"The magic circle… how did you do it?"
"..."
I silently stared at Luna.
The setting sun beautifully illuminated her small face, framed by her long silver hair.
She tilted her head slightly and asked me again.
"The magic circle… how did you do it?"
In response to her question, I made a similar expression and replied.
"That's…"
"?"
"I don't think I need to tell you, though."
"Ugh…"
At my words, Luna's brow twitched slightly, and she closed her eyes.
For the first time, a crack appeared in her expression.
I cheered internally.
'Heh… got her good~'
[Fortunately, it seems she remembers you, Guardian.]
'Hehe, that's a relief.'
The woman who ignored my outstretched hand the first time we met.
A doll-like woman who seemed emotionless.
A woman with a decent level of talent and passion.
And such a woman wants something from me?
There's no woman more suited for NTL than her.
I felt a boiling desire to break that expression of hers and cover her with sexual talent.
Luna was truly a woman I wanted to ruin.
After closing her eyes and staying silent for a while, Luna opened them and spoke to me.
"…I'm sorry if I upset you earlier."
"What do you mean?"
"..."
I pretended not to understand and played dumb.
Luna and I engaged in a staring contest, a strange battle of nerves.
Who won?
"…I won't tell anyone about the magic circle. I'll come see you again tomorrow."
After saying that, Luna turned around and walked away.
Her elegant gait wasn't hidden even by her cloak.
I cheered after watching Luna's retreating figure disappear from the terrace.
"I won!"
[I'm not sure what you won, but congratulations. However, there's a chance someone else might have seen, so you should be careful.]
"Well, if they catch me, I'll just force myself back to the ship."
Even if I get caught, I can just return to the ship. The problem would be if it interferes with my mission…
But I felt like things were going well from the start.
I thought the conversation would be difficult, but Luna came to me and initiated it.
Just like with Viola, I think I'm really lucky.
"This is amazing. I should use this to build a relationship."
[Fortunately, based on the information in her profile, it seems she won't tell anyone else.]
"Plus, she's more ambitious than I thought…"
-[Longing for Growth]-
From Luna's perspective, my ability must be beyond imagination.
Mages spend an enormous amount of time drawing magic circles.
In some cases, it can take an hour to create a single magic circle.
To materialize a magic circle just by thinking about it.
She's probably praying that I don't get discovered by others.
At least before she can learn it herself.
"Hehehe... Since I was completely ignored, I'll pay her back in kind."
[...]
I returned to the dormitory with a satisfied smile.
***
"Mr. Suho."
"Yes?"
The next day, as soon as the magic circle class ended, Louis approached me.
The guy who had been surrounded by girls since the first day suddenly came up to me.
"Are you thinking of joining a club?"
"A club?"
Like any school, the magic school had a club system where students could gather.
You could join multiple clubs, and there were quite a few clubs unrelated to magic.
But…
'It's annoying… why would I join something like that?'
[But since this is a long-term mission, it might be necessary to pay attention to building friendly relationships.]
'That's true… but I'll join later depending on the situation.'
What's important to me isn't school life.
It's how to corrupt Luna.
Rather than wasting time on clubs, it's much more beneficial to rest and plan.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not thinking of joining a club yet…"
"The most popular club right now is the Magic Circle Research Club. It's really in demand."
"So, I…"
"The seniors are very kind and give a lot of advice that can help with grades, so let's go together."
"No…"
"The friends over there are also planning to join."
Louis didn't seem to have any intention of listening to me.
What's wrong with this guy?
'This crazy guy keeps interrupting me…'
[Should I say he's good at persuasion or just self-centred?]
'He's just annoying. Ugh, this is frustrating.'
Until yesterday, he was just a nuisance, but today he's become a bothersome nuisance.
Before I could refuse, other students gathered around.
Most of them were female students.
They also tried to persuade me to join the club.
"I saw you drawing magic circles well yesterday. Let's go together."
"It's not hard to leave once you join."
"…It's not like you can join just because you want to."
The female students explained the club briefly and pressured me to join.
They didn't seem particularly eager for me to join.
In fact, they looked annoyed…
'Why are they acting like this?'
[It might be better to join for now. It's not hard to leave, and refusing now probably won't leave a good impression.]
'Damn it!'
Louis slipped through the crowd of girls and went to Luna, who was sitting nearby.
"Luna, let's join together."
"..."
Louis left the girls with me and started persuading Luna to join the club.
The female students started whispering when Louis and Luna began talking.
-"Why her of all people…"-
-"Well, they've known each other since they were kids…"-
-"Ugh, why didn't I have a friend like Louis when I was young? So annoying."-
…Could you not say that so loudly?
They were openly expressing their jealousy while whispering behind their backs.
Louis, oblivious to their whispers, continued talking to Luna.
But this time, I became the target.
-"Why does he want to bring this guy along?"-
-"Well, he's good at drawing magic circles. That's probably why."-
-"If this guy doesn't go, he won't go…"-
-"By the way, what's this guy's name?"-
-"I don't know."-
Could you not say that so loudly…?
Even if the two next to me couldn't hear, they were practically shouting for me to hear.
'These crazy girls are doing this right in front of me.'
[It seems Louis is interested in you, Guardian.]
'Did he find out about me materializing magic circles with my thoughts?'
[That's unlikely. Louis was sitting at the front, and to look at you, he would have had to turn around noticeably. If he had done that, he would have definitely been penalized.]
'Well, everyone heard the professor's warning…'
The professor had threatened to penalize anyone caught looking at another's magic circle, so no one would have dared to turn around.
I concluded it was just because I was good at drawing magic circles.
I looked at Louis, then shifted my gaze to Luna.
She glanced at me subtly.
After a few seconds of staring, she spoke.
"…Alright. I'll join too."
I spoke through the communication device.
'Armonia.'
[Yes.]
'Let's join the club.'
[...]
After Luna decided to join, I also decided to join the Magic Circle Research Club.
***
As it turned out, you couldn't just join a club because you wanted to.
Small clubs often didn't have special conditions, but large clubs were different.
Large clubs had many students wanting to join, so they had to be selective.
The selection criteria could be national connections or admission scores.
There was a club information session for freshmen.
Luna, Louis, the girls, and I attended the session held in the auditorium.
A blonde woman took the stage and began the explanation.
She introduced herself as the student council president of Stura Magic School.
Her neat bob cut and golden eyes radiated a golden glow.
Her cool smile and confident demeanour exuded the authority of a student council president.
'Wow, she's pretty.'
[Would you like to see her profile?]
'No, let's focus on Luna for now.'
[That's a wise decision.]
According to the student council president, club applications would open in about a week.
Since the new students had only just started magic circle classes, she advised them to use the remaining time to explore clubs at their leisure.
After the session ended, we left the auditorium.
Since club applications wouldn't open for a week, I thought about heading back.
I tried to sneak away carefully to avoid getting caught by that nuisance.
*Swish*, stealth mode!
"Ah, Mr. Suho. Let's eat together."
"..."
My swift stealth was instantly detected.
Damn it…
'Why is this crazy guy acting like this… Armonia.'
[Yes.]
'Show me this guy's profile.'
[That's not possible.]
'…What?'
Disobeying orders?!
Ah… his rank is higher than mine.
Do I have to bow to him instead?
Armonia explained that the profiles of protagonists managed by Zodiac or the Sanctuary couldn't be viewed or altered.
[However, Zodiac and the Sanctuary can't view or alter the profiles of non-protagonists. That's our rule.]
'Damn, I wanted to find a weakness…'
I didn't have to face the previous hero. (I almost did, but it was a 1-second difference.)
This is what separation of powers means…
The girls started giggling at Louis's invitation.
"As expected of Louis… he really takes care of people. So kind…"
"Plus, as the top student, he even leads the bottom… I mean, the lower students. Amazing."
"Right, right."
But the atmosphere felt…
'Is this guy making fun of me?'
[I got that feeling too.]
I'm not sure if he's naturally like this or doing it on purpose, but…
Either way, he's a jerk.
Behind Louis and the girls, Luna was staring at me expressionlessly.
Her gaze didn't leave me.
But Louis, as if he remembered something, turned around and stood next to Luna, then looked at me and said.
"Ah, right… Sorry. Luna can't eat with strangers… Mr. Suho, could you escort the ladies here?"
"…Huh?"
He said something utterly ridiculous.
It sounded like he was throwing me to the wolves while he went after the treasure chest.
'Ah… I'm getting really annoyed.'
[I understand, but you'll have to endure it.]
'Sigh… I'm enduring this for you, got it?'
[…Understood.]
Hehe, I need to vent like this.
Honestly, it's not a joke. I'm enduring this because I really want to be with Armonia.
The other female students, while disappointed, couldn't refuse.
"Ah…"
"If Louis says so…"
They looked at Luna with envy.
Even though they were openly glaring, Louis didn't seem to notice at all.
In fact, this situation might be more convenient.
The girls would naturally distance themselves if Louis was around.
Louis tried to lead Luna to the cafeteria.
But Luna just stood there, staring at me.
"Luna, let's go."
"..."
"Luna?"
"...Let's go together."
Luna looked at me and spoke.
"Huh? Are you sure? You can't eat with strangers, right?"
"It's fine. I met him yesterday."
"Well… if you say so…"
Louis looked at me with a stiff expression. For the first time, I could see his expression falter because of Luna.
Luna looked at me and urged again.
"Let's go together."
A faint smile seemed to appear on her face.
I smiled brightly at Luna's invitation.
And then I replied.
"No, thanks?"