Several days passed, and I returned to the academy once again.
Fortunately, the weather had been clear lately, so Emily hadn't been calling for me as much.
However, the subtle bullying that Mary didn’t notice continued.

"Hey, Ken, I forgot my book. Do you mind if I sit next to you?"

Using the book as an excuse, she sat beside me and continued her torment.

"S-stop it... We're in the middle of class!"
"Are you talking back? Can't you just behave?"

She kneaded my belly fat like it was dough. Stop! That’s a sensitive spot!

"...You disgusting blob. Don't you feel embarrassed walking around like that? It’s huge, like a boar’s. Tell me the truth, do you flaunt it so the girls will gossip about it?"
"Grrr..."

I endured the shameful teasing from a girl.
But Emily’s bullying didn’t stop there.

"Ken, come here and massage my shoulders."
"Uh...? B-but..."
"What do you mean 'but'? Get over here, now!"

During breaks, she wouldn't let me rest, forcing me to massage her shoulders instead.

"Hah, ahh... Yeah, right there... a little slower... Aahh!"
"L-like this?"
"Hah... You're useless at everything else, but at least you’re good for this. Ahh... You’re so big and dumb."
"Grrr..."

Ken's large hands were something he was self-conscious about, and her comments only made it worse.
Even though I had the mental fortification skill, I could still feel Ken's frustration through his memories.
But I couldn't stop. If I did, she'd probably hit me.
As humiliating as it was, I kept massaging her shoulders.

'She’s still just a girl, after all.'

Despite everything, her soft shoulders reminded me that she was just a girl.
How could someone with no muscles hit so hard?

"Yeah, right there... more...!"
"Is this the spot, ma’am? Right here, ma’am?"

Thanks to my craftsmanship skill from item creation, I must have been pretty good at massaging.
Recently, she seemed to prefer this over hitting me.
Even now, after class was over, she kept me here, making me massage her shoulders.

But one thing puzzled me.

[System: Emily Epiris’s sexual arousal is increasing.]

'Is the system broken? Why does her arousal keep going up?'

The system message popped up sometimes, even when Emily wasn’t hitting me.
Sure, she might have sadistic tendencies, but surely the protagonist of the game wasn’t this much of a pervert, right?
My trust in the system messages was starting to waver.

"...Hey, are you okay?"

I noticed Emily's body temperature was rising, and her breathing was getting heavier.
Her hands were clenched between her legs, and she was squeezing her thighs together.
Her entire body was trembling with each breath.

"Um..."
"Shut up and keep going. Don't stop your hands..."
"O-okay."
'Tch, why did I even bother worrying about her?'

Feeling a bit irritated, I put more pressure into my massage as a small act of revenge.
After massaging her shoulders for a while, I knew exactly where her weak spots were.

"Hah! Wait...! What are you...!"
"Oh, this spot helps with sleep, ma'am. You seem sleep-deprived. Heh, you’re all knotted up."

Of course, that was complete nonsense.
I didn’t know anything about sleep pressure points.
But I did know that pressing here made her shoulder twitch and her back tense up.
I focused my efforts on that sensitive spot.

"Ahh! Stop...! I said stop...! Don’t...! Hah, if you keep pressing there...!"

My hands moved skillfully despite her protests.
This was payback for all the times she bullied me.
It seemed to be working, as she clasped her hands between her legs and squeezed her thighs tighter, anxiously shifting her legs.

'Alright, time to finish this!'

Just as I was about to press the final pressure point for my grand finale...

"What are you doing at this hour?"

The classroom door opened, and someone walked in.

"Uh, w-wha...?"

I stammered, startled by the sudden arrival.
It was the Ice Queen of the Academy, Mary Haidia.
Her light blue bob cut sparkled in the twilight.

[Ken Feinstein's immersion is increasing.]

"M-Mary! What brings you here?"

I felt Ken’s willpower surge through my body, and my hands instinctively moved away from Emily’s shoulders.
Emily turned around, glaring at me.
Her gaze was a mix of embarrassment and irritation.
Then she turned that sharp look toward Mary.

"What are you doing here, Mary? You’re not even in this class."

Despite Emily’s harsh tone, Mary remained expressionless. She replied coldly.

"...I came to walk home with Ken."
"...What? Walk with him?"

What was with this atmosphere? Why did it suddenly feel so heavy?
Emily, standing in the middle of the tension, rose from her seat and approached Mary.

"Sorry, but Ken’s walking home with me today. You’ll have to leave."

Uh, when did I agree to that?
Mary, however, didn’t flinch. She responded without moving an inch.

"...I’ve heard some rumors recently."

The icy queen, who had maintained a neutral expression, suddenly spoke in a colder tone.
Her face remained unchanged, but her gaze sharpened.
Her blue eyes glinted dangerously.

"I’ve heard that on rainy days, Emily Epiris bullies Ken Feinstein."

The temperature around us dropped.
Magic gathered around Mary as she conjured her specialty: ice magic.
Without saying an incantation, icicles materialized in the air.
Every one of them pointed at Emily.

"Is that true?"
"..."

Emily couldn’t answer.
Mary was second only to Lafne in terms of strength at the academy.
At this point, only Lafne and two of the male main characters—Adrian and Siegfried—could fight her on equal footing.

"Tch."

Emily’s hand trembled with frustration, but she knew better than to act rashly.
Just as she was about to say something, I stepped between them.

‘It’s better if I stop this now.’

"Ah, no, Mary! It's not bullying! Emily and I are just friends!"
"...Friends?"
"Is that so?"

Behind me, I heard Emily’s startled voice, and Mary’s icy gaze softened as she dispelled the icicles.
Of course, I knew.
If I left things to Mary, the bullying would stop immediately.
But Emily was the protagonist of the game.
If a fight broke out and something happened to her, the risks would outweigh the rewards.
It was better to avoid unnecessary conflict.

Emily didn’t say anything. I turned around to look at her.
Her eyes were no longer focused on Mary but on me.
Her face flushed red, and she glared at me with a mix of frustration and... guilt?
Tears welled up in her eyes as she turned away.

"...I’m leaving."

She grabbed her things and left the classroom.

"..."

'She’s so unpredictable.'

In the end, only Mary and I were left in the classroom.
Mary watched Emily leave before turning her gaze back to me.
Her usual expressionless face now showed a hint of worry and guilt.
She hesitantly spoke.

"...Ken, are you alright?"

It seemed she knew I had lied earlier.
There was no point in trying to deceive her further.

"Yes, thanks to you, Mary. I’m fine."

Though it was mostly Ken’s words, I really did feel saved.
Who knew how long I would’ve had to massage Emily’s shoulders otherwise?
But despite my reassurances, Mary still looked troubled, her face clouded with guilt.

"...I’m sorry. I didn’t know this was happening to you on rainy days."
"No, Mary! Really, I’m okay!"

Seeing her so distressed, I panicked and waved my hands.
Of course, I wasn’t actually okay.
But Ken couldn’t stand to see the girl he liked looking so upset.
He wasn’t okay, but he told her he was anyway.

However, it seemed Mary knew I was lying. Her expression didn’t change.

"...I should be the one protecting you. But every time it rains, I become useless. I’m sorry."
"..."

I didn’t know what to say to her.
One question popped into my mind.
Why does Mary always disappear on rainy days?
I knew from the game’s weather system that you couldn’t find her on rainy days.
But the game never explained why that was.

"Um, shall we head home?"

Still, I didn’t feel comfortable asking her about something so sensitive.
For now, I decided to wrap up this little incident.

"...Huh?"
"...Ah."

But, just like that, I suddenly got my answer.
As we walked back toward the dormitory, trying to lighten the mood with idle conversation, something happened.

Plop, plop.
Raindrops began falling out of nowhere.

"...No, no..."

As the heavy droplets started soaking our clothes, Mary mumbled quietly.
Her face showed a mix of panic and fear.