Chapter 45: Fake Stigmata (8)

How much should I tell Yelena? This was the thought I had while buying simple things to eat for dinner and returning to the dormitory.

First of all, it’s okay to talk about Marcus’s terrorist attack yesterday. Because Marcus is already dead and gone.

There’s no harm in talking about Elissa either. Yelena is not a narrow-minded girl who would kill someone just because she suspects them.

The problem is, those aren’t the only things that are complicating my mind.

The transfer magic circle hidden under the fake Stigmata. The people at the top of the academy, including Elin-sensei, haven’t yet discovered the existence of this transfer magic circle.

Moreover, there’s also the story about the ‘seed’ that I haven’t even told Regina yet, and the story about the second Stigmata that I newly acquired.

As I walked, organizing my thoughts, we had already arrived in front of my dormitory.

“Well, here’s my room.”

“I’m excited. What will Sian’s room look like?”

“Don’t expect too much. There’s nothing special.”

I said that and infused my mana into the doorknob. When the mana was recognized, the locking magic on the doorknob was released and the door opened automatically.

The room visible beyond the door was quite neat. Without any special decorations, textbooks neatly arranged on the bookshelf next to the desk.

A neatly made queen-size bed and two spare uniforms hanging in one corner, other than that, there was really nothing.

…As expected, it might look too shabby to Yelena, who was born a noble.

“Ahaha…it’s pretty simple, right?”

“I don’t think so. I like this kind of clean atmosphere.”

“Hehe, thank you for saying that.”

Come to think of it, Northern nobles usually don’t indulge in luxury. Born as adventurers and warriors, they believed that indulging in luxury weakens a person.

The same would be true for Yelena, the eldest daughter of the Frost family.

Shaking off unnecessary worries, I said as I unbuttoned my uniform jacket.

“Wait a minute, don’t look because I’m going to change my clothes.”

“Ah, um.”

Yelena, even while answering like that, couldn’t take her eyes off Sian.

Because Sian’s appearance, taking off her jacket and vest and unbuttoning her uniform shirt, felt a little different from usual for some reason.

If Sian’s usual appearance was cute…the girl in front of her eyes had a charm that was both cute and alluring.

The curves of Sian’s body, which were not visible because of her uniform, are emphasized with only a shirt on.

Perhaps because she had trained endlessly while living as an adventurer. Sian’s body, visible under the tight-fitting shirt, was beautifully lean.

The pure white nape of her neck, hidden by her uniform jacket, is revealed. The girl’s underwear visible through the translucent uniform…

“Ugh?!”

When her thoughts reached that point, Yelena, unlike herself, was startled and quickly turned her gaze away. A faint moan mixed with embarrassment escaped from her lips. Her ice-like eyes trembled.

It’s just taking off clothes, so why does it feel so attractive? I’ve always thought I wanted to have Sian. I’ve never had this kind of thought-

The effect of the cherry blossom seed is charm.

However, until now, the effect of the Charm (A) stat was not very visible because of the uniform.

The academy uniform was an item that covered the girl’s body shape considerably. After all, the academy uniform was designed to minimize exposure.

If Sian usually wore a skirt, it might be different. But for Sian, who was a man in her previous life and had never touched a skirt even

while living as a woman, uniform pants were more comfortable.

So Sian didn’t know… but in a situation where she was alone with someone who already had some degree of affection for her, the Charm (A) stat started to work.

“Huu…”

Even after turning her head, Yelena could still picture Sian in her mind.

Her overly sensitive hearing picked up the sound of Sian undressing behind her, making it impossible not to imagine it.

Sian’s body was even better than Yelena had thought—mature, not just cute.

Was it because she was seventeen, caught between being a child and an adult? That subtle maturity hidden within her cute gestures was captivating.

Yelena didn’t understand why she was acting like this.

Love was an unfamiliar emotion for a girl who had closed her heart at a young age. Having never received love, she didn’t know how to give it.

So, when her heart raced like this for the first time, she had no idea how to respond.
Seeing her reflection in the mirror on the front door—her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment—felt foreign.

“…Why am I like this?”

Meanwhile, the sound of Sian changing clothes behind her was still painfully clear.

She wanted to turn around. She was only holding back because Sian had asked her to.

She was trying to maintain her composure, following the Frost family motto: Emotions must not surpass reason.

At the convenience store earlier, she’d approached Sian naturally, even pushed her against the wall, touching her lips without a second thought.

But now—

“Whew…”

Thinking back, it wasn’t really something girls usually did with each other.

Maybe it was fine for Yelena, but Sian probably wasn’t used to things like that.

The northern region was quite open about same-s*x relationships. In fact, maybe even more so than 21st-century South Korea, where Sian had lived in her past life.

The North was a battlefield of endless wars, and strategists found that fighting alongside a lover improved combat efficiency.

So, northern culture had a very liberal view of romance.

Surprisingly, similar thoughts existed on Earth in Sian’s past life. The Sacred Band of Thebes in ancient Greece was composed of same-s*x couples, and they fought well.

Because of this, Yelena didn’t have much aversion to same-s*x relationships. She’d often seen female soldiers dating each other on the northern front lines.

But that was the North.

Sian wasn’t from the North—she might’ve felt uncomfortable. After all, they were still just friends.

Yelena’s heart grew more conflicted.

Should she apologize? But Sian seemed to have forgotten about it quickly. Would apologizing now just make things awkward?

Then again, knowing Sian’s considerate nature, maybe she was just hiding her discomfort. Sian wasn’t the type to say things that might hurt someone.

Honestly, even saying she was disappointed felt like overthinking it. Yelena knew she was inexperienced when it came to relationships.

That’s why she was even more confused. What was the right thing to say?

She’d never learned how to maintain proper friendships. Her heart raced, her rational mind panicked, and she spiraled into confusion.

Ironically, it was Sian—now fully dressed—who rescued Yelena from that state.

“I’m done changing. You can turn around now.”

“Oh, okay…”

Yelena turned around, but her body stiffened as she didn’t know where to look.

Sian, in her casual clothes, was more striking than she’d imagined.

A loose, short white T-shirt that rode up to reveal her lower abdomen whenever she raised her arms even slightly. And short dolphin shorts that exposed most of her bare legs.

“Ugh…”

When Sian stretched, her shirt lifted slightly, revealing well-defined abs. The loose shirt slid off one shoulder, exposing her collarbone.

“Ugh?!”

For a moment, Yelena even wondered if Sian was trying to seduce her.

Even though they were friends, they’d only known each other for less than a month. Sian seemed too defenseless.

Unbeknownst to Sian, the charm (A) stat didn’t just enhance her appearance. Its true power was embedding charm into even the smallest gestures.

With Sian already naturally pretty, adding the charm stat and wearing such an outfit was overwhelming for Yelena, who wasn’t used to exposure.

The North was cold. Northerners bundled up, even in their sleepwear.

Clothes that exposed this much skin felt alien to Yelena.

So, she couldn’t meet Sian’s gaze easily.

She feared that if she looked into those beautiful amethyst eyes, her strange feelings would be exposed.

That Sian would sense something was off about her.

Until Sian spoke again, Yelena remained half-frozen.