“Damn—why the hell?”
Aaron clenched his back teeth while lying on the bed.
His upper body was naked, his lower half hidden under the futon.
Frustration oozed from him.
Sunlight streamed in through the window as a senior entered the room, holding two coffee cups.
This was the senior’s room.
She had slicked‑back black hair and wasn’t wearing a shirt button.
The front of her shirt was open, revealing a well‑trained torso.
“Another hangover, Aaron?”
“Ah, sorry, senior.”
Every time he went out drinking he’d end up smashed, and when he woke up he was always in the senior’s room.
At first he was suspicious, but after it kept happening his senses numbed and he just accepted it.
No—what really bothered Aaron was something else.
“Don’t be so formal. Call me Darryl. We’re close enough in age, right?”
“Sorry, Darryl.”
Even though she was a senior, Aaron kept his guard up around the friendly‑looking guy.
No—.
*(Damn—why? Why does my chest keep fluttering!)*
He was supposed to be after Libya, but lately he kept finding himself drunk more often. He lost confidence in his tolerance and now found himself watching men more than women.
Aaron was pissed at himself for that.
He took the coffee Darryl handed him and it tasted great.
“Nice.”
“Coffee’s my thing.”
Darryl sat on the bed.
It’s Darryl’s bed, so it’s not weird.
It’s not weird, but—Aaron realized a chill ran down his spine even though nothing felt off.
*(Before I was way more on guard, I could feel danger!)*
Aaron was confused by his own change.
◇
Angelica’s room.
Claire checked the video and audio from the sub‑device, nodding her single blue eye with satisfaction.
“Fantastic result. Who’d have thought you could fall in love just by setting up a situation so easily?”
The dangerous line was heard by Libya, who was changing clothes in Angelica’s room.
“—Aaron‑chan, are you doing something weird?”
“‘Weird’? How rude. I’m just doing animal experiments.”
Hearing “animal experiments” made Libya angry.
But Libya seemed to think the test subjects were just mice or something.
“That’s definitely weird! Tell me what the heck you’re doing!”
Claire answered with a sigh.
“What do you think I’m doing? I’m not doing whatever you imagine, Libya.”
“B‑but you keep talking about falling in love, wonderful results—”
She was probably picturing syringes, dissections, the usual lab stuff.
Claire was truly exasperated.
“There are all kinds of experiments, you know. I’m not using any drugs. Right now I’m just watching what kind of situation makes love sprout.”
“Love?”
“Yes, love. You like love, right? I love it too.”
Libya looked confused.
“Experimenting with love feels wrong. Love should be natural—how do I put it, like two people being drawn to each other.”
“Like the Master and you guys?”
Libya’s face turned red.
“Uh, well—yeah.”
“But if there’s no contact with the Master—if you change the circumstances, you can’t tell if love would even bloom.”
Seeing Libya at a loss, Claire gently lectured.
“It’s fine. I said love, but simply put I’m just figuring out how to get people to get along. I’m testing whether two individuals of slightly different types will become friendly under certain conditions.”
“So… that’s not a problem then? But still, it’s not right. Aaron‑chan, sometimes you give off a scary vibe.”
Claire complained.
“That’s harsh. If it were the Master, he’d probably be thrilled and agree. He might even scold you for being soft. No, he’d tell you to push harder. And yet—Libya, you idiot! You just don’t get it!”
She said that and left the room, with Libya reaching out to chase after her.
“Aaron‑chan, wait!”
◇
Hallway.
*(If I keep it up like this, she’ll feel guilty for a while and start being nice to me.)*
Watching Libya wander around looking for herself, Claire hid and thought about what to do next.
*(Amazing. A man who loves women doesn’t need any drug to start fluttering for a man. I was debating whether to prepare a love‑potion, but even I’m surprised.)*
She’d intended to punish the naughty kid.
But then she thought, maybe she could speed things up by doing a drug test in the process?
Because of Claire’s plan, a few boys ended up as sacrifices.
Claire is, as always, having a great time at the Academy.