"Professor Ken, thank you sincerely for your assistance. I truly look forward to our next meeting."
Having just watched Ken shuffle away looking like he'd been thoroughly wrung out, Linen stood alone in the now-restored dormitory hall, expression unreadable.
Ken Listan — a commoner-born Arcane Mage who'd risen rapidly through the ranks — would eventually become Linen's homeroom teacher. But he had another identity that Linen intended to exploit. So Linen hadn't made things too difficult for him. He'd only asked for some intelligence.
Naturally, most of it concerned Hysteria.
After all, a foreign imperial princess studying abroad at Eden Academy was not something the faculty would've been left uninformed about.
And Linen's efforts had paid off.
What surprised him, though, was that while digging into Hysteria's background, he'd also unearthed information on another female lead — Elena.
According to the original novels, these two girls belonged to entirely different stories — their plots distinct, their tones incompatible — despite existing in the same world.
They shared the same setting and antagonists, yet their arcs never intersected.
The author insisted it was a "parallel universe" model, but anyone with eyes could tell: he was just being lazy.
But in this fused world Linen had transmigrated into, their narratives had been perfectly blended.
Eden Academy's dorms were lavish — easily large enough to accommodate two students.
In the source material, both Elena and Hysteria had single rooms.
For different reasons.
Elena was isolated — deliberately ostracized by the noble faction.
Hysteria, on the other hand, chose to isolate everyone else.
But here, they weren't just roommates.
They were about to become desk mates.
And — most importantly — Linen's classmates.
By all logic, this should have Linen absolutely ecstatic. Two targets, both within arm's reach? That was double the reward potential.
But the truth was... his strategy for the two girls couldn't have been more different.
He was supposed to become Elena's trusty bro and betray her later at a critical moment.
Meanwhile, Hysteria? He needed to be her lifelong nemesis.
How was he supposed to juggle both roles — in front of each other?
"I can't afford to overthink this. A real man charges in even when the path isn't clear."
Besides, Empress Mom's trial isn't going to wait just because the world's logic got rewritten.
The rougher the waters, the fatter the fish.
With that in mind, Linen cast a meaningful glance in the direction of Hysteria's room and turned to head back to his own.
But just as he stepped onto the shared staircase between the male and female dorms—
Crash!
He bumped into someone, and they both toppled over.
"You reckless—!"
Halfway through his instinctive curse, Linen froze.
This was the stairway leading to the male dorms. He'd assumed it was just a clumsy male student.
But the soft, cushiony sensation that had landed on him immediately told him something was off.
He glanced down—
A pair of long, shapely legs tangled with his, clad in sheer black thigh-high stockings. From this close, he could even see the faint indentation where the garter line pressed into the skin.
The girl didn't seem to realize the awkwardness of her position. One hand clutched her forehead in a pained groan, the other tightly protecting something in her arms.
This was the kind of "accidental fall" you only saw in those youth-drenched school dramas. The kind that only happened between a short-skirted girl and a stunned boy.
Some guys chased after slender perfection.
But only top-tier connoisseurs like Linen understood: that subtle indent at the thigh-band was the real killer.
For a split second, he was cured of all anger. Utterly purified.
Wait a second… why do these black stockings feel so familiar?
"Sorry! I'm so sorry!"
A flustered voice rang out — soft, sweet, and unmistakably familiar.
Linen blinked.
It's her.
"Elena?"
Seeing who she had crashed into, Elena's surprise mirrored his own.
"Your Highness Linen?"
Linen rose smoothly, reasserting his cool-and-distant persona. He extended a hand to help her up as well, giving a subtle glance toward the direction she'd come from.
Strange. Why was she near the male dorm staircase?
At this point in the story, Elena was supposed to be completely friendless — especially among the boys.
Before he could voice his confusion, she stood up and held something out to him with both hands — a porcelain bottle.
"Your Highness, I saw your duel with Princess Hysteria. I thought… you might need this."
Linen took it and looked it over.
Burn ointment.
Still faintly warm — likely from being tucked close to her chest the whole time.
Which meant…
She'd been waiting at the dorm entrance for him this whole time.
"You went all the way to the infirmary just for me?" Linen asked, unable to hide a touch of surprise. "That's thoughtful of you."
Thanks to Ken's last-minute intervention, he'd avoided taking a direct hit from [Combustion], but the residual heat had still left some lingering burns. He'd been too busy to treat them.
Elena had noticed.
No wonder she ends up with a full orange-tier harem by the end. She really pays attention to the little things.
"Compared to the two times you helped me, this is nothing," Elena murmured, bowing her head slightly. Her cheeks were faintly flushed.
"What that princess did was really over the line. You already backed down so many times — everyone saw it. You were only defending yourself."
She peeked up at him as she spoke, her gaze full of hope. Like a puppy waiting for praise, or a child hoping for a parent's approval.
If it had just been about herself, she might not have reacted this strongly.
But watching Linen protect others — throwing himself into the fire for his classmates — had moved her deeply.
To her, he was now the very image of justice.
Still, there was something she hadn't said aloud.
When she'd secretly used her ability to hear Hysteria's inner voice…
She'd realized something.
That girl might not be the arrogant, spoiled noble everyone thought.
Just… complicated.
But in the face of Elena's admiring gaze, Linen was quietly panicking.
Crap. Her favorability score is rising way too fast!
He needed to hold onto the big plot-triggering rejection for later. These daily, bite-sized rejections were also valuable.
He didn't want her to fall too hard, too fast.
I was going for a slow burn, with a little push-pull dynamic...
Why are you just handing yourself over like this?!
He had to tank her goodwill right now.
Time to pull some low-tier behavior and throw off her impression a bit.
Eyes flashing with inspiration, Linen leaned in slightly and gave a sly smile.
"It feels a little formal, doesn't it? Always calling me 'Your Highness.' If you don't mind, Elena, why don't you call me 'Linen,' like I call you?"
"Ah… alright then. Linen... classmate," Elena said softly, her face reddening further.
Success!
Linen smirked internally.
"Now then, Elena. Thanks for the ointment. But… some of the burns are in places that are hard to reach. Could I ask for your help applying it?"
"M-my help?" Elena blinked. The request was a little… intimate.
But after a brief hesitation, she nodded, cheeks burning.
"Alright then. Let's go to the lounge. I'll help you apply the medicine."
"The lounge? Oh no, no. That's not appropriate."
Linen shook his head gravely.
"As royalty, it wouldn't be proper for me to expose myself in public."
"Then... what do you mean, L—Linen?" she asked, a little flustered.
Linen narrowed his eyes, lips curling with mischief.
"I mean... let's go to your room."
He smiled.
"I'm sure you won't turn me away—right?"