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Chapter 12: Scandal (2)

"Hello?"

"Oh, hello."

Moon Soorin tied her platinum blonde hair into a ponytail and wore her student council uniform. I focused on her face, trying not to let my eyes wander around her body.

"Can I sit here?"

"Oh, yeah. That's fine."

Why does she want to sit together all of a sudden?

Unfazed, Moon Soorin casually placed her bag on the seat next to her and hung her coat on the chair.

"Do you like that?"

"Pardon?"

"The Claire-Rose latte. The owner said I'm the only one who gets it. He was planning to remove it from the menu but decided to keep it just for me. It's nice to know other people are ordering it besides me."

"Oh... yeah. I like it. The spiciness at the end is quite addictive."

"Right? Why doesn't everyone know how delicious it is?"

Sluurp

She looked cute, ordering two Claire-Rose lattes for herself and slurping them up noisily.

I’d give her my drink if she wanted.

★ Heroine Status ★

[Moon Soorin]

- [Affection: 25]
- [Libido: 15]
- [Appetite: 30]
- [Fatigue: 70]

Her affection had increased by five compared to the last time we met. I hadn't done anything, so how did it go up?

"I'm sorry about our earlier encounter at the cafeteria. I wanted to talk to you, but that would have drawn too much attention."

"No, it's okay. I want to apologize for the last time, too. I couldn't have imagined you were the student council president."

"It's fine. We both made mistakes, so let's just forget about it."

She leaned forward, our eyes meeting. Her face suddenly came close, and I instinctively moved my head back in surprise.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"It's strange, isn't it? Even though we've only met a few times, whenever I see you, I feel comfortable… like seeing an old friend."

She already makes for a great heroine. There was no other way to explain it.

If she feels comfortable around me, I should be grateful. It makes it easier for me later.

"Oh, feel free to address me by my name. I'm only a first year."

"Really? You too then, Hoyeon."

"Alright. Ma’am president."

"You don’t have to call me that. We're only two years apart in age, you know?"

"But still, how can I address the president..."

Glare.

She looked at me disapprovingly.

"Come on, try it. Noona~"

"N-Noona."

"Hehehe... No, say it louder. Noona~ It’ll be even better if you say 'Soorin noona~'"

"Yeah, I got it. S-Soorin noona."

"Hehehe..."

Every time I called her ‘noona,' she reacted by holding her hands above her mouth and writhing as if she was holding in a laugh.

How are you so easy, Moon Soorin...

With the word ‘noona,' Moon Soorin’s defenses were completely down.

Had I ever made a girl laugh with the word ‘noona’ in my life? I felt oddly proud.

I looked at Moon Soorin, who was smiling contently.

Snap!

At that moment, the sound of a camera shutter came from outside the window.

When I looked over, I saw a man wearing a black coat running away in the distance.

"What’s he…?"

I stood up, intending to chase after the man.

"It's okay, sit down, Hoyeon."

"Why? They're paparazzi. I can probably chase him down."

Even if I was on the mage track of the academy, there was no way an ordinary person could escape me.

"That person is not ordinary. Even if you chase after him, he’ll deny taking the picture. Besides, what can he do with just one photo of us together? It's fine."

Moon Soorin’s attitude changed to that of resignation.

"He’s not an ordinary person? Do the awakened work as paparazzi, too? Does this kind of thing happen often?"

"Yeah, I'm already tired of counting. I'm not a celebrity, so I didn't expect to worry about things like this."

Moon Soorin sighed and sipped her drink.

The stalker incident should begin soon.

It was the main event that occurred along the Moon Soorin route. As the protagonist helps with the incident, he gets closer to Munsu Rin.

Of course, I knew who the stalker was, but without any evidence, I would just be treated as a crazy person.

"By the way, I saw the duel video. You were pretty good."

"Huh? How did you see that?"

"It was uploaded online without your permission, I guess."

The fact that my video was uploaded wasn't a big deal. What mattered was the main event, the 'stalker incident.'

I had to get involved in the 'stalker incident.' Not right away in the early but around the time when Moon Soorin would struggle.

I felt sorry for Moon Soorin, but doing that would make the capture easier.

"... It's okay, Noona. By the way…"

"Hmm?"

"If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask me. I'll do my best to help you. You’ve seen me already, so you know I can help.."

"Hehe, sure. Thank you."

Moon Soorin looked at me like she was looking at her younger sibling, all grown up. Pretty embarrassing, to be honest.

"Then I'll be going now, Soorin noona."

"Yeah, get home safe. Oh, wait!"

Soorin rummaged through her bag and handed me something.

"Give me your number before you leave."

◇◇◇

Everyday.

It’s an internet community used by students of Victoria Academy, where students share various information related to abilities, guild details, new dungeons, and other useful things. Naturally, there's a free bulletin board section, and the one post uploaded on Wednesday night completely turned Everyday upside down.

[Breaking News! Student Council President Moon Soorin Spotted on a Date with a Guy?]

The post contained only one picture and no context. It showed Moon Soorin covering her mouth, laughing, and a guy smiling at her from across the table. It looked like a picture of a couple enjoying a date.

It quickly gained over 500 likes, propelling it to the top of Everyday's post list.

[Well, it doesn't make sense for Moon Soorin not to have a boyfriend!]

[What is everyone talking about? There was a picture taken like this before, and the guy in the photo was just a student council junior.]

[Nah nah, back then, the guy was just ugly as hell. Look at the guy's face in this picture. Handsome and pretty people stick together. Fuck.]

[Breaking News! Identity of the Guy Revealed.]

[Who is he? A model? Celebrity?]

[He's Lee Hoyeon, a new student in Victoria Academy's Class A. We're in the same class, lol.]

[Wow, damn. A new student? I'm still a sophomore and haven't even had a chance to talk to Moon Soorin yet. I'm heading to Class A tomorrow to establish dominance.]

[Isn't Lee Hoyeon the guy with shining golden eyes from that 1v1 duel video? He looked so strong.]

[Message deleted.]

[Haha, look at them deleting and running.]

Lee Hoyeon.

He defeated a Level 7 Scrap Giant, catching the attention of Alice and the professors, but most students didn't know him. There was also a 1v1 duel video against Lucy, but few people recognized him from that.

[Lee Ho Yeon just hit Level 5 in today's virtual monster training and one-shot a Level 7 Scrap Giant.]

[What? How did a Level 5 get into Class A?]

[He's beaten up to Level 7, you know? Besides, what's stopping him from dating the director's granddaughter even if he hadn't?]

[This is beyond belief, lol. Good-looking, skilled, and now he's dating Moon Soorin. Seriously?]

[But out of all things, dating Moon Soorin is the most unbelievable, right? Lol]

[True, lol. He's got it all, seriously.]

The most surprised ones were the first-year Class A students.

"Hey, did you see Everyday? They say Lee Hoyeon is dating the Student Council President."

"What? Is that for real?"

Class A was noisier than usual.

One male student expressed his frustration, "What's so special about Lee Hoyeon that he gets to date Moon Soorin?"

"Seriously, don't you know? He can probably make a living off it with that kind of face."

"..."

It hadn't been long since the school year started, so there weren't too many noteworthy incidents. Naturally, attention was drawn to the scandal involving Lee Hoyeon and the Student Council President Moon Soorin.

Of course, there was no official confirmation that they were really dating, but Lee Hoyeon’s name had spread throughout Victoria Academy.

Then he entered the classroom, Lee Hoyeon, the scandal's central figure.

◇◇◇

Friday morning.

Today, there were only theoretical classes scheduled without any sparring sessions. So, I had trained hard in magic until late last night. I had already finished reading the theory textbook once and skimmed through the major papers, so I decided to take a break from theory for a while.

"Ugh, I'm so tired."

Mornings in the dormitory had become familiar by now.

As I pulled the curtains aside, the morning sunlight enveloped my body.

I usually don't shower in the morning, so I quickly washed my face and ran a wet cloth through my hair. I put on the uniform hastily and made my way from the dormitory. Returning to the university had been pretty fun so far, at least till now.

On the way to school, I noticed an unusual amount of eyes on me. Some guys were whispering in the corner, and it felt like they were looking at me. Maybe it was just my imagination?

"Lee Hoyeon... something, something."

"... going to kill..."

I couldn't hear them clearly from a distance, but it seemed like my name was being mentioned. Perhaps it was because of the 1v1 video that Soorin mentioned yesterday.

Feeling uneasy for no reason, I quickened my pace toward the first-year classrooms.

Upon entering Class A, everyone's gaze turned towards me.

They didn't look away. They kept staring at me.

What's going on?

Being the center of attention from over thirty people without a word spoken was unsettling. Should I close the door and leave? I was seriously considering it when Kim Younghan approached me.

"Good morning."

"Oh, good morning. with the atmosphere? What's going on?"

"It's because of you, Mr. Scandal."

Mr. Scandal? I wondered what he meant. Then, the events from yesterday with Moon Soorin came back to me.

"Wait, is it because of the photo with the president?"

"Yeah. The whole academy is in chaos because of a single picture. Are you really dating the president?"

Hmm, what would happen if I said we were dating?

The best outcome would be actually dating Moon Soorin. But that wasn't my goal. I was here to collect all the heroines.

The worst outcome would be not dating Moon Soorin and having my affinity with her drop.

It seemed best to just play it safe.

"No, we just happened to meet at a cafe. We realized we liked the same drink, exchanged a few words, and that's it."

"And you ended up sitting together because you liked the same drink?"

"We already knew each other from before."

"... Is that so? That's a relief, then."

Younghan’s expression remained uneasy, but what could he do?

"See, I told you it’s not like that."

"Yeah, yeah~ I heard your tantrum about leaving the fan club."

"Can you shut up?"

I walked past the noise and took my seat.

Since there was still some time before the class started, I took out my phone. There was a new message on the screen.

[Hoyeon, are you really dating the student council president??]

It was Lumi.

I glanced at Lumi, who was chatting away with Lucy as if she didn't know anything.

[No, we're not.]

[Really? Phew.]

You’d think I was dating Lumi by her response. I didn’t see the need to continue the conversation, so I didn’t respond.

"Well, good morning."

Just then, Professor Kim Jinhyuk, our homeroom teacher, entered the classroom. He was once again dressed in his signature black suit.

"I have an announcement. Freshmen will be allowed to participate in club activities starting next week. You need to choose at least one club of your preference and submit your choice by next Friday..."

After the monotonous announcement ended, everyone got busy preparing for the morning class.

"We have mana research next."

"Why, I'm looking forward to it. They said it's the most practical class in the academy."

Mana research falls under theory classes, but it is primarily practical-oriented. They teach many essential techniques for active hunters, so I'm looking forward to it.

"Hmm."

I feel like I've been too dedicated to the academy lately. I have plans with Lumi for the weekend, and at the very least, I need to excel in both theory and practical exams to start my conquest. Since I'm not in the same grade as Moon Soorin, that leaves one heroine… Lucy.

Looking around the classroom, I see Lucy preparing for mana research alongside Lumi.

★ Heroine Status ★

[Lucy]

- [Affection: 27]
- [Libido: 5]
- [Appetite: 40]
- [Fatigue: 20]

[Lumi]

- [Affection: 35]
- [Libido: 30]
- [Appetite: 15]
- [Fatigue: 40]

The affection levels for both of them aren't bad at all. It's worth approaching Lucy and starting a conversation. Lumi and Lucy are in the same group, so I can use that as an excuse to talk to her.

"Lumi, did you send our pictures to the professor?"

"Ah, yes, Hoyeon, I sent them right away."

"You two seem close, huh?"

Lucy speaks with a prickly tone. Considering her affection level is 27, she's being quite sharp.

Lucy has always been critical of Lumi's friends, without knowing that Lumi has a hard time making friends because of her. Lumi's personality doesn't lend itself to objecting much, so it's an unfortunate negative feedback loop.

"Hello, Lucy. We should get along since we're in the same group, right?"

"Well, that's true. Hoyeon doesn’t seem like a bad guy. But don't get too chummy with him, alright? Got it?"

"Haha, as if."

“...”

"What's up, Lumi? Why are you so quiet? It’s like you've made plans with him for the weekend or something."

"No, it's not like that."

“...”

Lumi's eyes wavered as if she were nervous. Maybe she can't lie because she’s too honest.

"...Hey."

"The assignment seems to be going well, so I'm going to leave. See you later, Lumi. Bye, Lucy!"

It's best to leave quickly in situations like this because I'm playing the 'bad guy' Hoyeon.

"Hey, Hoyeon, wait. What did you do to my innocent Lumi?"

"Lucy, just wait, I'll explain. You shouldn't use magic here!"

Am I doing this ‘bad guy’ thing correctly?!

◇◇◇

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