I Teleported Into the Academy of a S*xy Game

Grade Announcement (2)

Monday finally arrived, marking the end of the extended weekend and the return to the academy. Exams are finished, and the festival has concluded. For now, it's back to the tranquil routine of academy life. However, peace isn't on my agenda; there's a lot to attend to.

"I'm heading out. Take care of things here."

"Yeah, bye."

Liliana's theatrical performance, which she clung to, wrapped up in just one day. Initially expecting sashimi, she was taken by surprise when the chicken delivery arrived, promptly hugging me with gratitude.

Checking her status window at that moment, it read, "This is a failure. But Mom will tell me an extraordinary method!" I wondered about the nature of her communication with her mother. I wanted her to ask about the Demon King…

She wasn't asking anything weird, right? Surely she wouldn't be foolish enough to squander a monthly opportunity.

I left the dorm and walked towards Class A. People passing by stared at me, making me extremely uncomfortable. While I've grown accustomed to attention, the increased public scrutiny over the weekend made every person passing by direct their gaze at me. Regardless of familiarity, having hundreds of eyes on me felt overwhelming.

"Oh~ You've become famous, Mr. Lee Hoyeon." A voice I hadn't heard in a while interrupted my thoughts.

Kim Younghan approached me.

"Someone might think you're the protagonist of a novel, always involved in incidents."

"Ugh, if you came to make fun of me, go away. It's tiring."

"I just came to accompany you. It's the day the exam results come out, so let's lighten the mood. It's the day we change the history of Victoria Academy."

"What nonsense are you talking about again?"

He consistently gathers peculiar information from somewhere and shares it. Unlike him, I lack the connections to stay informed.

"Hmm~ Judging by your reaction, you really don't know."

"I don't have connections like you."

"You probably aren't interested. Let's just go to the classroom."

The two of us walked towards Class A, chatting about useless things. And as soon as we arrived at the classroom, we split up as if we had agreed. It's an unspoken rule between me and Kim Younghan.

Lucy and Lumi, seated at the end of the classroom, appeared genuinely delighted to see me after a prolonged absence.

"Hi, girls."

"Hi, Hoyeon. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Hello, Hoyeon…"

"Morning."

I naturally sat between Lucy and Lumi, and there was a letter on my desk.

"What's this?"

Turning it around revealed no markings.

"It's been there since we arrived. We thought it might be for you, so we left it alone."

"Hmm…"

The seating in the classroom is technically flexible, but it's practically fixed since friends prefer sitting together. No need to shuffle around. Maybe this note is for me. Let's see what it says.

[Lee Hoyeon, come alone to the rooftop during lunch.]

"Really?"

But why the rooftop? This is a weird request.

"Hey, what's it say?"

"It's a secret."

"Tsk."

"Lucy, you shouldn't read other people's letters."

"It's just a joke. Do you think I'd actually want to do that?"

Even though she seemed serious, no matter how you looked at it. Anyway, whatever it is, I should check the rooftop during lunch.

Drrrrt!

"Everyone's in high spirits, probably because of the long break." Professor Kim Jinhyuk, with his perpetually stoic white hair, walked in through the front door. His usually expressionless demeanor seemed particularly strained today, probably due to the aftermath of the terrorist incident.

"No specific announcements for today. Details about the terrorist incident will be shared later. Regarding rumors about specific students, the academy will handle it after gathering information. And the eagerly anticipated grade announcement for all of you will be during lunch today."

"Ugh, no…"

"I might as well be dead in my mom's eyes."

The students groaned at the news of the grade announcement. I glanced at Nam Daeun, who was in the corner.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Nam Daeun]

[Affection: 56]

[Lust: 19]

[Appetite: 42]

[Fatigue: 26]

Current Status: Once the first place is confirmed, they promised to give me an outing ticket to go out with Dahee. But where should we go?

Although she appears expressionless at first glance, after seeing her a few times, I feel like I can roughly read her emotions. If I look closely, the corners of her mouth slightly lift, which is a facial expression she makes when she's in a good mood. She had that expression yesterday.

I can't wait for lunchtime. I want to check the grade announcement and see who called me.

"Hello, everyone~ I'm Professor Kang Hyorin. It's been a while." Dr. Kang Hyorin, in charge of Modern Hunter Studies, entered the classroom in neat attire.

It feels like it's been a long time since I attended a class. The period of survival test and the festival was quite long. It was a whole two weeks.

"Before we dive into today's class, I have an important announcement. Once the morning session concludes, the much-awaited grade announcements will take place. Given that I oversee the first-year students, feel free to drop by my office for any grade-related inquiries. Now, let's kick off the class!"

My recent lack of focus on studying meant I encountered a few unfamiliar topics, but for the most part, the content was within my grasp.

I should set aside some time to dive into a book or something.

Opting for proactive planning over attending the lecture seemed like a more efficient use of my time. Instead of absorbing the lecture, I allowed my thoughts to drift towards mapping out my future plans.

As I absentmindedly scratched the notebook, I jotted down the word "terrorism."

No need to fret about terrorism for a while. Typically, after a terrorist incident, the pandemic maintains a subdued state for at least a month. Even if it appears to be indiscriminate, these perpetrators meticulously find loopholes and strategize within a specific timeframe, turning the entire world into adversaries while still managing to live in secrecy.

Shifting focus to the heroine, I produced a distinct sound with the pen, fixating on the word "heroine."

Heroine strategies… not bad.

Overcoming challenges such as Moon Soorin's mental state, Alice's voyeurism, and Lucy's ambiguous strategy is feasible. The real challenge is as the girls get closer, they might not play nice with each other.

Hence, handling the strategies with extra care became paramount. Simply entering into a romantic relationship didn't mark the end of the strategy. Ensuring that everyone becomes my girlfriend is distinct from individual dating endeavors.

Wonder what the deal is with that lunchtime meetup message.

And that cryptic letter. No matter how much I ponder, none of the heroines seem like they'd pull a move like that. If it's not one of them, the only suspect left is Kim Younghan, but even he doesn't seem the type to pull such stunts.

"Hmm…"

"Why the long face? Something difficult?"

"It's nothing."

I shot a quick glance at Lucy, who was eyeballing me during class. There's no solving this mystery in my seat. I'll just have to roll with it and find out. Pretty sure there won't be any academy enemies gunning for me inside these walls.

***

"Um, would you please go out with me?"

"…"

Why was I nervous again? Even though I thought otherwise, I came to the rooftop, fully prepared to unleash my Cotton Guard at any moment. But to my surprise, a girl I've never seen extended a heart-shaped letter to me.

Hold on, is this some in-game confession move? I really despise this. Would I seriously agree to date a girl who hasn't uttered a word to me and doesn't even exist in my reality? How detached from reality can someone be?

Suppressing a sigh, I gave her a vague expression and spoke words of rejection, "…Sorry. I don't think now's the time for me to meet anyone."

"W-Why…?"

Why indeed… Especially when I don't even know your name?

Shocked by the rejection, the girl lifted her head. On closer inspection, I vaguely recalled her. She used to be close with Lucy a while ago. They've fallen out of touch, but now she's suddenly confessing to me?

"Why can't I be with you when you get along so well with that girl, Lucy?"

"…?"

Why is Lucy suddenly part of this narrative? Naturally, she's more important than this extra character. Setting aside the fact that heroines are supposed to be significant, Lucy boasts a prettier face and a more generous endowment than this girl.

"Um, sorry. Lucy is just a friend to me… I'm not ready to date someone yet. It's a bit…"

"You're so mean! Ugh!" The girl tossed away the letter she handed me and squeezed out tears as she descended from the rooftop.

"Ugh, dealing with a crazy girl again…"

Have you been binging on anime? Thinking I'd accept if you go all dramatic?

With an audible sigh, I descended from the rooftop.

I regretted opting for a solo lunch escapade, wasting time in a place like this. If it was going to be over in less than five minutes, we should've just eaten together. Lucy and Lumi planned to grab a quick bite at the student cafeteria and head to the classroom, so they were likely done by now.

Not particularly hungry, I snagged a triangular kimbap from the convenience store, swiftly devouring lunch. Wondering if the grades had been posted, I headed to the central corridor, but it seemed the announcement was still pending.

Arriving at the classroom in haste, I found Lucy and the girl who had tried to add some drama to my life locked in a confrontation. Their voices escalated, hinting at some dispute.

"You, you… I'm done talking with you!" Lucy clenched her fist, shooting daggers at the girl.

"Why? Did I say something wrong? You were tossing every insult imaginable at him before, and now you're repulsed that I'm getting close?"

"What do you even know? I didn't do anything wrong to you!"

"Disgusting. It's sickening to see you act all high and mighty after all the curses you threw at Hoyeon when he generously overlooked everything."

"I know that too! From the beginning, between us…"

Listening vaguely, I gathered that the conversation revolved around Felix. Turns out, Lucy used to sing his praises to her close friends while talking smack about me. But when Felix's demon identity revealed, she quickly switched sides, cozying up to me and wagging her tail.

In a nutshell, the other girl found Lucy's two-faced act revolting, but I already knew Lucy's deal. She couldn't help it. I played the jerk on purpose, and Lucy was under Felix's spell. I cast another spell in that state to make her dislike me, resulting in an expected outcome.

"Wow, really? I thought Lucy was a sweet girl."

"It's just because of Lumi. Lucy's trash by nature."

Seems like Lucy's been catching flak from the girls for a while now, as the trash talk about her was spreading among them.

Should I intervene? Maybe it would be okay if the parties involved said they were fine? Or should I take advantage of this situation? I pondered while eyeballing the two.

"What did I do wrong…?!" At that moment, Lucy and my eyes locked. Simultaneously, the gossiping students also clocked me and zipped their lips.

I guess I have to step in.

"Hey, let's just calm down for a moment."

The situation needed defusing.

"Hoyeon, are you clueless? She used to gossip about you, and now she's chilling by your side like nothing happened!" The girl who tried to hook up with me earlier was now screaming at me.

You blushed and threw yourself at me earlier, but girl, what's with the evil glare now?

"Sigh… Who asked you to get in this? I've already reconciled with Lucy. Don't talk without knowing, and don't spread dumb rumors."

I needed to shift the focus away from Lucy. In reality, I hadn't really discussed and reconciled with Lucy about this matter directly. It just got swept under the rug. But I couldn't spill that in front of the students, so I bullshitted my way out.

I took Lucy to our usual spots and brought Lumi, who was quivering in the background. As I directly addressed the situation, the students trickled back to their seats. Now that things had chilled, should I bring it up?

"Are you okay?" Glancing at Lucy, down in the dumps, and Lumi still sniffling, I spoke.

"…"

"…"

Both remained silent, bowing their heads deeply. Lucy being down was expected, but what's up with Lumi?

"Don't worry about what they said. I don't care at all."

"Yeah…"

"Y-Yes…"

Now what? Thanks to one loony chick, the atmosphere is all kinds of awkward. Is she one of those trending obsessive types?

I peeked at the twins' status windows to gauge their mood.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lucy]

[Affection: 90]

[Lust: 34]

[Appetite: 36]

[Fatigue: 85]

Current Status: I messed up. I should've apologized more sincerely… What if he starts to hate me?

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lumi]

[Affection: 95] (+0.4)

[Lust: 65]

[Appetite: 35]

[Fatigue: 40]

Current Status: What if Lucy gets hurt…?

Hmm…

Lumi seems fine, and if I can soothe Lucy a bit, it should be all good. Seeing her fatigue at 85, she's been dealing with some stress.

"Hoyeon…" But before I could say a word, Lucy beat me to it.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry about what happened with Felix. I was completely wrong, and I… I…"

[Quest Completed!]

As Lucy stumbled through her apology, a surprise system message popped up in my face.

A quest? What quest…

Then it hit me—there was still one quest I hadn't wrapped up.