Chapter 10: An Unexpected Change

I quite enjoy common clichés.

Their frequent use suggests they’re well-liked and offer reliable entertainment.

‘Minorus Academy’ itself was a game full of clichés and a generic storyline. Perhaps that’s why I enjoyed it.

I buried my face in her—Euru’s—neck. Climbed onto the bed.

Straddled her. Pressed my chest and stomach against hers. Should I go further?

I inhaled her scent, a mixture of skin and sweat, strangely arousing.

I kissed her neck. Is this okay?

It doesn’t matter. I lowered the zipper of her training uniform slightly, revealing her white shoulder and collarbone.

My tongue darted out. I licked down her neck, from her shoulder to her collarbone. A salty taste.

What am I doing to an unconscious girl? I licked, sucked, and kissed her collarbone, leaving a faint red mark.

I moved back up. Towards Euru’s lips—

“Mmm—”

A moan escaped Euru’s lips. Her eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Still dazed, her eyes were unfocused.

Sayo gently stroked Euru’s forehead.

Flushed with excitement, her breath hot, Sayo spoke.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Who…? Ow!”

A small shockwave from Sayo’s hand struck Euru’s forehead as she tried to speak.

Euru lost consciousness again.

Straddling her, hovering over her like that, with Sayo’s flushed face, rapid breathing, and unbuttoned uniform…

Anyone would misinterpret the situation.

‘Euru would definitely misunderstand…’

Well, it’s not a misunderstanding, but it is. I had to knock her out to avoid being misunderstood.

Sayo wiped her saliva off Euru with a tissue, straightened her clothes, retrieved her discarded fan, and sat back in the chair.

Sigh She took a deep breath.

Her behavior just now was abnormal, far more so than during the spar. Seeing Euru unconscious had triggered a sudden surge of excitement, making her lose control. She had acted purely on instinct.

‘Ugh…’

A tingling, itching sensation in her lower abdomen. She hadn’t felt this since she first possessed ‘Sayoreinne.’

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t felt anything resembling sexual desire since then.’

Calm down. I am Sayo.

Just now, she hadn’t been ‘Sayo.’ Nor ‘Sayoreinne.’ The Sayoreinne who hated people—the princess—would never do such a thing.

That left only ‘Juseong,’ the perpetually single shut-in.

‘I could never do something like that, but…’

If it was a purely instinctive act, driven by primal urges, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.

‘Certainly, lick…ing and kiss…ing a woman’s body… is a favorite… often seen… play…’

Why am I so embarrassed?

Sigh

Sayo sighed. So many unexpected things had happened today. It was giving her a headache.

There was nothing to be gained from worrying about a situation with no clear answers or solutions.

She had used magic on Euru reflexively, a dangerous act, to prevent a misunderstanding(?). She cautiously reached out and touched Euru’s forehead where she had been struck.

The skin was soft, but a red bump had formed.

‘I gave her a bump on her pretty forehead. I’m so sorry.’

Hoping to ease the pain, she gently rubbed the swollen area. Perhaps because Euru was her favorite heroine, a strange fluttering sensation filled her chest. Why this sudden feeling, when she hadn’t felt anything before?

“…What are you doing?”

“Oh, you’re awake.”

Euru grabbed Sayo’s hand as she stroked her forehead. Lost in thought, Sayo hadn’t noticed her waking up.

Euru winced, touching her forehead. She didn’t seem to remember waking up earlier.

“Something feels off… hmm…”

She seemed to sense something was amiss, perhaps due to being knocked out twice, but she couldn’t quite place it.

“More importantly, why were you touching my forehead with those creepy hands?”

“…You had a magnificent bump from getting hit by me, so I just touched it.”

Sayo retorted, her tone matching Euru’s aggressiveness. She knew she was in the wrong and that Euru disliked her, so she shouldn’t have gotten angry. Why did she?

“…I’ll make sure to win next time.”

“I’ll accept your challenge anytime.”

Silence.

I should apologize.

“I’m sorry, Euru.”

“…For what?”

“For giving you that bump… for everything.”

“No need to apologize for something that happened during a spar. I don’t mind. You shouldn’t either.”

As Sayo bowed her head, Euru waved her hand dismissively and stared intently.

“Is there something you want to say?”

“You’ve definitely changed.”

While not in the way she meant, Sayo flinched internally. She maintained her poker face, though.

“Really? I don’t think so.”

“No. I’ve been observing you these past few days, and after today’s spar, I’m certain. You’ve changed, for the better.”

‘She’s saying that to my face.’

Still, it felt good to be praised by the girl she liked.

“Before, you were always irritable, hiding your emotions, wearing a fake smile while being sarcastic and condescending, rejecting kindness, manipulating people behind the scenes to harass weaker students, and acting like a rabid dog eager to make enemies, weren’t you?”

“But these days, you’re only slightly sarcastic, and your expression is a little less sour. You’ve also stopped bothering other students.”

“During the spar, and even now, you expressed your emotions through your words and expressions. Honestly, I was a little angry back then.”

‘That wasn’t exactly a compliment.’

Sayo frowned slightly at the blunt assessment. She couldn’t argue with it.

“Heh. Yes, it’s good to express your emotions. Bottling them up is unhealthy.”

“Hmph, I’ll try.”

Euru was indeed the cool and forgiving heroine. Her smile seemed to radiate light. Considering what Sayo had done, she should have been furious, but she spoke kindly, as if she had forgotten the incident.

‘She’s definitely different from Emelly, who’s petty.’

Sayo had been planning to improve her relationships with key characters, but Euru had confronted her first, recognizing that she was no longer the same person.

Sayo felt happy. She didn’t know why, but she was.

“I’m fine now. Let’s go back to the training grounds.”

“You can rest more. We just need to be back before class ends.”

“Watching others spar is also part of the lesson, a learning experience. You’re always so diligent, and now you want to skip out?”

“It seems my concern was unnecessary. Let’s go then.”

As Euru put on her shoes and stood up, she looked at Sayo’s face and nodded.

“Keep smiling like that, and others will realize you’ve changed.”

“What?”

Sayo was maintaining Sayoreinne’s signature poker face. What smile was she talking about? Confused, Sayo touched her face.

Slightly upturned lips. Cheeks raised. Now that she was aware of it—

She was smiling naturally.

“Heh. Come on, let’s go.”

Euru smiled again, taking Sayo’s wrist and pulling her along.

“You can let go of my hand—”

“Are you shy now? Hurry up.”

“You’re truly an enigma.”

Sayo could easily pull her wrist free, but there was no need to upset Euru, and—

She found the warmth of Euru’s hand surprisingly pleasant.

Besides, she was happy to have another source of warmth besides Ahrin.

As she was led back to the training grounds, hand in hand, she realized—

Euru was right. Today—

She had changed, for the better.