Fated to Die in an Academy Novel – Chapter 108

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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With some exceptions, devils were generally classified as monsters.

High-ranking devils could communicate, but they often disregarded humans. Conversely, low-ranking devils often couldn’t control their true nature.

Succubi, especially, had difficulty controlling their desires due to their nature.

“Hmm, Kang So-hyun isn’t as much of an honor student as I thought. Being outside the dorms at this hour… I should give you detention.”

“I don’t think it’s my fault I was caught up in an incident.”

“No, I think it’s also Kang So-hyun’s fault for wandering around outside at this hour. If you don’t want detention, how about becoming my assistant? I’ll even set you up on a blind date. What do you say?”

“I’ll take the detention.”

“Haha, you’re still so cheeky. Then, instead of being my assistant, be Cathy’s partner at the party. That much is fine, right?”

“Professor Ah-ram, please stop. This is a crime scene, and the cadets are flustered.”

“Wow, you’re not calling me ‘unnie’ in front of the kids? Cathy, do you know how offended I am? We’re not even at the academy.”

“…Don’t tease me.”

Why did Lilac bring Professor Park Ah-ram, of all people, along with Professor Cathy?

After I sent Yoo-na away, Lilac quickly brought Professor Cathy and Professor Park Ah-ram.

“I was going to bring only Professor Cathy, but she said it would be better to have a hero proficient in magic.”

Lilac scratched his cheek and offered an excuse as if he knew what I was thinking.

“Haha, I can hear you. Telling a professor that after just playing a prank. It seems neither of you are afraid of your grades. Want an F?”

Yeah, I’m not scared.

Whether in the original story or now, her comments about grades were mostly jokes.

How many professors would actually mess with a student’s grades just because they were annoyed?

“…Are you joking?”

You are joking, right?

“Anyway, we might have looked like we were playing around, but we’ve finished our investigation. Thanks to the information Kang So-hyun provided beforehand, we were able to finish quickly. You did a good job handling things before the demonic energy dispersed. Want some candy as a reward?”

I caught the candy she threw at me.

Green grape flavor today.

Professor Cathy rummaged through her bag as if she suddenly remembered something, but she pulled out a pear and bellflower root extract drink instead.

She glanced at me, then, as if thinking better of it, carefully put the drink back in her bag.

“Well, we didn’t find out much. Just that two low-ranking succubi were forcibly recalled because they couldn’t maintain their physical bodies after their magical power supply was cut off.”

She popped a candy into her own mouth and continued.

“But even this tells us that it wasn’t just two succubi acting on their own, and that the person behind them can easily handle the magical power and demonic energy dispersed during the forced recall.”

Professor Cathy’s previously sullen expression and Professor Ah-ram’s playful smile darkened almost simultaneously.

“I hope it’s just a minor prank by the devils, which actually happens often. But if it’s not, it could be troublesome.”

“If we alert the others and raise the alert level, maybe…”

“Haha, we’ll just get chewed out for causing unnecessary anxiety. Those old geezers hate preventative measures more than anything else. Ah, let’s pretend our two hero candidates didn’t hear that. Want some candy?”

The professor, who was about to curse at the association or the higher-ups, quickly changed the subject after realizing we were there.

I knew it already, but it seemed like the association was also a mess.

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I woke up to a cool, pleasant sensation on my head.

“Are you okay…?”

Who was it? Hmm, I think I was okay.

I was a bit tired from my fight with Lilac yesterday, but neither of us was actually serious about it.

“Yeah, I think I’m okay.”

“…Hmm, do you have a fever? I’m not sure. Are you really okay?”

I slowly opened my eyes and saw a handsome face.

Ah, it was Ha-ni.

“You were groaning in your sleep. Are you really okay?”

Come to think of it, my back was a bit damp. I must have been sweating.

Did I have a nightmare? Hmm, it couldn’t have been that serious since I didn’t remember it.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I must have had a nightmare.”

“That’s good.”

A strange sense of loss lingered as Ha-ni’s hand, which had been stroking my head, moved away.

Was it because it was strangely touching that she, who normally hated physical contact with men, was taking care of me so naturally?

Or maybe I was just craving someone’s warmth.

“Can you eat breakfast? Should I make you some porridge?”

“It’s not like I’m sick, I just had a nightmare. I’ll go take a shower first since I probably smell of sweat.”

“Ah, really?”

…Why did she look a little disappointed?

As I looked at her questioningly, Ha-ni hurriedly started making excuses.

“No, you don’t smell of sweat. It’s not a good smell, but it’s not a bad smell either, and I wasn’t going to say that.”

“Y-Yeah, I know. Why are you so flustered?”

“Ah, yeah. Anyway, go shower since you’re probably uncomfortable from sweating. Yeah, that’s right.”

“Okay, I’ll scrub myself thoroughly with body wash, so don’t worry.”

“…You don’t have to scrub that hard.”

What is wrong with you today, Ha-ni?

I knew I had a floral scent, but I couldn’t smell it myself.

Did I smell that good…?

Anyway, when I came out of the shower, Ha-ni had prepared a feast, saying that she made it while preparing her own breakfast.

The moment I sat down at the table, she reached out as if puzzled.

“So-hyun, you need a haircut soon.”

“Huh?”

Thanks to that person with the hair styling talent, my hair miraculously maintained its style just by washing and drying it. But it couldn’t prevent my hair from growing, so it was a bit long now.

My hair was already long, but my bangs were about to poke my eyes, so I needed a trim.

“…Can’t I just tie it up like before?”

“Is getting a haircut that annoying?”

“Well, I don’t really like the waiting time and the overly social atmosphere of hair salons.”

Ha-ni thought for a moment, then grinned.

“Should I cut it for you?”

“…Huh?”

“I can cut your hair. I used to cut my younger siblings’ hair. The style won’t last as long as someone with a hair styling talent, but if you don’t want to go to a salon, how about it?”

…There was no mention of that in the original story.

“Huh, are you doubting me now? I’m offended.”

“Ah, it’s not like I’m doubting you. We have to go to the academy now, so it won’t work anyway.”

“Tsk, I’ll let it slide this time. Then we’ll do it after we come back. Don’t run away.”

That was a bad excuse.

Well, cutting hair was also a form of styling, so it might be a good match for Ha-ni’s talent.

But Ha-ni’s talent was too… brutal.

As if she knew what I was thinking, Ha-ni patted my shoulder cheerfully.

“Don’t worry, I’ll just trim it a little.”

…You’re really just going to trim it a little, right?

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Despite the incident last night, the academy was no different than usual.

Well, most people probably didn’t know since there wasn’t an official announcement.

The main topics of conversation were still the party hosted by the Cheon-hwa Group and whose partner spots were still available.

“…Loser. No, wait. So-hyun.”

“Yeah?”

I was staring blankly at the classroom when Ga-eul approached and called out to me. She looked like she had made up her mind, but she also looked anxious.

“Hey, I have something I want to show you. Can we meet after school?”

I was about to refuse because I had plans with Ha-ni, but the latter shook her head and pointed at Ga-eul.

“…Hmm, I guess it’s okay if it’s just for a bit.”

“Thanks, So-hyun.”

It was annoying that she called me a loser every day, but this sudden change was also a bit creepy.

I had the illusion that the noisy classroom atmosphere quieted down for a moment.

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Classes passed by quickly.

Well, there were some minor incidents, like me receiving strange looks from Professor Cathy, or getting caught peeking at Lilac asking Yoo-na to be his partner during lunch, but nothing major happened.

Or did it?

Ah, that was funny.

-Yoo-na…!

You idiot. Why did you bite your tongue there?

It was so ridiculous that even Yoo-na chuckled.

-…Will you go to the party with me?

-I wonder. Do you know how hurt I was yesterday?

-I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. It sounds like an excuse, but I was only thinking about myself.

-So-hyun asked me to be his partner after you rejected me yesterday.

Wait, why did she bring me into this? It was just an act. I hated complicated relationships.

-But I still want to go with you. Please. Can you give me another chance?

The way he bowed his head without making excuses afterward looked quite sincere, even to me.

-Silly. Of course.

That’s what childhood friend romance was all about.

It felt like a ten-year-old weight had been lifted off my chest.

Later, I teased Lilac mercilessly when he caught Ha-ni and me peeking. He was so embarrassed.

It was a fun day, but I wasn’t sure if it would last.

The place I promised to meet Ga-eul was an empty classroom in the academy, a somewhat ominous location.

She had been acting strangely all day, so I was already feeling apprehensive about what lay beyond this door.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah, come in.”

The first thing I saw when I entered the empty classroom was red.

To be precise, it was a red dress shining in the setting sun, and Kim Ga-eul was wearing it.

It was a beautiful, but overly flamboyant and strangely ominous red dress.

It was the kind of design a villain would wear in a story.

Ga-eul, who still had a slightly fierce look despite acting gentler these days, looked surprisingly good in the dress.

“…How do I look?”

Ah, right. She was probably wearing it to show me, so I had to give her my opinion.

“You look like a villainess.”

But I was so surprised that the words came out wrong.

Damn it, I should have read less web novels.

“No, I mean, you look like you came straight out of a story. It suits you.”

“Then, So-hyun, will you go to the party with me?”

Oh, I knew she was thinking about it, but this was the first time I heard it directly.

And her voice was too dark for someone making such a request.

“You’ll say no, right?”

Before I could answer, she chuckled self-deprecatingly, as if she already knew the answer.

“…Did something happen?”

With the setting sun behind her, I could finally see her expression. Her slightly teary eyes made her look too pitiful to be called a villainess.

“I knew it already… Yoo-hak, and Lira… They don’t really like me.”

…Really? They didn’t seem to dislike her that much these days.

Or rather, they were trying not to mind her.

“Actually, before asking you, I asked Yoo-hak to go to the party with me yesterday.”

…This was truly surprising. She wasn’t pretending to like Cheon Yoo-hak anymore?

“But you know… neither Lira nor Yoo-hak said anything harsh to me.”

“Really? That’s good.”

“…Good?”

The atmosphere around her suddenly darkened.

“…What’s good about it? No, it’s not something to be angry at you about, So-hyun, I’m sorry. But… it’s not good. It’s not good.”

She probably didn’t even know what she was saying.

“They both just looked at me with troubled expressions. Just troubled, not emotional like before. That look, like they were thinking ‘How should I persuade her?’, you know?”

Ah, I think I understood what she was thinking now.

“And then this dress arrived today. I confessed and got rejected yesterday, but they’re saying it’s okay for me to come to the party.”

Her voice started to tremble.

“I’m nothing to them. They just didn’t want to interfere too much since you forgave me. That’s it, isn’t it? What is that…?”

No, that wasn’t it.

That wasn’t what they wanted to say.

It was probably the only response they could give because they knew she wasn’t interested in them anymore.

“Ga-eul.”

“But then I thought of you. No, actually, that’s a lie. I thought of you from the beginning. I thought of you before Yoo-hak. Going to the party together, laughing, eating delicious food, dancing, and all that.”

“Wait a minute, calm down.”

“But isn’t it funny? It makes me seem like such a fickle girl. I liked him for years, for so long. It was a feeling I endured while admiring him from afar even though he didn’t even remember me.”

This was bad. Her emotions were too unstable to be considered rational.

It was a wonder that she even endured the entire day.

“Shouldn’t it take longer for feelings like that to fade? Being scared after hearing some harsh words, being swayed by a few kind words, and feeling excited because someone acts like the person in your memories. Is that really love?”

Ga-eul looked at me with wavering eyes.

Well, it was a common misconception among kids this age.

True love.

“You don’t like it either, right?”

“Like what?”

“You probably didn’t like it when the girl who bullied you at the beginning of the semester suddenly changed her attitude and tried to be friendly with you, and now she’s saying these things and even flirting with you.”

‘Who would like that?’

Ga-eul’s face looked resigned as if it was saying that.

“Sorry, was I being threatening? But aren’t you also responsible, So-hyun?”

What should I say to her almost tearful face?

Should I ask her to go to the party with me? Was that really the right answer? I hadn’t even reached a conclusion myself.

…The words I said to Lilac were coming back to me like a boomerang.

“Why did you have to be so kind to someone like me? It made me have expectations.”

I had to admit it.

I was too insensitive.

There were still plenty of people who disliked Ga-eul, even if the others accepted her.

I neglected her because I hadn’t heard a direct confession from her, only sensing it through her attitude.

I didn’t involve her in anything dangerous, thinking that she lacked combat ability.

Perhaps because of that distance, Ga-eul, who was in a precarious state, was more stressed out than I thought.

But wrong is wrong.

“So, you should also be more…”

“Butt.”

“Direct? Huh?”

“You only listen when someone’s being harsh.”

Hmm, I tried to stop her, but “asshole” was a bit much, wasn’t it? It worked on the pink chihuahua though.

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T/N – Ugh. Teenage drama. I really hope Ga-eul’s issue gets resolved soon. She was only starting to become tolerable before, but after this chapter, she is slowly slipping back to being annoying again. She doesn’t even have any redeeming qualities that justify her stay in the main cast. She’s just… there.

If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.