Huh?

Wait a second?

This kind of situation...

Muen could feel his heartbeat speeding up slightly.

Normally, when two people are alone in a quiet place like this, and one of them casually asks, “Do you have someone you like?”—no matter how you looked at it, that was definitely that kind of sign.

That’s right. It was that—the legendary confession!

You start by casually probing, seeing if the other person is already taken, and once that’s confirmed, you launch a full offensive and win their heart in one go!

That’s how it always played out in the hundreds of romance manga he’d read in his past life!

Wait? But would Sunbae really...?

Wasn’t this a bit too sudden?

Still, since Sunbae asked so seriously, he had no choice but to answer with sincerity.

“...No.”

Muen straightened his back, crossed his hands under his chin, and replied with a grave expression:

“Absolutely not.”

“Is that so? What a shame,” Anna sighed, resting a hand on her cheek.

“Eh?”

Muen froze.

What does she mean by shame?

Is it a shame to her that no one likes me?

Could it be that to Anna-sunbae, a simple, straightforward advance like this wasn’t enough anymore?

Instead of capturing an unclaimed heart, she preferred stealing someone else's?

Don’t tell me... Sunbae’s a member of the Cuckoldry Cult too!?

“Then... is there someone who likes Junior?”

Just as Muen’s brain was still buzzing from confusion, Anna continued leisurely.

But this question only made it harder for Muen to follow.

“P-Probably, yeah.”

Muen replied.

After all, there was Anne. No matter how much he lied, he couldn’t possibly stretch it that far.

“Really?”

Anna’s eyes lit up instantly.

“Then can you call her out for me?”

“Huh?”

Call her out?

Why?

In that instant, a mental image straight out of hell flashed across Muen’s mind.

Anna holding his hand, grinning smugly at Anne:

"The one you like? Mm~ She tastes pretty good."

AAAAHHHHH!

No way!

Anne would go berserk!

She’d bring down a mountain of blades and finely dice both him and Anna ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) into meat paste!

“U-Uh...”

Seeing Anna’s expectant expression, Muen couldn’t help but ask:

“Sunbae... why?”

Though knowing her personality, she might just be doing this out of sheer mischief, Muen’s instincts told him there was another reason behind it.

“Why, huh?”

Anna looked off to the side, twirling the end of one of her braids.

She seemed to be weighing something—but just as she was about to speak, her gaze flicked toward a bird perched on the tree branches outside the window.

Anna’s brow twitched slightly.

“Never mind.”

“Eh?”

“Looks like I was too impatient.”

“What?”

Muen was completely lost.

He’d been feeling this way for a while now—like he couldn’t keep up with Sunbae’s thought process at all.

“That’s enough for today.”

Anna stood up.

“Class will end soon. I need to make some preparations, or I’ll be too busy later.”

“Oh... oh, right.”

Muen nodded blankly.

“Do you need any help, Sunbae?”

“Help?”

Anna shot him a flirtatious look:

“Junior, you skipped class just to come study with me—do you really have time to help?”

“Uh...”

Muen scratched his head awkwardly.

“Well... maybe I do. It’s just that, for a certain reason, I have to pass the Magic Theory exam in a month, so all my time and effort have to go into that.”

“Pass it?” Anna looked surprised.

“A first-year exam?”

“Second-year,” Muen said with a bitter smile. “Is it hard, Sunbae?”

“Hm... Very hard. Extremely hard.”

Anna thought for a moment and then said seriously:

“But maybe not impossible either.”

...

After Muen left, Anna looked out the window at the bird resting on a branch and quietly whispered:

“Shoo.”

Startled, the bird fluttered away.

She let out a soft sigh. “That green-haired creep from the News Club really loves peeping, huh.”

In the empty library, Anna rolled up her sleeves.

On her fair skin, faint traces of scales could be seen.

“After the Moon was driven off... things have been a bit more peaceful.”

She stared at her wrist, murmuring softly to herself in reassurance:

“Don’t rush, Anna. Don’t rush. There’s still time.”

“Even if it really comes to that...”

Her gaze shifted to the library’s main entrance, as if chasing the fading silhouette of someone who had just left.

...

“Feels like I’m just a bit closer to that 60-point goal.”

After walking out of the library, Muen stretched and let out a satisfied sigh.

Another productive morning.

“So next...”

He thought for a moment and decided to grab lunch while it was still early.

Once the cafeteria got crowded, it’d just waste time again—"Hmm?"

But he had barely taken a few steps before his brow furrowed again.

That faint, indistinct gaze—like a sharp blade lightly grazing his back—sent a chill down his spine.

It clung to him like a maggot burrowing into flesh—impossible to shake off.

“Looks like ignoring it won’t work.”

Muen’s expression turned cold.

He didn’t want to be tailed by some pervert forever.

Relying on the acute senses he’d developed from dying countless times in the Black Book, Muen moved slowly, carefully narrowing down the direction.

Outside the library was a thick forest.

A perfect place to hide.

If someone even slightly understood stealth techniques, this kind of place would be more than enough to stay hidden.

But right now, there was no wind.

So even the faintest movement would rustle the branches and leaves audibly.

They couldn’t move. No matter how well hidden, there was always a moment of exposure.

Besides, their stealth skills didn’t seem to be that great.

Muen’s eyes, sharp like a hawk’s, scanned the surroundings and quickly locked onto a patch of shadows behind a bush.

Between the branches, he could faintly see a swaying bit of clothing.

"If you want to be a pervert, at least train your stalking skills first."

Muen scoffed, his expression cold. He stepped forward and thrust his hand into the bush.

“Come out, you damn pervert!”

“Uwaaah! Don’t grab me—I didn’t mean to!”

“Eh?”

To his surprise, the one he dragged out of the bush wasn’t some scar-faced, muscle-bound maniac...

But... a little girl? 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Muen looked at her in confusion.

She was wearing the Academy’s uniform. Judging from the design, she seemed to be in the same year as him.

Thick, soft black hair tied into two heavy braids. A massive pair of black-rimmed glasses on her face. A few faint freckles across her cheeks.

Overall, she looked like one of those girls so unnoticeable you’d lose her in a crowd.

But as Muen looked at her, something felt incredibly familiar.

Like... he’d seen her somewhere before?