a criminal!"
If she managed to shoot me with those arrows, I might actually kick the bucket. I needed to summon my magic to block it, but my magic was as stubborn as a mule.
"Emergency warning from room 402! Emergency warning from room 402!"
"Right in front of us! Hey, student! What do you think you're doing, playing with magic here?"
Luckily, the rescue team arrived at the perfect moment. It seems that when I collapsed, the training center's system sensed the gravity of the situation and dispatched the rescue team.
"Save me! Save me! I'm right here"
"Let go of your hand! Now!"
Fortunately, the rescue team managed to restrain Lucy, who was about to unleash a firestorm upon me, by firmly holding her arms.
Even though they had her arms locked down, she was wriggling like a fish out of water. But my oh my, all I could focus on were her bouncing boobs in mid-air.
In the original game, Lucy loses her focus when her eyes wander. It's my chance.
Thankfully, she seemed so engrossed with the rescue team restraining her that she momentarily forgot about me. This was the golden opportunity I needed.
"I saw him running toward that corner."
"And you simply observed him running?"
"Well, he appeared to be perfectly alright…"
"What on earth…"
The emergency rescue agent from Victoria Academy began pondering whether they should throw in the towel and give up on this whole situation.
***
"A mana exhaustion phenomenon?"
It seemed that what I had experienced was a mana exhaustion phenomenon. It occurs when you attempt to manipulate mana with very little of it remaining within you.
Such a thing never happened in the game. What a harsh world, seriously.
I understand, though. I was so eager to give it my all and forcefully squeeze out some mana. And on top of that, my condition wasn't exactly optimal.
Now that I know the true extent of my mana capacity, I won't make this mistake again.
"Why did I have to make my first blunder right in front of Lucy? Ugh."
I was so excited about using magic this time, reveling in the thrill. And of all the mistakes I could have made, it had to happen in front of the heroine.
Well, I definitely need more practice. The immediate problem is that my mana pool is simply insufficient.
"And then there's Lucy…"
Lucy was one of the heroines at Sex Academy. Since we're in the same class, we're going to face each other starting from our first class tomorrow. I was genuinely worried because of the incident I caused.
I needed to do something, but there wasn't much I could actually do. I could only hope that she had forgotten about me after the encounter with the emergency rescue team.
Well, I suppose I'll just leave it to the luck of the protagonist.
***
First day of school, Tuesday morning.
Victoria Academy was huge and had so much to explore. Each grade had its own building, like the mana class, training grounds, and cafeteria, and they all looked amazing.
As I strolled along, trying to remember the layout of the academy, I found myself in front of the 1st-year building.
[A Class]
"Phew…"
My heart was racing with anticipation.
What on earth? It felt just like the nerves I used to get when I moved up a grade and didn't have any familiar faces in my class. I couldn't help but wonder if I would be able to fit in here.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door and confidently stepped inside. The classroom felt more like a lecture hall.
The interior was pristine white, with long desks lined up in a cascading formation, just like the ones I had seen in college. And at the front, there was a podium and holographic devices.
As I entered, the students inside immediately focused their attention on me. Normally, their gazes would linger for a moment and then go back to their own business, but this time, they couldn't seem to look away.
"Hey, who's that? He's pretty handsome!"
"I swear I saw him on TV yesterday!"
Not wanting to make a scene, I casually glanced around and decided to take a seat by the window at the end of the row.
Sitting in the back would make me look like a troublemaker, and sitting in the front would attract unnecessary attention from the teachers. So, the middle seat was just right.
Looking at the desks, I noticed that each one had a holographic video device, which I guessed displayed information whenever needed during class.
Once I settled into my seat, I took a moment to observe my surroundings. Lucy and Lumi were sitting together at the back, engrossed in their lively conversation.
They were identical twins, so similar that it was hard to tell them apart without a careful examination. Thankfully, their hairstyles, clothing styles, and way of speaking helped me distinguish between them.
Lucy had dyed her hair blue and always wore a cardigan to cover her figure. She had a bunch of friends and was usually surrounded by them unless she was with Lumi.
Lumi, on the other hand, tied her hair up with a cute red ribbon, giving her a sweet and innocent look. She followed the academy's dress code and had a gentle and soft way of speaking.
★ Heroine Status Window
[Lucy]
[Affection: 1]
[Lust: 5]
[Appetite: 40]
[Fatigue: 20]
★ Heroine Status Window
[Lumi]
[Affection: 15]
[Lust: 30]
[Appetite: 40]
[Fatigue: 30]
Lucy's affection level was as low as it could get, even lower than a pebble on the side of the road. It had dropped even further since the last time I checked.
Lumi's affection level seemed pretty average. Lucy might have mentioned something about me, but I wasn't sure.
As I continued to glance at Lucy and Lumi's status screens, our eyes met, Lumi suddenly became flustered and lost. It was an adorable sight, and I couldn't help but want to see more of it.
Alice, the top scorer in written exams, and Nam Daeun, the top scorer in practical exams, were also in A Class, but I hadn't spotted them yet.
"…"
From the back row, with my arms casually crossed on the desk, I sensed someone giving me an intense glare. Luckily, their gaze dispersed as the teacher entered through the door.
A man with a sleek black suit and silver hair walked confidently and positioned himself in front of the podium.
"I'm Kim Jinhyuk, the homeroom teacher for Class A. Nice to meet you all."
Finishing his introduction, he took a quick scan of the classroom, his expression slightly discontented as he furrowed his brows.
"Seems like we've got quite a bunch of eager beavers on the first day. As students of Victoria Academy, I hope you all carry that pride within yourselves."
He tapped on the screen behind the podium with a baton, and an introduction to the orientation began.
"For basic rules and timetables, please check the website personally…"
After enduring a tedious period, the screen finally revealed the team assignments.
"The foundation of being a hunter is cooperation. Whether it's dungeon exploration, villain extermination, or emergency missions. Collaboration with other hunters is crucial."
That's a valid point. There's no need to fight alone like a lone wolf.
"Therefore, at Victoria Academy…"
Tap, tap. The screen showed the team formation list.
Victoria Academy
"The team members currently assigned will apply to all subjects. Changing team members is generally not allowed, but it can be reconsidered based on next semester's grades. I hope there won't be any complaints or whining. I don't want any kids saying such things."
The classroom erupted in a mix of reactions. Some students seemed dissatisfied with their team compositions, while others happily embraced their close friends.
And as for my team composition… Oh?
[Team 7: Nam Daeun, Lumi, Lee Byunghoon, and Lee Hoyeon]
Nam Daeun and Lumi. It turned out both heroines were in the same team as me.
***