A soft sensation touched my right hand.
The first woman's breast I'd touched since arriving in this world.
The texture I'd only imagined in my head since first spotting Cha Eun-ju was now vividly transmitted through my fingertips.
"Up to here?"
"...Yeah. Up to here."
We'd only met two days ago, and I never dreamed we'd progress this far already.
Honestly, my original plan was to take it slow—maybe add a peck on the cheek today and chip away at her defenses bit by bit. Using anything sexual for training her was meant to come later, more gradually.
...Though when I hugged her earlier and accidentally-on-purpose grabbed her ass, there might've been a bit of personal desire mixed in.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo..."
Cha Eun-ju's chest heaved up and down with each embarrassed, ragged breath, carrying my hand along for the ride.
With every movement, my fingers sank a little deeper into her flesh.
Even through her thick tracksuit and bra, the unmistakable sensation enveloped my hand like a massive blob of jelly.
-Squelch.
"Eep?!"
I barely tightened my palm at all, and she jolted in place, her body bouncing lightly in surprise.
Her reaction made it clear: "up to here" was the absolute limit.
If I pushed even one step further right now, she might accept it out of necessity, but starting tomorrow, she'd hide her awkwardness and act unnaturally around me.
'Gotta be satisfied with this much for today.'
As someone who wanted to fully conquer the depths of Cha Eun-ju's heart, I had no desire to go further.
Not when she'd shown such courage by honestly voicing her limit—I owed her that much respect, at least.
"Haa, hoo, haa, hoo..."
"..."
Instead, I let my right hand rest lightly on her breast, savoring the subtle touches with every breath she took.
The heavy thud of Cha Eun-ju's heartbeat deep within her ample chest pulsed through my palm.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I'm insane.
Insane, insane, insane.
Cha Eun-ju, are you out of your mind?!
"Haa, haa, haaaah...!!"
Why did I do that?
What the hell was I thinking?
Sure, Seon-ho looked pissed, and I figured I had to do something to cheer him up.
But grabbing his arm and pulling it to my chest in that situation? What kind of lunatic pulls that?
'What do I do? Now he'll think I'm a total pervert...'
Did he even expect me to guide his hand to my breasts like that?
Thank goodness he's such a gentleman and stopped there. If he'd grabbed and kneaded them...
Or worse, if he hadn't released the hypnosis and dragged me straight to a hotel or something.
If that happened... I might've lost my first time in the most ridiculous way imaginable.
'Thank God Seon-ho's a good guy...'
After pulling his hand to my chest like a madwoman, I couldn't exactly confess it was all an act if he'd gone further—even pretending to be under hypnosis wouldn't fly.
Apologizing for being late by offering my breasts? No sane person would do that.
It's something you could only pull off if you were actually hypnotized—or at least believed to be.
And now that she was alone, Cha Eun-ju could only regret how crazy it had been.
"Ughhh, ahh... Why, why did I say that to Seon-ho of all people..."
Why had she blurted out that she'd do anything he wanted?
It just made things more awkward with him. Of course, after the "hypnosis" wore off, she'd forced herself to act normal and chat casually before parting ways.
If anything, the time after the hypnosis felt fuzzier than during it. Pretending nothing happened was dozens of times harder than faking hypnosis.
A morning ruined by oversleeping, heading out with messy hair, and capping it off with an unforgettable black mark on her history—the worst day ever.
"Haa, how am I supposed to face Seon-ho tomorrow..."
The silver lining? He still thought she was properly under hypnosis.
Her acting had been flawless. As long as she played it cool, she might never get caught.
Plus, even after all that, he hadn't done anything weird.
Him groping her ass once? Just an accidental slip while hugging.
His hand on her chest? She was the one who'd guided it there first.
And he hadn't suddenly squeezed hard or blatantly rubbed his palm against it. He even seemed flustered and frozen the moment it touched.
...Maybe he never even thought that far, and I'd just overthought it and done something stupid.
"Ughhhh...!!"
Realizing that made her face burn even hotter.
In the end, I was the only one with the dirty thoughts.
From the first time he mentioned hypnosis, and again today.
But what could she do? The word "hypnosis" always brought up those lewd comics. It was his fault for naming his mental buff skill something like that.
"What if he wants to do it again tomorrow..."
...What if he puts his hand on her chest again? If he asked, she'd have to refuse properly.
But after letting it happen once, suddenly refusing felt weird too...
He thought she was hypnotized, so refusing would mean admitting she'd been faking it all along...
That would expose her "crazy stunt" today as something she'd done fully conscious...
'I don't know. My head hurts...'
...One thing was certain: she didn't hate what happened today.
Not him calling her name and pulling her into a tight embrace. Not his hand accidentally slipping down to grip her ass.
Not him quietly resting his right hand on her pounding chest and gazing at her.
None of it was bad.
...If anything, it felt a little good.
'Seon-ho's a good guy, so he won't do anything weirder than that... probably.'
Letting him rest his hand on her chest... just that much was okay.
With those thoughts, Cha Eun-ju found herself looking forward to tomorrow without realizing it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"This is a message sent to prospective students who passed the first written exam for Cheonmu Hunter Academy. Please check the date and location of the second practical exam to avoid any confusion on the day..."
...Just as expected.
The written exam questions were a bit tough, so I'd wondered, but the text that came overnight confirmed I'd passed the first round without issue.
Now I had a perfect excuse to openly flirt with Cha Eun-ju at the training grounds. Up until now, neither of us was sure we'd even become freshmen.
Of course, I knew from the original story that she passed the written exam, so I wasn't worried. But Cha Eun-ju might've stressed over whether I'd make it.
「Seon-ho-ya, did you get the written exam pass message?」
「How'd it go?」
「(Shivering squirrel emoticon)」
Nocturnal Cha Eun-ju must've checked her messages while I was asleep and sent them via CocoaTalk.
Without facing each other, she was surprisingly chatty there— even using cute animal emoticons that looked like her.
I'd unintentionally left her on read, but now I replied.
「Of course I passed」
「(Screenshot)」
「Meet at the training grounds at 10 today」
After sending a message implying I had no doubt she'd passed too, I got ready to head out.
Even with practical exam prep in full swing, I couldn't skip my daily morning workout or assault on Choi Marie.
I was a little curious about her reaction to my passing news, too.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The moment I stepped onto the running track, Choi Marie spotted me, a smile tugging at her lips as she approached.
"Junior, you look extra happy today. Written exam results out?"
"...How'd you guess?"
"How? Your face is screaming 'I'm in a great mood.' Only an idiot wouldn't notice."
She looked smug, like she'd read me like a book.
I'd deliberately relaxed my expression to invite the question, and it paid off—I got to see her smiling face first thing in the morning. Worth it.
"So, what was the result? Eh, I can guess anyway."
"I passed. Looks like you already knew without asking."
"Hmm, figured as much. It'd be weird for a diligent kid like you to fail the written exam."
Diligent? Nah, just driven by lust.
But after over a month of morning and evening workouts, she saw me as the model junior. Two weeks into actually chatting, her attitude had softened considerably.
Compared to how fast the original protagonist befriended her, I was slow—but that's inevitable given our ability gaps.
"Guess you'll have to train even harder from today, huh? Practical exam prep and all."
"Already am. Turns out the friend I met at the written exam clicks with me surprisingly well."
"Oh? Same Combat Support Department?"
"How would two support kids take the practical together, senpai? She's in the Magic Department."
"Ah, right. Practicals are always monster hunts."
Hunters conquer dungeons and slay monsters for a living. Monster extermination as the practical task was common knowledge by now.
So for Combat Support, pairing with a capable student from another department was step one. Their combat prowess lagged behind others, after all.
I had Cha Eun-ju, so no worries. She was already half-addicted to my buffs—no way she'd team with someone else now.
"Good luck on the practical. Once you're in the academy, I'll treat you to a meal as your senpai."
"Can I get something expensive?"
"Cafeteria food it is—dream on."
Food was food; I didn't care.
What I really wanted from Choi Marie wasn't some measly meal.