Why Is Everyone in This Dating Sim Trying to Kill Me?!

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: Butterfly Effect (2)

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"Over the past few days, we've found sixteen kidnapping cases. Fifteen of them, excluding one, were related to fiends."

"Fifteen cases related to fiends…?"

Baek Seol-hee calmly nodded.

"That's right. Fortunately, all the kidnapped people were safe. It seems those fiends need sacrifices."

At her words, my face hardened with seriousness.

'Were there supposed to be kidnapping cases at this point in the story?'

No. There weren't.

No matter how much I scoured the main story and each character's individual stories in my head, there were no such ominous incidents at this point.

What kind of story would a bishoujo game have during the academy's summer vacation?

Naturally, the highlight of bishoujo games!

The swimsuit event!

And even that was scheduled to start a week from now, not at this current point.

However, my Instructor stated that she had already found and dealt with a total of fifteen fiend-related kidnapping cases.

'Even from a story perspective, this isn't something that can be lightly dismissed.'

This many were discovered in just a short investigation period. It was highly likely that they were still operating covertly.

I wondered if what was happening now might be some hidden truth behind the swimsuit event, but I soon shook my head.

'That has nothing to do with fiends. The swimsuit event is primarily about monster subjugation.'

Then there was only one thing I could think of.

The Butterfly Effect.

Just as a butterfly's small flap of wings can cause a typhoon on the other side of the world, a minute change, a small difference, can create an unexpected variable.

Thinking that the things I've changed since falling into the world of "Velvet School Life!" led to the current situation was the most probable judgment.

'Among the things I've done so far, there are a few that I absolutely couldn't change within the game… And if I filter out only those that would significantly affect the main story…'

I touched my lips, falling deep into thought.

Two major things came to mind.

First, the Hunter Management Bureau.

A group that appeared as enemies in the early part of the game, constantly clashing with Velvet Academy.

Immediately after the tutorial.

Kim Ji-won, the moderate director, was originally exposed for corruption and fell from power, with Ryu Jin-ju, a hardliner, taking her place.

However, just before the fiends could manipulate the data, Instructor and I took down Ryu Jin-ju.

We then exposed the Hunter Management Bureau's true corruption one step ahead of them.

As a result, a massive reshuffle occurred within the Hunter Management Bureau, and while its influence fell far below what it was in the game.

The trash that had been festering inside was largely cleaned out.

Therefore, the current Hunter Management Bureau was not an annoying villainous group, but rather a shaky, yet still helpful, ally.

Second was the midterm evaluation we had recently.

In the midterm evaluation, where sacrifices were supposed to be inevitable, all the cadets survived thanks to the efforts of my party and me.

After that, with the added influence of the media and public opinion, the prestige of Velvet Hunter Academy and Director Lina, which should have been eroded, became even more solidified than before.

In this situation, what would be the fiends' stance?

*Pfft*—

'…They must be twisting inside.'

Their long-prepared plan to overthrow the Hunter Management Bureau was ruined from the start.

And even the midterm evaluation, which they thought was a golden opportunity, ended up helping us instead.

It was no wonder their hearts were racing.

"Yes, they've made a reckless move."

"…Reckless move?"

"What does that mean?"

Im Ga-eul and Sophia asked with puzzled expressions.

Baek Seol-hee, however, nodded in agreement.

"Yes, as you said, they made a reckless move. They are doing things they would never normally do."

"Yes, normally they wouldn't risk making a move when Instructor is watching with such sharp eyes."

"Hmm, but it seems they weren't unaware of that point, as they've been moving very carefully and secretly. Even I was slow to notice."

'Wow, so this is how I stumbled upon a fiend's tail by accident.'

I had casually requested a quick investigation at Yu-ri's request, and thanks to that, I ended up finding a clue to the Butterfly Effect.

"Well done, Jin Yu-ha."

Baek Seol-hee reached out a hand towards my head.

She was probably going to pat my head again.

'Hmm… It's nice, but still, my party members are watching, so I wish she'd hold back a little…'

*Ahem*—

I quickly spoke before she could pat my head.

"Um, Instructor. Can we dig into this a bit more?"

Baek Seol-hee's hand, which had been approaching my head, paused in mid-air.

She made a sullen expression again. Then she spoke in a cold voice.

"…I called you here knowing that. Didn't you bring those two because you also suspected something?"

No, I didn't.

They just followed me on their own.

At the Instructor's words, Im Ga-eul and Sophia looked startled, then their eyes sparkled with an overwhelming intensity.

"H-Huh, Junior. D-Did you know this would happen? That I-I wouldn't be able to stand it and would follow you…? No wonder you allowed me to accompany you so easily! You were giving me a chance!"

"Wow, Jin Yu-ha-nim… Did you even notice me hiding in front and walk right past me!? I thought I wasn't caught, but it was all in your palm… But this is proof of permission? Even better."

Im Ga-eul and Sophia started making their own wild assumptions.

Baek Seol-hee stared blankly at the two girls fussing in front of her.

Then she spoke in a curt voice.

"We need to move secretly, so bringing others is too much… However, this is a kidnapping case. Those two might be 'very' 'barely' 'slightly' helpful."

"Ah, then the Extermination Squad members…?"

"None."

"Excuse me?"

"I originally wanted the Extermination Squad members to handle this, but a request for dispatch support came in from Japan the day before, so it's impossible."

"…Then, Instructor too?"

"No, Director Lina also went there, so I remained here."

'Hmm, so they made their move precisely when Director Lina went abroad?'

Even so, the fact that things escalated so suddenly remains unchanged.

Honestly, I was at a loss as to what to do about this sudden Butterfly Effect.

But knowing that Instructor would be with me from the start…

Could anything be more reassuring?

"Then, let's begin the operation now."

Baek Seol-hee said, her eyes lowered.

And Im Ga-eul and Sophia, who had just casually followed along and were now suddenly participating in an operation.

"…As expected! Sticking close to Junior was the right answer. Even if you're just sitting in a massage chair, good things happen!"

"I-I'll work hard!"

Well, it seemed there was no need to worry about them.

And I, too, clenched my fists tightly, firming my resolve.

'Such a surprise event… I'll finish it as quickly as possible! Swim— No! Because the kidnapped people are in danger!'

It definitely wasn't because I was worried about the upcoming swimsuit event being disrupted.

Really.

* * *

As Baek Seol-hee kicked off.

*Thump!*

A fierce whoosh of air erupted behind her.

She and the three cadets were running across rooftops. It was unavoidable, as going in a straight line like this was much faster than traveling by car.

Baek Seol-hee glanced back.

'…They're keeping up better than I expected.'

Even if Jin Yu-ha was someone she had trained, she was quite surprised by the two girls.

"Pant, pant— I can't be inconspicuous anymore!"

"Haa, haa— I can't miss a single moment of Jin Yu-ha-nim!"

The two cadets were sweating profusely and breathing heavily, yet they somehow managed to keep up.

'Im Ga-eul cadet is a supporter, and Sophia cadet is a healer, I believe…'

Even if their bodies were aided by speed-boosting abilities, it was not easy for support roles to run across rooftops like this without considerable courage and training.

Among them, Sophia had only recently joined Utopia, yet she showed no sign of fear whatsoever.

'She fundamentally has strong courage, and her natural physique is quite impressive… This one is also a genius.'

Though she didn't show it outwardly, Baek Seol-hee was actually deeply interested in the Utopia party.

She had made a YouTube account for the first time in her life, even subscribing to the Utopia channel, though she had ordered a squad member to do it.

It was a teacher's duty to check who her student was with and what activities they were doing.

Nevertheless, she knew little about those two cadets.

In Im Ga-eul's case, her activities were suspiciously concealed.

And Sophia was a healer who had only recently joined.

Still, combining what she knew.

'Im Ga-eul uses acceleration and deceleration, and Sophia can heal from a distance.'

Those two would certainly be of great help in rescuing survivors.

To be honest, they were the type of talents not even found in the Fiend Extermination Squad.

It was almost miraculous how Jin Yu-ha managed to gather such unique individuals.

'Bringing those two means Jin Yu-ha considers this matter very serious.'

When Jin Yu-ha first brought those two, Baek Seol-hee honestly felt a little disappointed.

After all, she had thought this was an opportunity to spend time alone with her student and strengthen their bond, but suddenly uninvited guests had intruded.

*Glimpse.*

Baek Seol-hee took in Jin Yu-ha's face, who was closely following behind her.

"Faster, even faster—!"

Jin Yu-ha, with a hardened face, desperately pursued.

There were no other thoughts on his face.

Only a firm resolve to somehow defeat the fiends and rescue the kidnapped people as quickly as possible was visible.

Just seeing that he brought those two here gave her a sense of how seriously Jin Yu-ha regarded this incident.

'…Truly, a student is someone who makes their teacher feel ashamed.'

How unsightly was she, who had been happy at the prospect of more time alone with her student?

Moreover, Jin Yu-ha, feeling sorry for bothering his teacher with his request, even gave her a gift.

Baek Seol-hee let out a small laugh at the weight of the sword maintenance kit she felt on her chest.

'Hmm, actually, I have another identical one…'

The sword maintenance kit that Director Lina had given her as a gift some time ago.

Lina had handed it over, saying that she didn't even use swords, yet she received such a gift.

Indeed, that sword maintenance kit was the best Baek Seol-hee had ever used.

However, just because she received the same thing didn't mean she wouldn't be happy.

It was a gift her student had prepared with her in mind.

The weight she felt was different.

It was probably something he had struggled to obtain, saving money from his meager allowance, thinking of his teacher, even though he would be the one who wanted to use it most.

After all, the gifts Director Lina received were all luxuries that were hard to come by.

As Baek Seol-hee momentarily felt a warmth from her student's gift, a thought suddenly occurred to her.

'Hmm, exchanging them with each other would be good too.'

If she gave him the one she used, wouldn't it be a meaningful gift for her student as well?

As she continued these thoughts.

The target building came into view.

"We've arrived. Entering immediately."