Chapter 5

### Chapter 5: Lucy

"Ugh, I'm so tired…!"

A girl, who looked like she could pass for a middle school student with her height of less than 160cm, was returning after finishing her training. However, the Victoria Academy uniform she wore and her overwhelming bust clearly indicated that she was not a middle school student. It seemed as if all the growth hormones in her body had gone to her chest, giving her a chest that was disproportionately large for her small frame.

She had just finished her mana training in the private room and was as determined as Ihoyeon, who had rushed to the training room right after the opening ceremony.

As she walked down the corridor of the private rooms, a siren went off, followed by a hissing sound of air escaping.

"Huh? What's happening? Is it an accident?"

One of the doors to the private rooms she was passing began to open upwards.

Fortunately, she had read the training center's guidebook, which no one else bothered to read, so she immediately understood the situation.

'Mana depletion during training!'

If mana depletion occurs in a private room, it can be life-threatening if not addressed quickly. Therefore, the training system immediately detects it, dispatches rescue personnel, and sounds the siren to alert anyone nearby to provide emergency assistance.

"Are you okay in there?"

Due to the smoke, she could only see the shape of a person but couldn't identify who it was.

Lucy waved her hand to clear the smoke and approached the person who had collapsed.

"Huh, isn't this the guy who fell asleep during the opening ceremony?"

It was the same man who had suddenly lowered his head and fallen asleep next to her during the opening ceremony, which had startled her.

'Now that I think about it, he does look quite handsome.'

Surprised by the handsome face of the collapsed man, Lucy quickly approached him.

"Hey, snap out of it!"

She poked his cheeks a couple of times, but when he didn't regain consciousness, Lucy realized she needed to take some emergency action.

However, she had only read the guidebook and not the emergency procedures section.

The only emergency procedure she knew was CPR, which she had learned in middle school.

'At least doing something is better than doing nothing, right?'

In fact, performing CPR on someone who isn't in cardiac arrest can be very dangerous, but Lucy didn't know that.

As she positioned herself for chest compressions, her hands pressed into the man's chest, creating a rather awkward situation.

But she was focused on performing CPR seriously.

"One, two, three, four, five, six…"

"Ugh… Ugh…"

"Ah? Are you coming to?"

Seeing the man respond, Lucy gained confidence and prepared to perform chest compressions again.

Suddenly, the man's hand shot up.

"Huh?"

Lucy was so startled that she didn't immediately react to the hand that was now groping her chest.

Groping, groping, groping

"Kyaahh!"

*

What's happening?

I was sure my mana was accumulating normally, but suddenly my vision went blurry.

When I came to, I saw two watermelons jiggling in front of me.

Still groggy from just waking up, I instinctively grabbed the watermelons and tried to get up.

Are watermelons this soft? No, that's not right… What is this?

It feels soft, like a woman's chest…

"Kyaahh!!!"

A piercing scream rang in my ears.

Only then did I fully regain consciousness.

Looking up from the soft watermelons, I saw a young girl in a uniform trembling as she looked at me.

★ Heroine Status Window

Wait, why is Lucy here?

She is the older twin of the mixed-blood heroines, with European heritage.

She has always been quick to make friends and has many friends, and she easily becomes close to the protagonist. However, her friendly nature makes it difficult for their relationship to progress beyond friendship.

Through the protagonist's sincere efforts, she gradually overcomes this and opens her heart to him… but she caused an incident on their first meeting.

"Um, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking clearly…"

"Y-You, you pervert!"

Lucy's face, which was now as red as fire, began to form a fire arrow in her hand.

"Just a moment, it was a mistake. Please calm down!"

"Perverts should die! You criminal!"

If I get hit by that, I might really die. I need to move my mana to block it, but it won't respond.

"Room 402! There's an emergency alert in Room 402!"

"It's right there! Hey, student! What are you doing, using magic here!"

Fortunately, the rescue team arrived just in time. It seems the system inside the training center detected my condition as critical and sent them.

"Help! Help! I'm here!"

"Let go! Let go of me!"

Fortunately, Lucy, who was about to shoot a fire arrow at me, was restrained by the rescue team.

Though the rescue team was holding her arms, her small stature made her almost float in the air.

As she struggled to break free, her jiggling chest only drew more attention.

When Lucy gets this worked up in the game, she becomes irrational. It's better to let her calm down for a bit and then apologize.

Fortunately, she seemed to have forgotten about me for the moment, distracted by the rescue team. I should take this opportunity to escape.

"What's wrong with this student? There's an emergency patient! Where did he go?"

"He ran off that corner just now."

"Hey, what if you let him go?"

"But he seems fine…"

"Let go of meee!"

"Ugh, this is really frustrating."

The emergency rescue personnel of Victoria Academy began to wonder if they should quit their job.

*

"Mana depletion?"

It seems what I experienced was mana depletion. It occurs when you try to use mana excessively when there is almost no mana left in your body.

This didn't happen in the game, what a harsh world! Really.

I understand why it happened; I was trying to push my limits and use as much mana as possible. Plus, my condition wasn't optimal. Now that I know my total mana capacity, I won't make this mistake again.

'Why did my first mistake have to be in front of Lucy? Ugh.'

I was so excited about using magic that I got carried away. My first mistake happened in front of a heroine.

I need more practice. My mana capacity is too low.

'And Lucy is a problem…'

Lucy is one of the heroines in "Sekka." Since we are in the same A class, I'll see her in the first class tomorrow, and I'm worried about the incident.

I need to take some action, but I don't know what to do right now.

The best option is to hope she forgets about me after the incident with the rescue team.

Sigh, I don't know. I can only rely on the protagonist's buffs.

*

Tuesday morning, my first day of school.

Victoria Academy is very large. Each grade has its own building, and all the buildings, including the mana training rooms, sparring areas, and dining hall, are magnificent and worth exploring.

As I slowly walked, memorizing the paths, I arrived at the 1st-year building.

The A class definitely looks more prestigious than the A class.

"Phew…"

Thump thump—

Why is my heart racing? It feels like the excitement I had when I moved up a grade and none of my close friends were in the same class. I also felt a bit anxious about adapting to this new environment.

After taking a deep breath, I confidently opened the door and entered.

The room felt more like a lecture hall.

The clean white interior was lined with long desks, similar to those in a university, arranged in a stepped formation.

At the front of the lecture hall was a podium and a hologram projector.

As I entered, the students' gazes immediately focused on me.

Usually, such attention is fleeting, but their gazes didn't leave me.

"Hey, what's going on? Wait, what?"

"Who is that? He's handsome."

"I think I saw him on TV yesterday."

I couldn't just stand there, so I looked around and chose a seat by the window in the middle row.

Sitting at the back would make me look like a troublemaker, and sitting at the front would draw unnecessary attention from the professors, so the middle was perfect.

Each desk had a hologram projector, which seemed to display information during class.

After settling in, I looked around. Lucy and Lumi were chatting at the back.

They are identical twins, and only their parents, who have observed them closely for a long time, can tell them apart.

Fortunately, their hairstyles, clothing, and mannerisms help distinguish them.

Lucy has blue-dyed hair and always wears a cardigan to cover her figure. She has many friends and is often surrounded by them when not with Lumi.

Lumi ties her hair with a pure red ribbon and always wears the academy uniform, speaking in a gentle and soft tone.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lucy]

– [Affection: 1]

– [Lust: 5]

– [Hunger: 40]

– [Fatigue: 20]

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lumi]

– [Affection: 15]

– [Lust: 30]

– [Hunger: 40]

– [Fatigue: 30]

Lucy's affection level had dropped to 1. That's lower than a pebble on the street, and it's even lower than when I checked yesterday.

Lumi's affection level is normal, so Lucy probably hasn't talked about me.

As I was looking at their status windows, Lucy's eyes met mine while she was talking to Lumi with a smile.

The smile immediately vanished from her face.

Lumi, who was next to her, was confused by her sudden change. She looked cute, but I quickly looked away.

Ellis, the top student in written exams, and Namda, the top student in practical exams, are also in A class, but they haven't arrived yet.

"…"

"Why are you acting like that, Lucy? You're scary…"

I could feel Lucy's glare from the back row, her chest resting on the desk.

Creak—

Fortunately, the instructor entered, and the attention shifted away from me.

A man with an all-back hairstyle in a black suit walked to the podium.

"I am Kim Jinhyuk, your homeroom teacher for Class A. Welcome."

After finishing his greeting, he scanned the room with a frown.

"Many of you seem excited on the first day. You should have more pride as students of Victoria Academy and act with more dignity."

He tapped the screen behind the podium with a pointer, and the orientation guide appeared.

"Check the basic rules and schedule on the website individually…"

After a boring session, the screen displayed "Group Assignments."

"The foundation of a hunter is cooperation. Whether it's dungeon exploration, villain elimination, or emergency response, cooperation with other hunters is essential."

That's true. There's no need to fight alone like a lone wolf.

"Thus, many classes at Victoria Academy are conducted in groups."

Tap tap. The group assignment list appeared on the screen.

The academy's system automatically assigns groups based on entrance exam scores.

"The group members you see now will apply to all subjects. Group changes are generally not allowed, and you will be re-assigned based on your performance next semester. I hope no one complains about their group members."

The lecture hall buzzed with excitement. Some students were unhappy with their group assignments, while others were hugging their friends in relief.

My group members are… Oh?

Namda and Lumi. Two heroines in the same group.