Chapter 10: The Interview Ugh… I feel like I'm going to die.
Akito really is a machine. That's an undeniable fact.
Between school, my part-time job, and training with Frey, I'm at my limit. If I add requests and heroines to the mix, even sleep will become a luxury I can't afford.
If I hadn't secured an item that triples sleep efficiency, my body wouldn't have been able to keep up, let alone allow me to even consider this schedule.
In front of me, the extra of a homeroom teacher is explaining the new schedule, but it goes in one ear and out the other. I don't feel the need to get close to him anyway; he'll be written out of the game soon after a certain incident and replaced by another heroine.
"And the students I call now will have an interview with the Principal after the morning assembly. There's no need to be nervous. The Principal simply wants to see our top students in person."
Ah, the 'Meeting the Principal' event.
"Akito-kun."
"Yes."
Must be nice. Since this is an eroge, the Principal is, naturally, an impossibly young woman with massive breasts.
She's a ridiculously powerful mage who suddenly felt disillusioned with the front lines during her prime and came to Yggdrasil—the usual cliché backstory.
"Angelica-san."
"Y-Yes!"
She used to wear these incredibly sexy suits that subtly teased the students…
"Yeon-woo-kun."
But what does it matter if she's pretty? The Principal is a total simp for the protagonist. Her affinity points skyrocket every time he resolves an issue. Even if you just follow the main story without doing anything extra, she's the 'forbidden fruit' who eventually ends up in a threesome with the protagonist and her secretary.
"Seo Yeon-woo?"
"…Huh? What?"
Why is she calling me?
As I looked up in surprise, the teacher let out a sigh.
"I know things are hectic at the start of the semester, but you should pay attention when I'm speaking, right?"
"Ah… sorry."
Wait… me being called by the Principal wasn't in the original story. Wasn't it supposed to be just the protagonist and Angelica from this class?
"Wow—three from our class. It's good to see so many excellent students this year."
No, no, no. Your original line was 'two,' not 'three.'
In the end, I headed toward the Principal's office along with the protagonist.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Akito. I already know Yeon-woo… and you're Angelica, right?"
"Y-Yeah. Nice to meet you."
My plan to stay as far away from the protagonist as possible crumbled the moment we started. Honestly, I was an idiot for messing up the tutorial. If only that one extra hadn't called me a loser. Ah, is that why I caught the Principal's eye?
Akito continued to chat with a shy Angelica, maintaining his characteristic kind smile. He even made sure to include me in the conversation; he really is a diligent, good-natured guy. There's a reason he's a magnetic man who charms everyone regardless of age or gender.
Angelica, with her pink hair reaching down to her waist, chatted shyly, looking grateful for Akito's constant efforts to keep the conversation going.
Even though she and I had a soul-stirring clash of genitals, is she still destined for the protagonist?
I'd held a tiny bit of hope, but since Angelica has so many events tied to Akito, I didn't expect much. Just hurry up, gather your allies, and go save the world. That's the only way I'll be able to live a long, peaceful life.
When we arrived at the Principal's office, the secretary—who eventually joins that threesome with the Principal—guided us to the waiting room.
And, right on cue, Shizuka walked out of the Principal's office.
"… …"
I waved at her, but the way she looked at me like I was a piece of filth was actually quite thrilling. She really hates me.
The Comedy Duo told me why Shizuka dislikes me so much.
'You were way too rude. Hardly anyone cares about Yobisute these days, but the Amagi family is… well, famous for it.'
What the hell is Yobisute, you weeb? And we're not even in Japan.
After hearing Masayoshi's explanation, I realized Yobisute was a naming culture thing. You know, like how nobles only call each other by their family names and consider it rude to use first names without permission. I didn't really get the details even after hearing them.
Anyway, thanks to that, I've been branded as a rude brat by Shizuka. Still, her coldness is part of her charm. And girls like her are usually weak against a persistent push.
I waited patiently until Angelica and Akito finished their interviews, and then it was my turn.
"Welcome, Seo Yeon-woo-kun."
The busty Principal welcomed me with a soft smile.
"Hello, Principal Blair."
"You can just call me Erin."
"Then please feel free to call me Yeon-woo, Principal Erin."
I didn't sound too over-familiar, did I? It should be fine.
Though, seeing the secretary glance at me while serving tea, maybe it wasn't fine. Fortunately, Erin just smiled back at me.
"Yes, Yeon-woo-kun. Please, have a seat. You've had quite a lot going on even before enrolling, haven't you? Your name is very familiar to me. I didn't realize you were such a handsome student."
"Ahahaha… I'm sorry for causing trouble for Yggdrasil."
It's bound to cause confusion when a kid who passed the entrance exam suddenly shows up with a completely different face. From paperwork to fingerprints—and in this world, mana traces, which are even more effective for identification than fingerprints—I had to go back and forth to the school constantly before the semester started to prove I was me.
Since it's technically a government institution, the security was tight. They investigated me multiple times, and I almost didn't get to enroll.
"Just how much weight did you lose? The person in charge said you look like a completely different person."
"Uh… the weight difference isn't that much. About 20kg?"
I don't know my exact weight before the body swap, but I looked like I easily cleared 0.1 tons, so I just gave a rough estimate. My current body is nearly 190cm tall with the physique of a top-tier PT instructor, so I actually weigh quite a bit.
"Wow—20kg? You must have worked incredibly hard."
"Yes, I worked my tail off the moment I got the acceptance letter."
"I see… the fruit of your efforts…"
She doesn't look like she believes me. Well, I wouldn't believe it either. The species itself changed from pig to human. How do you explain growing over 10 centimeters taller? Yggdrasil has plenty of enemies, like demons and such, so they're bound to be wary.
After that, we chatted about trivial things. Like a true educator, Erin encouraged me, saying she hoped I would learn a lot at Yggdrasil.
Man—that gentle personality and those soft-looking breasts are truly top-tier. I was surprised to be called in when it wasn't part of the story, but it was a great time getting a front-row seat to those man-melting breasts. It was hard to manage my gaze so she wouldn't notice I was staring, though.
The secretary watched the door Yeon-woo had just exited for a moment before turning to Erin.
"What did you think?"
When Erin asked with a smile, the secretary frowned.
"He's rude, and the mana flowing through his body is unremarkable. If it's true that he worked hard to build that physique, he has persistence, but his personality lacks depth. He doesn't seem like the type to achieve greatness."
Erin chuckled softly at the secretary's sharp evaluation.
"Then, it was a success."
"A success? You mean…"
"He succeeded in diverting your attention. The higher-ups are wary of Yeon-woo as a potential outside threat. But just now, Katrina, you weren't thinking about that at all."
Katrina looked flustered at Erin's laughing remark.
Even though he claimed it was due to weight loss, the government was concerned about this boy whose appearance had completely changed. They had secretly re-investigated his background and family and concluded there was nothing suspicious, but since it happened right around the time of enrollment, suspicions hadn't been fully cleared.
Katrina had also memorized all of Yeon-woo's information and intended to probe his identity during this meeting. However, due to his flippant behavior, her focus had shifted to judging his character, and she had forgotten to look for ulterior motives or suspicious backgrounds.
You don't need a silver tongue to deceive someone. Simply diverting their attention is enough. In that sense, Yeon-woo had brilliantly deceived Katrina.
"Are you certain he's a spy, Lady Erin?"
"Who knows… For now, as the Principal, I must trust all my students. Discrimination isn't good, after all."
Erin gave a bittersweet smile at the current situation where she had to suspect a student, then looked at the seat where Yeon-woo had just been sitting.
He was a student who showed absolutely no respect to a renowned mage, staring openly at her chest and treating her like a casual acquaintance at a bar just because she told him to be comfortable.
If that was an act, he's a brilliant spy. If it wasn't…
'Every student has their own personality.'
It had been a long time since a man looked at her with eyes so full of lust. From the moment she earned a spot among the 12 Zodiacs, the gazes directed at her were either full of respect or the jealousy of a rival.
Was it because it had been so long? Normally, she would have sent a fist to the chin of anyone staring at her chest, but strangely, she didn't entirely dislike Yeon-woo's gaze. He was handsome, too…
'He's an interesting boy. I'm curious to see what becomes of him.'
Erin looked down at the documents containing Yeon-woo's information.
She had called him in to probe him, but she had also called him because he possessed talent that rivaled Daihara Akito. Talent comparable to Akito, who had received elite education since childhood from his father, a member of the 12 Zodiacs and part of a great mage bloodline…
Yet, strangely, the aura she felt from him in person didn't show even a glimpse of that massive numerical talent. She prided herself on her eye for people after meeting countless mages…
Perhaps he was the type who shone brighter in actual combat, like during the urban warfare simulation. Those types are more dangerous because you can't truly gauge their skill until you face them on a real battlefield.
If he were an enemy…
She shook her head with a bittersweet smile.
'I have to trust my students. Who else can I trust? As Derek said, let's take our time and watch him closely.'
Recalling Yeon-woo's face as he tried to sneak peeks at her chest, thinking he hadn't been caught, Erin let out a little giggle.
He really was quite a cute student.
"Yo—the elite has arrived!"
"Did you see the Principal's tits? Did you? Are they big? How were they in person? Amazing?"
As soon as I returned to class, I sat down next to the Comedy Duo, who greeted me.
"What's with the 'tits' talk? Show some respect, you bastards. Here, take this. It's a gift."
I scolded Masayoshi while pulling gifts out of my bag and handing them over. I gave Rio a game character figure and Masayoshi an adult magazine that had gone out of print when everything moved online.
Masayoshi, receiving an adult magazine in a public place, tucked it into his shirt the moment he checked it. He peeked at it cautiously and spoke in an excited voice.
"Is this the legendary September 1999 issue of Underboob? It went out of print the following month, so it's impossible to find… and it's a mint-condition rare with the plastic wrap still on! H-How did you get something so precious…?"
"You can find tons of porn just by searching the internet. You like that stuff?"
"A brat who doesn't understand the soul of analog wouldn't get it. I'm an archaeologist who has been searching for sacred relics under riverbanks and bridges since I was five years old."
Five years old? Isn't that a bit too precocious?
Whatever, I don't care about Masayoshi's childhood pervert stories.
Rio, who couldn't understand Masayoshi's joy over an adult magazine, turned the figure I gave him over in his hands and asked, "I'm grateful, but… why all of a sudden?"
"I just saw them while I was out buying something and thought of you guys. I'll bring stuff occasionally."
"Thanks… I'll make it an heirloom…"
"I feel sorry for your descendants if an adult magazine is their heirloom."
I spoke dismissively, and Rio just shrugged it off.
Why the sudden gifts? Because I have to grind their affinity, obviously. Even guys like these give perks once you max out their affinity, so it's right to keep taking care of every character I can. It's a bit tragic that the only characters I can currently manage are these two in the Comedy Duo, though.
In the game, I could just throw money at it, which was easy, but in reality, choosing gifts is tricky. Take Masayoshi, for example. Adult magazines give the most affinity, but I can't exactly give him ten copies of the same magazine. If it were food like coffee or cake, I could give it every time, but cases like Masayoshi are awkward. He's been collecting since he was five, so he might already have some. Would his affinity even go up then?
Unsure, I took the safest route and found high-quality vintage magazines. Thanks to that, I had to spend 100,000G on a magazine that should have cost 1,000G.
Well—I guess I'm still just throwing money at it in the end.
More importantly, I need characters I can actually talk to if I'm going to give them gifts…
Leaving Rio and Masayoshi to inspect their presents, I turned my head to look at Yukina.
During the entrance ceremony test, Yukina had seemed like a lone wolf, but now she was hanging out with a group of girls who looked like they knew how to have fun. The way she sat perched on a desk, showing off her sexy thighs, was something else, and the girls she was with were pretty too.
Like natural socialites, their laughter was loud, and their presence was unmistakable just by being gathered together. Looks like she's adjusting well.
Actually, the reason Yukina seemed like a lone wolf was simply because she didn't know how to socialize. She was a girl who had never experienced a normal daily life, so normalcy felt awkward to her, yet she craved it.
Is Akito not paying attention to Yukina?
True, now that this is reality, his extreme bro-con sister Shiori and Chika are constantly clinging to him, so Akito can't really do anything, and no one else can easily approach him.
Yukina is a character who disappears if you don't catch her early on.
I said it before. I didn't say it to Akito's face, but I told myself that if he doesn't take care of them, I will.
Alright, let's aim for Yukina.
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