I got into school for nothing - 228
I got into school for nothing (228)
Lesson 45. Preparing for the Founding Festival - 3
Ban Yuwon agonized all night long over the date arrangements he'd unwillingly made with both Dokgo Yeon and Ulrike Prominence.
Dokgo Yeon was fine, since he had proposed the date himself, but Ulrike Prominence...
‘Does this woman not know what I think of her?’
Back during summer vacation, when he hadn't even met Ulrike Prominence in person yet.
She had a history of trying to obliterate Earth, solely for the reason of wanting to pull Ban Yuwon into her team.
Of course, that was merely her personal goal; in reality, the intentions of the Prominence Family and a Constellation were intricately entwined, escalating the incident around Ban Yumi and ultimately burying her own desires and intentions.
That was, by all accounts, an external affair, but Ban Yuwon had never forgotten it for a single moment.
Her composure, as if such an incident had never happened, or was not even worth caring about, and the way she brazenly approached him, could only elicit his admiration.
It was the same when he applied for the special match.
To his surprise, she had completely misunderstood his intention behind applying for the match.
‘Come to think of it, that aura burning within you... Hehe, it’s just as I heard. Perhaps you wish to ask to be readmitted to the family as a branch member? Indeed, if you defeat me, that would be sufficient proof of your qualifications. I find your confident demeanor rather pleasing.’
She had readily accepted his application while spouting such nonsensical remarks.
Yes, to think she had accepted so readily, only to send such a shameless message again today!
She probably had no intention of using the special match as an excuse to threaten him.
Since she wouldn't even consider the possibility of losing the match, the risk of the special match was zero for her.
Perhaps she simply heard that Ban Yuwon was going on a date with Dokgo Yeon, didn't like it, and contacted him out of a desire to reclaim her 'investment'... No, why am I analyzing this person's thought process?
“You.”
As Light, who had already showered and was wrapped in his blanket, called out to him.
“Didn't you say you would defeat me in the special match?”
“I did.”
That was correct. Ban Yuwon had two special matches to contend with at this masked ball.
He wanted to settle things before then if possible, but to truly corner Light—no, the one controlling him—it would be best to decide it in the special match.
“But seeing as you have time to frolic with women, it seems you must think I'm an easy opponent.”
“How did you know?”
“That's not important.”
Ban Yuwon thought it was very important.
Because that slightly unsettling, inexplicable stalking—rejecting an invitation to a café together only to follow their group—was solid proof that Light's will was still alive.
“Are you jealous?”
“What a ridiculous thing to say. I'm too busy racing forward, focused only on what's ahead. I have no time to frolic with women.”
“No time to play with me, either?”
“D-disgusting.”
Light pulled his blanket up to cover his face, adopting a wary posture.
“Y-you... You weren't, by any chance, thinking that?”
“What's wrong, Light? We even went out to Ronica together during our first semester.”
“Th-that was...”
“Is it strange to hang out with a friend? What exactly is ‘that thought’ that's making you so flustered, huh?”
“...I'm sleeping.”
“Wait a moment.”
Ban Yuwon held back Light, who, sensing the unfavorable turn of events, was attempting to retreat into dreamland.
Against Light, who seemed ready to brandish his Holy Sword at a moment's notice, he asked.
“It's good that you've agreed to the special match, but do you have a partner?”
“...Whether you come alone or with Dokgo Yeon, I'm confident I can handle you no matter what.”
“If you don't have a partner, you can't even participate. Furthermore, your opponent's partner is different when you face me. It's Aire.”
“...”
Light fell silent for a moment after hearing Aire's name, but soon opened his mouth again.
“You don't need to worry about it. I've already been discussing it with someone. Besides, it seems changes can be made before the match is held.”
“Changes...?”
“That's just to say it might be possible. Go to sleep.”
Light, who had been wearing a somewhat complicated expression, soon waved his hand dismissively and pulled the blanket back over himself.
Changes, he said.
The words filled him with a slightly ominous premonition, but then.
‘No, I'll find out when the time comes.’
He quickly shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
He had already set a date to meet Ulrike Prominence on Thursday.
He figured observing her up close for once wouldn't be a bad idea.
The problem, however, was that he also had to go on dates with Rucell and Mira, who were upset because he was dating other women, all in the name of maintaining balance.
Even Ban Yuwon, who was dating out of necessity to climb the Tower of Babel with his companions, was so overwhelmed, so just how much effort did men who actually dated multiple women at once put in? A small spark of respect even rose within him.
“What the master is doing right now doesn't seem all that different to me.”
“No, it's different. At least I have a legitimate excuse, so I can openly meet them, but philanderers have to hide meeting other women, which makes it harder, doesn't it?”
“It's starting to sound more and more like trash, so please stop, Master.”
“Alright.”
Nodding obediently at Lilyth's words, Ban Yuwon eventually leaned onto the table and sighed.
“Still, it's true I have no free time. I originally planned to finish my solo exploration this week, but...”
“If only we could go in by ourselves.”
Lilyth, who had transformed into a small, roughly 30-centimeter tall doll, gently landed before his eyes.
She extended a tiny hand to stroke Ban Yuwon's hair, appearing to have learned the gesture from somewhere.
“It's fine. Solo Exploration wouldn't be meaningful anyway unless I personally went in, saw, and felt it for myself.”
“The last exploration was quite significant, wasn't it?”
“...It was.”
The Tower still held secrets.
In just half a year, Ban Yuwon's attitude towards the Tower had changed considerably.
But he couldn't back down now.
His Tower exploration had already ceased to be his alone.
Right now, Rebellion, Yumina, Cellon, and others, including Mira, were all watching him...
“...Shall I sleep?”
For now, he decided to focus only on the immediate task at hand.
That was to bring Dokgo Yeon, who was laboring under a completely absurd delusion, back to her senses.
Ah... he might really get beaten badly...
Recalling the date scheduled for tomorrow, Ban Yuwon lay down in bed, disheartened, but was tormented by both fear and anticipation, preventing him from getting much sleep.
* * *
Wednesday.
All lectures concluded in the morning.
Normally, he would head straight to the club's training room, supervising the seniors, and engaging in intense sparring sessions with Dokgo Yeon, Rucell, or even Light, as he would have in the first semester, working up a sweat.
But today was different.
“Alright, then, let's meet at the appointed place!”
“Why are you, the beast, even more excited and boisterous about this than I am?”
“Dokgo Yeon, let's go get ready. Quickly! Master, please head to the plaza, our meeting place, first!”
Rucell, with firm resolve, took Dokgo Yeon and headed towards the girls' dormitory.
Ban Yuwon, with a somewhat stiff expression, turned to look at Light, who had remained with him, but Light drew his Holy Sword and unfeelingly headed for the training room.
Seeing him act colder than usual, it seemed he was indeed sulking.
“Hoo.”
“By the way, Master, why did that woman fall into such a delusion?”
Perhaps because he had shown a somewhat vulnerable side yesterday, Lilyth was also speaking to him in a slightly gentler tone.
“It's as if she believes there's no value in herself beyond martial prowess.”
Lilyth, who shared most of her time with him, naturally remembered Dokgo Yeon's attitude towards Lusein Ortima yesterday, as well as her attitude towards Ban Yuwon.
It was natural that she had accurately seen through the thoughts Ban Yuwon and Rucell were having.
“Well, it's probably because she was educated that way. And the rest is her environment.”
Ban Yuwon clicked his tongue, replied, then manipulated his student ID and headed for Ronica.
Ronica was the foremost—no, arguably the only—metropolis in Union.
Students who wanted to go out, whether on holidays or weekdays, had no choice but to gather in Ronica, and even now, gazes were drawn to him from all directions.
“Lilyth, invisible mode.”
“Please stop giving commands that make me sound like a state-of-the-art weapon, Master.”
Lilyth activated the Gwoeyeonggong she shared with him, dutifully disappearing while grumbling, unable to hide her displeasure.
“I've given you concepts far beyond those of a state-of-the-art weapon, haven't I?”
“There are quite a lot of students... Why are there so many? It's not usually this crowded, is it?”
At Lilyth's words, Ban Yuwon also narrowed his eyes, surveying his surroundings.
Come to think of it, it was strange.
Firstly, the number of students who could freely enter and exit Ronica was small, and even they usually only came out on weekends after finishing their explorations early, or on Mondays when theoretical classes were concentrated... But now, didn't it look like all Union Academy students had gathered in the plaza!
“Look, look! They're Academy students!”
“There must be a very important gathering happening here today.”
“Could there be a monster wave happening in Union?”
“Perhaps so...”
That couldn't be.
Because even now, the vassals he wasn't currently exploiting were regularly clearing the dungeons around Ronica.
However... Ban Yuwon swept his gaze around, observing the students, and became somewhat certain.
“They all came to see us. The rumors must have spread already...!”
“You're incredibly popular.”
“Or Dokgo Yeon might explode too...”
That's why he shouldn't have talked about dates in such a public place.
Of course that Lusein Ortima guy would know about it, too, wouldn't he?
No, provoking that guy itself was a very welcome outcome, but!
He couldn't quite predict the reaction of Dokgo Yeon, the important party involved...
“Ahem.”
Just as he was thinking of her, Dokgo Yeon appeared before his eyes.
Ban Yuwon thought she shone dazzlingly, then realized why: she was wearing a purely Earth-style outfit, distinct from Union's fusion fashion, which blended various dimensional clothing cultures, though not vastly different from Earth's own.
‘Come to think of it, I did sweep through several stores when I came back from Earth. So, all those sizes I bought, even ones that seemed completely unsuitable for Rucell, were for this very reason.’
Moreover, seeing Dokgo Yeon in hot pants that exposed her thighs and a knit top—an outfit she wouldn't wear even if she died and came back to life—he could guess how strongly Rucell had pushed her leading up to this date.
Truly, wasn't this a fashion that resonated with Ban Yuwon's heart, who had always considered Dokgo Yeon's leg-line extraordinary!
“...I feel unpleasant.”
“Why?!”
Dokgo Yeon, however, was frowning intensely, effectively halving the impact of her carefully chosen beautiful outfit.
No, looking closely, she had even applied light makeup!
“What difference would it make if I put on makeup and dressed up? When we return, if I don't properly educate that beast... you're no exception.”
“It really suits you, though?”
“Another lie like that.”
Dokgo Yeon clenched her fists and trembled, then habitually reached for her waist, only to realize she wasn't wearing her sword scabbard, which enraged her even further.
“That beast, even taking my weapon without me noticing...! Her skill has certainly improved!”
“Just pick one, are you complimenting her or insulting her?”
Only then did Ban Yuwon finally regain his composure.
But Dokgo Yeon had already noticed his gaze fixed on her legs.
Rarely, she blushed and took half a step back, speaking as if to offer an excuse.
“I did not intend to wear this. I had no intention of exposing my legs! What disgrace...!”
“Seriously, stop it. You're cute, so...”
“Cute...?!”
It was strange.
He couldn't calm down at all.
Was this what 'gap moe' felt like?
Rucell always wore feminine clothes, but Dokgo Yeon, aside from her uniform which was rare enough, only ever wore black martial robes.
No, come to think of it, he had seen her in a nightgown during a previous special activity.
Yes... even then, Ban Yuwon had clearly...
“L-let's just go for now.”
“...If it's really that strange, I'll change right away.”
“No, absolutely do not change.”
“I still feel unpleasant, it seems.”
Dokgo Yeon's chronic condition wasn't something that could be cured by simply wearing pretty clothes and makeup.
Ban Yuwon braced himself firmly and took one of Dokgo Yeon's hands.
He worried he might get hit, but fortunately, she clasped his hand in return.
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