Chapter 69 : Parents

In the end, I ended up sharing the dorm with Yena.

My head was already starting to hurt.

Ah, not because of Yena, though.

From signing the lease to preparing for the move and coordinating schedules—nothing went smoothly.

And on top of that, they expect me to attend classes? That’s gonna be tough.

But those worries were quickly resolved, like untangling a knotted string.

Well, it felt more like cutting the string clean off rather than untying it.

That day, the classroom was unusually noisy.

Mornings were usually when I’d quietly catch some sleep.

But the loud voices of the girls disturbed me.

“Is this really the Academy…?”

“Whoa…! What’s with this insane masculinity, Principal?!”

“Principal, she’s a girl, what are you talking about?”

Of course, there was a good reason for all this commotion.

A week-long vacation.

Seriously.

Just because midterms ended, we suddenly got a break.

The reason? Well, you could spin it however you wanted… but in short, it was because of the dorms.

They said it was for students like me who were struggling with the arrangements.

Is this really the kind of decision an educational institution should make?

“As expected of the Academy… It’s on a whole other level compared to regular high schools.”

“Hehe, the new Monster Hunter game is out…! I’m gonna finish it in one day.”

“I’ll join you. The trailers looked fun.”

A new game, huh? Something about Monster Hunters?

I’d seen it on Shorts before.

But since I’m not really into games, I tuned out after that.

Anyway, the world I’ve been reincarnated into seems pretty reasonable.

No worries here.

My grades are good.

The dorm situation is somewhat resolved.

“Hehe.”

For once, I found myself joining in on their excitement.

Not having to go to school? I couldn’t help but smile.

“You look happy.”

Yena’s hand patting my head.

I was in such a good mood that I didn’t even mind it.

If I were a cat, I’d probably be purring right now.

“Of course I’m happy. Hehe.”

“Let’s check out the dorm today. It’s our newlywed home, after all.”

“Ne-newlywed… Haa.”

I glanced around, worried someone might’ve heard.

Luckily, everyone was too focused on the vacation.

Calling it a “newlywed home” made me instinctively grab the back of my neck.

Seeing her lips twitch, it seemed Yena was in a mischievous mood again.

I stared at her intently.

I’m not gonna fall for such cheap tricks anymore.

“What? Did it make your heart flutter? Well, since we’re already living together, we might as well—Ow.”

I pinched her side to shut her up.

Stop bringing up marriage, please.

“Quiet, or I’ll really propose to you.”

“Hmm…”

Judging by her expression, she was already preparing another line.

I quickly cut her off before another headache could set in.

“Actually, no. I’m not proposing.”

“…”

“I-I mean, it’s not that I’m against it… Marriage just feels like a distant thought.”

“I get it. Now that I think about it, we haven’t even done this yet…”

I wondered what she meant until she held out her finger.

Like a bride waiting for her groom to slide on the ring.

“Eek…”

Imagining Yena in a wedding dress made my heart ache and race.

What would happen if I married Yena?

‘Well, her family seems rich…’

Hah, maybe I should just marry into wealth.

Someone like Yena could easily be the breadwinner.

I’d just have to handle the occasional obligatory defense battles…

“What are you thinking about?”

“Eep!”

I might’ve just had a very degenerate thought.

I should be thinking about working hard and living honorably—what am I doing?

I shook my head to dispel the thoughts.

The sudden vacation announcement.

“It’s not like you’ll even remember this next week, right?”

“Yeaaah!”

Most of the teachers had already lost their motivation.

Some half-heartedly rushed through lessons, while others just let us study on our own.

“Self-study,” yeah right.

As if we’d actually study.

About 90% of it was just chatting.

“Wait, you guys too? Nice! Did you get matched randomly?”

“Nope. I kidnapped her, plain and simple.”

Gyeoul said she forcibly kidnapped Gaeul to make her live with her.

“Forcibly kidnapped,” huh…

Reminds me of a certain perverted girl listening quietly beside us.

“Hmph, obviously. Someone with such a nasty personality—Eek!”

“Sorry, her training isn’t complete yet.”

When I asked, Gyeoul wouldn’t tell me her exact rank.

But apparently, even her, who seemed clueless, was at the top.

So I’m basically sandwiched between monsters…

I suddenly got curious.

Might as well ask about the last one’s rank.

“So, Gaeul, what’s your rank?”

“…”

“…”

“Ah, okay, I get it…”

“That hurts even more…!”

“Gah…! Sorry!”

We lost track of time just talking.

But since it was during class, it was twice as fun.

Before I knew it, it was time to leave.

And you know what that meant.

“Time to check out the dorm!”

“Hmm, I bet there’s literally just a single sink inside.”

“Hey… No way…”

I poked Yena for her weird comment.

The exterior of the building was already impressive.

Though it was called a dorm, it was arranged more like an apartment.

After getting our key cards from a tired-looking teacher on the first floor, we headed to the second.

“…Why is it so big? This is just an apartment.”

“Right? It’s kinda like my house. Moving in’s gonna be easy.”

“Woah…! This is the dorm?!”

The dorm—no, the new apartment—was way more spacious than I imagined.

Sniffing the air, I caught the faint, exhilarating scent of a brand-new home.

“No way, this is fully furnished, right?”

There was a washing machine and a dryer.

No, seriously.

A dryer.

It wasn’t some cheap, all-in-one unit crammed into the kitchen.

These were two marvels of science, standing proudly in the utility room.

I almost screamed, but held back since Yena was right behind me.

“Hoo, hoo…”

From the TV to the microwave, fridge, and more—

A variety of appliances welcomed me.

The floor was spotless, so I just flopped down on it.

“A place like this with no rent… I might get addicted.”

“You’re paying tuition.”

“Wh— Shh… shut it…!”

Yena walked over and loomed above me as I lay there flailing my arms.

Her gaze was like she was looking at some adorable creature.

Since I was in a good mood today, I let it slide.

“Haah, I wanna stay here forever…”

“You mean, ‘I wanna live together forever in a place like this~,’ right?”

“Yeah, obviously— Wait. No, you already kidnapped me…!”

“Forever.”

“…Ugh. I dunno…”

Lying there, staring up at Yena, my face grew hot.

I sat up to escape the embarrassment.

It suddenly hit me—we were alone in a closed, intimate space.

‘…Not here. We haven’t even moved in yet.’

Luckily, she didn’t try anything.

Anyway, the dorm verdict?

Absolutely top-tier.

100 out of 10.

With our mission accomplished, I was about to suggest heading back when—

Buzz— Buzz—

“Ah, hold on…”

A vibration came from Yena’s pocket.

She glanced at the screen and immediately scowled.

“Sorry. Gotta take this.”

“Oh, yeah. Go ahead.”

Must’ve been urgent—she answered right away.

The way her brow furrowed as she held the phone to her ear told me she really didn’t want to take this call.

But the title that came out of her mouth took me a second to process.

“Yes, Mother.”

‘…What?!’

I almost blurted it out in shock.

She gestured for me to stay calm and kept talking.

“Ah, yes. Understood.”

“…”

Her expression didn’t soften at all.

Her tone was flat, but the vibe was anything but.

Clearly, there was history here—something I shouldn’t poke at.

“…Got it. I’ll check the details in the—”

[Your sister… last time… you…]

“…Sorry. Yes. Yes.”

The last part was loud enough to catch snippets, but not enough to make sense.

All I got was—she had a sister.

‘Now that I think about it, I have seen someone like that.’

A girl with purple hair and eyes—

The opposite of Yena’s long locks, hers were short.

The “Vice President” who’d show up during announcements.

Her name was… Haerin? Harry? Something like that. Can’t remember.

The next day.

I found myself in a bizarre situation.

“Yena…”

Five women in black suits moved boxes into the dorm.

Most were small items, but occasionally, larger furniture like desks and beds came in too.

“This feels… excessive.”

Yena had seemed off since yesterday’s call.

After a few more phone calls, she waited with me for about 30 minutes.

At one point, she asked for the passcode.

I figured, ‘We’re dating, so it’s fine,’ and told her.

Big mistake.

“I’m doing this because I want to. What if you get hurt helping?”

Should’ve never given her the code.

No matter how much I protested, she wouldn’t listen.

I tried to at least help with lighter stuff, but she grabbed my wrist.

So there I was, restrained, forced to watch the move-in like a spectator.

My arms were pinned behind me, her chin resting on my now-empty shoulders.

“Yul-ah, hey… Vacation starts tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah.”

“…”

Silence. Then—her grip tightened.

“Nggh…! W-Wait! My wrist… hurts…!”

“Ah— S-Sorry. That was an accident.”

The pressure vanished the second I whimpered.

She even stammered an apology—rare for her.

Seemed genuine.

Then again, why would she suddenly get mad here?

Must’ve been lost in thought.

I forced myself to calm down and forgave her.

She was being unusually gentle—compared to, well, other times.

“Phew… Haah… It’s fine. So, why bring up vacation? Going somewhere?”

“…Yeah. I need to visit home. I’ll be back soon.”

First the call with her mom, now this.

Something’s definitely up with her family.

“Have a safe trip. I don’t know what’s going on, but hang in there.”

I relaxed slightly, leaning back into her.

She hugged me in response.

Then I realized—Yena’s hand was resting on my lower stomach.

‘Ugh, my wrist is numb…’

Finally free.

“…Thanks.”

“…”

No reply.

Some things don’t need words.

Instead, I took her empty-looking hands and gently held them.