I brought a woman into my studio apartment for the first time.
"Here, the list you asked for. That should settle it, right? If you complain now about not having any Tree Pills and start whining, I'll really kill you."
A woman who looked ready to murder me.
"Ease up on the glare, Teacher. Even if I wanted to give you more, that look makes me lose the will."
"Seems like the right attitude against a rapist, don't you think?"
"It's annoying how you keep saying that."
We glared at each other across the wobbly desk.
The faint scent of cheap flower tea tickled my nose.
"Ugh."
Lee Se-young shot me a displeased look and let out a deep sigh of resignation.
"Fine. From now on, no bringing up old stories with anyone. Once this deal's done, we'll pretend we just met. Okay?"
"Nah, I don't like that."
"What?"
"We've got a lot more to do together from now on. We've already mixed bodies, after all."
"You psycho."
As she scowled, I rolled three Tree Pills across the desk.
Se-young's face instantly lit up with a smile. It was so obvious, I spat out what I really thought.
"Materialistic bitch."
"What did you call me, you little shit?"
She shot back with curses but still hurriedly stuffed the three Tree Pills into her luxury handbag.
"So, what's your deal anyway?"
"What do you mean?"
"Suddenly asking me to pull a list and all this weird stuff. And what did you do to me last time?"
"What do you mean? We had sex."
"Don't play dumb. I still remember what you did to me. You've got some unique trait, don't you?"
Trait?
I did, but I had no idea why this woman cared.
"Yeah, I do."
"Knew it. Something like magic nullification?"
"Why are you prying all of a sudden?"
I didn't have anything like that.
Come to think of it, during our first meeting, she never managed to cast an attack spell on me.
Was it related to the Blessing of the Lewd Tree?
Her smug smile, like she knew everything, was getting on my nerves. Denying it wouldn't work.
"I know all about it, punk. Spill it properly. Do that, and I'll forgive everything from last time."
"I have one."
"Yeah?"
As soon as I finished speaking, Se-young handed me a business card from inside her suit.
"Then take this. Come to our company after you graduate the academy."
"Pardon?"
"Why the face?"
"That's a weird move for dealing with a rapist. You actually enjoyed it, didn't you? Well, you would—no one else measures up to me."
"...Shut up."
Then again, the Oak Family's prestige had been plummeting lately, from what I'd heard.
There was some scandal that blew up.
So they needed talent to boost their reputation.
But still, offering a job to the guy who went after you sexually? That was unusual.
"Sure, I'll take it. I'll consider it positively, but in exchange, answer one question."
"What?"
"What do you want?"
"Don't act like a kid. I'm not giving you this because I want something. It's just courtesy."
She was making sense for once. Felt weird.
I couldn't understand this woman's way of thinking.
Se-young and I were fated enemies, no matter how you sliced it. She'd tried to take my stuff, and in the end, she took my virginity in this bizarre turn.
"I've got what I came for, so I'm out. And don't act like you know me from now on."
"Ah, okay."
"And what's that behind you?"
Right before leaving, curiosity must have struck her, as she pointed at the potted plant behind me.
"Oh, this? Some asshole I know dumped it on me. Said to raise it."
"Does one pot need that many bags of fertilizer?"
"Problem?"
"...You're an idiot. I'm going."
Harsh words.
I didn't see her off as she opened the door and left. Instead, I hugged the pot.
Thanks to using my Mineral Water and fertilizer, a tiny sprout the size of a millet seed had already emerged.
The seed...
It had germinated.
In short, shiba. This little guy's pet name is Shiba from today on.
"Shiba, don't grow up like your mom. You don't have to listen to parents who dump their kid on others."
Wiggle wiggle.
As if the sprout heard me with its little ears, the two cotyledons shook side to side.
This... was prenatal education?
A warm feeling fluttered in my heart, healing some of the annoyance.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The educational city where future talents reside.
El Academy, with that slogan, is located on an island chain near the Pacific.
My first impression of the academy's island was like a mix of high school and college.
The differences? Mixed dorms, and rooms that were surprisingly spacious.
"We've arrived. Tomorrow's the entrance ceremony, so have a good night."
I took a morning flight and arrived in the evening.
The dorm's first impression was beyond imagination—blue everywhere. No surprise from World Tree fanatics; even the wallpaper was plastered green.
I unpacked, placed the pot on the bedside table.
The room was two-room size.
No roommate if you're World Tree class.
And from now on, meals here.
For late-night snacks, kitchen nearby—buy ingredients at the mart, cook yourself. Breakfast and dinner at the always-open salad bar on the first floor.
Having a Korean zone in the educational city meant no struggling with foreign languages. Great.
"This is what a proper school looks like."
Made my old university's name meaningless.
"And now I've got plenty of money."
First-year students get full tuition coverage plus 3 million won monthly living stipend.
Where from? Only answer: the suspiciously rich World Tree Foundation.
Rumor was the World Tree of Justice bullied them into investing in talent development.
No one defies a god's word.
"Might as well eat and do a gacha round."
I lay on the bed, zoning out in meditation.
Thanks to consistent workouts until just before orientation, I was nearly normal now.
Charm about to shed 0 for 1, a complete metamorphosis.
"Status window."
⚔ STATUS ⚔⚡ Strength: 4.8💨 Agility: 2.9✨ Magic Power: 0.0💪 Stamina: 3.5🍀 Luck: 10🛡️ Endurance: 3.2
Name: Lee Si-heon (World Tree's Husband Candidate)
Age/Height/Weight: 20 years old / 174cm / 76.18kg
Unique Traits (2)
[Tree Encyclopedia (S)] [Combat-Type Physique (S)]
Skills (0)
Temperaments (8)
[Late Bloomer (EX)] [Blessing of the Lewd Tree (S)] [Sword Talent (E)] [Magic Talent (D)] [Obesity (F)] [Lewd Demon (F)] [Anger Management Disorder (F)] [Ugly Appearance (F)]
Potential: 20 | Intelligence: 5
My stats, which grew quickly at first, were slowing down as they approached superhuman levels.
Still, compared to other cadets, it was terrifying growth.
Now, the key was Charm and Magic Power.
The two hardest to raise.
Gacha might give a Magic Power-related temperament if lucky, but even with my Luck, no guarantee it'd be what I wanted.
The Combat-Type Physique took about 60 pulls.
-Grrrrowl.
Worrying about the future made my stomach rumble.
I jumped up, chugged some Mineral Water from the bottle on the desk into the pot, and headed to the living room.
Salad bar it was.
I crammed on indoor slippers, put on my mask, and went to the first floor.
Stepping into the hallway drew cadets' stares.
-Who's that?
-Dunno.
Eyes like they were watching a spectacle.
But the mask got better treatment than no mask.
Mouth open for eating, and no ID checks except tests—so mask always.
Not mystique; unmasked, I'd get cursed at.
"Insert your cadet ID here, pull it after use."
"Got it."
The salad bar had everything from spaghetti to Korean dishes.
I wolfed it down alone, then had nothing to do.
Pulled my card from the entrance and trudged back. At my door, a figure stood.
"Not in...?"
A petite woman tilting her head, hugging something.
Red oversized hoodie and tight shorts visible from afar.
"This is my room. Something you need?"
"Eek!"
Approaching, she beamed and bowed at the navel.
"Hi! I'm your next-door dormmate. Brought flower tea to celebrate moving in."
Up close, she handed over a neatly wrapped package. Her sparkling eyes full of expectation, hoping for thanks.
"Ah... thank you. I'd like to return the favor, but I don't have anything..."
"It's fine. I wanted to give it. Be friends instead. What's your name?"
"Ah, sure. Friends it is. Lee Si-heon."
"Pretty name. Hehe, I'm Bead."
Bead? Unique name.
Then, something manifested behind her.
The sensation like first meeting Se-young.
A long tree shape extended. Black shadows crept up, forming trunk, branches, leaves—revealing its form.
The name popped into my head automatically.
[ Puppy Tree ]
...What kind of tree is that?
Lost for words, Bead tilted her head.
"Sorry, I zone out a lot. What's your family name?"
"Dunno. Just Bead. Friends now, so casual speech? Wait, no?"
Her innocent smile made Puppy Tree fit perfectly.
Pure puppy face. Cute and pretty above all.
Smiling warmly at her face, she closed in and asked.
"But do you always wear the mask?"
"Yeah."
"Really? Wanna see your face. Show me."
I gently caught her reaching hand.
Bead pouted sadly.
"Got reasons."
"Aw, bummer. Oh right! Gotta feed Jjongs."
"Jjongs?"
"My pet plant. See ya later!"
Conversation ended naturally.
I awkwardly waved as she waved and entered next door.
Always thought this: otherworld shows all kinds of people.
Azalea, Bead—Wood People all like that? But Se-young said no.
What triggered seeing that tree form?
Pondered in the hall but gave up, entered room, prepped for bed.
Entrance ceremony tomorrow.
The first bed I lay on was incredibly comfortable.