Ghosts exist.
They exist as monsters.
And if there were ghosts in the dormitory, the students would have eliminated them without needing a professor's intervention. After all, the Academy's students possessed combat abilities far exceeding a certain standard.
The rumors about ghosts in the dormitory were probably just spread as a prank by one of the students.
In real-world schools, there were similar rumors that would eventually fade away and disappear. Rumors about ghosts were essentially just trends.
It was a little past midnight.
I met Melissa in front of Turtle Dormitory.
"Turtle Dormitory..."
"President, have you never been to this dormitory before?"
"No, my dormitory is far from here."
Turtle Dormitory is the largest dormitory building on campus, housing over 100 students.
Most of the students in Turtle Dormitory are commoners, so the rooms allocated to individuals are smaller than the building itself.
It's a blatant lie that the Academy doesn't discriminate based on social status. Everyone knows that.
The kingdom itself is a hierarchical society, and the Academy can't openly defy that.
The Academy's claim of not discriminating based on status only applies to how professors teach students.
From the commoners' perspective, living among themselves is probably better than living with nobles anyway.
The Academy, aware of this, had separated the Noble and Commoner dormitories.
"...Even past midnight, lights are still on in various parts of the dormitory. Are they not sleeping?"
"Tomorrow's a holiday. They're probably studying late or having friends over to play."
"Hmm. Wouldn't it have been better to come later? If ghosts are real, they'd likely appear when everyone's asleep."
"I've gathered rumors from various sources, and they say ghosts appear around midnight."
Melissa and I quietly entered Turtle Dormitory. Instinctively, we became mindful of our footsteps to avoid disturbing others, lowering our voices to whispers.
"There were three rumors associated with Turtle Dormitory."
"Three rumors? I thought there was only one."
"There are three, all similar rumors. Let's check the Underground first."
Two of the rumors were circulating among the students, and the third was one I had fabricated myself.
"The Underground? Isn't that just a storage area?"
"They say you can hear howling noises there at night."
We entered the Underground Warehouse. Melissa had brought the Master Key to Turtle Dormitory, so we gained access without any trouble.
The Underground was dark and smelled of dust. Howling noises? We heard nothing of the sort.
"It's a bit creepy, but there's no sign of ghosts or anything."
Melissa cast a spell. A sphere of light appeared in her palm, illuminating the surroundings. The warehouse was filled with miscellaneous junk.
"Let's search every nook and cranny."
I stroked the Lucky Pervert Amulet on my left wrist, which had been enhanced with the Bright Ascension Chart, with my right hand.
I trust you'll perform well today.
It would be great if we could even have sex, but that's probably impossible.
"Ugh?!"
A crashing sound and the sound of something tearing came from behind me. I whirled around to see Melissa sprawled on the floor.
"President?!"
Her blouse and underwear were ripped, revealing her full E-cup breasts. With a flushed face, she tugged at her blouse to cover herself as she scrambled to her feet.
"It's nothing. I just tripped over something sticking out from the side. I'm not hurt... ugh."
Melissa staggered. I rushed to steady her before she could fall again.
"You seem badly hurt. We should go to the infirmary..."
Her chest pressed against mine, flattening against my body.
"I'm fine. Just a slight pain in my ankle. It'll be better with a little rest."
Melissa, her face flushed, refused my support. As she pulled away, a pink nipple briefly peeked through the tear in her blouse. She quickly covered herself and walked ahead of me.
I stared at her retreating figure, my mouth slightly agape. The back of her skirt was torn, revealing a glimpse of her white panties.
The Lucky Pervert Amulet is working perfectly.
I swallowed hard and followed her.
Whoosh!
"Hngh?!"
An enormous torrent of water erupted from the watering can on the shelf, drenching Melissa completely.
"President!"
I reached out and grabbed her shoulder. Her wet blouse clung tightly to her body, revealing the full, balloon-like curves of her breasts and the delicate pink nipples beneath.
Her areolas were surprisingly large, about 5 centimeters in diameter, likely due to the size of her breasts. What was even more striking was that the areolas protruded slightly forward.
"...My luck is terrible today."
"Could it be the work of a ghost?"
"It's just a coincidence. The Magic Circle etched into the side of that Magic Watering Can is damaged. Someone must have put the broken Magic Tool in the warehouse instead of discarding it properly. What a nuisance. I'll have the Turtle Dormitory students clean out the warehouse later."
Melissa pushed away my offer of support.
Respecting her wishes, I stopped trying to help her up.
That's how the lewd stuff happens, after all. Heh heh.
Melissa traced a circle over her chest with her left arm. She still hadn't noticed the tear in her skirt, which revealed her white panties, now soaked and clinging to her skin, perfectly outlining the curves of her hips.
"I've almost finished looking around..."
Whoosh!
Water erupted from the watering can again. Completely caught off guard, Melissa was drenched head-on and collapsed against me.
I have to fall too.
Pretending to catch her, I stumbled backward. Her lips crashed onto mine. Taking advantage of her disorientation, I slipped my tongue into her mouth.
"Mmph?!"
Startled, Melissa quickly scrambled to her feet. But her foot slipped on the puddle, sending her tumbling back toward me. Her ample breasts pressed against my face, and through the torn fabric, a pink nipple peeked out to greet me.
"I-I'm so sorry...!" she stammered, rising and covering her chest with her hands. Her skirt had ridden up, revealing her wet panties. Through the damp fabric, the outline of her pussy and dark pubic hair were clearly visible.
"Are you alright, Chairman?"
"I'm fine. More importantly... about that kiss earlier..."
"You don't need to say anything. I'll forget it."
"Thank you."
"It seems like today's not our lucky day. Should we head back?"
Melissa shook her head.
"I'm fine. Since we're already here, let's check everything out before we leave."
We thoroughly searched every corner of the Underground Warehouse. There were plenty of strange objects, but no ghosts. Unfortunately for her, there were no clothes either.
"My guess is that the howling sounds from the rumors are caused by malfunctioning Magic Tools, like that Magic Watering Can we saw earlier."
"Hmm. So the truth behind the rumors wasn't anything special after all."
"What's the next rumor?"
"The rumor is that ghosts appear in the dormitory's communal bathrooms and bathhouses."
Melissa and I headed toward the dormitory's communal bathrooms.
Since the men's and women's restrooms were in separate locations, we decided to quickly search the nearest men's restroom first.
The restroom was clean, as if it were regularly maintained.
The problem arose in the women's restroom. Five women entered.
"Oh no!"
Panicked, Melissa pulled me into a stall. We could hear the women's voices from outside.
I stared at Melissa with a puzzled expression.
"Since the President is a woman, there's no need to hide, right?"
"In this state?"
Melissa was still completely soaked. Her top was torn, and she hadn't yet noticed that the back of her skirt was also ripped.
"...My thinking was shortsighted."
It was a situation ripe for misunderstanding. We held our breath and waited quietly for the women outside to leave the restroom. Within a few minutes, they had departed.
"So the rumors about a ghost appearing in the restroom were false after all. There's no Magic Circle either."
"Yes. I'm sorry. Looking back, there was no need to summon the President..."
"It's fine. Verifying rumors circulating within the Academy is part of my job, and you have little knowledge of magic, right? Next stop: the bathhouse?"
After checking the women's bathhouse, we headed to the men's bathhouse. The magic-managed bathhouse was said to be open 24 hours a day. Still, since no one would likely be using it this late at night, we felt safe inspecting it.
The men's and women's bathhouses have the same layout.
It was inferior to the bathhouse in my mansion.
"Chairman, is there anything magical here?"
"Nothing but the bathhouse's magic. The bathhouse and restrooms are regularly maintained by the dormitory supervisor."
"Now that we've confirmed the second rumor, let's head out."
I glanced outside and paused. I sensed someone in the changing room beyond the bathhouse. I shot a quick look at Melissa. Her face had turned as pale as a corpse.
If rumors spread that the eldest daughter of the prestigious Duke of Argentina had been bathing with a man in the Academy's men's bathhouse, her life would plummet into ruin.
"President, is there no magic to escape this crisis?"
"...I'm limited to offensive magic. If only I could use illusion magic... Ugh."
I scanned the surroundings. The open bathhouse offered no proper hiding places except for one.
"There's no choice, President. We have to hide."
"...Is there even a place to hide?"
I pointed to the hot spring in the corner. The pillar supporting the ceiling. That was the only place large enough to conceal a person's body.
"Isn't that pillar too small to hide two people behind?!"
"President! I'm a man, so it's fine! And this is the only way!"
"...Alright."
Melissa and I entered the steaming hot bath, where vapor billowed around us.
"Wait, hold on. Why are you suddenly taking off your clothes?!"
"Isn't it strange to be wearing clothes in a bathhouse? It's best to undress to avoid suspicion. Please hold onto my clothes, President."
Melissa turned her head away to avoid looking at my body.
Now naked, I handed my clothes to Melissa and stepped into the bath.
Moments later, the bathhouse door opened, and four men entered.
"So, I was saying... huh?"
"Someone's here. It's been a while since we've seen anyone else come to the bathhouse at night like us."
"I've never seen him before..."
"That's him. The transfer student who joined about a month ago."
Their whispers reached my ears.
Leaning against a pillar, I slowly turned my head toward them.
"Ah, hello, Seniors. What brings you here?"
If they'd heard the rumors about me, they'd know my identity. I'm a noble with the title of Baron, while they're likely commoners.
"We heard the Turtle Dormitory's bathhouse is spacious, so we came to check it out."
"Ah. I see..."
"Don't mind me. Enjoy your bath."
As he spoke, he glanced sideways. Melissa, clutching my clothes, was so tense she couldn't hide the pink nipple peeking through the tear in her blouse.
Her breasts are floating on the water. Quite a view.
About ten minutes later, the men approached the hot spring.
"Um... can we get in the hot spring?"
I could have scolded them and kicked them out, but the situation was rather amusing.
"This bathhouse isn't even mine. Why are you asking for permission? Do whatever you want."
"...Then we'll just get in for a bit."
The four men entered the hot spring, causing the water to ripple.
Melissa's face was drenched in sweat, her body and lips trembling violently. I took her hand and whispered quietly, "It's okay, President. They won't come near me."
"..."
Melissa nodded silently.
"Senior, if you don't mind, may I ask you a question?"
"A question? Sure, go ahead."
"Thank you!"
The man approached me.
Splash, splash.
Melissa's face turned deathly pale, so pale I worried she might faint.
Splash, splash.
The man continued to approach. This was getting dangerous. If he got any closer, we'd be discovered.
I abruptly stood up in the bath.
"Senior?"
"I've been soaking in the bath too long. My body feels stiff."
I swung my arms, deliberately flaunting my physique: balanced muscles and a substantial manhood. The man froze, stopping his approach, and sank back into the bath.
I sat down again. Glancing sideways, I saw Melissa silently exhale in relief.
"Senior, is there something on your pillar?"