Chapter: Enrollment
Murmurs spread among the students.
The enormous auditorium of Stella Academy stretched out like a cathedral made of marble and magic, unnecessarily grand, as if daring anyone to question its prestige. On the high podium, an old man with a beard reaching his waist boomed into a floating crystal microphone.
"-Ahem! Even at this moment! The 'Dark Ones' continue to shake the magical world! The fate of us wizards is to—"
"Ugh, the vice principal is so boring."
"Why do we have to sit through a speech right after enrolling?"
Rows upon rows of students in black and gold-trimmed Stella Academy uniforms stood neatly aligned. I glanced around.
This was it.
The scene I'd watched dozens of times in the game.
Stella Academy's entrance ceremony.
"…This feels really strange."
What once was a 3D cutscene now unfolded in crisp reality. The students weren't just NPCs—they were alive. Breathing. Laughing. Whispering.
I subtly turned to look for Edna.
Or rather, I tried to.
The moment I shifted my gaze, I locked eyes with a girl who looked like the definition of 'lovely.' Ebony hair framed her delicate face, and for a second—I froze.
'Wait. Was she staring at me?'
I quickly looked away, flustered. No, I was overthinking it.
Come on, man. Just because a girl makes eye contact doesn't mean—
I'm a grown adult. I don't entertain teenage delusions like, "Maybe she likes me."
"Hey, look at the princess over there…"
"She's beautiful…"
Despite myself, my eyes kept wandering.
Hong Bi-Yeon. Princess of Adolebit. A character fated to die in every route.
And Eisel Morph. The so-called 'fake protagonist.'
Wait.
Weren't they standing right behind me?
As I tried to sneak a glance, I caught snippets of their hushed, oddly intense conversation.
"This is cheating! We were supposed to avoid contact until we met in the original timeline!"
"Hey, what about me? I was stuck in a white void for years!"
"Then go back to that void!"
"There's an elf who hasn't arrived yet, so let's call it even."
"I'm here though."
"Jeliel?! Go back to the Star Tree!"
"There's no such rule!"
I blinked. A white-haired girl. A golden-eyed elf. Beautiful—unrealistically so. Yet they weren't part of the game's cast, were they?
Even so, the New Moon Silver said time is absolute. Maybe we'll trigger memory recovery if we keep applying shock therapy...
'Shock therapy'? Try being trapped in nothingness for six months, you'll start improvising too.
My jaw clenched.
Were they communicating telepathically?
Hong Bi-Yeon and Eisel aren't arguing?
What the hell was happening?
I decided to risk another peek.
"…Uh, hi?" said the ebony-haired girl with a smirk.
"We're nothing,"
"Yep, just background characters," Edna added with an innocent smile.
Their dazzling eyes bore into me. I turned back forward, flustered.
'...Something's off.'
And yet, I couldn't quite figure out what.
---
The Next Day
Class Placement results were posted on the central bulletin board like a magical billboard, glowing with floating text.
'Ugh. Couldn't they just send letters like normal?'
As students crowded around, I pushed through to find my name.
'Baek Yu-Seol... Baek...'
My eyes landed on it—and then widened.
[S-0 Class: Baek Yu-Seol]
'…Huh?'
'S-class?! Is this a bug?'
"Baek Yu-Seol, have you checked the S-Class list yet?" a soft voice asked.
I turned—and froze.
Red and white heterochromatic eyes met mine. Her presence was calm but commanding.
[ Witch Queen Scɑrlet (?) ]
[ Memory Recovery: 5% ]
"…Who are you?" I asked, unsettled. 'And what's this memory thing?'
She smiled. "Nice to meet you, I'm Scarle—"
"Ah! We're in the same class! Isn't that exciting?" an elf girl chirped, skipping over with golden eyes and brown hair swaying.
"Exciting? Wait, what—?"
Scarlet narrowed her eyes. "Jeliel…"
"I'm just making friends!"
With that, Jeliel grabbed Scarlet and pulled her away before she could speak further.
'S-Class... with them?'
S-Class wasn't just the top—it was reserved for the "weirdos." The prodigies. The cursed. The ones the academy didn't quite know what to do with.
Lucky me.
---
The Following Day — S-Class Classroom
The room was sleek and quiet, lit by floating orbs of ambient magic. I slid into the back seat, trying not to draw attention.
Before I could unpack, someone sat beside me.
"Mind if I join you?" said Edna, her voice soft.
I blinked.
"Uhh…"
"Seems like you're alone," another voice chimed in.
I turned. Hong Bi-Yeon smiled faintly as she sat on my other side, her hand resting just close enough to mine.
Then Eisel casually hopped onto Edna's desk, swinging her legs. "Don't mind us," she said, grinning. "You looked lonely."
Scarlet dragged a chair across the floor and placed it right in front of me. She leaned in.
"Scarlet," she said again, calm and confident. "Let's be friends. And maybe... more."
"Too fast!" Jeliel chimed in, appearing beside her. "We talked about taking it slow, remember?"
Bi-Yeon ignored them. "Baek Yu-Seol. Want to go out next weekend?"
That silenced the group.
"Wha— Bi-Yeon" Edna stammered
"that's so unfair," Eisel grumbled.
"I thought we had a system!" Jeliel pouted.
Hong Bi-Yeon shrugged with a satisfied smile. "Nothing's stopping you from asking him out too."
Thud.
Edna slammed her hand down next to me. "Fine. One date. Each. That's fair."
Beak Yu-Seol blinked. "W-wait—"
"Agreed," Scarlet nodded, smiling.
Jeliel beamed. "No escaping now"
Beak Yu-Seol sat frozen as they circled around him, every part of his brain lighting up in panic.
[ Memory Recovery: 16% ]
(…It's going to skyrocket soon.)
He took a deep breath.
'Okay. Five girls. Main cast. Probably cursed. Definitely dangerous.'
'But they're hot… so… no wait what the hell am I thinking!'
"What could possibly go wrong?"
---
Later That Week — 3:12 AM
All was quiet in the boys' dorm.
Until five shadows crept through the hallway, moving in near-perfect formation.
"Eisel, why are you in a nightgown?"
"I was going to ask you the same, Edna."
"Shut up. Let's go before the supervisor catches us."
"Kids these days," Scarlet sighed. "So much energy."
They arrived outside Yu-Seol's room.
Knock knock.
"...Who is it…?" a sleepy voice mumbled.
When no one replied, the door creaked open.
"HELLO~" they chorused.
Yu-Seol stared in horror. "What the hell are you doing here?!"
They walked in like they owned the place.
Scarlet pushed him against the wall, her lips brushing his. "Now then… shall we get started?"
---
[Memory Recovery: 100%]
The kisses came one after another—Scarlet, Eisel, Bi-Yeon. A dizzying blur of lips, heat, and breathless gasps.
Finally, as he slumped to the floor, Jeliel leaned in with a wink. "Surprise therapy session~"
Ah" as she slowly moved her lips away I could still feel her breath hitting my face and I turned my head out of embarassment
"So do you remember us?" Hong Bi-Yeon asked getting closer
Yu-Seol turned his face away, ears tinged pink. "Y-yes."
Edna raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Then why are you stuttering like a guy who just got caught kissing someone he shouldn't have."
Eisel nudged edna with her elbow. "Cute. He's shy now."
Beak Yu-Seol groaned under his breath. "You guys really haven't changed a bit."
Jeliel tilted her head. "And you have?"
Beak Yu-Seol shot a sideways glance at her, then shrugged. "Well… maybe I got a little cooler?"
Scarlet let out a soft chuckle, her lips curling into a smirk. "Cooler? You turned into a flustered mess over a few kisses."
"Five," Eisel corrected, grinning.
Hong Bi-Yeon leaned in, eyes locked with his. "And who's to say we're done?"
Beak Yu-Seol's throat went dry. "...Oh no."
The girls chatted until 5 AM, giggling and teasing, before finally leaving.
Beak Yu-Seol collapsed onto his bed, exhausted beyond measure.
---
The Next Morning
He stumbled into the classroom, eyes bloodshot.
One of his classmate raised an asked. "Hey, did you lose a duel or something?"
Beak Yu-Seol slumped over his desk. "Worse. I lost my sanity."
He touched his lips and winced.
'Am I… a criminal?'
This world is nuts.
These girls are insane.
And I…
"…might be into it."
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