Fated to Die in an Academy Novel – Chapter 113

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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“I can’t do this…”

Romantic comedy my ass.

I somehow managed to escape using the excuse of going to the bathroom, but I was incredibly dizzy.

People I didn’t even know kept greeting me, and at first, I was honestly a bit pleased that the professor and the others were intercepting them for me. But after thirty minutes of this endless loop, I felt nauseous.

“…At least I found this.”

Contrary to my expectations of there being only wine and cocktails, there was canned beer in a refrigerator in the corner of the hall.

I opened the can, and the familiar fizz and foam greeted me.

Heroes were legally considered adults, so I wouldn’t get in trouble for drinking, but I hadn’t up until now because it felt awkward.

The beer, after a long time, tasted as awful as ever.

I always dismissed the talk about its smooth taste and how it made life less bitter as nonsense, but I used to drink it with the others when they brought it to me.

“Kuhh, I never thought I’d drink this when I was a kid.”

I remembered my first time drinking soju, thinking ‘Why would anyone pay to drink something this bitter…? At least beer is a bit less bitter,’ and drinking beer instead.

My friends gave me a lot of shit for it.

They said I was killing the mood when they were drinking to celebrate finally becoming adults.

They were acting like they knew what they were doing, even though it was their first time drinking too. One of them even threw up, and another twisted his ankle while trying to act cute.

The more I tried to recall those precious memories with my friends, the further they drifted away.

…My memories were hazy.

I remembered the events and the people involved, but I couldn’t quite picture their faces.

It was strange, considering it had only been three months since I transmigrated.

“Well, it’s always been like this.”

There were fun guys and unpleasant guys, but they were all my friends. It was strangely difficult to remember them thought.

I only clearly remembered the author of this novel, but even his face was blurry.

Would I remember them if I drank beer like I did with those idiots?

I tried drinking, but the only thing that came to my mind was how awful beer tasted.

“Hey, delinquent! I saw you drinking!”

“Oh, you caught me. How did you know I was here?”

Ga-eul approached me with a grin.

“Hmm, delinquents like places like this. It’s a good place to act cool~”

“You called me a loser before, and now it’s delinquent? At least be consistent if you don’t want to call me by my name.”

“Heehee, I’m just kidding. I got lost here by myself once. Anyway, that’s not important. I’m going to tell everyone you were drinking!”

“Students are legally considered adults, so I won’t get arrested for drinking.”

“You’ll have to do me a favor if you don’t want to get caught!”

“Oh, our ‘butt’ has gotten quite shameless.”

“Don’t call me butt!”

“Don’t you like it? It’s cute. Butt.”

Hmm, it sounded like a word you’d use while patting someone’s head. Chubby little butt.

…Huh? Was I drunk?

“Geez, what’s so cute about butt? I have other nicknames!”

“It’s cute. Our little butt is so cute. So cute, I want to bite it!”

“…Are you drunk?”

Hmm, even you think I’m drunk? Heroes don’t get drunk easily. I guess I was drinking to remember and not to get drunk, so it didn’t work.

I finished the rest of the can.

Ah, it tasted awful. So damn awful.

Was I being nostalgic?

“I miss them…”

“Hey, if you get drunk now, what are you going to do when it’s time to dance?”

“Maybe this is better since I can’t dance anyway!”

“…If you can’t dance, do you want to practice with me now?”

“…Huh?”

“…You’re not going to dance with me for the first dance. I’ll concede in front of others, so can’t you give me this much?”

…My drunkenness vanished instantly.

“I wasn’t planning to dance today.”

They probably already knew since I attracted so much attention with my partners.

That was why my sister asked me that question, and why Ha-ni was warding off the other girls.

It was hypocritical of me, considering what I did to Lilac, but I had my reasons.

First, the idiotic reason that I wasn’t sure if my feelings were truly mine.

I did feel affection, but after seeing the memories beyond the noise for the first time…

Affection and guilt started consuming me rapidly.

I could accept the affection. It was a natural emotion.

But what was this guilt? Was it really right to choose someone without knowing the reason for this guilt?

…I never thought I’d have such typical romantic comedy protagonist worries.

And another reason was that I was worried about the others if I chose someone.

The professor, Ga-eul, and Ha-ni all had feelings for me.

I wasn’t stupid enough to ignore them, but the problem was that all three of them relied on me to some extent.

Professor Cathy, officially recognized by the system, considered me her most precious person.

Perhaps she cherished me even more than herself or her deceased brother, so would she accept it if I said I liked someone else?

And what about Ga-eul? She had just stabilized, but she was still in a precarious state. What if I started dating someone else? She might suddenly become isolated, or in the worst case, even drop out of the academy.

Ha-ni would be better than those two, but she was also a problem.

If she really saw me as a potential husband, there was still the matter related to her family, and considering her behavior in the original story, she wouldn’t give up on me easily.

No, damn it. This all seemed to be my fault.

Anyway, I didn’t want to complicate things further with the first dance.

“You’re being cowardly.”

“…Huh? Did I say that out loud?”

“I can tell even without you saying it. You’re agonizing between me and the professor. Such a loser.”

…There was one more besides those two.

“…You called me a delinquent earlier.”

“I’m putting everything on the line, so listen carefully.”

“What?”

“Dance the first dance with the professor.”

“…I told you I’m not dancing.”

“You know I’m not just talking about dancing.”

No, Ga-eul, hey…

“…Do you think that makes sense?”

“I’m okay with it.”

“You must have been really shocked. You should rest.”

“I’m fine. And I’m serious.”

“Okay, let’s say you are. So what changes if you’re serious?”

“A lot of things will change. Probably more than you think.”

Dance the first dance with the professor.

That meant the next one was hers.

“The professor is probably thinking the same thing. That she can’t handle it alone.”

“Wow, Ga-eul, you’re being quite assertive today.”

“Don’t brush it off as a joke. I know you, loser. You’re not the type to reject people easily. You know that’s a terrible trait in romantic relationships, right? You should either cut them off completely, or…”

Well, that was a bit unfair. I wasn’t like that with everyone.

“Why do you look so offended? Can you guarantee that it won’t happen again, loser?”

I didn’t think so, but considering the memories beyond the noise, I couldn’t guarantee it.

“See? You can’t answer. I’m going to give up on monopolizing you. I’m going to swallow my pride. You’re too much for me to have alone. And if I don’t want to have regrets, I have to have you, even if it means sharing.”

…Was Ga-eul always like this?

Why was she so aggressive today?

“I have nothing.”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t have a dramatic encounter with you, and we don’t have a special connection. So I’m just competing in a different way.”

“So, your different way of competing is declaring yourself the second girl?”

“That’s right. It’s a blue ocean since no one is aiming for that spot yet. Being the second girl in a harem isn’t bad.”

I had only seen her acting dejected lately, but that’s right.

Kim Ga-eul.

C-rank talent, Agitation.

A strategist and a schemer who briefly isolated Lilac in the academy with her eloquence and abilities.

It was a strategy befitting her, someone whose talent made even nonsense sound convincing.

“And it’s common sense for the second girl to be the first dance practice partner, right?”

Damn it, I was almost persuaded. This was crazy.

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Of course, I didn’t dance.

I just flicked Ga-eul on the forehead.

Harem? What harem?

I sometimes acted like a crazy sweet guy because of the memories, but I wasn’t going to declare “I’m going for a harem!”

Who would do that?

“Why won’t anyone accept my dance request…!”

Ah, there was one right in front of me. Woo Jae-hee, you idiot.

Would you want to dance with someone who was hitting on every pretty girl they saw indiscriminately?

That guy’s only charm points were his sturdy build and straightforward-looking face, but why was he trying to pick up girls with moves that would be creepy even if Cheon Yoo-hak did them?

Ah, shit, we made eye contact.

“Don’t look at me like that, you…!!!”

He muttered some nonsense and asked another girl for a dance in a low voice.

And surprisingly, the girl nodded shyly.

Wow, truly, in this crazy world… Or rather, if you persisted, you would achieve something eventually.

That’s amazing.

[The ball’s dance time will begin shortly. Please feel free to dance when the music starts.]

…Was this how a ball was supposed to work?

I would only know if I had been to one before.

The schedule said that there would be a break after the first dance, then another social time before the second dance.

And they were even having dinner afterward.

And outside, things were even more chaotic. How much money did they pour into this?

Click, click.

I heard footsteps.

They were hesitant footsteps, so I noticed them late, but the clicking sound gradually grew closer.

“So-hyun.”

Ah, I shouldn’t look. I really shouldn’t.

But my body turned instinctively.

As if resisting that voice wasn’t even an option, my gaze naturally turned to find the owner of the voice.

Cathy.

She was already beautiful, but now, dressed up, she exuded an alluring aura that captivated everyone around her.

…She looked strangely familiar.

At first, I thought it was just her voice, but her atmosphere and behavior were also similar.

Of course, the professor was much more beautiful.

“It’s almost time to dance. So, So-hyun…”

Whenever she asked me for a promise in the past, I would look for traces of someone else in my mind.

She blushed and shyly extended her hand.

“Would you dance the first dance with me?”

The professor’s first dance partner. It was a tempting offer. Everyone would be jealous.

But I hesitated to take her hand.

I knew this might happen.

-OO, what do you want to do first when you become an adult?

Ah, right. No. She was just someone who looked similar.

It was natural for her to resemble her, since Cathy’s character was modeled after her.

“So-hyun.”

She always called my name gently.

Even though she must be anxious, she didn’t pressure me.

“Look at me.”

That attitude was so kind, so nostalgic, that I always felt weak in front of her.

I acted like I wasn’t going to dance, but as I stood in front of her, my resolve easily crumbled.

“I’m really bad at dancing.”

“I’m not that good either, so we’re in trouble, right?”

As I reached out to take her hand while I was mesmerized by her smile, the music started.

Intoxicating music, perfect for dancing.

“Huh? What? This isn’t the song we prepared.”

But the moment someone said that—

“Welcome, everyone~ to the world of dreams.”

Our hands that were about to touch, didn’t connect, and the world turned upside down.

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T/N – Of course, the succubi interrupts. Typical villain behavior. What are they trying to achieve though?

Also, damn. Ga-eul really out here pushing the MC to make a harem. She realizes she has no shot so the only way she can squeeze in is through a harem. I can respect that.

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