The fifth night passed uneventfully, thanks to the collective harassment from me and the gallery regulars.
Initially, I had been furious, but as the situation unfolded, with Lana answering questions in a shy voice just to open the door, I found myself growing slightly excited.
Before I knew it, I was completely absorbed.
For the record, today was Sunday.
It was a holiday, a day off from the academy.
“Mmm~, what a refreshing morning.”
Although I was still drowsy from only a few hours of sleep,
the memory of having delivered a satisfying blow yesterday left me feeling invigorated.
Habitually, I logged into the gallery.
“Still on that topic, I see…”
The gallery was more bustling than ever with discussions about the anomaly.
More precisely, they were engrossed in the clandestine tales of the female student anomaly.
[The pink color was a real kick for me.]
[That Ares bastard won’t die peacefully, lol.]
[But couldn’t Lana *not* be the anomaly??]
[Isn’t today the 6th day??]
[1. Lift Lana up 2.]
[Honestly, the breast size should be lowered by one cup for accuracy.]
[Please ask this today too T_T T_T T_T]
Just then, I stumbled upon a post by a familiar fixed ID user (TL Note: A user with a permanent, unchanging ID on an online forum, indicating a regular or established member).
It was a post from Night Rat, a fixed ID user (TL Note: A user with a permanent, unchanging ID on an online forum, indicating a regular or established member) who usually offered me serious advice.
Author: Night Rat
Title: Isn’t today the 6th day??
Looking at this, it seems other missing students also ended up opening the door before the weekend.
So tonight might be the critical moment.
Be careful.
Comments
[Ares: Can’t I just not open the door??]
[ㄴNight Rat: That’s generally true for the situation, but you still need to be careful since you never know how the anomalies will act.]
[ㄴAres: Okay, okay, I’ll be as careful as possible for now.]
“What could she possibly do from the other side of the door?”
I chuckled as I replied to Night Rat’s comment.
Even after enduring fifty consecutive rounds of sexual harassment, she had been powerless to do anything from beyond the door.
I didn’t know what words had enticed the other missing students to open their doors,
but I wouldn’t make the same mistake.
As long as I didn’t open the door, everything would be fine.
‘I could probably do this forever.’
Once I got used to it, I might even be able to fall asleep to Lana’s knocking, as if it were a sleep ASMR (TL Note: Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, a tingling sensation often triggered by specific auditory or visual stimuli).
“Shall I go out then?”
I briefly scanned the gallery before getting up.
While I was at it, I also posted a daily update.
Author: Ares
Title: Going to build stamina for Lana’s *uryat-uryat* (TL Note: An onomatopoeic term often used to describe energetic, sometimes suggestive, activity.)
Morning runs are good for your health.
I dedicate this health to the lovely Lana.
Comments
[Student Council Terrorist: You might actually end up being sacrificed if you keep that up, lol.]
[Oh, he said he likes it long, lololol.]
[ㄴBut 30 minutes was honestly a delusional answer from someone who’s never done it, lololol.]
[ㄴForGlory: Tsk, tsk, that’s a good thing, you know.]
[ㄴCan’t old men last 30 minutes?]
[Night Rat: Building stamina is good, though.]
[ㄴAres: Honestly, at first it was for escaping, but now it’s genuinely for Lana, yeah.]
[ㄴNight Rat: You sound serious, which makes you seem even crazier.]
[ㄴHikikomori: This guy is going out in style, I see.]
“Huff, huff.”
Feeling the crisp morning air, I ran around the dormitory grounds.
I occasionally saw people who appeared to be academy students walking around in casual clothes.
‘Those are anomalies too…’
It was a thought that often crossed my mind whenever I saw people these days.
It was like a sense of mystery born from incongruity.
It was akin to the sensation of putting on VR for the first time, where the overwhelming realism occasionally made you realize, ‘Ah, this is just a game.’
“Haa, huff, this is damn hard…”
I reached my destination, the shopping district, and bought water with my Cocoon (TL Note: A form of currency or payment system) to drink.
“A young man like you, working hard even on your day off, haha!”
“Thank you, sir.”
After gulping down the refreshing cold water, I began running back to the dormitory.
It was a strange world.
A fantasy setting, yet shops had refrigerators and sold bottled cold water.
Perhaps it was a consideration for those who hadn’t discovered the gallery?
A thoughtful gesture to let them know this world wasn’t truly a fantasy otherworld.
‘It’s a strange kind of consideration, but… I’m not complaining.’
Besides that, they sold various snacks and foods from the modern era, so life wasn’t bad.
Frankly, if it weren’t for those anomalous bastards, it would be an incredibly happy environment to live in.
Even the toilets were clean.
“Huff, huff…! Good…! Goal…!”
My morning running course.
It was a routine I’d started only a few days ago.
Though it wasn’t much of a routine yet.
In any case, having returned from the shopping district to the dormitory building, I sat on a nearby bench to catch my breath.
“Hoo…”
Just then.
*Thump, thump, thump.*
“Ah…”
“Hm?”
A familiar voice reached my ears.
A voice so accustomed to my ears lately that it sometimes felt like tinnitus.
It was Lana’s voice.
“……”
“……”
She and I locked eyes.
Caught in her gaze, I froze.
After all, last night, I had relentlessly barraged her voice from beyond the door with sexually harassing questions.
Frankly, it felt awkward to speak to her.
‘No… that was the anomaly, wasn’t it? The real Lana doesn’t seem to know what happened last night.’
As I organized my thoughts, my mind settled.
Then, I smiled and looked at her again.
Wow, casual clothes. Pretty.
It was a simple yet cute outfit that suited her purple ponytail.
“……Ugh.”
Just then.
Lana’s cheeks flushed, and she made a gesture to cover her chest with her hand.
“Huh, huh? What’s wrong?”
“……”
No, no, this time it wasn’t sexual harassment; I was genuinely admiring her outfit!
More importantly, the one I harassed was the anomaly, not you, right?
Why….
—*Dash!*
“……Ah.”
Her face crimson, Lana swiftly ran past me and fled.
Her reaction was as if I had seen her naked.
“…Could it be?”
****
Author: Ares
Title: Lana, this bastard is weird??
Ran into her during my morning run.
But this b*tch, when I casually looked at her outfit, she flushed, made a disgusted face, and ran away.
This b*tch???
You said you didn’t know??
You said you never came to my room???
Comments
[Aaaah! Eye rape!!]
[RedNightSky: Ares… what kind of look did you give her…]
[ㄴAres: No, I swear I looked at her normally???]
[LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[ㄴShe was the one who received those questions??? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[ㄴAres: So that’s what it is, huh??]
[Night Rat: You’re right, she’s the anomaly.]
People’s thoughts mirrored my own.
Otherwise, Lana wouldn’t have suddenly felt shame and fled after encountering me.
‘By the way, anomalies can feel shame too…’
Indeed, the fury I sensed from beyond the door last night was genuine.
No, more than that.
……Pink.
So, it was pink.
****
Author: Ares
Title: Honestly, I think I like Lana even more now.
Was it because the person I had such candid conversations with was truly her?
The more I learned about her,
and thinking that all of it was the truth about her, my feelings for her deepened.
Comments
[Student Council Terrorist: Did you write this after you came (TL Note: Korean slang referring to having masturbated)? What’s with your sentences?]
[For real, this bastard came, he came, lololololol.]
[Damn it, if only I were alive…]
Time swiftly flowed, and evening descended.
Weekends were always like this.
They passed by at almost the speed of light.
‘Ah… I don’t want to go to school tomorrow…’
Even after being transmigrated into a fantasy academy, my aversion to going to school remained unchanged.
Or perhaps it was because this wasn’t an ordinary fantasy academy.
“Ah… the sun has already set.”
Before I knew it, the sun had set, and darkness filled my room.
Habitually, I lit the lamp and lay back down on my bed.
“……”
And a moment later.
—*Knock, knock, knock.*
Just as I expected, she had come.
****
Author: Ares
Title: She’s here.
Lana, honestly, I want to open this door and welcome you.
But
I shouldn’t, right??
Comments
[Night Rat: Of course not, you crazy bastard;;;;]
[Student Council Terrorist: Whoa, whoa, is this bastard opening it???]
[ㄴAres: As if! I wouldn’t open it even if the sky fell.]
Around the time I posted the facetious message, Lana’s voice drifted through.
[Ares, hello.]
“Hello, Lana. Is this our first conversation today? Why did you run away earlier this afternoon?”
[……]
I started conversing with Lana as if it were routine.
Honestly, I wasn’t going to open the door, I wasn’t sleepy yet, and I was bored.
Moreover, the situation of her asking me to open the door no longer felt frightening.
Rather, it was somewhat exciting.
[…Earlier, your gaze was lewd.]
“No, I swear, I was looking at you completely normally!”
[Liar. Yesterday, you threw all those questions at me and didn’t even open the door.]
“Yesterday, I was angry. …I’m sorry for staring. It’s just that your clothes were pretty.”
[……]
“Did that bother you too? My apologies, my apologies.”
I let out a soft laugh and leaned against the wall beside the door.
My plan was to chat for a while and then go to sleep once I got drowsy.
Just then.
—*Shhh, static.*
“Huh…?”
The gallery window, which I had kept open in the corner of my vision, suddenly flickered with static.
This had never happened before.
[Hey, Ares.]
“Uh, uh…?”
At that moment, Lana, who had been quiet, spoke to me again.
[Honestly… those strange questions you asked yesterday didn’t really anger me.]
“Oh, really?”
[I was a little embarrassed… but it’s fine.]
“Even though they were lewd questions?”
[Girls don’t necessarily hate lewd talk, you know?]
“……”
What was that?
That was certainly an answer that made a teenage boy’s heart race.
[And… you saying my outfit today was pretty. I’m honestly happy about that.]
“……”
[I’m sorry for misunderstanding too.]
“No, no, it’s fine.”
****
Author: Ares
Title: Why is she acting like this…?
Why is she so kind today?
She might even be a little cute…
Comments
[Night Rat: I’m telling you again, seriously, don’t open it.]
[ㄴAres: I won’t open it, lol. I’ll definitely not open it.]
[ㄴNight Rat: Good then. Understand? You must absolutely not open the door.]
[ㄴAres: Okay, okay, no worries.]
Perhaps Lana had realized I wouldn’t open the door and had given up?
Even though she was an anomaly, was she trying to be friendly now that things had come to this?
Thinking that, I suddenly felt guilty for having asked those questions yesterday.
Just then.
[Honestly, I don’t dislike you, Ares.]
“Huh…?”
Lana’s shy voice came from beyond the door again.
She doesn’t dislike me…?
[It’s just, well, that. Do you understand what I’m saying?]
“Uh, uh… you don’t hate me…?”
[You idiot, a girl not disliking you even after talking about lewd things means something else, doesn’t it?]
“……”
*Thump-thump.*
Huh? Am I getting excited by an anomaly?
No, actually, it was inevitable.
Lana was as beautiful as Levin, and I had gained all that lewd information about her yesterday.
And now we were having this kind of conversation.
There was no way I could dislike her.
[But you know… I’m only saying this because you, Ares, are special.]
“Huh…?”
Just then, the atmosphere subtly shifted, and Lana changed the flow of the conversation.
[You know why I’m asking you to open the door, don’t you, Ares?]
“……”
She abruptly questioned me about her own objective.
The hidden reason why she had been pleading with me to open the door all this time.
She had directly asked me if I knew that hidden reason.
[I’m sorry for constantly asking you to open it. I won’t do that anymore.]
“You won’t anymore…?”
[Yes, because I don’t want you to disappear.]
“……”
[Don’t open the door, and let’s just talk today, okay?]
“……”
[Today, I can ask the questions, right?]
“……”
Author: Ares
Title: She’s getting cuter and cuter…? What’s going on…?
She said I don’t need to open the door anymore?
She said, ‘You know you’ll be screwed if you open the door anyway,’ and then suddenly asked if we could just talk instead of opening the door.
Did she give up??
I habitually wrote a post.
I was confused, and I wanted everyone to confirm that the situation was over.
Only then would my heart feel a little more at ease.
And, as expected, comments started pouring in.
[LOLOLOLOLOLOL normalized by sexual harassment.]
[Indeed, after all that crap yesterday and not opening the door, it makes sense she’d give up, lololol.]
[Hikikomori: This is a new kind of strategy.]
[RedNightSky: You did it! I knew you could!]
Seeing the comments, my tense heart finally calmed down.
“Alright, then as an apology for yesterday, I’ll answer your questions all night long.”
[Really? Be prepared, I’ve been sharpening my knife (TL Note: A Korean idiom meaning to prepare meticulously or to be ready for something) for today.]
“…You said you weren’t angry?”
[It’s curiosity, curiosity. I have a lot of questions about boys too.]
With a pleasant feeling, I tried to continue my conversation with Lana.
Just then, another comment appeared.
[Night Rat: Still, don’t open the door. Never.]
It was Night Rat’s comment, always giving serious advice.
‘I said I wouldn’t open it.’
I smiled at the comment and was about to reply as usual.
But then…
[ㄴNight Rat: What the hell, I didn’t post this???]
“……”
Strange comments began to appear.
Night Rat had replied to Night Rat’s comment.
[ㄴNight Rat: Hey, this bastard is an anomaly.]
[ㄴNight Rat: It says not to open it, so that means I *should* open it.]
[ㄴNight Rat: It’s the last day, damn it, opening it is the right thing to do.]
“……”
[Ares? Are you listening?]
I couldn’t answer Lana and just stared blankly at the comments.
[ㄴNight Rat: What the;;;]
[ㄴNight Rat: Anomalies entering the gallery is something they only do at the very end.]
[ㄴNight Rat: Ares, the first comment was me. This is a trick to make you open the door, don’t fall for it.]
[ㄴNight Rat: Absolutely do not open the door.]
[ㄴNight Rat: Bullshit, open the door. This is the flow where if you’re tricked until the end and don’t open it, you die.]
[ㄴNight Rat: Ah, damn it, this makes things difficult.]
Comments with the same name, making it impossible to tell who was who.
Those comments were shouting at me, telling me to open the door, or not to open it.
