After three rounds of gate practice, it was finally Friday—Yu-jin’s last practice session of the week.

"Hey, my disciple, how about letting me come with you today? I can convince Ha-yeon," his master suggested.

"If you step inside, the C-class gate monsters will probably faint on the spot...maybe from heart attacks."

"...Fine, go on. Let me know if you think of anything you'd like for dinner."

"Sure thing!"

After brushing off his master, who’d been clinging to him since dawn, the diligent young man casually headed toward the chairman’s office. He was planning to meet Winterer there.

‘If I keep up my gate practice during the weekdays and train hard on weekends, I should be able to hit a power stat of 7. That should be enough for the minimum damage cut…’

—Tap tap. Cling.

“Yu-jin~!! Good morning!!”

"...!!!!?"

His peace was abruptly interrupted when Alice suddenly ran up to him and wrapped him in a tight hug, making his cheeks instantly warm up.

‘Alice?! It’s way before class starts, so why is she here this early? Was she waiting for me in the morning? She wouldn’t do that unless she liked me…’

—Ding.
[The skill ‘Complete Hypnosis’ yawns and lazily rubs its eyes.]

‘…No way. She must have some other reason for seeing me.’

Oblivious as always, Yu-jin decided to respond as appropriately as he could to Alice’s bold display of affection. He’d become somewhat used to it by now and thought he could calmly peel her off and start a conversation...

—Pat pat.

“You got up early again today! It’s for your gate practice, right? You’re amazing, Yu-jin!”

“…?”

But he found he couldn’t pull her away because her actions were different from usual.

Yu-jin was flooded with questions.

‘What’s going on? Why is she acting like this?’

Holding him tightly, Alice gently patted his head—an expression of care she’d never shown him before, not even before his regression. 

‘Why is she treating me like a baby? Is this some weird challenge going viral on OutStar?’

Considering Alice’s love for social media, it wouldn’t be surprising if she’d picked up something strange. Trends these days are hard to keep up with.

He chuckled at the thought.

‘Is it a hug challenge or something? I mean, I don’t mind…’

“Here, let me give you a big hug!”

—Squeeze.

“A, a, a big one, at that!”

"……!!!!?"
‘Did she just bury my face into her chest out of nowhere!?’

The amusement faded quickly as his face ended up smushed against her chest.

Yu-jin froze, unable to move, as Alice lovingly stroked the back of his head, treating him like a baby. Just as Suyun had suggested.

‘Up to this point, she’s doing exactly what I saw in her eyes. Now, if Yu-jin says something like, "Noona, I feel strange down there," then…’

—Grin.

However, her face was far from motherly. Dark circles surrounded her eyes, evidence of a sleepless night spent reading risque comics, particularly from the oddly niche infantilism genre. She grinned with an expression that was anything but serene.

If Ryu Suyun saw this scene, she’d be horrified, likely muttering, “I never expected Alice to be this kind of deviant!”

‘Come on, Yu-jin! I’m only wearing nipple covers today, so gather all the energy you can!’

—Squeeze.

‘When is she going to let go? I can’t move...this is insane.’

Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—not a single student passed by during the early morning. They remained in this embrace for nearly three minutes, until Alice’s lower chest began to dampen with sweat.

“Hehe, Yu-jin, you did such a great job…”

—Drip.

“N-Now, let go already!”

‘Already sweating like this? I should’ve put on deodorant!’

—Fwoosh.

“…Phew!!”
‘I thought I was going to suffocate!’

Released from her grip, Yu-jin’s face was flushed a deep red from oxygen deprivation, giving him a pitiful look.

‘That face! I’m glad it seems to have cheered him up!’

Alice offered no apology, as she saw this as “treatment.” Seeing his current state only reinforced her belief that her actions were effective, as she thought, ‘His circulation is improving! It’s working!’

The reaction of the “victim” on the verge of suffocation?

“Phew…is this some British trend? Surprising a guy by suddenly hugging him?”

“Huh? Oh, yes! Did you not like it?”

“Of course not! I was a little embarrassed, but if it’s a trend, then it’s fine.”

There was no anger, nor did he expect to be; this was a legitimate hug from his “wife,” after all.

In fact, he was grateful. Wow, Britain, a country where such noble challenges are trendy. I apologize for ever thinking of you as a nation of bland food!

“I’m relieved to hear that. And, you know, I heard it helps guys regain energy. How about it?”

“Well, thanks to you, I’m wide awake now…but are you going to do this with others?”

“No way! Yu-jin, you’re the only one I’d ever do this with!”

“If that’s the case, then it’s fine. Just be careful not to do it with any other guys; it could easily be misunderstood.”

“Of course! You’re the only one for me, Yu-jin!”

This innocent conversation continued between them, with Alice in a state of giddy excitement, while Yu-jin, as always, remained in “oblivious young man” mode. The deep affection lacing their words went unacknowledged.

“Well, then, I’ll be going now. I need to head to the chairman’s office for gate practice.”

“I’ll come with you!”

“Wait, you have business with the chairman?”

“Not exactly…but I wanted to see Haru’s face!”

“Pfft. Alright, let’s go then.”

And so the two headed toward the chairman’s office together.

For Yu-jin, it was his destination anyway, so naturally…

“Oh, Yu-jin? You know, if you ever need anything, anything at all, just let me know. I’ll be as caring as a mother…”

“…?”

Alice decided to tag along, finding an excuse to stick close.

The chairman’s office grew lively.

—Creak.

“Dad, good morning… Oh, Alice is here too.”

“Good morning, Haru!”

“Mm. Good morning, Alice.”

Still half-asleep in her pajamas, Haru yawned, greeting Alice and Yu-jin warmly.

Then,

“Alice, displaying excessive affection on academy grounds is a violation of the rules.”

"……!!!!!? What, what do you mean?"

This reprimand came from Seol Ha-yeon, who’d been scowling since before.

“The vibe felt off since dawn, and there you were, hugging him out in the open. At first, I thought you were breastfeeding.”

“You could see that!? But you were so far away.”

“I may be fourth in S-class, but I haven’t lost my touch.”

“That’s… It’s actually a challenge from OutStar…”

Lastly…

—Tremble.

‘That’s her, Alice…!! That’s the girl that dumpling head likes!!!’

Winterer, standing there, shook in shock.

Five people with different thoughts and goals had gathered in the chairman’s office.

A disaster was inevitable.

“So you’re saying this is trending on social media? That today’s youth all go around doing this?”

“Yes! Isn’t that right, Yu-jin?”

“Alice is probably right. I don’t know much about SNS, but there’s been plenty of strange trends lately.”

"…"

‘Yu-jin might be clueless, but Alice is lying through her teeth.’

The main players in the first round of chaos: Seol Ha-yeon, Yu-jin, and Alice. The chairman quickly saw through Alice’s lie.

A challenge? What nonsense.

As messed up as society is, there’s no way something like public cuddling is a trend.

“If sex became trendy, would you do that too?”

“Pfft!!!”

“That…um, well…”

“I’ll overlook the rule violation this time, but from now on, do things by your own choice. Don’t hide behind trends or whatever as an excuse.”

Ha-yeon’s direct scolding struck like a hammer, targeting Alice.

Alice’s face flushed red.

“Y-yes…”
‘From now on, I’ll make sure we’re alone. This is treatment, after all.’

‘She’s not reflecting at all. Young people these days are too bold.’

The first chaotic incident thus ended.

Just when Yu-jin thought he could catch his breath…

‘Whew, that hag nearly got me.’

—Grab. Squish.

“Daddy, you did great. Here, a big hug.”

“…?”

With barely any time to relax, the second round of chaos unfolded.

In her pajamas, Haru wrapped her arms tightly around her father, just as her sister had suggested earlier.

‘That Alice… And she even buried her face in his chest? Leaving my Haru behind!?’

—Whisper.

[Hey, dumpling head. Go hug your dad. Smush that dumpling face right between your chest.]

[Yawn… Grandma will get mad if I do that.]

[Dummy dumpling head! It’s trendy, so stop talking and go! That Alice

 girl did it too!]

[…Thank you for the awesome info!]

—Swoosh. Cling.

‘It’s true! Grandma’s not mad!’

With eyes sparkling, Haru didn’t fully understand the concept of a “challenge,” but she knew she could hug her dad without getting in trouble.

She fought off sleep just to see her dad and now felt blissfully happy.

Haru enjoyed her legit snuggle time with a blissful grin.

‘Haru’s cute, so it’s fine. Compared to that other girl, this is nothing.’

‘Haru…well, it’s cute. I don’t feel anything for her now, though.’

—Tremble.

‘Seeing Yu-jin held by Haru like that makes me want to rage and slap his back!!’

Neither the chairman nor Yu-jin thought much of it, but Alice, for no discernable reason, was filled with rage.

Haru, however, continued to enjoy her hug until she was satisfied, ending the second round of chaos on a warm note.

“Whew. Hugging Daddy is the best. Feels amazing.”

“Glad you liked it, Haru. I’m happy too…”

—Rush.

“Sis, sis! You should try hugging Dad too. It feels amazing! Highly recommended.”

“…What are you saying, dumpling head!?”

No one anticipated that the spark would fly to Winterer, but Haru’s kindness led to the third chaotic incident.

Winterer’s eyes spun.

“Why would I…hug that guy…?”

Hug that troublemaker? No way.

“I had trouble controlling my strength when hugging Dad. But you’re super smart, Sis, so I’ll learn from watching you.”

But if Haru asked like this…

“…”
‘I have no choice. I’m the older sister, and it’s only natural for an older sibling to indulge their younger sibling’s whims.’

“If dumpling head wants it, fine! I’ll grant you the privilege of hugging me!”

Winterer had no choice but to comply, even if it meant letting some random guy bury his face in her flat chest.

‘Well, his face isn’t too bad. It probably wouldn’t be that unpleasant…’

And Yu-jin’s response?

‘What is she on about?’

—Glance.

‘Somebody educate that sassy brat. Please, Grandma.’

With a sideways glance, he directed his silent plea toward Seol Ha-yeon.

Seol Ha-yeon’s response to this unexpected request for “education”?

‘That rotten boy. Trying to boss me around with a look? Time for some payback.’

—Smirk.

“Oh, you’re craving a hug? Come here. I’ll personally give you one.”

“Why are all of you like this?”

A direct retort. Yu-jin could only sigh in exasperation.

What? She wanted to hug him?

Was that old woman aging backward mentally too?

‘She knows what I’m going to say…’

—Pause.

‘Hold on. If I close my eyes and endure this for just three seconds, I might have the perfect weapon to use forever…’

But he was briefly tempted.

His ultimate strategy was to withstand awkward situations without hypnosis. He’d already used it twice, so its impact was fading.

Maybe now was the time to stock up on another powerful weapon?

‘Then again, it’s foolish to burn down the house to catch a flea.’

His decision took only a second.

Putting up with the awkwardness and risking potential humiliation wasn’t worth it.

———However, unfortunately…

—Pause.

‘Wait… Did that boy hesitate?’

Seol Ha-yeon’s instincts picked up on his fleeting hesitation.

She had said it as a joke, but he’d genuinely seemed to consider it?

…Was this child actually yearning for her to hug him?

—Shuffle.

“It was a joke. Apologies if you were expecting it…”

Ha-yeon instinctively stepped back, covering her chest and blushing slightly.

“…What?”

“Apologies, but as the chairman, I can’t violate academy rules. Even if you wanted it, I can’t break the rules…”

“Is that old hag insane!!!? When did I say I wanted it!?”

Yu-jin snapped.

Suddenly, he’d become a member of the “Love the Old Lady” fan club. He protested furiously against the crazy chairman who was slandering his innocent preferences.

‘I’ll never understand men. What’s appealing about an old woman like me?’

—Twitch.

“Stop blushing already!!!”

Seol Ha-yeon ignored his pleas, and Yu-jin’s frustration spiraled into the fourth and fifth rounds of chaos.

It was summer.

---

Though we argued all morning due to the chairman’s nonsense, life went on as usual after that.

The only real difference was that Friday practice sessions now included Haru. When she heard I was heading to the gate, she insisted on joining me.

So, weekends were for training and dates with my wives, while weekdays were spent honing my skills in actual gate battles.

One week, two weeks, three weeks passed.

Thanks to this routine, my skills improved immensely, and my battle instincts sharpened.

[———Yu-jin! An S-class gate has appeared in Washington, D.C.! Get ready and meet me at the airport in four hours!!]

An opportunity to test my growth had arrived.