Walking ahead, Greg didn't notice the girl's sudden downcast expression or her complex internal monologue. He continued speaking in a matter-of-fact tone.
"As you know, my reputation in the academy is... well, quite bad. Infamous, one might say. If we're seen together, regardless of what we're actually doing, it could spark unnecessary rumors and gossip. That wouldn't be good for your reputation. So, it's better to keep a low profile and stay out of sight."
"!!!"
Silvia's footsteps came to a complete halt, though only for a fleeting second.
She looked up, staring blankly at Greg's back in the dim light.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled spots of light across his shoulders.
A surge of heat—a mixture of surprise, touched emotions, and an indescribable fluttering—rushed to her cheeks. Her fair skin instantly flushed a deep crimson, creating a sharp contrast with the soft pink hair flowing down her back.
Through their recent encounters, Silvia's opinion of Greg had already begun to shift. She had started to think he might not be as bad as the rumors suggested, and might even be a decent upperclassman.
But she never expected Greg to be far more... considerate, kind, and even... gentle than she had imagined.
He was doing something inherently right, even risky—investigating a dungeon anomaly and rescuing potentially trapped classmates—yet he didn't boast about it at all. Instead, he proactively considered their reputations, preferring to take the more difficult path just to avoid any potential scandal for them.
"How can there be... such a good person..."
Silvia whispered to herself. She felt as if something had gently bumped against her heart, causing its rhythm to skip a beat for some inexplicable reason.
A foreign emotion quietly took root and began to spread within her chest.
While Silvia was still immersed in these thoughts that left her mind somewhat blank, Greg, who was walking ahead, suddenly braked. He spun around and grabbed her wrist, pulling her gently but firmly into the deep shadows of a nearby cluster of ornamental bushes.
"S-Senior Greg!?"
Caught off guard, Silvia let out a soft gasp as she was pulled into the dark corner shielded by branches and leaves.
The distance between them vanished instantly. She could almost feel the warmth of Greg's body, which carried a scent of grass and dust. Looking up, she found herself staring into his amber eyes, which looked exceptionally deep in the darkness.
Such close proximity made her catch her breath. Her cheeks burned even hotter, and for a moment, she couldn't even form a coherent sentence.
"Quiet, there are people on the path ahead," Greg explained in a low voice. "We'll wait for them to pass or find a way around. We shouldn't be seen if we can help it."
Silvia followed his gaze and looked out cautiously.
Sure enough, at the fork in the main road leading to the dungeon entrance, several girls were lingering. They seemed to be talking about something, their eyes scanning the surroundings from time to time as if they were searching for someone or something.
Seeing this, Greg's heart skipped a beat. He felt lucky he had been alert enough.
Silvia now fully understood Greg's low-profile strategy.
She didn't object.
Using the cover of the night and the various academy landmarks, the two moved like shadows blending into the darkness. They carefully avoided the girls who seemed to be searching for someone, taking a circuitous route toward the dungeon entrance.
At first, Silvia felt an instinctive discomfort and a slight resistance to this secretive behavior.
She had been a law-abiding girl her whole life, and as a devout Candidate Saintess of the Holy Church of Light, she had never wandered out at night or hidden like this. She had barely even broken the minor school rules.
But soon, an unprecedented and strange sensation quietly took hold of her.
As she and Greg pressed against the cool wall, holding their breath and listening to the footsteps and chatter of several girls passing nearby before eventually fading into the distance...
Her heart drummed against her ribs, carrying a slight tremor of nervousness, but more than that, it was a thrilling sense of excitement.
It felt like an adventure.
Under the night sky of the academy where everyone else followed the rules, she was quietly doing something slightly improper in a corner where no one could see.
The thought that those people might discover her doing such a 'bad thing' no longer made her feel resistant. Instead, it added a unique layer of excitement that made her cheeks flush slightly.
She felt as if... she was experiencing a tiny bit of the fun that came with being a 'bad girl.'
Quietly doing something wrong right where others could see...
This feeling made her feel strangely excited.
Walking ahead of her, Greg—who was terrified of being caught by those girls and causing even more trouble—had no idea that the seemingly pure and innocent pink-haired Candidate Saintess behind him had just had a door to a new world pushed open a crack within her devout and obedient heart.
...
Inside the girls' dormitory area, a sudden incident had thrown the building into chaos. Discussions, footsteps, and occasional high-pitched gasps echoed through the corridors.
However, amidst this clamor, one dormitory room remained in absolute silence.
Moonlight filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a cold and soft glow into the room.
Unlike most girls' dorms, which were filled with personal decorations, books, or trinkets, this room presented an impersonal tidiness.
The furniture was the standard-issue set, arranged with meticulous precision. Aside from the necessary stationery and a desk lamp, the desktop was empty.
The bedding was so flat it didn't have a single wrinkle, as if it had never been used.
The entire space was clean and bright, yet it felt exceptionally empty and restrained, lacking the warm, lived-in atmosphere of a young girl's room.
A blonde girl sat quietly at the desk.
Her long hair was like flowing molten gold, shimmering with a faint luster under the blend of moonlight and lamplight, tied meticulously behind her head.
Her features were as exquisite as a portrait carefully carved by a master. Her skin was fair, and every line of her face was perfectly placed, combining into an impeccable beauty.
Her eyelids were slightly lowered, her azure eyes focused on the documents spread before her. The quill in her hand moved smoothly across the paper. Her expression was focused and calm, as if the outside disturbances were completely isolated in another world.
Knock, knock.
A light tapping sounded at the door.
"Come in," the girl said, her voice calm and steady. She didn't look up.
The door was pushed open soundlessly. A woman in a neat maid outfit with short, sharp black hair entered respectfully. She stopped a few paces from the desk and bowed slightly.
"What's happening outside?" the blonde girl asked, her pen never stopping as if it were just a casual inquiry.
"Reporting to My Lady."
The maid's voice was steady and clear. "It seems a male intruder sneaked into the girls' dormitory area. However, he escaped. Currently, the dormitory warden and patrolling teachers are organizing a search."
"A male... intruded here?"
A flicker of genuine confusion crossed the girl's azure eyes. She seemed completely unable to understand the logic behind such an action.
To her, sneaking into the heavily guarded girls' dormitory of the academy required taking an immense risk, yet she couldn't see any matching benefit to be gained from it...
Could he have intended to commit theft?
She soon shook her head slightly, clearly not intending to waste mental energy on such an incomprehensible and trivial matter.
Her gaze returned to the documents, her tone reverting to a business-like flat tone. "How is the progress over there?"
The maid bowed her head a bit lower. Her voice remained steady, yet it carried a trace of barely perceptible gravity. "They have... completely lost contact in the deep area of the first layer."
Click.
A soft sound echoed.
The quill that had been moving smoothly in the girl's hand stopped without warning on the paper, leaving a tiny ink blot.
Rate on N.U.
