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[No, this is too sudden, right? They never announced anything before initiating disciplinary action at Victoria Academy.]

[ㄴ Maybe they\'re starting to do it from now on.]

[I knew it would explode like this someday. ㅋㅋ Now everything will be exposed. All the rumors…]

[Keep a neutral stance for now, guys. It\'s still under discussion.]

[ㄴ The problem is that there\'s even the possibility of disciplinary action in the first place. ㅋㅋ]

[ㄴ Seriously ㅋㅋ]

"This is bullshit."

Why would I face disciplinary action? I\'d understand if it were commendation. I sent a message to Soorin with my smartwatch.

[Me: Noona, there\'s a weird post circulating. It seems like we need to address this quickly. [Link]

[Soorin Noona: Wait a moment, I\'ll check.]

"Hmm…"

While the reply was swift, my mood wasn\'t exactly festive. Unlike the usual harmless suspicions, this time, it\'s an Academy professor actively spreading misinformation. These damn people are going too far, even stabbing me in the back like this.

"Should I contact Professor Im Sol as well?"

She had clearly mentioned to reach out if I needed help, so it might be helpful. If I don\'t do this much, she might not care because it\'s troublesome.

[Me: Professor, [Link] Please take a look…. There\'s weird speculation going on, how should we handle it?]

Alright. With this, I feel a bit relieved. If two these influential figures at the Academy help out, things should quiet down quickly.

I returned to the dormitory with the hope that things would be settled before it got more troublesome.

***

Thud, thud, thud!

"Open the door! Right now!"

"Soorin? What\'s going on?"

Moon Soorin barged into the chairman\'s office, wearing an expression filled with anger. Her beautiful platinum hair swayed, mirroring her evident frustration.

"Chairman, no, Grandfather, what on earth is going on here?"

"Explain why you\'re so angry first."

"Look at this." On the screen Soorin presented, there was an article discussing the possibility of disciplinary action against Lee Hoyeon.

"What\'s this…"

"The source is one of the academy professors. We need to address this promptly."

The chairman observed the screen with a stern expression, then nodded, "Understood… I\'ll investigate and take action, so don\'t worry."

"Yes, please. Chairman, I\'ll take my leave then." Soorin nodded satisfactorily and left the chairman\'s office.

After she left, the chairman slumped into his chair and sighed, "Why is the Shin Young Guild suddenly causing trouble?"

Chairman Moon Jaecheol of Victoria Academy. Naturally, he\'s well aware of everything happening at the academy. He simply pretended not to know to avoid getting involved in his granddaughter\'s disputes.

He already knew who was raising these suspicions; they were all lackeys of the Shin Young Guild.

"Haa… Lee Hoyeon."

What on earth does that guy do to make my granddaughter cling to him like this?

The chairman\'s head began to ache.

Shin Young Guild or Lee Hoyeon, who knows what\'s going on behind the scenes.

The chairman had received a credible report previously stating that Lee Hoyeon had a significant organization behind him. It was a trustworthy secretary\'s report, so it was a reliable piece of information.

"How should I handle this?" After running his wrinkled hand over his face, the chairman made a decision. Regarding this incident, no matter how he thought about it, supporting Lee Hoyeon is the right move.

It made no sense to vilify a hero who prevented terrorism in such a manner. Even if Soorin hadn\'t come to him, he had no intention of leaving it alone. However, that didn\'t mean he had to resolve it immediately. The chairman never missed an opportunity to gain political advantage.

If that guy really has something behind him, he\'ll deal with it before I lift a finger.

Taking a bit of time won\'t have a big impact on the Academy\'s reputation. Simply confirming that an investigation is ongoing should suffice. However, for Lee Hoyeon personally, it\'s a different story.

As each day passes, his public image takes a hit. Once people form an opinion, even the best explanations won\'t easily change their perception. This holds true for celebrities dealing with significant controversies; returning to normal activities becomes difficult.

If there is any force investing in Lee Hoyeon, they won\'t let an incident like this go unnoticed. It is an opportunity to find out if Lee Hoyeon is an empty vessel or if he has support comparable to the Shin Young Guild.

"I wonder how it will turn out."

Whether someone handles it in my stead due to my lack of abilities or I uncover the hidden background behind that guy, both options weren\'t bad from Chairman Moon Jaecheol\'s perspective.

***

Sunday lunch.

A group of lovely ladies caught the eyes of those strolling around during the laid-back lunchtime. Inside Victoria Academy\'s café, Baek Ahyeong, Min Yeji, and Im Sol enjoyed their time together. Passersby couldn\'t resist stealing glances at them, intrigued by the trio\'s camaraderie.

Min Yeji, the liveliest among the three, quizzically asked Baek Ahyeong, "What\'s up with your expression, Ahyeong? Hmm?"

"Just… not feeling great." Ahyeong sipped her iced Americano, managing a light smile. Though she had agreed to meet over the weekend as per Min Yeji\'s suggestion, Ahyeong\'s spirits hadn\'t fully recovered.

"Got a crush, maybe?"

"N-No, not at all!"

"Come on, it totally seems like it. Is it Ahyeong\'s spring too? Are spring vibes hitting both Sol and Ahyeong~?"

"Enough, cut it out. Don\'t tease her. Let\'s keep it down in a place like this." Im Sol lowered her latte, shooting Min Yeji a stern look. They couldn\'t speak openly with cafe onlookers covertly spying on their table.

"Sorry, sorry. I was just trying to lift her spirits. Ahyeong, what\'s bothering you? We\'re all ears."

"Um…" Baek Ahyeong hesitated, contemplating whether to spill the beans, but she eventually opened up, "Honestly, I don\'t know… I might have developed feelings for someone, but…"

"Oh, seriously?! Sol-ah, our saint has a crush!"

"Really?" Im Sol also seemed quite intrigued by the interesting topic.

"Ahyeong, why do you think that? Does your heart race when you\'re with them?"

"Yes… When we\'re together, my heart races. I want to hold hands, hug, give my all, and if he thinks poorly of me, it hurts. I want to share the same bed and sleep together…"

"Whoa, slow down, there. Take it easy."

"Sounds serious." Im Sol tilted her head and sipped her coffee.

"No, Sol, you can\'t just brush it off like that. Who dared to mess with our Ahyeong like this?" Min Yeji couldn\'t help but show her surprise at Ahyeong, usually so innocent, speaking so assertively.

"Ahyeong, if being together makes your heart flutter and you want to hug and hold hands, you clearly like that guy. If you like him that much, why not just confess?" Sol suggested a practical approach.

There wouldn\'t be a guy who\'d reject a confession from the Academy\'s saint. She had built up that image to such an extent.

"Exactly. Where\'s the guy in the world who wouldn\'t accept a confession from our saint! Don\'t hesitate, go straight for it!"

"W-Well, there\'s an age difference, and we have various complicated situations between us, so…"

It\'s not going to work out.

Baek Ahyeong sighed and took another sip of her drink. Still, talking to someone about it made her feel a bit more at ease. It was less frustrating than suffering alone.

"Age difference… Wait, are you… Is the reason you rushed to work at the Academy because of…?"

"…!" Baek Ahyeong was momentarily taken aback by Min Yeji\'s words.

Did she catch on?

Worried that she might have given herself away by speaking too much, Baek Ahyeong felt embarrassed.

Smack! Smack!

"Sorry, Ahyeong, it was just a joke. Stop hitting—just a moment!" Avoiding Ahyeong\'s flying fists, Min Yeji frantically apologized.

Watching the playful scene, Im Sol chuckled and checked her smartwatch.

[Lee Hoyeon: Professor, [Link] Please take a look…. There\'s weird speculation going on, how should we handle it?]

It was a message from Lee Hoyeon.

The link led to an article deliberately inciting Lee Hoyeon. The contents, skillfully edited with manipulated evidence, were not the work of an ordinary person.

"Hmm… Yeji, take a quick look at this."

"Huh? What is it?" After a moment, Min Yeji\'s expression also slightly furrowed, "This is unbelievably… low-level scheming. They\'re openly manipulating public opinion. Where could they be doing this work? There can\'t be a place so openly revealing their workspace…."

"What are you talking about?" Belatedly, Ahyeong also read the article given by Im Sol.

"Hoyeon is asking for my help… Hey, can you two help?"

"Of course! It\'s an opportunity to look good to Student Lee Hoyeon."

"Um…"

"Ahyeong, what about you?"

Ignoring Im Sol\'s words, Ahyeong suddenly tapped her smartwatch, "I work at the Academy too, you know… I can help… Why didn\'t he contact me…?"

Watching Baek Ahyeong tremble and mutter quietly, both Im Sol and Min Yeji exchanged a knowing glance.

"Sol-ah… Could it be Ahyeong also has a little crush on Student Lee Hoyeon, like you?" Min Yeji whispered into Im Sol\'s ear.

"Well, who knows. And what do you mean, like me? I\'ve never had a crush."

"Really? What\'s the age difference between us and Student Lee Hoyeon, anyway? 8 years?"

"Don\'t know…"

"If it\'s 8 years, it\'s not that big of an age difference. Hmm…"

Im Sol absentmindedly nibbled on her straw. Today, she had a hankering for something sweet, even sweeter than usual.

***

"I\'m back." Returning to the dormitory, I found Scarlett lounging on the living room bed.

"Agh… Ah… Miss Liliana, Hoyeon\'s here… We should stop…"

Liliana, next to her, was having some fun slurping Scarlett\'s breasts.

"Oh, you\'re here? Scout said she had something to discuss with you, so I played with her while waiting."

"Alright… Well done." After tossing my coat on the rack, I walked over, "Scarlett, have a seat here."

"Sure…" Scarlett, fixing herself up, took a seat with a nod.

"You probably get idea without me spelling it out, right? Just explain everything from the beginning."

"Uh… I honestly don\'t know much. Miss Alice personally told me to record when you dropped by. I\'m not sure about the details."

"Hmm… if it\'s personal, Alice\'s secretary doesn\'t know about it?"

"Probably not. Miss Alice wouldn\'t want Sebastian to catch wind that she invited a man over. If the guildmaster finds out, he might barge into this place tonight."

"That\'s a bit scary…"

It wouldn\'t be good to provoke the Night Emperor for no reason.

"I came to tell you that, now I need to report to Miss Alice as well."

"Well, good timing. I stashed an extra smartwatch under Alice\'s chair. If you make it look like you found it while reporting, it should be good."

"A smartwatch?"

"Yeah, there\'s a video of Liliana and me in there. Check out Alice\'s reaction."

"Oh… I understand."

Figuring out how to deliver the video to Alice, I cooked up this plan. In hindsight, Scarlett could\'ve handled it, considering she seemed to have no hidden agenda. But back then, I wanted to scope out Alice\'s status and act on my own.

Now that I\'ve left the spare smartwatch on standby, pretending it\'s the one I took off before the massage, it\'s Scarlett\'s time to do her part.

"Hey, why are you using my video without permission?!" Liliana, eavesdropping on our chat, butted in.

"Why not? You\'re not legally protected anyway."

Where does a succubus expect legal protection?

"I\'m quite the pricey commodity, you know."

"Let\'s grab some lunch; I\'ve got plans right after."

"Awesome! How about ordering from that quick chicken joint?"

"Remember, we\'re having chicken for dinner too. How about a lighter lunch option?"

Whenever I turn down chicken, Liliana pulls out her go-to repertoire.

"I\'m splurging my own cash to eat what I want! You\'re not chipping in for the household!"

"I saw that coming. I came prepared." I handed Liliana the contract I made with Alice.

"Huh? What\'s this… Wow!"

"Hehehe… Naturally, I\'m getting more than you."

Income reversal in action. I\'m the new head of this household!

"Anyway, Liliana, I\'m getting a sandwich for lunch with my money. Don\'t tell me you won\'t eat chicken alone, right?"

"Do whatever you want…"

Finally, the era of escaping the chicken hell has dawned. Liliana grumbled, insisting she could\'ve had chicken twice with the money for two servings, but it was in vain. I wrapped up lunch, took a breather, then reached out to Nam Daeun.

[Me: When should we meet at the training ground?]

We planned to have a practice match today, but the timing wasn\'t set.

[Nam Daeun: Is 2 hours from now okay?]

[Me: Yeah, sounds good.]

It\'s currently 2 p.m. We\'ve got 2 hours until 4 p.m.

"Two hours should do the trick."

Surprisingly, massaging Alice drained a lot of mana. If I\'m going to spar with Nam Daeun, I\'ll need to meditate since my mana is running low.

I lounged in the living room, closed my eyes, and soaked in the mana from the air.