Content locked, enable JavaScript and subscribe to access the content.
“Speaking of hot topics, it must be that mysterious disappearance of the blonde beauty the other day.”
Celicia said, her gaze glancing over the suddenly stiffened face of Mu’en:
“Um? You look a bit pale. Are you feeling unwell?”
“No… I’m fine.”
Mu’en snapped back to reality and forcibly squeezed out a smile:
“Didn’t I just say I’m in great shape? I’m eating well.”
“You should take better care of yourself.”
Celicia casually flicked the toothpick in her hand into the trash can and continued:
“Back to the topic we were discussing. Although I didn’t actually see that so-called blonde beauty, based on what Wei Er and the others said, she is a super beauty that can ignite the desires of all men. She must be the kind of person who would attract countless onlookers walking around the academy.”
“Is it really that exaggerated?”
Mu’en wiped the sweat off his forehead:
“Could she possibly be more beautiful than you, Celicia?”
“I don’t think my beauty is that impressive.”
Celicia tossed her long, silvery hair lightly, and in the sunlight streaming through the window, a hazy glow illuminated her features, making them even more stunning.
“While I can’t rule out that the circumstances the blonde beauty was in might have heightened men’s protective instincts, since even Wei Er, who is a girl, said so, her beauty must be genuine.
According to Wei Er at the time, if that girl hadn’t taken her hostage, those students who experienced this sudden turn of events probably wouldn’t have been able to organize so quickly.”
“Haha, I see… Looks like that beauty contributed quite a bit.”
“Indeed, but it was precisely because she was so much the center of attention at that time that when those students who were worried about her couldn’t find her, it caused such a huge uproar.”
Celicia said:
“It is said that the office of the school affairs almost burst from the crowd the next day.”
“And… did they find her?”
“Naturally not. The teachers at the school affairs office searched through the entire academy’s roster and student records, but found no such person.”
“Ah, really not?”
Mu’en’s eyes widened, and he clenched his fist, asserting:
“Then it must be the enemy’s conspiracy! Those guys from the male cult are definitely trying to provoke the students’ anger by fabricating a beauty as a hostage to attract hatred, allowing them to quickly gather magical power amidst the students’ magical attacks.”
Saying this, Mu’en couldn’t help but feel indignant: “Those guys are so despicable, using the sense of justice and compassion of their classmates! If I had been there, I would have smashed their heads already.”
“Well, the professors probably explained it like that later.” Celicia nodded in agreement, conveniently skipping over the latter half of Mu’en’s fierce remarks.
“Is that how the professors explained it?”
Mu’en breathed a sigh of relief.
Since the professors said so, even if those hormone-driven students cared about the incident at the time, they probably wouldn’t pursue it any further.
The uproar would quickly fade with time.
Of course, Mu’en wasn’t afraid of them investigating. A nonexistent person would not show up no matter how much they searched.
What Mu’en was worried about was if there were some especially smart and idle individuals who, at such a time, might notice something suspicious in the face that, while feminized, still bore about three or four similarities to his own.
So Mu’en certainly hoped that this incident would calm down as soon as possible.
“However… I do have a question.”
“Um, what question?”
Feeling that things might not be so bad, Mu’en felt his mood brighten up, “Maybe I can help you think, Celicia.”
“It’s not a big question, but it would be great if you could help me think.”
Celicia raised her fair thigh nonchalantly, propping her elbow on her thigh, then interlacing her fingers under her chin, leaning slightly forward with a cool gaze fixed on Mu’en, she asked earnestly:
“At that time… why did those evil cultists specifically name you—Mu’en Campbell—to stand out?”
“…”
Celicia’s tone was cool, devoid of any emotion, but her seemingly light question made Mu’en’s smile once again stiffen.
Celicia continued, as if she had not noticed his abnormal reaction:
“Could it be that, in the eyes of those evil cultists, that blonde beauty is someone important to you? Someone who could make you disregard danger to stand up?”
“…”
“Um, why aren’t you saying anything?”
Celicia’s expression was flat, but her gaze was somewhat meaningful:
“Didn’t you just say you wanted to help me think?”
“Well… um… maybe…”
As Mu’en awkwardly smiled and avoided Celicia’s sharp gaze, he scrambled for an excuse.
But he knew that such reasoning wouldn’t hold water in front of Celicia.
If she wanted to, she could easily check every detail of his ancestry back to the eighteenth generation.
And with Celicia’s sharpness, he knew that if he told too many lies, he would surely be caught out.
So at this moment, he could only play dumb!
“I… I don’t really know, maybe the evil cultists think I’m a very kind person and figured they’d get me hooked by randomly choosing someone’s appearance.” Mu’en explained:
“But actually, that blonde beauty has no connection to me at all!”
“But why did they specifically name you? They seemed to be quite familiar with you. Have you done something regarding that True Love Cult?” Celicia pressed, asking consecutively.
“No, absolutely not. They approached me because… because…”
Sweating and feeling anxious, a spark flashed in Mu’en’s mind as he solemnly declared: “They probably just wanted to take advantage of my handsome appearance!”
“Handsome appearance?”
Celicia raised an eyebrow slightly: “What do you mean?”
“The True Love Cult is all about male love, right? And as one of the top handsome men among guys, it’s understandable that they would take notice of me.”
In order to avoid becoming a cross-dressing pervert in front of Celicia, Mu’en decided to sacrifice a bit of his other attributes.
“Noticing you?”
Celicia scrutinized Mu’en for a moment, until Mu’en felt his scalp begin to tingle from her stare, before she reluctantly nodded:
“Maybe. In terms of looks, you aren’t that bad. Saying the male love cult would notice you isn’t far-fetched.”
“Right.”
“However…”
Celicia stroked her chin, thoughtfully saying:
“Since that’s the case, you might want to be a bit careful.”
“Careful?”
Mu’en was confused, “What should I be careful of?”
Could it be that boys in the academy were coveting his body?
“Although I don’t really understand much about male love, tops, bottoms, and the like, I remember Wei Er once mentioned it to me.”
Celicia said seriously:
“—In many similar stories, a person’s orientation shift often starts from being coveted and then met with a strong onslaught.
So if you also start to like men, I think…”
Celicia paused, “There would be heartbreak for Duke Campbell.”
“… No way! My orientation has always been normal!”
Mu’en froze for a moment and suddenly broke down, exclaiming:
“Don’t relate the things in books to reality! And Celicia, why don’t you just dismiss that Wei Er? Her strange thinking is already beginning to influence you!”
“Is that so?”
“Very much so!”
“Ahaha…”
While Mu’en was feeling shame and annoyance, he suddenly saw a rare smile curve the corner of Celicia’s lips.
Like ice and snow melting, the gentle spring waters ripple, and even the brilliant midday sun seemed dimmed by that slight smile.
“Feeling a bit better?”
“Um?”
“I saw you rolling around in bed earlier, and thought you must have been feeling a little suffocated without someone to talk to these days, so…”
Celicia tilted her head, gauging her words, and said softly:
“I made a little joke with you?”
“A joke…”
Mu’en was taken aback.
Celicia can also joke?
Moreover, the purpose of the joke was to help him relieve the frustration of being confined to the hospital for these days?
How surprising.
But Mu’en could not help but feel a warmth in his heart.
“Thank you, Celicia.”
Mu’en said emotionally:
“I feel much better now.”
“That’s good.”
“But can we change the topic?”
Mu’en couldn’t help but show a painful smile.
“Such jokes are a bit much for the heart to take.”
Just now, Celicia’s serious demeanor nearly led Mu’en to believe she had discovered something.
But if he thought carefully, Celicia wasn’t actually that serious; she just always maintained this cold demeanor.
However.
It was precisely because she was often frozen that when the ice and snow melted a little, the warmth brought forth felt even more touching.
It would make one unable to resist exploring and, when crossing through the endless storm, discover what kind of blazing sunlight was hidden deep within her heart.
“I see I’m really not good at joking, but since you asked, let’s change the topic.”
She straightened her slender waist, crossing her strong, fair legs in a different direction.
The smile on her lips remained, making Mu’en look forward to what gentle new topic she would bring up at this moment.
“So—”
Celicia put away her smile and asked earnestly:
“Why were you completely naked at that time?”
“…”
……
“Time’s getting late. I should take my leave.”
Glancing at the clock on the wall, Celicia got up, ready to leave.
If she didn’t go back, Wei Er, who was still busy handling documents, might really cry.
“Slow, take care.”
At this moment, Mu’en didn’t even have the strength to get up to see her off, having turned into a limp fish after just a little chat, feeling utterly exhausted.
“By the way, someone asked me to pass on a message.”
“Mm?”
The limp fish turned its fishy eyes with difficulty.
“Who is it?”
“Ryan.”
“Ryan?”
Mu’en jolted upright:
“Is he alright?”
“He’s fine. But since he had close contact with the evil cultists, he needs to take a break from school temporarily for a comprehensive physical and mental check-up, and will be observed for a period of time.” Celicia explained.
“That’s good.”
Mu’en breathed a sigh of relief.
For someone like Ryan who almost got contaminated, this should be the best outcome.
“So, what did he want you to say?”
“He said.”
Celicia recalled for a moment before quoting Ryan’s words verbatim:
“I saw it all, Mu’en, you are really cool.”
“Did he really say that?”
Celicia couldn’t imitate Ryan’s tone, but just from the words, Mu’en could feel the genuine emotion from that honest young man.
And so Mu’en genuinely felt happy for him.
“That’s good. When he returns to the academy, maybe we can become real friends.”
“…”
After conveying the message, Celicia, who was originally about to leave, looked at Mu’en’s happy expression at that moment, and recalled that strong classmate, as he asked her to convey this, the “shyness” that showed on his face.
It suddenly felt…
“Mu’en Campbell.”
“Mm?”
“Although I have no right to interfere with who you like or who likes you, I must say…”
Celicia turned back, earnestly reminded:
“Duke Campbell would really be hurt.”
Mu’en: ???
……
“Ha, I’m so tired.”
After Celicia left, Mu’en completely slumped back on his hospital bed.
It felt like his body had been drained of all energy.
“But, I don’t feel annoyed at all.”
Staring at the pristine ceiling, Mu’en couldn’t help but smile.
After all, he’d seen a slightly different side of Celicia.
“Maybe I should take a nap.”
Mu’en closed his eyes, planning to rest and recharge.
Because after he was discharged tomorrow, he might not have such leisurely time anymore.
“Oh dear, it seems I’m coming at a bad time?”
Just as he closed his eyes, Mu’en heard a familiar voice.
At the same time, a fragrant breeze wafted towards him, causing his imagination to run wild.
“Senior Anna?”
Opening his eyes, he indeed saw the familiar silhouette in a fitted uniform that outlined a voluptuous figure.
“Did I wake you, junior?”
“No, I just lay down.”
Mu’en was a bit surprised:
“But didn’t you have class this morning, or say you had tasks in the library? Why are you here?”
“No classes today, and the library isn’t open temporarily.”
Anna walked into the room, holding a bag of fruits, smiling at Mu’en, her eyes crescent-shaped, the beauty mark at the corner of her eye adding a touch of charm.
“Today is the day you get to leave your ward, so I couldn’t wait to come see you, but…”
Seeing the apples already placed by Mu’en’s bed, Anna raised an eyebrow in surprise:
“Even though I rushed over as soon as I got the news, there were actually people who got here before me. You seem to be even more popular than I imagined.”
“It was Celicia.”
Mu’en didn’t hide it, “She just got the news early and came to visit as the president.”
“I see…”
Anna set down the fruits in her hand, smiling as she asked:
“Do you want to eat an apple?”
“No thanks, I just ate…”
Mu’en instinctively wanted to decline, but at that instant, he suddenly noticed Anna’s gaze subtly glancing at the trash can.
Crisis!
The word flashed through Mu’en’s mind suddenly.
He couldn’t respond that way!
Mu’en realized and quickly changed his reply:
“Yes, I definitely want to eat! I love apples!”
“Ha ha, I didn’t know you liked apples so much.”
Anna sat down in the still warm chair, her smile shining:
“But since it’s your request, I will naturally oblige.”
Thus, she began to peel the apple.
Though not as skilled as Celicia in swordsmanship, Anna was attentive, peeling the skin so thin that you could see light through it, as if she wouldn’t let a single bit of fruit go to waste.
“Here, for you, junior.”
Without separating the flesh, Anna handed over a whole apple to Mu’en.
“Eh, aren’t you eating?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“But it’s just fruit, it won’t take up much space…”
“Mu’en.”
Anna gave Mu’en a sidelong glance, playfully scolding:
“At this time, you shouldn’t overlook a girl’s careful thought.”
“…”
Looking at the big, round apple Anna had specially picked out for him.
Mu’en couldn’t help but twitch his lips.
He had a feeling that it was more than just a kind thought.
With no other choice, Mu’en could only choose to eat the apple whole.
And during this process, Anna just rested her chin on her hand, quietly watching him.
Mu’en felt uneasy under her gaze and couldn’t help but ask:
“Senior, is there something dirty on my face?”
“No.”
“Then what are you looking at?”
“I’m looking at a pervert.”
“Huh? What pervert?” Mu’en froze.
“Aren’t you a pervert?”
Anna covered her mouth and giggled:
“In front of the whole school, being completely naked, even I have to admire the degree of your perversion.”
“That’s not it! It was because you…”
“Because of me?”
Anna said with a teasing smile: “You can’t say that and dodge responsibility. Although I did make you take off your clothes, it was because of the magic potion.”
Anna played with her pristine chin: “I certainly didn’t make you appear naked in front of the whole school.”
“…”
Unable to retort.
Mu’en could only lower his head in dejection, silently munching on the apple.
It seemed the term “pervert” was one he couldn’t shake off for the time being.
“But… you look quite handsome.”
“Mm?”
Mu’en raised his head in surprise, only to meet Anna’s serious gaze as she earnestly stated:
“It’s very handsome to throw yourself onto a monster without hesitation.”
“What… how can that be?”
Mu’en froze for a moment and shyly scratched his head:
“From an outsider’s perspective, it just looks like a lunatic pervert.”
“That’s not necessarily the case.”
Anna suddenly pulled out a newspaper and held it in front of Mu’en.
“This is…”
Mu’en looked over out of instinct.
The man in the newspaper, with shining gold hair and firm muscles, was clearly the type who could easily charm young girls.
—If only the man had been wearing clothes.
“The newspaper?”
Seeing the paper, Mu’en instantly exploded with anger:
“Are they starting again?”
“Hee hee, it’s better not to get angry. This time, they reported it truthfully. Even the student council can’t criticize anything.”
Anna pointed at the picture, all the important parts pixelated, especially the prominent black hole below.
Although it was still obvious that the person in the picture was some well-known blonde in the academy, this photo indeed had no outrageous elements.
Moreover, the headline wasn’t as sharp and misleading as before, just straightforwardly stating:
“Late-night nude man leaps from high building, revealing the secret behind it is…”
—It’s just amazing that they aren’t misleading people; it still has a great deal of misleading qualities!
Mu’en angrily grumbled inside.
But when he continued to read, he was stunned.
Compared to the news agency’s typical exaggerated headlines, the content of the newspaper was much more serious.
In fact, more than half was a positive portrayal of Mu’en.
Although the text kept emphasizing that Mu’en was a suspected exhibitionist and had some unclear relationship with the male love cult, the bulk of the article still praised Mu’en’s courage in jumping into danger when everyone else hesitated.
At the end of the article, it quoted a well-known secretary from the student council:
“Even though I can’t stand Mu’en Campbell, I have to admit that when he jumped down from the building, he really looked cool.
—However, based on my years of experience pursuing a domineering evil god who fell for me, I suspect that Mu’en Campbell is likely to have further developments after his battle with that Ryan, the nude man; if there’s any news, please poke me, thanks…”
“…”
Mu’en silently folded the newspaper, ignoring the last line that made his eyes hurt.
Then, he went back and read the report’s content again and again.
Finally, he lingered over the words “courage” and “handsome,” lost in thought.
“Actually after this incident and plus the news agency’s clarification, your image in the eyes of those female students has already improved quite a bit.”
“But I’m still a pervert.”
“Not the same, junior.”
“Mm?”
Mu’en looked up in astonishment, only to find Anna had gathered all her playfulness and smiles, looking at him seriously.
Under the sunlight, she seemed to be surrounded by a solemn halo.
“When someone is attracted by the dazzling points about you, all your little flaws become insignificant.
So at that time, compared to your being naked, which is just a minor issue, I believe more people see your decisiveness in leaping into danger and your handsomeness.”
“… Feels like being a star.” Mu’en instinctively murmured.
“You’re a star.”
Anna suddenly grinned mischievously:
“You’ve already become the big star of the academy, so the debut I proposed earlier, how about you reconsider? Even if you can’t be a girl idol, being a boy idol would also work. I’ve even thought of a name for you…”
“Don’t even think about it! I absolutely won’t be an idol, I’d rather die!”
“Hee hee… your reaction is so interesting.”
Anna laughed playfully and, while Mu’en wasn’t paying attention, suddenly reached out and tousled his head of golden hair into a mess.
“So—”
“Don’t underestimate yourself, junior.”
“You’ve worked hard enough, and your efforts will pay off.”
“You are already an excellent junior.”
“Senior…”
Mu’en gawked, not resisting, looking at Anna who seemed to be enveloped in a sanctified glow, and suddenly his nose felt a bit sour.
“Oh dear, junior, why are your eyes turning red? You’re not about to cry, are you?”
“I got sand in my eyes.”
“Crying is fine too, Anna’s hug is very warm, you can borrow it.”
“I said it’s just sand in my eyes.”
Mu’en turned his head away, trying hard to hide his embarrassment.
Anna looked at his back, smiling and not continuing to tease him.
Just as Mu’en’s mood settled, she took out what she had long prepared.
“What is this…”
Seeing Anna take out a textbook on basic magical probability, Mu’en was once again taken aback.
“I thought…”
Anna tucked a stray hair behind her ear, softly saying:
“With your personality, Mu’en, you should be restless after being cooped up for so many days.
So, I brought the textbook over.”
Anna tilted her head, asking:
“Want to have class? Junior?”
“… Yes!”
A gust of wind suddenly blew into the room, fluttering the light-colored curtains.
Countless rays of sunshine rushed into the room, diffusing into clusters of dazzling and blurry light spots.
Like the shimmering sea at noon.
The world became a blur, with only the girl opening the book looking so clear.
At this moment, Mu’en suddenly felt that completing in a month what others take a year and a month to learn didn’t seem impossible after all.
Because the one teaching him was senior Anna.
