Recently, Lee Yoo-ri had been in a low mood, sometimes even losing focus during training and sighing heavily.

The reason was a rumor that had been spreading among the prospective students.

It had started with a sighting by one of the prospective students.

“I saw Cheonhwa, the female quota student, going to Rohana Restaurant with a male quota student.”

At first, the statement was dismissed as nonsense, as it seemed unlikely that Cheonhwa would be interested in a quota student. However, the rumor gained traction when Cheonhwa showed up at a hamburger restaurant the next day.

Cheonhwa was showing interest in a male quota student. On top of that, Fighting Dog was also targeting him. They had even had a standoff over him.

Along with this, descriptions of the male quota student’s appearance began to spread secretly.

-Homme fatale, visually satisfying, eye cleanser, gives off a wall-like feeling. Perfect.

Various nicknames were attached to him.

It was unusual for a prospective student, who hadn’t even had their entrance ceremony yet, to become the center of attention, especially one who wasn’t a special admission student.

And because of his appearance, the rumor started to become distorted.

“It’s said that Jin Yuha, a quota student, is trying to get close to the special admission students.”

Lee Yoo-ri didn’t believe this distorted rumor to be true. In fact, she had found the initial story quite believable.

‘They must have taken an interest in Jin Yuha on their own.’

The reason was probably Jin Yuha’s hidden talent.

Since the special admission students and the male quota student were training together, they must have witnessed Jin Yuha’s skills.

And they must have realized that Jin Yuha possessed remarkable abilities that didn’t match his label as a quota student.

Now, they knew that he was special, and it wasn’t just her.

She had expected something like this to happen eventually, and as she couldn’t realistically respond to Jin Yuha’s feelings, she had tried to accept it as calmly as possible.

Yes, she had tried to accept it, but…

She couldn’t shake off the sense of injustice that filled her heart.

‘……It’s because of me that he came here!’

Jin Yuha, who had followed her to Velvet Academy on a whim, had rushed his enrollment so much that he had to endure the ridiculous label of a quota student.

But now, incredibly beautiful women, with superior abilities and wealth that she couldn’t even compare to, were approaching him.

‘So, I thought Jin Yuha would naturally be swayed by them… But now, what? They’re saying he’s the one making the moves?’

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“So, that bitch Cheonhwa is playing games?”
“Yeah, I was even attacked by her followers yesterday. And she definitely knew about it.”

As the conversation progressed, Lee Yoo-ri, who had initially seemed dejected, regained her usual demeanor.

‘What’s up with Soup? Her mood seems to have improved.’

“She’s a total bitch.”
“Yeah, she’s definitely up to something.”

“But why did you get involved?”

Lee Yoo-ri asked with her arms crossed.

“Hmm, the details are a bit complicated to explain, but I made a deal with that woman.”
“A deal?”
“Yeah, the condition is that I have to eat lunch with her for a while.”

Lee Yoo-ri bit her lip in anger. Then, she let out a hollow laugh.

“So, she’s using her status to force you to have lunch with her… That’s pretty shady. Could this rumor also be part of her plan to get to Jin Yuha first?”

Lee Yoo-ri furrowed her brows as she thought, then turned to me.

“So, the rumors about your feelings for Cheonhwa are also bullshit?”
“Of course.”

I nodded.

In reality, it would be understandable for her to doubt me, given Cheonhwa’s public image in the media. But Lee Yoo-ri believed me without hesitation.

“So, what do you need my help with?”

Lee Yoo-ri asked eagerly.

“I told you I have to eat lunch with that woman, right?”
“Yeah.”

“I want you to come with me to those lunches.”
“Okay. I’ll do it.”

Lee Yoo-ri readily accepted my request without any hesitation. I felt both grateful and guilty for involving her.

‘It’s not right to make such a request without offering something in return…’

“Since this is you helping me, I want to repay you…

“Hey, Jin Yuha.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you really think I’d accept that?”

She glared at me, clearly annoyed. It was reassuring to have her say that, though.

“Well, I feel bad because I’m taking away your lunch break, which you use for training. That’s why I wanted to repay you.”
“……How did you know about that?”

Squeak…

Lee Yoo-ri suddenly stiffened.

“……I just had a feeling, right?”
“Yeah, you’re right. Ah, so you knew?”

She blushed furiously and averted her eyes.

‘You must be embarrassed because you’re not eating properly during lunch and training.’

I smiled warmly.

“Okay. It would be weird for us to exchange money, so this time, I’ll just pay for the meals. And next time, if you need anything, just ask me.”
“……Our relationship?”
“Yeah, we’re a well-coordinated team.”

I joked.

There was a moment of silence.

Suddenly, Lee Yoo-ri stood up from her seat and turned away.

“Soup…?”
“I, I got it! Then I’ll see you at lunch today. I’ll come to your training ground, so wait for me! I have to go now because I suddenly remembered something urgent. Bye! See you tomorrow!”

Bang─!

“……”

Lee Yoo-ri rushed back into the dormitory, apparently in a hurry.

Well, at least I managed to get a sturdy leash for Shin Se-hee.

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The next morning.

6 a.m.

I woke up an hour earlier than usual.

Snore─ Whoosh─!

I quietly observed the other guys in the dormitory who were still asleep, then carefully got up and left.

I took the wooden sword I had been sleeping with and washed up before heading to the training ground.

And there, I found a girl already training.

Kang Do-hee.

She was sitting on the ground with her legs wide apart, bending forward and stretching.

‘Time for the preemptive shot.’

Stomp, stomp.

I approached her, making my presence known.

Kang Do-hee looked up and glared at me.

“What?”
“You’re up early for training. That’s quite diligent.”
“What do you want, quota student? Stay out of my sight. You’ll really regret it.”
“We’re going to be training together anyway. How can I stay out of your sight?”

Kang Do-hee twisted her neck from side to side and smirked.

“Hey, you. You were the one that said the flower garden bitch was poisonous and whatnot… So, Why did you end up siding with her?”
“And then, are you going to switch to me now?”
“Bullshit. I hate guys who jump from one girl to another.”

Gang Do-hee’s tone was disdainful.

In addition to the male quota student, she had also been dealing with Sin Se-hee, who had been following her around and getting on her nerves. This seemed to have made her even sharper.

“Kang Do-hee.”
“Don’t call my name. Don’t even act like you know me.”
“Then, Fighting Dog?”
“Do you really want to die?”

I looked at her calmly and opened my mouth.

“From now on, I will never approach you first. So, just listen to what I have to say now.”
“……”

Kang Do-hee tilted her chin. She seemed willing to listen to what I had to say.

“Later, no matter what question you ask me, I will always answer you honestly.”
“What…?”
“And my desire to be friends with you will never change. Remember that, too.”

Kang Do-hee frowned, unsure what to make of this sudden declaration.

“Whenever you come to me and ask me directly.”
“What kind of stupid nonsense is that? Why would I come to you?”
“Who knows.”

I shrugged.

I didn’t know what tricks Shin Se-hee would use to lure Kang Do-hee, but she would definitely use her silver tongue to somehow convince her.

The most effective way to counter that was this.

Being completely honest and opening up to each other.

Kang Do-hee might not feel it now, but later, she would definitely remember what I said.

Then, when she comes to me with her questions, I’ll just give her the same honest answers.

I gave Kang Do-hee the preemptive shot and then started my own training separately.

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“That’s the end of today’s basic training. We’ll meet again after lunch.”

Instructor Baek Seol-hee’s morning training schedule was over.

Shin Se-hee approached me.

“Jin Yuha! Let’s have lunch together again today!”
“Sure.”

But I stopped at the entrance of the training ground.

“Hmm? Aren’t you coming?”

Shin Se-hee, who had been walking ahead, turned back and tilted her head.

“Oh, sorry. A friend of mine is coming.”
“……A friend?”
“Yeah, we agreed to eat together when we came to the Academy, but since we were in different training groups, we’ve been eating separately. But now, I think it’s better if we eat together. It doesn’t matter if there’s one more person, right?”

Shin Se-hee nodded reluctantly.

“……Okay, fine. But who is it?”
“Oh, there she is.”

In the distance, Lee Yoo-ri was walking towards us.

She looked more confident than ever.

‘Shin Se-hee, your personal manager is here. You should greet her.’

I smiled to myself.