I Became the Academy’s Heroine Stalker – Chapter 55

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

 
-Dash!

-Scuttle!

-Rustle!

…Ahem.

-Whoosh!

-Tap tap tap!

-Swish!

…A-hem.

That pretty much summed up Tae-jin and Renia’s weekend after the unexpected kiss.

A silent game of hide-and-seek.

The house was filled with nothing but the sound of hurried footsteps.

If it seemed like they might run into each other, Renia would run away.

Yet, she diligently prepared every meal and even set the table before disappearing again.

The house was large, so there were plenty of hiding places.

He hadn’t properly seen her face at all over the weekend.

-Knock knock.

When he knocked on Renia’s door, he could hear hurried movements inside.

“Renia, aren’t you hungry? Do you not want to eat?”

-…I, I ate!

But unfortunately, he couldn’t see her.

Was she really that embarrassed?

Of course, he also felt awkward about facing Renia.

The kiss on the cheek, meant as a ‘compliment,’ had unexpectedly turned into a proper kiss.

The thrilling, sweet, dizzying sensations were still etched onto his lips.

Renia’s wide, heart-shaped eyes were also vividly imprinted in his mind.

Every time he recalled the moment, a smile crept onto his face.

It was unexpected, but the fluttery feeling and the soft touch of her lips left him with a strange mix of wanting it to happen again and regretting it at the same time.

Well, he did regret that they had become more awkward than before.

If it had ended with a peck on the cheek, things wouldn’t have escalated to this point.

Anyway, he had spent a boring weekend with Reina holed up in her room, never showing her face.

As soon as Renia retreated to the second floor, a sense of emptiness and boredom filled the spacious house.

And he realized something for certain.

The house would definitely feel even bigger and empty without Renia.

He wished she would just come out of hiding and join him on the sofa, watching TV and eating chicken like they usually did.

But Renia’s resolve was firm, she didn’t come downstairs the entire weekend.

However, there was one thing she couldn’t avoid: Monday morning sunlight.

To go to the academy, contact was inevitable.

As he finished getting ready for school, Renia came downstairs, looking a little haggard.

But….

“Huh?”

“Wh-what…?”

He was surprised to see Renia in her Renia form, her Polymorph active.

Her clothes were the same.

A neat suit befitting a bodyguard.

But everything else was different.

Her facial features were the same.

Her glasses and hairstyle had changed.

The sharp, rimless glasses she wore for her “cool girl” persona were gone, and her long, usually tied-up hair was now loose, cascading down to her waist.

It was a different look.

Without the sharp-angled glasses, her violet eyes seemed gentler, and her blue hair, flowing down like a small waterfall, gave her the fresh, youthful look of a college student.

As he stared, Renia averted her gaze and a slight sulky expression formed on her face.

Her pouty pink lips looked especially enticing today.

“Wh-what are you looking at…?”

“Oh, nothing…”

‘What am I looking at? You’re beautiful, that’s what.’

He swallowed those honest words and replied in a nonchalant tone.

He felt strangely awkward about expressing his delight at Renia’s transformation.

“You look good without the glasses.”

“…!”

Renia’s shoulders twitched.

“Let’s go. We’ll be late.”

He chuckled, not quite understanding the meaning of her reaction, and headed out the door with Renia towards the academy.

The distance between them had grown since the kiss.

But strangely, they felt closer than ever.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“Everyone knows we’re starting festival preparations today, right?”

““Yes~””

“We’ll be taking applications for food stalls, talent shows, and sparring matches until Wednesday, so discuss amongst yourselves and let me know~”

““Yes~””

After the awkward commute with Renia, Tae-jin sat in the classroom, and Ella, having finished taking attendance, made the announcement.

The festival wasn’t anything grand.

It was just a small break before the final exams, a chance for socializing and relaxation.

The true highlight of the Seoul National Academy was the grand ‘ball’ held during the graduation ceremony.

This festival was like a pre-show.

‘Two weeks left, huh.’

The festival was scheduled for Friday, two weeks from now.

According to the story, Illusion’s terrorist attack was also scheduled for that same Friday.

He glanced towards the back of the classroom, near the window.

‘Choi Do-han.’

As he had heard, Choi Do-han had finally ended his long absence and returned to school.

This was something he had been both nervous and worried about.

If Choi Do-han didn’t attend school, Illusion’s terrorist attack on the academy might not happen.

Of course, while Choi Do-han was Illusion’s primary target, they also aimed to display their power and target a few professors, so the attack was still likely to occur.

But he couldn’t truly relax unless the probability was as high as possible.

Fortunately, Choi Do-han was back, and while Tae-jin was relieved, he couldn’t shake off the tension.

He didn’t know what had happened during Choi Do-han’s absence, or what he was thinking now.

Moreover, Choi Do-han’s face was unusually gloomy, and the seats around him were empty, like an isolated island.

It was exactly the same situation as Han Tae-jin before his possession.

An aura that made it difficult to approach him, a feeling that he wouldn’t welcome any attempts at conversation.

With his naturally cynical expression, arms crossed, and a frown furrowing his brow, it felt like no one could approach….not even the nation’s top MC could lighten the mood.

Furthermore, Choi Do-han wasn’t exactly known for his social skills.

Even in the original story, he had a ‘cold, handsome’ persona, making it difficult for anyone without exceptional social skills to approach him.

Now, coupled with his absence following his defeat in the sparring match, he had naturally become isolated.

In contrast, Tae-jin’s surroundings were bustling.

“I saw Renia earlier, and she looked like a completely different person without her glasses and with her hair down. Her beauty is insane.”

“Seriously, I thought she was glowing. Speaking of which, can you ask her if I can follow her Stargram?”

“Hey! I asked first!”

“No, I asked first!”

…Couldn’t they see Renia standing in the hallway, watching them with hawk-like eyes?

And Renia didn’t use Stargram or anything like that.

‘She doesn’t even have a phone.’

He tried to get her a phone, but it was impossible without proper identification.

He couldn’t exactly give her a walkie-talkie either.

Just then, he heard a cough from behind.

“Ahem. Brothers and sisters? We have less than a minute until the first class starts.”

It was Su-ah’s voice.

She was sitting right behind him.

At her words, the cadets, realizing that class was about to start, returned to their seats, throwing comments like, “Be sure to ask her for me!” over their shoulders.

‘Phew, finally some peace.’

What was with all the excessive attention this morning?

He turned around, and Su-ah smiled at him as if saying, “I took care of them for you.”

He discreetly gave her a thumbs-up, keeping his arm between his elbow and side so the others wouldn’t see.

Now that he thought about it,

What was Su-ah thinking at this point in the story?

Mi-jin’s feelings for Choi Do-han had cooled after his mindless confession drop, and although Han-na hadn’t heard about what happened yet, she seemed to be in a similar situation as Mi-jin.

Even their seating arrangement today showed some distance between Han-na and Choi Do-han; she was sitting next to Mi-jin.

But Su-ah’s inner thoughts were difficult to decipher.

She was naturally quiet and spent most of her time after school either in the dormitory or at the cathedral, so he rarely had any interaction with her.

Even their current seating arrangement wasn’t because Su-ah chose to sit behind him, but because he had sat in front of her.

He had been a little late to class this morning, so there weren’t many seats left.

Anyway, he was curious about what Yoo Su-ah, the main heroine, was thinking at this point in the story.

Even in the original work, Su-ah was portrayed as a heroine with a significant role.

The fact that she was mentioned several times as a potential ‘next Saint’ raised readers’ expectations, and her quiet nature and enigmatic actions, much like now, solidified her image as a ‘mysterious character,’ leading to much speculation among readers.

Lowering his thumb, he softly spoke to Su-ah.

“Su-ah.”

“Yes.”

“Want to have lunch together today?”

Telepathy.

He decided to lay the groundwork for using this special skill, which he hadn’t yet used on Su-ah.

If it was Telepathy, a skill that didn’t appear in the original story, he might be able to learn about Su-ah’s inner thoughts, or perhaps even her true nature(?).

Fortunately,

“I’d like that.”

Su-ah smiled and accepted his offer.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Meanwhile, Renia was staring intently at someone.

Through the classroom window, across the hallway.

The target of her gaze was none other than Choi Do-han.

The appearance of Choi Do-han, whom she had labeled as a bully who tormented her master, had Renia on high alert.

She remembered clearly.

How he tried to use his mana on Tae-jin on the emergency staircase, and how he tried to humiliate him during their sparring match.

So, as his bodyguard, she was keeping a close watch on him, just in case.

Suddenly, their eyes met.

Directly met.

It wasn’t that she happened to catch him in her gaze; Choi Do-han deliberately turned his gaze to look directly at her.

Their eyes locked for a brief moment, and sparks flew.

Renia, her eyes blazing, bared her teeth like a predator eyeing its prey, then pointed her index and middle fingers at her own eyes.

Then, she flicked her wrist and pointed those two fingers at Choi Do-han.

A silent warning: [Touch my master, and you die].

The ‘Honorary Cadet’ badge on her chest shone brilliantly.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇