I shoved the papers back into a ssy pile and left them on the conference table. Noel would figure out how to deal with her own ss. I had more pressing problems than being Ms. Stark’s research project.
Like the fact that my body was still humming from contact with her, my Essentia cycling at twice normal speed. The drain had opened wider than I’d planned, pulling more from her than I ant to. Her taste lingered on my tongue, sharp and sweet like biting into an icicle sprinkled with vanilla sugar.
My phone buzzed again.
ra: where are you now? and cheon have plans for you tonight
I smiled despite my current situation. The girls were certainly... attentive. Between testing my healing fluids ability and just our general compatibility, we’d barely left the bedroom all weekend. My body ached in ways that reminded how lucky I was.
Ro: eting with reeves at 5, semifinals after that
ra: et us at the apartnt after. bring food.
ra: wear sothing cute
ra: or nothing
Ro: demanding much?
ra: you love it
I did. That was the problem. I was starting to genuinely care for both of them, which wasn’t part of the original plan. This was supposed to be about survival - fulfill the Harem Lord quest, get back to my world with new powers intact. No emotional attachnts necessary.
Yet here I was, counting down the hours until I’d see them again.
The hallways were crowded as I headed toward the gym for semifinals prep. Students moved aside as I passed, whispers following in my wake. Yesterday’s nobody, today’s viral video star. The difference was stark.
"That’s him!"
"I heard he’s got five different abilities at least..."
"He’s living with two girls. Like, together. At the sa ti."
"Billionaire’s son. Obviously a player..."
Amazing how a single video could rewrite soone’s entire public narrative. Two days ago I was just the arrogant new kid with rich parents. Now I was apparently Superman with a functioning harem operation.
Well. They weren’t entirely wrong about the harem part. The system had been tracking my progress, and between ra’s "CLAID" status and whatever the hell was happening with Hae-Won’s increasingly frequent appearances in my dorm, I was ahead of schedule. Not that I planned to share that particular spreadsheet with anyone.
The whispers continued as I moved through the halls. So were admiring. So were envious. A few were openly hostile. I’d made myself a target the mont I decided to stop playing by the original Ro’s playbook. The old Ro would’ve stumbled through this with all the grace of a drunk elephant. The current Ro? I was running plays the original protagonist never saw coming.
My phone buzzed again. Another text from ra, this one just a photo. Her and Hae-Won in the apartnt kitchen, both wearing very little, both looking directly at the cara with expressions that promised trouble. The caption read: hurry up.
I saved the photo and pocketed my phone before anyone could see over my shoulder. So advantages of being the designated villain were ant to be kept private.
I pushed open the doors to the gymnasium and found Usagi already waiting, nervously pacing in her hero costu. Her white and grey uniform looked like it had been specifically designed to highlight her figure while providing maximum mobility. The cyber-chanical gauntlets on her wrists humd softly as she adjusted sothing on the control panel.
"Ro!" She rushed over when she saw . "Thank god you’re here. Noel just stord past without saying anything and she looked ready to murder soone."
"Yeah, we had a... discussion."
"That bad?" Her eyebrows crinkled with worry. "Are we still a team for the semifinals?"
"Don’t worry about it." I patted her shoulder. "We’ll be fine."
"But your abilities... that video... everyone’s talking about it!"
I shrugged. "Let them talk. Our strategy stays the sa. You neutralize the biggest threat with your gum. I handle whoever cos at us. Noel picks off stragglers in astral form."
"But what if she refuses to work with you now?"
"Noel won’t throw a match just because she’s mad at . She’s too competitive for that."
Usagi didn’t look convinced, but she nodded anyway, her hands nervously toying with the settings on her gauntlets. "I just... I don’t understand what’s happening with our team. First you two barely speak, then you actually work together during trials, and now she looks like she wants to erase you from existence."
"Won, am I right?" I grinned.
Usagi smacked my arm lightly. "Don’t be a jerk."
"Sorry." I wasn’t actually sorry, but it seed like the right thing to say. "Look, Noel and I have... history. Complicated history."
"You knew each other before Coastline?"
"Sothing like that."
I didn’t actually rember eting Noel in the past, but according to the novel’s background, my original self had dismissed her at so corporate event years ago. Called her "Short Stack" and treated her like she wasn’t worth noticing.
The original Ro had been a genuine asshole. I was just playing one on TV.
"She’ll be fine once the match starts," I assured Usagi. "Noel wants to win more than she wants to punish ."
At least, I hoped so.
The doors to the gym burst open, and Professor Reeves walked in wearing her hero costu instead of her usual teaching attire. The black and crimson bodysuit hugged curves that her professional clothes usually kept hidden, and the ornate lance strapped across her back glead under the gym lights. Her scarlet hair was pulled back in a high ponytail that swayed as she walked.
"Semifinals begin in twenty minutes," she announced to the scattered students. "Team Two versus Team Four. Team One awaits the winner tomorrow."
I glanced around the gym. "Where’s Team Three?"
"Eliminated yesterday," Reeves replied. "Your opponent will be Team Four - William, Jessica, and Vince."
"The tech squad?" Usagi whispered. "They’re all support types with gadgets."
"High utility, low direct combat," I muttered back. "Should be manageable."
"Assuming your team actually functions," Reeves added, her ruby eyes fixed on . "Ms. Stark seed rather... agitated when I passed her in the locker room."
"We had a disagreent about strategy." Not entirely a lie.
"I see." Reeves didn’t look convinced. "Rember, these matches are being watched by potential agency sponsors. Personal issues should remain outside the arena."
"Yes, Professor."
She held my gaze a mont longer, sothing unreadable flickering in her eyes. "And Mr. D’Angelo? Try to limit yourself to abilities that are actually registered with the NEA this ti."
"Yes, Professor."
Reeves strode away to check on other competitors, leaving Usagi staring at with wide eyes.
"What did she an by that?" Usagi whispered.
"Nothing important." I rolled my shoulders, trying to loosen the tension. "Let’s focus on the match."
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